Over hundreds of miles, one could see the long crack on the distant cliff.
Molten magma continuously flowed out of the crack, and the river flowed through the basin, rushing into the abyss, colliding fiercely with the magma below.
A strong wind blew, bringing along hot waves and dense mist.
Wu Tie stood on a small hill, holding a long spear, gazing at the dazzling red light.
Behind him, a small venomous funnel spider the size of a green bean fell lightly from the sky. It had a swollen abdomen and a thin thread hanging behind it, slowly descending towards Wu Tie's neck.
Squinting his eyes, Wu Tie enveloped the space within a radius of a hundred meters with an invisible force field. The small spider was still several meters away from his body when he suddenly raised his left hand into a tight fist, crushing the tiny spider with a snap.
"Controling Heaven and Earth!"
This was the name Old Tie gave to Wu Tie's innate divine capability.
It was an extremely powerful and terrifying divine capability. Its initial manifestation was just like Wu Tie's ability to have a keen awareness of any movement within a hundred meters, directly affecting things within a radius of a dozen meters.
As Wu Tie grew stronger, "Controling Heaven and Earth" could truly manipulate all the tangible and intangible forces in the outside world.
Suddenly, a gray rock lizard leaped out of a large mushroom grove, foolishly charging towards Wu Tie. Its legs were sprinting, and a viscous, foul-smelling drool dripped from its mouth.
Wu Tie turned around and looked at the fully grown gray rock lizard, which was about five meters long.
The gray rock lizard was still more than ten meters away from Wu Tie. Wu Tie waved his left hand, and a stone the size of a human head suddenly flew up and heavily hit the lizard's head with an ear-piercing sound.
With a muffled sound, the gray rock lizard staggered and fell to the ground, tumbling a few times.
Before it could climb up, Wu Tie kept waving his left hand, and the stones continued to fly up into the air, heavily smashing into the lizard's head each time.
In just a few breaths, the head of this gray rock lizard shattered, and its body twitched and was completely immobilized.
"Haha!" Wu Tie laughed heartily, took a few steps forward, and jumped up with great momentum. An invisible force field enveloped his body as he glided down from a small hill several dozen meters high, effortlessly sliding over a hundred meters away.
As his body was about to touch the ground, Wu Tie widened his eyes and a strong wind rose from the ground. His body, light as a leaf in the wind, gracefully glided back to the small hill in the same path.
He landed heavily, stumbled back two steps, and took a few deep breaths.
Excitedly, he grinned and raised his long spear, thrusting it fiercely into the sky dozens of times.
Gliding like this was no different from flying.
As long as his innate divine capability became stronger, it would not be difficult for him to fly short distances.
Laughing again, Wu Tie whistled, and a metallic spider jumped over cheerfully. Its back split open, and a gray metallic liquid gushed out and quickly transformed into a meter-long longsword.
Wu Tie cut the gray rock lizard into more than a dozen pieces. Dozens of metallic spiders swarmed over, dragging the prey back to the Ancient Divine Weapons Camp.
By awakening his innate divine capability, Wu Tie's hunting and survival abilities soared.
All movements within a hundred meters of him could be monitored at all times, making any sneak attacks impossible.
Those venomous spiders and lizards, which were more than ten meters away from Wu Tie, would be instantly crushed. Even the largest of them, the black ring snakes that were several meters long, could only approach within a few meters of Wu Tie before being petrified in mid-air by an invisible force field and crushed to pieces.
Wu Tie's hunting efficiency skyrocketed. In just two months, he had consumed dozens of Foundation-establishing pills one after another.
On this day, in the Ancient Divine Weapons Camp, Wu Tie's Foundation-establishing gestures finally broke through to the 360th gesture. As Old Tie had said, this was an invisible valve. When he correctly formed the 360th gesture, Wu Tie clearly heard the cracking sound coming from all parts of his body.
Blocked meridians opened, invisible valves were unlocked, and countless hotspots in his body erupted with white hot air, all underpinned by the rapid consumption of each Foundation-establishing pill.
Instinctively, he started from the first gesture of the Foundation-establishing gestures, repeatedly striking up to the 360th gesture, repeating this process over and over again.
The surging heat in his body gradually became stronger. With each movement of Wu Tie, these surges flowed joyfully through his body. Wherever they passed, his entire body felt incredibly comfortable, and Wu Tie could clearly feel his strength growing stronger.
Maddeningly, his bones became unbearably itchy, requiring him to consume dozens more Foundation-establishing pills. Wu Tie's joints grew rapidly.
