Chapter 528 - 318: Heaven and Earth as a Furnace, Living Beings as Fuel, Refined into Innate Treasures

First, the place they met wasn’t too deep into Yan Mountain, but where Chu Ming was located shouldn’t have been a place where an old man could resist the snow unscathed.

Yet Old Man Shi ventured deep into Yan Mountain, claiming he was there to chop wood for the winter. But upon arriving at his home, a pile of firewood stacked under the eaves seemed enough for several winters.

"Is it also the Black and White Divine Palace?"

Gently shaking his head, Chu Ming closed his eyes slightly and sank into his Sea of Consciousness.

Thinking too much is useless.

At the beginning, when he was weak, he regarded the Blood Evil Sect as a mountain, but now, having cultivated to this stage, even the King of North Snow behind the Blood Evil Sect doesn’t seem like a towering mountain.

The pressure from the Black and White Divine Skill felt akin to when he faced the Blood Evil Sect.

But if he could cultivate to the level of facing the Blood Evil Sect in such a short time, he could also face the Black and White Divine Palace one day.

Inside the Sea of Consciousness.

The Mountain and Sea Lake was expanded by more than twice, optimizing the cultivation technique and martial arts techniques...

After spending half a day, all cultivation techniques and martial arts were completely deduced.

A palm struck out.

Boom!

The air vibrated.

A golden glow slashed out, seemingly causing cracks.

"Compared to before, both the Palm Technique and Sword Technique have significantly enhanced in power."

"With the current power of the Golden Light Saber, a few more strikes should be able to break through the defenses of the Giant Spirit Yan Jin Guard."

Chu Ming reined in the joy between his brows, put away the Golden Light Dragon Slayer Saber, and turned to look at other books.

Unleashing the golden glow, he took the books.

Roughly estimating, among the thousand books, there were over a hundred he hadn’t read.

"Oh?"

While collecting them, a certain ancient text caught Chu Ming’s attention.

"Cyan Cloud Secret Record?"

He examined it carefully...

"A sect has its sect’s fortune, a clan has its clan’s fortune, a nation has its national fortune. When people prosper, the sect grows strong, the clan flourishes, the nation thrives, and thus fortune prospers, uplifting treasures and spirits."

"A Sect Treasure can be elevated to a Clan Treasure, a Clan Treasure to a National Treasure, and a National Treasure can metamorphose into a rare treasure, stemming from fortune."

"..."

Page by page, Chu Ming’s eyes shone brighter.

This record provides an alternative explanation for sects, clans, and nations. Whether it be sect, clan, or nation, they each have their own fortune.

When fortune prospers, people become outstanding, the land becomes endowed with spiritual energy, and even the related Sect Treasure, Clan Treasure, National Treasure continue to be nurtured and strengthened.

Is nurturing treasures through fortune superior to common refining methods?

Surprised, Chu Ming continued to read.

But when he reached the last page, his expression changed dramatically.

"Heaven and Earth as a Furnace, living beings as materials, can refine Innate Treasures."

The last page contained only this sentence.

Upon reading this sentence, Chu Ming felt a sudden chill.

"Heaven and Earth as a Furnace... living beings as materials... Innate Treasures..."

This sentence seemed to reveal some profound mystery.

"A furnace among the universe, a kind of prison?"

Chu Ming lifted his eyes, gazing outside.

For a long time.

Only then did he pull himself out of this state.

His master Ji Wujiang once told him that a great calamity would appear every thousand years, as if a great hand were controlling it from behind.

How large must this hand be to enable one dynasty after another to experience great calamities?

Combining this with the ’Heaven and Earth as a Furnace’ from the Cyan Cloud Secret Record, Chu Ming felt that there might be some connection between the two.

In other words, who is it that uses ’Heaven and Earth as a Furnace, all beings as materials’, to refine the so-called ’Innate Treasures’?

Could it be the same person behind the thousand-year calamities?

Or perhaps it’s not a single individual, but a certain power, or an ethereal existence beyond heaven and earth?

Immortal? Divine Being?

Various thoughts flashed through his mind, and Chu Ming pondered deeply.

For a long time.

His eyes became profound.

If this world truly is the so-called furnace, even with his power, he couldn’t change anything.

Since it couldn’t be changed, thinking too much is fruitless.

The most crucial thing is to continuously enhance oneself until one day surpassing the furnace’s limits.

Dismissing the chaotic thoughts, Chu Ming took out book after book of ancient texts, transforming their contents into fragments in the Sea of Consciousness, falling into the Book Collection Lake...

And so he repeated this process, spending half a day to finish reading over a hundred unread ancient texts.

With a flip of his hand, Chu Ming took out the Black Soul Wood.

Within those ancient texts, there was one that described the Black Soul Wood.

"Black Soul Wood, born in the Land of Ultimate Yin, gathering souls for ten thousand years before becoming Soul Wood."

"Since Soul Wood is nurtured by Yin souls for ten thousand years, it is an ultimate Yin treasure, an unparalleled treasure nurturing souls not to disperse for thousands of years, a rarity in the world."

The text wasn’t lengthy, but Chu Ming had a clearer understanding of the black piece of wood in his hand.

The Land of Ultimate Yin is hard to find as it is, and a piece of Black Soul Wood requires a nurturing period of ten thousand years, showing its rarity.

"Nurturing souls, not dispersing for ten thousand years..."

This quality alone elevates the value of Black Soul Wood beyond the likes of Profound Treasures, making it comparable to Spirit Treasures.

"Spirit Treasure..."

Chu Ming had seen one Spirit Treasure and was attempting to comprehend it—the Great Qin Dynasty’s National Treasure, the Star Golden List.

Pausing for a moment, he put away the Black Soul Wood, standing upright.

Having finished going through the ancient texts, it was time to proceed deeper.

He passed through the layer of book collections, encountering a golden wall ahead. Upon Tapping it with his Primordial Consciousness, there was a fluctuation of Primordial Qi, clearly indicating an array was set in place.

Chu Ming chose not to waste words, striking out with a golden saber.

Clang!

A mark was left from the first strike.

Clang!

The second strike caused a fracture.

Clang!

On the third strike, the golden gate shattered.

At the moment the golden gate shattered, the scene before him drastically changed.

Upon closer inspection, there were neither palaces nor heaps of gold, silver, and jewels. Instead, there was only a Void Space, as if under the stars, with everything around becoming illusory.

At the same time.

At the foot of Yan Mountain, in Rock Concealment Village, the old courtyard in the snow.

Old Man Shi was chopping wood, while the silver-haired elder was mending clothes.

Suddenly, both looked towards the snow-covered Yan Mountain.