NIP Chapter 332 Collecting the Five-Colored Stones!
Chapter 332 Collecting the Five-Colored Stones!
The Southern Wilderness is located at the southernmost tip of the primordial wilderness.
To fly there from the East China Sea, one must traverse the entire Eastern Continent and then the South China Sea to reach it.
Su Fan and Sun Wukong flew for five days and five nights without stopping.
On the fifth day at dusk, the sea ahead turned into land. The earth was red, as if it had been soaked in blood.
The ground was barren, riddled with cracks from which steam billowed. A wave of heat washed over you, distorting the very air.
Su Fan landed on the ground, the soles of his shoes sizzling from the heat. He looked down and saw that the soles were burnt and emitting blue smoke.
Sun Wukong wasn't much better off; his straw sandals had long since burned away, and he was barefoot on the ground, the soles of his feet burning red.
"This godforsaken place," Sun Wukong muttered, then jumped up, stepping onto a cloud, too afraid to land.
Su Fan walked forward. The further he walked, the hotter it got; the air was so hot it made his throat dry, and every breath felt like swallowing fire.
His lips were split open, and blood seeped from the crack, only to evaporate as soon as it came out, leaving a black scab.
After walking for about an hour, a mountain appeared ahead. The mountain was very large, covering a thousand miles, and its summit was above the clouds, so that its top could not be seen.
The mountain is black, not from the rocks, but from being burned.
The mountain was covered with cracks, from which red light gushed out, like magma, but brighter than magma.
Su Fan looked at the mountain, the map Nuwa had given him flashing in his mind. The location of the Crimson Fire Stone was at the summit of this mountain, deep within the crater.
He started climbing the mountain.
The mountain is very steep, almost vertical.
Su Fan used his fingers to climb up the cracks in the rocks. The cracks burned his fingers, causing blisters. With each step he took, his fingernails softened from the heat.
When he reached the halfway point of the mountain, all ten of his fingernails fell off, revealing the tender pink flesh beneath. The tender flesh touched the scorching hot rocks, causing him to gasp in pain.
Sun Wukong stood on a cloud, floating beside him, and stretched out his golden cudgel.
"Grab on, I'll pull you up."
Su Fan shook his head, loosened the crevice in the rock, and jumped upwards, pushing off the rock face with both feet. With each jump, he left a charred footprint on the rock face.
The soles of his shoes had long since burned away, and his bare feet sizzled as he walked on the stones, but he didn't care.
By the time we reached the summit, it was already dark. But the summit wasn't dark, because there was light coming from inside the crater.
The light surged up from the depths of the earth; it was a red light that dyed the entire sky blood red.
Su Fan stood on the edge of the crater and looked down.
The crater was enormous, thousands of feet in diameter, and its depths were unfathomable. Lava churned and bubbled deep within, each bubble bursting and spewing out a plume of black smoke.
A wave of heat surged up from below, blowing onto his face, making Su Fan feel as if his skin was about to melt.
He took a deep breath and jumped.
As he plummeted, the heat intensified. His clothes began to smoke, his hair started to curl, and his eyebrows were singed, emitting a burnt smell. He gritted his teeth and continued to fall.
One thousand zhang, two thousand zhang, three thousand zhang.
The magma drew closer, and the red light grew brighter. Su Fan could now see the patterns on the magma's surface, like a red net with bubbles rising from its mesh.
Five thousand feet.
He landed at the deepest part of the crater. Beneath his feet was not lava, but a rock.
The stone was small, about a foot square, and was entirely red with golden veins on its surface.
The stone floated above the lava, only a foot away. Heat waves surged up from below, baking the stone's surface until it gleamed.
Red flint.
Su Fan reached out to take it.
The moment his finger touched the rock, the entire crater shook. The tremor was so strong that Su Fan was almost thrown into the lava.
He steadied himself and looked up. A crack appeared in the rock face above him, from which red light gushed forth. The light fell to the ground and transformed into a bird.
The bird was not large, about ten feet long, and its whole body was covered with red feathers, with golden flames dancing on the edges of the feathers.
Its eyes are golden, with red pupils, like two burning flames.
Its tail is very long, with nine strands, each of which is like a fiery serpent, writhing in the air.
Fire Phoenix.
Its aura indicates it is at the sixth level of the Dao Realm.
Su Fan's heart sank. The sixth level of the Dao Realm was a whole realm higher than his own.
He was already struggling against a dragon at the peak of the fifth level. How could he possibly fight a sixth level dragon?
Fire Phoenix looked down at Su Fan, its golden eyes expressionless.
"Fifth level of the Dao Realm? You dare to steal my Crimson Fire Stone?"
Su Fan didn't speak. He picked up the Crimson Fire Stone from the stone platform and stuffed it into his pocket.
The stone was scalding hot to the touch, instantly causing blisters to form on his chest.
