In the valley, everything immediately felt different. When they had been crossing the desert, the weather was hot and difficult to bear; it had been well over a hundred degrees. But inside the valley, it was like spring all year round. Strange flowers and rare plants were blooming everywhere, and the center of the valley was covered in snow.
A huge pool of clear spring water had wisps of green smoke rising from its surface, and growing beside it, a small tree stood at just over three feet tall.
"The divine spring of life!" Louis exclaimed when he saw the familiar body of water. He couldn't take his eyes off it, and he had already forgotten about the tricolor flower. He ran over to the pond's edge and kneeled beside it, shoveling handfuls of water into his mouth.
"Alex, this is the legendary divine spring of life!" He was so happy that he almost seemed crazy.
"Uh huh," Alex answered, but his eyes didn't leave the small tree beside the water. Or, more precisely, it was the three-colored flowers beside the small tree that he was staring at.
"The tricolor flower," he whispered to himself. "I've finally found it."
He suppressed his shock and walked forward step by step. As he carefully examined it and confirmed that it was really the tricolor flower, he smiled.
Louis walked over to him with a solemn expression on his face and said, "It seems that the spring water can't be brought out of the pond. Once it's removed, it vaporizes."
As he spoke, he showed Alex the spring water in his hands. As expected, it evaporated and turned into green smoke.
"Spirit liquids are like that," Alex said, unsurprised. "They're formed by the convergence of spirit energy. Once they leave the spirit realm and enter the normal world, it's like salt pouring into water; it quickly disappears."
"Then what should we do?" Louis was dumbfounded.
"We can use a jade bottle," Alex replied, shrugging. "That's the only thing that can hold it. Or you can just stay here, drink it, and work on cultivating your powers."
Cultivation was how martial artists strengthened their abilities. It was a mixture of meditation and training that was intended to fully harness their inner power. Through cultivation, someone could increase their power and extend their lifespan, perhaps even becoming immortal.
Louis didn't know where he would find jade bottles, especially in a desert, so he gritted his teeth and decided to stay in the valley to cultivate his power. The spring water that he had already drunk had doubled his inner strength, so he didn't want to leave now.
Alex didn't mind. He quietly sized up the tricolor flower.
"These flowers will need at least seven days to mature, so I'll have to stay here and wait." He rubbed his chin. "By that time, Yvonne should be here too."
The tricolor flower was worth waiting for seven days, and, besides, this place also had great energy that was perfect for cultivation. Alex used his inner power to send rays of energy into the flowers, hoping to help them grow.
To be safe, he set up a security spell at the entrance of the valley. If any enemies dared to attack, he would be alerted straight away.
After doing all of this, he sat under the small tree and entered into a state of cultivation, intending to hone his powers.
Three days passed, and the spiritual energy remained abundant. The valley was a fabulous source of power, and Alex's entire body opened up to it, greedily absorbing the pure energy from all around him.
Louis couldn't absorb the energy directly like Alex did, but he was still able to improve his inner strength, and he also took a sip of the spring water from time to time. He continued to cultivate his powers, and although his efficiency was not as high as Alex's, he could feel his power increasing.
On the sixth day, Alex suddenly heard an explosion. He opened his eyes and looked toward the mouth of the valley, noticing that the warning spell had disappeared. A group of men and women with powerful auras had rushed into the valley, running toward the water.
They cried out with joy when they saw the divine spring of life.
"Heavens, it's enough to create so many immortals," one of them said excitedly.
They all completely ignored Alex, Louis, and the others, and they stared determinedly at the water.
Louis woke up from his daze and walked to Alex's side with a solemn expression.
"Who are they?" he asked.
Alex stared, sensing a huge amount of energy coming from them.
"They seem to be immortals," Louis said, frowning.
Just as he was about to continue speaking, a man rushed over and shouted at them. "What are you doing here? Ordinary people don't belong here. The divine spring belongs to us!"
An immortal named Asher followed behind, walking slowly from the mouth of the valley. Two other men walked beside him, looking around at the strange scene.
"This valley reminds me of a legend," Asher said thoughtfully.
The three men were known as the triune, and each was a powerful immortal. Each of them currently looked relaxed. Asher strolled casually with his hands in his pockets, while the Fool walked with a cane, his gaze sharp and confident. Every step Reagan took was like an elephant stomping.
They were confident that their strength was enough to suppress anyone who got in their way. Even if those people who rushed into the valley first tried to take the spring water, the triune would make sure that the largest portion would be left to the three of them.
"What legend?" Reagan asked, glancing at Asher.
"It is said that in the sixties and seventies, some people found an ancient mystical village around here," Asher began. "After spending time there, they were eventually able to transform into creatures that could run as fast as cheetahs, and their fur was impenetrable. They had immense strength and were fearless of death. They were like the werewolves in the legends."
"Werewolves and vampires are legends from ancient times," the Fool said, gently tapping his cane, his eyes shining with wisdom. "If they ever existed, they have long since disappeared with the great changes in the world."
Despite his name, the Fool possessed some of the most extensive wisdom in the world. He had read countless ancient records and myths, and he was aware of the history of entire ancient civilizations.
"What happened after the village was discovered?" Reagan asked eagerly.
"After humans found the village, they sent in an army to surround it," Asher said. "But everyone in the village was extremely powerful, and they also had a terrifying skill. They could tear apart tanks with their bare hands and take on gunfire and cannonballs without dying. The army suffered heavy losses, and in the end, they were unable to subdue the villagers."
Reagan and the Fool looked at each other with expressions of doubt. The human army would have been enormous, and there would have been hundreds of tanks, so that showed just how powerful that village must have been.
"The people of the village must have been exceptionally powerful," said the Fool thoughtfully. "Otherwise, it would have been impossible for them to overthrow the human army."
"What happened in the end?" Reagan just wanted to know the result.
Asher snorted. "The troops that were left alive were angry at being humiliated, and they bombed the village from above, wiping out the tribe and the entire village."
The other men grew solemn, and an eerie silence fell over them.