Chapter 88 - 87: Divine Communion

Chapter 88: Chapter 87: Divine Communion

"Which way?" Tie Shan asked, looking at the two branching river channels before them.

"Let’s take the left," Xiao Mingyue said, pointing at the slightly wider passage. "The right side is too narrow. If we encounter danger, it’ll be hard to retreat."

The group nodded and proceeded along the left river channel. This passage was far more tortuous than the previous one, winding back and forth as if a gigantic worm had drilled its way through the rock formations.

As they moved forward, they encountered several different Blood Beasts: blood-red geckos clinging to the rock walls, Blood Snakes darting out of the water, and even a few blood-red beetles the size of dogs. Fortunately, most of these beasts were merely tier one and were easily dispatched by the group. Ji Zhixing collected their corpses into his furnace one by one, refining them into a handful of Tier One Blood Crystals. He gained nothing else of note.

"There’s movement," Zhou Han suddenly whispered after they had walked a bit further, his ears twitching. Having fused with the Frost Giant Wolf gene, his hearing was the sharpest among them, allowing him to catch sounds from extremely far away.

Everyone instantly went on high alert. They slowed their advance, lightening their footsteps and even suppressing their breathing. Tie Shan raised his shield at the very front, Zhou Han gripped his long blade tightly at his flank, and Ji Zhixing held his Tide Listening Rod horizontally across his chest. Xiao Mingyue and Su Qing readied themselves to strike at a moment’s notice.

Before long, they emerged from the narrow passage and found that the space ahead had suddenly expanded significantly. Bright light shone in the distance—not the dark red glow of the blood sun, but stark white artificial light.

Looking up, they were surprised to see over a dozen Genetic Cultivators gathered together. Several of them held powerful lamps that illuminated the entire cavernous space.

"Gu Zheng," Ji Zhixing muttered.

"What?" Xiao Mingyue and the others paused, following his gaze.

In the open clearing, the dozen or so individuals stood scattered in different directions, seemingly guarding against one another while engaging in some sort of negotiation. Among them was a handsome teenager with an indifferent expression: Gu Zheng.

"Which one is Gu Zheng?" Xiao Mingyue asked curiously, having never met him in person before.

"It’s not just Gu Zheng." Zhou Han’s pupils shrank as he peered ahead. "Almost all of them are from the genius class." Because he used to attend Yu City Middle School, he recognized those prodigies who had fused with Tier Four genes. The faces in the crowd were entirely familiar to him; they were practically the entire current roster of the genius class.

"What’s going on? What are they doing here? Is there some kind of treasure?" Xiao Mingyue asked, lowering her voice, her eyes glinting with curiosity.

"Be careful, don’t let them spot us," Su Qing whispered, instinctively taking a half-step back. Like her, Zhou Han and Tie Shan had grown visibly tense upon recognizing the genius class students, their breathing growing even shallower.

Although everything within the secret realm was monitored by the school—meaning the geniuses couldn’t do anything lethal to them and could at most kick them out of the secret realm—the trio still felt deeply intimidated.

Tier Four Morning Star genes! Even as elite class students, they could only look up in awe at geniuses who had fused with such powerful genes.

"Should we leave first?" Zhou Han asked softly. "Even if there’s a treasure, with these genius class students around, there’s definitely no share for us."

"I want to go over and take a look," Ji Zhixing said, shaking his head.

"Don’t be impulsive," Su Qing hurriedly warned in a hushed tone. "You have a grudge against Gu Zheng. Even though he can’t kill you in the secret realm, if you go over and he spots you, he’ll definitely kick you out of the secret realm. The school absolutely won’t interfere in that kind of competition."

Zhou Han and Tie Shan nodded in agreement, rushing to stop him as well.

"You misunderstood," Ji Zhixing replied. "I mean I want to go over underwater and take a look. But whether or not it’ll actually work is something I’ll have to test first."

He had his Frog Pendant, which allowed him to enter the water and breathe beneath the surface. However, the water here was the Blood River; he wasn’t entirely sure if his equipment would function properly in it. Furthermore, whether he would even be able to see clearly once submerged in the murky blood water was another problem entirely.

