Chapter 492
Sacrificing Compassion to Refine Elixir, Heaven and Earth as the Furnace
Chapter 492 Sacrificing Compassion to Refine Elixir, Heaven and Earth as the Furnace
Splash... Splash...
The boundless azure sea, shimmering with tiny sparkles in the sunlight, stretches to the horizon, merging seamlessly with the equally clear sky.
A gentle sea breeze blows, and on the vast ocean, a huge "island" is covered with enormous and sharp horny spikes, towering like mountain peaks, with lush and vibrant trees.
However, if someone could look down from a high place, they would see this "island" moving in the direction of the setting sun, leaving a long trail behind it.
This is the turtle that was enlightened by Otsutsuki Kumoshiki, and it is also the "Island Turtle" that will be occupied by Kumogakure in the future.
At this moment, on the back of the island tortoise, there is a wide clearing in the forest.
Kawa sat quietly on a giant rock covered with a few moss, his black hair fluttering slightly in the sea breeze. The animals that had followed him up the turtle's back gathered around him.
Brown bears, tigers, monkeys, ostriches, koalas, hippos, pangolins, and even that clueless penguin from back then...
Their physiques at this moment are vastly different from when they first arrived on the island.
What was originally an ordinary-sized brown bear has now grown to several meters tall at the shoulder. When it lies down, it looks like a furry little mountain. Occasionally, it raises its paw to scratch its ears, displaying a clumsy demeanor that doesn't match its appearance.
The ostriches themselves have grown much taller, with abundant feathers and strong, powerful legs, and they stroll through the forest. The koalas are fast asleep, clinging tightly to a branch.
The hippopotamus rolled around in the puddle, making contented purring sounds; the pangolin curled itself into a ball covered in scales; and the penguin had completely adapted to the climate.
"Cuckoo..."
As Chuan Shi stretched out his hand, the brightly colored little bird immediately flew down from a nearby branch, landing lightly in his palm. It nuzzled his fingers affectionately and chirped sweetly.
The lines on his usually cold face softened for a moment as his fingertips gently stroked the bird's head.
"Whoa whoa."
A giant ape swung over from a distance, picked a bright red fruit from somewhere, nimbly darted to Chuan Shi, and handed the fruit to him.
Chuanshi, who was already used to being around these animals, didn't refuse. He took the fruit, took a bite, and the sweet juice melted in his mouth.
He looked up and saw dappled sunlight filtering through the trees, with animals resting or playing, creating a peaceful scene.
All of this was completely different from his home planet, a barren and desolate planet, and also different from the hierarchical, cold, and oppressive Otsutsuki home planet.
The last time I saw this sight was a very, very long time ago.
At that time, the Otsutsuki clan did not regard the "Divine Tree" as a terrifying weapon that devoured life on planets, but rather used it for the "transformation" and "nurturing" of certain planets.
Thinking of this, as if remembering something, Chuan Shi's breathing paused slightly, and his gaze pierced through the gaps in the branches and leaves of the forest, looking at the figure standing under the waterfall in the distance.
In front of Yunshi were piles of rough minerals of different sizes and colors.
Most of them are special metal ores collected by Kawashiki and Grell over the years, including the "Grell Stone" which can store and conduct chakra.
Extend your right hand in a cloud-like gesture, palm facing up, fingers slightly spread.
call!
A small, crimson-gold flame ignited above his palm.
The flames were small, but extremely concentrated, with a terrifyingly high temperature that distorted vision.
However, this terrifying temperature was perfectly contained within the palm of the hand, without leaking out in the slightest.
Yun Shi glanced at the ores in front of him, and the crimson flames split into dozens of thin, hair-like threads, which wrapped around each selected ore.
Those hard ores of various shapes, under the seemingly thin flames, quickly turned crimson, began to soften and flow, impurities were removed, and essence was refined.
Under the control and manipulation of cloud-like chakra, different minerals began to merge, gradually transforming into three clumps of liquid of different colors that floated in the air.
Over the long years, Yunshi mastered the secret technique of the Otsutsuki clan called "Sacrifice Elixir Refining".
They can use themselves as a furnace to forcibly refine, purify, and condense the captured chakra using special techniques, transforming it into "dan" that is easy to absorb or store.
In the original work, Momoshiki Otsutsuki used this secret technique to refine the chakra of the Eight-Tails and other ninjas into "dan" with his bare hands.
What Yun Shi is doing now is based on "Sacrifice and Compassion in Alchemy" and has made some modifications according to his own understanding.
If "Sacrifice for Elixir Refining" literally means "elixirs refining," then what Ōtsutsuki Kumoshiki is doing right now is...
—Weapon crafting.
Based on metal and stone, incorporating the spirit of nature, shaping its form, endowing it with nature, and forging its soul, it can become an arm to assist and endure through the ages.
