Chapter 181: Fountain of Life

Wang Shan stared intently at the glowing Black Jade Slip, and at his little grandson Wang Zhize's plump little hand.

Everything around seemed to freeze. Li Hu and Zhang Mei dared not even breathe, and even the agonizing pain from the raging beastly Counter‑Devouring was, for a moment, cast aside by Wang Shan.

The radiance grew ever brighter yet remained gentle, like a ball of moonlight cradled in the palm. Light threads continuously streamed from the Black Jade Slip, passed through Wang Zhize's hand, and entered Wang Zhitao's body. Wang Zhitao's chest, which had almost ceased its rise and fall, now showed a visible, though faint, steady breath.

"Master, what… what is this?" Zhang Mei's voice trembled; she feared that speaking would cause the miracle before her eyes to vanish.

Wang Shan gave no answer; his gaze never left his two grandsons.

So that's how it is…

He's not some chosen one; he's just a cart‑puller. The ones truly riding the cart are these two little rascals.

The thought churned a mix of emotions in his heart—a feeling of being struck on the head, but more so a strange, heavy sense of solidity.

At that moment, the glow on the Black Jade Slip suddenly changed; it no longer merely nourished Wang Zhitao, but split off an extremely thin beam, like a living little snake, shooting straight toward the deeper part of the Cave.

"Hm?" Wang Shan furrowed his brow.

Is this… pointing the way?

"Li Hu, carry me. Zhang Mei, hold Zhitao, take Zhize, and follow." Wang Shan's voice remained hoarse, but the weakness was replaced by an undeniable resolve.

"Yes!"

Li Hu, without a word, slung one of Wang Shan's arms onto his shoulder. Wang Shan pressed nearly half his weight onto Li Hu; with each step, his bones moaned under the unbearable load.

Zhang Mei carefully lifted the now slightly pink Wang Zhitao, while her other hand tightly grasped Wang Zhize. The little one seemed to sense something too; he neither cried nor fussed, only opened his curious big eyes to watch the guiding light in the darkness.

The party staggered forward, following that light thread deeper into the Cave.

The farther they went inward, the purer and denser the energy in the air became. It was a refreshing sensation that seemed to seep into every pore, as if each breath drew the most primal life force. Wang Shan's raging beastly nature, which had been charging wildly, calmed a little under the soothing energy.

【Ding! You have entered the 'Beast Source Core' zone.】

【Warning: The energy purity here is extremely high; it may unpredictably amplify or suppress your cultivation method Ten Thousand Beasts Reversal.】

Wang Shan ignored the system warning. He had now realized that this broken cultivation method was a trap; no matter how it changed, it could never blossom.

After about the time it takes for a incense stick to burn down, the view opened up.

They arrived at a massive underground Cave. The ceiling was studded with countless crystals emitting soft light, illuminating the space like daylight. In the center of the Cave stood a pool of emerald‑green water.

The pool measured only three zhang on each side, its surface calm and still, yet it radiated a glittering green glow, dense with life energy so concentrated it seemed unbreakable; just a single breath of it revived the spirit.

The guiding light thread finally sank into that pool and vanished.

"This… this is…" Li Hu's eyes widened, "Such dense spiritual aura! No, it's even higher than spiritual aura!"

Zhang Mei was likewise stunned.

"Sheng Ming Quan…" Wang Shan murmured, his eyes bursting with unprecedented brilliance.

【Ding! Detected high‑purity life‑energy aggregation—'Sheng Ming Quan'.】

【Analysis: The spring water contains the purest Beast‑source power, capable of neutralizing alien energies, restoring the life source, and offering strong purification against toxins, curses, and cultivation Counter‑Devouring.】

Purification effect!

Wang Shan's heart thumped violently. Damn it, after treading iron shoes without finding anything, this came without any effort!

"Quick! Put Zhitao in!" Wang Shan's voice carried a trembling urgency.

Zhang Mei didn't delay; she hurried to the spring's edge and gently placed the unconscious Wang Zhitao into the water.

A miraculous scene unfolded.

As soon as Wang Zhitao's body touched the spring, the emerald water seemed to come alive, turning into countless tiny green Light Spots that rushed into his skin. The dead‑gray aura clinging to him was driven away at a visible speed, while faint wisps of black vapor escaped from his seven orifices, only to be purified by the spring's energy.

A healthy flush quickly spread across his pale face.

"Effective! Truly effective!" Zhang Mei exclaimed, nearly in tears.

