Inside the Great Cauldron.
Wu Tie comfortably stretched out his arms and legs, like a traveler resting on a lake in the mountains during a midsummer afternoon, carefree and relaxed. He felt a inexplicable sense of ease and leisure.
The Indivisible Relic was merging with the first phalanx bone of his left index finger. Strange, indescribable things were happening, and Wu Tie could feel that the phalanx bone was undergoing essential changes... or perhaps, evolution...
Of course, "evolution" may not be the most accurate term.
In any case, it was good, marvelously so. Wu Tie felt the same kind of joy and contentment as a rat stumbling upon a chicken while wandering the streets.
Within the Indivisible Relic, the residual essence was merging with the golden light shining from Wu Tie's brow.
The essence in that point of light was purified by the Righteous Energy, ridding it of any evil influence.
Wu Tie comprehended and absorbed the insights of the relic's former owner regarding cultivation, life, the world, and the natural universe at a slow and steady pace, like a gentle breeze and rain.
Originally, the essence contained a lot of bloody and violent memories, as well as negative spiritual energies. However, these undesirable influences were dispelled by the Righteous Energy, leaving behind pure spiritual inspiration and the most essential experiential insights.
Compared to the painful process of Old Tie violently transmitting countless information, Wu Tie found the absorption process of the Indivisible Relic much easier and more comfortable. His body and soul felt like they were floating in the clouds, free and unrestrained, carefree and contented, almost wanting to sing.
A faint light poured out from the first phalanx bone of his left index finger, flowing through his entire palm, left arm, and then his entire body.
It was just a minimal essence within the Indivisible Relic. When it fused with Wu Tie's bones, it didn't directly grant him tremendous power or incredible supernatural abilities. Only Wu Tie's aura experienced a slight change.
It was like a seed sown in fertile soil. The earth didn't undergo a drastic transformation, but it became brimming with boundless possibilities.
In the Nether Demon Mine, Elder Shi and the Chief Commander continued to delve deeper with their vast army.
Countless mutated dwarves constantly attacked them. Despite their slow movements and stiff actions, and despite the unusual hardness of their bone fragments and their heavy and sturdy bodies, they were easily countered by Elder Shi's Giant Spirit Lamp.
Occasionally, powerful warriors mutated, their movements agile and their strength immense. However, the flames from the Giant Spirit Lamp burst forth, blasting these variations out of sight, allowing the large contingent to continue advancing without much threat.
The Nether Demon Mine had a diameter of over a hundred miles, and the winding mine passage extended all the way down. Elder Shi and the Chief Commander's group possessed formidable strength, allowing them to advance quickly. Even with countless variations blocking their way, they reached the bottom of the mine five hours later.
A pillar of fire with a diameter of a hundred feet soared into the sky. Thick gray mist rapidly spiraled around it, forming a grey column that enveloped the fiery pillar inside.
Terrifying high temperatures clashed with bone-chilling cold, generating violent turbulence in the air. The extremes sharply collided and killed each other.
The bottom of the mine was sometimes scorching hot, sometimes bone-chilling cold. Thin flakes of ice would form on the ground at times, and at other times, the stones would turn red from the heat.
Two formidable forces opposed each other, causing intense oscillations and occasional thunderous roars.
Several mutated giants, over a hundred mutated wolf and ox warriors, several dozen mutated gray dwarves and lizardmen warriors scurried about. They circled around the pillar of fire, occasionally emitting terrifying roars.
When Elder Shi and the Chief Commander's group arrived at the bottom of the pit, these powerful mutant warriors simultaneously stopped in their tracks. Green flames flickered in their eyes as they stared at them.
"Be careful..." Elder Shi shouted in a deep voice.
Before his words could finish, several stone giants began to roar madly. Their huge bodies tore through the air and created circles of air explosions, sending off massive shockwaves, as they charged towards them.
The Giant Spirit Lamp in Elder Shi's hand suddenly lit up, spewing out roaring flames. Palm-sized green flames collided fiercely with the mutated giants. The explosions were deafening. Three or four stone giants were forced to retreat by the explosive flames. However, the tallest stone giant managed to withstand the bombardment and rushed to the front of the group.
It swung a heavy punch, like a heavy cannon firing. The terrifying sound of the impact made over a dozen stone warriors around shudder, blood spraying from their ears.
Three warriors happened to be standing in front of this mutated stone giant. As it launched its punch, their bodies exploded, blood mist spraying in all directions. Dozens of warriors nearby were bathed in even splatters of blood, uniformly staining their bodies.
"Damn it!" Elder Shi roared in anger. "They weren't this powerful last time we came..."
Before his words finished, over a hundred mutated wolf and ox warriors rushed forward, creating a wave of white shockwaves.
The stone warriors and members of the Misty Knife Sect formed a defensive formation to confront them. They swiftly swung a variety of weapons, thrusting and striking with biting coldness.
