บท 38: Ice-Blue Rune

The golden egg dropped into the water, and it quickly sank under the surface. Caught by surprise and shock, she panicked. She didn't know how to swim with her tiny body. However, before she could think of a solution, a strange force took her arm and pulled her into the pool.

She can swear she felt a hand grabbed her wrist gently. However, before falling inside the pool, she took a dagger from her dimensional space. The force gently surrounds her tiny and chubby body, and she could dive into the water. Seeing this, she quickly chased after the egg.

With her eyes wide open underwater, she could see the golden egg slowly and gradually sinking. However, she saw that as it got deeper and deeper down, the crystal-clear water in the pool became dark and impenetrable by sight, looking like a bottomless pit filled with endless mysteries.

She was worried that if it sank deeper; her breath would not hold out long enough, and she was also worried as she did not know what kind of things she would encounter if she went down deeper. She felt fear, she's weak. Her body is too small for this kind of adventures. Hence, she increased her speed as she dived. When she saw that she was getting nearer, she reached out her hand and grabbed at the egg, holding it close to her.

And just as she was about to swim up to towards the surface after securing the egg in her arm, she suddenly felt the same force, sinking her tiny body, and in her panic, she looked around her, and she seemed to have spotted algae covered stone door further down into the dark dim depths?

Her panic changed to puzzlement. She wasn't too curious at that moment as she couldn't hold her breath any much longer, and she immediately kicked and pushed with her arm and legs to push her speedily up. However, her tiny body, with low stamina, could not use much of her strength. And at that moment, the stone door deep down in the pool suddenly creaked open.

'Oh, you're here!' the male voice sounded from the other side of the stone door.

When she was startled, a tremendously strong suction came out from behind that door, caught off guard, just like a whirlpool from the bottom of the pool, that sucked all the water in towards the door, carrying her down together with it.

~Ugh!~

~AAH!~

Caught within that tremendous suction in the water, she could not avoid getting herself spinning together with the whirlpool that had suddenly kicked up and was sucked in through the door.

But the immense pressure from the water and being caught in that fiercely swirling whirlpool made her suddenly feel her heart's blood surge into her chest and she vomited it out through her mouth, with most of it falling onto the golden egg she had clasped firmly in her arm. But before she saw the heart's blood that she coughed out being absorbed by the golden egg, everything suddenly turned black before her eyes and she lost consciousness…

At that same moment, the golden egg began to emanate a faint golden glow. The complicated-looking runes on its shell that had disappeared surfaced once more, spreading out over the exterior of the shell together with the golden light.

What was really beyond anyone's expectation was that the golden egg that had been approximately the size of Xiao Ling was suddenly gradually growing under the golden light. Still hugged it in Xiao Ling's arms, but it was now the size of a huge human.

And right between Xiao Ling's eyebrows, an ice-blue rune of the Fire Phoenix appeared. And at the same time when that rune appeared, it suddenly bathed her body in a golden light, and the multitude of wounds upon her body were closing and healing at a speed visible to the eye…

The comfort in the golden light makes her sigh in contentment.

A loud crash resounded. Xiao Ling, who had been pulled in by that strong whirlwind, was thrown straight onto the ground, the water from the whirlpool splashing onto her body. The impact and the stinging pain woke her as she gradually regained her consciousness. As she slowly peered her eyes open, a bright golden light almost blinded her.

'Crack!'

The sound of a clear and crisp crack startled her, and she looked down at the golden egg that had rolled out from her grasp, which was now as big as a huge man, with a long crack running down the side.

'Crack!'

The crack sounded again, and another long-zigzagged line appeared on the shell of the egg. And when she saw the two halves of the shell break open, it took aback her and rendered completely speechless…

*****

On the outskirts of the second mountain after Mount Hulu…

"Did you see that golden light?" a green-robed old man asked his companion.

"Oh, yes. But I felt it was from the deepest part of Mount Hulu, nothing great." Answered the nonchalant companion.

"But…" the green-robed old man wanted to refute, but was stopped.

"Not Buts, we have a mission. The Sect Master asked us to find good seedlings, if we don't find them in this month, we can say goodbye to our annual bonus." The companion said, feeling irritated by the green robed old man.

"Okay…" the green-robed old man sighed in defeat and regret. Seeing how the golden light dissipates.

"… Next city… I heard they called it Long City, right? That city is weird…" murmured the green-robed old man.

"Yes, I heard that there are strong exponents there, but is just a city… How can there be some hidden exponents there." The disdain in the companion's face is obvious.

"… I hope so…" the green-robed old man hesitates and prays there is none…

"We'll reach in a week... If everything goes well..." the companion finished speaking, and didn't want to continue the topic.

*****

On the other side of Long City…

"Oh, it's been a while since I came here. And now what welcomes me is a golden light? Maybe I can see the Mystical beasts and its Master if I stay longer…" murmured a white-robed man.

The Man in his thirties is leisurely walking towards the Golden Gate of Long City. Singing an old song…