Chapter 765: Holy Cactus
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The direction the white rhino traveled was the direction Han Sen himself had been moving all this time.
It wasn't easy, finding a powerful super creature as tame as this. Given that, Han Sen didn't mind riding it for as long as he could. Although the white rhino did not go very fast, it didn't go very slow, either. In fact, it was a little bit faster than the Golden Roarer.
The rhino's body was awash with a holy light. The sun and rain couldn't penetrate its protective shield, and even the terrible sandstorms weren't an issue. Every damaging element acted as if it were avoiding the rhino.
The white rhino walked for another six whole days before stopping, and it was a pillar-like construct that stopped its travel.
Upon closer observation, Han Sen noticed that it was in fact a giant black cactus. It was a few hundred meters tall, massive and adorned with a white flower at its top.
Han Sen stood on top of the rhino's head, and when he saw the cactus, his face looked queer. From the way he saw it, the cactus was shaped like a man's penis. But in this world, nobody's penis could reach a size such as that.
As Han Sen was lost in thought observing the cactus, a bird cawed. A black-flame bird was high above, circling the thorny construct. It was the same bird they had seen quite some time ago.
The black bird seemed to fear the white-rhino, and when it approached the cactus, the bird made a quick escape. With a strange hacking caw, it screeched at the white rhino.
The white rhino merely ignored the bird and instead closed its eyes to rest near the cactus.
Storm clouds began to form high above, which surprised Han Sen.
The clouds were exactly the same as the ones he had seen before. The scary lifeforce that swirled in the atmosphere accompanied it, also. With all three creatures gathering here, it seemed as if all their purposes were connected to the cactus.
The white flower that crowned the cactus had a strangely aromatic fragrance. It was lovely, and it incited a weird reaction inside Han Sen's body. He felt as if he was getting high.
"Is this cactus similar to the peach tree? Is the flower some sort of plant-of-beneficence for the world, like the peach was?" Han Sen was delightfully surprised.
He was ecstatic at his fortune to witness something such as this once again, but felt slight trepidation regarding the union of the three terrifyingly powerful super creatures.
There was every chance that the white rhino would not be willing to hurt them, considering how mellow it had been thus far. But as for the bird and cloud, he wasn't so sure.
But this isn't what worried Han Sen the most. If he had to protect himself, he could use the little angel and perhaps command the fairy.
Yet this was an exotic occurrence, and not something easily encountered. He didn't want to simply leave this place empty-handed. If a few goodies were up for grabs, he was all for taking them. It just concerned him that the currently docile rhino might later consider him an enemy, too.
But it was still early yet, and Han Sen absorbed the flower's smell to practice the Dongxuan Sutra.
The Dongxuan Sutra's first tier had been completed, and the gene lock had been partially unlocked. It wasn't completely unlocked due to Han Sen's fitness being at something of a bottleneck.
Han Sen believed the Dongxuan Sutra couldn't see much more progress before he became a surpasser, but after absorbing the scent of that flower, it did seem to progress to some degree.
This made him happy, and so he decided to remain here practicing for a time.
With the white rhino lying down near the cactus, both the phoenix-like bird and cloud-wreathed creature did not dare come closer. Their reluctance brought some ease to Han Sen's mind, as well.
Zhou Yumei herself was practicing a Qi Gong, and she too was able to feel and reap the benefits provided by the flower's scent.
Meanwhile, the silver fox and Little Orange had been absorbing the energy a long while before the others thought to.
Even the gourd that Han Sen continued to keep with him was absorbing the smell, too; although it tended to absorb Han Sen's energy more than the flower's.
The gourd began to shine gold, and numerous gold lines adorned its skin. Han Sen had carried it around with him for the longest time, it seemed, and the lifeforce inside only continued to grow.
The contents of the gourd had always made him curious. Having encountered a few super creatures that emerged from plants in the past, he made the assumption that there was most likely some sort of creature inside this gourd, as well. Whatever exited the gourd was guaranteed to be a newborn second-generation creature, or so he assumed.
The gourd itself was too hard for Han Sen to break, however. For the time being, he could only wait for the gourd to break open of its own volition.
The few of them were practicing their skills and such, all the while absorbing the pleasant fragrance. They also remained atop the rhino's back. There was no trouble or cause for immediate concern, due to the bird and cloud's reluctance to approach.
With each passing day, the scent of the flower grew stronger. But on the fifth day, that smell finally began to subside and fade. Han Sen could see a wrinkled fruit growing in the bosom of the flower, as an endless vat of lifeforce swirled within.
"It really is something special." The lifeforce inside the fruit greatly interested him. If he could eat it, perhaps he could fully unlock his first tier of the Dongxuan Sutra. If he did so, his powers could reach another level.
But the black-flame bird and cloud-shrouded creature did not keep their distance as much as they once did, and they slowly drew closer. The bird was incredibly restless, and it cawed without reprieve. The drunk clouds went darker, and cast forth intermittent showers of rain.
Only the rhino remained calm, lying next to the cactus. It almost seemed to be completely asleep. The energy inside it was as calm as the still waters of a lake.
"Let's go." Han Sen saw the fruit on the cactus growing bigger and bigger, and now that it was nearly ripe, he bid for Zhou Yumei to leave.
Han Sen wanted the fruit, but he did not think he could grab it while in the company of Zhou Yumei. He wanted to send her away so he could focus on getting the fruit himself.
"The fruit on that cactus looks to be some good stuff. Shouldn't we hang around and have a bite of it?" Zhou Yumei was not dumb, and she could tell the fruit was quite the prize.
"Aren't you afraid of being trampled to death?" Han Sen gave Zhou Yumei a strange look.
"But the white rhino is so nice. And it's cute! I don't think it'll mind us taking it," Zhou Yumei said, but then a look of worry dawned on her face.
"Even if it didn't step on you, the big bird up there will turn you to charcoal," Han Sen said with a smile.
Zhou Yumei suddenly shivered. Seeing Han Sen abandon the white rhino's back, she didn't dare remain and quickly accompanied him. With Little Orange alongside her, she followed with haste.
The giant bird and cloud were still intently focused on the fruit, and they ignored them completely. This was a great boon for Han Sen's departure.