Chapter 4875
That Mountain!
After a brief period of ecstasy, Ling Feng quickly regained his composure.
He sat quietly cross-legged beside the Shield of the Mountain, carefully experiencing the various changes brought about by the "Star Vein" within his body.
First of all, the ability of the stellar veins to store the breath of creation goes without saying.
As he continued to channel the Breath of Creation within the star vein, he soon discovered new characteristics.
The primordial energy within the star veins can actually be compressed and condensed.
This is somewhat similar to the process of transforming true qi into elemental power when one is just starting out in martial arts.
"Could this be what they call returning to simplicity...?"
Ling Feng's eyelids twitched slightly, and he began to make further attempts.
He carefully compressed the already compressed Breath of Creation, and then, in conjunction with his movements and techniques, began to unleash this power.
With his quick wit, he soon found the key to it.
In an instant, a glint of light flashed in Ling Feng's eyes.
He slowly raised his right hand, clenched his fist, and guided the compressed breath of creation along the trajectory of the star veins to his fist.
"drink!"
The next moment, Ling Feng let out a low shout and punched the cave wall!
There were no fancy moves used, just a pure straight punch.
boom!
The fist slammed into the hard rock wall, producing a dull thud.
Rock fragments flew everywhere, and a deep fist-shaped mark appeared on the rock wall!
"This power... has increased at least tenfold!"
Ling Feng withdrew his fist, deeply shocked.
He finally understood why Xi, having fallen into this eternally desolate realm, possessed such terrifying combat power solely through brute force.
This stellar vein can not only store the breath of creation and protect it from environmental influences, but also greatly amplify and condense power, maximizing every bit of energy!
"No wonder Captain Cliff said that for those who aren't from the Star Hunter Clan, the difficulty in the Eternal Ruins Realm is ten times greater than for the Star Hunter Clan..."
Ling Feng smiled wryly, "This star vein is the biggest difference!"
Without star veins, the breath of creation here is like water without roots, dwindling with every drop used, and constantly having to fight against the engulfing effect of the environment.
Having a Star Pulse not only allows you to lock in your power, but also enables you to unleash a burst of power with less energy consumption, resulting in greater attack power.
This is the gap in racial talent.
However, Ling Feng was undoubtedly lucky.
Under Xi's guidance, he also successfully opened up the star veins unique to the Star Hunter clan.
He suppressed his joy, sat cross-legged again, and felt he should continue to condense the star veins.
According to Xi, only those who possess thirty-six star veins can truly survive in this region.
What he needs to do is more than just survive.
strength!
We must improve our strength as soon as possible in order to have a chance to leave.
With the experience of the first success, opening the second star vein went much more smoothly.
Ling Feng calmed himself down and continued to study the methods taught by Xi. Using the first star vein as a foundation, he began to construct the second, the third, and so on...
Time slips away quietly.
As before, every now and then, Xi would bring a tentacle back to the cave to feed Ling Feng.
The bald giant's condition remained unstable. Sometimes he would be lucid for a longer period and be able to chat with Ling Feng for a while, occasionally giving Ling Feng some pointers.
Sometimes, he would start hitting his head shortly after returning home, and then he would have to leave in a hurry.
But no matter what, he always remembered to bring food for Ling Feng.
Ling Feng was quite grateful for this.
After spending some time together, Ling Feng came to regard this bald giant, who often went crazy, as his good older brother.
If possible, Ling Feng really hoped to take him away from this place.
On this day, Ling Feng had successfully condensed twenty-nine star veins!
The primordial energy within him has also recovered to about 70-80% of its peak level.
In terms of combat ability, Ling Feng felt that he could crush his former self with a single finger now.
This is the qualitative change brought about by the stellar veins.
Ling Feng had just finished his training when Xi Ye returned to the cave.
He seemed to be in good condition this time, very clear-headed, and carrying a huge tentacle on his shoulder that was even longer than Ling Feng's entire body.
boom!
With a loud bang, he threw the tentacle directly in front of Ling Feng.
The tentacle was still twitching, and the broken part was covered with foul-smelling bloodstains, like mud, flowing all over the ground.
"Thank you, senior."
Ling Feng didn't stand on ceremony. He tore off a large piece of meat and stuffed it into his mouth, wolfing it down.
It tastes terrible, but it's incredibly nutritious!
Moreover, this tentacle was noticeably heavier, much larger than the ones brought before.
"Kid, it seems you're recovering quite well."
Xi's voice was still hoarse, but there was a rare hint of calm in his tone.
