An invincible journey starting from a different race

Yes, from the moment they began, Stank and Jer had been reflecting on themselves, wondering why, after all their years of travel and experience, their brains still couldn't keep up with Aesop's, nor were they as thick-skinned as him. They believed that if there were two Aesops, the other would definitely say, "I'll help too," and then step forward to support the other side...

Damn, I'm so envious.

If only I could be as shameless as him.

The core of his shamelessness wasn't what he'd done, but the fact that no matter what he'd done, his expression remained so calm, so natural, so innocent even. Stank and Jer knew they couldn't achieve that level of awareness.

Looking at this group of completely incomprehensible guys in front of him, Murreg felt that he had to say something to take control of the situation.

Otherwise he would feel like an idiot.

Moreover, not only do we have to say it, but we also have to spread our authority and not let these freaks control the rhythm anymore!

Then, Mureg narrowed his eyes slightly, and then unleashed the majesty of the quasi-Dragon King through his words without reservation: "Explain your intentions to me, outsiders."

Dragons are different from each other.

The Dragon King was a rival to the Arcanist in times of war. As a quasi-Dragon King, Murreg's strength was far beyond the ability of those present to resist.

The oppressive feeling at that moment made everyone except Aesop subconsciously grab their necks.

Stank grabbed his neck, his face grimacing: "I... can't breathe!"

Jer fell to the ground, his face ashen: "What kind of power is this?"

Gan Qiu covered his lower body and grimaced, "Damn, why do I feel like my Niuniu is exhaling?"

"Pfft."

After hearing this, Murreg couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.

Ninety-nine is not okay. I can’t think of it.

"So you are here to look for the underground phoenix." Mureg leaned on the volcanic rock, looking lazily at the people in front of him. His expression no longer had the majesty of a quasi-dragon king.

Because... he felt that it was meaningless to show off his authority in front of this bunch of psychopaths.

In human terms, it is like playing the lute to a cow.

"Yes, we heard that the Underground Phoenix is one of the most outstanding nightmares in the world." Stank said, "So we came here to challenge it."

"Challenging the underground phoenix, you really are... huh? What nightmare?" Murreg was stunned for a moment, and after several people finished explaining, his expression became even weirder.

Although I knew that these guys were a group of psychopaths, I didn't expect them to be so seriously ill. Or can the short-lived species really go to such lengths for their desires?

While every race possesses desires and is willing to sacrifice everything for them, like the dragon race's quest for supremacy and humans' desire for immortality, this was the first time Murreg had seen someone go to such lengths for Sese. For a moment, he was at a loss for words. Fortunately, these guys' previous behavior had already prepared Murreg mentally, so while he was a little surprised, he wasn't overly shocked.

"The underground phoenix is not a nightmare at all." Mureg sighed and said, "It was just a joke."

"……what?"

"That was a long time ago. I'm probably the only living dragon who has seen her in her true form." Mureger lost himself in the memories, a hint of regret in his voice. "She wasn't yet an adult then, so there was no need for her to stay underground."

Kelimu asked in surprise, "No need to stay underground? What does that mean?"

"That's exactly what it says." Mureg glanced at Klim, feeling the angel seemed a bit dazed. "Only when the Phoenix reaches adulthood will the power of the curse surge to a level that even the dragons cannot accept. At that time, she becomes a disaster. Only in the deepest part of the earth can the curse be contained. Therefore, the Phoenix can only move outside the earth when it is young."

"So that's how it is." Kelim nodded, indicating that he understood.

Stank was more concerned about the incubus issue: "So what's the deal with saying she's an incubus?"

Murreg smiled and said, "She just spread the word. She knew that once she returned underground, she would never see any creatures other than herself again. When each young phoenix reached adulthood, the previous one would die. So she could only live alone deep underground. But because she longed for the outside world too much and could not leave, she spread this news."

“…Just say you’re a nightmare.”

"Yes." Mureg said calmly, "She said she is the best nightmare demon in the world, and no other nightmare demon can compare to her... If you don't believe me, you can come to the underground to find her to verify it."

Several people exchanged glances and saw surprise in each other's eyes.

So this is how the legend came about.

My goodness, what's that? I said I'm number one in the world. If you don't believe me, come find me. The price is not big, just a life.

