Chapter 252: Growth and life
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Fang Zhengzhi had a dream to view the mountains and rivers from a height. Then, he would break through the air and leave behind a wonderful legacy.
Right now...
His dream seemed to be coming true.
Fang Zhengzhi looked down and saw luscious green woods. It was a mountain, and there were tall trees, large rocks, creeks, flora, and fauna...
He could see the valley.
He did not know if he was seeing it all in one glance, but he could feel the life in every flower, every blade of grass, and every beast.
The flowers were in full bloom, the grass was growing healthily, and the beasts roamed the woods.
"Cang Ling Mountain?!"
Fang Zhengzhi knew that this was definitely Cang Ling Mountain. Even though he had never viewed it from such a height, he recognized the layout.
Furthermore, he felt things that he had never felt before. He could feel the entire lives of the living things below him. He felt the lives of the flowers, the grass, and the beasts.
This was a strange feeling. It felt as if everything was being returned to its original state.
He felt a little empty inside.
Fang Zhengzhi was intoxicated. He couldn’t believe his eyes. Was he really going to become a sage? He wasn’t ready yet, isn’t this all a little too fast?
Just as he was thinking about it, Fang Zhengzhi saw a pair of eyes.
The eyes slowly, almost as if waking up from a deep sleep. However, when they looked towards Fang Zhengzhi...
Fang Zhengzhi felt impending danger. His heart trembled for the first time as he felt an overwhelming sense of loss.
Iciness, arrogance, power, master...
Fang Zhengzhi had no idea why these phrases were popping up in his mind, but there they were.
He thought about those words when that pair of golden eyes stared at him.
"Kaboom!"
A loud boom caused the entire mountain to tremble.
A peerlessly large figure rose from the ground following the tremors. He could not see the appearance of the figure. It was constantly shrouded by a black screen.
The only thing he could see were the pair of golden eyes. There was a faint glow around the eyes, almost like the reflection from one’s armor.
Then, a bolt of black lightning shot down from the sky, hitting Fang Zhengzhi on the head. It did not give him any chance to resist.
"F*ck... me! Again?!"
Fang Zhengzhi’s patience was wearing thin. How can you strike me with lightning so many times?
I thought I was supposed to be a sage?
Everything should revolve around me and blossom in my presence.
Why am I being struck by lightning twice?
Just as Fang Zhengzhi was about to curse, he swallowed his words. Once again, he felt as if he was in the air once again. However, this time, there was nothing supporting him.
Gravity caused his body to plummet downwards.
"There is no lake below?!"
Fang Zhengzhi was trying to figure out what was happening. However, there was no lake below, there were only rocks on a mountain.
"Boom!"
...
Ordinarily, free falling from such a height would cause one to break their limbs at the very least.
However, this was no ordinary incident.
"Liar!" Fang Zhengzhi rubbed his buttocks as he looked at the crater he had created. He was infuriated.
He had clearly been travelling in the air. He had clearly seen the mountains and the rivers. However, when he opened his eyes, he realized that he was back at the same spot.
No one could have accepted that!
Where was the trust between people? How was he going to make friends in the future?
"I think I have improved?" Fang Zhengzhi recalled his connection to the myriad of items during his travel. That was a mysterious feeling, almost as if he had touched something.
However, once he fell, the only feeling he felt was pain. He had completely forgotten about the connection.
"Oh?"
Fang Zhengzhi suddenly saw a small stone house by the side. If not for the fact that he had landed here, he would not have seen it.
A stone house.
It was all too common in the mountains.
All of the villages around here lived off the land. Each village had their own hunting squad, and these squads scaled the mountain frequently. A simple stone house was a necessity.
It was used as a resting spot for the hunters. After all, no one could guarantee that the hunting squad would not meet with any difficulties. There could be torrential rain, snow, landslides...
Ordinarily, each village would only use the stone houses they constructed. They would only enter another stone house under some extenuating circumstances.
That was the tacit understanding between villages.
However, this was clearly not the time to honor such an understanding. Even if Fang Zhengzhi had left the lake, he should still be in The Vast World.
The Vast World had absorbed Cang Ling Mountain.
This position...
Was clearly at the base of Cang Ling Mountain!
"I’ve come out of The Vast World?"
"Or is this just another place?"
Fang Zhengzhi was not too sure of where he was. As such, he decided to investigate.
The stone house ahead was naturally his first objective. After all, maybe he could find some ointment inside the house to treat his aches after the fall!
"Is there anyone home?"
"If you’re doing unspeakable things inside, just call out!"
Fang Zhengzhi politely announced his presence. The villagers may be backward, but some of them still engaged in activities that would be better unsaid.
For example, outdoor sex, cheating...
The stone houses in the mountains were the perfect place for an escapade like that.
Fang Zhengzhi knew this all too well. In order to prevent an embarrassing scenario, he had better announce his presence. There was no reply.
He pushed the door and tried to enter.
When he did push it...
He realized that the door was locked.
"There’s someone inside?" Fang Zhengzhi was stunned. He was sure that someone was inside. If not, why would the door be bolted?
But if there was someone, why didn’t they reply? Were they really doing unspeakable things inside?
Furthermore...
If this was still The Vast World, why would there be other people?
