Directly disturbing the other party probably wouldn’t lead to a dead-end mission, but it would certainly increase its difficulty and complexity. The other party might have been willing to teach me generously. But if I disturbed them, I could potentially interfere with their cultivation, even pushing them into qi deviation or some other dangerous state. That would be a disaster! At that point, curing them could result in an endlessly long mission. Given the mission’s likely difficulty, I doubt simply killing and resurrecting them would be an option.
Actually, Chen Mo’s guess wasn’t far from the truth. Upon arriving here, the best course of action was indeed not to disturb the other party; he just needed to wait a little while for them to respond.
Chen Mo waited for a full half-hour, and just when he was beginning to doubt his judgment, a voice suddenly came from inside the cave.
"Friend outside the cave, are you looking for me? You’ve been waiting at the entrance for quite some time."
Upon hearing the response, Chen Mo immediately turned towards the cave and replied, "Junior indeed has some matters to consult with Senior. I learned from the village chief that Senior is cultivating in these mountains, so I came uninvited. Fearing I might disturb Senior’s cultivation, I decided to wait here."
"So that’s how it is. Patient young men like you are rare these days. You may come in."
Looks like I guessed correctly.
Chen Mo smiled faintly and stepped into the cave.
The moment he passed through the cave entrance, he distinctly felt a wave of Sacred power sweep over his entire body.
It seems there’s some kind of Sacred restriction at the cave entrance.
Entering the cave, Chen Mo saw an elderly man in white robes, levitating cross-legged above a large boulder. He approached and explained the purpose of his visit.
"I am an Adventurer from afar. I heard that a demon has appeared here, causing harm with its Dark Power, so I’ve come to exterminate it."
"Ah, you’ve come to exterminate evil. I admire your dedication. When you first arrived, I had already sensed the demon you speak of. Although its inherent strength isn’t very high, its power is greatly amplified in darkness. Given the current concentration of Dark Energy, it possesses an Undying Body in the dark."
"That is precisely why this Junior wishes to ask Senior if there’s a way to dispel the darkness in this area."
"Dispelling the darkness in this area will not be easy, I’m afraid."
Hearing this, Chen Mo frowned slightly and asked, "Why is that?"
"In this region, there is a place called the ’Underworld’s Fountain.’ It has recently entered an eruption phase. The Underworld’s Fountain concentrates the world’s purest Dark Energy. If the erupting Underworld’s Fountain cannot be sealed, it will be impossible to completely dispel the Dark Power from this area."
"The Underworld’s Fountain? Is there any way to stop it from erupting further?"
"Senior, why do you suddenly sigh?"
Seeing the elder sigh instead of directly stating a method, Chen Mo instantly sensed that this mission would likely be very difficult.
"There are two methods to stop the Underworld’s Fountain from continuing its eruption."
"Two methods? Then why did you sigh, Senior? Are both methods exceedingly difficult?"
The white-robed Mage nodded. "Correct. Neither of these methods is easy to accomplish."
"Please enlighten me, Senior."
"I will tell you the first method."
"The first method requires obtaining the Heart Blood of three individuals who possess the Heart of Light. Combined with my magical artifact, this can be done."
"Three Hearts of Light? How do I find them?"
"That part is simple. I have already identified three such individuals in Chaoyang Village at the foot of this mountain."
"Since you’ve already found them, Senior, why do you still sigh?"
"Do you know what Heart Blood truly is?"
Chen Mo shook his head.
"Heart Blood is the Blood of Core, also known as the Source Of Primordial Essence Blood. Losing the Source Of Primordial Essence Blood inflicts tremendous damage on a person. Not only would a previously strong and healthy person instantly become frail and prone to illness, but their lifespan would also be drastically reduced. After losing their Heart Blood, a young person might live for five more years at most, while an older person would not even survive a single year. Do you believe these three individuals with the Heart of Light would willingly accept such a fate?"
Hearing this, Chen Mo now understood just how difficult this was.
"Surely there’s always a sliver of hope for everything under the heavens? Is there truly no way to remedy the situation after the Heart Blood is taken?"
"There is, but it is exceedingly difficult. Besides, even if you were to make such a promise before you could actually achieve it, do you think those three would believe you?"
"Perhaps the three of them also harbor the will to save the world. Senior, have you ever spoken to them about this?"
The white-robed Mage shook his head. "I have not. And there is no need to." Follow current novels on novel✶fire.net
"There are no secrets in the darkness. Only within this small cave, by exhausting my abilities, have I managed to create this tiny sanctuary, isolated from the darkness.
"Let’s not even discuss the consequences if, after I speak with these three, that Dark Demon Leader learns of it and deliberately leaks the secret. Simply speaking to these three about this matter is risky. If even one of them is unwilling to make the sacrifice, he will develop negative emotions upon learning this information and be corrupted by the darkness.
"He might become fearful, afraid that other villagers will find out and demand his sacrifice. He might waver between selfishness and selflessness, becoming indecisive and agitated. He might feel remorse and grief for his self-preserving actions that prevent the world from being saved.
"Be it fear, indecision, or remorse, the moment his emotions stray from the light, the darkness will immediately begin to corrupt him, for he is a possessor of the Heart of Light. If even one person with a Heart of Light is corrupted, the Dark Demon Leader’s strength will instantly double. Once that Dark Demon Leader becomes too strong, even if we seal the Underworld’s Fountain, we will be no match for him.
"Moreover, once a possessor of the Heart of Light is corrupted by darkness, their heart will immediately transform into a Dark Heart. Thus, what were originally three Hearts of Light would become two Hearts of Light and one Dark Heart. Not only would we be unable to seal the Underworld’s Fountain, but its eruption might even intensify, making the current situation far more perilous and difficult to handle."
After hearing the difficulties of the first method, Chen Mo couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on.
This method is indeed very difficult to implement. If I were ruthless enough, I could just forcibly tie the three of them up and throw them into the Underworld’s Fountain, regardless of their consent. Would that even work?
A rather devilish thought suddenly flashed through Chen Mo’s mind.
As if seeing through Chen Mo’s thoughts, the white-robed Mage shook his head and said, "Do not entertain such dark thoughts, or you too will be corrupted by the darkness. No matter what you are thinking, you must understand this: you cannot do anything that would cause them to feel fear and be subjected to a Dark Invasion. Otherwise, all efforts will be futile."
Upon hearing this, Chen Mo understood.
He’s right. What’s the use of abduction? If they aren’t willing, they’ll definitely be terrified. They might even harbor resentment, allowing the Dark Energy to surge to its maximum. Wouldn’t that directly transform them into three Dark Hearts? Throwing them into the Underworld’s Fountain then would be like tossing three atomic bombs into it, causing an eruption as terrifying as a volcano! This method is definitely out.
Wait, I have another idea. Since the white-robed Mage is afraid the Dark Demon Leader might overhear him, perhaps bringing the three individuals into this cave to hear the plan is feasible. However, bringing them here would trigger the other problem the Mage mentioned... their mental state. If all three possess the will to save the world, that would be fine. But if even one of them hesitates, unwilling to make the sacrifice, and becomes mentally unstable upon hearing the news, leading to corruption by darkness, then this whole endeavor would backfire spectacularly. Thankfully, there’s still a second method.
Chen Mo decided to hear about the second method first.
If the second method turns out to be even more difficult than the first, then I’ll just have to try the first one. After all, the white-robed Mage only dismissed the first method because he considered its success rate too low. It doesn’t mean it has zero chance of success.