Strange Lotus

"Ugh..."

Who knew how long had passed before Bi Fan slowly woke.

"Ah!..." Agonizing pain slammed into Bi Fan's nerves, and he cried out.

Bi Fan tried to move, only to discover that his entire body felt as though it had fallen apart. He could not budge even an inch.

The slightest movement tugged at his whole body, and the piercing pain was unbearable.

Bi Fan was not fated to die just yet. While unconscious, he had been thrown into a side passage by Medicine Boy.

The Myriad Snake Den had many side passages, all naturally formed. They were damp inside, making them ideal habitats for venomous snakes.

The side passage Bi Fan had entered was not particularly steep, and its walls were incomparably smooth. He had slid down along the slope.

Bumps and knocks had been unavoidable, but at least he had not died on the spot.

However, Bi Fan's already frail body now had more than a dozen fractures. Unless a miracle occurred, he was as good as dead.

Unable to move and wracked by intense pain, Bi Fan could not sleep either. He began surveying his surroundings from the corner of his eye.

Everything around him was pitch-black. Only a dim glow shone more than ten meters ahead.

Gritting his teeth, Bi Fan endured the agonizing pain and shifted his body slightly, wanting to change his angle and see what lay ahead more clearly.

His situation had reached the end of the road, yet Bi Fan still did not want to give up.

He held one conviction: no matter what, he had to become stronger. Therefore, he had to survive.

After persevering for over half an hour, Bi Fan's clothes were soaked through with sweat, and perspiration streamed down his forehead like raindrops.

Bi Fan endured it all without even letting out a groan.

At last, his persistence was rewarded. With the angle right, Bi Fan saw what was ahead.

A straight purple stalk shooting toward the sky entered Bi Fan's field of vision. Looking upward, he saw that the purple stalk stood over one and a half meters tall, crowned by an enormous flower.

The flower had a radius of roughly one meter and thirty-six petals in all, black and white interwoven—eighteen black petals and eighteen white ones.

The white petals glimmered, illuminating the surroundings and allowing Bi Fan to see the strange flower clearly.

Several green leaves grew beneath the purple stalk. They resembled lotus leaves, only somewhat larger.

Beside the green leaves lay a pool of milky-white liquid. Bubbles constantly rose from it; whenever one burst, white mist drifted upward, only to be absorbed by the white petals.

"Ten-Thousand-Year Earth Vein Spirit Milk!" Bi Fan was utterly shocked. He had happened to hear of Ten-Thousand-Year Earth Vein Spirit Milk before, so he recognized it at once.

Ten-Thousand-Year Earth Vein Spirit Milk had mild medicinal properties. It was a superb treasure for cleansing the marrow and transforming the meridians, capable of changing a person's constitution.

Moreover, Ten-Thousand-Year Earth Vein Spirit Milk could harmonize medicinal properties. Adding a single drop when refining pills would greatly increase the success rate, while the refined pills would also have somewhat stronger effects.

As for the strange black-and-white flower shaped like a lotus, Bi Fan knew nothing at all about it. For the moment, he called it the "Two-Colored Strange Lotus."

The moment he saw the Ten-Thousand-Year Earth Vein Spirit Milk, Bi Fan seemed to see hope.

As long as he could swallow a drop of Ten-Thousand-Year Earth Vein Spirit Milk, his constitution would improve drastically and become suitable for cultivation.

Being able to cultivate was Bi Fan's dream. His dream lay right before him, yet he could not reach it.

Bi Fan was only around fifteen meters from the Ten-Thousand-Year Earth Vein Spirit Milk. It was practically within arm's reach, but given his current condition, it might as well have been at the ends of the earth.

Bi Fan endured the pain and shifted his body, but every fraction of movement was incomparably difficult and excruciating.

"No, I can't give up! I absolutely can't give up..." A conviction continued to support Bi Fan.

