Feng Fei chuckled and nodded at Ming Feng's head. She then turned her gaze to Yuan Jue, for she also didn't know what was buried in the ground or what Jin Ming was scooping up.
Yuan Jue glanced at Jin Ming, who was already touching and stroking around the Extreme Stone, and thought to himself that if this man couldn't explain, he might as well explain it himself: "If I'm not mistaken, the stone in front of us is the Extreme Stone. And the branch in Jin Ming's hand should be the trunk of an old locust tree that is at least a thousand years old."
"I don't know why the branches of this old locust tree appeared here, but Jin Ming found them, so maybe he knows something. As for this Extreme Stone, it's a well-known item throughout the entire continent, not only because of its special abilities, but also because it's famous for being 'difficult to find'. But I didn't expect to find such a large Extreme Stone in Fengye City, and judging from how it's hidden in the soil, it's probably not just the size we see."
"Extreme Stones have very special effects, the most significant of which is their influence on the surrounding magnetic field environment. They can turn the area where Extreme Stones are located into a vacuum zone, just like where we are now. As for other effects, I don't know. Many ancient books have very few records about these things, and some of the more profound things have been lost in the long river of history."
After speaking, Yuan Jue let out a long breath, as if he was regretting that something valuable could not be kept, or as if he was helpless because the things he knew had no obvious use for their current situation.
Feng Fei squatted down and tapped the stones on the ground, hoping to get a few pieces. It was rare to come across something so hard to find; if he couldn't get some to keep by his side, he'd really be doing himself a disservice.
"Is there any way to chip off a piece?"
Yuan Jue shook his head. He also wanted to get some. Although the other uses of these Extreme Stones were unclear, the fact that they could change the magnetic field of the environment and create a vacuum zone was enough to tempt him. But what good was his desire? He had no way to get these Extreme Stones.
Yuan Jue and Feng Fei were at a loss, while Jin Ming stood by, his eyebrows twitching with anger: "You didn't even know to ask me! You don't know, but do you think I don't know either!"
Seeing that Yuan Jue and Feng Fei were still not looking in his direction, Jin Ming finally couldn't help but roar, "Why didn't you ask me! I know! I have a way!"
A hint of a smile flashed in Yuan Jue's eyes. Jin Ming was always so sensitive to being ignored; things he was determined to keep quiet about would spill out after being provoked like this. Feng Fei turned around in surprise, wondering what was wrong with Jin Ming. "Jin Ming, why are you throwing a tantrum?"
Jin Ming paused, realizing he hadn't lost his temper at all! He turned his head away sullenly, but still said, "Don't bother trying to break these large stones. The younger the stone, the bigger it is, and the harder it is to separate. And stones tend to cluster together. If you look carefully in the soil around this stone, you should be able to find some smaller ones. These smaller stones are actually the real 'culprits' of this vacuum zone."
After saying this, Jin Ming sat down arrogantly to the side and began to play with the old locust tree branch in his hand.
Feng Fei quickly realized why Jin Ming was being difficult, and thought that Jin Ming's childish temperament made him impossible to dislike.
Calling Mingfeng to join him, Yuanjue walked over to Jinming's side and whispered something to him. Da Bao and Xiao Bao had already packed their things. When Jinfeng Fei and Mingfeng were squatting on the ground digging in the dirt, they curiously ran over to join the two of them in the search for small pieces of extreme stone.
"Jin Ming, where did you find this branch?" Yuan Jue asked Jin Ming about the old locust tree branch, while looking at Feng Fei and the other three who were having fun instead of searching for the Extreme Stone.
Jin Ming stopped being stubborn and sat up straight upon hearing this. Then, as if realizing he was being too tense, he relaxed and said, "Actually, I don't know where this branch came from. Remember where Feng Fei had his accident? Right there, when we were all worried and heartbroken for Feng Fei, this branch inexplicably appeared at my feet. Then, it followed me wherever I went. Thinking about how strange it was, I simply put it away. But just now, cough cough, I inexplicably scooped it out."
When asked about the previous little misunderstanding, Jin Ming was a little awkward. He covered it up with a cough and then handed the branch to Yuan Jue.
