Chapter 456

Blades chop and axes hack.

Heaven strikes lightning.

Water floods and fire burns.

Wind blows, freezing the ice.

Wu Tie squinted his eyes, as if asleep.

At first, dozens of youths surrounded him, wildly unleashing their techniques; gradually, their numbers swelled, and now over three hundred vigorous youths encircle the Dun Long Pillar, employing every sort of divine ability and secret art, wielding all kinds of divine weapons as they frantically besiege Wu Tie.

The swords snapped.

The axe shattered.

The spear snapped.

The heavy pestle was torn apart.

One after another, divine weapons slammed into Wu Tie, only to shatter into streams of light unseen by the crowd, which Wu Tie continually devoured.

Wu Tie had ignored his mutated bones for a long time; those powerful, terrifying mutated bones had been starving for ages. Today, his bones finally feasted heartily, receiving a thorough nourishment.

One mighty divine weapon after another shattered, but Wu Tie's skin didn't so much as crease.

His physical strength now completely surpasses the grade of Nine Refined Immortal Weapons; an ordinary cultivator of the Fetal Storage Realm wielding such weapons could pose no threat to him. Such bodily might can be called bronze-headed and iron-armed, with steel tendons and iron bones, or a Vajra-like indestructible form.

The youths bellowed in rage, unaware of where they'd gotten so many top-tier divine weapons; on average each had expended more than three fine arms in their assault on Wu Tie, and at last they unleashed their ultimate killer move.

A great furnace coiled with nine dragons hovered above Wu Tie's head, its three sturdy legs pointing skyward, its mouth aimed at him, as torrents of viscous, magma-like seven-colored divine flame erupted, madly scorching his body.

Amid the seven-colored divine flame, lightning, golden blades, gales, and thunderbolts raged wildly; even the condensed Yuan Magnetic Divine Light turned into countless long needles darting to and fro, while an invisible gravity field twisted and assailed Wu Tie's body.

Eerie wails assailed his soul; a potent corrosive force ate away at his tendons and bones; the force of life and death ground back and forth over his immense vitality; and a withering, decaying force madly crushed his flesh and organs.

This Nine Dragon Great Furnace is a supreme treasure, containing at least three hundred sixty complete Heavenly-Earthly Great Daos forged into a colossal grindstone, powered by the scorching seven-colored divine flame, slowly grinding Wu Tie in an attempt to pulverize his indestructible steel-tendon, iron-bone body.

Within Wu Tie's Life Pond, his near-solid soul blazed with light.

His pores flung open, letting the seven-colored divine flame, bearing the terrifying dao resonance of the three hundred sixty Heavenly-Earthly Great Daos, surge into his Life Pond, where it struck his soul, his flesh, and every minute particle of his body.

The Yin-Yang Two-Qi Bottle presided over the heart of his Life Pond, sending forth strands of black-and-white divine light that firmly guarded his soul, stabilized his Life Pond, and anchored the projection of the Creation Jade Disc at its base.

The three hundred sixty Heavenly-Earthly Great Daos became three hundred sixty light dragons that roared furiously within Wu Tie's Life Pond, baring fangs and claws as they madly assailed everything they could reach.

The Creation Jade Disc rotated slowly, like a mirror, repeatedly imprinting the silhouettes of the three hundred sixty Dao light dragons within itself.

Gradually, countless Dao patterns resembling flood dragons emerged spontaneously on the Creation Jade Disc; within Wu Tie's soul, matching Dao seals condensed one by one; the immense power flooding into his body from outside was then completely absorbed by the Yin-Yang Two-Qi Bottle.

As the Innate Yin-Yang Two Qi spun and turned, the myriad lightning, thunderbolts, heavenly fire, gales, golden blades, and divine light condensed from the three hundred sixty Great Daos all transmuted into the purest, most primal Heavenly-Earthly power, swiftly merging into Wu Tie's soul.

Torrents of mana like great dragons surged from his soul, turning into waterfalls that poured into his Life Pond.

The mana in his Life Pond became ever more radiant and brilliant, ever more unfathomable and shifting.

On the Creation Jade Disc, beside the complete patterns of the Yin-Yang Five Elements Great Dao, three hundred sixty Dao patterns coiled into form. The Yin-Yang Five Elements Great Dao exuded a majestic aura like a great dragon, while these three hundred sixty Dao patterns resembled flood dragons—though somewhat slender, their aura remained extraordinary.

Wu Tie's Dao cultivation surged forward, his grasp of the Heavenly-Earthly Great Dao advancing at a terrifying pace.

This truly is Wu Tie's fortune.

The Nine Dragon Furnace is an innate supreme treasure containing three hundred sixty profundities of the acquired Great Dao; these combine in pairs, triples, quartets, quintets, and so on, ultimately merging the three hundred sixty acquired Great Daos into one, yielding countless possible attack modes.

