Chapter 117 The Core Area, The Reason for the Foot Pain

Chapter 117: The Core Area's Affliction

"Let thunder shatter the darkness!!!"

"KABOOOM..."

Lightning blotted out the sky, surging in all directions. To better attack the pilgrims, Yu Xing deliberately flew up a tree, crouching on a branch to wield her magic staff from above.

The air gradually filled with the acrid stench of charred flesh. Covering her nose lightly with one hand, Yu Xing waited for the smoke to clear—only to be shocked that not a single pilgrim had died.

The pilgrims below had been charred black by the lightning, lying on the ground in numerous black husks, still twitching grotesquely.

Some even continued to make sounds.

"I want to go home..."

Yu Xing frowned. Pilgrims were truly tenacious—even reduced to this ghastly state, they were still alive.

With no other choice, Yu Xing once again took out the Divine Fire Gourd.

The Vermilion Bird Divine Fire was highly effective, but it could only be used once. She had already used it three times, leaving seven more uses.

"Hmm," Yu Xing nodded, "seven uses should be plenty." They had already reached the core area and would likely leave City 25 soon. Back in City 7, the pollutants weren't as bad as beyond the walls—her magic staff would suffice, and she probably wouldn't need the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire much anymore.

Thinking this, Yu Xing hesitated no longer. She opened the lid of the Divine Fire Gourd and watched as crimson flames laced with pale gold flowed out like molten lava.

This time, not only the pilgrims but even the ground began to burn and melt away.

Yu Xing perched in the tree, waiting. Soon, she saw purple orbs floating in the air.

Every pilgrim was actually a Pollution Source!

Yu Xing scrutinized carefully—did this mean she had just gained over a dozen Pollution Sources all at once?

Suddenly, she remembered something and hurriedly opened the Transmigrator Trade Forum, checking the backend.

The skill section had updated.

"Broomstick Star Level Description:

Level 3 Broomstick Star: Can attack any living being within line-of-sight. (Upgrade condition: Consume the hearts of ten beings of equal or higher level.)

Level 4 Broomstick Star: Can perceive others' fortunes and slightly alter them. (Upgrade condition: [LOCKED].)

Level 5 Broomstick Star: [LOCKED]..."

She leveled up! She finally leveled up!

Yu Xing was thrilled at first, but then she saw the upgrade condition for Level 3 Broomstick Star.

Consume the hearts of beings of equal or higher level...

Her mind instantly conjured an image of herself crouched on the ground, drenched in blood, surrounded by several corpses—each with their hearts ripped out—while she grinned maniacally, smacking her lips and murmuring, "So delicious, so delicious..."

Yu Xing shook her head vigorously. If this continued, she wouldn’t just be mentally unstable—she’d be a full-blown psychopath.

Opening her eyes, she looked down. The Vermilion Bird Divine Fire was still burning below, with over a dozen purple orbs floating above it. Yet Yu Xing didn’t immediately collect them—she felt her eyes changing.

She seemed to sense countless pairs of eyes hiding behind the dense foliage...

She didn’t actually see them, but she could feel them—those eyes, lurking in the shadows, watching her. Her pupils twisted unnaturally, and an inexplicable craving surged within her—a desire to meet those gazes.

It was... an indescribable feeling. When Yu Xing snapped back to reality, she was drenched in cold sweat.

Panicked, she averted her gaze, gulping air desperately. Why had she felt something so bizarre?

If she couldn’t understand it, she wouldn’t dwell on it. Leveling up her skill was a good thing, after all.

Yu Xing mounted her broomstick and flew down from the branch, collecting the floating Pollution Sources one by one. As she flew toward the core area, she used the Celestial Serpent Feathered Robe to manifest a pair of glasses. Leveling up was great, but her lethality had increased—anyone who met her gaze would now be attacked by the Broomstick Star Skill. Yu Xing didn’t dare imagine what would happen if her allies accidentally locked eyes with her. Wearing glasses was the safest option.

Meanwhile, at the core of City 25’s pollution—the roots of the giant tree.

Even though Di Shensi and the others had long known this tree was monstrous, seeing its trunk up close for the first time left them utterly stunned.

The trunk was so massive that walking around it at a normal pace took over twenty minutes.

From this angle, its height was even more staggering.

The rough, pale-green bark made it hard to believe this tree had grown in under a decade.

Yet at the same time, they all felt an intense discomfort—especially Miao Yuanjin.

The moment she approached the trunk, Miao Yuanjin found herself struggling to breathe. "The pollution here... is overwhelming."

Di Shensi looked up at the tree, a stabbing pain in his mind—a sign of rapid pollution exposure.

"When City 25 fell, this tree appeared suddenly, and pollutants began pouring forth like cockroaches scuttling from shadows," Di Shensi said, taking a deep breath. "Some speculate this tree is a super-pollutant, capable of tainting everything around it."

With pollution this severe, they couldn’t linger for long.