"Do you think we should go back to the place where Feng Fei encountered that black feather?"
Yuan Jue took the branch and examined it closely in his palm. Suddenly, a small cluster of dark flames appeared in his palm, burning the old locust tree branch. The branch showed no signs of catching fire; instead, under the effect of Yuan Jue's ghostly flame, it became even darker and shinier.
Seeing the branches' reaction, a startled light flashed in Yuan Jue's eyes, but it quickly disappeared, leaving only the flames burning even more fiercely. Nourished by Yuan Jue's Netherworld Flames, the old locust tree's branches actually blossomed and slowly sprouted new shoots. Jin Ming watched in stunned silence: When did Netherworld power acquire the ability to stimulate life?
Yes, this branch, which was originally lifeless, slowly began to revive under the nourishment of Yuanjue's spiritual power. However, with the emergence of life, Yuanjue's ability to supply spiritual power autonomously became passive.
The suction from the branches made Yuan Jue's face turn pale, and he couldn't withdraw his spiritual power at all. Seeing that things were not going well, Jin Ming tried to help Yuan Jue knock the locust tree branches off, but before he could even make a move, the newly sprouted branches suddenly plunged into the tree. At the same time, countless branches shot out from the branches and instantly wrapped around Yuan Jue and Jin Ming, pulling and tugging them into the locust tree that had now grown into its main trunk.
Upon hearing the commotion, Feng Fei and the other three couldn't help but turn around. Before they could see anything, everything went black and they knew nothing more.
This vacuum between Fengye City and the raging sandstorm suddenly trembled as Feng Fei and his companions disappeared. Besides some other irregularities, several fist-sized holes could be seen in the ground that Feng Fei, Mingfeng, and Da Bao had broken open.
Before long, the once tranquil and windless vacuum was ravaged by the surrounding sandstorms. The howling yellow wind mercilessly swept through every corner, tearing the ground apart where the wind was strong, and burying the stones and dead trees in areas where the wind was slower. Where the extreme stones were buried, the wind speed was much lower due to the presence of large stones, and the dust drifted down leisurely, covering all the extreme stones in the ground. The extreme stones then began to settle and sublimate anew.
After being swept into the darkness, Feng Feiming, Da Bao, and the other three drifted slowly in the void. Suddenly, a dazzling white light appeared ahead. The power that enveloped them seemed to offer a glimmer of hope in their utter despair, causing them to accelerate rapidly. This speed was almost unbearable; even the unconscious Feng Feiming and the other three grimaced in discomfort.
"Bang!"
The power enveloping Feng Fei and his companions vanished the moment it touched the white light, like sugar dissolving instantly in water. Freed from their restraints, the four fell uncontrollably to the soft ground with muffled thuds.
Chapter 50: Black Bundle
Feng Fei groaned in pain, the pain in the back of her head making her unable to remember what had happened before.
"Hmm..."
Feng Fei slowly sat up, but before he could even sit properly, the "ground" beneath him began to move.
Feng Fei immediately came to her senses and stood up warily. Although her body was still a little weak, it did not prevent her from being cautious about what was about to happen.
However, when Feng Fei straightened up and looked back, he couldn't help but laugh.
The "land" she was sitting on wasn't land at all; it was clearly Mingfeng, whom she was pressing down on. And beneath Mingfeng were Da Bao and Xiao Bao, piled up. Feng Fei found it somewhat amusing, but couldn't help looking around, wondering how Yuan Jue and Jin Ming were doing.
Lying a short distance away from them was a man in a light red robe, his hair slightly askew and his face covered in dust. Who else could this be? It was Yuan Jue. Feng Fei rushed forward with delight to help Yuan Jue up, carefully probing his body with her spiritual energy. Sensing nothing amiss, she softly called out to him.
Yuan Jue heard familiar and gentle calls in his ears, voices so familiar, so dear to him. Slowly opening his eyes, Yuan Jue saw Feng Fei's face full of worry. Feng Fei seemed startled by Yuan Jue's awakening; after a slight pause, her eyes flashed with wild joy, but she still asked reservedly, "Yuan Jue, are you alright?"