But he didn't let go, stuffing the stone deep inside his robes, using the Investiture of the Gods as a barrier.
Fire Phoenix watched his movements, a hint of killing intent flashing in her golden eyes.
"lay down."
Su Fan didn't let go. He pulled his hand out of his pocket, and a golden light shone from his palm.
The golden light was so bright that it turned the entire crater golden. He then pulled out another section of the corpse's path.
Fire Phoenix stared at the golden light, its pupils contracting slightly.
Su Fan held the golden light in his hand as if it were a knife.
The fire phoenix opened its mouth and spewed out a mouthful of red flames. The flames covered the sky and were hotter than magma.
Su Fan neither dodged nor evaded, but instead unleashed a slash. The golden light struck the flames, splitting them in two. The flames flew past Su Fan on either side, crashing into the rock wall and burning two large holes in it.
Fire Phoenix's expression changed.
Its flames were unstoppable by anyone below the sixth level of the Dao Realm. This human at the fifth level of the Dao Realm not only withstood them, but also cleaved them in two.
Su Fan rushed forward, his golden blade slashing towards the fire phoenix's neck. The fire phoenix dodged, its wings striking Su Fan's chest.
Su Fan was sent flying backward and crashed into the rock wall, creating a large, human-shaped crater.
He climbed out of the pit, his chest tight and a metallic taste rising in his throat.
He swallowed it, then rushed forward again.
The golden blade struck the phoenix's wing, severing several feathers, and golden flames shot out from the broken ends.
The fire phoenix cried out in pain, its claws reaching for Su Fan's head. Su Fan dodged, his golden blade slashing towards the fire phoenix's eyes.
The fire phoenix closed its eyes. The golden blade slashed at its eyelid, cutting a gash from which golden blood gushed.
The fire phoenix let out a miserable cry, flapping its wings wildly, causing pieces of rock to fall down.
Su Fan landed, panting heavily. Fire Phoenix opened its eyes; there was a bloody gash above its left eye, the blood obscuring its eyeball, making it unable to see clearly.
Its right eye was fixed on Su Fan, the killing intent in its golden pupil so intense it seemed tangible.
"You're asking for it."
The phoenix opened its mouth, and a red light shone from within. The light grew brighter and stronger.
Su Fan knew that this flame was at least three times stronger than the previous one. He couldn't dodge it, and taking it head-on would seriously injure him.
He raised the golden sword and poured all the protective energy within his body into it.
The Path of Protection surged into the Golden Blade, which then exploded, transforming into a golden sphere of light. The sphere wasn't large, about the size of a fist, but its density was terrifying.
He threw the ball of light at the fire phoenix.
The ball of light flew into the fire phoenix's mouth and exploded in its throat.
boom--!!!
The phoenix's head exploded. Red feathers, golden blood, and white bones scattered everywhere. Its body stood for a moment before crashing to the ground.
Su Fan stood there, panting heavily. The golden light blade was gone, and the corpse's Dao had been partially depleted.
He could feel that the gray ball of light in his dantian had shrunk and dimmed considerably.
It went from the size of a fist to the size of a walnut, and the light inside dimmed, like a light bulb about to go out.
He turned and walked to the stone platform. The Crimson Fire Stone was already tucked into his pocket, and the platform was empty, covered only with a layer of charred ash.
He reached into his robes and touched the Crimson Firestone. The stone was still there, scalding hot, so hot that the skin on his chest had gone numb.
Su Fan took a deep breath and flew towards the top of the crater.
Flying up was much harder than jumping down. The heatwave pressed down like a wall, and it took him ten times the effort to fly up even a foot.
When he was halfway through the flight, he was almost out of strength and his body began to fall.
Sun Wukong stretched out his golden cudgel from above, and the cudgel grew longer, extending in front of him.
"catch!"
Su Fan grabbed the golden cudgel, and Sun Wukong pulled him up with all his might.
Su Fan lay on the edge of the crater, panting heavily. The skin on his chest was burned raw and bloody from the firestone, and his clothes were stuck to his flesh, inseparable from it.
He gritted his teeth and tore his clothes off his chest, pulling off a layer of skin that was covered in blood.
Sun Wukong squatted down beside him, looking at his wound, his eyes reddening.
"Kid, take a break."
Su Fan shook his head and took out the Crimson Fire Stone from his pocket. The stone glowed red in his palm, with golden patterns dancing within the light. He glanced at it, then put the stone back in his pocket and stood up.
"Let's go. Next place."
Sun Wukong looked at him: "You're injured like this, and you still want to leave?"
Su Fan looked down at his chest. It was a bloody mess, and his ribs were visible underneath.
He took the Investiture of the Gods from his bosom, unfolded it, and laid it on his chest. The golden light of the Investiture of the Gods shone on the wound, and the wound began to heal. Granulation grew from the edges, filling the gap little by little.
