Chapter 35: Obtaining the Mysterious Resource

In the era when the sun had vanished, even during the Shallow Night, distant landscapes appeared hazy. From a distance, the towering mountains would be nothing but dark shadows against the night sky.

Now, everything was different. Ten sky-reaching pillars of light had appeared deep within the mountain range, illuminating the world in every direction. Their brilliance far surpassed that of the five-colored haze. For a fleeting moment, it felt as if the world had returned to the age of daylight.

Not only the towering mountains, but every blade of grass and tree on the cliffs could be seen with perfect clarity. Even the colors and textures of the strange birds flying low in the sky were vivid and distinct.

Everyone felt as if dust had been blown from their hearts and a curtain had been pulled back from their eyes. All they saw was great light. The mountains, rivers, and all things were reflected in their eyes and imprinted on their hearts. Even in the freezing winter, with snow sealing the mountains, it felt as though all life was awakening. Everything seemed vibrant, natural, and inviting.

Old Man Liu sat atop his large yellow dog, his emotions stirred. "I’ve lived for over seventy years, and this is the first time I’ve seen such a brilliant world, such a magnificent landscape. Is this how the beautiful mountains and rivers are supposed to look? What a pity. Even as a Reborn who can see very far, it usually feels like there’s a thin veil over my eyes."

Cao Long spoke up, "Actually, in medium-sized cities and larger..."

He didn’t finish his sentence. It wasn't appropriate to discuss such things with an old man from a remote area; the man could never leave this place, and mentioning it would only make him feel dejected.

He changed his tune. "I actually haven’t been to many places myself. The vast, pitch-black world is too large. Those so-called brilliant cities are just like patches of fireflies."

Deep in the mountains, the experts from major organizations and High-level Entities were all acting as if they had gone mad, rushing toward the location of the ten sky-reaching light pillars.

However, in the outer regions, the emotions of Mu Qing, Wei Zhirou, Cao Long, and the others remained stable. They simply watched from afar, even chatting among themselves.

They were well aware that those things were not meant for them. Even high-ranking members might die if they rushed in. That specific Node was destined to be stained red with the blood of the powerful.

Not everyone could clearly assess their own limits. Too many people in the mountains were blinded by greed. Of course, they weren't all blindly confident; they weren't rushing toward the spots where the High-level Entities were competing.

Ten-colored light tearing through the night was an Abnormal Spectacle that exceeded the known scope of understanding. It had never been seen before at other famous mountains where Sky Light had descended.

Perhaps it had happened, but someone had deliberately covered it up, as it wasn't recorded in any books.

Therefore, the various groups who were greedy but could still maintain restraint turned their attention toward the areas where the five-colored haze was billowing, settling for the next best thing.

In truth, this was still considered a very rare Abnormal Spectacle, and it was bound to correspond to extraordinary Rare Resources.

However, too many people had come with this goal. The various groups had only just encountered each other, yet the mountain forest was already stained red. The competition was incredibly fierce.

"Mountain God preserve us! This place makes no sense at all! More people are dying here than at the ten sky-reaching pillars!"

"There are High-level Heteromorphs here too! They didn't go to compete for the ten-colored site. Run!"

After a baptism of blood and the death of a group of people in an instant, the remaining large parties turned and fled decisively.

People saw a High-level Entity enveloped in thick mist, its massive form stepping onto a cliff as it approached that specific Node.

Almost instantly, a humanoid entity with wide wings flapping and surrounded by crimson light descended from the sky, blocking the High-level Entity's path.

...

"Is there an earthquake?" The Fissure shook violently, startling Qin Ming into rushing out immediately. He was truly afraid of being crushed to death deep underground.

Then, he also saw the two magnificent spectacles. It was as if daylight had returned to the world. A massive amount of light rain fell, making every detail of the mountains and rivers clearly visible.

He possessed self-awareness. The mysterious resources being born at those two Nodes had nothing to do with him. If he dared to approach even a single step, he would die without a grave.

Standing outside the Fissure's exit, Qin Ming could only watch with envy. The experts roaming the depths of the mountains—the final victors—would obtain heaven-defying benefits.

Even though he was far away in this quiet area, he could hear people in the mountains shouting that the ten-colored Node was unheard of and would likely give birth to resources of unestimable grade.

"I finally know why this place is so heaven-defying! Sky Light didn't just descend here two years ago; it also fell two hundred years ago. Back then, there were no decent resources at all. That first Sky Light accumulated for two hundred years and fused with the one that arrived two years ago, creating the current startling spectacle!"

An old man in the mountain forest spoke excitedly. He was a man of broad knowledge who had seriously studied this region and consulted numerous documents. He had now identified the cause of the anomaly.

"I’ve also heard rumors. Two hundred years ago, an exceptionally thick Sky Light landed here. It even alerted the people in the capital, who sent out experts. In the end, the place was unbelievably barren. Every expert who rushed here wanted to level the mountains in their rage."

