Chapter 162: Valley of Wild Men? Bones of Wild Men?
Once... as long as one is still alive... that is enough!
Chapter 161: Third-Grade Breath Wind
Breath wind is composed of countless wind particles, divided into upper, middle, and lower grades, distinguished by numbers.
Breath wind formed by the combination of thirty-six wind particles is of the lower grade.
Seventy-two wind particles combine to form the middle grade.
One hundred and eight wind particles combine to form the upper grade.
Wind particles are created from the wind-attribute spirits of heaven and earth. Exactly thirty-six types of heaven and earth spirits extract the profound mysteries of the universe, adjusted through secret incantations, and finally take shape.
Once formed, because they possess the thirty-six profound mysteries of the wind attribute of heaven and earth while simultaneously absorbing the various manifestations they represent—such as the wildness of a fierce gale, the violence of a tempest, the purity of a gentle breeze, the subtlety of a zephyr... and various other external manifestations of the wind attribute—after being adjusted by the secret incantations, it is akin to the hands of a scientist combining various previously insignificant elements to forge an atomic bomb; it can be called a qualitative transformation.
After such wind particles are formed, a single particle cast outward, requiring no excessive magical power—only reaching the most basic usage requirements—is enough. With just such a single wind particle, driven by magical power, a thousand-meter-tall mountain can be instantly snapped in half at the waist.
This is the power of a single wind particle.
Lower-grade breath wind is composed of thirty-six wind particles. Once formed, its power is not as simple as one plus one equals two. Much like the formation process of wind particles, various elements undergo chemical reactions, and ultimately the power increases exponentially!
Similarly, during the combination process of breath wind composed of wind particles, these thirty-six wind particles undergo a second chemical reaction based on the breath wind mysteries gathered within the secret incantations, and their power multiplies once more!
If the basic power of a single wind particle can snap a thousand-meter-tall hill in half at the waist, then the lower-grade breath wind formed by thirty-six wind particles, driven by magical power, can reduce that same hill to powder.
Snapping a mountain and shattering a mountain naturally represent different levels of difficulty, and the vast gap in strength represented by the two can easily be imagined!
This is the power of lower-grade breath wind, formed by merely thirty-six wind particles!
Above it lies the middle-grade breath wind, formed by seventy-two wind particles!
And the upper-grade breath wind, formed by one hundred and eight wind particles!
Although the gap between the three grades of breath wind is not as enormous as the gap between individual wind particles and breath wind, that is defined from the broad perspective of power multiplication factors!
From wind particles to breath wind, the power grows exponentially. If the power from wind particles to breath wind increases tenfold, then the changes from lower-grade to middle-grade, and from middle-grade to upper-grade, might only double the power in comparison. However, this does not mean the quantitative increase in power is low!
Can ten times one and one time ten be the same?
Therefore, although the power amplification between the three grades of breath wind does not have as many multiplication factors as the growth from wind particles to breath wind, the actual gap is even greater!
The lizard—what he cultivated was upper-grade breath wind, an upper-grade breath wind composed of one hundred and eight wind particles!
If he were to use his full strength to exhale this breath of wind, even if a ten-thousand-meter-tall mountain stood before him, he could reduce it to powder in an instant!
This is also why he would rather be bound and act as a guardian beast here, paying the price of his freedom. In his view, it was worth it!
Once upon a time, the lizard took deep pride in this and had daydreamed countless times about how, once his guarding term was up and he ventured out, he would roam wildly!
With a single breath of wind, he would be invincible!
But now, these were merely thoughts of the past. Even possessing upper-grade breath wind, the lizard dared not let his heart beat fast in the slightest at this moment. The man before him had destroyed his upper-grade breath wind effortlessly, one might even say with utmost ease!
This point dealt a heavy blow to the lizard's self-confidence, shattering his inner pride into pieces, leaving not a shred of arrogance behind!
Even now, as Song Hai walked right past him toward the place he had guarded for countless years, he dared not utter another word, nor did he even dare to harbor the slightest thought of protest!
The lizard stopped moving, not chasing after Song Hai's retreating figure toward the Savage Valley. The thoughts in his heart gradually faded. Standing in place for a moment, he simply flopped down, curled his body into a ball, closed his eyes tightly, and awaited the onset of the curse!
...
Song Hai did not care at all about the lizard's subsequent psychological activities or facial expressions, nor did he wish to care. He walked on at his own pace, heading toward the place that interested him!
Although the lizard's strength was decent and could even be considered formidable compared to his former self, before his current self, it was no longer worth mentioning!
The main reason for this change was the emergence of the Ten Thousand Laws Mountain Art!
Song Hai's talent was unquestionable. After the Ten Thousand Laws Mountain Art appeared, he successfully broke through the false core stage just as smoothly during his cultivation. Like Zhou Yi, because his foundation was far too profound, he summoned a massive river of energy. In terms of sheer energy volume, it was by no means smaller than the energy river Zhou Yi had conjured through cheating!
