Chapter 10

Dig, dig, dig...

The soil on the surface was extremely loose, making it easy for Wu Tie to dig.

After digging two feet deep, the amount of sand and gravel in the soil increased rapidly, making the ground increasingly hard. Wu Tie's fingers were soon worn raw, and his ten fingernails were ground to pieces, with fresh blood dripping onto the ground.

His arms trembled, and his fingers spasmed as Wu Tie looked at the blood on the ground with a grim expression.

He had only dug two feet deep in a two-foot square area, and his ten fingers already ached intensely. It was impossible to continue digging.

"Stupid..." A cold snort, and a bolt of lightning as thick as a soybean struck Wu Tie harshly.

Wu Tie let out a painful scream, convulsing and falling to the ground. His long hair stood on end, and fine sparks of electricity leaped between the strands.

"The difference between intelligent beings and animals is that intelligent beings use tools," Old Tie said, his voice cold and deliberate, "Don't you think the tooth hanging from your chest is stronger than your fingers?"

Wu Tie's face stiffened. He endured the pain, lifted his head, and asked Old Tie, "Why didn't you remind me earlier?"

"I wanted to see how stupid you could be," Old Tie sneered, "As expected, you're the stupidest kind."

With a strange laugh, Old Tie said, "Sorry, I'm just that honest and straightforward... I like to speak the truth."

Wu Tie gritted his teeth and said nothing. He stood up, unfastened the necklace with Chi You's tooth, wrapped the animal sinew around his wrist, and thrust Chi You's tooth into the ground.

When he exerted force with Chi You's tooth, a faint current seemed to surge within it. Wu Tie's palm felt a tickling sensation, similar to being electrocuted by Old Tie.

The tickling sensation spread throughout his body, and his tired body began to recover strength.

With a 'thud,' Chi You's tooth struck the ground heavily.

A large amount of soil and rocks were shattered, and with a casual thrust of Chi You's tooth, a hole the size of a basin appeared on the ground.

Wu Tie was stunned, looking at Chi You's tooth in his hand. He chuckled and gripped it tighter, working even harder.

Old Tie watched Wu Tie intently. Seeing Wu Tie smile, Old Tie's eyes darted around quickly, and he muttered to himself, "He can still smile, so he hasn't gone mad. He won't become a killer driven by hatred..."

"But, what if he does become a killer?" Old Tie laughed ambiguously.

A red light flashed, and in a mushroom patch a hundred meters away, dozens of thumb-sized, highly venomous spiders crawling toward Wu Tie instantly turned into wisps of black smoke.

"Xiao Tie, speed up," Old Tie's voice sounded a bit weak, "I've been working hard, and if you don't hurry, I won't have the strength to keep up with you."

Wu Tie's body stiffened. He clenched his teeth and increased the speed of Chi You's tooth, thrusting it into the ground with increasing force. Mud and sand flew, and dust scattered. His thin muscles twitched rapidly, and soon his body was drenched in sweat, with sand and dirt forming a thick layer of mud on him.

Chi You's tooth was incredibly sharp, and any stone it struck would shatter into powder, making digging much easier for Wu Tie.

Wu Tie worked hard, and a two-meter-wide pit gradually deepened.

When he was too exhausted to move, he would stop, take a short nap, eat something, and practice the foundation-building technique to relax his body. He would quickly recover his energy and continue digging.

One day... two days... three days... After ten days, Wu Tie had dug a pit over five meters deep.

Fortunately, the soil here was stable, and the cave walls did not collapse.

One day, Wu Tie swung Chi You's tooth and split a rock the size of a human head. Suddenly, Chi You's tooth struck a hard object. A crisp sound echoed, and sparks flew. The object that had been easily shattered by Chi You's tooth for days did not break, and Wu Tie's palm was painfully jolted.

"Did you dig it up?" Old Tie's voice came from above the pit.

Wu Tie used Chi You's tooth to scrape the soil, revealing a pale white metal surface beneath.

The pale white metal looked similar to Old Tie's material.

"Did you dig it up?" Wu Tie touched the cold metal plate, just like Old Tie. The metal plate had been buried in the soil for an unknown amount of time. When Wu Tie's hand swept over it, no mud or sand could stick to it, and the metal plate became exceptionally clean.