However, the healing process is very slow; at this rate, it will take at least a day and a night to fully heal.
"We grow as we go," Su Fan said.
Sun Wukong remained silent. He stepped onto a cloud, with Su Fan following behind, and the two flew westward.
Xikunlun is located at the westernmost edge of the primordial wilderness.
To fly over from the Southern Wilderness, one must traverse the entire Western Niuhe Continent.
Xiniu Hezhou is now a ruin; Buddhist temples have collapsed, Buddha statues have shattered, and scriptures have been burned to ashes.
The ground was littered with the remains of demons, their gray bones gleaming coldly in the moonlight.
As Su Fan flew over the ruins, he glanced down. He thought of the Medicine Buddha, the Maitreya Buddha, and the Buddhist disciples who had died in battle in Xiniu Hezhou.
Of the 10,050 people, less than 10,000 survived. Among the Buddhist disciples of Xiniu Hezhou, even fewer survived, only 3,000.
He looked away and quickened his pace.
After flying for three days and three nights, a mountain appeared on the horizon ahead.
The mountain was vast, so vast that its edge was nowhere in sight. Its white color wasn't from snow, but from the natural color of the rock itself.
The white stones gleamed silver in the moonlight, like a silver mountain. At the summit stood a tree, so large that its canopy covered the entire mountain.
Stars hung from the branches; they were real stars.
One by one, the size of a fist, glowing white, they hung all over the branches.
Xi Kunlun.
Su Fan landed at the foot of a mountain and looked up at the tree. The tree was very tall, and he couldn't see the top.
The tree trunk was so thick that even a hundred people couldn't wrap their arms around it. The bark was golden, with patterns that resembled runes or characters, none of which he recognized.
He started climbing the mountain.
The mountain was steep, but much easier to climb than the one in the southern wilderness. The white stones weren't hot; in fact, they were a bit cool.
Su Fan's feet touched the stone, a cool sensation rising from the soles, so comfortable he almost cried out. His chest wound hadn't fully healed, and the Investiture of the Gods was still laid out on it, the golden light reflecting off the white stone.
When he reached the halfway point of the mountain, he saw a stone tablet.
The stone tablet is twelve feet tall and five feet wide, with two characters carved on it—Kunlun. The strokes of the characters are very deep, as if they were carved with a fingernail.
Su Fan reached out and touched it; the stone surface was cold, and the writing was very new, as if it had just been carved.
He bypassed the stone tablet and continued climbing.
When he reached the top of the mountain, he saw the trunk of the tree. The trunk was right in front of him, golden, and so thick that he couldn't see either side.
The tree roots extend from under the trunk and embed themselves in the white stones; each root is as thick as a water vat.
Su Fan walked along the tree trunk for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and a door appeared on the trunk.
The door was golden, the same color as the tree trunk, so it was almost invisible unless you looked closely. There was no handle, no lock, just a crack in the door.
He placed his hand on the door and pushed hard. The door didn't budge.
Sun Wukong walked over, placed his golden cudgel against the door, and pushed hard. The door remained unmoved.
Su Fan took two steps back and pulled the corpse's talisman from his robes. Golden light shone in his palm, and he pressed it against the door.
The door opened.
Behind the door was a narrow passage, just wide enough for one person to walk through. The walls on both sides were golden and covered with runes. Su Fan went in, with Sun Wukong following behind.
The passage stretched downwards, becoming wider and wider. After walking for about fifteen minutes, the passage suddenly widened, revealing a huge cave.
The cave was enormous, so vast that its edges were invisible. In the center of the cave stood a tree root.
The tree roots are very thick, as thick as a small mountain. The root bark is golden, with veins that look like blood vessels, and golden liquid flows inside.
Beside the tree roots was a stone. It wasn't large, about a foot square, and was entirely yellow with white veins on its surface. The stone emitted a yellow light that illuminated the entire cave.
Polygonatum sibiricum.
Su Fan walked over and reached out to take it.
The moment his finger touched the stone, the entire cave shook. The tremor was so strong that Su Fan was jolted back two steps.
A crack appeared in the rock above the cave, from which yellow light poured out. The light fell to the ground and transformed into a beast.
The beast was enormous, standing three zhang tall and five zhang long. Its body resembled a tiger's, but it was ten times larger.
Its tail is like a cow's, but three times longer. Its face is human-like, but the features are blurry and its appearance is unclear.
Its claws are like eagle claws, each three feet long, curved like hooks. Nine thorns grow on its back, each like a spear, with a white gleam at the tip.
Lu Wu.
Its aura indicates it is at the sixth level of the Dao Realm.
Su Fan's heart sank.
Lu Wu looked down at Su Fan, his expression unreadable from his blurred features.