Yun named this technique "Heaven and Earth as Furnace".
The name is derived from the saying, "Heaven and earth are the furnace, and creation is the craftsman; yin and yang are the charcoal, and all things are the copper."
A moment later, the three clumps of liquid matter suspended in the air began their final shaping under the influence of Yun Shi's mental commands.
Yun Shi ceased maintaining the flames and extended her other hand toward the nearby waterfall.
laugh!
The powerful waterfall split into three jets of water, washing over the three newly shaped artifacts. Thick white mist rose into the sky, enveloping the three artifacts.
After a moment, the water vapor dissipated, and the three objects floated silently.
A knife, a sword, a suit of armor.
Ōtsutsuki Unshiki reached out and took the longsword into his hand.
The hilt of the sword felt slightly warm in my hand. With a slight thought, chakra flowed from my palm into the sword and into the inlaid Grell Stone.
hum!
The longsword emitted a deep, clear sound as Yun Shi casually swung it towards the open woodland.
Boom!
A sharp, piercing sound suddenly rang out, and an almost transparent wind blade shot out from the sword. A group of trees, each about the thickness of a bowl, were instantly severed in half by the invisible wind blade.
The broken surface was as smooth as a mirror, and the upper half of the tree crown collapsed with a crash, stirring up a cloud of dust and broken leaves.
The wind blade continued its relentless advance, carving several deep furrows into the ground, causing the soil to churn and swirl. The power of this casual strike was comparable to Danzo's "Wind Release: Vacuum Ball".
However, upon witnessing the power of this sword strike, Yun Shi frowned, stretched out his other hand, and with a swift movement, drew the trident into his palm.
As the Cloud Style Chakra was activated, the unique trident blade instantly extended out, transforming into three slender dragon shapes.
Is this all there is to it?
Yun was not very satisfied with his first successful weapon forging.
As for the last tiger-shaped armor, he had no interest in testing it. He only glanced at it and knew that the armor's ability was to absorb chakra.
For an ordinary ninja, these three ninja tools would provide a significant boost, but they would be meaningless to him.
However, he also knew that using these ores and Grell Stones to forge ninja tools with effects such as attribute amplification and shape transformation was already the current limit of "Heaven and Earth as Furnace".
"Ultimately, it's a limitation of the materials," Yun Shi pondered. "We need to find superior synthetic materials."
Just as Yun was pondering, Chuan, who had been hesitant to speak, finally couldn't help but speak up.
“Senior.” He broke the slightly quiet atmosphere, Yun Shi slightly turned his head, and looked at Chuan Shi not far away.
Kawa met those all-seeing eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing, and asked in a low voice, "When...when will we start planting the sacred tree?"
When he asked the question, Chuan's eyes flickered slightly, and he subconsciously avoided Yun's gaze, but he quickly forced himself to look back.
Plant the sacred tree.
This was the "real reason" for their arrival, a mission etched into their very blood. Although what he had seen and heard during this time had stirred some ulterior motives within him, his deep-seated fear of the Otsutsuki clan still compelled him to ask that question.
"Yes."
Yun Shi narrowed her eyes, her tone flat and emotionless: "Counting the journey we took to get here, five hundred years have passed..."
"It is indeed time to plant the sacred tree."
Upon hearing this, Chuan Shi's breath hitched, but just as Chuan Shi's emotions were churning, Yun Shi suddenly changed the subject.
“However, before that…” Yun Shi turned to look into the distance, her voice still calm, “there is one more thing to do.”
Chuan Shi paused slightly, then subconsciously followed Yun Shi's gaze.
The last rays of the setting sun had thinned in that direction, and the horizon where the sea met the sky was a hazy gray-blue, with the outline of the land faintly visible, and further away, the shadows of rolling mountains.
If I remember correctly...
That place seems to be the kingdom established by that human named Grell?
------
On the fertile plains of the southeastern part of this continent.
This place was once a wild and untamed land where tribes fought each other.
But now, more than a century later, a breathtaking scene unfolds under the sunlight.
The city walls are high, built of neatly cut giant stones, and the city sits on the plain.
Inside the city, the streets are wide, paved with stone slabs, and the layout is neat. The buildings are not even simple thatched huts or wooden houses, but are made of brick and stone, with a rugged and heavy style.
Outside the city, there are neatly arranged farmlands, like a chessboard, with crisscrossing paths and dense irrigation ditches.
Thanks to the dredging and utilization of the surrounding rivers, clear river water has been introduced into the fields, nourishing the lush crops.
Golden waves of wheat, emerald green vegetable patches, and lush orchards stretch out one after another, reaching the foot of the distant mountains, bringing astonishing agricultural output and a stable food source.