Who can refute her then?

"This rumor originally only circulated within the volcano, but I never thought it would spread to the outside world after all these years," Murege said. "If she knew, she'd probably be very happy... After all, it would mean countless people would once again be immersed in the pain of wanting her but not being able to see her. Yes, that was her intention from the beginning."

"Oh, that's really bad."

"Indeed." Murreg sighed softly, thinking back to when he was younger, he too had aspirations to find her underground. Unfortunately, until now, he hadn't been able to fulfill this wish. The long years had made him almost forget what she looked like. If it weren't for these psychopaths before him, he wouldn't have even remembered having such a dream. "They are truly terrible people."

"Snapped"!

Stank clapped his fist and said enthusiastically, "Such a wicked person needs to be taught a lesson by us."

Murreg was slightly stunned: "Huh?"

Before he could ask, he saw Jer slapping his fist with a confident smile on his face, "Yeah, you can't let anyone look down on you."

"Indeed." Gan Qiu followed up with a slap on his fist. "Even though I won't go, I believe you can do it."

Everyone used the same action to motivate themselves, but there was still a sound missing, so they turned to look at Aesop.

Aesop raised his only hand: "Sorry, I can't spare the time for the moment."

"Can't you spare the time or the effort, you bastard?"

"Stop touching me! Can you please make up your mind with us?"

Aesop pondered for a moment, shook his head, and said, "No, my determination is being suppressed by her human heart."

Murreg: "..."

Filiana: “…”

What kind of psychopaths are these? I really can’t stand it.

Murreg felt a long-lost headache. He forced himself not to follow the group's train of thought and tried to maintain the dignity of a dragon leader. "Even after I said this, do you still want to die?"

"What do you mean by 'sending oneself to death'? We don't understand."

"Oh, then I'll explain it more clearly," Murreg said calmly. "Being able to walk from the outer ring waterway all the way to the inner ring shows that you do have a certain degree of fire resistance and have solved the curse problem... Well, smearing the male fire dragon's blood on your body is indeed a good idea. But I must tell you that the waterway from the inner ring to the underground is completely different from the two you walked through before. You have no chance of passing it at all. Remember, even a true dragon king can only make it halfway. And don't even think about using your blood to resist. The moment you enter the underground, you will die."

"Is that so?" Stank pondered for a moment, then turned to look at Aesop, "Think of a solution quickly, Aesop."

Aesop nodded: "Leave it to me."

Then he closed his eyes and began to meditate.

Murreg saw that Aesop was the backbone of this group of people. Perhaps they could only walk from the outer ring to the inner ring because of him. However, Murreg still said, "Give up. You will never find a way to resist the power of the curse."

"Don't underestimate Aesop," Stank sneered, "and don't underestimate us either."

"Yes." Jer smiled. "You are an immortal. You should know that nothing is impossible in this world."

Murreg narrowed his eyes.

He could feel the confidence emanating from these guys, which inevitably made him feel moved.

Do they really have a solution?

Then, Aesop slowly opened his eyes.

"How is it?! Is there a solution?"

Stank and Jer immediately looked at him, and even Murreg's heart, which had been sealed for a long time, gradually began to relax.

"There should be, but I can't think of it now." Aesop shook his head.

"Why?!"

"Because right now... my mind is full of Naizi." Aesop sighed, "As soon as I close my eyes, I can't think at all."

Stank, Jer, and Murreg: "..."

"Let me go!"

What are you pursuing?

In order to prevent himself from becoming insane by talking too much with these psychopaths, Murreg decided to turn a blind eye and let Philiana lead the four people to the last section of the waterway of the underground spring.

"I think you should take a good look." When they reached the fountain, Filiana finally lost her patience and said to Aesop, who was still unwilling to let go, "If your goal is really the Phoenix, you should think carefully about it. Also, you've been holding on for long enough, it's time to let go."

Aesop was no scoundrel. Seeing Filiana say this, he simply withdrew his hand, lowered his head to look, and then scratched the air a few times with his five fingers. Then he sighed softly, put his hands behind his back and looked at the sky, and said slowly: "I understand now."

Even though he knew there would be a trap if he asked, Stank couldn't help but ask, "What do you understand?"

