Random Treasure Chests in Full-Time Magician

Chapter 53 Star Language Tree

The crowd felt the flames, like a natural disaster, flowing past them. The intense heat seemed capable of destroying the world. Wave after wave of fire crashed against the stone walls, making everyone's hearts pound with fear.

The crimson flames slowly subsided, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Their lips were now cracked, their eyes were sunken, and their skin had shrunk, making them look as if they had lost weight.

Zhao Manyan plopped down on the ground, then suddenly jumped up, rubbing his buttocks.

"It's burning me!"

Everyone was wearing heat-resistant boots, so they didn't feel the heat under their feet, but they could feel the heat from Zhao Manyan's jumping around.

After the flames of the heavenly tribulation subsided, the group cautiously stepped back onto the land that had just been scorched by the flames.

"Um, should we go any further in?" Zhang Xiaohou asked timidly.

Everyone hesitated after hearing what Zhang Xiaohou said; they had almost been engulfed by flames just now!

"I've heard that this kind of fire calamity only occurs once every few years in the Northern Corner of the Scorching Plains, and its scale has never been as large as today's. The fact that we survived this fire calamity means that we will be very safe when we step into the Northern Corner of the Scorching Plains. Most importantly, the fire calamity is a baptism for the Northern Corner of the Scorching Plains, killing or driving out all those creatures that are not truly of fire blood. After undergoing such a baptism, the entire Northern Corner of the Scorching Plains may actually give birth to more fire-type rare treasures. For example, spirit seeds that have not yet formed will truly form spirit seeds after the baptism." At this moment, Chen Ying spoke up.

It seems that Chenying doesn't really want everyone to back down.

Ding Yumin and Lingling's gazes immediately fell on Chen Ying, their eyes filled with doubt. Bai Feng also looked intently at Chen Ying.

Mo Fan looked at Chen Ying and said without any attempt to hide it, "We didn't suspect you because you're Zhao Manyan's cousin, but are you hiding something from us?"

"I, I, what could I possibly know? I just, I just think we should aim higher... it's that simple." Chen Ying was clearly not good at lying, and she panicked before anyone even questioned her.

How could her appearance not arouse suspicion, especially from Zhao Manyan, who brought her along? They were family, and Zhao Manyan only allowed her to come because of absolute trust.

Seeing the gazes directed at him, Zhao Manyan pulled his cousin away, perhaps to offer her some guidance.

Ding Yumin leaned close to Bai Feng's ear, and Bai Feng knew what Ding Yumin was going to say without even listening.

"She seems uneasy and a little nervous; she's definitely hiding something from us." Ding Yumin's warm breath made Bai Feng's mind wander, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Hmm, let's see what Lao Zhao does. Maybe she'll just tell us herself later." Bai Feng rubbed Ding Yumin's little head.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Chenying returned with her pretty face down.

She apologized to everyone before recounting what she knew about Kitakata Shohara.

Everyone listened quietly to what Chen Ying had to say, after all, it might involve a treasure even more valuable than the spirit seed, and no mage would be unmoved.

"I have a relative who is covered in flames. Not only is her appearance ruined, but she also has no intact skin. No matter how many high-level healing mages we consult, they have been unable to restore her..." Chen Ying explained slowly.

"You mean that uncle with a different surname, right, Lu Jianli?" Upon hearing this, Zhao Manyan immediately pictured a man who was always wrapped tightly in white cloth.

My house isn't far from this person's, and sometimes when I'm meditating on the balcony, I can occasionally see this white zombie tending to the flowers and plants in the backyard.

Zhao Manyan wasn't very familiar with this person; he had only heard some people in his family slander and ridicule him, saying that he had done heinous things and was punished by God, burned beyond recognition.

However, Zhao Manyan believed this explanation, since this person had indeed consulted many healing mages but had not been able to recover. Generally speaking, burns can be healed through healing magic or some special medicines.

"Yes, she, she is my mother," Chen Ying said in a very low voice.

"What the hell?" Zhao Manyan jumped up.

Everyone was stunned. Wasn't he supposed to be Chenying's uncle? How did he become Chenying's mother?

"Have you ever seen what she really looks like?" Chen Ying looked up and asked in return.

"No, I was just listening... well, it seems we've all gotten it wrong." Zhao Manyan realized something and gave a somewhat bitter smile.

To be honest, Zhao Manyan really didn't expect that the person who was always wrapped in white cloth was a woman. There were too many stories about her in the family, but what surprised Zhao Manyan the most was that this person was Chen Ying's mother, and he had never heard anyone else mention her before!

"Since she is your mother, then who is the aunt we call 'Auntie' all the time?" Zhao Manyan continued to ask.

