Chapter 685: I Ask, You Answer

Sensing Tang Luo and the others appear, Wen Bo's body trembled, and he immediately ran down from the high platform, running toward Tang Luo, shouting as he ran: "Holy Monk, I've reformed! I've reformed!"

A wet stain was left on his trousers and robe.

"Stop." Tang Luo extended a hand to block the pants-wetting Wen Bo from approaching, "Go, take everyone, get away from here."

Wen Bo halted his steps, nodding repeatedly, no longer treating all beings as equals, calling out to a group of people to run for their lives directly.

As time passed, large numbers of slaves walked out from the mine entrances; if one looked down from high in the sky, it would even create the illusion of ants pouring out of a nest.

The number of slaves was vast; they couldn't all leave in a short while.

Tang Luo and the others weren't in a rush either; Zhu Bajie and Ao Yulie just held crystal ores, studying them over and over.

Ao Yulie opened his mouth, and a tiny bolt of lightning spat out onto the crystal ore.

The ore instantly gained a few charred black marks.

"It seems to have no nullification ability against divine abilities and spells." Ao Yulie said.

"Mm." Zhu Bajie nodded.

He was holding it near the Nine-Toothed Rake, smashing the crystal ore before him to pieces.

The ore's strength and hardness were just that; as long as an attack exceeded their own hardness and strength, whether it was a spell or not, it had an effect.

This made Zhu Bajie feel that the possibility of some hidden formation weakening them was higher.

But whether it actually was one still needed verification.

As for Tang Luo, he sat on a chair, holding an irregular crystal ore slightly larger than a marble, and flicked it forward.

Xiaotian Quan at his feet immediately ran out, bit and picked up that crystal ore, and brought it back to Tang Luo's hand.

Then Tang Luo threw it again, playing with Xiaotian Quan.

Ao Yulie caught sight of this and felt Yang Jian's hair had become a few shades greener.

After everyone had left this mine site and put a considerable distance between them, Tang Luo clapped his hands and stood up.

He stepped through the void, flying to the air above Ningxu Mine, and gestured.

Zhu Bajie and the others quickly left the basin area, soon recovering, and also flew to Tang Luo's side, looking down from a commanding height.

Tang Luo extended a hand, aiming at the basin beneath his feet; wherever his gaze reached, his palm just happened to cover the basin, and he spread it open.

A faintly visible giant palm shadow appeared over the basin.

It descended!

The earth shook, buildings on the basin crashed into a pile of ruins, and the watchtowers on the edges swayed and collapsed.

Only that large manor shook but did not completely collapse.

The underground mining tunnels were destroyed in an instant, the ground continuously caving in.

"No feeling of breaking a formation." Tang Luo said, "I'll go deeper."

The Great Hand Seal descended again!

Tang Luo's palm clenched, then reversed.

The earth overturned, and a large amount of crystal ore was dug out by him with a single hand.

"Not much left."

Tang Luo withdrew his hand; basically all the crystal ore this mine had underground had been turned up by him; the remainder was not much.

"No feeling of a formation either." Zhu Bajie said.

When Tang Luo acted just now, he and Ao Yulie were both observing, and discovered no traces of any formation.

No matter how hidden a formation, being violently destroyed by Tang Luo like this, it would definitely have changes, and be detected by them.

Now there were none, proving there really was no formation.

"Upon entering a certain range, the Great Hand Seal was also affected." Tang Luo said.

He used a divine ability outside the "weakening influence" area; upon entering a certain range, the divine ability's effect would likewise be weakened.

"If it's not a formation, could it really be related to quantity?" Ao Yulie guessed.

Next came experiment time.

After spending some effort, Tang Luo and the others confirmed that the source of the weakness was not some formation, but truly these crystal ores.

It was also related to the total quantity of crystal ores.

A tiny piece of crystal ore had no effect on them.

When the quantity increased, the influence appeared.

Precisely speaking, it should be that once the weight reaches a certain critical point, a weakening domain forms.

Interestingly, this weakening does not increase with increasing weight.

Rather, it is constant.

One thousand kilograms of crystal ore versus ten thousand kilograms of crystal ore, the weakening effect is the same.

Even the weakening range is the same... unless the crystal ores are deliberately separated.

Mm, to describe it more accurately: within a relative spatial range, once the crystal stone's weight reaches the critical point, this spatial range will form a powerful weakening against Qi Refiners.

Achieving the effect of weakening Qi Refiners.

Additionally, even Tang Luo cannot completely destroy the crystal ore.

What he can do is knead the crystal stone into extremely fine, extremely fine powder and sand.

Accumulated to the critical point, spread flat, scattered or gathered, it can likewise exert its effect.

"Truly strange ore." Zhu Bajie concluded.

He frowned, thinking about what use these crystal ores could actually have for them.

This thing isn't a prop, it can't be conveniently stored away like the God-Demon Game provides.

Small pieces, their simple storage spells can put away.

Those that have reached the critical point won't do.

Even if forcibly carried on one's person, it would only weaken oneself, unable to be used as a weapon.

Think as he might, Zhu Bajie couldn't find any truly useful way to use it.

One can only say, this thing is a real raw deal for Qi Refiners.

Even "Harmful Substance Utilization" can't be pulled off.

Even so, Zhu Bajie still took some crystal ore with him, just in case it came in handy.

Leaving behind the already thoroughly wrecked, messy mine, Tang Luo and the others headed to the place Wen Bo mentioned — the "God-Worship Ground" where the crystal ore was delivered.

Like the mines and mining mountains, the God-Worship Ground isn't just a single location.

The number matches the mines, but the distance isn't close compared to the mines.

