Chapter 249: Primordial Ore

Behind them, a crocodile ancestor covered in brilliant gold scales stood over ten meters tall, each scale radiating splendid golden glows, quite extraordinary.

The crocodile's incarnation resembled a small hill, its aura oppressive; each time its thick limbs struck the ground, the earth trembled and mountains shook, the land cracking.

Despite its huge size, it showed no sluggishness; instead, it moved extremely fast, almost becoming a golden flash.

"Wu Liang... damn heavenly venerable!"

Duan De shuddered; the terrifying killing intent from behind came like a wave, nearly knocking him off balance.

"Run!"

The big black dog's soul nearly fled, leaving the scene cold and silent.

Now they lack the power to activate holy weapons; facing a half‑saint‑level crocodile ancestor means certain death— their cultivation differs by two major realms.

"Where to run, Daoist Master, I'm about to lose my breath..."

Wu Liang Daoist clutched his chest, blood trickling from his mouth, his liver shattered inside, suffering heavy injuries; his divine power was gradually depleted.

Yet he dared not pause for a moment, for a single misstep could slap him into blood mist, killing him on the spot.

"Find the Imperial Son! He can surely slay this beast!"

The big black dog was certain, yet what frustrated and despaired him was that they had no idea where Yang Zhu was now, making him impossible to find.

"Dead dog, get out of the way!"

Boundless killing intent surged; Duan De sensed danger and produced an ancient stone tablet, enlarging it to dozens of zhang wide.

He obtained it from an ancient tomb; it resembles a forbidden device, capable of blocking a strike from a saint or lower, after which it shatters.

The stone tablet blocked behind the big black dog; a golden divine light followed close behind, carrying an aura that could destroy heaven and earth, making hearts tremble.

"Boom!"

The ancient stone tablet collided with the divine light; after a thunderous boom, the light was barely blocked, but the tablet exploded into powder that fell down.

"We almost got finished..."

Having narrowly escaped, the big black dog's chest heaved violently; it swallowed hard, still filled with lingering fear.

"Damn it! If I find the Imperial Son, I'll skin you, pull your tendons, drink your blood, and eat your flesh!"

Yet when had he ever suffered such indignity? He instantly glared fiercely behind him and began to curse.

"Heh! It's rare to have food delivered to our door; we can't let you escape."

The crocodile ancestor's avatar also possessed a trace of the main body's spiritual awareness; besides not having eaten meat for a long time, it also smelled many treasures on the big black dog and his companions.

Thus it pursued them relentlessly, vowing to devour them completely.

"Damn, you're just a suppressed evil; do you really think you can wipe us out?"

Even though Duan De's body was heavily injured, his tone and attitude showed no weakness; he pointed at the opponent's nose and shouted insults.

"Let's see how long you can keep your tough talk!"

The crocodile, repeatedly humiliated by the two, flared its scales in rage; its aura grew more terrifying, like a peerless great demon emerging.

"Dead dog, what are we to do..."

Though they showed no sign of it, both knew that with their severe injuries they could not last much longer.

"Even I, the king, didn't know; had I known, I wouldn't have rushed to return the Longevity Daoist Temple to the Imperial Son..."

If they hadn't all cultivated the Xing Character Secret, with his cultivation at the first immortal, second layer, he would have died long ago and couldn't have lasted until now.

Just then, a chaos heavenly blade tore through the void, its snow‑white, gleaming edge emitting a piercing cold light, extremely frightening.

"Pfft!"

The heavenly blade moved, carrying a slice of chaos as it descended; its power was terrifying, its aura overwhelming, reaching its peak— a single strike sent the crocodile ancestor flying sideways thousands of zhang. "You're courting death."

A crystal‑clear hand appeared, grasping the heavenly blade; Yang Zhu stepped out of the void, lifted the blade, and struck down again.

Without any doubt, the heavenly blade condensed with Yang Zhu's dao seal was unmatched, capable of slaying everything in the world; the very land trembled.

"Boom..."

In an instant, the crocodile ancestor's avatar that had been flung away was cut down, both body and spirit destroyed.

"Who dares to ruin the venerable one's affairs?"

In the Great Thunder Sound Temple, within the Eighteen Levels of Hell, a low growl like heavenly thunder echoed, extremely cold and gloomy, as if issuing from the Nine Abysses.

A pair of scarlet eyes opened, killing intent fierce, tinged with madness; he struggled violently, and boundless Buddhist dharma manifested around him, pressing down to suppress him.

Perhaps due to long abandonment, the seals suppressing this place have faded greatly; now the entire Eighteen Levels of Hell tremble.

It seemed it could be broken open at any moment; once that happened, the great ominous thing sealed inside would escape, with unimaginable consequences...

"Em... Imperial Son!"

Upon seeing Yang Zhu, the big black dog's eyes filled with mist; joy and excitement were hard to hide, nearly bringing it to tears on the spot.

A feeling of relief spread through his body; he knew that as long as Yang Zhu was present, he would certainly avoid any further mishap today.

"You've finally come; this poor daoist was about to meet his end here..."

Duan De was also excited; merely speaking with effort caused a sharp pain that made him grit his teeth, and the cold technique surfaced again.

Yang Zhu stepped forward to examine their injuries; with a flick of his embroidered robe, a gentle divine power instantly stabilized their wounds, then he checked the big black dog's condition.

"Little Black, how are you?"

The big black dog was as strong as an ox, its black fur glossy and sleek, its body comparable to divine metal; cultivators of the same level could hardly truly wound it.

But now he was covered in blood, with many lacerations, blood continually seeping out, looking quite miserable.

"It's fine; I won't die."

Yang Zhu took out dozens of superb rare treasures; with a fingertip, he extracted all their essence.

Crystal‑clear droplets accompanied by Yang Zhu's divine power seeped into their wounds; thereafter the horrible injuries healed at a visible speed.

A crackling sound came; the broken bones were quickly mending, and the shattered organs were rapidly repairing.

Moreover, a stream of pure qi circulated within the body, and wherever it passed, the depleted spiritual power gradually recovered.

Both felt a sense of ease throughout their limbs and bones; the intense pain vanished completely, as if their injuries had fully healed.

A stone half a person's height was taken out by Yang Zhu; in an instant, a special aura emanated from it.

It is a stone-like object, but its surface is exceptionally crystalline, as if countless stars were attached to it, brilliant enough to almost blind one's eyes.

The stone is marvelous, flickering and flashing, actually absorbing the essence of heaven and earth on its own.

"Could it be... this is Taichu ore?!"

Upon seeing this object, Duan De's eyes widened in excitement, his jaw almost dropping from astonishment.

Taichu ore is one of the rarest treasures in the world, for it is produced only in the deepest part of the Taichu ancient mine; in the vast universe, no other place can be found.

As for how many ages the Taichu ancient mine has existed, it is unknown; it seems to have stood there since the beginning of the universe.

(End of chapter)