Chapter 298: Chapter 291: Belly of the Mountain... A New Terror Is Born

Ah Jian’s Spiritual Power seemed to have witnessed something terrifying. Like a startled tentacle, it instantly retracted, bringing back the portion of the broken branch it had finished deconstructing.

Shi Ming sensed that something was wrong.

"What’s wrong?"

"Master, the Creation Celestial Pillar... it was corrupted and fell. Its remains have become a breeding ground, nurturing... a new... terror."

"???"

’Its remains have become a breeding ground, nurturing a new terror?’

Shi Ming’s first instinct was that something had beaten him to the punch, snatching away the temporarily ownerless source of the life ability and becoming a new Holy Hall-level Sea Beast!

But on second thought, that didn’t seem right. The Eye of the World’s intel and assessment of Holy Hall Level Power had always been extremely accurate, never once mistaken. The path to obtaining the Creation Celestial Pillar’s "Supreme Sanctuary" was through the "Nine Revolutions," and every component required for it had to be S-rank or higher. There was no simpler way.

Besides, the conditions for the Nine Revolutions weren’t present within the mountain’s interior.

’A breeding ground, nurturing...’

It was more like something had killed it through internal decay, then latched onto the corrupted wood like a vampiric "fungus." They weren’t the same species, nor did they share the same power. The fungus simply drew nutrients from the dead tree, transforming them into another form of existence.

Shi Ming confirmed this with Ah Jian.

He reassured the two-year-old bug.

"This new terror... how terrifying is it? How does it compare to Holy Hall-level Sea Beasts like the Great Black Heaven Dragon and the Abyss Lord?"

he asked.

If it was on their level, then it would just be a formidable rival, not a true terror. Nothing to be overly concerned about. After all, Shi Ming had once, under the gaze of the No. 006 Saint Hall Sea Beast Abyss Lord, severed a dozen of its wicked tentacles—a "fleece-shearing" feat Ah Jian hadn’t witnessed firsthand.

"I have never truly seen the Abyss Lord or the Great Black Heaven Dragon, so it’s hard to compare. The images from my memories aren’t an accurate frame of reference."

Ah Jian replied.

Its past-life memories only allowed it to understand how abilities manifested; it couldn’t accurately gauge their specific power or pressure. Forcing a comparison would lead to huge inaccuracies and result in flawed information.

"Did it follow?"

"No. It didn’t notice."

’Good.’

’For Ah Jian to call something a terror, it must be at least a Holy Hall-level existence. Perhaps that’s what interfered with the second-stage probing of the Eye of the World?’

’In that case, is its level even higher than Holy Hall?’

Shi Ming felt a surge of urgency!

’I have to hurry!’

’I need to upgrade the Arm of Power, merge with the Fallen Sanctuary, and kill the Great Black Heaven Dragon as fast as possible. Then, with my Holy Hall standing, I can use the Eye of the World to find out what that "terror" truly is!’

’I’ll have to either snuff it out early... or use it!’

’A power that difficult to control shouldn’t exist on this planet!’

As he mulled it over, Ah Jian had already used "Spiritual Reorganization" to reconstruct the "broken branch" from the Spiritual Power it had been deconstructed into. Shi Ming glanced over. It was a brown branch, its surface starting to decay, yet still brimming with life force. It radiated a Holy Hall-level pressure similar to the Abyss Lord’s wicked tentacles. Green sap oozed from the broken end, completely enveloped by Spiritual Power so dense it was almost tangible, preventing even a single drop from escaping.

It was about seven inches long and as thick as a finger. It wasn’t heavy, weighing only about 500 grams.

Shi Ming’s Right Arm Red Pattern grew hot again, like a cat that had caught the scent of fish. The feeling wasn’t overwhelming, though. The energy within this small branch wasn’t enough to evolve the Arm of Power, so the pull wasn’t particularly strong.

’I need more!’

"Ah Jian, can you find any other leak points closer to the surface? I need more Holy Hall-level remains."

"At the summit... there’s a large one..."

"Alright. Then we’re heading straight for the summit!"

Da Yu didn’t know all of Shi Ming’s trump cards, particularly his complete immunity to extreme cold. The exploration plan he’d tailored had therefore accounted for the different abilities of all three of them. To be safe, cautious, and cover a large area, the first phase involved an eight-hour period of separate exploration.

But for Shi Ming, the dangers above the snow line weren’t really dangers at all.

He didn’t need to tread carefully.

’I might as well use this time alone to head to the peak first. I can find that large leak point, get enough Holy Hall remains to evolve my Arm of Power, and stock up on materials. I’ll need them for Breaking the Boundary to upgrade the Map of the Endless Sea and to prepare for my General-grade Drifting Ship’s ascension to King-grade! And then, I’ll have more time to examine the great stone monument on the summit!’

Ever since Ah Jian helped him find the branch of the Creation Celestial Pillar inside the mountain, the baseline objective for this commission was already complete. Every prize he secured from here on out was a bonus.

Shi Ming wasn’t afraid of reaping too many rewards; he was only worried he wouldn’t reap enough!

He used the Third Law to uproot the "Jade-Capped Snow" and placed it in his storage.

The swirling wind and snow instantly filled the hole, erasing all traces of his presence.

He used his Spiritual Power to pinpoint Rong Bing and Li Jiuyuan’s locations, then bounded rapidly over glaciers and snowdrifts. He moved as if he were leaping up an ordinary mountain, ascending ever higher.

He didn’t bother dodging the occasional "sub-blades" that sliced across his skin, leaving shallow cuts.

After all, the regenerative ability of his Black Tortoise Power would quickly heal the wounds.

...

...

...

The summit felt like a place forgotten by the world.

The sub-blades appeared far more frequently here than above the snow line, yet this was still considered an "intermittent period."

The air was as thin as paper.

If an ordinary person were to reach this place, each breath would capture only a negligible amount of oxygen, leaving them to struggle helplessly like a drowning man beneath the waves.

Even Shi Ming felt a degree of discomfort—

Ice crystals on the surface were ripped up by the biting wind, scouring his face like sandpaper. The unavoidable sub-blades periodically sliced open new gashes. And while the wounds healed quickly, they had shredded his sturdy seafaring suit.

Only the tactical vest he’d acquired from Da Yu’s Treasure Vault remained intact.

Looking out from the summit in every direction, all he could see was an expanse of pale white. There was no sound but the roar of the blizzard.

The current "altitude" here was far lower than during the Land Era, but the environment was a hundred, even a thousand times harsher.

"Master, thirty meters up, fifty meters to the left."

"Seventy meters further up."

"..."

"Right here."

He had reached the largest leak point Ah Jian had detected.

To the naked eye, there were no plants here.

There was only unmelted ice and snow, moraine, and permafrost. But when Shi Ming extended his Spiritual Power slightly downward, he discovered a jade-like plant growing in the frozen earth, ten times larger than the Jade-Capped Snow from before.

It looked like a sapling.

It also bore a small, hexagonal fruit.

This fruit was completely different from Da Yu’s "Seed of Life." It possessed a biting, sharp austerity, like the wind and frost themselves, as if it could break free from any cage.