Chapter 979
Seizing the Fortune, Heavenly Tribulation Descends
"boom"
The massive body of the Earth-Splitting Bear plummeted from the sky, leveling a small hill to the ground. Dust billowed, the entire island trembled, and the surging seawater churned up countless waves.
"Cough cough cough..."
From the deep pit, a burly man covered in wounds crawled out in a sorry state. Looking at Song Changsheng, who hadn't moved an inch in the air the entire time, he experienced despair for the first time.
It was born on this island and grew up to the level of a demon king, almost never encountering an opponent.
After breaking through to the realm of Demon King and gaining the ability to cross oceans, he also fought against many sea demon kings.
There are wins and losses in battles, but even when he loses, he will tear off two pieces of flesh from his opponent. He has never felt the same way he did when facing Song Changsheng, that he was invincible.
"Damn it, were you hiding your cultivation level? Cough cough cough..."
As soon as he opened his mouth, blood gushed from the corner of his lips, and his internal organs burned with pain.
With his hands behind his back, Song Changsheng walked step by step through the void to stand in front of him, looking down at him with a hint of amusement in his voice, "Do you think I have any reason to hide anything? What, can't accept defeat?"
Although the fight was short, he had already seen the potential in this wild bear.
If he can be subdued, he would be a formidable general.
"Bullshit! I haven't lost yet!"
"If you're not convinced, then I can give you another chance. I'll say it again: as long as you can make me move even half a step, you win, no matter how you do it."
At this point, Song Changsheng paused, then revealed a meaningful smile and said, "For example, a feint or something."
Upon hearing this, the Earth-Splitting Bear subconsciously glanced at Zhuang Yuechan and Wu Jie not far away, and immediately rolled its eyes and said, "Do you think I'm stupid?"
"Haha, not stupid, not stupid at all, you're very smart."
Since you're a smart person, you should know what's best for you. Continuing to be stubborn is pointless, don't you think?
The Earth-Splitting Bear plopped down on the edge of the crater it had created, pondered for a long time, and then said, "I can do things for you, but I have conditions. If you can accept them, we can continue to talk. If you can't, I'd rather be reincarnated."
"You can name your terms." Song Changsheng landed in front of him, his eyes fixed on him, his injuries healing at a visible speed.
"I am no match for you. This island is yours now, but you can't touch my bear cubs and their offspring."
“No problem, I can find an island specifically for your tribe as a new territory so that they can live in peace.”
"I can do things for you, but I have my principles. I will not attack my own kind, nor will I attack demons."
Of course, those damned sea creatures don't count.
"If you can accept this, then I'll listen to you from now on. If you can't, then chop off my head right now. I'm in a hurry to be reborn." As he spoke, the Earth-Splitting Bear stretched its neck forward, looking like it was offering its neck for slaughter.
Song Changsheng thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay."
"You agreed so readily?"
This surprised the Earth-Splitting Bear, who considered the condition to be extremely harsh for a human.
"Your strength and potential qualify you to make these demands."
"Hey, I didn't expect you to have such good taste. In that case, I'll follow you from now on," the Earth-Splitting Bear said, patting its chest.
"Actually, I'm a little curious. Since not attacking the demon race is your principle, how have you cultivated all these years?" Song Changsheng's gaze was scrutinizing.
He didn't doubt that the bear was lying, because the bloodthirsty aura on the bear was indeed very faint, which meant that it rarely committed acts of killing, making it very different from ordinary demons.
The Earth-Splitting Wild Bear rolled its eyes: "My territory is so big, I can't even finish eating all the spiritual flowers and fruits, why do I have to eat meat?"
"Eating meat requires refining its malevolent energy; is it faster for me to just eat spiritual herbs?"
This answer surprised Song Changsheng for a moment, but upon reflection, it did seem to make no mistake.
Aside from unintelligent wild beasts hunting for food, all the hunting behavior of demonic beasts is for cultivation. The reason they devour flesh and blood to cultivate is mostly because resources are insufficient, and they can only solve the problem in the most primitive way.
This island has a fourth-order spiritual vein, is surrounded by the sea, is sparsely populated, and is also very rich in resources.
Apart from the Earth-Splitting Bear clan, there are very few other demon clans. They are in a state of resource surplus and there is indeed no need for them to fight each other.
In fact, the spirit beasts raised by humans are a good example. In order to reduce their ferocity, they are basically not fed flesh and blood. Instead, they are usually fed spiritual herbs that help with cultivation. There are also pills specifically developed for spirit beasts, such as the "Hundred Beast Pill" and the "Thousand Beast Pill".
