Chapter 430: Resonance in Different Forms
The Stone Dwelling Old Monster had been born from the Ten-Thousand-Year Earth Essence and did not possess any innate divine ability.
The Divine Ability Stone-Forged Earth Treasure was something it had attained only after swallowing a fragment of the Treasure-Dividing Rock and cultivating over countless years.
It was truly a rare and arduous achievement!
Beings such as Earth Essences and Fire Essences were, by nature, far more difficult to cultivate compared to spirit beasts or spirit plants.
They required at least ten thousand years of accumulation before they could even touch the path of cultivation.
For instance, that Ten-Thousand-Year Fire Essence within Mount Huoshi—only after absorbing the scattered spirituality from fallen cultivators—had it barely brushed the edge of cultivation. Such an opportunity was extremely rare for ordinary Earth or Fire Essences.
The Treasure-Dividing Rock was one of the legendary supreme treasures of the Earth Element.
There was a poem as proof:
Ashen rock devoid of shine,
Within lies treasure, radiance divine.
Billions of merits deeply stored,
Fortune blooms where virtue’s poured.
The Stone Dwelling Old Monster had sought to break through its bottleneck at the Nascent Soul stage, attempting to ascend into a Soul Formation–level cultivator.
Its failure caused the Divine Ability Stone-Forged Earth Treasure to continue operating indefinitely—a most unexpected result.
Yet precisely because of this, the divine ability’s lingering power acted as though a master continuously demonstrated his most prized art.
This granted Ning Zhuo an exceedingly precious opportunity to observe and learn.
Had it been any other cultivator, they could only have watched helplessly, unable to comprehend a thing.
Only one whose Earth Element comprehension reached a certain threshold could grasp its mysteries.
Ning Zhuo’s mastery over the Five Elements had already reached profound heights—thus he possessed the qualification to learn.
Before this, when he treated Sun Lingtong’s injuries, he had received immense enlightenment from Zhang Chongyi.
Since Zhang Chongyi had been able to use silver needles and silk threads to form a suspended meridian bridge that allowed Ning Zhuo, an outsider, to perceive the principles of petrification—
Then naturally, Ning Zhuo could employ the Divine Ability Life-Hanging-by-a-Thread and his mechanical staff heads to achieve the same effect.
Compared to medicine, Ning Zhuo was far more skilled in mechanical arts. These staff heads could be regarded as enlarged silver needles.
Moreover, his Life-Hanging-by-a-Thread Divine Ability could establish an even subtler and more intricate connection—vastly superior to the silk threads condensed by Zhang Chongyi’s mana.
One had to admit—Ning Zhuo was truly adept at learning.
He seized this opportunity and successfully learned a new Divine Ability.
“Just as I expected!”
“Since I can perceive most of the Comprehension Diagrams related to the Five Elements, it stands to reason that I can also comprehend the divine abilities of the same nature.”
Within Ning Zhuo’s Sea of Consciousness Dantian, the Divine Ability Stone-Forged Earth Treasure gradually began to take shape.
Unlike the lotus form of Life-Hanging-by-a-Thread, Stone-Forged Earth Treasure took the form of a stone sphere.
The stone sphere was plain and unadorned—much like the current form of the Stone Dwelling Old Monster.
As Ning Zhuo delved deeper into comprehension, the sphere continued to expand.
A faint realization dawned on him—when he fully mastered the Stone-Forged Earth Treasure, its complete manifestation would be that of a perfectly round, ancient-looking stone sphere.
A surge of joy welled within his heart.
“My mastery of Life-Hanging-by-a-Thread came from countless explorations of the Lava Immortal Palace, accumulating insights bit by bit.”
“This time, by coincidence, I may achieve it in one stroke and fully grasp Stone-Forged Earth Treasure!”
Ning Zhuo’s consciousness sank deeper, immersing itself in the myriad principles contained within the Divine Ability.
“Earth, burial, depth, accumulation, gradual change, transformation, the carving of time… sedimentation—constant sedimentation.”
He was not merely studying—he was applying what he learned in real time.
Through the mechanical staff heads and Life-Hanging-by-a-Thread, he infused mana and mental power, gradually prying open the tight defenses surrounding the corpse of the Stone Dwelling Old Monster.
If the stone sphere were likened to a multilayered locked treasure chest, then earlier, Sun and Ning’s use of iron picks had been the act of violently smashing off the outer shell.
The inner defenses, however, could not be broken by force unless Sun and Ning’s attacks reached Nascent Soul level.