Yuan Jue checked his own body and, finding nothing amiss, gently shook his head at Feng Fei. He then noticed Ming Feng, rubbing her eyes sleepily on Da Xiao Bao's lap, but didn't see Jin Ming, who had been with him the whole time. His heart tightened: "Where's Jin Ming?"
Feng Fei's heart skipped a beat. She hadn't seen Jin Ming at all from the beginning, but she ignored the problem after seeing Yuan Jue.
"I don't know either. When I woke up, there were only the five of us."
Yuan Jue lowered his head and remained silent. He had been closer to Jin Ming earlier, and when the old locust tree branch suddenly attacked, he only remembered throwing a spiritual punch at Jin Ming to try and make him leave, but he couldn't remember anything that happened afterward.
At this moment, Mingfeng seemed to have regained some consciousness, and looked around blankly. When she saw Fengfei and Yuanjue, she jumped off Da Bao and Xiao Bao and pounced on Fengfei.
"Sister Feifei, where are we?"
This is exactly what Feng Fei wants to know.
Except for the dim light emanating from the area where the five of them were, the rest of the place was pitch black, making it impossible to see anything. The surrounding darkness, like a ravenous beast, lay in wait, silently lurking, ready to devour them the moment they relaxed their guard.
This thought weighed heavily on Feng Fei's mind, making her even more worried about Jin Ming.
Da Bao and Xiao Bao woke up earlier than Feng Fei, but feeling Ming Feng and Feng Fei pressing down on them, they obediently remained lying down. In their minds, Ming Feng and Feng Fei combined weren't even as heavy as they were alone, so they continued lying there quite comfortably. Only after Ming Feng lifted herself off them did they scratch their heads and sit up with sheepish smiles.
As they sat up, Feng Fei and Yuan Jue's eyes widened when they saw the situation beneath them.
Seeing Feng Fei and Yuan Jue's comical facial expressions, Ming Feng couldn't resist turning around to look. One glance was enough to make Ming Feng burst into laughter and fall to the ground, completely losing her composure.
"Laugh, what are you laughing at, ah... bullying, bullying me now, being pressed down so hard I can't breathe, can't breathe..." Jin Ming's intermittent and weak voice came from under Da Bao, which immediately made Da Bao's face change drastically, and they jumped up with their faces turning white, blue, black and red.
Yuan Jue restrained himself and didn't laugh out loud. However, the smile in his eyes and the curve of his lips showed that he was in a very good mood at the moment.
Feng Fei coughed a few times and then went forward to help Jin Ming sit up.
Jin Ming sat cross-legged on the ground, looking extremely disheveled. He spat out curses from time to time, saying, "Damn it, you guys almost crushed me to death down there! Trying to kill me? Luckily, I'm resilient and won't be defeated so easily. Ptooey, damn it, what is all this stuff? It's got my mouth full of ash, ptooey..."
Seeing that Jin Ming spoke with a strong voice, Yuan Jue's worries subsided. However, he frowned in displeasure at the cursing coming from Jin Ming's mouth. With a flick of his hand, a black object was stuffed into Jin Ming's mouth.
"Mmm..." Jin Ming was caught off guard and Yuan Jue blocked his way. The words he was about to say were stuck in his throat, making him blush.
Jin Ming, enraged, scooped the contents of his mouth and was about to unleash a torrent of abuse at Yuan Jue when he realized the sticky, dark substance in his hand was crawling around. Without even a chance to examine it closely, he screamed like a pig being slaughtered: "Yuan Jue! I hate you! You know perfectly well I'm terrified of this sticky stuff, and you still threw it into my mouth! Waaah, Yuan Jue, I hate you—"
Yuan Jue ignored Jin Ming's screams and looked at him calmly, saying, "Take a good look at what that thing is."
Jin Ming felt as if he had been hit hard, his voice caught in his throat, but he couldn't help but look down.
