Chapter 5

Sun Sheng was full of curiosity. To be honest, he had never been in close contact with a spirit creature that could speak human language before. Back then, Sun Sheng had hunted some low-level spirit creatures on Qingluan Mountain, but this was the first time he had encountered one that could speak human language, and he was filled with curiosity.

"I never thought that the Tiezhu I adopted unintentionally would turn out to be a spirit creature, not only able to speak human language but also seemingly quite intelligent, saying things I don't even understand," Sun Sheng said.

"Have you really forgotten everything about your past, even the dreams you often have?" the blue ox said to Sun Sheng, his words carrying another layer of meaning.

"Often have dreams?" Sun Sheng paused, thought for a moment, and said, "What do you mean by the past? I often dream about secretly following the rich and idle young men in the city to the brothels..."

The blue ox was speechless, his large ox head shaking, and his ox eyes were particularly bright in the darkness.

The night was silent, with only the sound of flowing water from the moat behind them. The man and the ox stood face to face under the night sky, neither of them speaking.

"Old Ox, how much cultivation do you have now? Are you comparable to a master of qi?" Sun Sheng broke the silence and asked.

Since this blue ox claimed to be a spirit creature, calling it Tiezhu seemed inappropriate, after all, it had its own will.

The blue ox did not answer Sun Sheng's question but said, "I have observed that your dantian is damaged and your left foot is disabled. These factors make it difficult for you to cultivate. Although you have tried to nourish your dantian with qi, this method is not practical and will only worsen your injuries. I have a way to help you transform and be reborn, but it will involve some pain. Are you willing?"

Hearing this, Sun Sheng was startled, his eyes immediately shining with a sharp light. "You have a way? Is that true? My grandfather spent great effort and invited many experts, but none of them could help with my injuries. You have a method?"

The blue ox nodded, his large ox head moving up and down.

"What method?" Sun Sheng asked eagerly, almost unable to contain his impatience. After all, he had been troubled by his damaged dantian for many years, dreaming of being able to recover and return to his former talent.

"It might be very painful, but I can guarantee that if you can endure it, you will be transformed and reborn, reshaped anew," the blue ox said.

"Fine, it's better than dying before I turn eighteen. Go ahead, I'm willing to try anything," Sun Sheng nodded firmly. He had been in the lowest point of his life for so many years and was determined to break free from this cursed restriction.

The blue ox's eyes were bright, his massive body like a small hill. "Inside my body, there is a glowing bone. You need to dig it out, then pierce your own chest and transplant this bone into your body. Everything will fall into place, and this bone can help you be reborn."

"What! You... you mean I should kill you?" Sun Sheng was immediately shocked.

The blue ox shook his head. "I won't die. That bone is redundant in my body. Transplanting it into your body might have a miraculous effect."

"No, no, I can't do it." Sun Sheng quickly shook his head.

"You don't need to worry. Even if you cut open my abdomen, I have a way to heal and won't die," the blue ox assured him repeatedly.

"No, it's not that I don't like eating beef; I'm allergic to it, and especially to your meat, I can't eat it." Sun Sheng waved his hands. He and the blue ox had been through so much together, and he couldn't bring himself to do it.

The blue ox was speechless, his ox face sinking. "This is an opportunity. You don't want to spend your whole life being mediocre and bullied, do you? I promise you, I will be fine. You just need to do it with confidence. If you continue to slowly nourish your dantian as you have been, you will likely die before you turn eighteen, unable to achieve anything."

This time, Sun Sheng hesitated. He saw that the blue ox was not joking and trusted him from the bottom of his heart. He knew the old ox would not harm him, after all, they had known each other for so many years. Even before the blue ox could speak, Sun Sheng could feel that their relationship was like that of brothers.

"Are you serious? You will really be fine?" Sun Sheng asked again for confirmation.

The blue ox nodded seriously, his eyes shining brightly.

"Alright!"

In the end, Sun Sheng gritted his teeth, turned, and rushed into the courtyard to fetch a woodcutter's axe. He decided to trust the blue ox.

The blue ox was a spirit creature and should have a way to protect itself. Whether this would change him or not was not as important anymore. If he didn't take this risk, he might indeed spend his whole life being mediocre, and with his damaged dantian, he might die before he turned eighteen.

The blue ox lay by the river, looking back at Sun Sheng, and told him the exact location to cut into his abdomen.

"Phew!"

