Chapter 547: The Critical Point of Growth

The nauseatingly sweet, rotting stench inside the cavern slowly faded as the black core crystal gradually cracked apart.

In its place came the damp, earthy smell of the wilderness and a cool autumn wind blowing in from the cave mouth.

The chilling, bone‑deep feeling faded, but the silent cruelty weighed heavily on everyone's heart.

Chen Wen sheathed his long sword and carefully examined the dark‑red pattern on the stone platform and floor that was gradually losing its luster.

After the core was damaged, the lines of the pattern seemed to lose some kind of "activity," becoming stiff—mere deep grooves.

"Search the cavern thoroughly; leave no corner unchecked."

"See if there are any documents, markers, or anything else out of the ordinary."

He issued the order in a low voice, which echoed in the empty stone hall.

The soldiers sprang into action, pairing up and holding torches.

They began sifting through the ashes left by the lingering gloom and probing the cracks in the stone walls.

They even carefully checked the spots where the unconscious villagers had lain.

Chen Wen himself walked over to the rescued villagers.

There were thirteen in all—seven men, four women, and two half‑grown children.

They were laid out side‑by‑side on the ground near the cave mouth, where the air was a bit more circulated; their faces remained ashen and their breathing faint.

But once that strange chip was removed from their foreheads, their vital breath truly ceased to fade.

It was like a dry riverbed finally seeping a hint of moisture.

"Can they be saved?"

Chao Gai had secured the village's defenses and then entered the cavern with a few men.

Seeing the villagers' state, his tiger eyes widened and his fists clenched with a cracking sound.

"Their breath is steady, but their vital energy is gravely wounded."

Chen Wen crouched and placed his fingers on an old man's wrist pulse.

His skin felt icy cold, and the pulse was so faint it was barely detectable.

"We need to get them back to the stronghold quickly, so those who know medicine can nurse them properly with tonic herbs to replenish vital energy."

"Whether they wake up and when—that's up to their fate."

He paused, then added.

"This whole affair is strange; when they wake, they may not remember what happened, and could even suffer mental damage."

"Spread the word: those caring for them must be patient, not frighten them, and not press too hard with questions."

"Yes."

Chao Gai nodded firmly and at once assigned several steady, meticulous soldiers to prepare stretchers and warm supplies.

He also sent someone ahead to return to Black Cloud Stronghold to report, so the medics and quiet chambers could get ready.

At that moment, the soldiers tasked with searching made a discovery.

"My lord, there's something here!"

One soldier pried open a slightly loose stone slab in a corner of the stone hall.

From beneath it he took out a slender object tightly wrapped in oilcloth.

Chen Wen took it; it felt quite heavy in his hand.

Unwrapping the oilcloth revealed a metal tube about two feet long, oddly shaped—neither blade nor sword.

Its entire surface was a dull deep gray, and the barrel was etched with twisting patterns similar to those on the dark‑energy chip, but more intricate.

One end of the tube was sealed; the other end bore a fine perforated structure.

"This… looks like some kind of bolt‑shooting device?"

Chao Gai leaned in to examine it, uncertain.

"It doesn't resemble any standard military issue."

Chen Wen studied it carefully and shook his head.

"The markings are related to dark energy, and the material is no ordinary iron or copper."

He tried to channel a faint thread of his own condensed Fortune Momentum into it to probe.

The metal tube shuddered slightly, and a fleeting, extremely dim flow of light traced across its surface pattern.

But it immediately fell silent, showing no response to the Fortune Momentum and triggering no anomaly.

"Put it away for now, bring it back to the stronghold, and have Zhao Lao Nian take a look."

Chen Wen rewrapped the metal tube and handed it to his personal guard beside him.

"He might be able to make sense of it."

"What about elsewhere?"

"Reporting to my lord, nothing else was found."

"Those two ghostly things left nothing behind after turning to ash."

"As for the pattern and the stone platform, aside from the grooves and that broken odd stone, there's nothing special."

The soldiers reported back.

Chen Wen was not surprised.

The Iron Crow Army acts secretively; this "harvest" site is clearly temporary or one‑time, so it won't leave many clues.

Merely finding this strange artifact was an unexpected gain.

He finally glanced at the center of the stone platform.

The black crystal was now covered in spider‑web‑like cracks, and its original gloomy luster had vanished completely.

It had become a lifeless, uneven black stone lump, no longer emitting cold or a hum.

Take this stone back as well, wrap it carefully, store it separately, and do not let ordinary people come near it.

Chen Wen ordered.

Although this thing appears destroyed, its essence is sinister; bringing it back for study might allow us to better understand the Iron Crow Army's methods.

"Withdraw!"

Having confirmed there were no omissions, Chen Wen decisively gave the order.

The soldiers carried the unconscious villagers, bearing the seized metal tubes and black shards, and swiftly and orderly exited the cave.

Upon returning to the entrance of Wangjia Ao village, the sunset had already dyed the horizon a shade of orange-red.

The soldiers left behind had already completed a preliminary search of the entire village, confirming there were no other survivors and no new residual yin energy points.

The whole village, aside from the thirteen rescued persons.

The remaining nearly a hundred mouths have been completely erased from this world, not even leaving corpses.

"Using people as firewood, burning their spirits……"

Chen Wen stood before the desolate village in the twilight, the mountain wind stirring his robes, his tone stern.

"Such methods are intolerable to heavenly principle."

