Super Zoo

After leaving the cabin, Suming clearly realized just how tense the situation had become.

The Lure people's settlement was almost completely surrounded. Gunshots roared from all directions, and in the dark, along the distant jungles, countless flames snaked through - it was impossible to count how many enemies were lurking in the shadows.

The settlement was in chaos. Lure people were running out of their houses, carrying the simplest of food, while the majority of able-bodied men, armed with guns, formed squads and rushed to the village outskirts to resist the attackers.

"Basel, take everyone to the site of the ceremony! Amir, lead the young men to hold off the IS pursuit," old Alayi bellowed until he was hoarse.

Thousands of Lure people abandoned their homes and began to flee into the depths of the Zagros Mountains in the cover of night.

"Why don't we break through the encirclement!" Suming, following the main force, asked Alayi loudly.

"IS has blocked the mountain pass! We can only retreat deeper into the mountains! Divine Envoy, after you pass the Ice Spring test, it will be your turn to lead us!" Alayi said.

Suming's heart sank. He didn't have any power spheres for dealing with water in his possession, so how could he pass the test!

But he was surrounded by Lure people, and Basel, who lay on the stretcher, was following closely with a group of soldiers. Even if he wanted to escape, he couldn't.

Even if he could escape, the mountains and forests might be even more dangerous. Running into IS militants would be a big trouble.

Perhaps because of the constant gunfire, as they fled towards the mountains, Suming didn't see a single animal, foiling his plan to seek help from the beasts to escape.

They ran wildly, and as they plunged deeper into the mountain range, the gunfire finally began to fade behind them.

All through the night, by the time the sky began to lighten, the Lure people's group finally stopped under a steep cliff to rest temporarily.

Looking around, most of the Lure people who had made it this far were the elderly, weak, women, and children — no more than four or five hundred. Most of the able-bodied were staying behind with Amir.

Even with a constitution superior to the average person, Suming was also out of breath from the night's frantic run, panting heavily, sitting on the ground, not wanting to move even a finger.

Ludmila gasped for breath and took the water bottle, gulping down ferociously.

The rest of the Lure people were no better off. Many sat down and then simply lay on their backs.

High Priest Alayi was so exhausted that he didn't even think about conducting the Ice Spring Ceremony — he was too tired to speak.

Before long, before Suming and his companions could recover their strength, individual Lure youths carrying guns trickled in, equally exhausted.

"Why are you here? Why didn't you stay to block IS's pursuit!" Alayi's face darkened, "Go back, stop them. I will perform the Ice Spring Ceremony immediately. After the ceremony, the Apostle will lead us away from here, and we will need your coverage..."

"Father... huff, huff..." Amir's throat sounded as if it had been burned, his voice hoarse and dry, leaning on his gun, gasping for air, he said in a fragmented manner: "IS has occupied the village, we lost more than thirty men in battle, barely repelling their attack... I estimate... I suspect they won't catch up for a day or two..."

"Why?" Alayi exclaimed in surprise. Given the IS's strength, it was impossible for the Lure People to withstand them with only a loss of a few dozen men. Moreover, IS was notoriously ruthless, often committing genocide against tribes that dared to resist. How could they give up the chase when they had the advantage?

"Outside the mountains... it seems that government forces are attacking, holding back most of IS's forces..." Amir pointed in the direction of IS Country to the west, "More IS troops keep coming to reinforce... I think IS's real target isn't us, but to occupy the mountain areas and have a fierce battle with the government forces!"

Basel said, "High Priest, Amir might be the young man with the best military acumen among the Lure People. He has a natural keenness for war, surpassing even the American officers I know. I believe in his judgment! We should carry out the Ice Spring Ceremony immediately, there's no time to waste."

"Alright, Amir, go arrange the surveillance work. Basel, gather the tribe's elders, and join me to witness the Divine Envoy pass the test of the Ice Spring Ceremony..."

After much discussion, it finally came to him. Suming turned his head to look around. There were mountains everywhere, but not even a small stream or river in sight—where was this 'Ice Spring'?

Besides, on such a hot day, even if there were springs, they couldn't possibly be frozen.
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Could it be that the so-called 'Ice Spring' wasn't about drowning oneself in water? Was it just a religious euphemism, like say, pouring some cold water on one's forehead would suffice?

Six Lure elders, as old as Alayi, and Lure himself, a total of seven people, stood in a row. Amir, along with five soldiers, half-protecting, half-escorting, surrounded Suming and Ludmila.

"Please follow me," Alayi said, and led them towards the mountain cliff.

Suming and Ludmila exchanged glances, communicating silently. Over the past two days, the two had developed some understanding. If Suming felt he couldn't pass the test later, they would both burst into action simultaneously, either taking Alayi hostage or trying to strike down the Lure soldiers to make their escape.

Following Alayi to the foot of the cliff, Suming then realized that there actually was water. There was a huge cave opening under the cliff, large enough for four or five people to walk through shoulder to shoulder, but vines concealed the entrance so that one wouldn't notice it without drawing close. The babbling water flowed out from the cave opening to form a shallow stream, only ankle-deep—certainly not deep enough to drown anyone.

As they entered the large cave following the stream, Amir and his men lit torches.

The interior space of the cave wasn't as massive as imagined, at most less than a hundred square meters in area, around two and a half to three meters in height. With a dozen people inside, it felt quite crowded.

In the deepest part of the cave, there was a pool about five or six meters in diameter. The water flowed out from this pool. Since the pool was in a damp, cold cave that never saw sunlight, the water looked deep green, and even from a distance, one could feel a chill in the air, barely qualifying it as an 'Ice Spring'.

One could tell from the color of the water that it was deep.

Alayi turned to Suming and bowed respectfully, "This is the closest thing to an 'Ice Spring' that we could find. Let's begin the ceremony. After you pass the trial of the ceremony, you will become the true Divine Envoy of not only the Lure People but all followers of the Fire God across the world! We will loyally follow your lead and devote ourselves..."

"Alright, alright, no need for formalities, how is the ceremony conducted? Do I just jump in and hold my breath for a few minutes, or what?"

While speaking, Suming pretended to scratch his head and unnoticeably inched closer to Alayi, at the same time releasing his spiritual power to probe into the water.

Fortunately, there were fish in the water! They were only the size of small fry, but they were still fish!

"Yes, all you need to do is submerge your entire body into the pool and survive for more than ten minutes to pass!"