Leaving aside its power, the Nine Dragon Furnace's attack modes are endlessly variable and myriad, truly a rare treasure under heaven.

It was also because Wu Tie's body was too hard and tyrannical, shattering over a thousand of the youths' divine weapons, provoking them to lose their temper, which is why they brought out this heavy armament to face him.

Normally, this treasure rests atop Round Peak in the Great Lake, serving as the suppressive supreme treasure of a massive grand array, guarding that Round Peak.

Had they not been enraged, the youths stationed year-round near Round Peak, responsible for patrolling, defending, and maintaining that Round Peak, would never have dared to bring out the array's eye-suppressing treasure to deal with a mere individual.

Since the Nine Dragon Furnace could not harm Wu Tie's body or soul, all its benefits ended up accruing to Wu Tie.

The projection of the Creation Jade Disc grew ever more substantial and marvelous; the three hundred sixty profundities of the Great Dao, projected by the disc, were naturally understood and absorbed by Wu Tie, becoming means he himself mastered.

As the Dao patterns on the Creation Jade Disc grew distinct, Wu Tie's soul also tended toward further refinement.

Wu Tie's mana also transformed; his whole Life Pond resembled a small sun, its mana like a pool of bright pearls, shedding dazzling light that reached millions of miles, even faintly shining through his skin.

Wu Tie suddenly lifted his head; his pupils were one black, one white, as two slender threads of black-and-white qi shot from his eyes, swift as lightning, enveloping the Nine Dragon Furnace.

The Nine Dragon Furnace shuddered violently, as the Innate Yin-Yang Two Qi howled into its body, swiftly winding around it several times.

Among the over three hundred youths shouting around Wu Tie, the youth in charge of the Nine Dragon Furnace suddenly let out a strange cry; his eyes bulged, a stream of blood spurted from his seven orifices, his body leapt up ten or so zhang, then crashed heavily to the ground.

Mouthful after mouthful of blood spewed forth; the youth's body convulsed violently, his link to the Nine Dragon Furnace instantly severed, the soul imprint he had left in the furnace wiped out in an instant by the Yin-Yang Two Qi, directly inflicting grave injury to his soul.

"Not good!" all the youths present cried out in alarm.

The Yin-Yang Two Qi surged, and the three hundred sixty kinds of harmonious, mutually flowing Dao power within the Nine Dragon Furnace instantly fell into utter chaos.

The Dao forces collided and rubbed violently, like three hundred sixty mismatched gears jammed together, varying in size and angle, then all gears simultaneously giving their all in a single turn…

With a crackling sound, this innate-level strange treasure suddenly split open with countless cracks; countless dreadful heavenly fire and lightning, seven-colored Yuan Magnetic and the like—lethal things—turned into rolling torrents that howled outward in all directions, instantly blanketing the surrounding void for hundreds of miles.

"We're done for! We've played ourselves!" the youths shouted in unison, each panicking, not knowing what to do.

Their faces twisted, their gazes wandered, and their expressions became quite remarkable.

The Nine Dragon Furnace is the core of the grand array guarding that Round Peak; they secretly took it out to use against Wu Tie, which was already a violation, and now someone has seized control of it by inscrutable means…

This is already a capital offense… worse still, the furnace actually shattered!

An innate supreme treasure, used to guard the former crown prince's mausoleum, they have utterly exhausted it!

This really is, they've played it out!

A tremendous boom rang out as the Nine Dragon Furnace, unable to withstand the internal tumultuous Dao flood, exploded outright into three hundred sixty pieces.

The furnace had hovered above Wu Tie's head, only a dozen zhang high when madly attacking him; but this shattering destroyed the innate divine restrictions that had formed, and the furnace's body instantly reverted to its original form.

Three hundred sixty fragments, each a thousand li in size!

Such enormous furnace fragments suddenly expanded, exploding atop this small hill; everyone's vision went dark as the large and small shards blanketed the sky, blocking out all sunlight.

The fragments expanded rapidly, their edges howling as they slammed into the surrounding peaks.

These furnace fragments contain the power of the Great Dao; they are innate supreme treasures, extremely sturdy, and also possess boundless might. The surrounding great mountains, though they often rise hundreds of li high, are merely ordinary mountain masses; once struck by these furnace fragments, these mountain peaks will surely be shattered to pieces.

This round peak is the mausoleum of the former crown prince; what is valued is that over a hundred waterfalls rush down, faintly bearing the air of a hundred dragons paying homage and a hundred dragons guarding a pearl.

If the surrounding peaks were all toppled, the former crown prince's mausoleum would be completely unrecognizable!

These youths, tasked with guarding the former crown prince's mausoleum but who played with fire and ended up ruining it… heh, heh!