The spirit beast's cultivation was not only unaffected, but its speed actually increased.
Ultimately, all the killing in this world is for the struggle for resources and living space. If there were enough resources, the human and demon races would not stand on opposite sides.
"Since you've chosen to submit, I'll take your soul imprint as hostage. Is that acceptable?"
Although this wild bear was different from ordinary demons, Song Changsheng didn't want to gamble on the conscience of a demon beast.
"I've become a beggar on my knees, what's so unacceptable about that?"
The Earth-Splitting Wild Bear accepted the current outcome with equanimity, handing over its soul imprint to Song Changsheng for control. This meant that its life and death would no longer be in its own hands.
For the demon king of the world, this was undoubtedly a very humiliating result, but he didn't care. In a world where power is supreme, bowing to power is never wrong.
"I see you've recovered quite well. Go and gather all your bear cubs, their offspring, and your vassal demon clans. During this time, keep them away from the center of the island. No one is allowed to approach without my permission. Don't seek your own death."
"What do you want to do?" The Earth-Splitting Bear frowned slightly.
"It's nothing, I just plan to refine a batch of pills. I am Song Changsheng, the patriarch of the Wangyue Song Clan and the leader of the East Sea Alliance. What's your name?"
"What a long title. Call me whatever you want, I don't care," the Earth-Splitting Bear said, shrugging.
"Then I'll call you Big Bear," Song Changsheng said without hesitation.
Wu Jie's face twitched discreetly, and he chuckled dryly, "Kui Yi, Xiong Da, the clan leader's naming style is truly unique. Mistress, in the future, let the Supreme Elder name the eldest son."
Zhuang Yuechan was already used to it; at least the two of them had a surname. Song Changsheng had even named the spirit of the [Five Elements Creation Seal] Xiao Wu.
However, what Wu Jie said makes sense. If there's a real need in the future, let the old man take charge.
"Master Wujie, there's still some time before New Year's Eve. Is there anything we need to prepare before refining the pills?" Song Changsheng asked, pretending not to hear their conversation. "Ahem, although the spiritual energy here is abundant, it's still a bit insufficient for refining the [Minor Creation Pill]. We'll need the clan leader to personally set up a large-scale spirit-gathering array so I can check and fill in any gaps. We'll start refining the pills on time on New Year's Eve!"
"Okay, I've already sent Xiong Da to relocate the demon race. No one will bother you during that time. Be sure to be careful and don't make any mistakes."
"Please rest assured, clan leader, everything will be absolutely foolproof."
"My lady, you can wander around the island during this time. This island is sparsely populated and rich in resources. See if there are any surprises waiting for us."
Logically speaking, such a large undeveloped island must have a lot of minerals buried underground. Most demons are not interested in these minerals. If one or two fourth-level mineral veins or large spirit stone veins can be found, then the problem of resource self-sufficiency will not need to be worried about when the East Sea Garrison is moved here in the future.
Zhuang Yuechan understood immediately and began exploring the island's resource points.
The three of them divided the work and worked together without any troublesome people bothering them. Soon it was New Year's Eve.
As the last rays of the setting sun faded and the pitch-black night enveloped the azure sea, the three reunited.
The location they chose was the highest spiritual peak on the island, which was also the center of a fourth-order spiritual vein. This location not only possessed the most abundant spiritual energy, but also attracted more pure spiritual energy during the transition between the old and new worlds.
Wu Jie took a deep breath, sat cross-legged on the prepared futon, took out the [Heavenly Fire Cauldron] and placed it in front of him. With a flick of his finger, he shot out a dark green flame, igniting the spirit charcoal piled under the cauldron. The scorching flames licked the heavy bottom of the cauldron, quickly turning it red-hot.
Seeing that the time was almost right, he took out all the spiritual materials needed to refine the [Minor Creation Pill].
The most important of these are the five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water.
He picked up a willow twig less than an inch long, still with two tender leaves, and said, "For wood-attribute spiritual objects, I originally chose a fourth-order Jia wood heart that was over a thousand years old."
However, the willow branch that the clan leader brought back from the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty gave me a new option. I cut off a section of it, and the vitality it contained will serve as the first layer of the [Minor Creation Pill].
For the fire-attribute spirit item, I chose the fourth-tier low-grade [Blazing Sun Grass], and for the earth-attribute spirit item, I chose the fourth-tier low-grade [Flowing Cloud Purple Crystal Sand].
