Chapter 161
Chapter 161
Most of the sea fire was positioned higher up, with only the sea fire surrounding the edges of the frozen underground river being closest to them.
Mei Liangyu followed behind Zhongli Shan as they walked. The ice surface beneath their feet felt very solid. Before they had even reached close to the sea fire, Mei Liangyu stopped and looked down: "What's beneath this?"
Zhongli Shan looked down at the ice surface with him: "Water?"
"Break it open and see," Mei Liangyu said.
Zhongli Shan instinctively reached to draw his sword, but when his hand touched his waist, he remembered losing his sword in the Sea Whirlpool. He shrugged helplessly and looked at Mei Liangyu.
Mei Liangyu gestured for him to step back, then crouched down and placed his palm on the ice surface. Golden protective energy ignited around his body as he gathered strength to strike the ice. A muffled sound came from underground, but the ice surface didn't move at all.
Zhongli Shan also crouched down and tapped the ice surface with his hand. He estimated the ice layer wasn't very thick, but it was stable and solid like Profound Stone, difficult to break through.
"You're poisoned, which affects your performance. Let me try," Zhongli Shan said.
Zhongli Shan had weathered his Five Elements Energy Chaos condition and felt much better upon waking. He pushed Mei Liangyu aside and gathered his Five Elements Energy to strike the ice surface, but still couldn't budge it even slightly.
The two knocked and hammered at the ice layer, only shaking off a few ice shards.
"The temperature isn't low, and I don't feel any Five Elements Energy fluctuations from below," Zhongli Shan withdrew his hand from the ice surface and pondered. "It might also be hidden deeper below where we can't sense it."
"Going up seems impossible. Currently, the only solutions I can think of are either extinguishing the fire or going below to investigate," Mei Liangyu said as he walked toward the sea fire.
He used the Xu Constellation Star Formation, summoning an ice-frost white python to charge at the dying sea fire. But he saw the sea fire, whose flames were so weak they were barely visible, suddenly rise into a towering wall of fire that swallowed the aggressively attacking ice-frost white python.
Zhongli Shan had only heard Xing Chun say this flame was sinister before, but seeing it with his own eyes now, it was indeed quite disturbing.
Mei Liangyu had intermittently heard Xing Chun's muttering and knew more than Zhongli Shan. He didn't stop and continued using different Nine Schools Arts trying to extinguish the fire or bypass the sea fire to leave. Without exception, they were all devoured by the flames.
No Five Elements Energy could pass through it.
Mei Liangyu then took out several mechanism rabbits and threw them into the sea fire. In the blink of an eye, they were burned to ashes.
Zhongli Shan stood beside him pondering: "It really does seem like Strange Fire."
Hearing these words, Mei Liangyu thought of Yu Sui. For some reason, he felt like smiling as he asked Zhongli Shan: "Have you seen Strange Fire?"
"The abilities are similar. Fire that devours Five Elements Energy is rare. Something like this that gives no chance at all, where seeing it means being burned, doesn't it seem like Strange Fire?" Zhongli Shan asked.
"The 'seeing it means being burned' and 'devouring Five Elements Energy' aspects are indeed no different from Strange Fire, but I always feel something is missing," Mei Liangyu pondered.
Zhongli Shan asked: "Have you seen Strange Fire?"
He looked at Mei Liangyu with some surprise. His earlier words did seem to carry that implication.
"The Yin-Yang School's Five Elements Water Field at the academy was destroyed by Strange Fire. There was a World Destroyer who died there, and I happened to see it," Mei Liangyu answered casually.
Zhongli Shan stared at him for a long time without speaking.
You really have seen it, kid.
Mei Liangyu was thinking when he inadvertently turned his head and discovered Zhongli Shan was still staring at him. He raised his hand and elbowed him: "Are you seeing flowers on my face?"
"The academy didn't leak even half a word about these matters," Zhongli Shan said.
Mei Liangyu said: "There's no need to make it public. It would cause too much speculation. If World Destroyers can come to Taiyi and release Strange Fire, would you still feel safe here?"
In recent years, there had been very little news about World Destroyers and Strange Fire. It seemed they had always been around, just that related information was hidden by many people.
"The Five Elements Water Field still hasn't been fully repaired to this day. The destructive power of Strange Fire is so strong, but compared to what's in front of us, this flame really is lacking something," Zhongli Shan didn't ask much about past events and focused on solving the current problem.
