When Li Xuan saw the Mutated Skeleton Ant crawling across the water at a rapid speed, he turned agape.
Luo Xuan hopped across the lotus leaves with great speed, but the Buddha Heart Lotus shot its second round of lotus seed bombardment. He had nowhere to hide.
Furthermore, even if he could dodge the second salvo, his Primordial Energy could hardly support his continuous use of his Primordial Energy Skill with alacrity traits. He would still die if he were to land in the lotus pond.
Suddenly, he heard a voice from the bank. "Luo Xuan, jump on that ant's back!"
Luo Xuan had no idea who was speaking, nor could he process it. He tried his best to avoid a large portion of the blood-colored lotus seeds, but there was one he couldn't dodge completely. All he could do was grit his teeth and block it with his sword.
Although he knew that this action was meaningless—the blood-colored lotus seed would explode once it struck his incomplete sword, reducing him to a pool of blood—he still chose to do so due to his survival instinct.
Before his sword hit the blood-colored lotus seed, Luo Xuan suddenly saw a blood-colored figure flash above him. A huge, ghastly ant had leaped over him, slamming into the lotus seed.
The blood-colored lotus seed exploded on the ant's head, splattering it all over with its contents. However, the ferocious-looking ant seemed unfazed by it. It landed on the water surface as it began moving its six claws rapidly, turning to crawl towards Luo Xuan.
Luo Xuan was alarmed, imagining that the ant was about to attack him. However, upon recalling the voice and how the ant had blocked the seed, he immediately understood what was happening. He exerted strength on the lotus leaf and jumped onto the Mutated Skeleton Ant's back.
The Mutated Skeleton Ant crawled swiftly across the water surface, much faster than Luo Xuan's hopping about. By the time the Buddha Heart Lotus produced its third salvo, the ant had already escaped beyond its reach.
The Mutated Skeleton Ant rushed onto the bank and stopped in front of Zhou Wen.
Luo Xuan jumped off the ant's back. Even if he were dumb, he could tell that the Mutated Skeleton Ant was Zhou Wen's Companion Beast. The one who had shouted was likely Zhou Wen.
"My name is Luo Xuan. I'll definitely repay you for saving my life. May I know your name?" Luo Xuan said.
"I'm Zhou Wen. He's Li Xuan. We are fellow schoolmates. It's nothing, so don't take it to heart," Zhou Wen said casually.
"Zhou Wen. I'll remember you." Luo Xuan sized up Zhou Wen's looks before turning around to leave.
"That fellow is already in such a pathetic state, but he still wears that cocky look. He pisses me off," Li Xuan couldn't stand Luo Xuan.
But moments later, Li Xuan was happy again. He chuckled. "Without the White-Winged Flying Horse, let's see how he can act cool in school in the future."
Zhou Wen ignored him as he sized up the gigantic Buddha Heart Lotus in the middle of the lotus pond. He guessed that it was a Legendary stage dimensional creature.
"Zhou Wen, this skeleton ant is quite impressive. It seems to be the Buddha Heart Lotus's nemesis. Why don't you send it over and try eliminating that Buddha Heart Lotus? If you succeed, you might even get something good," Li Xuan said as he looked at it.
"Forget it. That Buddha Heart Lotus is odd. I only have this Companion Beast. It's best I don't take risks." Zhou Wen planned on returning to grind the Underground Buddha City dungeon. In-game, his Companion Beast could be revived unlike in real life. There was no need for him to take such huge risks here.
"You are good at everything except that you lack the spirit and fervor of a young man. What's there to be afraid of? It's only a Companion Beast. You can get another one in the future. If you can kill that strange Buddha Heart Lotus now, who knows if a special Companion Beast will drop. Wouldn't you make a killing that way?" Li Xuan commented in dejection.
"I don't like betting." Zhou Wen shook his head as he turned around and headed back.
Li Xuan could only helplessly follow Zhou Wen to head back. It wasn't easy for him to get two entry passes, and now they were returning without even killing a single dimensional creature after coming to Underground Buddha City.
"Why don't we visit that bizarre place where everyone dies mysteriously?" Li Xuan suggested as he was unwilling to leave empty-handed.
"You have a Legendary Companion Beast to protect you. I don't. Besides, I don't wish to bet my life." Zhou Wen walked off without even turning back.
"You have zero spirit of adventure." Li Xuan shrugged before leaving Underground Buddha City with Zhou Wen.
Li Xuan grumbled the entire way about how timid Zhou Wen was, but the latter completely ignored him. After returning to Li Xuan's place, he went straight to his room and launched the Underground Buddha City dungeon.
When the blood-colored avatar entered, it looked identical to what Zhou Wen had seen of Underground Buddha City. He then used the map from Li Xuan and used it to find the lotus pond in-game.
Unlike reality, where the Buddha Heart Lotuses near the bank had been sliced clean by students, leaving only Buddha Heart Lotuses deep inside the lotus pond, the game was filled with Buddha Heart Lotuses everywhere across the pond. However, there wasn't a gargantuan Buddha Heart Lotus.
To prevent the blood-colored avatar from dying, Zhou Wen didn't let it enter the lotus pond. He summoned the Mutated Skeleton Ant and got it to rush towards a Buddha Heart Lotus situated near the bank.
The Mutated Skeleton Ant's sharp front claws sliced through the green lotus seeds that shot out as it didn't hesitate to slice through the Buddha Heart Lotus.
"Killed Mortal dimensional creature, Buddha Heart Lotus."
The system's notification appeared, but nothing dropped.
Zhou Wen ordered the Mutated Skeleton Ant to storm into the lotus pond, slicing any Buddha Heart Lotuses he saw. After killing more than thirty Buddha Heart Lotuses, a dimensional crystal finally dropped.
However, Zhou Wen realized that it was a Constitution Crystal with a value of 2. All it could be used for was replenish some of his expended Primordial Energy.
While Zhou Wen was mindlessly killing Buddha Heart Lotuses, the news of the gargantuan Buddha Heart Lotus's appearance had spread across Sunset College.
Many students who hadn't left campus during the school break rushed to the lotus pond when they heard. There was no lack of powerful Legendary stage students.
Everyone wanted to slay the gargantuan Buddha Heart Lotus. When a Legendary stage student released a Legendary Golden-Eyed Condor Companion Beast in a bid to slay the Buddha Heart Lotus from the air; to everyone's surprise, it was struck down. It nearly fell into the pond and almost all its feathers dropped off.
Thankfully, the Golden-Eyed Condor's owner was quick to react and made it return early. However, it barely escaped with its life. To make it receive a full recovery was not easy.
Many Legendary stage students tried various methods but failed to make much progress. After all, Companion Beasts capable of flight were relatively rare. And with a place like the lotus pond, humans didn't even dare do the deed themselves, relegating it to their Companion Beasts.