"Help!" Several youths, thinking of the miserable fate awaiting them, trembled all over and screamed wildly.

Being selected to come here to guard the former crown prince's mausoleum is, among their peers, the most prestigious job. Their elders are all die‑hard confidants of the former crown prince, former heavyweight ministers of the Eastern Palace, utterly loyal to the former crown prince, which is why they got the chance to be chosen for this post.

Given their elders' character, given their elders' loyalty to the former crown prince.

After they ruined the former crown prince's mausoleum…… they are surely going to be beaten to death. The various punishments they just used on Wu Tie—it is estimated they will each have to taste a round of them before their own elders beat them to death personally.

"Help!" More youths screamed in panic.

Flames rose, thunder exploded chaotically, and various terrifying forces of heaven and earth turned into a tumultuous tide that came crashing down.

Wu Tie narrowed his eyes; black and white spiritual light flickered in his pupils. Suddenly the surroundings rang with a roar, the Five Elements Divine Light flashed heavily, over three hundred youths fainted instantly, and the sky‑filling chaotic heavenly force together with three hundred sixty furnace shards were all swept up by the Five Elements Divine Light.

The Five Elements Divine Light gave a strong stir, and the furnace shards shattered with a bang.

Inside Wu Tie's body, his bones underwent violent shaking; piece by piece they clicked together, and all dislocated joints were restored at once.

The furnace shards exploded, turning into dragon‑like long rainbows that poured into Wu Tie's body.

The strength of his flesh surged rapidly…… that aside, on the Creation Jade Disc the three hundred sixty Great Dao patterns were rapidly forming, instantly turning into dragon‑like Dao patterns, faintly showing the momentum to rival the Yin Yang Five Elements Dao patterns.

However, on the Creation Jade Disc the Yin Yang Five Elements Dao patterns possess both innate and acquired aspects, whereas these three hundred sixty Great Dao patterns have only the acquired part, so in momentum they are still somewhat lacking.

Yet in Wu Tie's life pond, as he cultivated the Primordial Scripture, countless light strands bursting from the layered shackles within his body flickered in unison; thread after thread of light shot swiftly toward the Creation Jade Disc, instantly replenishing the three hundred sixty acquired Great Dao patterns.

The three hundred sixty Great Dao patterns burst forth with boundless divine light, their innate parts rapidly self‑completing!

Wu Tie's soul shuddered violently; boundless Great Dao mysteries appeared directly in his soul, merging with it completely, blending like milk and water, thereafter indistinguishable.

As his Dao advanced, with each breath Wu Tie faintly felt himself merging with this heaven and earth, easily able to mobilize hundreds of heavenly forces to crush enemies.

Wu Tie suddenly realized something very important to him.

Cultivating the Primordial Scripture is undoubtedly a difficult, lengthy process. But he can, just as today, destroy and devour spirit treasures that store a complete heavenly Dao, directly plunder the heavenly secrets therefrom, and increase his own Dao cultivation.

Having become a heaven and earth unto himself, Wu Tie possessed the seed of the Great Dao…

But the seed of the Great Dao still needs to be slowly nurtured and grown…… since that is the case, why not simply seize a great tree and plant it within this heaven and earth?

"Seems, we can do it this way!"

Wu Tie's pupils flickered with black and white spiritual light; he instinctively looked toward the Fleeing Dragon Stake that imprisoned him.

At this moment the Fleeing Dragon Stake trembled slightly, spiritually aware, fearful and shuddering.

The Nine Dragon Furnace is of higher grade than the Fleeing Dragon Stake, its power greater, its main body far stronger and sturdier than the Fleeing Dragon Stake by an unknown amount.

Since Wu Tie destroyed the Nine Dragon Furnace, destroying the Fleeing Dragon Stake is naturally no problem.

Wu Tie laughed brightly; the Fleeing Dragon Stake is a supreme treasure of confinement, containing dozens of Great Dao mysteries related to confinement…

"Be good, I won't strike you for now, just obey and I won't move my hand." Wu Tie chuckled, patting the Fleeing Dragon Stake, then also patting the Heavenly Master Seal, which likewise trembled in fear.

Just now the furnace shattered, and the huge rumbling sound continued to spread outward.

In the distance a huge monster roared as it charged over, a clear yet slightly cold voice echoed from afar.

"People, what happened here?"

"This heaven is making a ruckus; have you forgotten the last time you got beaten?"

Wu Tie stared intently; he couldn't help but stare wide‑eyed in shock.

That black shadow, that huge monster, turned out to be a…… giant antlion over three thousand zhang in length!

Antlions, those tiny insects, are common in fields, but usually only the size of a fingertip.

This tiny insect suddenly grew to over three thousand zhang…

That is literally the length of three flagship‑class barges.

Even Wu Tie felt a faint chill run down his spine.

Such a gigantic insect is surely hard to deal with.