Amidst the cracking sound, when Wu Tie went from the first gesture of the Foundation-establishing gestures to the 360th gesture for the twentieth time, he grew about half a foot taller. The streamlined muscles all over his body squirmed rapidly, sweat seeping out, and every pore was emitting hot air.
"Crack, crack!" When Wu Tie completed the 360th Foundation-establishing gesture for the twentieth time, his height increased again by about half a foot. His whole body was lithe, and sweat constantly oozed out, with every pore emitting hot air.
An electric current vortex appeared on the ceiling, and a huge metal ingot fell heavily.
Wu Tie stopped his Foundation-establishing gestures, took big steps and walked over, arms hugging the metal ingot. With a little effort, he easily lifted the metal ingot above his head.
"Perfect Foundation-establishment, physical strength surpasses ten thousand catties!" Old Tie nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad... it's all thanks to grandpa!"
Old Tie suddenly laughed heartily. "Hahaha, it's all thanks to grandpa... Who says grandpa is only a butcher who knows nothing but killing? Didn't grandpa make a good mentor as well?"
Big Tie shook next to Old Tie and let out a few muffled noises.
Old Tie's voice suddenly dropped by several tones. "That's right... there were some minor mistakes, this brat almost died several times... but this is my first time being a mentor... who doesn't make mistakes on their first try? What's there to be afraid of with a mistake?"
Old Tie's voice dropped even further. "This brat didn't die, all right... all right, you also played a role... you also played a role... but learn to speak human language first... only grandpa I can understand your grunts!"
Wu Tie slammed the metal ingot heavily on the ground, making a loud noise.
He stretched out his arms, looking at his own arms in disbelief and infinite joy.
He clearly remembered that when Wu Zhan broke through to the first layer of the Foundation-establishment realm, his eldest brother Wu Jin, Wu Yin, and Wu Tong said that the ancestral "Breaking Heaven Fist" could allow a person to have a physical strength of over a thousand catties during the condensation of elemental power.
However, Wu Tie had achieved perfect Foundation-establishment, possessing physical strength exceeding ten thousand catties!
This metal ingot weighed ten thousand catties, but Wu Tie effortlessly lifted it over his head. His physical strength was definitely more than ten thousand catties. According to Wu Tie's own estimate, it was probably between twenty thousand to thirty thousand catties.
"Old Tie! Big Tie!" Wu Tie turned around and stared straight at Old Tie and Big Tie.
"Not there yet... you're still far from it... little rookie!" Old Tie laughed heartily, "Now, you can be considered a qualified little rookie... but no matter how powerful a rookie is, it's still a rookie. It's the little rookie that gets eaten by the enemy in one bite!"
"Continue hunting... continue cultivating!" Bloodlust suddenly blazed in Old Tie's eyes, forcing Wu Tie to turn his head and not meet his gaze. "Wu Tie, don't be complacent with just a little achievement. With your meager strength... when you were on the battlefield, you didn't even have the qualifications to fight!"
The strong wind blew along the wide river, and dozens of huge river horses emerged from the river, slowly walking out onto the riverbank. They arrived at the most fertile fern forest, opening their mouths wide and tearing apart the lush and juicy branches.
Wu Tie stood on a small mound hundreds of meters away, excitedly watching these huge creatures.
After watching them for a while, Wu Tie looked to the distant lava fissure.
Old Tie had sternly warned Wu Tie that until he possessed enough strength and obtained Old Tie's permission, he was not allowed to approach the lava fissure.
The temperature there was high, with abundant water vapor and nutrients from the deep abyss carried by the water vapor and the strong wind. The vegetation there was denser than the half of the basin where the Ancient Divine Weapons Camp was located, and the animal population was larger and more complex. The larger and more powerful giant creatures were more dangerous.
With Wu Tie's current strength, it was safe for him to roam in half of the basin.
If he dared to approach the lava fissure, no one could guarantee what he might encounter.
"Hunt... more Foundation-establishing pills... continue to cultivate, and then, continue to grow stronger!" Wu Tie raised his long spear and approached the group of river horses with big strides.
An invisible force field flowed around him, allowing Wu Tie to rush forward seven to eight meters with each step. Sometimes, he leaped into the air, lightly borrowing from the fern forest and mushroom grove beneath his feet, sliding over a dozen meters.
After just a few breaths, Wu Tie dashed out three to four hundred meters. He swung his left hand, and a stone the size of a fist suddenly flew up into the air, arcing sharply and heavily hitting a twelve-meter-long adult river horse on its nose.
