Chapter 55: The Red Egg

Ji Chuxue’s gaze swept lightly across the group before she spoke, “The Reviving Flower requires a very specific environment to grow. This stretch of desert clearly doesn’t meet its requirements. We might as well continue on.”

Jiang Yan agreed with her reasoning, “Senior Sister is right.”

Xie Lingzhou, hearing this, started up the RV once more and drove deeper into the desert.

Zhou Yu sat inside, his eyes involuntarily drawn to the girl resting on the bed. He drifted into a daze. The corpse spots on her skin were growing more pronounced, and though he cast cleansing spells several times along the way, none of the marks faded. He understood that he could no longer lie to himself.

As the RV drew closer to the heart of the desert, Zhou Yu’s anxiety mounted. He began to doubt the very existence of the legendary Reviving Flower. And if it did exist—and there was only a single blossom—would Jiang Yan and the others be willing to give it up? This question gnawed at him, filling him with unease.

...

Meanwhile, Snowhawk and Soulhunter had already reached the deepest part of the Death Desert.

To their astonishment, the desert’s end was a bottomless cliff.

“Soulhunter, do you think the Reviving Flower could be down there?” Snowhawk asked.

Soulhunter peered over the edge. “Given its depth, it’s very likely. Let’s go down and have a look.”

With that, they mounted Ironwing and soared into the depths of the chasm...

In the shadows at the cliff’s base, Snowhawk and Soulhunter unexpectedly discovered a lush patch of greenery, where two Reviving Flowers were growing.

“There are actually two Reviving Flowers!” Snowhawk’s eyes glittered with excitement.

Just as he reached out to pick one, Soulhunter stopped him.

“Big guy, didn’t you notice they haven’t bloomed yet?”

“Oh, I got too excited and forgot.” Snowhawk drew his hand back, a little embarrassed.

Ironwing, too, blinked its large eyes at the sight of the flowers. In its heart, it silently wondered where its master was now. The Reviving Flowers must not fall into Snowhawk and Soulhunter’s hands...

The male disciple was just as stunned at the sight. So the rumors were true. Never had he imagined that someone like him, who had only just entered the early Foundation Establishment stage, would set foot in the legendary Death Desert and witness the fabled Reviving Flower.

Yet, with these two fearsome figures present, he dared not harbor the slightest hint of greed.

“Soulhunter, are we just going to wait here?” Snowhawk couldn’t help but ask.

“Obviously,” Soulhunter replied impatiently. “What, you want to wander around instead of guarding this spot?”

“And what about our target for this mission?” Snowhawk pressed.

A cold glint flickered in Soulhunter’s eyes. “If he dares show himself, today will be his last day alive.” As he spoke, he turned to Ironwing, a mocking smile on his lips. “You’d better remember who your previous master was. Don’t you agree?”

“Hmph, you can forget it. I’ll never betray my master,” Ironwing replied, a flash of anger in its eyes.

Soulhunter’s gaze turned icy, and his hand tightened on the chain he held. “Disobey, and you’ll suffer,” he hissed, his voice sharp as frost.

He squeezed so hard that the chain nearly bit into Ironwing’s flesh. Yet this time, Ironwing gritted its teeth, enduring the pain in silence. “If you have the guts, just kill me. I’ll never betray my master,” it said with difficulty.

Soulhunter abruptly lost interest. He loosened his grip and sneered, “So loyal, are you? Don’t worry, I have other means...”

He didn’t believe Ironwing would be able to hide its feelings if it ever saw its former master face-to-face...

Back in the RV, Jiang Yan and his group continued their journey.

Suddenly, the wheels rolled over something, making the vehicle shudder.

“Stop the car! Could it be another monster?” Little Short Dragon peered out the window in excitement.

Xie Lingzhou took the suggestion seriously and braked, frowning as he looked outside. He saw nothing out of the ordinary.

Little Short Dragon scratched his head in puzzlement. “Strange, there’s nothing there.”

“I’ll go check,” Jiang Yan said.

He affixed a mobile barrier talisman to himself and stepped out to investigate.

His eyes quickly landed on a patch of sand beneath the wheels, where a red egg lay partially buried.

The egg was sizable—nearly as large as a dinosaur egg, it seemed—and though the RV had rolled right over it, its shell remained unbroken. It was impressively sturdy.

“Senior Brother Xie, drive forward a bit,” Jiang Yan called out.

Xie Lingzhou complied, inching the RV ahead and stopping again.

From inside, Wu Qianqian poked her head out curiously. “Sixth Brother, what did you find?”

“There’s a red egg half-buried in the sand, Fifth Sister!”

At this, everyone except Zhou Yu clambered out to see for themselves.

“Meow meow...” Little White trotted over and sniffed the egg delicately with its pink nose.

Little Short Dragon, curiosity piqued, squeezed forward and examined the ruddy egg with his big eyes.

“It’s a divine beast’s egg!” he exclaimed.

“Do you know which divine beast?” Jiang Yan asked, intrigued.

Little Short Dragon shook his head. “I can only smell the aura of a divine beast on its shell, but I don’t know exactly what it is.”

“Seems you’ve still got a lot to learn,” Jiang Yan teased.

Little Short Dragon retorted, “Don’t underestimate me! This egg is very unusual—it’s hard to tell which divine beast it belongs to.” With that, he gingerly clawed the red egg out of the sand, the motion reminiscent of a cat pawing at a litter box.

Once it was fully uncovered, Little Short Dragon gasped, “It’s as tall as I am!”

Jiang Yan grinned mischievously. “Looks like you’re about to lose before the race even begins. Just look at that—an egg as tall as you, tsk tsk.”

Little Short Dragon sniffed, “That’s not certain. For all you know, it’ll hatch into something tiny.”

Watching their banter, Ji Chuxue could only shake her head in exasperation. She interrupted, “Enough. Let’s bring the egg onto the RV and keep moving.”

Jiang Yan turned to Little Short Dragon. “Since you’re both divine beasts, you should look after it. Carry it aboard.”

Little Short Dragon nodded, seeing the sense in this. He was, after all, the only divine beast here; naturally, the egg’s care fell to him. He lifted the egg, which was nearly his own height, and climbed aboard.

Thus, Little Short Dragon took on a new role: caretaker.

The others piled into the RV, and Xie Lingzhou drove on.

Inside, Jiang Yan asked, “Do you have any idea when it’ll hatch?”

Little Short Dragon tapped the shell with his paw, producing a crisp sound. “The shell is tough. I’d say it’ll be a long while yet.”

“Then we’ll just have to wait,” Jiang Yan replied.

Little White seemed particularly fond of the egg, sprawling atop it as though warming it with her soft fur.

The RV pressed forward, soon arriving at the edge of the cliff.

The moment Xie Lingzhou saw it, he braked, bringing the vehicle to a halt right at the precipice.

The group gazed at the chasm ahead.

“Is this the end? Do you think the Reviving Flower could be down there?” Wu Qianqian asked, uncertain.

Ji Chuxue pondered for a moment. “It’s quite possible. We should go down and have a look.”

With that, she was the first to step out.

One by one, the others followed.

Standing at the cliff’s edge, Jiang Yan peered into the swirling mist below. The chasm was bottomless and shrouded in clouds. He couldn’t help but suck in a cold breath—this was a truly daunting drop.