Even if Ning Zhuo risked backlash and wielded the Serpent Scythe, the resulting commotion would be enormous.
Sun and Ning would have to prepare concealment formations in advance—an exhausting and cumbersome process.
But Ning Zhuo’s current approach was akin to studying the keyhole’s structure and crafting a perfectly fitting key.
As his understanding of Stone-Forged Earth Treasure deepened, the effects of his “key” became increasingly apparent.
Finally, a transformation occurred.
With one heavy strike of the pickaxe, Sun Lingtong smashed open the stone sphere’s inner layer.
“It worked! We did it!” Sun Lingtong exclaimed in excitement.
His pickaxe swung continuously, so fast it formed a blur of afterimages.
A great many precious materials were chiseled free and stuffed into his arms.
After a furious round of digging, Sun Lingtong was panting heavily.
The mining was still extremely demanding; his mana, spirit, and stamina were all severely drained. His cultivation technique primarily strengthened the Upper Dantian, offering little improvement to his physique.
During a short rest, Sun Lingtong turned to glance at Ning Zhuo.
He could not help but sigh. “It worked, it really worked.”
“My little Zhuo, under my guidance, is becoming more and more outstanding.”
“One day, he’ll surely grow even stronger!”
Sun Lingtong could not resist envisioning their future.
With Ning Zhuo’s profound mastery of the Five Elements, most elemental barriers in the world would be easily dismantled by him.
“If little Zhuo and I join forces, we could become the greatest thieves under heaven!”
“Wow! The future is really… something to look forward to.”
Just imagining it made Sun Lingtong’s heart race with excitement.
Yet Ning Zhuo ultimately did not succeed in a single attempt; midway through, he was forced to stop.
An overwhelming fatigue engulfed his body and mind, his state plummeting sharply.
Within his Sea of Consciousness, the countless mirror-like thoughts that had once shimmered were now nearly dispersed.
The vital essence in his Lower Dantian was also greatly consumed, as maintaining such mental exertion required much from his blood and spirit.
His Middle Dantian’s mana had been used the least, though he had been continuously channeling it through Life-Hanging-by-a-Thread.
Ning Zhuo then entered the Wanli Dragon.
Inside the cultivation chamber, he retrieved a meditation cushion and sat cross-legged.
He pulled out handfuls of Spirit Food, stuffing them into his mouth while meditating to restore his condition.
First, he replenished his vital essence, then used the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art to recover his mana.
Finally came the Mirror Platform Spirit Technique—the true key.
Ning Zhuo took out the Calm-Mind Bell. As its gentle chime rang out, he instantly entered deep meditation.
Within his Sea of Consciousness, countless mirror-thoughts were rapidly born.
At this moment, the Mirror Platform Spirit Technique revealed its worth as a top-tier cultivation art!
Only supreme-level spiritual arts could create such focused thought at such astonishing speed.
Still, Ning Zhuo found it insufficient.
“If only Lingyin Willow were by my side—my comprehension of Stone-Forged Earth Treasure would surely be smoother and swifter.”
In the Southern Dou Country, within the forbidden area of the Myriad Medicines Valley—
Many of Lingyin Willow’s branches suddenly trembled.
Beneath the tree, Hua Guzi, who was bending over to fertilize the soil, straightened up in confusion and looked toward the willow.
She cast a probing spell but found nothing unusual.
“Yet I’m certain I just felt Lingyin Willow shiver. What’s going on?”
At that moment, a formation gate opened, and through it walked a young girl in a light-yellow dress—
It was Lin Shanshan, the eldest young lady of the Myriad Medicines Sect.
“You again?” Hua Guzi’s face darkened upon seeing her; her hostility was palpable and unrestrained.
Lin Shanshan smiled faintly. “This is an important place of my sect. Naturally, I must inspect it from time to time.”
Hua Guzi sneered. “You’re just here to pine over him, hmph! Before leaving, Young Lord Ning Zhuo told me to look after Lingyin Willow. You can step aside!”
“No wonder Lingyin Willow shivered earlier—it must dislike you.”
Hua Guzi then turned toward a nearby spring.
Within the pond, the Ten-Thousand-Year Water Essence that had manifested as a swimming fish was startled by the commotion and instantly dissipated, merging back into the pool.
Hua Guzi pointed toward the spring. “These two Ten-Thousand-Year Water Essences also belong to Young Lord Ning Zhuo. Look—you scared them apart!”
“Don’t come here so often!”
Lin Shanshan smiled even more sweetly.