In the mountain range, aside from the High-level Entities, everyone else could only watch and discuss. No one else dared to risk approaching the two Lands of Fortune.

Soon after, many people cried out in alarm. Even the High-level Entities and human experts whose eyes had turned red with slaughter in the center of the battlefield were stunned.

At the two specific Nodes, the soaring lights shifted again.

"Is there some kind of monster underground?" Even the usually most peaceful and calm Old Yellow Weasel's face began to twitch. He was truly being tormented by this.

This time, the five-colored haze and the ten sky-reaching pillars seemed to be moving in a circle, confined to a certain range and moving very fast.

"They are moving rapidly along the Spiritual Leylines created by the Sky Light. They are pulling each other, and the circle they are tracing is constantly shrinking. They are slowly approaching each other!"

Not only did the experts on the field discover this, but the outsiders watching from a distance saw it even more clearly.

"Are the two mysterious resources going to fuse into one?" Everyone was filled with doubt. This completely exceeded their scope of knowledge.

Ling Xu, Wei Mo, and the other High-level Heteromorphs were nearly losing their tempers. They chased after the two spectacles but could not make contact with them.

Even if they rushed to the front and entered the specific Nodes, the resources would disappear and continue to shift. Eventually, some High-level Entities began to wait for the resources to come to them.

Qin Ming watched in amazement. The Node he was at was not within that range; it was quite peaceful, and no one had come over yet.

"Hmm?" He discovered that the Fissure beneath his feet was also "restless." It began to spout silver threads with a faint golden luster, occasionally mixed with purple mist and red light.

His spirits were immediately lifted. Could a precious resource be about to mature here? He hadn't seen anything when he went in earlier.

Had this place "benefited" from the great upheaval deep in the mountains?

He quickly rushed inside. That place where the various colors were entangled was destined to have nothing to do with him, but if he could harvest a resource that was slightly inferior, or even much inferior, he would be immensely satisfied.

The silver light beams weaving together underground were much thicker than before. As he went deeper, he could feel a strange fluctuation.

This feeling was similar to when he practiced the Rebirth Technique from the Silk Book here—like being soaked in a hot spring and receiving a baptism of silver threads.

Now, even without doing anything, he felt a wave of warmth. He followed that special ripple all the way to its end.

The path was blocked by a pile of rubble. There was no way forward.

Without a word, Qin Ming immediately began clearing the rocks. He moved them all aside and discovered a new fissure that allowed him to enter deeper underground.

Along the way, he used the Long-handled Darkgold Hammer in his hand several times to clear the way, smashing the fissure wider until he finally arrived at the source of the strange fluctuation.

A colored mist gushing from deeper within the fissure enveloped a black stone, about the size of half a human head.

"What is this?" Qin Ming believed this must be a special resource that the various groups wanted to harvest, but he didn't know what use a black stone had.

In this special Node, although the flowing colored mist made his chest feel tight and his heart race, his body could still endure it.

He saw the mist surging toward the black stone gradually thin out and begin to recede. Did this mean it was about to become completely "mature"?

Qin Ming did not move rashly; he waited quietly. His body could still hold out, and as the mist dissipated, he no longer felt any discomfort.

A moment later, the area grew quiet. All the anomalies vanished. The stone the size of half a human head looked ordinary; if he threw it out, he doubted anyone would even pick it up.

But if he focused his mind, he could still capture a very faint fluctuation. This was a special perception he had gained after experiencing the baptism of the silver light from the fissure.

"I can develop a faint resonance with special resources nourished by Sky Light."

Qin Ming took the stone into his hand; it was heavy. He really wanted to peel away the Stone Crust to see what was actually inside.

But he suppressed the urge. He had to get out immediately. It would be a huge problem if he were cornered inside the fissure.

When he quietly returned to the surface from the exit, the surroundings were very quiet. However, the depths of the mountains were incredibly lively. Figures could be seen on many mountain peaks, gazing at the increasingly startling and magnificent spectacle.

The five-colored haze and the ten light pillars had already become entangled. Qin Ming moved silently through the dense forest and then buried himself in a snow hollow.

Then, he began to study the stone. As he operated the Rebirth Technique recorded in the Silk Book, shattered gold ripples surfaced on his flesh. He began to peel the stone with his bare hands.

Although the Stone Crust was very hard, it was still silently crushed and efficiently peeled away by him.

Qin Ming continued his work until the stone had shrunk by two layers. At the same time, within his special perception, he found that its fluctuation had become slightly stronger.

He stopped his movements. If he peeled it completely, would some abnormal phenomenon occur?

After all, even if this thing wasn't as grand as the two resources everyone was watching, it certainly wasn't anything ordinary.

At this moment, Qin Ming's heart felt as if it were being scratched by a hundred claws. He desperately wanted to cut the stone open completely, yet he feared accidentally inviting disaster.