125: Chapter 125 Am I God's Illegitimate Child?

The lightning dissipated.

The little girl walked out from the smoke and dust of the explosion, her footsteps light, landing without a sound.

Her dress was blown to tatters, the hem mostly scorched, revealing the fair skin beneath.

Her face was covered in charred bloodstains, her hair disheveled; one of her twin tails had come undone, while the other hung askew by her ear.

She raised her hand and touched her right ear—only a small stump remained. The severed edge was a bloody mess, and silver-white fluff was scorched and stuck to the wound.

Her fingers paused on the severed ear for a moment, then, expressionless, she grabbed the remnant and pulled hard.

"Rip!"

The severed ear was torn off at the root, bringing with it a small piece of flesh and a few drops of black blood.

She didn't frown, nor did she even blink.

She merely clutched the bloody remnant in her palm, lowered her head to look at it, and a trace of heartache flashed in her eyes.

She put it into her pocket, her movements very light, as if stowing away something precious.

"It seems I need to find another ear."

Her voice was very calm, so calm that it made one's spine chill.

The Gray-robed Men ran over from the distance, and upon seeing the wreckage everywhere and the little girl missing an ear, they all knelt on the ground in unison.

"Lord Rabbit, what happened?"

The little girl didn't answer. She looked down at the pool of blood on the ground and was silent for a moment.

"Let's go."

She turned and walked toward the valley entrance.

"The matter in the Secret Realm ends here. Go back and tell Ancestor Xu that the mission is complete."

One Grey-robed men raised his head and asked cautiously, "Lord, your injury?"

The little girl turned her head sharply and slashed out with her claws, a flash of silver light streaking across.

The head of the Grey-robed men who had just spoken fell to the ground in response.

"Noisy..."

The other Gray-robed Men all shrank their necks.

No one dared to speak again.

They all knew very well that Lord Rabbit was most terrifying when she lost her smile.

Everyone hurriedly lowered their heads and followed behind Rabbit.

Rabbit walked to the valley entrance, stopped, and looked back.

She was looking in the direction where the Mirage Realm had vanished—there was nothing there now, only the gray-white sky and the cracked ground.

Her scarlet vertical pupils constricted into thin lines. She looked for a long time, then withdrew her gaze, turned, and disappeared at the valley entrance.

...

Inside the Mirage Realm.

The moment Lin Fan landed, the deep, bone-visible bloodstain on his chest made him grunt, and he knelt on one knee.

Ye Qing followed closely behind. When she landed, her legs went weak, and she was caught by Ye Wushuang.

Ye Wushuang himself wasn't much better off; the blood at the corner of his mouth hadn't yet dried.

The three of them slumped on the ground, gasping for breath.

Ye Qing looked back toward the entrance of the Mirage Realm—the dark blue rift had completely closed, leaving only void.

She heaved a sigh of relief, the Rift Jellyfish tentacles on her right leg retracted, and her Armorization dissipated.

"Heal your injuries first," Lin Fan said.

Ye Qing nodded, and the Forest Whisper Velvet Deer headband on her forehead lit up. Emerald green light enveloped Lin Fan and Ye Wushuang as she alternated between using Breath of Life and Light of Dust Purification.

The bloodstain on Lin Fan's chest began to heal slowly; the charred flesh fell off, revealing newborn skin.

The bruise on Ye Wushuang's left arm also gradually faded, and his arm regained its ability to move.

Ye Qing's own injuries were the lightest, but her spiritual power consumption was excessive, and her face was pale.

After she finished treating the two of them, she drank a bottle of spiritual power recovery potion herself and leaned against a rock, closing her eyes to regulate her breathing.

About the time it takes to burn an incense stick later, Lin Fan opened his eyes. Only a faint scar remained on his chest.

He moved his arm; the pain had mostly subsided.

Ye Wushuang also opened his eyes. He clenched and unclenched his left fist a few times, and it was fine.

"That little girl just now..."

Ye Qing spoke, her voice still a bit weak, "Who exactly is she?"

Lin Fan was silent for a moment.

"Xutai Society. I reckon she is one of the twelve zodiacs... Rabbit."

Ye Qing's face turned pale instantly.

The twelve zodiacs of the Xutai Society, even the weakest ones are Armor Sovereigns... They had truly been walking on the edge of life and death just now.

Lin Fan looked at the two of them, who were still shaken, and smiled bitterly.

"Don't think about it so much."

He looked at the surrounding environment; dark blue fluorescence flickered slightly in the darkness, quiet to the point of being unreal.

"Let's first see what kind of place this is."

The three of them stood up and surveyed this strange space.

The Mirage Realm was not large, about a kilometer in radius. Apart from a huge pool of water and those fluorescent plants, there were no other living things.

There was a faint sweet fragrance in the air. Unlike the sweetness in Hemiao Valley before, the scent here was fresher, like vegetation after rain.

Lin Fan walked to the edge of the pool and looked down.

The pool water was crystal clear. One could see the bottom paved with fine white gravel, and a few fist-sized crystals scattered among the gravel, emitting weak spiritual power fluctuations.

He shifted his gaze from the bottom of the pool to the plant in the center of the pool.

It had a half-person-high stalk, elliptical leaves, and leaf veins that shimmered with silver light.

Hanging on the branch was a crimson fruit, the size of a fist, with fine golden patterns on the surface, resembling an exquisite net.

At the top of the fruit was a small cluster of silver-white fluff, swaying gently in the dark blue fluorescence.

Lin Fan's left eye heated up slightly, and information appeared in his field of vision.

[Item]: extreme spirit fruit

[Effect]: Has a chance to help an Armor Master open a new armor aperture. The success rate is related to the user's Physique. It is most effective for those with fewer than four armor apertures. Only one is effective per person.

[Status]: Mature stage. Must be consumed within three days after picking, otherwise the spiritual power will drain.

[Evaluation]: A relatively rare armor aperture opening type spirit fruit. Although its grade is not high, it has miraculous effects on Armor Masters with a low number of armor apertures.

Lin Fan stared at the text, stunned for several seconds. An extreme spirit fruit?

Wasn't this the excuse he had made up on the spot last time...

How did it actually grow here?

The corner of his mouth twitched; he didn't know whether to laugh or sigh.

Ye Wushuang walked over and looked toward the center of the pool, following his gaze.

"What is that?"

Lin Fan took a deep breath. "An extreme spirit fruit."

Ye Qing observed it carefully and exclaimed in surprise.

"It really is an extreme spirit fruit?! The kind you ate last time in the Misty Secret Realm Mirage Realm?!"

Lin Fan nodded.

He couldn't explain; he couldn't exactly say that he had made it up last time.

Since it actually grew here, he might as well pretend he really had eaten it before.

"Yes. The kind that can open armor apertures."

Ye Qing's eyes lit up.

"Your luck is just too good, right? Encountering a Mirage Realm twice in a row, and finding an extreme spirit fruit twice?"

Lin Fan coughed lightly and scratched his head.

"Uh... maybe I'm Heaven's illegitimate child..."