Chenying didn't say anything, she just bit her lip, as if this matter was something she didn't want to recall.

Zhao Manyan suddenly realized what was going on and didn't dare to ask any further questions.

Mo Fan understood some things from their conversation. Seeing that Zhao Manyan didn't know how to continue the conversation, he changed the subject and asked, "So your mother's burns were caused by the flames here?"

Chen Ying tried to speak calmly: "It was the Heavenly Tribulation Flame. About ten years ago, my father and mother came to the northern corner of the Scorching Plains to look for a kind of fire-type spiritual seed, but they unexpectedly encountered the Heavenly Tribulation Flame. They desperately tried to escape into the distance, but the Heavenly Tribulation Flame was surging too fast."

At this point, Chenying's eyes dimmed. She had heard these things from her mother, but her mother had brought them up to her every year for the past ten years.

"That shouldn't be the case. If your parents had encountered the Heavenly Tribulation more than ten years ago, they, they should all be... well, but my uncle is still alive and well, and he's living a very comfortable life with his second wife," Zhao Manyan said somewhat awkwardly.

"My mother's secondary skill was wind magic. In order to help my father escape, she used all her magical tools and the last Wind Orb on him. This allowed my father to return to the family unharmed. The treasures he brought back were the most scarce resources in the family, which helped our family overcome a difficult time. As a result, his status was different from before," Chen Ying said.

The crowd fell silent. They had experienced the power of the Heavenly Tribulation Flame firsthand; under such a divine punishment, humanity was truly insignificant.

To be able to still consider marital affection under such circumstances and do everything in one's power to get the other away from the danger zone—one has to say, is this love or foolishness?

"My mother was devoured by the Heavenly Tribulation Flame, but since she was a fire-type cultivator, she didn't die for some unknown reason. She was saved by a creature whose entire body was covered in flames. It fed her a special fruit, which allowed her to barely survive in the flames. She lived in the northern corner of the Scorching Plains for many years. Due to severe injuries, she had to recuperate for a long time before she could move again. A few years ago, she was brought out by a group of hunters who came here to search for treasure."

"But, but after my mother returned to the family, my father had already married another person. He just arranged for my mother to stay in a courtyard. Although he brought many healing mages to treat my mother, he always seemed to be just going through the motions." Tears welled up in Chen Ying's eyes, her expression filled with grief, indignation, and resentment.

After hearing this, everyone fell silent, because if such a thing happened to them, they probably wouldn't have spoken up.

"Alright, let's keep moving forward. By now, those major powers outside should have already discovered the Heavenly Tribulation Flame eruption, and they might already be on their way here!" Bai Feng changed the subject.

Everyone understood that Bai Feng was changing the subject, so they didn't bring up the previous topic again, nodded, and set off in the right direction.

Following the terrain described by Chenying's mother, the group arrived at the foot of a flat-topped mountain that rose abruptly from the ground. This mountain looked like a volcano, and its walls were extremely steep, almost vertical at ninety degrees.

Everyone fell silent as they looked at the cliff face, each of them perplexed.

"How are we supposed to get up there? It's at a 90-degree angle, we can't just fly up there, can we?" Zhao Manyan looked troubled.

Zhang Xiaohou nodded in agreement. Although there are many ways to get up there, it's not one that we can do right now.

"Come with me. My mother told me that there's a fissure in the mountain near this cliff that leads straight to the top." Chen Ying looked around and saw that the surrounding environment was somewhat similar to what her mother had described.

After hearing Chen Ying's words, everyone began searching at the foot of the mountain wall that resembled a pillar of fire.

Before long, they found the crack that Chen Ying had mentioned. Compared to the entire massive Fire Pillar Mountain, this crack was just a small one, but when the group stood under it, it felt like a cave, becoming wider and wider as they went deeper inside.

Following the crack deeper, Bai Feng sensed that the group was ascending in a winding path. After walking a short distance further, they collected some more fragments of spirit seeds, suggesting that this cave was also a good place for tempering.

"Clang!! Clang!!"

The sound of metal clashing came from deep within the crack. The only sounds in the cave were the breathing and footsteps of the group, so the sudden sound made everyone's hearts tighten.

The metallic clanging sound wasn't crisp; it was more like the sound of fingernails scraping against a mountain, giving everyone goosebumps.

"You, you all heard that, right?" Zhang Xiaohou said, rubbing his arms and turning his head.

"Does anyone know what that sound is?" Zhao Manyan asked, swallowing hard.

Bai Feng frowned, stepped back behind the crowd, and threw his soul vessel at his feet. The soul vessel did not fall to the ground, but instead merged directly into the darkness, in which a pair of lantern-like scarlet eyes flashed.

