Sorcerer's Handbook-Chapter 594: The Cicadas Cry, the Mans Demise

It was only at this moment that Ashe fully realized he was no longer an ordinary being.

An ordinary being would never be able to swim in the Golden Flow Water, let alone take a sip of that golden liquid-it had no particular taste, somewhat like cool well water. He wondered what the Golden Flow Water would taste like when steamed into a creamy milk tea for Lala Fatty.

His previous ‘sensory premonition’ was actually his body sensing the flow of the Golden Flow Water. The Golden Flow Water originates from the movement of all things in the world, and reality itself is its source. The reason all things age and decay is because they are gradually corroded by the invisible Golden Flow Water-at least, that’s how aging is defined in the world of sorcerers.

Ordinary people, even sorcerers, cannot sense the flow of the Golden Flow Water. But Ashe and other Trial Takers, whose time talent has been amplified to an absurd degree, can faintly perceive this flow and even alter its direction to some extent, giving rise to a premonition-like instinct.

In a sense, Ashe can no longer die of old age. He can now swim in the Golden Flow Water, so naturally, he is no longer affected by time. It’s like if you can drink lava, would you still be afraid of eating a spicy hotpot?

However, judging from Skadi’s and others’ reactions, this ‘ultimate time talent’ likely has its limitations. It might only last for a certain number of days, or perhaps it will disappear once he leaves this underground palace.

If he wants to maintain this state, or even go further and turn the Golden Flow Water into the source of life, he must assimilate a true time creature-the Circle Cicada!

Immortality!

To say Ashe doesn’t desire it would be a lie. Although there is the theory of ‘eternal suffering,’ look at how the Divine Sovereigns have ruled the world for so many years. None of them have been heard to hang themselves. Instead, they’ve been busy creating various forms of social Kingdoms in reality and orchestrating the Great Appointment of the Six Nations in the Virtual Realm. Clearly, the joys of immortality are beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

Moreover, just one bite can grant immortality-missing out on such a good deal would be a shame. Ashe even felt that it might be too generous. Perhaps it should come with some curse like ‘being chased by a snail,’ otherwise, this immortality wouldn’t feel very secure.

Soon, they saw a giant golden cicada appear at the end of the passage. It clung to the wall, its body about three meters long, its two pairs of membranous wings slightly trembling. Its large compound eyes were located on either side of its head, and when Ashe looked over, he noticed one of the pupils in the compound eyes was staring directly at him.

Its head and tail segments were almost perfectly round, while its body and wings were angular and rectangular, giving it the appearance of something a child might draw-no wonder it’s called the Circle Cicada.

Its location was precisely on the cicada-shaped mural that Ashe and Vesser had seen earlier. Now that the mural had disappeared and the Circle Cicada had emerged, it was clear that the creature had been lying dormant on the wall, barely clinging to life, until enough Golden Flow Water had revived it from the mural.

At that moment, the orc legendary sorcerer at the front had already reached the end. He leapt up and grabbed the Circle Cicada, though he hesitated slightly-how exactly was he supposed to eat something this big?

But he didn’t stop. He seized one of its membranous wings and took a bite.

Crack!

The orc’s teeth were strong enough to shatter marble, yet when he bit into the delicate cicada wing, it was his own teeth that broke. A front tooth chipped off!

At this point, the excited legendary sorcerers finally began to calm down. Ashe and Vesser also quickly halted their momentum.

They realized a very serious problem.

“Your original plan wasn’t to try and devour the Circle Cicada yourselves, was it?” Ashe asked. “I remember that even an ordinary Demi-God can’t be killed through normal means. You either have to eliminate all its disciples first or exhaust the energy of its divine hosts…”

“In the original plan, we were supposed to wake up already at the dining table, ready to share a pre-prepared Circle Cicada,” Skadi at the front murmured. “If the experiment succeeded, a small portion of the Circle Cicada would be left behind, fed with Golden Flow Water to regenerate, and then shared again, granting us all Immortality, eternal and unending…”

“But now the Circle Cicada cult is gone,” Ashe said. “Don’t you Trial Takers have any backup plan?”

At this point, Vesser suddenly asked, “You said the Circle Cicada’s food is the Golden Flow Water?”

“If it loves drinking Golden Flow Water, then what do you think we, Trial Takers whose Gates of Truth are connected to the Golden Flow Water and who can swim freely in it-essentially beings of time-are to it?”

It was then that everyone noticed something. As the Circle Cicada continued its incessant chirping, the orc legendary sorcerer who had been holding it was slowly dissolving.

It was as if a straw had been inserted into his body, sucking him dry like yogurt. Not only was his insides being drained, but even his outer skin was dissolving entirely, leaving not a single drop behind. In no time, the orc legendary sorcerer had vanished, and the Circle Cicada seemed to have grown just a tiny bit larger.

As if savoring the aftertaste, the Circle Cicada gently landed back into the Golden Flow Water, its compound eyes fixated on the little treats in the river.

In that moment, Ashe suddenly understood how Lala Fatty must have felt.

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There was no need for words; everyone quickly turned around and swam back against the current of the Golden Flow River. Originally, Ashe and Vesser were at the back of the group. Now, turning around should have placed them at the front, but these legendary sorcerers not only surpassed them in realm but also in swimming skills, swiftly overtaking the two.

Vesser was somewhat better off, being second to last, because Ashe was dead last.

Though Ashe knew that “the classes you skip will eventually catch up with you,” he hadn’t expected that the swimming lessons he skipped in the Sea of Knowledge would become his weakness at such a critical moment!