Wang Shan let out a long sigh, feeling the heaviest stone on his heart finally drop. He could no longer care about anything else; he sat cross‑legged at the spring's edge and reached his hand into the water.

A gentle yet massive surge of energy instantly flowed up his arm into his body.

The feeling was like parched, cracked earth finally receiving a refreshing downpour. The beastly forces that had run rampant due to Counter‑Devouring were, before this pure life energy, like a nemesis—instantly soothed, suppressed, and even began to be gradually assimilated and broken down.

"So good!"

Wang Shan couldn't help but let out a low roar; he'd never felt so comfortable in his life. The tearing sensation that had hovered on the brink of collapse faded rapidly, replaced by a solid sense of regained control.

As he greedily absorbed the spring's energy, Li Hu suddenly shouted, "Master, what is that over there?"

Wang Shan opened his eyes and looked where Li Hu pointed. Beside the Sheng Ming Quan stood a half‑person‑high stone tablet. The tablet was entirely jet‑black, neither metal nor jade, and under the surrounding glow it appeared unusually ancient.

The tablet was densely covered with tiny insect‑head characters, the ancient script of the Beast Taming Sect.

Wang Shan felt something stir, forced himself to stand, and walked to the tablet.

【Ding! Detected 'Beast Taming Sect Core Inheritance' stone tablet, consume 1000 Spirit Plant Points to analyze?】

"Yes!"

The text instantly transformed into a stream of information flooding Wang Shan's mind.

The more he read, the stranger his expression became—from surprise to puzzlement, then realization, and finally a face full of dread and anger.

"What a 《Ten Thousand Beasts Devour Master》… what a Beast Taming Sect!" Wang Shan squeezed the words out of his teeth.

"Master, what's wrong?" Li Hu asked.

Wang Shan did not answer immediately, but turned his gaze to his two grandsons. Wang Zhitao floated in the spring, breathing normally, clearly no longer in mortal danger. Wang Zhize, meanwhile, sat curiously at the edge, fiddling with the water with his small hand, playing happily.

He was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke, his voice carrying a survivor's relief: "We… almost got trapped to death by that pit."

The tablet recorded the Beast Taming Sect's deepest secret.

The cultivation method they practiced, Ten Thousand Beasts Reversal, was not a complete technique; its true name is Ten Thousand Beasts Devour Master!

This method was a trap from the start. It grants cultivators great power in a short time, but the price is that the chaotic wills of ten thousand beasts erode them, eventually stripping them of self and turning them into a mindless killing beast. This process is called the "Devour Master"!

The downfall of the Beast Taming Sect was not solely due to external enemies; more so it stemmed from this technique's loss of control, causing mad practitioners infected by the Devour Master from top to bottom, leading to internal strife and destruction.

The only solution to the Devour Master, the tablet also wrote clearly. It is a complementary secret method—《Soul‑Binding Beast Refinement》!

This method requires a pure, pristine bloodline as a conduit, drawing the primordial life energy of the world (the Sheng Ming Quan) to forcibly refine and purify the chaotic beastly will within a cultivator, ultimately turning it to one's own use. Only then can one truly master the power of ten thousand beasts without being devoured.

"Pure and pristine bloodline…" Wang Shan watched Wang Zhize still playing in the water, and a bitterness rose in his heart.

After all that effort, the power this grandfather had fought tooth and nail to cultivate was just a bunch of "industrial wastewater" that needed purification, while his grandson was the actual "water purifier"!

What is this about!

Nevertheless, regardless of how stifling the process was, we finally found a way out.

However, just as Wang Shan thought everything would turn bright, he saw the final passage at the end of the stone tablet. The handwriting was scrawny, as if the engraver had left it in a state of extreme terror.

'... Devouring the host is not the end, it is the key... Beneath the spring water lies the suppressed "Ultimate"... It is awakening, it is waiting for a new "container"... Run!!'

Container?

Wang Shan felt a sudden thump in his heart, a chill shooting from his tailbone straight up to his celestial crown.

Before he could grasp what it meant, the system's Alert sound suddenly blasted in his mind, sharp enough to pierce his soul!

【Warning! Warning! Detected extinction‑level will fluctuation!】

【The seal deep within the Beast Source Core has been triggered, the ancient will 'Ancestor of Ten Thousand Beasts' is awakening!】

【Locking target: Zhuren Wang Shan.】

【Assessment: The opponent is attempting a will‑possession!】

【'Ten Thousand Beasts Devour Host' final stage—'Divine Descent', has been activated!】