After delving into the lake, Huang Yi had essentially entered an ocean of milky essence, surrounded by haze in all directions, unable to discern the way. Without the Ferryman, he would have undoubtedly become lost, unable to find an exit.
Fortunately, the milky essence all around was very comforting, able to wash away fatigue and impurities. Huang Yi couldn’t help but take several deep breaths, and that pure essence immediately permeated his heart, moisturizing every corner of his body.
"Do you find this milky essence very comfortable?" At this moment, the elderly Ferryman turned to look at Huang Yi, his gaze carrying the weight of ages.
"Yes!" Huang Yi nodded, "This milky essence is very refreshing, and it seems to have a divine taste that makes one feel joyous."
"That is only the surface!" The old man shook his head, gazing at the white fog that enveloped them and spoke solemnly, "Deep within this lake rests an incredibly evil entity. If the aura of this malevolent being were to spread, this beautiful lake would become a purgatory on earth, and all living beings here would turn into lost souls. The beautiful lake you see is like a garden built over hell; no matter how beautiful, it is just a veneer over something evil."
Huang Yi couldn’t help but lean out to look at the depths of the lake. The water here was clear, and looking down into the darker depths felt like peering into a black hole, hiding who knows what, inciting fear in one’s heart.
"Then where does this milky essence come from?" Huang Yi took a deep breath and asked.
"It also emerges from the bottom of the lake. There is a pure Holy Aura at the bottom of the lake, which seals that evil entity." The old man answered patiently, "That Holy Aura has been here since Ancient Times, stolen from the Divine Realm by the ancestors of the White Dragon. From then on, this Holy Aura has been sealing that evil entity here."
Holy Aura! This was precisely what Huang Yi was seeking for Little White Cat; he hadn’t expected to find a clue so quickly.
However, Huang Yi quickly realized a serious problem: this Holy Aura was being used to suppress the evil entity. If it were absorbed by Little White Cat, there would be nothing left to contain the evil, which was clearly a contradiction!
"Has anyone ever come to collect this Holy Aura?" Huang Yi asked thoughtfully.
"Of course! Countless individuals have attempted!" the old man’s time-worn gaze drifted into the distance, as if lost in memories, "Among those who tried to collect the Holy Aura, the most renowned was the last God Sealer from the continent—Bloodhoof the Ascendant. When he was still a Holy Domain Warrior, he was forcibly made a servant by the Fire God. To cleanse himself of this disgrace, he came here to collect this Holy Aura and give it to the greatest Mage, Magic Refiner Silver Water, to help him create a drop of Pact of Water to cleanse his Master-Servant Contract. However, he did not succeed and had to seek the Holy Aura elsewhere."
"If he was so powerful, why did he fail?" Huang Yi frowned, at the time Bloodhoof might not have reached Divine Enthronement, but he had the strength of a Holy Domain Warrior, which indicates a Level of at least 100, far surpassing a Level 19 newbie like himself. If even Bloodhoof couldn’t collect the Holy Aura, then it would be even more impossible for him.
"Bloodhoof was strong, but there was someone stronger here. This place is Bai Long Lake, the home of the Bai Long Clan for generations. Although they love peace and keep away from worldly affairs, that does not mean they are weak. On the contrary, they are very strong. Back then, when Bloodhoof tried to forcefully take the Holy Aura, he was immediately defeated by the White Dragon King of that generation with a single move." When the old man mentioned the words "White Dragon King," his tone revealed a fervor. Even at his advanced age, he could not contain his excitement, which showed just how terrifyingly powerful the White Dragon King must be.
"Bai Long Lake, Bai Long Clan, White Dragon King..." Huang Yi mulled over the information carefully. If what the old man said was true and Bai Long Lake was indeed the home of the Bai Long Clan, then to help Little White Cat collect that Holy Aura, he would have to deal with the new generation’s White Dragon King, which was inevitable.
But as a mere Level 19 newbie, defeating the White Dragon King was absolutely impossible. The only way would be to release some criminals from Heroes’ Prison and have them defeat the White Dragon King.
However, Huang Yi disliked this approach.
Firstly, he was not someone who disregarded right and wrong; the White Dragon King had done him no harm, and he did not wish to provoke such a formidable enemy.
Secondly, Bloodhoof had already surpassed Level 100 and became a Holy Domain Warrior at the time, but the White Dragon King of that generation had defeated him with one move, clearly indicating that the White Dragon King’s strength far exceeded his. Although the strength of the current generation’s White Dragon King was unclear, it was likely not much weaker.
And the Heroes’ Prison Keys that Huang Yi currently possessed were only for the lowest-grade cells, with the imprisoned heroes being the weakest batch, barely over Level 100. Even if released, they probably could not contend with the White Dragon King.
Furthermore, releasing these criminals was a risk in itself. If they died, it would be fine, but if they did not and remained in this world, bringing disaster upon the Mortal World and torments upon living beings, it would be a grave dereliction of duty for him as the Prison Warden! The powerful being from Otherworld who had given him the Book of Heroes would likely come back immediately to reclaim the book, and Huang Yi would completely lose the support of Heroes’ Prison. The reason he only released the Demon Monkey’s avatar the previous night in Wind Forest Stronghold was exactly because he feared that its true form would cause havoc upon the world, and releasing an avatar with only 1% of the true form’s strength was much easier to handle.
Heroes’ Prison wasn’t an unlimited resource; otherwise, Huang Yi would have already dominated the world. He could only choose the right moments to utilize this support, a long-term process that required step-by-step strategy.
After some thought, Huang Yi concluded that the best approach would be to try and meet the White Dragon King in person and seek the Holy Aura through peaceful means.
"Could you take me to meet this generation’s White Dragon King?" Huang Yi immediately asked the Ferryman:
"We are already on the way." The old man answered without looking back, "The island in the center of Bai Long Lake is where the White Dragon King resides."
Huang Yi raised his head and looked ahead over the lake, but all he could see was the endless white mist, unable to spot the island.
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Thank you, Yun Sihai, Little Riddler, Dong Huang, Si Sic, the most impressive Bookworm, and Dragon Dominates The Worldcai for your generous rewards!