Chapter 1060: Layers

Inside the furnace space, time seemed to freeze. Only the slow whirlpool of the dark gold magma sea emitted a dull roar, like the snore of a sleeping earth.

Han Wuxian hovered in midair, his body drenched in crimson‑gold blood, his new skin covered in web‑like cracks, his bones deep within emitting spasms of near‑splitting groans. He gripped the bone hilt of the Myriad Bones Giant Sword, his hand trembling slightly, his strength nearly exhausted; only his eyes, burning with unyielding crimson flame, stared fixedly at the two clusters of azure soul fire.

Each breath tugged at the burning pain in his viscera; what he inhaled was scorching sulfur gas, and what he exhaled was a blood mist tinged with metallic luster.

The furnace claw hovering above his head still surged with energy, exuding a terrifying pressure that could incinerate all things. The dark gold essence and blazing white earth fire composing the claw churned uneasily, flickering unpredictably, revealing its master's intense inner struggle.

Those two clusters of azure soul fire, like ancient stars, coldly examined the tiny yet extraordinarily tenacious existence below, as well as the point of strange silver radiance in his sea of consciousness that instinctively made it tremble.

Silent thoughts clashed violently within the vast shadow.

Furious at having its power stolen, doubtful of the silver radiance's origin, amazed that this ant‑like existence could, under its pressure, erupt with enough force to shake the judgment claw; moreover there is a trace, stemming from the furnace core law, of a strange resonance with that sword which likewise drew earth vein power, had been reborn, and brimmed with potential… strange resonance.

Roar… hum…

A low, lingering thought‑wave undulated, no longer pure fury but like an ancient sigh, carrying endless vicissitudes and a barely perceptible compromise, slowly spreading.

The hovering furnace giant claw began to fade slowly. Its massive earth‑vein essence and earth‑fire power, like a receding tide, silently merged into the churning magma sea below. The terrifying binding force vanished with it.

Han Wuxian's body lightened, his will, stretched to the limit, suddenly slackened; his vision darkened and he nearly fell from the air. He forced himself to steady his stance with the Myriad Bones Sword, gasping violently, his crimson eyes filled with the bewilderment and vigilance of one who had just survived a calamity.

Crisis… lifted?

No, it has not ended.

The vast furnace spirit did not retreat. The azure soul fire remained locked on him. Only at its core, formed by countless dark gold crystals clustering together, did the azure flame suddenly contract inward; then a point of pure, extreme darkness‑gold light, seeming to contain the beating heart of the earth, slowly separated from it.

This speck of light was only fist‑sized, yet heavier than the entire magma sea, exuding an imperishable, primal aura that bore all things! It was precisely the finest thread of the furnace spirit's core will—the "Heart of the Earth Vein"!

Under Han Wuxian's astonished gaze, this speck of dark‑gold light, like a meteor, drifted slowly toward him. It carried no aggression, only a strange gentleness… and an entrustment?

Hum!

In Han Wuxian's sea of consciousness, the star‑pivot fragment again emitted a strong resonance; the silver vortex actively moved toward that speck of dark‑gold light. At the moment of contact there was no clash, only a seamless blending like milk and water! The star‑pivot silver radiance, like the gentlest guide, enveloped that point of the "Heart of the Earth Vein" and slowly sank into the depths of Han Wuxian's sea of consciousness.

Boom!!!

An indescribable surge of will, vast as a star sea and heavy as the earth, instantly broke through Han Wuxian's residual consciousness dam!

No longer pain, but inundation! He felt himself become boundless earth, sensing the rise and fall of mountain ranges, hearing the rivers' surge and drying up, comprehending the sprouting and withering of life… the eons‑long shifts of the earth veins, the weighty memory of seas turning to fields, were etched into his soul like a brand! His consciousness drifted and swelled in the endless earth‑vein memories, nearly bursting from the flood of information.

"Hold fast to your original heart! Fuse with the intent, not the memory!" A vast, hazy thought, seeming to come from the depths of the earth, rang directly in his soul, bearing indisputable authority, like a divine needle that calms the sea, instantly stabilizing his consciousness that was about to scatter.

It was that furnace spirit!

Han Wuxian jolted; his residual will, like a reef in a storm, clung fiercely to a sliver of lucidity. He no longer tried to "comprehend" the massive earth‑vein memories, but opened his mind to feel and accept the "Will of the Earth" that bears all things and nurtures all life! He sought to experience the "Soul of the Earth Vein" that is eternally enduring and indestructible.

As his will shifted, the influx of that vast will‑surge began a wondrous metamorphosis. The tangled memories, like receding‑tide sand, left only the purest, most essential mental imprint.

That was the essence of the will of the "Heart of the Earth"! It is inclusiveness, it is bearing, it is nourishment, it is resilience, it is virtue that carries all things!

This pure will‑essence, together with the stellar will guided by the star‑pivot fragment, the killing intent fed back by the Myriad Bones Giant Sword, and his own unyielding fighting spirit born of the fusion of divine metal and earth vein, began a deeper fusion!

His sea of consciousness was no longer a battlefield but had become a nascent chaos nebula. At its center gleamed the star‑pivot fragment; around it flowed dark‑gold vessels carrying crimson‑gold molten liquid; and now, a deep, heavy shadow of a dark‑gold continent, bearing the will of the "Heart of the Earth", was slowly condensing and stabilizing in the depths of the nebula.

Rumble

Inside him, the three forces that had previously been somewhat conflicting, under the governance and harmony of this higher‑level, primal "Will of the Earth", instantly became docile and harmonious! The crimson‑gold molten liquid flowed more smoothly and powerfully along the dark‑gold "riverbed", while silver‑radiance star power wove through it, like stars dotting the earth.

On the newly grown bone lattice covered in cracks, dark‑gold Dao‑pattern light flowed, emitting a true aura of immortality; the fissures sealed at visible speed, becoming a seamless whole! Beneath the cracked skin, fresh flesh proliferated rapidly, the metallic sheen retracted, revealing a strange texture—warm and smooth like jade yet tough as iron.

The Myriad Bones Giant Sword, in tune with his intent, hummed; crimson‑dark‑gold light flowed endlessly along its blade, and on its spine appeared patterns resembling Han Wuxian's bones—more profound dark‑gold Dao markings! It seemed to have also received the baptism of the "Heart of the Earth" will, its killing aura gaining weight and dignity, truly becoming an extension and embodiment of earth‑vein power.

A surge of unprecedented mighty power, like an awakening volcano, surged within Han Wuxian! This power was no longer mere destruction; it also held nourishment and protection.

His realm did not suddenly skyrocket, but the essence of his life and the tier of his power had undergone a complete metamorphosis! From a blade whose sharpness was fully exposed, he had become a mountain that hid its depths yet contained boundless might.