Awakening

The setting sun painted the sky with streaks of orange and crimson, casting a warm glow over the vast, dry yellow grassland as far as the eye could see.

Five Lava Crocodiles sprinted at inhuman speed across these lands, despite their sizes and burdens on their backs.

It's been two days since the party left the village. On the whole journey, they only stopped three times — either to give rest to the tired steeds or to fill their hungry stomachs. Traveling in the wild could be dangerous, and no one wanted to feel hunger in an urgent situation. Because of this, even after two days, no one from the party felt tired. Instead, their excitement and anticipation increased as the distance between their destination shortened.

The sun disappeared over the horizon, and night descended, but the group didn't stop for the usual break.

"By dawn, we will reach the camp; there is no need to stop," Hei Po ordered sharply, continuing on the journey.

Fang Huo's closed eyes opened, and he looked at his changing surroundings. The cold breeze of night, with a hint of a wild smell, along with the dangerous but beautiful surroundings and a ride on crocodiles, something he experienced for the first time in his entire life.

'Not gonna lie, this feels better than flying on spacecraft,' inhaling the fresh air deeply, he let out a sigh and closed his eyes again.

Half the night passed along with the howls and roars of wild predators roaming the plains. Suddenly, after a certain time, everything went silent, and a burning cluster of flames appeared on the horizon.

Hei Po squinted his eyes and opted to get a closer look, as they needed to cross this path to reach their base.

As they reached closer, they could see a group of merchant caravans already burned to a crisp, and the remnant flames still burning. The flames and smoke filled the area and formed a natural dome, blocking the view entirely. No one could see how long the flames had been burning and which path was safe, not even Hei Po.

"Hehehe, what an unlucky bunch to become prey for wandering beasts," Hei Po sneered at the burning caravans and went into deep thought.

Nobody knows why, but the moment Hei Po went into deep thought, everyone felt a bad premonition.

"You, you, you, and… you! Go ahead and scout the area!" Hei Po shouted suddenly, pointing at four people. The facial expressions of everyone changed instantly, including Fang Huo, as he was one of the persons among the four.

'This crazy bastard,' Fang Huo cursed in his mind and didn't move from the place. Entering those smokes to scout and walking blindfolded were the same. No way in hell he could escape the flames all times just by sensing the heat.

"L-Lord Hei… isn't there another way to-"

"No! The other ways are dangerous, and predators roam the place. You either pass this place or wait and die, surrounded by wild beasts," Hei Po didn't let the young man from one of the four question him. He didn't tell others, but there was a third option, which was to wait for reinforcements. But if he did that, wouldn't his mission be taken as a failure? What a joke! All his efforts would be in vain.

"Don't worry, mortal, those flames are just remnant. They won't hurt you," Hei Po shook his head and pointed at the smoke, signaling to enter the dome.

'Then why don't you enter it, coward bastard,' the young man cursed in his mind and turned around to see his comrades, who were going to accompany him.

After a basic introduction among themselves, Fang Huo and the rest moved.

'I swear, the first person I'll kill will be you, Hei Po, when I become stronger,' Fang Huo swore in his heart as he walked. He already checked the temperature of the flames by inserting his hands into the burning caravans. While it wasn't at the level to burn off his skin and flesh at touch, it could still cause him extreme pain and burns because of the lingering heat inside it.

Under the watchful eyes of Hei Po and the group, just as they were about to enter the dome, Fang Huo stopped in his footsteps with eyes widened in shock. If he were to describe his current emotions, it would be pleasant shock. A new information filled his mind when he accidentally saw something in the smokes and flames.

"Why aren't you entering, brat?" Hei Po shouted from behind, seeing Fang Huo's action causing others to stop as well.

Fang Huo calmed his beating heart and excitement. Turning around, he looked at Hei Po straight in the eyes for a split second and pointed at the 'dots of little lights' inside the dome, visible to the outside view.

"Hope Gu!!" Hei Po exclaimed with shock as he looked at the shining dots of lights. There was no way anyone in the current world who read the Legends of Ren Zu would fail to recognize this legendary gu; But, How?

"Hahaha, this makes things easier. Brats! This Lord is doing you all a favor by letting you walk in a place where hope gu resides. If you can grab this opportunity and open your Primeval Sea… that will be your reward. Hahaha," Hei Po calmed himself and laughed heartily.

"But don't forget to scout the area.. otherwise I'll have to feed the hungry crocodiles with your flesh. Hahaha!"

Fang Huo ignored him and entered the dome. He wanted to Awaken as fast as possible. He'd be a fool to let a chance like this slip up in his current circumstances.

A pungent smell of burning wood and charcoal assailed his nose along with a scorching temperature; he felt like sitting in a furnace. The smoke spread everywhere that one couldn't even see their limbs.

In this burning hell, the only saving grace seemed to be the glimmering little dots of Hope Gu.

Fang Huo didn't walk blindly. He stood in place with his eyes closed for a few moments before stepping on the flames with little lights.

The moment he stepped foot on the flames, the little lights within it made their way up. These dots of light enveloped his entire body before finally entering him. They soon converged into a stream of light and gathered into his abdomen, fusing and becoming a Ball of Light.

Gritting his teeth from the extreme heat, Fang Huo forced his body to move. With each step he took, his body got used to the pain, and the Ball of Light also grew brighter and brighter.

24, 25….50…60..69, 70

Fang Huo counted in his heart; when he walked the 70th step, he could hear a bang, and in between his two kidneys, the ball of light reached its limit and suddenly exploded.

This burst of energy only happened inside his body; outsiders couldn't see it. Fang Huo felt his entire body freeze due to the tension, and soon his mind became blank, and his body became soft and warm. He felt like he understood the meaning of the word euphoria at that exact moment.

In a brief period, his entire body sweated profusely.

This entire process felt long, but it actually happened in a short time. The feeling went away as fast as it came.

Fang Huo gathered his thoughts and focused on his abdomen, where the explosion occurred in his body. There, he could see a spherical body with its surface covered in flowing white light, like a thin layer of coating.

The Aperture Awakened successfully.

Fang Huo's face formed a genuine smile for the first time since his arrival in the Gu World. This was his 'Hope of Survival' in this world.

"I get it… so that's why there are Hope Gu present in this place." A light bulb went on in his head.

"Even Ren Zu gave his heart to hope when encountering predicaments, so why can't the people in the caravan do the same?"