Within a radius of a hundred miles, countless clusters of various sizes continuously fell from the dome of the stone caves.
The clusters shattered root by root, then plummeted heavily to the ground, colliding with numerous standing clusters on the ground.
Sparks flew, deafening sounds echoed, and fragments of the clusters scattered in all directions, causing the entire stone cave to slightly tremble.
The surrounding buildings and remnants were smashed to pieces.
The main hall disappeared, and the surrounding ruins vanished. All the bricks, tiles, beams, and columns turned into fragments, ultimately covered by thick shards of clusters.
Chu Tian crouched at the entrance of the stone cave's corridor, staring blankly at this scene of destruction.
The towering hero, Niu Yingxiong, seemed to be the pillar that supported this stone cave. However, his body had crumbled, and the strange energy filling the air immediately caused the cave to collapse.
Faint golden light spots still floated in the air, indicating that Niu Yingxiong had been completely turned to ashes.
Lao Tie crouched beside Wu Tie, also absentmindedly looking at the golden light spots drifting in the air, along with countless clusters and boulders falling from the dome.
"This guy's temper is still stubborn as ever..." Lao Tie grumbled in a low voice. "Even after all these years, he refuses to perish. He just wants to see to whom this treasure will ultimately fall."
"Persisting for so many years... Is it because of loneliness? Despair? Or perhaps, like me, deep down he is actually full of despair?" Lao Tie muttered, "Only through long-lasting despair can his body become so broken."
"With his cultivation level, his body could have endured for thousands of years... Only the despair that stems from his own self could instantly and completely destroy his body." Lao Tie shook his head. "But, it's good... He was happy before his destruction, and that's all that matters."
Wu Tie touched his own forehead.
The bloody thumb-sized characters 'Long Life' were like scars branded by a red-hot iron, deeply imprinted in his flesh. The surrounding skin felt hot, and his skull tingled slightly.
Wu Tie revered Niu Yingxiong inexplicably, but he didn't have much sentiment towards him.
Because he wasn't familiar with Niu Yingxiong.
Because of this unfamiliarity, Niu Yingxiong suddenly 'came back to life' and emitted the gaze of light, which greatly shocked him but didn't hold much personal sentiment.
On the contrary, it was Shi Lingqing who had truly exploded her body, leaving two bloody characters on Wu Tie's brow.
The psychological impact Wu Tie received was much greater than Niu Yingxiong's complete collapse and the destruction of the stone cave.
"This woman has gone mad..." Wu Tie looked at Lao Tie inexplicably. "I don't want to kill her... I have no grudges with her. Although she did beat me up... My father told me, a man should not bully a woman... I won't kill her."
"Grandfather, I don't understand women," Lao Tie remained silent for a long time, before finally turning to look at Wu Tie.
"Because I don't have such bodily desires, I have never wasted time and energy in studying women."
Shaking his head, Lao Tie sighed, "But Yang Jian and Niu Yingxiong, these guys... I have listened to them boasting countless times..."
"Women, you think you haven't offended her, but in fact, you have already offended her greatly..." Lao Tie disdainfully glanced at Wu Tie. "Do you think, if you spare her life, she will be grateful to you?"
"Shouldn't she?" Wu Tie looked at Lao Tie dumbfoundedly. "My father said..."
"How did your father educate children?' Lao Tie coldly snorted. "But, that's right, you're still young..."
His eyes flashed with a hint of maliciousness, and Lao Tie sighed, "You don't understand... When a completely naked, somewhat attractive woman, tries every possible means to seduce a man, but the man refuses to buy it... It's a hundred times more offensive than digging up her ancestral grave!"
Standing up and patting Wu Tie's shoulder with its front paws, Lao Tie shook his head.
"In the future, you will come to understand after gaining more experience."
"As for Shi Lingqing, she was at the peak of her life. With her 'wise strategies' and 'intelligence,' she calculated the masters of two powerful organizations, obtained tremendous power, loyal followers, and a bright future..."
"But suddenly, she was struck down from the top of her life and returned to a state of having nothing..."
"At this time, if you cry and beg at her feet, lick the soles of her feet, and become her obedient slave... She will be very satisfied and full of confidence to continue striving..."
"But you, young fellow... Hmph, hmph..."