"Issue the order back: starting today, strengthen patrols and vigilance at Black Cloud Stronghold and all its subordinate villages and outposts, especially noting any abnormal gatherings or disappearances of people in remote settlements."

"Upon discovering any suspicious traces, report immediately, without delay."

"Yes!"

The order-taker quickly noted it down, swung onto his horse, and galloped swiftly toward the Black Cloud Stronghold.

The unit escorted the surviving villagers, silently setting out on the return journey.

The urgency of the pursuit on the way there had turned into a heavy, gloomy solemnity on the return.

Everyone knows that what they suffered defeat from today is merely one link in the countless schemes of the Iron Crow Army.

Those rescued are merely a tiny fraction of the fortunate.

A greater shadow still looms over the northern lands, over the south, over this tract of land whose fate is toyed with by an unseen hand.

As night deepened, the unit held torches and wound their way along the mountain path.

Chen Wen rode on horseback, appearing to close his eyes and nurture his spirit, yet his mind was wholly immersed in a wonderful rhythm within his body.

The brief clash with the yin shade, destroying the core of that evil ritual, and making a series of follow-up arrangements and decisions……

This series of actions seems not merely a response to external threats.

Moreover, it completed some crucial accumulation internally.

At this moment, an unprecedented sense of "fullness" is slowly welling up from deep within his limbs and bones.

This is not the emptiness of exhausted strength; on the contrary, it is the sustained "effective effort" that has continued for a long time.

——whether it is the refinement of personal martial skill, the honing of ability usage, or making one far-reaching strategic decision after another.

——the accumulated "growth" has finally reached the limit that a certain container can hold.

That mysterious "Growth Progress Bar," perceptible only to himself, now appears clearly in his thoughts.

It is no longer the initial vague impression.

Rather, it emits a warm, steady luster, complete and flawless, with not a single gap.

He can even "feel" that this perfect progress bar itself is faintly trembling.

It resonates subtly with his heartbeat and with some deeper "pulse" of the surrounding world.

His perception of "Fortune Momentum" has become extraordinarily keen.

The warm undulation transmitted from the Black Cloud Stronghold's core token in his bosom.

From the direction where the Southern Yue Fei Army is stationed far away, a faintly transmitted resilient yet slightly sluggish "Fortune Momentum" ripple.

Even the heavy aura inherent in the land beneath his feet, like a stone tossed into a calm water surface, sends layer upon layer of clear ripples across his heart‑lake.

He can even faintly "see" that between himself and those rescued villagers behind him, a thread of extremely faint, positive causality representing "the retrieval of vitality" has been drawn;

while with the destroyed cave ritual, there is another line representing the causality of "obstructing destruction."

These lines crisscross, forming a complex, dynamic web centered on him.

"It's coming……"

Chen Wen's heart is like a clear mirror.

Unlike the previous time when, at the brink of death, with the converging belief of soldiers and civilians, he surged to 128× with grandeur and solemnity.

This time's premonition of breakthrough is more peaceful, more a matter of course, like a melon falling when ripe, the inevitable result of solid accumulation.

Yet beneath the calm, he also feels a weighty heaviness.

Lv. 5, thirty‑twofold efficacy.

Each major realm advancement is not merely a change in numbers.

Lv. 4 unlocked "Ability Granting," completely altering how he interacts with his team and intervenes in the world.

So, what about Lv. 5?

What new changes will the system bring? What new "perspective" or new "tool" will it grant him?

Especially after having just witnessed the Iron Crow Army's so evil and direct "harvesting" method.

At the moment he feels the immense oppressive pressure of that invisible "script."

He harbors a genuine yearning for new power and new "vision."

He needs to see more clearly the context of his opponents, and needs to protect more effectively the people and matters he cares about.

He needs to advance more resolutely along this upstream path.

The unit returned to Black Cloud Stronghold in the pitch‑black night.

The stronghold's gate was lit with bright lights, everything arranged in orderly fashion.

The unconscious villagers were quickly moved and cared for.

Zhao Lao Nian's workshop quickly lit up, obviously full of enthusiasm for researching that metal tube and the black gravel.

Chen Wen went straight back to the quiet chamber behind the mountain.

He closed the door, cutting off external affairs.

He did not immediately attempt to break through that layer, already as thin as a cicada's wing.

Instead, he stood still for a moment, letting the day's turmoil and the insights from his return slowly settle.

The oil lamp's light cast his shadow on the wall, stretching it long.

He knew the breakthrough might come at any moment, or perhaps it needed a purer trigger.

But that feeling of fullness, about to burst forth, was so real and strong.

He seemed to stand before an intangible threshold; the scene beyond was hazy and unknown, but the door was already ajar, needing only a gentle push.

"South... False Song Imperial Court... Golden Army... Iron Crow Army..."

He muttered softly, his gaze calm.

"No matter what Lv. 5 brings, this path must continue."

"And we must walk it better, faster."

Outside the quiet chamber, the last chirps of autumn insects sounded intermittently, making the night even deeper.

The mountain wind swept over the stockade, bringing a scent from afar.

Chen Wen sat cross-legged slowly, not to cultivate.

But to let his body and mind settle completely, to listen to the ever-clearer "tide sound" within, signifying an imminent transformation.

The threshold of growth had undoubtedly arrived.

He only needed to wait for that final ripple of natural fulfillment, then he could break through the barrier and enter a new realm.