CHAPTER 276: CHAPTER 261 THE VOICE OF THE MYSTERIOUS FLAME

"Chi Xu Senior Brother has fallen?!" Wang Xu exclaimed.

"Even someone as powerful as him couldn’t escape the path of death. It is because of this that I didn’t dare to continue the challenge and chose to withdraw," Lu Chen Senior Brother sighed.

Even an opponent that Lu Chen couldn’t defeat was passed by Chi Xu Senior Brother, yet even such a figure ultimately couldn’t escape the path of death.

The danger of this mission seems unusually high.

"Rest assured, neither seeking the Heart of Wu Meng nor obtaining the Wu Meng Divine Stone is important for you. What truly matters is something else," Lu Chen suddenly lowered his voice and said.

"What is it?" Wang Xu asked quickly.

"The Wu Meng Spirit Essence!"

Lu Chen Senior Brother said, slightly excited, "For us, the value of the Wu Meng Spirit Essence is higher than the Heart of Wu Meng, even the Wu Meng Divine Stone. I went this time hoping to acquire a few more pieces of the Wu Meng Spirit Essence!"

"Do you know why I, who am merely at the Invincible White Hole Level, can hunt down Celestial God Realm individuals?"

"I heard Dong Qu Senior Brother mention it. Before you became the Chief Disciple of the White Sun Hall, you stumbled upon the Ancient Ruins during a Forbidden Area mission and obtained an Ancient Inheritance. It’s because of this that you were able to stand out among many disciples," Wang Xu said.

"The Ancient Inheritance is indeed true, but it’s not everything. You currently have a Holy Statue Ancient Inheritance, so why can’t you match the Celestial God Realm?" Lu Chen Senior Brother stared intently, "The difference lies in the Wu Meng Spirit Essence!"

"Is the Wu Meng Spirit Essence so magical that it can enhance a person’s power?" Wang Xu was shocked.

The cosmos is vast, and there are many elixirs that can enhance the realm strength of a Cosmic Martial Artist, but none can elevate someone of White Hole Level strength to match the Celestial God Realm.

"No, it’s not like that. The Wu Meng Spirit Essence doesn’t add a single bit to your realm strength, but it has another use—improving your ’Life Index’!" Lu Chen Senior Brother said.

"The Life Index is like your life’s bloodline. It evolves your physical being from the ground up, changing all your talents."

Seeing Wang Xu’s confused look, Lu Chen Senior Brother continued, "Bronze Level, Silver Level, Gold Level, Purple Crystal Level bloodline, all are divided according to the Life Index. The higher the Life Index, the stronger the bloodline you possess."

"In other words, the Life Index is equivalent to your internal cell gene multiple. Once the cells become more active, they can help you absorb Cosmic Energy more quickly, gain Law Insights faster, and cultivate secret techniques more smoothly!"

The more Wang Xu listened, the more astonished he became. The Life Index was so miraculous that it seemed to transform a mediocre, average-talented Cosmic Martial Artist into a genius prodigy!

"The information on the Life Index that I know is also very limited, but you must remember, increasing the Life Index is imperative. The reason I remain at the Invincible White Hole Level is because my Life Index is only ’3651’, not yet reaching the limit. Once it does and I advance to the Mixed Universe Realm, the benefits you’ll receive will surpass your imagination!"

Wang Xu was totally captivated.

The Life Index could completely alter a being’s bloodline, genes, as if undergoing life level evolution.

As long as the Life Index increased, everything about life would change—cells, genes, atoms, spiritual consciousness... everything would become stronger.

"It’s still too early to tell you these things. Obtaining the Wu Meng Spirit Essence is more difficult than reaching the heavens. I gave it my all, risking my life, to obtain three pieces of the Wu Meng Spirit Essence. One had to be given to the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion, and the remaining two I used myself. Because of this, after increasing my Life Index, I reached the realm I am at today."

"There’s still so much about the Wu Meng Sacred Cosmos that remains. I’ve told you the pros and cons. Whether to go or not is up to you. Moreover..." Lu Chen Senior Brother said solemnly, "If you decide to go in the end, you should bring along all the people of the Earth tribe!"

Wang Xu was taken aback: "Lu Chen Senior Brother, the Wu Meng Sacred Cosmos is so dangerous. If I take my tribesmen there and something goes wrong, it would..."

The people of Earth were too important to Wang Xu. If he brought them into the dangerously filled Wu Meng Sacred Cosmos and any harm came to them, Wang Xu wouldn’t be able to bear it.

Lu Chen Senior Brother waved his hand: "I understand that, but I just want to tell you a fact."

"Years ago, I went to the Wu Meng Sacred Cosmos with Chi Xu Senior Brother. He died, and I survived. To get a chance to return to the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion, I spent long years searching for Wu Meng Spirit Essence. When I successfully returned to the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion and went to inform Chi Xu Senior Brother’s wife of this unfortunate news, I discovered that Chi Xu Senior Brother’s whole lineage had disappeared!"

Lu Chen Senior Brother’s face turned gloomy, "Chi Xu Senior Brother’s lineage, with several Mixed Cosmos Realm experts guarding it, could not have been wiped out by the cultivators of the Mortal Realm alone. Later, through my extensive searches, I finally found a trace—the ones who wiped out Chi Xu Senior Brother’s lineage were not from the Mortal Realm, but..."

"The Dark Holy Banquet!"

Wang Xu jolted awake at these words, feeling a chill all over.