Fang Zhengzhi did not have the patience to think so much. He decided to give the occupants some time to put on their clothes. He was sure they would come out after.
He waited by the door for a few moments. However, there was no movement inside the stone house.
What is going on?
Fang Zhengzhi was infuriated. Even if you’re wearing your clothes, there should be some reply! You can’t simply ignore me! Do you really want to act like you’re not inside?
"If you don’t come out, I’m coming in!"
"Aiya? You really think that I won’t come in?"
"Boom!" A loud sound echoed out.
Fang Zhengzhi did not care about destroying the property. He kicked down the wooden door and sauntered in.
"Oh?" Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes glimmered the moment he entered the stone house. It was empty.
Furthermore, it was well furbished. There was a small bed and quite a few chairs. Of course, that was not the most important thing.
Most importantly, there was a black altar in the middle of the stone house.
A silver white square gemstone sat in the middle of the altar. It was crystal clear, but there were peerlessly complicated runes glowing inside the gemstone.
"What a treasure!" Fang Zhengzhi felt that he was in luck. He never expected to find such a treasure upon entering the stone house.
He did not know what it was.
However, he was sure that based on its appearance alone, it would fetch at least a few hundred silvers.
"I guess even heaven can’t prevent me from getting rich!" Fang Zhengzhi forgot all about his fall. He reached for the gemstone on the altar.
It was warm, almost as if he was grabbing onto a piece of jade.
But...
It was heavy.
It was so heavy that Fang Zhengzhi could not lift it up. It was almost as if it was being locked into place at the altar by a thousand kilogram weight. Fang Zhengzhi could not lift it despite his best efforts.
"What the hell is this? Why is it so heavy?" Fang Zhengzhi was stunned. This palm sized gemstone was as heavy as a mountain.
Fang Zhengzhi was the strongest person in a ten mile radius around Cang Ling Mountain.
If he couldn’t life up such a stone, who had put it here in the first place?
Fang Zhengzhi was getting suspicious.
More importantly, Fang Zhengzhi was discontented at his inability to take the gemstone away. It felt like he couldn’t get an erection even though there was a naked beauty on his bed.
How could he ever accept that?
Fang Zhengzhi had no idea what others would think, but he was not going to accept this result.
As such, he began to circle the altar. Success depended on the details. There must be a trick to lifting such a heavy gemstone.
If the hint could not be found on the gemstone, then the altar was his best bet.
Fang Zhengzhi was disappointed after circling the altar. After he felt everything there was to feel, he still did not find any catch.
Was it really the gemstone?
Fang Zhengzhi waltzed next to the gemstone and began examining it.
He quickly realized that... he didn’t recognize those runes.
They were not words, or pictures, or ancient scriptures. Each rune was incredibly complicated and tiny.
There did not seem to be any order.
"What the hell is this?" Fang Zhengzhi’s curiosity was piqued. He had tried finding a hint but to no avail.
Under such a circumstance, he had to try going head to head with it.
He was not going to take a blade to it. That was not going head to head. That was defacing an item of heaven.
Fang Zhengzhi’s method was simple. He grabbed onto the gemstone and forced it into his Heart Protection Mirror.
No matter how heavy it was, it would be his the moment he grabbed onto it.
Fang Zhengzhi consciously moved the gemstone into his Heart Protection Mirror.
He had done this many times before without incident. He had felt incredibly good each time, and the item was stored smoothly.
But this time...
It was clearly not as easy.
"Kaboom!" A loud sound echoed out. The gemstone seemed to roar as a result of Fang Zhengzhi’s efforts. It felt like something was going to pop out from the stone.
"Aiya, I can’t subdue you?" Fang Zhengzhi ignored the strange movement. He thought that some movement was better than no movement. He tried again.
"Kaboom!" An explosion rang out.
A third time!
A fourth time!
A fifth time...
...
Fang Zhengzhi was a principled man. He had always held on to one key principle - never waste anything! As such, he decided to try again.
On his ninth try.
The gemstone finally moved.
"Hum!"
The silver white gemstone glowed brightly, almost as if it had been encouraged by someone. The runes inside it began twirling like a small whirlpool.
Fang Zhengzhi was captivated by the gemstone. At this point, he had a very weird feeling. The gemstone was captivating.
This was a ridiculous attraction, but it did not affect him much.
The feeling was strange, but real.
Just as Fang Zhengzhi was preparing to pull again, the silver white gemstone dimmed, the runes disappearing completely.
The original silver white glow also disappeared.
The entire gemstone turned black.
It looked just like any ordinary stone.
"F*ck... me! Have I spoilt it?!" Fang Zhengzhi was getting worried. He unconsciously grabbed at the stone. Then, something strange happened.
The gemstone was lifted off the altar.
It felt like he was holding onto an ordinary stone. Its weight was almost negligible.
"Oh man! Wasn’t this supposed to be a gemstone? Why did it become an ordinary stone in the blink of an eye? How can it be just like that? At least it should give me some sort of benefit?" Fang Zhengzhi shook the stone vigorously.
He realized...
That it was useless.
The stone had become just an ordinary rock, losing all of its shine and glow. No one would be able to discern it from any other rock in the woods.
"What the hell?!" Fang Zhengzhi threw the rock away. It sailed through the air, crashed into the wall, and landed in the corner.