Mei Liangyu was quiet for a moment, then suddenly said: "If I had to say... I think it's like dead Strange Fire."
Strange Fire released by World Destroyers couldn't stay in one place. Its spreading speed was so fast that people couldn't resist it, and it brought strong destructive power with obvious burning traces.
In Mei Liangyu's view, when Strange Fire burst forth and scattered, it seemed to have life and self-awareness as it advanced toward this world.
These fires staying in place without causing destruction everywhere were like Strange Fire that had lost its vitality. Though they seemed on the verge of death, their power remained.
After hearing Mei Liangyu's explanation, Zhongli Shan felt somewhat helpless: "If it's Strange Fire, then we really can't get out, and moreover..."
He looked up above, his eyes reflecting the chaotic overlapping of the stone cave and black Profound Stone that blocked their upward path, yet mercifully allowed a few rays of light to shine through: "If the Sea Whirlpool transported us here, then the destruction the Sea Whirlpool brought can't be underestimated either. The Underwater Mechanism City must have noticed and will take action. Can't you summon Saint Chang Gen?"
Mei Liangyu also looked up with him, his gaze cold: "Summoning Master... would be somewhat troublesome. He might not be able to come."
Zhongli Shan wasn't surprised by his answer. Mei Liangyu indeed didn't like summoning Saint Chang Gen. Unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn't let Saint Chang Gen intervene.
Most of the time, Mei Liangyu only listened to Saint Chang Gen's words. Whatever his master said was what it was. But sometimes, he would make his own choices.
"Using the sea surface as reference, the Sea Whirlpool pierced through the sea surface and seabed but stopped here," Zhongli Shan turned to look down at the ice layer below. "Is this as far as it could go, or is something blocking it?"
"Fighting this fire is hopeless," Mei Liangyu also looked down. "We still need to find a way to break the ice and see what's below."
The two briefly discussed and began taking action. Fortunately, both knew many offensive Nine Schools Arts. They selected a point and fiercely attacked the ice layer.
Xing Chun was startled awake by the noise and jumped up defensively. Turning his head, he saw Zhongli Shan rolling up his sleeves, gripping his fists and rapidly punching the ice layer.
"What are you doing?" Xing Chun wiped his face.
Mei Liangyu waved his hand, indicating he shouldn't worry and should continue sleeping.
Xing Chun lay back down, but after a while, he got up again and came to the two men's side to ask: "Did you think of some solution?"
"Trying to go down below," Mei Liangyu said.
Xing Chun said: "It won't break. I tried that too."
Mei Liangyu: "This kind of work should be left to Military School people to build physical strength."
Xing Chun was convinced by Mei Liangyu and stood beside them yawning as he watched: "Is his hand okay?"
"I treated it for him," Mei Liangyu said. "It won't break a second time."
"Why aren't you breaking it?" Xing Chun looked at him puzzledly.
Mei Liangyu stared at the area below the ice layer without looking up: "I'm poisoned."
"Is it Six Mysterious Wood or Silver River Water?" Xing Chun began getting nervous again. "If it's Silver River Water, you might..."
"I won't die," Mei Liangyu said. "Whether it's Six Mysterious Wood or Silver River Water, I'll need to get out and investigate to know for sure. I've temporarily suppressed the toxins. As long as I don't have Five Elements Energy Chaos, there won't be major problems."
Only then did Xing Chun breathe a sigh of relief. He crouched down and tapped the ice surface with his finger, sighing: "This trip has been quite a loss."
Mei Liangyu didn't respond, because for him, this Abyss Sea operation couldn't be considered a loss.
"When I was alone earlier, I was thinking whether I could lure the fire over here to burn away these ice layers," Xing Chun stared at the flames ahead with a gloomy gaze. "One thing conquers another."
Zhongli Shan, who was hammering the ice layer, looked up at him after hearing this and slowly withdrew his fists.
Mei Liangyu touched his chin thoughtfully: "That's not impossible."
Zhongli Shan felt this idea wasn't good: "If we can lure it over to burn the ice layer, it might also burn us."
Mei Liangyu said: "The question is how to lure it over."
Zhongli Shan: "Is that the main issue?"
Xing Chun really wanted to leave this gloomy, dark, cursed place. He actively thought of solutions: "Earlier I thought about stripping your clothes to make rope knots to lure it over, but I was afraid you'd strip my clothes when you woke up, and also afraid you wouldn't have time to run and would be burned to death, so I didn't dare. Now that you're awake, you can undress yourselves!"
