Returning to the shallows, the buffer zone between the Gloomy Realm and Blue Star, Fang You glanced back. No figures pursued him, and the prying gaze, it seemed, either couldn't or wouldn't enter Blue Star.
The expressions of terror, panic, and relief slowly subsided from his face. He breathed lightly, yet clutched his chest, a twisted grimace of pain involuntarily appearing. The life-saving measures taken earlier seemed to have come with significant side effects.
His flight speed had noticeably decreased. He looked as if he were gravely wounded.
However, after a while, still no one pursued him, which brought a hint of regret. To ensure the act was convincing and to guard against any undetectable scrying methods the Bloody Emperor might possess, Fang You leisurely flew towards a warp gate. Only after passing through Blue Star did he finally relax his expression.
"Cough, cough..."
"That was utterly exhausting!"
He was referring to the act of deception. Mentor Fang was no longer a novice actor; he had even taken specialized training. But his opponents were beings of myth, demigods themselves. He couldn't afford the slightest carelessness. Controlling the subtle shifts in his facial expressions had left him feeling somewhat drained.
A portion of the fatigue was also due to the combat.
"I have to admit, the enemy's ambush was potent. If not for controlling Little Illusion, escaping wouldn't have been so easy... Though, I've only used one ten-thousandth of its illusory traversal capabilities."
With a mere instant, he could have traversed from the Gloomy Realm back to Blue Star. If not for the intention to lure them out and conceal his own intelligence, why would he have had such a difficult escape?
Though, the fact that he couldn't win was also true.
Fang You shifted his posture, slumping onto an invisible seat, and pondered, "The combat power displayed by Black Wing Myth was leagues beyond what it was that day. The difference between a divine descent avatar and the true body is indeed vast."
This was also because Black Wing Myth was a seasoned myth, perhaps even a top-tier one.
A divine descent avatar's baseline was fixed. The stronger one's own accumulated power, the greater the disparity with the avatar.
Another point was the horrifying nature of the mythical form.
Not only did the black flames cling like a festering wound, but Black Wing Myth, in that form, seemed virtually unkillable.
However,
"The combat power Black Wing Myth displayed was not its true peak. It had already lost a strand of divinity."
"Through this battle, my understanding of mythical-level combat power is no longer completely in the dark."
Before this, he had only faced a divine descent avatar. If one were to treat the divine descent avatar as a unit of combat power, Black Wing Myth's strength would be at least 4 to 5.
This was approximately the combat power of a seasoned myth.
So, what about a top-tier myth with three strands of divinity?
"Mythical beings are indeed not to be underestimated. Currently, none of my Spark's 'personnel' can match a top-tier myth in a one-on-one fight."
Though this was limited to Spark's 'people'; Shallow Red was not a person.
Within Spark, the strongest in conventional combat power was Xitina. After this period of training, defeating Black Wing Myth in a one-on-one duel should not be difficult for her.
And she was still improving rapidly.
An Jianyou's combat power, in her non-human form, was estimated to be just over "2". However, this girl had not yet ascended to myth. Once she did, she would quickly rival top-tier myths.
Brother Black Blade's combat power was clearly "1". It was about time to fuse a skill for him.
As for himself?
Setting aside world power and the 'Conviction of Burning Flames', he estimated himself to be comparable to a seasoned myth. If his abilities were included, that would be difficult to say.
His abilities could be incredibly strong, or very weak.
"And the one that appeared last, a palm comparable to an entire continent. It was clearly the Bloody Emperor's doing. Indeed, this high-level existence is a demigod!"
Although he had long suspected it.
A thousand years ago, the Bloody Emperor was a myth. After so many years, without perishing from the exhaustion of lifespan, he had most likely advanced further.
When the Bloody Emperor's true form acted, that terrifying power was beyond his resistance.
Demigod!
He had finally caught a glimpse of it.
"Could I contend with a demigod using world power? Is Shallow Red's current strength enough to contend with a demigod?"
There was too little information to deduce.
Moreover, demigods were far from the apex within the ranks of the evil gods. The boundless blood shadows he had glimpsed that day had extinguished any thought of resistance.
"However, that blood shadow did not appear this time. If a being of that caliber had intervened, even with illusory traversal, I might not have escaped. I might have died once."
Whether that blood shadow was occupied elsewhere or simply disdained to pay him heed, for Fang You, it was good news.
It bought him more time.
It's just that the Bloody Emperor harbored immense hatred towards him, and perhaps... no, it was very likely he would take other actions, and Fang You would still be forced into passive defense, only able to cower.
"Blue Star has reached a bottleneck. To rapidly increase the organization's strength, other channels must be explored. Spark must become a true organization of the Gloomy Realm, and moreover, a super-organization spanning across great domains!"
Having summarized his thoughts, he then remembered he was still attached to Little Illusion and willed his true form back.
At this moment, a ding-dong sound echoed in his mind.
An Jianyou's avatar was blinking, delivering good news.
***
The Gloomy Realm, the Fallen Star Cavern Great Domain.