"Underwater? You mean using your Genetic Equipment?" Xiao Mingyue’s eyes lit up. "Then I’ll go down with you." When Ji Zhixing had previously explained his conflict with Gu Zheng, he had mentioned owning a piece of aquatic Genetic Equipment.

"You?" Ji Zhixing looked at her in surprise.

"I have aquatic Genetic Equipment too," Xiao Mingyue said with a smile. "But give me a second; I need to refine it right now."

Everyone had a limit to the number of Genetic Equipment they could refine, which depended on their personal carrying capacity. The equipment Xiao Mingyue had currently refined had already reached her maximum limit, so she had to unbind one piece before she could refine another.

"Maybe I should just go alone?" Ji Zhixing hesitated. "Besides, I don’t even know if it’s feasible yet. The water here is somewhat peculiar. Once I go down, I might be completely blind."

"That’s a small issue," Xiao Mingyue said. Reaching out, she retrieved a transparent vial filled with a clear liquid. "This is a Clear Sight Potion. Put one drop in each eye. For the next hour, you’ll be able to see everything with absolute clarity. Even entering this blood water won’t affect your vision at all."

Ji Zhixing was momentarily stunned, but he accepted it. Still, accepting a gift made it hard to say no. Now that he had taken the potion, he knew it would be poor form to refuse Xiao Mingyue’s company. Without hesitation, he squeezed a drop into each eye.

The potion required no refinement. He immediately felt a refreshing clarity wash over his eyes, as if a thin veil had been lifted from them. When he looked into the distance, everything snapped into high definition; he could even make out the finest crevices on the rock walls.

By this time, Xiao Mingyue had finished refining her underwater equipment. She retrieved a pendant and fastened it around her neck. Glancing over, Ji Zhixing noticed that her pendant contained a miniature, silver-white mermaid curled up inside, looking incredibly lifelike.

"Done." Xiao Mingyue took the Clear Sight Potion back from him and applied two drops to her own eyes. Blinking, the corners of her lips curled up slightly. "Let’s go." She had never done anything this sneaky before; it felt novel and exciting, with just a tinge of nervousness.

The two of them then informed Zhou Han and the others that if they didn’t return shortly, the rest of the group should leave the area first.

"Be careful, both of you. We’ll retreat a bit and wait for you," Zhou Han whispered. He led Su Qing and Tie Shan back the way they had come, while Ji Zhixing and Xiao Mingyue nodded and slowly slipped into the Blood River.

Once submerged, Ji Zhixing and Xiao Mingyue darted through the water, swimming toward Gu Zheng and his group. The Clear Sight Potion worked wonders; the underwater world was starkly visible. The dark red rock walls, the gravel on the riverbed, and the occasional passing Blood Fish were all rendered in perfect clarity.

Ji Zhixing used the breaststroke, kicking his legs and sweeping his arms to constantly propel himself forward.

Xiao Mingyue, on the other hand, only needed to sway her body gently to glide a tremendous distance. Her posture was noticeably more elegant, making her look like a true mermaid. Her pendant emanated a faint silver glow that enveloped her entirely, isolating the blood water outside its barrier. She was also significantly faster—so much so that she had to keep looking back to wait for Ji Zhixing, proving that her Genetic Equipment was far superior.

Looking back and seeing his awkward swimming posture, she couldn’t help but let out a giggle, blowing a string of tiny bubbles into the water. Having grown familiar with her, Ji Zhixing was no longer intimidated by the wealthy young lady; he merely shot her a glare and continued swimming forward.

The two kept close to the riverbed, swimming one after the other toward the distant glow. Ahead of them, the silhouettes of Gu Zheng and the genius class students grew increasingly closer. Ji Zhixing realized that Gu Zheng and the others were indeed on high alert against one another.

"Could there really be a treasure here?" he wondered, a surge of excitement swelling in his chest.

"Hmm?" Just then, his gaze swept over a specific spot, and his pupils constricted. Accelerating rapidly, he grabbed Xiao Mingyue and dragged her down, sinking flat against the riverbed.