The thing in his hand was still black and sticky, and it was still wriggling. The word "wriggling" flashed through Jin Ming's mind, and he felt a sharp discomfort in his stomach. However, being a doctor, Jin Ming forced himself to endure the discomfort and examined it carefully. What he saw next greatly alarmed him.
"Huh, this is a soul! It looks like the soul of a spirit, but what's with this pitch-black color? It's so ugly." Jin Ming disgustedly tossed the dark thing to Yuan Jue, but he already had a guess in his mind. As if to verify his guess, he carefully examined the surroundings.
The surrounding darkness changed slightly when Yuan Jue pulled out that dark, indistinct object. It seemed to become slightly more transparent, with faint starlight flashing by, as if urging everyone to explore further into the darkness. The place where they were seemed to have become brighter, and there was a barely perceptible vitality floating around them.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Jin Ming's mind. He looked at the black ball of fur that Yuan Jue was holding with suspicion, and couldn't help but grab it back, turning it over and over to examine it. Jin Ming's actions caused the black ball of fur to let out a sound of discomfort: "Ooh—ooh—"
"Ha! It really is this thing!" Jin Ming clapped his hands together, pressing the black mass into his palms. When he released his hands, the black mass returned to its original shape.
The black ball seemed unable to bear Jin Ming's torment and let out pleading whimpers to Yuan Jue.
Yuan Jue let out a barely perceptible sigh, picked up the black ball, and thought to himself: He had been looking for a beast with its own name but had never been able to find one, and unexpectedly, by this twist of fate, he had obtained one.
It turns out this black blob is a unique spirit beast of the Netherworld lineage. Born merely a spiritual entity, it possesses an extremely powerful amplifying effect on those with the Netherworld bloodline—an amplification in every aspect. This spirit beast doesn't have a fixed name; its form varies depending on its host. Ten thousand years ago, this spirit beast suddenly suffered a great calamity, and its entire race almost disappeared. Unexpectedly, he has now obtained it.
This dark mass originally resided within a thousand-year-old locust tree, quietly growing in Fengye City, patiently awaiting the arrival of a human who could resonate with it. However, before such a person appeared, Fengye City was struck by a terrifying cataclysmic event. This cataclysm was Heaven's punishment of the human realm; its cause and origin were unknown. Those who knew of it said that those who witnessed the cataclysm must have committed some act that angered Heaven and caused humanity to revolt, thus incurring Heaven's wrath and unleashing this cataclysm that disregarded human life.
Some say that the collapse of the heavens is merely a game played by the Heavenly Dao when it's bored; all beings under the Heavenly Dao are but ants, and all living things in the world are just pawns of the Heavenly Dao, their existence solely for its own pleasure. Of course, this kind of thinking doesn't circulate openly. Who would dare to say such things so plainly? Wouldn't they be afraid of the Heavenly Dao's punishment, condemning them to eternal damnation?
No life existed within the collapsing sky. Even the Black Dumpling, residing within the thousand-year-old locust tree, could not escape this calamity. Fortunately, however, the power that descended from the sky this time was of the dark, nether attribute. If it were only a small amount, it would have been a great tonic for the Black Dumpling and the old locust tree. But how could there be a small amount under the collapsing sky? Only countless, immense forces swept directly down upon the mortal realm, and the millions of lives in Fengye City perished before they even knew what was happening.
Relying on its own and the old locust tree's advantageous attributes, Blackie managed to find a sliver of hope amidst the cataclysmic upheaval. However, the old locust tree perished. Despite its grief and sorrow, Blackie did not give up. It severed branches from the old locust tree's trunk, infused them with a sliver of its own life force, and threw these branches out of Fengye City with immense power, hoping that a destined person would find them, activate them, and bring them directly into Fengye City.
Before Yuanjue, there had been several others, but none of them were able to meet it successfully. Either their spiritual power was insufficient to support the branches' absorption, causing them to die from depletion of spiritual energy; or they couldn't withstand the spatial tearing when being pulled over and exploded; what frustrated it most was that one person even died of fright after arriving at this place – truly a coward.
Fortunately, this time several people finally managed to get in. Hmm, but only one person's attributes match, so there's no need to worry about which one to choose. Thinking of this, Blackie happily clung to Yuan Jue, swaying back and forth.