"If the Fallen Star Caverns have a boundary, we must be near the edge by now."
A group of figures walked under the hazy gray mist, led by a strange creature and with another at the rear.
In the middle, Xu Yun and Liu Ying each held a luminous lantern.
This was An Jianyou's request. Only by burning two lanterns simultaneously could they avoid unforeseen events. As for the excess fuel consumption? She didn't care at all.
An Jianyou, walking in front, held the eyeball-shaped treasure she had previously acquired. She surveyed her surroundings, confirmed there was no danger, and then silently activated the 'Nether Envoy' skill, converting her own energy into sustenance for her strange creature infant.
She transmitted it at maximum power.
Instantly, the life energy within An Jianyou surged like a breached dam, flowing uncontrollably. Although she was a top-tier expert of the Sixth Sense, having practiced body tempering and contemplation techniques, her life energy was as vast as a lake. Yet, at this rate of outflow, she could only sustain it for a dozen seconds.
Such was the consumption of a legendary skill.
Considering she was also in the dangerous environment of the Gloomy Realm, where her life energy had to remain above half, this time was significantly shortened.
Seven seconds.
This was the safety limit An Jianyou had set for herself initially.
And now, as her life energy began to surge, the eyeball-shaped treasure in her hand diffused a hazy glow, as if something had changed!
Her life energy continued to transform into nourishment, pouring out unstoppably, yet the reservoir, its gates opened, showed no sign of its water level dropping.
No matter how the flood surged, the energy within the reservoir remained inexhaustible!
It wasn't truly infinite; this was... the effect of the eyeball-shaped treasure.
—Negate one skill/ability consumption!
It could only be used once, with a cooldown period of one day.
According to An Jianyou's exploration, if she used a single-shot skill, like a fireball, only one cast's consumption would be exempted. The second and third fireballs would have to be paid for herself. However, if she used a sustained skill, within the skill's duration, it was still considered a 'single cast' and could be exempted by this treasure.
This was a legendary strange artifact, long forgotten!
A special type.
Perhaps due to the long passage of time, or dimmed by some disaster, when An Jianyou cleansed it with her strange creature energy, the artifact unexpectedly regained its radiance.
At this moment, her life energy was being outputted ceaselessly, without interruption or pause. The 'Nether Envoy' skill remained active.
Her energy surged, pouring into the six-star strange creature Bai Ling.
The eyeball-shaped treasure in her hand also glowed brighter.
Ten seconds.
Twenty seconds.
Thirty seconds.
This had far exceeded An Jianyou's limit for single output. With her precise control over energy, this 'Nether Envoy' skill remained stable. Even if it lasted for several minutes, she could do it without blushing or panting.
But at sixty-odd seconds, the eyeball-shaped treasure's glow began to dim, seemingly unable to bear the strain. Her life energy could finally no longer be maintained without cost.
After another two to three seconds, An Jianyou ceased the output.
"This strange artifact was damaged before, otherwise it could have lasted longer."
(Eyeball Strange Artifact: It's gone, truly gone!)
She then looked at Bai Ling, observing the state of this second infant, and nodded with satisfaction. At this pace, it wouldn't take a month, not even half a month, before Bai Ling could be promoted.
While she was nurturing her strange creature, Liu Ying was holding a yellowed map, repeatedly scrutinizing it, tilting her head in contemplation.
"According to the markings here, we should turn left at the fork, then left again, then left again... Why can't these maps be drawn more clearly!"
Her neck seemed to twist almost 180 degrees, with great difficulty, her face almost pressed against the map.
At this moment, Xu Yun weakly said, "Why don't you just rotate the map?"
"Oh, right! Xiao Yunyun, you're so smart!"
Xu Yun: "..."
Oases could not be detected by treasure radar. They had to rely on clues gathered from various inquiries, wandering aimlessly.
In An Jianyou's opinion, such a large area as an oasis should be easy to find, right?
Unfortunately, reality contradicted her expectations.
The gray mist obscured their vision. Even the oasis at Lantern Town had been found by chance.
But,
An Jianyou activated her Nether Eye and gazed deeper into the gray mist. There were roars of colossal shadows and ancient blood-red trees emitting ominous light, yet she also vaguely glimpsed a sunlit area.
They might have truly found an oasis!
However, the saying "seeing a mountain from afar and being exhausted by the journey" applied. The environment of the Gloomy Realm was fickle. The area appearing to the north didn't necessarily mean traveling north; initially, they couldn't close the distance no matter how they walked. Only later did they discover that this incomplete map had some merit.
Left, left, always left.
The cavern environment in this area was complex. Passages were sometimes narrow enough for only a few people to pass, and sometimes... not particularly wide. And there were junctions everywhere. In the pervasive gray mist, it was even easier to get lost.
If An Jianyou hadn't been able to use her Nether Eye to descend/ascend across regions, she wouldn't have dared to make so many turns. After a few more circuits, she would have been dizzy.
Now, seven intersections appeared before them.
According to the map, they should take the second passage from the left, meaning continuing to the left.