"You have disappointed her too much... Not to mention, that treasure eventually chose you instead of her who regarded herself highly..." Although this little girl had some shrewdness, a bit of cunning, and a bit of innate wickedness..."
"In the end, she is still too young and can't handle the blow... Since she can't have it, she will drag you down together. Isn't this a natural choice?"
Lao Tie wagged its head and brain as it lectured Wu Tie. Although Wu Tie couldn't understand its words for a while, he earnestly stored these words in his heart.
"Women... are really... complicated and frightening..." Wu Tie stood up as well, gripping his spear with both hands, grumbling, "My elder brother, second brother, third brother... they are the kind of men I prefer..."
"You wouldn't like a woman who acts like a man... Haha, haha, haha... When you grow up, you will know that compared to a woman who acts like a man, you would rather like a green tea bitch like Shi Lingqing..." Lao Tie burst into laughter, turned around, and walked into the long corridor.
Without looking back, without any contemplation, not even a sigh.
Having left Niu Yingxiong's burial place like this, Lao Tie's steps were exceptionally steady.
"Green tea bitch?" Wu Tie hurriedly caught up with Lao Tie. "Can you explain? What is a green tea bitch?"
"Do you know what green tea is?" Lao Tie's voice came from the depths of the corridor. "Don't know? Well... all right, I won't corrupt the mind of a child. Let's learn first and find out what green tea is."
"What is that broken bone?" Wu Tie asked.
"How would I know?"
"Although I am knowledgeable... that broken bone..."
"I can only speculate as well. It is rumored to be something special... I haven't personally seen it, so I can't be certain."
"It burrowed into your body? What's the big deal? You're still living well, isn't that enough?"
"Where... continue talking about green tea... Oh, no, green tea..."
"Tea, this thing..."
A giant boulder with a diameter of over three hundred meters plummeted from the top of the stone cave and heavily struck the Longevity Sect's wooden boat before Wu Tie and Lao Tie had a chance to move it away. Subsequently, numerous boulders fell, causing the entire stone cave to collapse.
In the following days, Wu Tie returned to his normal routine.
Hunting prey, crafting Foundation-Establishing Pills, practicing the Foundation-Establishment Technique, and cultivating spear techniques.
It was probably due to the integration of the bone shard with Wu Tie that his progress in cultivating the Foundation-Establishment Technique was astonishing during the next three months.
In just three months, he had already cultivated up to the seven hundred and nineteenth style of the Foundation-Establishment Technique. Once he broke through to the seven hundred and twentieth style, the abundant elemental energy surging throughout Wu Tie's body could condense into a higher-level Elemental Core.
Elemental energy could only circulate within the body, enhancing Wu Tie's strength and speed.
However, the Elemental Core could be unleashed externally to harm others and even allow him to control weapons to kill enemies within a short distance.
Moreover, the infusion of the Elemental Core would greatly elevate Wu Tie's physical strength and speed, allowing his bones and muscles to receive powerful conditioning and significantly strengthening his body's defensive capabilities.
A third-stage Foundation-Establishment cultivator possessed at least ten times the combat power of a second-stage cultivator.
However, the progress of Wu Tie was too fast. To the point that Lao Tie intentionally restrained Wu Tie's cultivation progress, allowing him to only cultivate up to the seven hundred and nineteenth style each time, deliberately delaying his breakthrough to the seven hundred and twentieth style.
Accumulating elemental energy continuously, tempering his body ceaselessly, the elemental energy in Wu Tie's body grew more and more abundant. Gradually, every single cell in his body swelled to its limit, unable to store even a trace of elemental energy.
An angry roar sounded, and a giant river horse fiercely charged towards Wu Tie. With its weight of tens of thousands of pounds, the giant river horse's high-speed charge carried at least several hundred thousand pounds of force.
Wu Tie had reached the pinnacle of the second stage of Foundation Establishment and still didn't dare to confront such a giant beast head-on.
He swiftly moved to the side with nimble steps, and his speed was so fast that it even left an afterimage.
With his right hand holding the spear, he accurately thrust it out.
The long spear whistled as it pierced through the giant river horse's earhole, penetrating its brain.
The colossal beast convulsed suddenly, then crashed heavily to the ground.
Its massive body slid down over a hundred meters, leaving a deep mark on the thick moss.