As Feng Fei looked at the black mass, the information the black feather had given her immediately flashed through her mind, and a look of wild joy crossed her face.
"Yuanjue! We have hope of accomplishing that task!"
Yuan Jue stared at Feng Fei in astonishment, momentarily failing to grasp what Feng Fei had said. But seeing the ecstatic gleam in Feng Fei's eyes as he gazed at the dark mass, he immediately recalled what Feng Fei had told him earlier. He excitedly took a step forward, then quickly stopped, his voice trembling slightly, betraying his excitement: "Are you telling the truth?" (To be continued. If you like this work,
Chapter 51: The Soul of the Army
Upon hearing this, Feng Fei pouted in dissatisfaction: "Hmph, I'm not telling the truth."
Seeing Feng Fei's reaction, Yuan Jue immediately realized that his words had revealed a degree of distrust towards Feng Fei. He felt a little guilty and his face showed a bit of embarrassment: "Feng Fei, you know that's not what I meant."
Feng Fei had never seen Yuan Jue look so helpless before, and couldn't help but burst out laughing. Even Jin Ming, who had known Yuan Jue for over twenty years, had never seen him like this before. Even when Yuan Jue made a mistake as a child, he always had an arrogant "I did nothing wrong" attitude. Tsk tsk, it's really amazing.
Jin Ming circled around Yuan Jue, scrutinizing him and occasionally making smacking noises, which actually calmed Yuan Jue down. Yuan Jue glanced at the disheveled Jin Ming with disgust and said sarcastically, "Look at you now. Your clothes are tattered and messy, your hair is crooked, and a lot of your hair is loose. You're not even as good as those pitiful beggars on the street."
Upon hearing this, Jin Ming sprang into the air like a cat whose tail had been stepped on: "What! I look like this now!" Looking down and touching himself, Jin Ming realized that he was indeed exactly as Yuan Jue had described, and immediately cried out in anguish, "Da Bao, Xiao Bao, come quick!"
Da Bao and Xiao Bao didn't know why Jin Ming had called them, but they still obediently ran over.
Jin Ming grabbed Da Bao's ears and bit them for a while, then patted each of them on the shoulder before a satisfied smile appeared on his face as he waited for Da Bao's next move.
Da Bao and Xiao Bao turned around awkwardly, their faces flushed, but they still sat cross-legged side by side on the ground, with not a gap between them. Da Bao and Xiao Bao's bodies were already wider and stronger than the average person. Now, sitting side by side, they looked like a wall of flesh, completely blocking out the view behind them.
Jin Ming's frivolous voice came from behind Da Bao and Xiao Bao: "Hey, I'm washing up and changing clothes, so don't come over! But if Xiao Feifei wants to come, I'll definitely welcome her. But Yuan Jue, you're not allowed to come over, I still hate you."
Yuan Jue's face turned pale and then red. Finally, he flicked his sleeve, pulled Feng Fei aside, and explained in detail the news that the black feather had mentioned earlier and what they needed to do next.
Mingfeng gave Jinming, who was blocked by Da Bao and Xiao Bao, a disdainful look before eagerly following Fengfei and Yuanjue. "I hope Feifei isn't talking behind his back now. We're already in Fengye City."
"We're already in Fengye City. However, we're in a space constructed by Heituan using the trunk of an old locust tree. Presumably, this was mentioned in that black feather. I didn't expect that the old crow would find Heituan while foraging in Fengye City and even help us. I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing." Yuan Jue's beast was thus named "Heituan." This was consistent with Yuan Jue's usual style, and Feng Fei liked the somewhat cute name.
“I’m not entirely sure what that old crow is up to, but the information it gave us doesn’t seem fake. And from the information recorded in the black feathers, we know that the old crow played a huge role in Blackie’s ability to throw those branches away and continue surviving in this ghostly realm. If it wants something, it probably wants more from Blackie.” Feng Fei also analyzed. However, he couldn’t quite grasp the crux of the matter; perhaps they were just overthinking things.