"Why do men always say to women, 'I don't want to let go'? Is this what they mean?" Aesop seemed to have grown up in an instant, and even his voice carried a sense of vicissitudes.

"...I don't know what that means, but I feel it's not the same as what you understand." Stank couldn't help but complain, "That's enough."

But Lim also sighed and said, "I think if those poets heard your understanding of love, they would definitely come after you at all costs."

"Actually, there's no problem." Gan Qiu sided with Aesop, a rare example of someone standing by his side. "I think Aesop's understanding is quite sincere."

"The problem is that it's too sincere. It's too sincere. There's nothing else but sincerity." Jer also said so.

The four psychopaths standing before the final underground spring, still chatting away, made Filiana's temples ache. Had she known this would happen, she would have let Amantha lead the way. Unfortunately, Amantha had returned to Central to continue running her shop. Before leaving, she gave Filiana a meaningful, amused look. She hadn't understood what it meant then, but now she did.

Fortunately, the foursome did not discuss this topic forever, but quickly returned to the underground spring.

"This thing does look a little scary." Stank stroked his stubbled chin and looked at the underground spring in front of him. "Hey, it's bubbling."

"It's not just bubbling, the water is red, bubbling red." Gan Qiu also stuck his head out to take a look, but was then forced back by the scorching heat. "This is too hot! I feel like I'll be steamed if I go in."

Jer's focus was on the cursed aura: "This section of spring water always gives me a very desolate and desolate feeling. It's probably the cursed aura. The old dragon just now was right. The last section of spring water is completely different from the previous two sections. No wonder they are not together... If that's the case, our previous protective measures will indeed be ineffective."

"But didn't I hear about a salamander who went all the way down and saw a phoenix?" Stank said. "If he would die if he went down, how did he see it?"

Having said that, several people looked at Filiana at the same time, as if to verify the authenticity of this matter.

Filiana didn't want to bother with these people at first, but since it was Murreg's order after all, she nodded and said, "That's true, but it happened a long time ago."

"Then how did he do it?" Stank demanded. "Didn't the old dragon just say that even he couldn't get to the bottom of this pool? Is that salamander more powerful than the old dragon?"

"Of course not." Filiana shook her head and said, "A quasi-Dragon King-like being could definitely go underground if it wanted to, but... it just can't come back."

"But that Fire Girl Lizard not only went underground, but also came back?"

"No, not only did he not reach the underground, he didn't even come back," Filiana corrected. "Later, we verified that he only made it halfway and couldn't go any further. He also couldn't make it back. He ran out of strength when he was still a quarter of the way to the exit. In the end, it was Lord Murreg who brought him back, but he couldn't hold on after that and died after leaving behind only a few words."

"Is that so?" Stank nodded. "So, what he said about seeing the Phoenix was fake?"

"I don't know. No one can verify it." Filiana said calmly, "But it should be fake. We are only halfway there and still a long way to go underground."

After hearing what Filiana said, everyone felt a little uncomfortable.

After all, he is an old veteran, and an old veteran who is full of courage and perseverance. In the end, he risked his life and couldn't get a good result?

That may not be the case...

"No, he must have seen it." Aesop suddenly said.

Everyone focused their attention on him.

"What did you say?" Filiana didn't hear clearly.

So Aesop repeated: "He must have seen it."

Filiana frowned slightly: "Why do you say that?"

"Because those who chase the stars disdain to tell lies."

"...What?" Filiana didn't quite understand. "What stars?"

"My teacher once told me that those who are willing to spend their lives chasing something as great and ethereal as the stars will not regret a lifelong effort that has yielded no results," Aesop said. "At most, they will only feel regret. If given another chance, they will definitely do the same thing again. They are attracted to the stars, embark on a path of pursuit, and then lose their lives. But even if they lose their lives, they will not lie to themselves and say that they have touched the stars, because that would be the greatest insult to their life's efforts."

Aesop's words directly made the topic more profound.

"But there are no stars here." Filiana said coldly.

"The pursuit of immortality is the same," Aesop said. "He sacrificed his life in pursuit of immortality. He would never tell such a lie before dying. He must have seen it with his own eyes."

"Do you have any evidence?"

"What he did is proof of that."

"What do you mean?"