"Fifth level of the Dao Realm? You dare to steal my Yellow Essence Stone?"
Su Fan didn't speak. He picked up the yellow gemstone from beside the tree roots and stuffed it into his pocket.
The stone was very heavy, heavier than jade and firestone combined. His arm slumped down, and his shoulder bones cracked.
As Lu Wu watched his movements, an expression suddenly appeared on his blurred features. The expression was strange, like a smile, yet also like anger.
"lay down."
Su Fan didn't let go. He pulled his hand out of his pocket, and a golden light shone from his palm.
The golden light was so bright that it turned the entire cave golden. He pulled out another section of the corpse's path.
Lu Wu stared at the golden light, a hint of surprise flashing across his blurred features.
Lu Wu opened his mouth and spewed out a mouthful of yellow light. The light was not flame, nor dragon breath, but pure spiritual energy, so dense it was like a solid.
Su Fan unleashed a slash, the golden light striking the yellow light, splitting the yellow light in two. The two halves flew past Su Fan on either side and crashed into the cave wall, creating two large craters.
Su Fan staggered back three steps, his hand split open, and blood dripped down his finger.
Lu Wu remained completely still.
Su Fan rushed forward, his golden blade slashing towards Lu Wu's neck. Lu Wu dodged, his claws striking Su Fan's chest.
Su Fan was sent flying backward and crashed into the cave wall, creating a large, human-shaped crater.
He climbed out of the pit, but the wound on his chest that had just healed reopened, and blood seeped out from under the Investiture of the Gods.
He swallowed the metallic taste in his mouth and rushed forward again.
The golden blade struck Lu Wu's claws, leaving a white mark.
Lu Wu roared in pain and lashed out with its tail, striking Su Fan in the waist. Su Fan was sent flying, crashing to the ground and sliding for over ten feet.
His back felt like it was about to break, and the pain made it hard for him to breathe.
He got up, gritted his teeth, and rushed forward again.
One slash, two slashes, three slashes. Each slash landed on Lu Wu, each slash leaving only a white mark.
Annoyed by his beatings, Lu Wu slapped him on the head with a paw.
Su Fan dodged it.
The claw grazed his scalp, tearing off a layer of skin, and blood flowed down, blurring his vision. He didn't bother wiping it away, and slashed at Lu Wu's eyes with his knife.
Lu Wu closed his eyes. The golden blade slashed at his eyelid, cutting a gash from which golden blood gushed.
Lu Wu let out a miserable cry and slammed his claws wildly, causing the ground to sink into chunks.
Su Fan landed, panting heavily. Lu Wu opened his eyes; there was a bloody gash above his left eye, the blood obscuring his eyeball, making it impossible for him to see clearly.
Its right eye was fixed on Su Fan, and the murderous intent on its blurred features was so strong it seemed tangible.
"You're asking for it."
Lu Wu opened his mouth, and a yellow light shone from within. The light grew brighter and stronger. Su Fan knew that this burst of spiritual light was at least three times stronger than the previous one. He couldn't dodge it, and taking it head-on would kill him.
He raised the golden sword and poured all the protective energy within his body into it.
The Path of Protection surged into the Golden Blade, which then exploded, transforming into a golden sphere of light. The sphere wasn't large, about the size of a fist, but its density was terrifying.
He threw the ball of light at Lu Wu.
The ball of light flew into Lu Wu's mouth and exploded in his throat.
boom--!!!
Lu Wu's head exploded.
Yellow blood, white bones, and blurred facial features splattered everywhere. The body stood for a moment before collapsing to the ground with a thud.
Su Fan stood there, panting heavily. The golden light blade was gone, and the corpse's Dao had been partially depleted.
He could feel that the gray ball of light in his dantian had shrunk again, from the size of a walnut to the size of a peanut, and the light inside was almost invisible.
He turned and walked to the tree roots. The yellow stone was still there, and the yellow light was still there.
He picked the stone up from the ground and stuffed it into his pocket. He now had three stones in his pocket.
Jadeite, firestone, and yellow quartz—three stones squeezed together—emitted three different kinds of light, shining through his clothes and illuminating his chest in a kaleidoscope of colors.
Su Fan walked towards the cave entrance. When he reached the entrance, he paused and glanced back at Lu Wu's corpse.
The body was still there, and yellow blood had flowed all over the ground, staining the golden tree roots yellow.
He withdrew his gaze and walked out of the cave.
Sun Wukong was waiting outside. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Su Fan.
"Did you get it?"
Su Fan nodded and took out the Huangjing Stone from his pocket.
The yellow light shone on Sun Wukong's face, making his monkey face appear sallow.
"A fine stone," said Sun Wukong.
Su Fan carefully put the stone away: "Let's go. Next place."
Sun Wukong asked, "Where to?"
Su Fan said, "Northern Darkness."