This time, Sun Sheng did not hesitate. Since he had decided to do it, he couldn't be indecisive. He cut into the blue ox's abdomen with one stroke. The blue ox's hide was very thick and tough, and despite using all his strength, Sun Sheng only managed to cut in a fraction of the way.

"Old Ox, bear with it," Sun Sheng said.

"This pain is nothing," the blue ox turned his head away.

In the end, Sun Sheng cut through the blue ox's skin, but it took a lot of effort, and he was drenched in sweat. The blue ox's skin was too tough, and even though the axe was very sharp, cutting through such tough skin required all of Sun Sheng's strength.

"Glowing bone..." Sun Sheng searched inside.

Strangely, when the blue ox's abdomen was cut open, no blood flowed out. His flesh slowly moved to stop the bleeding.

Following the blue ox's guidance, Sun Sheng eventually found a bone inside the blue ox's abdomen. The bone was about the size of a three-year-old child's palm, with a purple jade-like luster.

Moreover, this bone was not growing inside the blue ox but was wrapped in his flesh. At the blue ox's deliberate relaxation, the flesh loosened, and the glowing bone fell out on its own.

Sun Sheng carefully picked it up, holding it in his palm. The bone was like jade, more translucent and clear than purple jade, almost semi-transparent. It was inscribed with countless intricate runes, very mysterious, and glowed faintly in the darkness.

"What... what is this?" Sun Sheng was surprised. Although he didn't know what it was, he could feel a mysterious power on the bone attracting him.

Moreover, as soon as Sun Sheng held the purple jade-like bone, a drop of blood condensed on its surface, like a drop of blood imprinted inside the bone, resembling a bright red gemstone.

It was this drop of blood that attracted Sun Sheng, making him feel a connection.

"This is a Divine Wasteland Bone," the blue ox said.

"Divine Wasteland Bone? What is it for? The runes on it seem very complex, more intricate than the runes mastered by rune masters, and very mysterious," Sun Sheng said.

Rune masters were a rare profession, scarce in both the State of Chu and other countries, and were considered national treasures. They mastered powerful rune secrets, which could strengthen the body and even enhance weapons.

Sun Sheng's grandfather, Bai Huatian, had a weapon enhanced by a rune master, and Sun Sheng had observed that the runes were very complex but possessed great power.

At this moment, the purple jade-like bone also had intricate runes, but they were even more exquisite and mysterious than those mastered by rune masters.

"Once you integrate it, you will know its wonders. There's no time to waste, let's start now," the blue ox said, standing up. The flesh in his abdomen moved, and the wound began to heal.

Sun Sheng held the Divine Wasteland Bone, which was translucent and had a purple jade-like luster. The mysterious runes inside it were intertwined, and a drop of red gemstone-like blood was inside the bone, very clear.

"Let's do it!"

Sun Sheng gritted his teeth and followed the blue ox's instructions. He cut open his own chest with the axe, and blood immediately flowed out, the flesh splitting open, a shocking sight.

Sun Sheng placed the Divine Wasteland Bone on the wound, and the purple jade-like bone emitted a strange glow, with purple light radiating from it.

At this moment, Sun Sheng was surprised to find that the bone was fusing with his flesh, being enveloped by it and sinking into his body. Mysterious purple light emerged from the Divine Wasteland Bone, penetrating his flesh and entering his body.

Instantly, Sun Sheng's skin also emitted a purple glow, flickering and changing. The purple light entered his body, drastically transforming his physical form, making his flesh and blood full of vitality. His qi and blood swelled, and finally, the purple light entered his dantian.

In an instant, Sun Sheng felt intense pain in his dantian. The pain was so sudden and intense that he screamed and fainted, falling to the ground.

...

However, Sun Sheng did not lose consciousness. He could feel the mysterious Divine Wasteland Bone embedded in the flesh of his chest, releasing a mysterious power that filled his entire body. The purple light was clear, and even his flesh was dyed a translucent purple.

Inside the purple jade-like bone, the mysterious runes were intertwined, indescribable but possessing a power to transform the mundane into the miraculous.

At the same time, a drop of fresh red blood, like a bright red gemstone, dripped down. In an instant, Sun Sheng's entire mind turned blood red, and vivid images, figures, and names appeared before him. These images... were someone else's memories!

In the desolation, Sun Sheng saw himself, a young man who looked exactly like him, with the same appearance but more mature and refined. He wore a purple Daoist robe and carried a purple sword on his back, with countless purple qi swirling around him, like a purple mist rising from the east, walking through the world. Wherever he went, the great Dao bloomed, and the heavens and earth radiated a harmonious light.