Di Shensi scanned the area. The trunk stood alone, devoid of moss or grass—let alone the person they were searching for.

He frowned. The signal had come from the core area—how could there be no one here?

Had the person already been polluted, turned into a pilgrim, and lured away by Yu Xing earlier?

"No." Di Shensi shook his head. "Even if the person had left, the signal transmitter should still be here. It couldn’t be completely empty."

"Spread out and search," Di Shensi ordered, circling the trunk.

But the tree was right in front of them—its bare trunk offered no hiding spots. Was the person up in the branches?

Di Shensi looked up. The lowest branch was at least thirty meters high. How could anyone climb that? As far as he knew, the signal’s sender couldn’t fly.

Just as he grew anxious, his communicator suddenly activated.

"Commander, Commander!" Yu Xing’s voice came through. "Are you done over there?"

Hearing her voice, Di Shensi stiffened, his aching mind buzzing—Yu Xing was alive!

Quickly, he realized Bull Warrior or Monkey Man must have saved her. Cutting to the chase, he replied, "We’re still in the core area. No sign of the target—there’s nothing here."

For a moment, Yu Xing was bewildered. How could they not find anyone?

But soon, she had no time to dwell on it—that damned sighing returned.

"Haaah..."

The ancient voice seemed to appear directly in her mind.

Previously, she had only heard it occasionally or during sleep, but the closer she got to the core, the more frequent and clearer the voice became.

"Who are you?" Yu Xing snarled through gritted teeth.

"The pain... it's unbearable..."

Yu Xing, mid-flight, suddenly froze. The closer she got to the core, the more frequent and clearer the voice became—what was in the core?

She raised her head mid-flight and looked ahead. In the core area, a gargantuan eye seemed to be staring at her.

*Thud!*

Her heart hammered violently as she felt an overwhelming pressure.

It was like a soul-crushing pressure. The eyes were formless, yet Yu Xing could sense them. Such power... What lurked in the core?

A realization jolted her. She quickly contacted Di Shensi. "Commander! Inspect the roots of the tree—search carefully..."

Di Shensi lowered his hand, brow furrowed in thought. Yu Xing was telling him to inspect the roots—did she know something?

"Everyone," Di Shensi opened the comms to all channels, "check the roots of the giant tree."

By now, the team was deteriorating, with Miao Yuanjin even suffering from unstoppable nosebleeds. Forced to plug her nostrils to prevent excessive blood loss.

The ground around the giant tree was uneven, jagged and upheaved—clearly shaped by the tree’s sprawling roots.

At Di Shensi’s command, everyone turned their attention to the soil around the tree.

Outwardly, the ground seemed ordinary—just uneven. Some even crouched down, trying to claw through the soil beneath their feet.

Finally, Di Shensi heard someone shout, "Found it! Found it!"

The one who discovered it was the Earth God’s Beloved, a petite young soldier.

After receiving Di Shensi’s reminder, she immediately used her Divine Skill to sense the underground. Before long, she sensed a vast hollow—a large cavity devoid of soil.

Everyone gathered around the Earth God’s Beloved as she pointed excitedly at the ground. "Right here—I can feel it. Back up a little, I’ll dig it open."

Pressing her palms together, the earth beneath her feet suddenly writhed like living flesh. The soil shifted aside on its own, soon revealing a large pit in the center.

Di Shensi peered inside. At the bottom of the pit was a staircase leading to a door.

"Yes!" Da Ya exclaimed, overjoyed. "We finally found it!"

"Let’s go in," the Earth God’s Beloved said, though her skull throbbed with worsening agony. Using her Divine Skill had exposed her to even more contamination.

Di Shensi scanned the perimeter—no sign of Yu Xing.

"Let’s move," he said, jumping into the pit first.

One by one, the others followed. The door at the end of the stairs refused to budge. The cramped space made it hard to maneuver, leaving Di Shensi to struggle with it alone.

After a long effort, someone suggested, "Should we try using a Divine Skill?"

Di Shensi frowned. What did Divine Skills have to do with opening doors? Since when do doors fear lightning?

The next second, his body stiffened—along with everyone else’s. All eyes turned in shock toward Yu Xing, standing at the rear.

"I..." Da Ya’s mind went blank. "Am I seeing things? Xingxing?!"

"It’s me," Yu Xing said from the back. "Why are you staring? Hurry up and open the door."

"Earth God’s grace..." The Earth God’s Beloved looked even more terrified than if she’d seen a ghost. "How did you get back?"

"By walking," Yu Xing replied deadpan. "After leading those contaminants away, I rushed back as fast as I could. See how drenched I am?"

The group’s faces contorted. That wasn’t what they were asking.

*CRASH!*

With a loud noise, Di Shensi announced, "The door’s open!"

Gritting his teeth, he’d strained against the door, knowing Yu Xing couldn’t answer how she’d returned—she’d been saved by that organization. The best he could do was divert everyone’s attention.