Mei Liangyu and Zhongli Shan fell silent after hearing this.
Zhongli Shan noticed Xing Chun's eyes were full of "I'll use any means necessary to leave this cursed place." If he refused, Xing Chun would directly pounce on him, so he said: "One piece each."
No more than that.
The three each removed one outer garment and connected them into a long rope, first removing all accessories from the clothes before twisting them into rope form. They secured one end to the ice layer while Mei Liangyu approached the sea fire holding the other end.
Zhongli Shan and Xing Chun were driven far away by Mei Liangyu. Xing Chun shouted to Mei Liangyu: "Run fast when the time comes! Don't get burned!"
"Will this work?" Zhongli Shan was still in a doubtful state.
Mei Liangyu said from ahead: "I'm throwing it now."
Zhongli Shan couldn't stop him in time and watched helplessly as Mei Liangyu threw the clothing rope into the fire. The flames clinging to the junction of the underground river and stone wall suddenly surged. The instant Mei Liangyu released his grip, the long rope was already burned away.
This speed was too fast, not even lasting the blink of an eye. The clothing rope that had just been lying on the ice layer now had no trace of being burned, no charred black marks at all. It had disappeared completely clean.
The three men stared at the empty ice layer and froze, unable to speak.
"Did you see it burn over?" Xing Chun asked with a gloomy expression.
Zhongli Shan shook his head: "Too fast."
Mei Liangyu crouched down and pressed his hand on the ice layer. After a moment, he said: "Try once more."
"Any discoveries?" Xing Chun asked.
"Need something to make it stay longer," Mei Liangyu tapped the ice surface with his finger. "Attach Five Elements Energy to the clothes and guide it down into the ice layer."
They couldn't break the ice surface, but they could find ways to make Five Elements Energy drill into it.
This seemingly dying flame would actually put all its energy into burning any Five Elements Energy, so it would definitely drill into the ice layer.
Mei Liangyu couldn't directly use Five Elements Energy to guide it to burn over, as that would burn himself.
Seeing he still had a solution, Xing Chun was very cooperative: "Then let's strip, let's strip."
While undressing, Zhongli Shan asked: "How will you guide Five Elements Energy down below the ice layer?"
When he was hammering the ice layer earlier, he discovered that the ice layer could intercept their Nine Schools Arts. Guiding Five Elements Energy downward was simply impossible.
Mei Liangyu said: "It's possible. You two hide far away."
He could use his Divine Mechanism Arts.
After Zhongli Shan and Xing Chun finished undressing, they hid far away. Mei Liangyu had them retreat to the stone cave passage wall, which was the farthest distance. Xing Chun gripped the railings with both hands, poking his head out to look.
Mei Liangyu tied knots in the clothes while keeping an eye on the weak flames. Recalling how the rope had been burned the instant he released it, he couldn't help thinking that if Junior Sister could freely use Strange Fire, she would be unstoppable.
It would be good if she were here.
As a World Destroyer herself, she might know more information related to Strange Fire.
Though it was hard to say whether this thing was actually Strange Fire.
It's so dangerous, she better not come.
Mei Liangyu's mind worked quickly, thoughts racing. He wrapped Five Elements Energy around the clothing rope, looked at the tail end that was pressed against the ice layer, then lowered his gaze with furrowed brows. His hands moved steadily as he threw the other end toward the sea fire.
Zhongli Shan and Xing Chun didn't know by what means Mei Liangyu would guide Five Elements Energy down into the ice layer. They only saw Mei Liangyu release his grip and throw the rope, followed immediately by the sound of ice layer explosion:
No one knew how far the ice below extended, but it seemed like thousands of miles of ice layers suffered a heavy blow and shattered into pieces. The crisp sound of colliding ice fragments also struck the stone walls, transmitting the sound of ice layer fracturing throughout all of Northern Kun City through the connected black Profound Stone.
The Mechanism School practitioners searching underground for routes and people, Lin Chenghai and Hu Gui who had finally reunited, Zhang Xiangyun and Luo Fu still resting in the Spirit Puppet pit, Situ Jin who had brought Li Jin Shuang to the surface, and Yu Sui who was still guarding Situ Ling Kui, all heard that crisp sound of breaking ice coming from the underground depths, carrying the intimidating force of crushing everything.