At the normal marching speed of a fully loaded ore convoy, it would take roughly two months to reach the God-Worship Ground.

This time, there is still one month until the crystal ore is offered to the Heavenly Gods.

In other words, the Wen family's convoy is already on the road, and has most likely covered two-thirds of the distance.

Why two-thirds?

After digging out a sufficient quantity of ore, the Wen family's convoy would naturally set off early.

To avoid encountering any accidents on the road that would delay them.

Leaving early is fine; if delayed, they would have to accept the Heavenly Gods' punishment.

Some mining families were wiped out and disappeared just like that.

The Wen family is lucky; their Ningxu Mine has a vast quantity of ore, enough for them to mine like this for hundreds of years.

Preserving the Wen family's peace.

When this place's crystal ore is completely mined out, the Wen family has two choices: one, lay down the burden and return to being "ordinary."

Two, find a new mine... whether it already has an owner or is ownerless, continue their old trade.

Of course, this isn't absolute.

Whether the families managing the mines can "retreat unscathed" ultimately still depends on the Heavenly Gods' will.

Mortals living on the earth abide by the laws and statutes of dynasties and vassal states.

But the greatest rules are set by the Heavenly Gods.

And the sole rule the Heavenly Gods established is that the Heavenly Gods are the supreme sovereigns; they are everything.

Thunder and rain, all are divine grace.

Endure it; do not question, let alone resist.

Dare to resist, and becoming yaomo or Great Li is the outcome.

Tang Luo and the others naturally didn't need to spend two months; by the time night fell, they had arrived at the God-Worship Ground.

The so-called God-Worship Ground is likewise a place far from the mundane world.

But it isn't naturally formed.

Rather, on a flat, open expanse, a high platform resembling a pyramid was built.

In scale it surpasses the Great Pyramid of Giza; the top isn't pointed, but a square platform.

Crystal ore is piled atop it, awaiting the Heavenly Gods' descent to take it away.

Outside the high platform stands a ring of stone-slab walls, a good twenty meters high.

The slabs are two meters thick, covered in murals related to the Heavenly Gods, but the art style is rather ancient and abstract.

These are naturally the Heavenly Gods' own handiwork, nothing to do with humans.

Facing the high platform at the spot where the ascending stairs are, the stone slabs aren't fully sealed, leaving a four-meter gap.

Allowing people to enter and exit.

"Damn, weakness again..."

Accompanied by a miserable scream, Ao Yulie fell from the sky, crashing onto the square platform at the top of the high platform.

"Looks like there's crystal ore inside."

Zhu Bajie tapped the high platform underfoot, gripped with both hands, the Nine-Toothed Rake in hand, and without another word swung a rake strike.

A sharp "scrape" sound rang out.

The Nine-Toothed Rake left nine marks on the high platform, and then... nothing more.

This high platform's material is sturdy; it's not something a Zhu Bajie at the Battlefield Fierce General level can break.

"Damn hard." Zhu Bajie stowed the rake and looked at Tang Luo.

Tang Luo spread his arms wide.

After a few seconds of thought, Ao Yulie and Zhu Bajie understood, obediently crouched down, and brought their collars to Tang Luo's hands.

Grabbing both their collars, Tang Luo stomped his foot!

The brat's axe-kick.

The entire high platform collapsed with a thunderous crash, revealing a good number of crystal ores inside.

Tang Luo hovered in midair, descended a bit, tossed the two down, then casually grabbed those crystal stones and threw them.

Those crystal ores traced an arc through the sky and vanished.

They wouldn't hit people, only flowers and grass; Tang Luo's group had come from this direction just now, that side is uninhabited wilderness.

"Much more comfortable." Ao Yulie flew into midair. "Master, next we just wait?"

"Mm." Tang Luo nodded.

Don't know if the Heavenly Gods have any sensing toward the high platform; if they do, we shouldn't have to wait too long.

If not, well, it's just a month's time.

The world's primordial Qi was abundant; Tang Luo and the others could fully cultivate and heal here.

Speaking of it, the Eight Trigrams Furnace had been tossed about by Tang Luo and them like that, and its healing effect had dropped greatly, no longer as good as before.

If they brought Yang Jian out, continuing to heal in the outside world would also be a decent choice.

Yang Jian himself probably wouldn't like healing inside the Eight Trigrams Furnace in that manner either.

Lao Jun did this for two reasons: one, Yang Jian's injuries were truly too severe before; two, the Eight Trigrams Furnace had worked well before this.

It could also enhance one's own strength; the Eight Trigrams Furnace was the optimal choice.

They didn't make Tang Luo and the others wait long; three days later, a gale swept down from overhead.

Accompanied by a soul-shaking cry.

A massive shadow cast onto the ruined tower debris, enveloping the three of Tang Luo on the ruins.

Judging by the shadow, it was a gigantic bird, only the shape of its head was a bit strange, not very bird-like.

"Garuda!"

The originally lazy Ao Yulie suddenly stood up, letting out a startled cry.

The giant bird Garuda, a demonic beast that feeds on dragons, acts on wild instinct, and is the dragon clan's mortal enemy.

Garuda is naturally not a Celestial Deity.

The true Celestial Deity stood on the bird's back: "Foolish mortals, disrespectful to a god, die—"

"Boom!"

A tremendous noise replaced the Celestial Deity's words; the high platform's rubble turned into a cloud of fine dust, rising into midair.

The surrounding stone slab walls shattered and collapsed.

At the high platform's original location, the earth caved in, covered in blood; vaguely, Garuda's wings, claws, feathers and other remnants could be seen.

In the center of the large pit, Tang Luo had one foot planted on the Celestial Deity's chest, head lowered as he said: "I ask, you answer."