Chapter 138: The Flamingo Finally Reveals Its True Form

The moment he first laid eyes on the flamingo, Bai Mu had actually already used his spiritual sense to probe its cultivation level.

Although he could not fathom its exact depth and realm, the rich archaic aura it exuded, coupled with flames even more ferocious than those of Bi Fang, made it clear that its strength was definitely not inferior to Bi Fang's.

Yet, he never expected that while this flamingo possessed such formidable might, its timidity would be so pronounced.

With that thought, Bai Mu gave the flamingo before him a free-and-easy smile. "Senior, do not be alarmed. I have no intention of seizing anything by force. Besides, with my currently half-crippled state, trying to take the fire lotus now would simply be courting death."

Then, shifting his tone, he wore an expression of sincere and eager pleading. "This junior has come this time to borrow a fire lotus from Senior, in order to save two of my friends."

"Humph, humph."

Hearing this, the flamingo let out a cold laugh and immediately demanded in a loud voice, "Are your friends heavily injured?"

"So heavily that it requires a sacred treasure of the myriad-year-old karmic fire red lotus to save them?"

"Sigh..."

Bai Mu sighed, nodded, and muttered to himself, "Netherworld evil Qi, coupled with Azure Wood spiritual Qi invading their bodies, these two forces are tearing at each other from within. Even though I have already had Bi Fang suppress them with its natal karmic fire, as time goes on, Senior Fansheng is still likely to be consumed by the evil Qi and suffer a deviation in cultivation."

"And my good friend Lingyan has likewise been assaulted by the Yin demonic Qi of the Abyss of Cangwu. Both of them are waiting in the Frozen Abyss Valley for me to retrieve the fire lotus and save their lives. Therefore, on this trip, failure is simply not an option!"

"Fansheng is actually injured that severely?"

Standing nearby with its head held high, the flamingo's expression shifted the moment Bai Mu mentioned Fansheng, though it quickly returned to calm.

However, Bai Mu, who was always sharp-witted, naturally caught the flamingo's abnormality. He immediately stepped forward and earnestly asked, "Could it be that Senior is acquainted with Fansheng?"

"If there is still some bond of affinity between you two, I beg Senior to bestow a fire lotus upon this junior to save his life!"

"Chirp, chirp, chirp..."

Just as Bai Mu's voice trailed off, the small golden bird nearby flew anxiously to the front of the flamingo like a spoiled child, chirping in low tones. From the look of it, it seemed to be pleading on behalf of its savior.

Unfortunately, the flamingo appeared completely unmoved. With a single flap of its wings, it swiftly leaped across the magma pool and landed on a stone couch on the opposite side.

Giving Bai Mu a haughty, condescending sweep of its gaze, it shook its head and said, "Logically speaking, since you came to retrieve the fire lotus to save Fansheng, and you once saved the life of my little Huoliuli, by all rights and reason I should fulfill your request."

"But heaven does not always grant what mortals desire; this fire lotus is not something I can simply give away just because I wish to."

"Why does Senior say that?"

Hearing this, Bai Mu's heart stirred, and he hurriedly scrambled up from the ground, speaking with urgent questioning.

"Bai Mu, do you know the origin of this fire lotus?" Instead of directly answering Bai Mu's question, the flamingo asked back in a mysterious tone.

"Origin?"

A flash of inspiration crossed Bai Mu's mind, and he answered eagerly, "I heard from Bi Fang that the myriad-year-old karmic fire red lotus is a spiritual entity nurtured by the magma within the Scarlet Flame Mountain after the creation of heaven and earth."

"Because the lotus body contains innate karmic fire Qi and has absorbed the earthly Qi for tens of thousands of years, over time it has transformed into a rare heavenly treasure in this world. Is that not so?"

"What you said is correct."

Standing atop the stone couch, the flamingo responded unhurriedly, "The myriad-year-old karmic fire red lotus is indeed nurtured by the innate karmic fire Qi within the magma pool, but that is only part of it."

"First, count carefully how many fire lotus plants there are in the pool."

Hearing this, Bai Mu quickly cast his gaze toward the magma pool and began to examine it closely.

Within his field of vision, he could see a total of seven myriad-year-old karmic fire red lotuses in the pool. Five of them were already in full bloom, while the remaining two had yet to blossom and remained in the state of tight flower buds.

Of the five lotuses that had already bloomed, each emanated faint wisps of scorching heat, and the regal, dignified aura of their lotus bodies was so intense that Bai Mu scarcely dared to look at them directly.

As for the two unbloomed ones, they felt relatively much milder, standing gracefully amidst the rolling magma, as quiet as two maidens. In particular, their straight lotus stalks stirred a deep sense of fondness within Bai Mu's heart.

Having clearly noted the quantity, Bai Mu swiftly retracted his gaze and responded loudly to the flamingo before him, "Senior, there are a total of seven fire lotuses in the pool. Five of them are already in full bloom, while the other two, though appearing extremely plump in form, have yet to open. It is truly passing strange."

"Then do you know the reason why those five were able to bloom?" The flamingo asked nonchalantly, still standing proudly on the stone couch.

"Presumably, those five absorbed too much earthly thermal Qi over the course of years and months, which is why they were able to blossom ahead of the others," Bai Mu answered, trying to act clever.

"Incorrect, incorrect."

Without the slightest hesitation, the flamingo shook its head. "Among the five bloomed fire lotuses, the three on the left blossomed only because they received nourishment from the ancestral god's primordial blood."

"As for the two on the right, they were able to burst into full bloom through nourishment from the primordial blood of the Heavenly Emperor Lingxiao."

"Can that really be the case?"

Bai Mu muttered in disbelief, while beads of cold sweat began to drip down his forehead.

If things were truly as the flamingo claimed, and the fire lotuses could only bloom through nourishment by primordial blood, then acquiring a fire lotus today would be as difficult as ascending to the azure heavens.

With this thought, Bai Mu anxiously pressed on, "Senior, since the Heavenly Emperor and the ancestral god have both nourished the fire lotuses with their own primordial blood, would it be possible to ask Senior to harvest two lotus petals and bestow them upon this junior to save my friends' lives?"

"Impossible."

The flamingo flatly rejected Bai Mu's request without any concealment, then calmly explained, "Because these five bloomed fire lotuses were nourished by the primordial blood of the ancestral god and the Heavenly Emperor, they have, to a certain extent, formed a covenant bond with the two of them."

"Didn't you already try it just now? Anyone who dares to covet the fire lotus will inevitably be burned to death on the spot by the innate karmic fire within the lotus!"

"Ah!"

Bai Mu let out a cry of shock where he stood, and with a heart chilled with dread, he asked, "Then, according to Senior, does this mean only the Heavenly Emperor and the ancestral god can harvest these fire lotuses, and anyone else who comes even slightly close will be attacked by them?"

"Precisely so!"

The flamingo gave its wings a single shake, offering no concealment whatsoever, and answered with clean-cut finality.

But Bai Mu could not remain so calm and composed.

Before heading to the Southern Wilderness, he had never anticipated that this journey would be so torturous.

Especially after going through thousands of hardships to reach the Scarlet Flame Ancient Cave, only to be told by the flamingo that it was utterly impossible to acquire the fire lotus, his heart felt as though a jar of five flavors had been overturned, bringing a sudden tumult of mixed emotions.

"Chirp, chirp, chirp..."

The small bird known as Huoliuli began to chirp softly at the large flamingo once more, its hopping up and down making it look rather anxious.