Chapter 1057: Changes on the World Mountain
Ye Mo circled the bitter bamboo several times before a sudden elation overcame him. Others might fail, but he might succeed. He raised his hand, a red flame—the Mist Lotus Heart Fire, a red-colored heaven flame—igniting within. If even this couldn't sever the rock, he had no other recourse. He could only resort to a comical sign: "This is Ye Mo's bitter bamboo; touch it at your peril." Even he would find that amusing. He mused that Yu Wanli must be a rather humorous fellow.
Ye Mo began cutting the rock with the Mist Lotus Heart Fire. Sizzling sounds filled the air as the heaven flame incinerated everything nearby. After fifteen minutes, he examined his progress—a faint mark. The Mist Lotus Heart Fire could indeed cut the black rock, but at this rate, completion would take centuries.
He surveyed his initial cut, shaking his head; the area was far too extensive. Fortunately, the Mist Lotus Heart Fire remained effective. To expedite the process, Ye Mo reduced the cutting radius from ten meters to three, settling on a timeframe of several decades, perhaps a century. He wondered if he would be teleported away upon the time limit's expiration.
Cutting within the three-meter radius, he discovered the rock was significantly softer. In just fifteen minutes, the incision was far deeper than before. He pondered, "Is the rock softer the closer it gets to the bitter bamboo?"
Moving to within thirty centimeters of the bamboo, he resumed cutting. His hypothesis proved correct. While his cultivation artifact was useless, the heaven flame's effectiveness increased dramatically with proximity. At this pace, extracting the bamboo would take less than half a month.
Luckily, the bitter bamboo wasn't exceptionally thick; a sixty-centimeter diameter would suffice. While concerned about proximity harming the plant, he disregarded it. He would obtain the bamboo regardless. Enlarging the diameter to 1.2 meters would require approximately six months.
Twelve days later, Ye Mo had successfully extracted the bitter bamboo. Overjoyed, he prepared to move it into his Golden Page World, but upon applying his cultivation essence and spiritual sense, realized his profound misunderstanding of the black rock. Even with his level four nascent soul state power exerted to its fullest, he couldn't move it.
He burned his essence blood, finally managing to barely move the bitter bamboo into the Golden Page World. He collapsed within, breathing heavily. It was his at last.
He intended to place the bitter bamboo beside his spirit range, but remembering the rock's immense weight, decided to plant it where it lay. However, as he prepared to move it, the surrounding rock crumbled, sinking into the Golden Page World's earth, forming a huge crater, leaving the bitter bamboo's roots exposed.
He was stunned. Why had the black rock detached? Examining the bamboo, he saw it beginning to wither. "Not good!" he exclaimed. Never had he imagined one of the ten great spirit items would wilt. Could it not be moved? Would all his efforts be in vain?
Refusing to accept defeat, he swiftly relocated the bitter bamboo next to the spirit range and planted it. Relief washed over him; the withering ceased. However, it lacked its former vibrancy.
Frustrated, he studied the bamboo and the substantial spirit range. Gritting his teeth, he moved the spirit range entirely beneath the bitter bamboo, forfeiting his cultivation home to cultivate only beside the precious plant.
To his astonishment, the bitter bamboo partially recovered its vitality. While not as vibrant as on the World Mountain, it was vastly improved. Even more startling, he sensed a transformation in his Golden Page World. The previous dull gray was replaced by a potent life force, even the spirit herbs radiating with vigorous energy.
"One of the ten great spirit items—truly deserving of its reputation," Ye Mo murmured. He knew he would need a vast quantity of spirit ranges to sustain it; a mere low-grade peak spirit range was insufficient.
Despite the immense effort, he was jubilant at possessing the bitter bamboo. As for the black rock, he left it untouched, sensing its complexity mirrored that of the World Mountain—a mystery beyond his present capacity. Once he reached the hollow spirit state, he would investigate.
Leaving the Golden Page World, he sought more black rock to transport within. The World Mountain's black rock felt extraordinary, precious beyond measure.
Returning to the bitter bamboo's former location, he attempted to burn the rock with his Mist Lotus Heart Fire, but it remained unmarked. He realized the rock's vulnerability to his heaven flame stemmed from the bamboo's presence, not the flame's inherent power. Unquestionably, he wouldn't be able to burn the black rock within his Golden Page World.
He wasn't discouraged. "What if a powerful being could spirit-control the World Mountain?" he mused. "Who could oppose them?" He questioned his own abilities and promptly dismissed the notion. Even peak Truth Realization state cultivators were incapable; only a true immortal could achieve such a feat, yet how could an immortal reach the Truth Fall Palace's forbidden grounds?
Dismissing such speculation, his immediate concern became descending the mountain. He scanned his spiritual sense down the World Mountain, shocked to find the black lightning vanished, replaced by an unremarkable black mountain.
The bitter bamboo's removal must be the cause. He had to descend, uncertain of the lightning's return. Suddenly, he felt the mountain tremble violently, an irresistible force pulling him upward. He plunged from the sky, quickly releasing Zi Xu to regain his balance.
His spiritual sense revealed a devastating scene. The World Mountain had lifted from the earth, tumbling through the air, swallowed by endless black clouds. Below, a vast chasm yawned. Before he could fully comprehend it, two figures rapidly approached.