With a clang, the attacking variations, who had no intentions of dodging, braced themselves and invariably took the blows. The weapons struck them, but in the jarring sound of fragmentation, the engraved runes and inscribed formations on the "elemental soldiers" burst open. Countless metal fragments rebounded, tearing open deep wounds on the bodies of the stone warriors and Misty Knife assassins.
Then, a horde of variations, like mad dogs, rushed into the formation. They roared crazily, their sharp claws scratching randomly, their fangs biting wildly, and the ox warriors raised their sharp horns and rammed indiscriminately...
Blood spurted out in abundance, and nearly a hundred Stone Clan warriors ended up fallen on the ground. On the other hand, the Misty Knife assassins who came with the Chief Commander sensed that something was amiss, immediately transforming into shadows and blending into strands of black mist.
They escaped quickly, without a single fatality, while the Stone Clan warriors suffered heavy casualties.
Elder Shi angrily shouted, and chaos ensued. No one knew what he was shouting. He furiously activated the Giant Spirit Lamp, causing countless sparks to scatter in all directions. When they landed on the mutated creatures, they caused chaotic explosions.
The sounds of explosions resounded ceaselessly, and numerous variations were blown apart, their bone fragments flying and rolling everywhere.
Elder Shi shouted, "Charge forward!"
The Chief Commander had not interfered with the battle from the beginning.
Protected by a few cloaked experts, he swiftly took out a twelve-sided blood flag and inserted it into the ground. Skillfully, he arranged several metal plates with intricate carvings on them in the middle of the blood flag.
When the Chief Commander ordered the troops to charge, he gritted his teeth and slashed his own wrist, staining the palm-sized metal plates with fresh blood.
The blood flag violently shook, and the metal plates spewed out dazzling flames.
"What are you doing?" Elder Shi suddenly turned around and roared at the Chief Commander. He stared fixedly at those pieces of metal that were releasing such bright light, and countless fine blood vessels appeared in his eye sockets.
He had never seen those pieces of metal before... after all, the Cang Yan Territory was just a remote, backwater place.
However, from the mouth of the caravans coming and going between the Cang Yan Territory and other territories, Elder Shi had heard of these legendary things... teleportation arrays, magical objects that could instantaneously transport people or things to extremely far places.
Regardless of whether there was a passage between the two locations, as long as a teleportation array was set up, even in a completely enclosed and isolated space, people or objects could easily be transported inside.
The Chief Commander had actually set up a teleportation array in such a short period of time, within the span of seven or eight breaths.
Who did he want to bring over?
Elder Shi instinctively raised the Giant Spirit Lamp, and a burst of flames rushed towards the teleportation array.
The light flickered on the six metal plates of the teleportation array, and a tall figure appeared out of thin air.
The figure extended a palm, clenching the greenish-white flame the size of a bowl.
With a loud bang, the flames that could send even the mutated stone giants tumbling out of control were crushed by the figure from the teleportation array. Burning fragments scattered everywhere, searing the ground and emitting sizzling sounds on the rocks.
"Shi Hui, are you not welcoming me?" The figure stepped out of the teleportation array.
"Eld... Elder Sect Master," Elder Shi's body froze. The flame on the Giant Spirit Lamp suddenly shrunk, collapsing to the size of a green bean. His originally upright figure instinctively bent forward, but soon, he forcibly straightened his back.
His gaze flickered; his face twisted. Elder Shi, with a complicated expression, looked at Jia Zhengfeng, his face seemingly smiling and crying, presenting an exciting sight.
"Why... did you come here in person?" Elder Shi straightened his back, looking at Jia Zhengfeng with an 'unyielding' gaze.
But upon closer inspection, one could see that his muscles around his waist and legs were trembling slightly, and his body was inclining forward involuntarily.
It was obvious that deep down, he wished to bow and pay respects to Jia Zhengfeng, but his facial act forced him to stiffen his body, barely standing erect in front of Jia Zhengfeng.
"Stone Clan, one of the three major families of the Cang Yan Territory."
"You, Shi Hui, one of the six elders of the Stone Clan."
"You are a significant figure in the Cang Yan Territory..."
Jia Zhengfeng smiled, his finger almost touching Shi Hui's nose. He laughed heartily, "Not to mention, your Stone Clan's Nether Demon Mine has gained notoriety these past years... What level of treasure do you think will appear here if indeed there is a treasure?"
Shi Hui's face stiffened.
In a friendly manner, Jia Zhengfeng patted Shi Hui's shoulder. He affably shook him a few times and said, "Now that you've decided to join my Eternal Life Sect, don't hesitate. Boldly and openly pledge your allegiance. Don't look back. You can only understand the wonders of my Eternal Life Sect once you've joined."
After a few laughs, Jia Zhengfeng tightly held onto Shi Hui's shoulder, with his other hand firmly grasping the aged hand of the Chief Commander, as they walked toward the pillar of fire at the bottom of the pit.
"Come, come, let's have a look first at what kind of treasure this blazing fiery treasure is."
(End of Chapter 76)