The livestock industry is also quite large-scale. On the grasslands near the foot of the mountain, herds of cattle and sheep move about, and their neighing and mooing can be faintly heard.
On the road, carriages and horses came and went, and people's clothing was completely different from the animal skins and linen of a thousand years ago. Silk, linen and wool fabrics were dyed in various colors and woven with intricate patterns.
Adorned with jewelry made of various stones and shells, she shone brightly as she walked.
This country, which has been established for hundreds of years, presents a scene of prosperity, order, and vitality.
However, behind this foundation of a prosperous civilization, behind this glamorous facade, lies a completely different color.
In an area far from the bustling city center, near the continuous mountain range to the north.
That is the mining area of the Grell Stone vein.
Clang! Clang! Clang...
Dozens of enormous mine pits, like scars on the earth, are bottomless and echo with clanging sounds.
At the edge and inside of the mine, a swarm of people crawled around like ants. Most of them were thin, with bony ribs, naked from the waist up, and their lower bodies were wrapped in tattered, dirty cloths that barely covered their bodies.
His dirty body was covered with old and new whip marks and festering wounds as he dug and carried ore with a pickaxe, wooden pry bar, and basket.
"Hurry up! You lazybones! Haven't you eaten enough?"
The overseer, clad in leather armor and with fierce eyes, shouted and lashed out, whipping the backs of slaves whose movements had slowed due to exhaustion.
Snapped!
After the crisp sound, there was a new bloodstain and the screams of the slaves.
"what!"
"No! My lord, I was wrong! I was wrong... Ah!"
At the edge of the mine, beside the mountains of ore, there were slaves who sorted them.
If you are not careful and accidentally put ore containing high-purity Grell Stone into an ordinary pile of stones, you will immediately be punched and kicked.
Further out, surrounding the mining areas and major cities, were new city walls that stretched as far as the eye could see, along with endless lines of slaves.
They moved huge stones, mixed mortar, and swayed precariously on the steep scaffolding, where whips and shouts could be heard constantly.
Slaves would occasionally fall from heights due to exhaustion, heatstroke, or slips, hitting the ground with a dull thud. They would then be dragged away like trash and thrown into a deep pit nearby.
"No one will get any food or water today unless we dig up enough!" another overseer roared, kicking over a slave who was trying to catch his breath.
New slaves were driven to fill the vacancies, as if the slaves were merely worn-out tools.
Under the sunlight, the farmland is fertile, the city is bustling, and the people of Grell are dressed in fine clothes.
In the shadows, deep within the mine, slaves were driven and whipped like livestock.
This is the land of Grell.
A kingdom built upon the Stone of Grell and slavery.
The apparent prosperity masks the underlying misery.
Beneath the seemingly magnificent robes lay piles of white bones.
And deep within this kingdom, deep within that palace.
Huge stone pillars supported the dome, and the Grell Stones embedded in the walls emitted a faint light, illuminating the dozen or so figures sitting around the stone table.
They were all very large and muscular, exuding a beast-like aura even when sitting, and their eyes were all bloodshot vertical pupils.
This is a symbol of power, a mark of "blood," and a symbol that distinguishes them from the ordinary people outside, who are like ants, and the slaves in the mines, who are like expendable commodities.
They were all descendants of Grell's original people, his core confidants transformed by his "blood transfusion," and together they constituted the true ruling class of this kingdom.
But at this moment, they were all red-faced and spitting as they spoke, almost shoving into the faces of their fellow human beings across the stone table.
Bang bang bang!
A burly man with hideous scars on his face slammed his fist on the stone table and growled, "Hand it over! It must be handed over!"
"Don't forget what we paid five hundred years ago when that guy came back!"
Apart from Grell himself, all the witnesses to that incident had been killed by Grell himself, so they naturally didn't know the truth.
They were unaware of Grell's wretched and miserable state; in their eyes, only those people had been killed by that "god" as punishment and a warning.
"what!"
A younger-looking man chuckled, rubbing the ring inlaid with the Grell Stone on his finger: "Five hundred years have passed, and your bones still haven't healed?"
"Look at us now!" He suddenly spread his arms wide. "We have the most elite warriors, giant crossbows powered by the Grell Stone, seals, and barriers!"
"Having excavated and studied so many ruins, how much technology and artifacts have we obtained?"
“We are no longer the barbaric tribes that only knew how to wield stone spears. If we keep bowing and scraping, he will only think that we are insects that can be trampled on at will!”
“Even if they are ‘gods’…” he emphasized those two words, “they cannot ignore the power we have accumulated over the years!”
[There's a side story for #1, about the Kawashiki clan, which is also about the Hyuga main family during the Sengoku period. It's the part that Hyuga Neji dreamed about. You can save your monthly votes for #1.]
(End of this chapter)