He looked back, relieved that the Circle Cicada was slow. Even with his swimming speed, he should easily escape-

What!?

Ashe’s body stalled, nearly swept into the mouth of the Circle Cicada by the Golden Flow River.

He forcefully stabilized himself, struggling against the current, but felt an increasing resistance. Indescribable loneliness, despair, and bleakness gradually gnawed at his mental state.

Insignificant.

Every drop of the Golden Flow River represented a mortal’s lifetime. The swathes he swam through were the past lives of millions; each stroke forward spanned the rise and fall of cities. Everything he valued or despised was less than a drop in this vast river.

It was then that Ashe recalled his venture into the Golden Flow River with the Sword Princess and the Witch. Given the lifespan of mortals, it was nearly impossible to withstand the relentless wash of the river. It was manageable to drift along or remain still, but swimming against the current was like a single drop trying to move against millions.

While swimming upstream, he, the Sword Princess, and the Witch supported each other, their lifespans pieced together just enough to maintain their selves in the vast expanse of the river.

But alone, how could one withstand the long erosion of time?

He looked up and saw Silver Lantern still ahead of him. Although her pace had slowed, she was making gradual progress and hadn’t been stripped of her resolve or confidence by the river.

Ahead of Silver Lantern, the legendary sorcerers also struggled forward. Though their lifespans far exceeded those of Ashe and his companions, they likely lacked experience in swimming against the Golden Flow River. Encountering such an intense mental barrage unprepared, they would need much time to adapt.

Suddenly, Silver Lantern stopped. Despite her efforts to push forward, she couldn’t advance an inch further. Each time she moved slightly ahead, her body would naturally weaken and be swept backward.

But Ashe encountered his limit even sooner; he bobbed up and down in the Golden Flow River, not swept away by the waves but also unable to break through them. This was no longer about determination; it was simply that his lifespan was too short, and even the sharpest blade must rely on a sturdy enough blade body to cut through.

Both realized what needed to be done, but each waited for the other to make the first move.

After a brief hesitation, suddenly, the Circle Cicada let out a chirp. Ashe quickly reached forward while Vesser reached back. Their movements, nearly perfectly synchronized, propelled them swiftly upstream, quickly catching up to the legendary brigade that had struggled to advance!

Just then, they saw splashing water ahead, clearly a fight was happening.

Someone yelled, “Mess, have you lost your mind? Two hundred years have passed outside, is now really the time to settle scores?”

“I’m not crazy,” Mess replied. “Our only way out is to swim through the Golden Flow Water. The flow rate of the river is related to the number of tributaries… Although we are all Divine Fire Seeds, and the Gate of Truth opened by resonance can’t be closed, if a person dies, the Gate of Truth will have to close no matter what!”

“Besides, it takes time for the Circle Cicada to consume a person!”

With a loud shout, a middle-aged sorcerer was suddenly kicked into the air. Ashe and Vesser quickly dodged, watching as he was swept toward the Circle Cicada. Sure enough, the Circle Cicada stopped, even as the sorcerer tried desperately to swim back, but its three pairs of massive legs had already firmly bound him.

There were no screams, no wails, just the cheerful chirping of the cicada expressing its delight.

It seemed as if the flow rate of the Golden Flow Water actually slowed down a bit. The Trial Takers made significant progress forward again before facing another bottleneck.

This time, as the legends confronted each other, two of them turned back to look at the weakest duo here.

Even Vesser, under her fox Mask, silently released Ashe’s hand, her pupils filled with vigilance.

Splash!

As the water splashed, a Murloc legend approached Ashe. The battle that unfolded between the sanctuary sorcerer and the legendary sorcerer in the Golden Flow Water was devoid of any miracles.

Just after the clash began, Ashe felt an immense pressure – all his senses were fighting against the temporal erosion of the Golden Flow Water, nearly nullifying his time precognition, just like everyone else.

But the Murloc legend not only had superior aquatic combat skills, his physical constitution also surpassed Ashe’s natural body. Icons like Silver Lantern had used silver dragon blood to enhance their bodies, and how could these legitimate legends from the Gray Fox Divine Era not have used fantasy creations to enhance their physiques?

Faced with the dual pressure of skill and attributes, Ashe quickly found himself at a disadvantage, forced to keep moving just to buy time.

That’s when he saw Vesser also struggling and impulsively he dashed into her fight, coordinating with her to attack the Bearman legend!

Caught off guard, the Bearman was quickly pushed back, but then the Murloc caught up with Ashe. As he attempted a Draw Sword Slash, the slow swing in the water left his defenseless left side completely exposed, allowing the Murloc to strike fiercely!

However, Vesser timely covered his vulnerability, her chains skillfully grabbing the Murloc’s arm. Ashe’s sword came down, nearly slicing the Murloc’s throat!

The Murloc and Bearman regrouped on either side, eyeing the situation, as Ashe and Vesser stood side by side in battle, yet both turned their heads away, not looking at each other.

With their sensory precognition disabled, they realized the only reliable allies were each other, having fought side by side for four days. Not only because they were the first ones the legends targeted for being the weakest, but more importantly, because after so many days of fighting together, they fully understood each other’s tactical thinking, knowing each other’s moves as well as they knew their own.

“Observer’s been dead an hour and you’re already this close to me, he won’t be jealous, will he?” Vesser didn’t miss any opportunity to provoke Ashe.

“Once we’re out, I’m chopping you up to feed to Lala Fatty,” Ashe said.