Metal-elemental spiritual objects are rarely used in alchemy, and I was initially hesitant. However, after reviewing the Treasure Bottle Sect's inheritance obtained from Lingmou, I discovered that they actually use the essence of the five elements in medicine. Therefore, after careful verification, I finally chose [Xin Metal Qi].
As for water-attribute spiritual objects, I directly took several scoops of [Taiyin Gui Water].
These five spiritual creatures were carefully selected by me and officially confirmed after dozens of experiments. They are absolutely safe, and the clan leader and matriarch can rest assured.
After saying that, Wu Jie put the five main ingredients into the Heavenly Fire Cauldron in order and quickly refined them. Then he used his spiritual power to wrap them up and put them into the first batch of thirty-two auxiliary ingredients.
"Buzzing..."
The Heavenly Fire Cauldron trembled slightly, a hazy glow appeared on its surface, and the runes engraved on its inner wall began to flash rhythmically.
As time goes by, the universe shakes, the old is swept away and the new is welcomed, and pure air descends from the sky.
Wu Jie seized the opportunity and used a secret technique to activate the Heavenly Fire Cauldron, drawing the pure air in the air into the cauldron.
The moment the pure energy entered the cauldron, the five main medicinal ingredients, enveloped by spiritual power, also fused together. The runes on the inner wall shone brightly, and the originally slightly turbid medicinal liquid gradually became clear.
The second batch of auxiliary medicines was precisely added into the cauldron and refined as quickly as possible.
Wu Jie's expression was serious, and his movements were meticulous. He knew exactly what to do and when to do it, as if he had rehearsed it tens of thousands of times without the slightest deviation.
Song Changsheng and Zhuang Yuechan stood guard for him on either side. Everyone's attention was highly focused, and no movement could escape their perception.
This batch of pills is only of the fourth-grade low quality. Wu Jie has refined fourth-grade high quality pills countless times. With his rich experience, it should be a piece of cake for him. However, he is under more pressure than when he first refined a fourth-grade pill.
For him, this was not just a batch of pills, but a reshaping of his own alchemy.
This batch of pills is quite different from mainstream alchemy techniques, from the selection of raw materials to the alchemy methods. If he can successfully refine it, he can break through the shackles and embark on a completely new path of alchemy.
Whether he can make further progress and embark on the right path depends on this practice.
The three of them stayed here for two years.
On a clear, bright day, a huge vortex of spiritual energy suddenly formed above Lingfeng, frantically drawing spiritual energy from the island.
The extracted spiritual energy was continuously poured into the [Heavenly Fire Cauldron].
The Heavenly Fire Cauldron was like a bottomless pit, absorbing all the spiritual energy that poured in and refining it into that tiny pill.
"No, the spiritual energy is still not enough!" Wu Jie, standing before the cauldron, was covered in cold sweat. After two years, his body was nearing its limit.
Upon hearing this, Song Changsheng waved his sleeve, and tens of thousands of mid-grade spirit stones exploded in the air, releasing pure spiritual energy.
After the Heavenly Fire Cauldron absorbed this spiritual energy, its tightly closed lid suddenly exploded open, emitting a dazzling light that illuminated the heavens and the earth.
"boom--"
A golden light shot into the sky from the Heavenly Fire Cauldron.
Song Changsheng could see clearly that it was a perfectly round golden pill, shrouded in a hazy white mist, with several silver-white pill patterns on its surface.
It seemed to possess intelligence, its movements were chaotic, as if it were trying to avoid something.
"It's finished?"
Song Changsheng was overjoyed. Just as he was about to intercept it, the clear sky suddenly changed. In the blink of an eye, thick leaden clouds covered the sky, making it impossible to see one's hand in front of one's face.
A destructive force was frantically gathering within it.
"Heavenly tribulation, it's heavenly tribulation! I succeeded, I succeeded!"
"Hahahaha..." Beneath the leaden clouds, Wu Jie spread his arms wide, looking like a madman, his eyes bloodshot.
"Boom..."
Lightning snakes surged forth, thunder roared, and the majestic power of the heavens made even the firmament tremble.
"Boom..."
"Dong dong..."
A burst of rapid drumbeats resounded amidst the leaden clouds, and faint, almost imperceptible, bellowing of cattle could also be heard.
Upon hearing that familiar sound, Song Changsheng's heart skipped a beat: "This is... the Kui Niu War Drum?"
...(End of this chapter)