"Take me down, you can't open this door," Old Tie said impatiently.

"Door?" Wu Tie examined the metal plate beneath his feet, which didn't look like a door.

Climbing out of the pit using the small holes in the cave wall, Wu Tie picked up Old Tie, stood at the edge of the pit, and thought for a moment. Then he directly threw Old Tie into the deep pit.

"Xiao Tie, you brat!" Old Tie landed with a 'thud' on the metal plate, lying face down on the ground, and roared in anger.

"This time, I'm not stupid... How could I climb down while holding you?" Wu Tie climbed back into the pit and said to Old Tie, "So, I threw you down. You won't be damaged anyway."

Old Tie was silent for a while.

After a long time, Old Tie said dryly, "I really have the talent to be a teacher... In just a few days, you've become so smart... Brat..."

Two beams of red light shot out from Old Tie's eyes, landing on the pale white metal plate.

The metal plate, which was incredibly hard and couldn't be scratched by Chi You's tooth, began to ripple like water. Wu Tie's feet suddenly felt empty, and he let out a strange cry as he and Old Tie passed through the metal plate.

Strangely, while Wu Tie and Old Tie fell through, not a single grain of sand could pass through the metal plate.

'Ah~~~'!

His body continued to fall, and the surroundings were pitch black. Wu Tie was extremely afraid and instinctively let out a sharp scream.

After an unknown amount of time, his rapidly falling body suddenly stopped.

His feet did not touch the ground, but his body was indeed stationary, suspended in mid-air.

"Light," Old Tie's voice echoed in the darkness.

A gentle sound came from all directions, and a cold white light illuminated the surroundings.

Wu Tie's eyes widened.

This was a huge square space, at least as large as ten Wu family stone castles. The ground was smooth like a mirror, made of the same pale white metal.

Wu Tie was suspended about three inches above the ground. He struggled slightly, and the force supporting his body disappeared, allowing him to land easily.

'Plop,' Old Tie also landed.

Wu Tie looked up, and the ceiling was about a hundred meters high, just like the ground, seamless and whole. Wu Tie couldn't understand how he and Old Tie had fallen through.

The ground, ceiling, and walls were all made of pale white metal.

The white light came from the ground, ceiling, and walls, and these metal plates, which were of unknown thickness, were actually transparent?

"Pick me up and move forward," Old Tie's cold voice had a hint of urgency, "Xiao Tie, brat, it's up to your luck."

"Luck?" Wu Tie reached out to pick up Old Tie, but his movements froze when he heard Old Tie's words, "What do you mean by luck?"

Old Tie's eyes darted around, "I mean, there's something here that can greatly increase your cultivation efficiency. But whether it still exists and how much is left, it's up to your luck!"

"You..." Wu Tie almost couldn't catch his breath. He clenched his fists and shook them at Old Tie, then thought for a moment and held Chi You's tooth, making a threatening gesture at Old Tie.

"You've learned to use tools... Congratulations, you've taken a tiny step forward in evolution, from a primitive savage to a wise man," Old Tie said dryly, "But first, pick me up and move forward. Don't waste time."

"I..." Wu Tie felt a wave of frustration.

He had no way to deal with Old Tie. He hung Chi You's tooth and picked up Old Tie, walking toward the wall Old Tie had mentioned, "Old Tie, you lied to me..."

"So, remember this lesson. Don't easily believe others in the future," Old Tie said dryly, "If that thing is gone, won't you have wasted these few days? Isn't that right?"

Wu Tie clenched his teeth in anger and carried Old Tie to the smooth wall.

"What is this place?" Despite his anger, Wu Tie couldn't control his curiosity and asked Old Tie.

"I am Bian Que's ninth-generation medical ancient divine weapon... Ancient divine weapon, have you heard of it?" Old Tie's eyes emitted two beams of red light, landing on the smooth, seamless wall, "I am an ancient divine weapon, and this is my lair, the ancient divine weapon camp!"

Blue electric light flowed like water from the pale white walls.

The electric light spread out, and the pale white metal walls rippled, revealing a twenty-meter-wide, fifty-meter-high door.

Behind the door was a smooth corridor, also made of pale white metal, with no seams on the walls. Cold white light shone from behind the metal walls.