She immediately caught the hidden meaning in Hua Guzi’s words—the implication was clear: both the Lingyin Willow and the Ten-Thousand-Year Water Essences belonged to Ning Zhuo and had nothing to do with Lin Shanshan, which in turn implied that Ning Zhuo himself had nothing to do with her either.
A flicker of anger flared in Lin Shanshan’s heart, and in the next moment, she said something that made Hua Guzi grit her teeth. “Young Lord Ning Zhuo and I are close friends. We’ve trained together in martial arts. Naturally, I’ll take care of his possessions as well.”
Hua Guzi sneered. “Training? How impressive. I’ve sparred with Young Lord Ning Zhuo too.”
Lin Shanshan replied with a faint smile, “But I was the first to start. Even Han Zhou came after me. If I hadn’t been confined and lost my freedom for a while because I helped Young Lord Ning Zhuo, how could it have ever been your turn or Han Zhou’s?”
Hua Guzi’s expression darkened like still water. She gritted her teeth. “It seems Lady Lin is quite skilled in martial training. Why don’t we have a little spar ourselves?”
Lin Shanshan’s smile deepened, her tone carrying a chill. “And what if I make you cry?”
“Gu gu gu…” Hua Guzi tilted her head back and laughed in anger.
Then she abruptly stopped laughing and glared at Lin Shanshan. “Come! Let’s go to the Martial Arena right now!”
The two female cultivators stormed out of the restricted area of the valley, striding furiously toward the Martial Arena.
——
Thousand Peaks Forest.
Wanli Dragon.
Ning Zhuo, having fully recovered, flew out swiftly and returned to the stone sphere.
Sun Lingtong had been mining all this time and was drenched in sweat.
He had harvested an uncountable amount of precious materials—their total value was beyond estimation. The more he worked, the more energized he felt, and even the exhaustion seemed worth it!
When Sun Lingtong saw Ning Zhuo emerge, he immediately asked, “Little Zhuo, the deeper we dig, the harder it gets. The stone almost won’t budge anymore. How long until you completely dismantle the defense?”
Ning Zhuo replied, “Big Brother, I’ve mastered about thirty percent of the Stone-Forged Earth Treasure Divine Ability. With the next round of comprehension, I should reach sixty percent.”
Sun Lingtong grinned and nodded repeatedly. “Good, good! That’s even faster than I expected—truly remarkable.”
But Ning Zhuo did not appear proud. “Sigh, if only I had a deeper foundation in body cultivation.”
“In that case, the Innate Nourishment Fetal Breath Grand Method wouldn’t trouble me so much.”
Sun Lingtong said, “I’ve been studying this technique these past days and have gained quite a bit of understanding.”
“The Fetal Breath Technique, on the surface, seems to mean breathing without using the mouth or nose—like an unborn infant in the womb. The mouth and nose are merely the portals of breath, while the Dantian is the root source of Qi. The sage’s true essence resides where the One Reality dwells—thus it is called ‘Fetal Breath.’”
“But in truth, Fetal Breath requires one to reach a state of mind and life that is without thought and without action.”
“‘Fetal’ means the root, the beginning—absolute stillness, unmoving and unshaken, without fear or worry, without thought or desire, like an infant resting within its mother’s womb.”
“‘Breath’ means calm and abiding—spirit and Qi return to their origin, thoughts cease; the heart stirs not, neither coming nor going, neither entering nor leaving—ever present and at peace. When one’s mind abides unmoved, that is the Fetal Breath.”
Sun Lingtong then spoke of petrification.
“Why could I, after turning to stone, gain a refining effect upon my body through the Fetal-Breath Spirit Vessel?”
“It is precisely because the petrified body naturally aligns with the state of absolute stillness—unmoving, unshaken, without fear or thought, without coming or going.”
“The Stone-Forged Earth Treasure Divine Ability uses the earth to nurture treasures. The Innate Nourishment Fetal Breath Grand Method lets a cultivator become like an unborn embryo, nourished by Heaven and Earth. The two seem different, yet they are the same in essence—resonating in perfect harmony.”
“Thus, when used together, they create a wondrous synergy.”
Sun Lingtong’s comprehension was no less than Ning Zhuo’s.
Over the past few days, in order to help Ning Zhuo burn the Fetal-Breath Spirit Vessel more efficiently, he had been fully devoted to comprehending the Innate Nourishment Fetal Breath Grand Method.
Unexpectedly, this act done for another had benefited himself instead, greatly enhancing the foundation of his physical body.
Upon hearing Sun Lingtong’s insights, Ning Zhuo immediately realized that his Big Brother’s understanding of the Innate Nourishment Fetal Breath Grand Method far surpassed his own.
