Volume 2: The Growing Flame Chapter 103: The Ancient Flame
The golden figure on the scroll is actually not clear.
The whole painting looked a bit sloppy, as if it was drawn , but it was this sloppy painting that showed features such as the red sky, huge blood-red pupils, and golden human figures.
It seemed as if a great terror was approaching.
This kind of horror was very faint, perhaps because the painting could not present one ten-thousandth of its charm. But just this faint, just a trace of horror was like being overlooked by a giant blood-red pupil, and I felt palpitations for no reason.
However, in front of the giant blood-red pupil, there was a golden figure holding a scepter, blocking most of the terror.
"This figure..."
It is also filled with golden light.
Even though it was just a back view, Director Huang still felt for some reason that the golden figure was the Xinhuo mentor! Just like that day, the mentor crossed thousands of miles and appeared above the gates of the strange world.
"Where did this painting come from? Has it been authenticated?"
Director Huang asked.
Deputy Xiao Liu said, "The painting was discovered by the Lin'an City Branch of Baichuan Prefecture. An investigator discovered it by chance in an ancient house while eliminating evil spirits."
"After identification, it was found that this painting was not a strange object, or even a mysterious object, but it was special in some way."
Director Huang asked, "What about the age? Has anyone authenticated the authenticity and exact age of this painting?"
Xiao Liu nodded, "Yes, Director, the specific identity of the author of this painting has not been found. The author's name is not left on the painting, but the age of the painting...preliminary judgment is that it is from a dynasty a thousand years ago."
"I can take it for a more detailed appraisal."
After saying that, Xiao Liu found that Director Huang was even more shocked. He stared at the golden figure in the painting, not understanding why.
Director Huang just waved his hand and he left tactfully.
The painting has not been taken away yet.
Director Huang was still staring at it for a while. "Was it really that mentor who passed away a thousand years ago? This is too exaggerated."
He was no longer sure of his previous guess.
He continued to search for some information and asked someone to contact Director Tang who was far away in a secret place. After waiting for a while, he answered the video call from Director Tang.
"I saw the painting."
"It is indeed magical, as if a painter recorded that earth-shattering scene by chance."
Director Tang had also seen that golden figure in the secret place before.
There is only a faint golden halo, which does not mean anything, but this painting is very likely a record of the war that year.
This means that all their previous inferences will be overturned.
The evil did not appear a few years ago, nor did it break out a few months ago, but... it appeared on Blue Star thousands of years ago, and even a terrible war broke out there.
Just from the traces of indescribable charm and terror that remain in the painting, one can imagine how terrible the battle was back then.
Maybe it will be a catastrophe that is more terrible than the one Blue Planet has experienced so far.
"Did you find anything a thousand years ago?"
"It's too long ago, and the only documents we have are that there were many brutal massacres thousands of years ago... but it's hard to tell whether they were true or not. Moreover, there was famine, war, and death everywhere in that era. We can only be sure that in ancient times, there weren't as many evil spirits as there are now."
"If you spend more time, you may be able to find out more specifics, but don't expect it."
Huang Hongtian said.
There was no evidence for anything, and the only clue was a scribbled painting, but he and Director Tang were inclined to believe that a war did indeed take place between humans and evil spirits, or some sort of terrifying existence, in that era.
This seems unscientific.
But this is a mysterious age, and they are not like those researchers who rely on science in everything they do.
They trust their intuition more than science.
"It's the fire!"
"Thousands of years ago, the force that resisted the evil attack and protected Blue Star was Xinhuo!"
"This mysterious force is indeed very ancient, older than we thought."
Director Huang exclaimed.
Even though I had guessed it long ago, I was still shocked at this moment. Just the part that was exposed above the water was already a huge monster, so what about the part lurking beneath the water?
In addition to the blood-red giant pupil war presented in the scroll, how many other secrets are there that they don’t know?
Huang Hongtian was in awe and respect.
"No wonder Xinhuo has more advanced equipment and medicines than us, because they have been silently guarding and researching in invisible places for a long time."
"This is an ancient force that has been passed down for thousands of years, or even longer."
"And that mysterious mentor..."
However, Director Tang held a different opinion about that mentor.
"Living for a thousand years, that's too much of an exaggeration. I'm more inclined to believe that it's a legacy. The golden figure in the scroll is a mentor of a certain generation back then."
"This possibility is indeed very high." Huang Hongtian nodded.
Director Tang continued, "Besides that, what happened in that era was probably a local event. In the past, it was a small-scale invasion of the evil spirits, but now it is a full-scale outbreak... Didn't Xinhuo say that the evil spirit world is bordering us, and the real disaster is coming."
"That's why Xinhuo started to expand the scale of the organization and emerged from behind the scenes to cooperate with our investigation bureau."