However, unlike Zhou Yi, who had faced a desperate, nine-to-one survival battle, burning his boats to finally resolve the issue, Song Hai resolved all problems with absolute ease when facing an equally massive river of energy!
Following the standard steps with natural progression, his realm soared all the way—from the first level of the false core, the second level, the third level, the fourth level, all the way to the current fifth level of the false core. It was just like riding an elevator; in a daze, he had arrived!
Without a single shred of difficulty!
The one hundred and twenty-nine thousand and six hundred units of magical power required to cultivate the Ten Thousand Laws Mountain Art were, to someone possessing a massive river of energy and coupled with Song Hai's heaven-defying talent, as simple as stepping across a small stream... no... as simple as stepping across a single line!
Logically and smoothly, after obtaining the Ten Thousand Laws Mountain Art, Song Hai's strength grew rapidly at rocket-like speed!
The lizard's upper-grade breath wind was indeed formidable, but before the current Song Hai, it was simply not worth mentioning!
The Ten Thousand Laws Mountain Art comprises the Heavy Mountain Art and the Light Mountain Art. Zhou Yi chose the Heavy Mountain Art, while he chose the Light Mountain Art. Although the two chose differently, there was one aspect that remained identical!
All Laws Invaded Not!
The hallmark of successfully cultivating the Ten Thousand Laws Mountain Art is the force field of "All Laws Invaded Not." Whether it is the heavy mountain or the light mountain, as long as one cultivates either, a force field of immunity to all laws will naturally condense!
All bizarre, wondrous, and unpredictable abilities—even those capable of crossing realms to fight—are simply no longer an issue before the force field of immunity to all laws!
It can be said that the Ten Thousand Laws Mountain Art is the natural nemesis of these bizarre abilities. To deal with these two, aside from frontal attacks utilizing overwhelming force to break all laws with sheer power, there is simply no other way!
Unfortunately, formidable as the lizard was, compared to Song Hai, he truly did not possess that kind of power!
Chapter 162: Savage Valley? Savage Bones?
He could not even breach the force field in front of Song Hai, let alone overcome the fact that shattering the breath wind was utterly effortless for someone of Song Hai's caliber!
...
Song Hai walked slowly. As he drew closer to his destination, he gradually slowed his pace.
This was a valley. Passing through a valley entrance about a zhang wide and stepping inside, one could immediately see the full panoramic view of the interior. The valley was not large—one might even call it small—so small that the moment Song Hai stepped in, a single sweep of his eyes encompassed the entire landscape of the tiny valley.
A peculiar aura permeated the air, so profound as to be heavy. Infected by this aura, even the air itself seemed to acquire weight.
This was the Savage Valley. There were no blooming flowers, no verdant grasses, and aside from a patch of blood-red earth, there was nothing else within!
It resembled a spoon: the entrance served as the handle, while the interior was completely empty.
At first glance, it seemed utterly devoid of anything, with no clues to be found. Song Hai slowly walked to the center and looked around. Aside from the heavy-feeling air, he found no other objects, save for the three large characters, "Savage Valley," carved into the cliff face.
Standing in the center, the strange aura that had originally drawn him here and aroused his immense curiosity had also vanished. He searched all around, yet found not a shred of a clue. It was as if it had never existed in the first place, making him wonder if it had all been an illusion!
Or perhaps, had he taken the wrong path?
"It shouldn't be an illusion!" Standing in place for a moment, he scanned the surroundings several times more without finding any clues. Instead of thinking he was mistaken, Song Hai became even more convinced that there was indeed something wrong with this place!
It was merely hidden deep, and he simply hadn't found it yet!
harboring this treasure-hunting sentiment, Song Hai meticulously inspected everything around him once more, finally locking his gaze onto the ground beneath his feet, targeting his objective!
Everything here was stark empty and clear at a glance; it took no effort to see everything. All was normal—if there was any place that could be considered abnormal, it was only the ground beneath his feet!
Red earth! Song Hai had never seen it before, nor had he even heard of it!
A thoughtful glint flashed in his eyes. Song Hai squatted down and placed his hand upon the red earth.
Thump!
Thump, thump!
Thump, thump!
In an instant, Song Hai was startled enough to almost jump up. The moment his hand touched the red earth, a sound akin to a heartbeat traveled through his hand into his body. Simultaneously, the inexplicable aura that had previously vanished suddenly reappeared, growing even more intense!
"Found it!" After the initial surprise, Song Hai's heart steadied, a trace of pleasant surprise flashing in his eyes.
Pondering for a moment, Song Hai placed both hands upon the earth while closing his eyes, concentrating his energy to sense this heartbeat.
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
The slow and orderly beating grew increasingly distinct through his hands, pulsing directly into his heart.
After a moment, he suddenly withdrew his right hand, leaving his left hand resting on the earth while slowly placing his right hand over his own chest—on the left side, where his heart lay!
Thump, thump!
Thump, thump, thump, thump!
One after another, the rhythms were nearly identical. Feeling the two matching beats, Song Hai confirmed it: this was indeed the sound of a heartbeat!
