I can return to the age of mysterious
Chapter 820 - 820 427 Head to the Source of the Holy Spring (4000)_2

Chapter 820: 427 Head to the Source of the Holy Spring (4000)_2 Chapter 820: 427 Head to the Source of the Holy Spring (4000)_2 The Giant Statue Case remained silent. Although he was known to be able to contend with Dilixiati for a short while and was appreciated by the Chief Inspector of the Black Mechanism, Case was keenly aware of the gap between himself and Dilixiati. He could only manage a brief confrontation with Dilixiati by leveraging the burst of power from the third stage’s golden giant elephant. Once the burst period passed, his strength would rapidly decline to its original state. After all, if Case truly could match and defeat Dilixiati, he wouldn’t be number one in Dark Hunt but would have long since become a Holy Light Hunter.

And yet, Bai Kui somehow managed to make Dilixiati feel an imminent danger, however faint and brief it might be. His concealed strength must be far from simple, and if Case were to forcefully confront him, he probably wouldn’t gain any advantage.

It would indeed be just as Dilixiati had said; the defeat would be too unsightly…

After a long silence, Case spoke up and broke the tranquility, “If Bai Kui is so strong, why did he join our Dark Hunt Organization? And why has he been playing dumb and hiding his true self for three years, always acting like a bronze-tier hunter…”

Case then added another line, “Does he have some sort of agenda?”

“It’s hard to say,” Dilixiati spoke, pausing briefly, “I think he came with sincerity, at least willing to follow our rules. Despite his evident strength, he still acts in accordance with the procedures and rules of a Shadow Hunter’s position. Moreover, he revealed his hidden strength the moment he became a Shadow Hunter. Could this be considered an overture? Openly displaying his muscles to dispel any worse suspicions I might have. Logically speaking, all of Bai Kui’s actions suggest that it’s unlikely for him to be our enemy…”

“Moreover, Bai Kui comes from the Secret Martial Arts World. He has little to do with the Transcendental Realm that we are involved in controlling, so there shouldn’t be any conflict of interest. At least, he has a strong dislike for dark creatures, something we can be sure of. Having such a top-tier combatant who can deal with dark creatures, we have no reason not to make use of him. Additionally, it presents an opportunity to observe and study those mysterious Secret Martial Artists. Especially a top-tier one like him, whom our organization has never had the chance to come into contact with before…”

Dilixiati stated each point. In fact, he and the Chief Inspector had already taken note of the meteoric rise of this dark horse, Casio. They had been quietly observing, allowing Casio to act freely without interference.

The Chief Inspector meant that, should Casio demonstrate sufficient strength and value, they could have a good talk and discussion.

Such as shared interests, common enemies.

In recent years, the Chief Inspector had a vague feeling that something was amiss, as if invisible currents were surging in the shadows of Florence. Just waiting for a chance to burst forth…

He had come to this realization while dealing with a multitude of tasks for the Dark Hunt Organization, through hints and clues from various incidents. It was a premonition, without any particularly specific or targeted enemy yet. But the Chief Inspector felt it was mostly related to the conflict between the Dark Hunt Organization, the Royal Parliament, and some mysterious external forces. He already had several suspects in mind but needed to investigate further and gain a deeper understanding.

The Chief Inspector allowed Casio to develop for some of these reasons. Overall, the Dark Hunt Organization was not opposed to Casio’s joining.

After chatting with Case for a while, Dilixiati didn’t linger on the way. They quickly left the canyon and returned to the headquarters of the Florence Organization.

There was a small accident, as the Chief Inspector had some urgent business and had to go out. It might be tomorrow or the day after when he could return to the headquarters.

He left a message for his confidant to let Dilixiati carry on with the normal procedures. So, Dilixiati simply moved up what he had planned for tomorrow morning to today, which was to take Casio directly to the Holy Spring Source.

The two of them briefly rested in the Hunters Association Hall and eventually came to a secretive room. There, under a certain floor tile, they found an underground tunnel.

Dilixiati led Casio into the tunnel, walking into darkness.

At this moment, the news of Casio becoming a Shadow Hunter had already spread throughout the Hunters Association. Numerous hunters, with time on their hands during the lull between tasks, flocked to the bar for a beer, starting to shoot the breeze with their companions. Some hunters who had previously predicted the outcome of the Shadow Hunter seat competition made good on their boasts, either by downing three large kegs of beer, becoming completely drunk, or, in a public display, shaving their heads bald with a sharp weapon.

Others, less bashful about their outlandish claims, stripped off their clothes, eyes closed, and ran ten laps around the bar naked, yelling “I’m a pig” all the while. A myriad of bizarre events unfolded today.

Some envied, some were skeptical, some were jealous, some saddened…

Meanwhile, Casio and Dilixiati had already left the Dark Hunt Organization Headquarters in District Seven and had even left the city of Florence far behind. They turned this way and that in the tunnels; it seemed like they surfaced several times only to enter another tunnel. It took hours of walking through this maze-like network before they finally stopped.

All the while, Casio kept his eyes closed, following Dilixiati.

The sound of footsteps was continuous in his ears until, abruptly, they ceased. He understood that they had finally arrived at the Dark Hunt Organization’s source of the Holy Spring.

Upon opening his eyes, he was met with darkness ahead, with only a faint light filtering through. Casio glanced around, sensing he was inside a mountain cave. He looked at Dilixiati who was beside him; Dilixiati nodded, indicating that it was time for Casio to walk out of the cave with him.

A few dozen steps outside, the light grew brighter, and the sound of water could be faintly heard, tinkling melodiously like the strings of a piano.

Further forward, the rich, slightly sweet smell of water rushed to meet them.

Stepping out, the view suddenly opened up. They were in a sunken circular valley, resembling the mouth of a dead volcano. Steep cliffs surrounded them, covered with climbing vines and plants. The forest underbrush was dense, the ground covered with tree roots twisting like snakes and a layer of sleek, vivid green moss. Beside the cave, a ring of open space was bordered by a series of square stones, stacked like stairs. In the middle, a V-shaped crevice from which golden liquid cascaded down. It rolled and fell like liquid metal.

Finally, it splashed and plopped onto the surface of the pale golden pond, sending ripples outward. The droplets shattered like glass beads breaking.

Even from a distance, Casio could feel the surging vitality.

By the edge of the pond stood a half-human-high stone, twined around by an old tree. Perhaps from years of saturation by the Holy Spring, the stone had taken on a transparent gold color that sparkled brilliantly in the sunlight. The old tree, too, was extraordinary; its trunk resembled glazed porcelain, its leaves a golden hue, rustling in the breeze. However, nestled within the crevices of the tree trunk, there were patches of bone-eating black, exuding a sense of chilling evil. It was like the hidden dangers beneath a facade of prosperity…

“The pond isn’t deep, less than a meter. You can soak in it fully clothed, and I will wait for you here. Call me when you’re done…”

As Dilixiati spoke, he moved towards the stone and then sat down cross-legged. Thunderous energy resonated faintly within him, evidently cultivating his powers.

Casio surveyed the scene and then turned his attention back to the golden pond. He walked slowly, stepping down one step at a time. His body submerged until only his head remained above the water. The moment his skin came into contact with the Holy Spring water, it absorbed eagerly like a parched sponge. In an instant, warm energy flooded into his body from all directions.

The Holy Spring water, countless droplets, rushed toward him, eager to be absorbed. Once again, warm energy flooded into his physique from all around.