[Chapter 187: There Really Is Something]
When the car stopped at the usual spot beside Crystal Lake, Daniel stayed seated behind the wheel, not rushing to get out. He rolled down the window, and the cold air of early spring rushed in, carrying with it the faintly fishy scent unique to the lake.
His eyes fixed on the unnervingly calm surface of the water, and memories from his last investigation flashed through his mind. Back then, his exorcism skills were weaker. Though he suspected something unusual lurked beneath the lake, he had dived down and searched thoroughly but found nothing.
But now, everything was different.
As a Lesser Ascendant, he wasn't the same man anymore. His Magic Power had grown exponentially since then.
"Master," the Succubus's gentle voice buzzed through the phone, tinged with curiosity. "I sense something down here. It feels... special."
"Hmm?" Daniel was slightly surprised. "You can feel it?"
"It's vague, not very clear," the Succubus admitted.
Daniel chuckled. "Then maybe my hunch last time wasn't wrong. There really is something here. Maybe I'll uncover a huge, unexpected find."
He opened the door, stepped out of the car, and walked toward the lake's edge.
Daniel crouched down and scooped up a handful of the cool lake water before letting it slip back into the lake. He dipped his hand in again, focusing his Spiritual Sense as it spread from his fingertips, weaving through the water like delicate roots searching toward the deepest part of the lake.
While Spiritual Sense couldn't replace sight directly, it gave Daniel a general awareness of what surrounded him. If anything unusual or powerful was here, his senses wouldn't miss it.
He closed his eyes and concentrated.
After a few moments, Daniel suddenly opened them.
"There it is..."
He sensed a malevolent, stubborn obsession -- the aura of deep evil -- but within that darkness pulsed a vibrant, forceful Vitality.
Daniel's eyes gleamed. This was likely what he had been looking for.
He waved his hand and pulled out a waterproof flashlight. Without hesitation, he slipped into the water.
As a Lesser Ascendant, he didn't need to breathe, relying on his Magic Power to last for days underwater. The only regret was that he hadn't mastered any Water Spells; otherwise, he could sustain himself even longer.
Following the aura, Daniel soon realized it wasn't at the lake's center but near the shore. There, hidden in the depths, was the mouth of a cave.
He swam into the entrance and traveled inward until he discovered a Karst Cave.
Breaking the water's surface, Daniel shone his flashlight inside and was immediately stunned.
Before him was a "plant" -- though it looked more like a twisted, dark purple ancient vine, about as thick as a baby's arm.
It was firmly embedded in the rocky crevices and silt of the Karst Cave.
The vine was etched with fine, dense silver patterns resembling solidified lightning or arcane runes.
There were no leaves or flowers -- only a fist-sized nodule at the top that pulsed faintly.
Daniel's attention fixed on the surrounding environment.
He "saw" faint gray glimmers -- the remnants of microscopic organisms dead in the lake, decaying energy from rotten aquatic plants, and traces of dark energy that settled when deep night's moonlight failed to penetrate the water. All of these combined into a strange "stream" being absorbed by the vine.
The death energy, the dark essence, the withering power -- all were transformed by that nodule into a thick, viscous dark liquid that shimmered like molten gold.
This thing was clearly steeped in evil, full of a spiteful, unyielding obsession. Yet, it radiated a powerful Vitality, like a spark of life forcibly bound from the most corrupt materials.
"Foul Vitality Nectar..."
The name surfaced naturally in Daniel's mind.
The knowledge came from when his Sacred Alchemical Transmutation reached the Fourth Tier.
Among Fourth-Tier Formulas, only one elixir required this ingredient, and only a small amount.
That elixir, called the Face Setting Elixir, guaranteed that the user's appearance would remain unchanged for life.
Though a Fourth-Tier item, it wasn't vital to those who practiced his skills. For ordinary people, however, it was a true Divine Artifact.
"This actually exists..."
Daniel was filled with wonder.
He had once asked Marcus Hale to help look for it, but Marcus had never even heard the name. Not even his grandfather knew what it was, much less where to find it.
Daniel had almost assumed it no longer existed on Earth.
Yet here it was, right in front of him.
He inhaled deeply, immediately feeling his spirit invigorated.
The potent Vitality saturated the air, as if the very atmosphere was different here.
If an ordinary person lived in this place for a while, they might extend their life by decades, even without doing anything else.
Grinning broadly, Daniel knew this trip had been worth it.
...
"Master! Such... such powerful Vitality!" The Succubus's voice came through the phone, tinged with excitement. "C-Can I come out and see?"
"Come on out," Daniel said.
Even if she appeared, the Succubus couldn't interfere.
With a whoosh, the Succubus projected her form from the phone and landed softly, shifting into human shape.
The moment she appeared, her gaze locked intently on the Foul Vitality Nectar.
She took a deep breath, her expression a mix of pleasure and greed.
"Master, this... this feeling is intoxicating! It's simply incredible!" she exclaimed.
She took a few quick steps closer to the vine and greedily inhaled deep breaths.
Despite her urge, she resisted touching it -- still cautious.
"No wonder Jason managed to obtain the Undying Body," Daniel murmured, a note of awe in his voice.
"A land so steeped in evil, yet it gives rise to something so full of life. As expected, extremes reverse; Extreme Dark gives rise to Light."
Daniel scanned the area and found a large rock. Moving it aside, he began to refine it using Artifact Refining Techniques, shaping it into a large gourd.
Foul Vitality Nectar could only be stored in two materials: rock or crystal.
Although Daniel had plenty of crystal bottles in his System Space, he preferred rock for this purpose.
Soon, the large stone gourd was complete.
Daniel made a hand seal: "Collect!"
Instantly, the Foul Vitality Nectar condensed from the surrounding stream, flowing fully into the stone gourd.
The Succubus watched longingly, her eyes full of envy as she swallowed hard.
Daniel waved his hand, storing the stone gourd in his System Space, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.
His gaze returned to the vine.
It was certainly valuable, but if he took it now, he would need to find a place teeming with evil aura.
Only there could the vine convert the dark energies into more Foul Vitality Nectar.
Snatching it prematurely without proper preparation wouldn't be wise.
For now, Daniel decided to leave it where it was.
*****
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