This blow was heavy enough to break the skin and draw blood.
The adult river horse, still carrying a large cluster of fern and branch leaves, roared in pain. Its eyes suddenly filled with blood, and it wheezed heavily as it charged towards Wu Tie.
Wu Tie shouted loudly. He rushed forward, still dozens of meters away from the giant river horse, before fiercely thrusting his right hand.
The long spear spun violently, making an arc, and pierced through the back of the giant river horse, deeply stabbing into its huge body, accurately penetrating its heart.
The giant river horse charged forward for dozens of meters, then stumbled and fell heavily to the ground, weakly whimpering.
Wu Tie lifted the Chiyou task and walked to the side of the giant river horse. The Chiyou task shattered its thick skull, completely ending its suffering.
The giant river horse was twelve meters long and weighed as much as a hundred thousand catties.
The distance from here to the Ancient Divine Weapons Camp had already exceeded the range of the metal spiders' activities.
Wu Tie pulled out the long spear and carried its huge tusks on his back, exerting all his strength. All the strength in his body burst forth, and hot air rushed out from his body, making the ground fertile with its rich soil covered in moss, extremely oily.
Wu Tie let out a deep roar, dragging this giant beast back step by step. The ground trembled slightly as the giant beast was dragged little by little. Wu Tie's skin turned slightly red, with hot air constantly seeping out from his body.
Not until he dragged this giant river horse into the range where the metal spiders could operate did Wu Tie heavily exhale, sitting on the ground and panting heavily.
He cut the giant beast into pieces with a long knife, and the metal spiders hurriedly ran around, dragging the meat back to the Ancient Divine Weapons Camp.
This giant beast was so heavy that this one hunting trip alone would probably be enough to make over a hundred Foundation-establishing pills.
Wu Tie had a deeper understanding of Old Tie's words.
"A sentient being is not much different from a wild beast. With more powerful strength, one can occupy a stronger territory and become a stronger lord."
"If a lord is strong, everything on their territory can be controlled, whether it be life or death."
"As long as you have enough strength!"
"Lord!"
While slashing the giant river horse, Wu Tie looked at the lava fissure in the distance.
This basin with a diameter of thousands of miles should be considered half of his territory. The other half of the territory was waiting for him to conquer!
"Work hard!" Wu Tie raised a sharp long knife and cut the thick spine of the giant river horse in half with a single stroke.
Another month later.
Wu Tie stood on a small hill, gazing at the nearby riverbank.
Two water pythons were rolling in the shallow waters—one was about fifteen to sixteen meters long, and the other was about twenty meters long. According to the knowledge imparted by Old Tie, this was the breeding season and water pythons couldn't help but do some reproduction in accordance with the laws of nature.
"When you lay eggs, you'll belong to me," Wu Tie said with a smile as he looked at the two big guys.
Old Tie lectures Wu Tie that hunting is a necessary way to become stronger, but there must be a limit to hunting, as one cannot deplete the resources. Just like these two water pythons, after they reproduce, Wu Tie can kill them to ensure a continuous supply of prey.
The first level of the Foundation-establishing phase was still not too difficult. The further Wu Tie progressed, the more resources he consumed, so he had to ensure the sustainability of his resources.
Staring at the rolling water pythons for a while, Wu Tie suddenly tensed, and his body hair stood on end.
A shuttle-shaped black object suddenly emerged from the river several miles away. It cracked open with several fissures, and several tall and bulky Bull race warriors poked their heads out, gasping for breath. They took out several wooden paddles and paddled madly, approaching the riverbank where Wu Tie was.
They only took half an hour to paddle to the riverbank, propelling the ten-meter-long black object onto the riverbank with the wooden paddles.
As soon as they landed, the same black object surfaced on the river again.
There were two cracks on it, and a youth covered in blood poked his head out. Across the twenty-some-mile-wide river, he screamed hoarsely, "You can't escape... you will all die! I will kill you with my own hands!"
Two more youths stuck their bodies out, grabbed wooden paddles, and paddled towards the riverbank where Wu Tie was.
Wu Tie looked at these people in a daze.
It seemed that they had also come to this realm from the enormous waterfall.
Moreover, the two groups of people were obviously enemies.
Gripping the spear tightly with both hands, Wu Tie instinctively felt a sense of unease and anger.
This basin was his territory, and these outsiders had invaded his territory.
Even more importantly, there was the Ancient Divine Weapons Camp, Old Tie, and Big Tie.
(End of this chapter)