Ling Feng had just swallowed a piece of tentacle when he heard this and quickly stood up and bowed: "Thanks to your care during this time, senior."
Xi waved his hand, his gaze lingering on Ling Feng for a moment, before suddenly asking, "How many star veins have you opened up by now?"
"Twenty-nine articles."
Ling Feng answered truthfully.
"Twenty-nine?"
Xi raised his almost non-existent eyebrows, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. "It's faster than I expected. With the meager Star Hunter bloodline power in you, I didn't even think you could successfully open your Star Veins on your own. It seems your talent is truly remarkable."
"Ha ha……"
Ling Feng chuckled a few times and asked with some curiosity, "So, senior, how many star veins do you have in total?"
"Seven thousand..."
"Seven thousand?"
Ling Feng's eyes widened as Xi continued, "More than 79.8 million, I suppose."
"Seven thousand nine, almost eight thousand..."
Ling Feng took a deep breath, then suddenly realized something, "Ten thousand? What? The unit is ten thousand?"
What the hell was I so happy about before?
He only has twenty-nine articles, not ten thousand!
"After unlocking the first one, the thirty-sixth one is the first bottleneck, then the one hundred and eightth one, and after that, there is not much difference."
Xi slowly explained, "Theoretically speaking, the longer the Star Hunter clan lives, the more star veins they accumulate. I've just lived long enough."
"Forehead……"
Ling Feng wiped the fine sweat from his forehead. He made it sound so easy, but the difference in quantity between a few dozen and tens of millions of messages would be enough to overwhelm him.
This made Ling Feng even more certain that this Xi was definitely not simple.
Even within the Star Hunter clan, they are probably highly respected figures.
Just then, Xi suddenly stood up, stretched his neck, and then stared at Ling Feng, saying calmly, "Having star veins alone is not enough; you have to know how to use them. Come on, try taking one of my punches."
"Forehead……"
Before Ling Feng could answer, Xi Na's fist, as big as a casserole dish, slowly rose.
Although it was an ordinary punch without any preparatory force, it was enough to make Ling Feng's hair stand on end instantly! He seemed to see a mountain crushing down on him, and the surrounding air seemed to freeze under this punch.
Even before the fist arrived, the terrifying pressure made Ling Feng's breath catch in his throat!
"bring it on!"
In a flash, an extremely resolute look also flashed in Ling Feng's eyes.
If I can't even withstand this casual punch, then all my training over this period of time has been for nothing.
"Whoa!!!"
Ling Feng roared, and all twenty-nine star veins in his body lit up simultaneously!
The primordial energy stored within was instantly compressed, like twenty-nine surging silver torrents converging into his arms!
He crossed his palms, protecting his chest, and a bright silver light shone between his palms!
boom! ! !
The moment the fist and palm made contact, a dull, drum-like thud was produced!
Ling Feng felt an irresistible force travel up his arms, and he slid backward uncontrollably!
scoff-
His feet dug two deep furrows in the ground, sending stones flying.
He stumbled backward for more than a dozen steps until his back slammed against the cave wall with a thud, barely managing to stop himself.
A tingling and numb sensation spread through my arms, my chest felt churning, and a metallic sweetness rose in my throat.
But Ling Feng gritted his teeth and forced himself to swallow the blood back.
He caught it!
Although he was in a sorry state, he did manage to take Xi's punch!
Xi withdrew his fist, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.
Although he only used less than half of his strength in that punch, for Ling Feng, who had only recently condensed his star veins, it was already quite remarkable that he could withstand it.
"good."
Xi nodded. "Kid, your talent is much better than I expected. I thought this punch would knock you down! It seems that in the future, when I go berserk, I won't have to hit myself, I can just hit you."
Ling Feng straightened up, panting, and said with a wry smile, "Senior is joking... Heh... Heh..."
Just kidding.
Xi shrugged, but it scared Ling Feng half to death.
You can't make jokes like that!
This is terrible!
The next moment, Xi's gaze sharpened, and he said calmly, "However, with your current strength, you can try going out to hunt."
"Hunting?" Ling Feng's eyes lit up.
"Yes."
Xi pointed outside the cave, "You're tired of eating these leftovers I bring all the time, aren't you? And you should have noticed that the monsters in this Eternal Ruins contain a vast amount of primordial energy, which is of great use to you right now."
Ling Feng's heart stirred. He had long wanted to go out and take a look, but his strength was insufficient before, and leaving the cave rashly would be tantamount to suicide.
