Chapter 274: The Heavens as the Furnace, the Earth as the Cauldron
"SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK!"
The Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat spun around and leaped, turning into a black shadow. With a WHOOSH, it burrowed back into the rock wall, leaving behind a small, palm-sized hole.
Shen Daoxing raised the Great Ming Demon Sparrow, broke through with a single strike, and followed.
And so, the man and the rat continued to dig and break through the walls, pressing onward.
Time passed.
Shen Daoxing had no idea where he was. All he knew was that he was constantly heading downward. He gradually noticed that the surrounding rock was becoming harder and harder to break, and its color was growing deeper.
Following the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat, he twisted and turned, burrowing through the earth. He had lost all track of time.
Shen Daoxing lifted the Great Ming Demon Sparrow in his hand and blasted it forward with a BANG. The rock wall ahead shuddered a few times but remained completely unharmed.
Just then, the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat stopped with a SKITTER. It ceased moving forward and came over to Shen Daoxing, hopping excitedly. It pointed a claw at the rock wall ahead, squeaking about something he couldn’t understand. This was probably the place it was trying to show him.
Shen Daoxing stepped forward and touched the rock wall, but a searing, scorching power suddenly assaulted him.
He quickly pulled his hand back. Then, he raised the Great Ming Demon Sparrow,
and with a flash of black light, he struck out.
"CLANG!"
The sound of metal striking metal rang out. Ripples spread across the face of the wall as a golden glow, accompanied by a series of mysterious runes, appeared. Then, everything went still, and the wall was once again undamaged. It seemed to be sealed by some kind of Restriction.
However, even without getting closer, Shen Daoxing could clearly sense an immense power hidden within—a colossal force, like an erupting volcano. Something was sealed inside.
Without hesitation, Shen Daoxing raised the Venerable Dharma Seal in his hand. A dazzling white light flared as he smashed it down with terrifying force.
"BOOM!"
The rock wall flared with brilliant light, and ripples spread out. A dense wave of golden runes filled Shen Daoxing’s entire field of vision. The wall vibrated violently for a moment, but then it fell silent once more, still completely unharmed.
A strike from the Venerable Dharma Seal had left it completely unscathed.
’This thing’s got some kick!’
Shen Daoxing’s spirits lifted.
"SQUEAK! SQUEAK!"
The Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat kept hopping around at his side, squeaking urgently about something.
The Seven-Colored Profound Platform began to rotate. Venerable Power surged from within Shen Daoxing, suddenly condensing upon the Venerable Dharma Seal in his hand.
ZZZZT!
Black arcs of electricity flickered.
Shen Daoxing gripped the Venerable Dharma Seal tightly and smashed it down.
A black arc of light burst forth.
The surrounding space warped, stretching and compressing in turn.
The golden rock wall shook violently with a deafening RUMBLE.
The mysterious golden runes shattered, and ripples spread out like violent waves on water, but everything quickly returned to calm.
This time, however, Shen Daoxing saw a distinct crack appear in the middle of the rock wall.
His attack had worked.
Seeing this, the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat started squeaking again, hopping on the ground nonstop, its murine face showing uncontrollable excitement.
’It’s working!’
Shen Daoxing smiled faintly. Without further delay, the surging Venerable Power in his body erupted.
ZZZZT!
A series of black electric arcs streaked through the air, leaving trails of warped space in their wake.
A brilliant white light shone dazzlingly as the Venerable Dharma Seal flared with power and smashed violently against the rock wall.
"RUMBLE!"
The earth quaked and the world seemed to spin.
"CRACK! CRACK!"
It sounded as if some kind of barrier was shattering.
"BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!"
The golden runes before Shen Daoxing shattered explosively. Light erupted in all directions as the rock wall crumbled, revealing a massive opening.
Instantly, Shen Daoxing felt a surge of Primordial Energy, as powerful as a monstrous tidal wave, gushing out from the opening.
Shen Daoxing quickly scrambled inside. He looked up, and in a single glance, he was completely stunned.
Before him stood a mountain so tall it seemed to touch the sky—a majestic peak formed from countless Crystal Stones. Wind Source Crystal Stones, Fire Source Crystal Stones, Water Source Crystal Stones, Wood Source Crystal Stones... Myriad colors of brilliant, translucent ores covered the entire mountain from base to summit.
At this moment, the entire magnificent mountain was blazing. Countless brilliant lights shot into the sky, transforming into multi-colored, soaring Wandering Dragons that coiled and circled above it.
Shen Daoxing looked around and saw that he was in a colossal cavern. Looking up, he saw an immense dome covering everything.
’No!’
’This is a gigantic furnace, a furnace that encompasses the entire mountain.’
’The heavens are its furnace, and the earth is its crucible!’
Someone was refining an entire mountain of ore.
The moment he entered, Shen Daoxing felt an incomparably dense wave of Primordial Energy, far richer than what he had felt in Taoyuan Town or Huangliang’s Tomb.
Without him even needing to control it, the one hundred and eight acupoints in his body opened automatically, crazily devouring everything around them.
In just a short while, Shen Daoxing felt his Dantian and his entire body fill to the brim with Primordial Energy.
He quickly sat down in a meditative posture and began to circulate the Annihilation of Ten Thousand Swords Technique.
Instantly, the atmosphere in the entire space shifted. Above the burning mountain, the splendid Wandering Dragons of Spiritual Power soared into the sky.
"SCREECH!"
With a startling cry, they scrambled over one another to pour into Shen Daoxing’s body.
Meanwhile, atop the burning mountain, the five-colored, splendid Crystal Stones also flared with brilliant light, unleashing a majestic tide of Primordial Energy. It formed a multi-colored vortex, pouring into Shen Daoxing’s body like an inverted sea.
Within Shen Daoxing’s Dantian, the Seven-Colored Profound Platform suddenly shone with great brilliance, spinning rapidly like a bottomless vortex, absorbing everything around it.
"SCREECH!"
One by one, the splendid Wandering Dragons condensed from Primordial Energy let out a cry and flew inside.
The five-colored, brilliant light merged into it.
The Primordial Energy that had been coursing through Shen Daoxing’s body reversed its flow, returning to his Dantian and drilling into the Profound Platform.
All the light from the entire mountain seemed to be drawn to Shen Daoxing, pouring into his body.
An unknown amount of time passed.
In a daze, Shen Daoxing felt as if he had soared into the heavens, arriving at the pinnacle of the clouds. He stood atop splendid Wandering Dragons of Spiritual Power, roaming the Cloud Sea.
Above his head, a seven-colored radiance shone brilliantly. Colorful clouds were stacked layer upon layer, as if forming the nine heavens themselves.
Shen Daoxing stood on a Wandering Dragon and soared into the sky.
"PSST!"
He broke through a layer of splendid clouds.
"PSST!"
He broke through another layer and continued upward. PSST! PSST! PSST! He pierced layer after layer, a succession of nine cloudy tiers.
He finally arrived at the absolute peak. He saw the vast, boundless universe, and felt as if he could connect with heaven and earth just by reaching out his hand.
RUMBLE!
It was like the dawn of creation.
Within Shen Daoxing’s Dantian, the Seven-Colored Profound Platform flared. A beam of seven-colored light, shaped like a coiling Wandering Dragon, shot upward, erupting from Shen Daoxing’s body.
Shen Daoxing could clearly feel his cultivation level rising. He had broken through. He had broken through to the Second Layer of the Spirit Transformation realm.
’No!’
’It’s not just that. My cultivation hasn’t stopped; it’s still rising!’