They had turned left many times, seemingly going in circles, yet the oasis An Jianyou saw in her eyes had gotten closer, proving they weren't lost.
Following the route through the caverns, they occasionally encountered areas where the map was unclear. An Jianyou relied on her own eyes, guessing and improvising, to find the correct path.
"We should be almost there!"
She looked again, her tone firm.
Then she strode forward. The passage was initially very narrow, barely wide enough for one person. After several dozen steps, it suddenly opened up. The drifting gray mist became sparser, and faintly, sunlight seemed to fall upon her cheeks.
But this was supposed to be a dark, enclosed cavern environment.
Soon, a verdant green land appeared before them. As the wind blew, the fragrance of grass and trees wafted towards them. The ground was soft and vibrant. Looking up, they saw a gentle, warm sun. If not for the narrow passage filled with gray mist behind them, she would have thought she was back on Blue Star!
Completely... completely no strange creatures...
Oh, there were still a few.
Perhaps they had wandered in, or the gray mist had seeped in. An Jianyou had Bai Ling fly around and clear out all these strange creatures, then nodded with her hands on her hips, satisfied.
"There are no strange creatures now."
She then looked at the others, "Let's quickly record the situation of this oasis and report the mission!"
***
The oasis was not very large.
It was far from the vastness of the great oasis described by Yi Yueluxi, but this was normal. Oases found in the Gloomy Realm were almost all ordinary-level oases.
Only after a period of management and cultivation could they develop and evolve into higher-level great oases.
Of course, there were differences even among ordinary oases; some were just slightly smaller than great oases, while others were immensely so.
After circling the oasis, An Jianyou could confirm that this one was relatively large, about three times the size of Lantern Town.
So, it was an ordinary-level oasis with more "accumulated experience"? That was quite good. Moreover, this oasis was densely vegetated, like a hidden paradise in the deep mountains. Compared to Lantern Town, it could support more people.
She propped her chin, her head tilted slightly in thought.
Suddenly sensing something, she turned her head. Not far away, golden particles of light appeared, quickly forming the shape of a white-robed figure.
"Mentor!"
She called out happily.
Hearing her voice, Liu Ying and the others quickly ran over.
"Hello, Mentor~" x2
"It's a living Mentor!"
Liu Ying's eyes widened, exclaiming in surprise.
Fang You: "???"
He coughed.
"Let's go to the center of the oasis and see what specialties this oasis has."
"Specialties?"
Liu Ying was puzzled.
"The existence of oases is very peculiar, like a semi-open secret realm. Simultaneously, unique resource points naturally exist within the oasis. You can think of them as mineral veins or special plants. The marvelous thing is that the oasis's inherent resource points will never be depleted."
According to the information he had obtained, natural oases typically had one to three resource points. Upon upgrading to a great oasis, the old resource points would transform, and new ones would be born.
This referred to special resources.
Ordinary water and fruit resources were naturally present in oases. Even if completely sealed off from the outside, an oasis could sustain a certain number of people through self-sufficiency.
Fang You walked along, observing.
He found several ordinary forests with bright red berries, and a small stream winding its way from a peak over three hundred meters high.
With mountains, water, lakes, and forests, this oasis was not lacking.
And its concealment was excellent.
Even if its inherent resource points were ordinary, this was still a high-value oasis.
And the naturally occurring resource points, after a scan with the 'Detection' skill, Fang You found them!
A forest with a metallic sheen.
A magnificent blue crystal mine... its appearance bore some resemblance to the crystal stones in the Fallen Star Caverns.
And a spring that was bubbling with water!
"There are actually three resource points!"
"The first is Golden Ironwood, a relatively common low-level material, but the advantage of oasis resource points is that these trees grow back rapidly like leeks after being cut. The higher the oasis level, the faster the resource points grow."
"The second is Lumina Crystal, which seems to be a unique specialty of the Fallen Star Caverns?"
"The third is the Vitality Spring, continuously producing water that restores stamina and energy. The recovery effect is not strong now, but if the oasis level increases, the effect might be extraordinary."
"Not bad!"
Fang You was pleased.
He circled around the three resource points again, his divine sense scanning every inch of land.
Oases held mysteries. Upon upgrading to a great oasis, an 'Oasis Heart' would be born. The possessor could make minor adjustments to the oasis, for example, concentrating the oasis's vitality in certain areas or borrowing the oasis's power slightly.
It was equivalent to a low-low-low-level version of his control over secret realms.
But according to insider information, the 'Oasis Heart' already existed before the upgrade to a great oasis, like an unsprouted seed that had not yet manifested.
It was difficult to find, almost impossible to detect.
But before his powerful divine sense, nothing could hide.
"Found it!"
His divine sense detected a seed that lacked physical form.
Fang You gently imprinted a mark.
Feeling the faint connection between himself and the oasis, he nodded in satisfaction when a crisp prompt suddenly sounded in his ear.
"Ding!"
"Prompt: Discoverable upgradeable oasis (controlled) detected. Do you wish to connect to the base system?"
"Prompt: Yes/No?"