The Dark Holy Banquet, the force that forced him to hide within the Heaven-Reaching Sacred Cosmos, had been silent for so long that Wang Xu had almost forgotten it. But with Lu Chen Senior Brother’s reminder, Wang Xu suddenly recalled the ruthless tactics of the Dark Holy Banquet!

It could provoke the powerful existence guarding the Gate of Space-Time, making the three major forces wait anxiously without dare relaxing for a moment.

Infiltrating the Heaven-Reaching Sacred Cosmos, killing some weak individuals in the Mortal Realm.

It’s too easy for the Dark Holy Banquet.

But now that Wang Xu was here, with the protection of the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion, the Dark Holy Banquet dared not act rashly. Yet once Wang Xu left, he would need to hide his strength and spirit statue while taking away Earthlings, leaving them with no one to protect them.

Perhaps he could entrust Luo Shou Senior Brother, Red Sword Senior Brother, or other brothers from the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion.

But others can’t always watch out for you constantly. Any slight lapse would completely expose Earthlings to the chilling blades of the Dark Holy Banquet...

"Lu Chen Senior Brother, I understand. Regarding going to the Wu Meng Sacred Cosmos, I will think it over carefully," Wang Xu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said.

"Alright, there are seven years until we enter the Wu Meng Sacred Cosmos. I will wait for you at the Gate of Space-Time when the time comes," said Senior Brother Lu Chen before rising into the air and flying towards the White Sun Hall.

Wang Xu remained where he was, standing for a long time, slowly exhaling a breath.

To go, or not to go?

If he chose to go, he would be betting his life and the lives of over two billion people on Earth.

If he chose not to go, he would waste this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and Wang Xu would need to continue cultivation in the Heaven-Reaching Sacred Cosmos. Perhaps in ten thousand or twenty thousand years, he could reach the same realm as Senior Brother Lu Chen, comparable to the Celestial God Realm... But even so, he still wouldn’t be able to leave the Heaven-Reaching Sacred Cosmos!

The Dark Holy Banquet is an existence that can challenge the three major forces. Even if just a couple of their weaker members came, Wang Xu wouldn’t be able to withstand them.

"If I don’t bet... I’ll be trapped here forever, until I grow old and die, without ever seeing the outside world, unable to fulfill my promises to Master and Senior Tai Long. But if I bet, I would be carrying the fate of over two billion lives, the survival of Earth’s human lineage!"

Wang Xu’s heart was in intense struggle.

The stakes of this gamble were too high, so high that Wang Xu could not bear it.

He stood where he was for a whole day and night, yet ultimately couldn’t make a decision.

......

The night was as dark as ink.

"Wang Xu." Tang Yan stood at the door of her home, looking at Wang Xu’s slowly descending figure. The worried look on her face made her heart ache. "Facing another difficulty?"

Wang Xu sighed deeply, his gaze heavy, "Difficult, too difficult."

Tang Yan gently leaned against Wang Xu’s chest and said softly, "No matter what difficulties you encounter, I’ll be by your side."

"It’s precisely because of this that I find it difficult," Wang Xu said in his heart.

Earth’s civilization has been established, and family members are enjoying peaceful times. If Wang Xu were to go to the Wu Meng Sacred Cosmos, such happy times would never return...

Deep in the night, after being intimate with Tang Yan, Wang Xu watched her peaceful sleeping face and walked to the window, feeling melancholic.

"What’s the use of life... and what’s the use of death... Splendor... or decay... a moment is eternity..."

Suddenly, a weak voice sounded in Wang Xu’s mind, startling him!

Who!

Who is it!

Wang Xu took a step forward, instantly arriving at a height of ten thousand meters in the sky, his spiritual consciousness expanding out radically.

But after searching carefully back and forth for a long time, he never found any sign of other life.

"Just now, that voice came from inside my body," Wang Xu recalled carefully, finally pinpointing inside himself.

After inspecting back and forth for a moment, Wang Xu’s focus stopped at the flame vortex.

Indeed, it was this Mysterious Flame that had accompanied him from the very beginning, yet he knew nothing about it until now.

Since returning from the body of the Holy Statue, the Mysterious Flame remained the same as ever, forming a flame vortex and staying quietly inside Wang Xu.

From beginning to end, Wang Xu felt it had a spirit.

It only devoured Insect Beast corpses, Star Giant Beast corpses, and Demon Beast corpses but never humans or other cosmic races’ corpses.

Not only is that its true nature, but it’s also a sign of spirituality.

Just like Senior Tai Long, who is the spiritual embodiment of the Great Dragon Bow... this Mysterious Flame must possess spirituality, but it had never spoken before.

Wang Xu listened carefully, but there was no movement anymore, as if those words earlier had appeared out of thin air, with no trace to follow.

Wang Xu withdrew his consciousness and exhaled a long breath.

"To perish in a decaying eternity is worse than living in a brilliant moment..." this was Wang Xu’s interpretation of the words said by the Mysterious Flame.

Decaying eternity, brilliant moment, the Mysterious Flame’s meaning couldn’t be clearer—bet! Bet everything on this!

Even the Mysterious Flame said this, so if I retreat, even it would look down on me.

That night, Wang Xu’s gaze was like the stars and the bright moon, staring into the boundless sky, and there was no trace of hesitation in his heart anymore.

"Head to the Wu Meng Sacred Cosmos! Bet my life on it!" (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)