After finishing this task, Bai Feng immediately said, "Quickly retreat, there's molten lava flowing down ahead." With that, he grabbed Ding Yumin and ran towards the direction leading out of the crack.

Everyone's hearts pounded when they heard what Bai Feng said. What kind of damn luck is this?

As soon as the group returned to the rift, they saw three demons covered in flame armor blocking the rift's exit.

"Damn it, what the hell is blocking my way? Go to hell!" It turned out that Zhao Manyan had somehow gotten ahead of Bai Feng. He could get away from danger by running out of this door, but when he saw someone blocking the door, Zhao Manyan started cursing.

"Taste your grandpa's magic!" Zhao Manyan unleashed a "Surging Wave - Banishment." There was no other way; Zhao Manyan had no other offensive magic besides mid-level water-based spells.

The demon in the flame armor had two faces, one human and one beast, with a wide, gaping mouth. It seemed as if it had been doused with water when Zhao Manyan's magic attack hit it. Then, it looked at Bai Feng and his group, who were running away quickly, with a hint of mockery and malice.

"Holy crap! Old Bai, save me!" Zhao Manyan had just cast a spell and was about to rush out, but seeing that the three demons were unharmed, he slammed on the brakes, turned around, and hid behind Bai Feng.

Bai Feng couldn't help but smile at Zhao Manyan's appearance, and Ding Yumin also covered her mouth and chuckled. Bai Feng glared at Ding Yumin, summoned the Cloud Dream Beast, and sent it to kill the demons while he provided support from the side.

The Ice Spirit Ring on Bai Feng's finger was engraved with the Frozen Coffin, so he directly unleashed a triple Frozen Coffin Strike.

The Cloud Dream Beast's lightning attack was comparable to a high-level lightning spell. Bai Feng and the Cloud Dream Beast's move directly and severely injured the three-headed ghost-faced turtle.

At this moment, Zhao Manyan saw that the demons were about to perish, so he stepped forward, took out his demon-slaying weapon, and slashed at one of the demons, cursing as he did so, "Show me your teeth again, come on!"

Seeing Zhao Manyan's behavior, everyone looked at each other in dismay. Wasn't this just a case of a dog relying on its master's power?

"Holy crap! Stop cutting! Lava's flowing out from behind!" Mo Fan shouted from behind.

Upon hearing Mo Fan's shout, everyone rushed out of the crevice and landed on the sand.

As soon as they emerged from the crevice, lava gushed out from behind, burning several craters into the sand. The sight sent chills down everyone's spines and sent shivers down their spines.

The group found a shady spot to rest and eat something to recover their strength, planning to wait for the lava in the cave fissure to dissipate before stepping back in.

As they waited, they encountered a group that appeared to be members of a powerful family of sorcerers. Both sides were cautious upon seeing each other, as they were currently in the heart of the demon realm, where killing and robbing were common occurrences.

As soon as the other party entered, Zhao Manyan called out, "Uncle!" Chen Ying also came out to greet a strange man in the other party's group who was sitting in a wheelchair and covered in bandages.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Zhao Manyan's address; having an acquaintance meant they no longer needed to fear being murdered and robbed.

Bai Feng looked at the man in white cloth, turned his head and whispered something in Ding Yumin's ear. Ding Yumin was somewhat shocked, and then looked at the man in white cloth with a strange expression.

With Zhao Manyan mediating, everyone gathered together. Bai Feng and Ding Yumin were at the very back, while Lingling, seeing Bai Feng and Ding Yumin whispering to each other, went straight to Bai Feng's side and kicked him.

"Squat down."

Bai Feng looked at Lingling with amusement, squatted down and carried her on his back. Lingling then heard Bai Feng and Ding Yumin's whispered conversation. After listening, Lingling looked at Chen Ying and her mother whispering together with a strange expression.

"Alright, just play it by ear later. Each of you has a commander-level shadow demon in your shadow. If you encounter danger, just call out to defend yourself," Bai Feng whispered to the two women.

"Hmph, I know!" "I know."

As the group emerged from the tunnel, they saw an enormous tree growing on the cliff. This tree had no leaves, and its branches were twisted and numerous. Even without leaves, it was still awe-inspiring.

This giant tree stands alone beneath a star-studded night sky, its trunk seemingly reaching into the celestial canopy. Its dense branches twist and turn in all directions, and looking up, one feels as if countless stars adorn the treetops, as if the entire tree is adorned with those glittering stars. The beauty of this scene is so ethereal that it feels as if one's soul is being cleansed by it.

It stands alone atop the Zhuoyuan Mountain. Even though countless hunters have ventured into the northern corner of Zhuoyuan, they would never have imagined that such a beautiful scene could be found here. It can be called a miracle in the desert!

(End of this chapter)