And yet, Sun Lingtong was not even a body cultivator.
But after a moment’s thought, Ning Zhuo understood.
Sun Lingtong was from the No-Void Sect and bore the Mark of Emptiness. His understanding of the Dao of Emptiness ran deep, which aligned closely with the stillness of the Fetal Breath. Spirit returning to root, thoughts ceasing, heart unmoved, neither coming nor going—this could simply be understood as “emptying the mind.”
Ning Zhuo said, “Big Brother, I still have much to learn from you regarding this scripture.”
Sun Lingtong laughed. “Hah, we’re brothers—no need for such formality! Once I fully comprehend it and make sure there are no errors, I’ll teach you everything!”
The two shared a smile and returned to work.
With Ning Zhuo’s assistance, Sun Lingtong immediately felt that the defenses of the stone sphere had softened considerably.
He dug with great enthusiasm.
Gradually, however, it became harder to excavate once more.
Sun Lingtong turned around to see Ning Zhuo sitting cross-legged, eyes closed, brows slightly furrowed.
He thought to himself, “So, the more complete one’s mastery of a Divine Ability, the greater the difficulty in progressing further!”
“But little Zhuo will definitely overcome it.” Sun Lingtong was far more confident in him than Ning Zhuo was in himself.
With nothing to do for the moment, Sun Lingtong’s medicinal mud began to dry, and the exposed skin quickly turned to stone—faster than in his previous cases.
He chuckled and didn’t mind at all.
Now that he had a proven cure, these Dao-related injuries were instead nourishment for his physical foundation!
As he looked at the stone skin forming across his body, a sudden, daring idea flashed through Sun Lingtong’s mind.
Unlike Ning Zhuo, who always pondered and planned carefully, Sun Lingtong acted the moment he thought of something.
With a grin, he directly moved the Fetal-Breath Spirit Vessel out from the Puppet Dragon.
He pressed the vessel against the surface of the stone sphere, then climbed inside himself.
The stone skin gradually solidified, quickly enveloping the spirit vessel.
The vessel trembled, and the entire text of the Innate Nourishment Fetal Breath Grand Method appeared upon its hull.
Just like when Ning Zhuo had burned it before, this time the vessel once again activated its full power to protect itself, entering the state of Fetal Breath.
Sun Lingtong benefited greatly from this. Heaven and Earth’s vital energy poured into him, rapidly enhancing his physique!
This unorthodox method was explosively effective—hundreds of times more efficient than the proper approach!
“Ah, this feels amazing… absolutely amazing.”
“If this keeps up, I’ll be able to pass for a body cultivator, hahahaha!”
Having comprehended much of the Innate Nourishment Fetal Breath Grand Method, Sun Lingtong quickly calmed his joy and entered a state of empty-minded stillness.
In this state, the technique aligned perfectly, and the inflow of Heaven and Earth’s essence surged like a floodgate opening!
Scenes and fragments of memory began flooding into Sun Lingtong’s mind.
He froze for a moment.
Those scenes and memories—were from the Stone Dwelling Old Monster!
“I’m using his corpse to perform Fetal Breath. As he died, his Dao dissipated, and the stone sphere returned to the earth.”
“By acquiring his stone skin and receiving Heaven and Earth’s nourishment, I’ve also inadvertently absorbed the remnants of his memories.”
Sun Lingtong pondered briefly, then smiled in realization.
“How interesting… how fascinating!”
The cultivation perspective of a Ten-Thousand-Year Earth Essence was truly a rare and wondrous sight.
——
Meanwhile, outside the Sky-Pillar Giant Tree, several figures gradually emerged from concealment.
The Heart Demon Cave Lord, the Blood Shadow Cave Lord, and the Ink Abyss Cave Lord!
“Grand Cave Lord, the formation has been inspected—no mistakes found,” said the Heart Demon Cave Lord respectfully.
Ink Abyss Cave Lord, Lu Hongtu, was the Grand Cave Lord of the Six Caves Sect—the supreme leader.
“Once this formation is activated, earth escape and void traversal will be completely sealed off. If the Stone Dwelling Old Monster agrees to emerge, then he’s wise. If not—he’ll suffer for it.”
Lu Hongtu’s aura was vast, his face stern, and his resolve unwavering.
With a great war approaching, he needed to gather every ounce of power available to resist the invading army of the Liangzhu Kingdom.
A Nascent Soul–level existence like the Stone Dwelling Old Monster, native to the Thousand Peaks Forest, was a natural ally—he could not be allowed to remain uninvolved.