Director Huang nodded.
"There is another reason. Awakeners need to embrace the mystery in order to ascend. However, in the past, evil did not always invade, and mystery did not always exist."
"Without mystery, even the awakened will be wiped out by time."
"Mysterious organizations like Xinhuo may have had their share of hard times, but they have never stopped protecting us, even though they have always remained nameless."
Thinking of this, he admired her even more.
They are heroes, but they have never stood in the light.
But just like the golden figure in the painting, even if the world is dark, he can still light the torch with his own strength and dispel the darkness and haze.
…
Yang Chang didn't know that his boss had new speculations about Xinhuo.
However, as an important figure within the Investigation Bureau and an awakener who is at the top of the training sequence, he knows a lot of secrets.
Xinhuo must be an ancient and mysterious organization.
Of course, there is more than just this training base.
And now they will go to other bases of Xinhuo to awaken!
Although he was not the one who awakened, Yang Chang was also allowed to go, and he couldn't help but feel excited.
They were still led by the base instructor Fan Anyuan.
He looked at the eighty-eight students in front of him, some of whom were former investigators, and some of whom were talents trained by their Xinhuo Base, and said:
"Before we set off, I must emphasize once again that the awakening process is extremely dangerous. If the awakening fails, it is likely to result in serious injury or death."
"The organization does have ways to increase the probability of awakening, but whether or not one can awaken depends on the individual!"
"This awakening is not forced. If you feel that you are not fully prepared, you can still withdraw."
I am mainly saying this to the Xinhuo students.
The exchange trainees from the Investigation Bureau who have passed the assessment are basically level 2 or 1 investigators, and they are already aware of the dangers of awakening. On the contrary, the newcomers who come from ordinary backgrounds and have only undergone a few days or a dozen days of training are likely to be full of enthusiasm.
But naturally, no one quit.
The students are very clear about Xinhuo’s benefits, treatment, changes in the world, etc.
It is not enough just for the sake of ideals.
Simply for the sake of power is not enough.
Welfare benefits alone may not be so firm.
But when multiple conditions come together, and when one is part of such a group, the idea of retreating is long forgotten.
They also want to be the fire-bearers in the dark!
"very good!"
Fan Anyuan smiled and waved his hand, "Get on board now, let's go!"
On the tarmac, the wings of helicopters were spinning slowly as they rose into the air and soon disappeared from the sight of the trainees at the base.
They looked envious.
"When they come back, many of them will be awakened."
"I must pass the next assessment!"
…
From the Shuize Base to the ancient village hundreds of kilometers away from Lin'an City, it is neither near nor far.
For students who are full of anticipation, nervousness and other emotions, the passage of time still seems a bit long.
It seemed like a very long time had passed and the helicopter was still flying in the sky.
At this time, Fan Anyuan said,
"arrive."
“Get off the plane right here.”
The helicopter did not land, but hovered in the air more than ten meters above the ground.
The cabin door opened and looking down saw a lush forest, but a relatively flat area had been cleared below.
A landing rope had been lowered from the hatch. Fan Anyuan or other Xinhuo pointed at the rope and said, "Slide down. Although you have not been trained, it will not be a problem for you to rappel with your physical strength. It doesn't matter if you fall down accidentally. I will be watching you from below. You won't die from the fall."
As soon as he finished speaking, Fan Anyuan jumped off the helicopter.
He tapped his feet lightly in mid-air, and invisible shock waves spread out. His falling momentum immediately slowed down, and he seemed to land lightly.
This is his awakened ability "Shockwave", and he uses it with great skill.
The other first and second awakenings were officially completed and landed one after another.
Next are the students.
I am a little afraid, but I can't be a coward.
The students descended one by one using the ropes like dumplings. Some bumped and fell, but it was no big deal and there were no major accidents.
Just looking at the lush forest in front of them, the students became confused again.
This doesn't look like a base.
So is Yang Chang.
Led by Fan Anyuan, hundreds of people traveled through the dense jungle.
This place is lush with trees and is located in a remote area, but it is surprisingly not disturbed by evil spirits.
The forest is quiet.
The forest ahead was becoming increasingly dense. The branches and roots of the trees blocked the way forward. The mottled sunlight was almost completely blocked, and no trace of pedestrians could be seen.
Just when Yang Chang thought he had to cut down some trees to clear a path, suddenly, the dense branches that were intertwined together separated one by one.
It was like a pair of folded hands slowly pulling apart.
In the blink of an eye,
In the forest in front of them where there was nowhere to stand, a small path appeared that could accommodate several people walking side by side.
Yang Chang stared at a few big trees not far away, his eyes wide open.
This tree,
Is it alive?!
