Chapter 712: Such Is Cause, Such Is Fate

Chapter 712: Chapter 436: Such Is Cause, Such Is Fate

Duan Rong shuttled through the Dark Forest.

The place where the Black Fire Lotus resided, though still within the outer edges of the Dark Forest, was already deeper than where Duan Rong previously hunted Primordial Beasts. Hence, Duan Rong was more cautious this time, his Divine Sense Investigation fully extended, enveloping the surroundings.

Along the way, he hadn’t encountered any unexpected situations, avoiding both large and small Primordial Beasts.

This time, he wasn’t here to hunt Primordial Beasts and didn’t want any complications.

Moreover, there was still a lot of Primordial Beast Flesh in the Black Jade Pool of the Cultivation Chamber yet to be refined.

Duan Rong locked onto a direction and continued forward.

Soon, he suddenly noticed an odd flickering of light from the gaps in the trees ahead.

Duan Rong immediately halted, hiding behind a large rock, his gaze flickering.

The strange light flickered in the woods like fleeting shadows…

Moreover, it was quite some distance away from Duan Rong, even outside the range of his Divine Sense Investigation. It was only because the Dark Forest was naturally dim that he could see it from afar.

Duan Rong remained behind the large rock with heightened alertness.

Fan Hongjiao had mentioned that eerie plants in the Dark Forest were more dangerous than Primordial Beasts.

“What is that strange flickering light between the gaps in the trees ahead?”

Duan Rong crept on the ground, slowly sneaking toward that place.

Soon, his Divine Sense Investigation had enveloped that area.

It appeared to be a cliff wall, with a black hole on the cliff wall that seemed to be the den of a Primordial Beast.

Beneath the cliff wall lay a deep pool.

The surface of the pool was full of pitch-black lotus flowers, leaves, and lotus seedpods.

The lotus leaves and seedpods were merely jet black, without any other eerie features.

However, the blooms nestled among the leaves and seedpods, whether budding, blooming, or withering, had thick black flames on both their stamens and petals.

As a gentle wind blew, the black lotuses swayed gently…

The shadows of the black flames flickered incessantly, like ghosts dancing chaotically.

Upon sensing this place through Divine Sense, Duan Rong let out a small breath of relief. He had thought he encountered something monstrous, but it turned out to be the place of the Black Fire Lotus.

However, the Black Fire Lotus was indeed eerie, its fiery shadows in the dark night were quite terrifying from afar.

Duan Rong stood up slowly, walking cautiously toward the place, while his Divine Sense constantly scanned his surroundings, not daring to relax for a moment.

As he approached, he hid behind a large tree, gazing at the cliff and deep pool.

The surface of the pool was filled with pitch-black lotus leaves and seedpods, with the interspersed black flames amidst the dark surroundings eliciting chills over Duan Rong.

This seemed like an illusion realm that might appear in the deepest Hell, yet it was now vividly displayed before him.

Duan Rong’s gaze shifted and fixed on a lotus seedpod at the edge of the pool nearest him, poking through the gaps in the lotus leaves.

The black seedpod was plump, and the lotus seeds were ripe, precisely the Black Fire Lotus seeds he sought.

Though the lotus seedpod seemed not too distant from him, about two zhang or so, Duan Rong didn’t attempt to leap over and pluck it. His eyes instead shifted between the lotus-filled pool and the black hole in the cliff wall, his cold gaze flickering.

He knew the lotus seeds of the Black Fire Lotus were vital to the Fire Toad in the pool, as well as the Fire Weasel within the cliff wall den. They significantly contributed to the growth of these two Primordial Beasts.

They definitely wouldn’t allow anyone to harvest them.

Wu Shidao’s records stated merely that the Fire Toad and Fire Weasel were challenging adversaries, but their capabilities weren’t detailed.

Duan Rong didn’t plan to rush headlong, knowing two Primordial Beasts lay there, while his Divine Soul Illusion Technique Ying Huo could currently control only one.

Thus, he had to rely on his own strength to eliminate one Primordial Beast before safely harvesting the seedpod.

“I’ll need to understand the habits of these two Primordial Beasts first…” Duan Rong muttered to himself.

At least he needed to see their appearances to know which beast to use the Divine Soul Illusion Technique on and which to defeat using his strength.

Observing the two Primordial Beasts clearly required considerable time, so Duan Rong decided to find a place conducive to observation.

He found an excellent spot, preparing to hide within the canopy of a large tree, but suddenly discovered that the tree seemed to have been burned, with its branches later regrown luxuriantly.

Thus, a large section of the trunk was unexpectedly hollow.

Duan Rong smiled slightly.

Hiding inside the trunk was better for observing than peeking through gaps in the canopy.

His figure moved like a phantom, swiftly slipping into the burnt, hollow trunk.

Duan Rong concealed himself within the trunk, Primordial Qi faintly flashing at his fingertips as he tapped thrice on the trunk, creating three small holes right in front of him.

Through these small holes, Duan Rong could almost take in the entire view of the area before him.

After securing his concealment in the trunk, he retracted his Divine Sense Investigation.

Since entering the Dark Forest, his Divine Sense Investigation had been fully extended, and having delved quite far to the Black Fire Lotus site, it had been quite taxing on his Divine Soul.

Thus, he retracted his Divine Sense to rest, preparing to use the Divine Soul Illusion Technique when needed.

Additionally, hiding inside the trunk was so secretive that the situation didn’t pose any immediate danger, so there was no need for his Divine Sense Investigation to remain active continuously, which might even risk exposure.