Now that Xi Du has said so, he naturally wants to improve his strength as soon as possible.
"That's exactly what I was thinking!" Ling Feng said, clasping his hands in a fist salute.
Xi stared at him for a few seconds, then nodded. "Let's go then. I'll take you somewhere."
After saying that, he turned and walked out of the cave.
Ling Feng quickly grabbed the Zhenyue Shield and followed.
This shield has now become his most important life-saving item. It not only stabilizes the Breath of Creation, but its defensive power is also extremely astonishing.
Stepping out of the cave and breathing in the fresh air, Ling Feng felt as if he had been transported to another world.
He looked up at the sky, the chaotic patchwork of the heavens still eerie, and pale purple mist flowed slowly through the mountain streams.
“There are at least a thousand mountain streams in this area, similar to the one you encountered last time.”
Xi walked ahead, speaking in a hoarse voice as she went, as if introducing the mountain to Ling Feng, “Every mountain stream has a unique ‘will,’ varying in strength. The one you set foot in before was only of medium to low danger, so you were quite lucky.”
He glanced back at Ling Feng: "If you encounter a mountain stream with a violent temper, its will will erupt instantly and crush you into mincemeat in a flash. You might not even have a chance to meet me."
Ling Feng felt a chill run down his spine and was filled with lingering fear.
"Then... how do we determine which mountain streams are safer?" Ling Feng couldn't help but ask.
"Safety?"
Xi chuckled, "There's no safe place here. However, there are indeed some distinctions in rank within the mountain streams."
He pointed into the distance: "See those darker fogs? The mountain streams inside are more ferocious, but they also produce more and stronger 'food'. The tentacles you ate before were just the most common kind."
Ling Feng looked in the direction Xi pointed and indeed saw that several miles away, the mist in the mountain stream was a dark purple, almost black.
Even from this distance, he could feel the chaotic and violent aura emanating from the other side.
His gaze unconsciously drifted further away to the towering mountain that seemed to support the entire world, a mountain that looked like a divine punishment.
That was the mountain that had drawn upon the divine energy of creation within him, guiding him to this place.
"Senior Xi."
Ling Feng hesitated for a moment before asking, "Have you been to that mountain before?"
Xi paused for a moment.
He slowly turned his head, following Ling Feng's gaze to look at the high mountain, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes... longing, fear, pain, and deep despair.
After a long silence, he slowly shook his head: "No."
"why?"
Ling Feng pressed further, "With your strength..."
"strength?"
Xi interrupted him, her voice tinged with self-mockery, "Kid, do you think that just because I can survive in this mountain valley area, it means I'm strong?"
He raised his thick arm and pointed to the high mountain: "Do you see that faint dark red ribbon at the foot of the mountain? That's not decoration, that's a river. A... a great river that I can never cross."
Ling Feng stared intently and indeed saw a winding, dark red trail at the foot of the mountain, like a hideous scar on the earth.
The distance was too great to see the details clearly, but one could sense a chilling aura emanating from the place.
"I've tried countless times."
Xi's voice lowered, as if he were lost in some painful memory, "The most recent time, I almost reached the foot of that mountain..."
His body trembled slightly, and his hands clenched involuntarily.
"And then what happened?"
Ling Feng held his breath.
"Then I saw something in the river."
Xi's voice became hoarse, "That wasn't water, it was... countless shattered wills, dissolved souls, and terrifying beings I couldn't comprehend. I almost went completely insane just from one glance. If it weren't for..."
He paused abruptly at this point.
His eyes instantly became bloodshot, and his body trembled slightly.
It was anger, or it was fear.
Ling Feng couldn't tell, but at this moment, the aura emanating from Xi was extremely terrifying.
"S-senpai..."
Ling Feng's heart tightened, and he was already prepared to escape.
Fortunately, Xi did not lose control. He turned his head sharply, stared at Ling Feng, and said in a deep voice, "In short, stop thinking about it and abandon those unrealistic fantasies. You can't reach that mountain. Even if you manage to reach it with all your might, it doesn't mean anything. The Eternal Ruins is a hopeless abyss. Neither you nor I can ever get out."
Ling Feng remained silent for a moment; he could sense the despair in Xi's words.
In countless attempts, Xi may have lost far too much.
"But it's senior!"
Taking a deep breath, Ling Feng gritted his teeth and said, "I can sense that there is an aura similar to the Pillar of Creation on that high mountain."
In an instant, Xi's body trembled violently. (End of Chapter)