Having drawn a little closer, Bi Fan was thrilled. He forgot his pain and continued crawling forward, dragging a long trail of blood behind him.

Suddenly, the white petals blazed with light, and dense white mist rose up. A fragrant scent spread through the cave, which grew much brighter as well.

The instant Bi Fan caught that fragrance, his spirits surged, and even the pain eased considerably.

He crawled forward with all his strength and actually moved several centimeters, far more easily than before.

Before Bi Fan could rejoice, he heard a rustling sound, and a fishy stench bored into his nostrils.

"Venomous creatures?" Bi Fan guessed as much.

Very soon, Bi Fan saw the true forms of the venomous creatures: countless venomous snakes, including no shortage of pythons as thick as water buckets.

"Is heaven determined to destroy me?" Bi Fan was unwilling to accept it, but unable to move, he could only watch as the snakes drew nearer and nearer.

Fear engulfed Bi Fan. Anyone would feel their courage fail at the sight of so many venomous snakes, let alone Bi Fan, a fourteen-year-old boy who could not move.

The venomous snakes passed by Bi Fan without paying him any heed. They headed straight for the strange flower, apparently drawn by its fragrance.

Bi Fan had only just breathed a sigh of relief when the tail of a giant python as thick as a water bucket swept into him.

"Ah!" Bi Fan was instantly sent flying through the air.

The giant python's strength was even greater than Zhu San's. Bi Fan's body, already on the verge of falling apart, could not withstand the heavy blow. A crackling series of bone-shattering sounds rang out.

Before he had even landed, Bi Fan had already lost consciousness.

Bi Fan happened to be flung toward the Two-Colored Strange Lotus. With many of his internal organs shattered by the blow, he spat out mouthful after mouthful of blood, which happened to fall upon the strange flower's petals.

The Two-Colored Strange Lotus instantly absorbed every drop of Bi Fan's blood. The black petals suddenly emitted black light, and black qi surged forth.

The black qi instantly turned into a dark cloud, bearing Bi Fan's body aloft in midair.

The moment the black qi emerged, the venomous snakes began to tremble all over, creeping flat against the ground without moving. Even the giant pythons were no exception.

Then, countless strands of Black Silk shot out from the black petals. The silken strands entered the snakes' bodies, and the venomous snakes soon dissolved into nothingness. The Black Silk grew slightly stronger before returning to the black petals.

No one would probably believe such a bizarre scene even if it were told to them. Had Bi Fan been conscious, he would likely have been scared to death.

After finishing all this, the black petals actually twitched a few times, as though they were excited.

Then the black petals withdrew the black qi. Without the support of the dark cloud, Bi Fan began to fall.

The white petals flashed with light, and thick white mist surged forth, wrapping Bi Fan inside and forming a massive white cocoon.

Inside the white cocoon, Bi Fan seemed to be sleeping soundly, peaceful and serene. The white mist seeped into his body, and his shattered body began to recover at an astonishing speed.

The white mist could actually heal wounds, and its effects were extraordinarily miraculous.

Bi Fan had originally been at death's door, but his breathing soon became even, and color gradually returned to his pale face.

Five days and five nights passed before the white mist finally sank back into the white petals. As the mist vanished, Bi Fan remained floating in midair.

After five days, Bi Fan's injuries had completely healed, though he had yet to awaken.

In those brief five days, Bi Fan had changed greatly. He had grown nearly twenty centimeters taller, his body had become much sturdier, and his skin had turned incomparably fair and lustrous.

He looked like a completely different person, as though he had shed his old body and been reborn in new flesh and bones. Even if the old man came back to life, he probably would not recognize him.

The Two-Colored Strange Lotus changed again. Its radiance suddenly blazed forth as it flew up with roots and leaves intact. In the blink of an eye, it sank into Bi Fan's body and vanished without a trace.

After the Two-Colored Strange Lotus disappeared, the cave became pitch-black once more, so dark one could not see a hand before one's face.