Chapter 6020, Strange Flower

Author: Silavin

[This… this is impossible. How did something like this possibly appear?] Little Eleven started to question everything, recalling all the past expeditions inside. However, nothing came up. These had truly just appeared out of thin air.

Without being able to contain himself, Little Eleven rushed into the Profound Source Gate and directly went to pick one of the flowers. The moment he touched one, a familiar feeling washed over him.

There was no need for someone else to explain it to him. He already knew what these were.

“So, that’s what it is…” Little Eleven murmured, which did not go unnoticed by the twins.

Still in front of the gate, Yang Ji questioned, “Uncle Eleven, did you figure something out?”

Little Eleven gave a slow nod and explained. “This is all made using Black Ink Strength. But, it is at the same time also not Black Ink Strength…”

Yang Xu shook her head at this contrary answer. She asked for more clarity. “So, what is it?”

Little Eleven picked out a flower and moved back to the twin. The moment he crossed the gate, he could see the flower gradually losing its original form. It was apparent that the closer he got to the light outside, the more the flower seemed to wither.

“This is made using Black Ink Strength… to create another life…” Little Eleven turned around and pointed at the ground behind the gate.

“In essence, this is no different from Black Ink Strength. But, it exists separately from Mo, as though it is another entity. This is not much different from the Black Ink Clansmen in your history lessons. As you can see, because of the Primordial Flash, the part directly in front of the gate does not have any of these plants. It is only at the periphery, with the gate being opened up, that we can see these plants.”

Yang Ji and Yang Xu cutely bent their heads forward a little to get a better look at the flowers. They were certainly dark and strange looking, but at the same time, quite cool as well. Their shape was no different from the ones that could be found outside. They were not all homogenous, with some variations between them. At the same time, their placement was random, as though it was an actual flower field.

Yang Ji could not hold back his curiosity and asked, “Uncle Eleven, can I hold that for a moment?”

Little Eleven hesitated for a moment but relented. After all, they were still safe here. “Okay. Just be careful. If anything goes wrong, make sure to shout out for help.”

Little Eleven passed the withering flower to Yang Ji and cautiously watched.

The boy took it with both hands, trying to get a feel of its texture. Even when it touched his skin, he did not have the same back memories flood back into him again.

He saw that his Sister was also curious so he handed it over to her. When she felt it all over, she could not help but comment, “It really feels like a flower. The stem is tougher, the petals are softer and smoother. Just that… it’s a bit colder…”

“Yeah. But, I guess it’s colder because there is no Sun inside.” Yang Ji replied with a tilt of his head.

Meanwhile, Little Eleven questioned, [Huh? The Black Ink Strength is not affecting them at all? What is going on?]

Although Little Eleven expected things to be fine, he was still shocked to see how the Black Ink Strength from the flower had no effect on them. He questioned if it was due to the flower already withering, but that did not make sense as even the remnant Black Ink Strength outside the gate had affected them.

[The only way to test this out is for them to go in and touch the flowers inside…] Little Eleven quickly shook his head. In fact, due to these major changes behind the Primordial Source Gate, he believed it to be wise for them to retreat first. Since it was to just get a cursory check of the situation, and not really to find Mo, Yang Kai was the best candidate to do it.

[The Father should make sure it’s safe for his kids, after all.] Little Eleven mused, and was about to open his mouth when something shocking happened.

The withering flower suddenly began to expand, like a final desperate move; moving along with it were the flowers behind the gate. A torrent of black shot out from behind the gate, while the withering flower quickly tried to stretch back to the gate.

Unbeknownst to Little Eleven, it was at the instant, when the withering flower expanded, that Black Ink Strength began to affect Yang Xu. The Black Ink Strength this time was definitely more potent that the first time she had made contact with it. However, the effects on her were more muted as well. It just caused her to be disoriented this time.

Nevertheless, this disorientation was enough.

If she was still in perfect condition, she would have instinctively thrown the flower away from her. However, with her hand still held onto it, the expansion of Black Ink Strength naturally got wrapped around her fingers as it sought to escape.

As though having learned the lesson from the previous attack, the black torrent moved faster than before. It would not give Little Eleven the chance to use the Primordial Flash again.

Before Primordial Flash could activate, the black torrent made contact with the outstretched ‘withered flower’ and started to pull back. This time, with Yang Xu with it, hand stuck.

There was not even a scream from her as she got silently pulled closer into the gate. She did not even feel her feet being forced to be dragged against the ground. Not even the two arms that wrapped around her waist were felt.

Yang Ji had reacted quickly to grab onto his Sister. Unfortunately, his meagre strength was not enough to pull her free. In fact, he had made his own situation worse as he got rapidly pulled in as well.

By the time there was a bright flash, the two children were gone, with Little Eleven cursing how the situation had gotten drastically worse…

Silavin: Guys, any feedback so far? Draggy? Want more action? Want more world building? It’s okay as is?