"Go in," Old Tie ordered.

Wu Tie carefully carried Old Tie into the corridor, looking curiously ahead.

The corridor extended straight downward at a thirty-degree angle, and the huge corridor was spotlessly clean.

As Wu Tie walked, he had a chilling sensation, as if countless invisible eyes were watching him from all directions.

"I feel... not good," Wu Tie shivered and whispered to himself, "It feels like many people are watching me."

The ground, ceiling, and walls were covered with countless fine, invisible light beams, which rapidly scanned Wu Tie's body.

Old Tie's eyes also emitted countless fine, invisible light beams, which rapidly flickered and intersected with the light beams from the walls.

Hearing Wu Tie's muttering, Old Tie said solemnly, "Your perception... is not bad? A few days ago, you didn't have such sensitive perception. It seems the foundation-building technique is working well on you."

"Are there really people watching me?" Wu Tie asked instinctively.

"Not people... It's this ancient divine weapon camp watching you," Old Tie laughed, "Since this ancient divine weapon camp was built, you are probably the first living being to enter here. It's natural for it to be curious about you."

A fine light beam scanned one of Old Tie's eyes.

"Second?" Old Tie's voice suddenly rose, "Who was the first?"

Another fine light beam scanned.

Old Tie's voice became unusually urgent, "Follow my orders, Xiao Tie, run... Yeah, the ground is slippery. Put me down and kick me. Get ready, one, two, one, run!"

Wu Tie was happy to follow this order.

He put Old Tie down and kicked him.

'Thump, thump, thump,' Old Tie tumbled and rolled down the thirty-degree corridor, and Wu Tie ran closely behind.

After nearly a month of practicing the foundation-building technique, Wu Tie's physical condition had improved significantly. With Old Tie's deliberate training and constant electrical stimulation, he ran like a nimble rock rat, closely following Old Tie.

Whenever Old Tie was about to stop, Wu Tie would give him a hard kick.

'Thump, thump, thump,' 'Clank, clank,' Wu Tie and Old Tie ran quickly through the corridor, eventually reaching the end, where there was a large, square room, several times larger than the entrance room.

This run lasted about an hour, and Wu Tie was drenched in sweat, his legs trembling.

Old Tie impatiently shouted, and Wu Tie picked him up and approached the left wall.

As before, blue electric light flashed, and a huge door silently appeared in the wall. Behind this door was an extremely large hall.

A square hall with pale white metal walls.

Transparent crystal spheres, each about ten meters in diameter, floated in the air. Some spheres contained white liquid.

Only one sphere was completely red, and only this sphere contained a towering figure.

"Indeed, you are the second..." The blood-red light in Old Tie's eyes suddenly brightened, and he stared intently at the figure in the crystal sphere.

Attracted by an inexplicable atmosphere, Wu Tie carried Old Tie step by step to the crystal sphere.

The liquid in the sphere was originally white, but it had been stained red by too much blood. In the semi-transparent red liquid, the towering figure was clearly visible.

Nearly three meters tall, with a powerful and perfect physique, and a handsome, stern, and awe-inspiring face like a god.

He wore an incredibly magnificent white heavy armor. The design and intricate patterns on the armor were at the pinnacle of art, something Wu Tie had never seen before.

Unfortunately, this magnificent armor had a basin-sized hole in the chest, which also penetrated the chest of the towering figure.

Wu Tie looked at the figure with reverence.

He was definitely dead, but he still emitted a terrifying, almost unbearable aura.

"Who is he? Why does he have three eyes?" Wu Tie asked Old Tie with reverence.

The figure had a third eye, larger than his normal eyes, in the center of his forehead. The open third eye faintly glowed with a golden light, exuding a sense of authority, divinity, and supreme dominance.

"Xiao Xiansheng Zhenjun... Yang Jian," Old Tie's tone was slow, "A shameless guy... Not only did he withhold my wages, but he even changed his name to Yang Jian."

"Does he really think that having a third eye makes him the legendary Erlang Shen? Pah!"

"Haha, he's dead... I'm not the least bit sad!" Old Tie laughed loudly, "Hahaha, I'm so happy!"

His cold, stiff laughter echoed in the hall, and the surroundings buzzed with the sound of echoes.