However, how could a patch of earth possess a human heartbeat?
Logically speaking, a heartbeat should belong exclusively to living spirits of heaven and earth. Even after such living spirits perish, they lose the eligibility to beat!
This is the privilege of living creatures; inanimate objects have no right to possess it!
"How could there be a heartbeat?" Song Hai pondered slowly, his thoughts turning. Suddenly, his pupils contracted sharply, and his face revealed extreme shock!
Heartbeats belong exclusively to living spirits and are the privilege of living things—this is certain!
A patch of earth, categorized as an inanimate object, should not possess a heartbeat. Yet now, it possessed one. What did this imply?
None of this could be explained!
Inanimate objects cannot possess a heartbeat, unless...
"Unless this land is alive!"
Song Hai was startled so badly by his own thought that he sprang to his feet, straightening his body and staring wide-eyed at the earth beneath him.
A living patch of earth!
What a truly mad notion!
After the shock subsided, he waited for a moment, but the earth—which he had defined as a living entity—did not make any further movement. Song Hai rolled his eyes and slowly lowered his body once again.
Placing both hands on the ground, he slammed down fiercely!
Boom!
A burst of force erupted. Under this blow, the red earth immediately splashed dirt, scattering in all directions!
The instant the soil parted, an overwhelmingly rich stench of blood, accompanied by an indescribable foul odor, suddenly rushed into Song Hai's nostrils, growing increasingly intense!
"What the hell?" Song Hai's pupils contracted instantly. He had anticipated that smashing open the soil might bring danger, perhaps even threatening his life, or he had thought that perhaps nothing at all would happen. But he had never imagined a situation like this!
There was no danger beneath the soil, but neither was it completely uneventful. The stench of blood was so thick it nearly made him retch. Logically speaking, a blood stench of this magnitude should originate from at least a vast blood pool filled with gore for such an effect to be possible!
Yet now, the source of this terrifying blood stench was neither a pool filled with blood nor a battlefield soaked in gore, but merely a patch of red earth!
"Red? Wait!" Song Hai muttered, suddenly thinking of a possibility, his expression turning grave.
"Could this earth have been stained red by blood? Perhaps its original color wasn't this at all; perhaps it was normal soil—maybe yellow, or black?"
"Perhaps that really is the reason!"
Suppressing the discomfort in his heart, Song Hai looked down again. Pushing past the heavy stench of blood, far down at the very bottom, at an unknown depth, a bone as white as jade radiated an aura of vital energy, just like a living thing!
"This is?" Song Hai stared at the bone in shock, speechless in his astonishment. He smashed open the soil in a few other areas as well, digging down to a similar depth, but did not find any other bones as he had imagined.
"Meaning that beneath this land, there is only soil dyed red with blood and this single bone that resembles a living creature?" Taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, Song Hai narrowed his eyes.
"What on earth is going on here?"
The source of all these anomalies had been found, but Song Hai's doubts and curiosity not only failed to diminish; they grew even heavier!
"Savage Valley? Savage Bones?"
As he pondered, his peripheral vision accidentally caught the three characters "Savage Valley" carved on the cliff face, and Song Hai fell into deep thought.
Chapter 163: A Drop of Black Water
Hum~
Just as Song Hai was lost in thought, the aftermath triggered by his series of actions within the valley began. Following a sound resembling the buzzing of a swarm of bees, the surrounding space warped, as if the heavens and earth were trembling.
"Hmm?" Song Hai furrowed his brow, pulling back his thoughts and narrowing his eyes to scan his surroundings. Inside his body, magical power circulated quietly as he prepared instantly to cope with any eventuality.
Then, despite all the thorough preparations Song Hai had made, the event he anticipated did not happen!
The space warped, and after the buzzing sound subsided, an intent suddenly manifested. It swept across the valley, finally landed on Song Hai, paused for a moment, and then abruptly vanished.
Following the disappearance of this intent, everything around him reversed like a rewound tape. The displaced soil flew backward particle by particle at high speed. In a flash, the pit-ridden ground churned up by Song Hai was restored to smoothness, as if nothing had ever happened at all!
Before Song Hai could recover his astonishment, a stream of information flooded into his mind as everything returned to its original state.
As the information poured in, Song Hai's body froze instantly as he processed and contemplated this knowledge!
The information carried no danger and was free of any harmful side effects. It merely recorded certain facts, and the volume of information was small. Understanding and comprehending it would take roughly three minutes!
Yet, gazing at this stream of information, Song Hai remained frozen in place for a long, long time, without moving a muscle!
How much time passed, he could not tell. Only when Song Hai snapped out of it as if waking from a dream did he recall the implications revealed within the information in his mind. A faint sense of desolation arose within him, and he sighed deeply: "Is there only this single bone left?"
"Was there only one to begin with?"
He suddenly understood what that inexplicable aura he felt right after smashing the soil and smelling the blood stench had truly been!
"I really don't know what to say!"