Chapter 1040: Forcibly Feeding and Raising Cats for a Thousand Days, Using Them for a Moment

Chapter 1041: The New Storm of the Semi-Saint Rank Has Already Appeared

Chenmian Valley.

"Clang, clang..."

Xiao Kongdong dragged a large sack across this dusty, forsaken land, where desolation stretched as far as the eye could see.

According to legend, Xukong Island was once the realm of giants in ancient times, home to a race of beings that dwelled only in the skies and never descended to the mortal world.

They lived in abundance, self-sufficient and carefree, until one day, the Mo Shen descended, intent on seizing this pure land.

Thus, the giant clan clashed fiercely with the Mo Shen in the most barren corner of Xukong Island, resulting in both sides perishing entirely, their bodies scattered across this very soil.

The site of that final battle later became one of the nine forbidden zones on Xukong Island—Chenmian Valley.

These legendary tales flashed through his mind.

The disheveled uncle, still dragging his sack, glanced around at the surroundings once more.

Jagged boulders, massive stone mountains resembling the corpses of giants hundreds of zhang in size, and petrified broken swords towering like pillars to the heavens...

He swallowed hard involuntarily.

"Why on earth..."

Xiao Kongdong was baffled.

He had only been deep beneath the sea, facing that ancient gate, when his curiosity got the better of him, and he gave it a gentle push.

How did that lead him to Xukong Island?

"It's all because of that Shui Gui predecessor—telling me not to push the door without being serious, not explaining the reasons, and making me wait so long."

"Isn't it? Anyone facing that door would want to give it a push, right?"

"This really isn't my fault!"

Xiao Kongdong consoled himself as he continued dragging the sack forward.

He had been wandering through Chenmian Valley for quite some time now, yet he hadn't spotted a single sign of life—not even a blade of grass.

This was truly a dead zone!

"So, it shouldn't be called 'Chenmian Valley.' It ought to be 'Yunluo Zhidi'—a place where everything has been dead for millions of years. Calling it 'Chenmian Valley' just feels creepy."

"It's like the giants and Mo Shen could wake up any moment..."

Xiao Kongdong muttered to himself silently.

Soon, as he pressed on, he arrived at the entrance of a dark cave.

"Some movement?"

His eyebrows furrowed, and he stepped inside the cave.

Not long into his walk, Xiao Kongdong stopped before a partially ajar massive door.

Unlike the deathly silence outside, something within the door seemed to slumber with immense power. Even the faint trace leaking through the crack made Xiao Kongdong's heart race with unease.

"Can't go in, can't go in!"

"This door—absolutely not!"

Xiao Kongdong had already been tricked by a so-called "door" in the deep-sea world once.

He repeated to himself a thousand times in his mind that he must not repeat the same mistake.

After all, Sheng Shen Dalu had its seven forbidden breaks, where ordinary people would surely die upon entry.

And now, in Chenmian Valley—one of the nine forbidden zones on Xukong Island—he had stumbled upon another door... No need to think twice; this was also a forbidden, deadly place!

"Sorry for the disturbance; I'll be on my way."

Xiao Kongdong spent a full incense stick's worth of time making his decision, then turned and walked away.

But as soon as he reached the cave entrance where he had come in, he halted again.

"Up until now, nothing's happened. Maybe this is just an opportunity without any risk?"

Gazing out from the cave, those mountains lying strewn about looked even more like slumbering giants. Who knows, the inside of this cave might be the legendary resting place of the Mo Shen.

He felt panicked...

But then...

"I've come all the way to Xukong Island—being this cautious would just mean missing out on opportunities for sure, right?"

In Xiao Kongdong's mind, two little figures started arguing—one urging him to leave quickly, the other saying that since he'd come this far, it would be a shame to turn back.

"I am the senior brother of Can Yue Xian Cheng; who under the heavens can stand in my way?"

"The path of Jian Dao is to forge ahead bravely; we Jian Xiu must charge forward with resolve!"

Xiao Kongdong gripped the sack in his hand tighter, feeling that the voice advising caution in his mind was about to be silenced by the other.

"Just a little push!"

Finally, he made his decision.

Give it a try!

Returning to the partially ajar door, Xiao Kongdong steeled himself, reached out, and began knocking.

"Knock, knock, knock."

The echoes resounded through the cave, but nothing unusual appeared.

Emboldened, Xiao Kongdong peered tentatively through the crack and cupped his fists.

"I mean no disturbance; I'm just extremely curious. If I've offended, please just shoo me away, senior—whatever you do, don't hurt anyone."

The cave remained silent except for the echoes.

"Silence—does that mean you're giving tacit approval, junior?"

Xiao Kongdong nodded, his eyes igniting with fierce flames.

Adventure!

It was something he hadn't experienced in years since becoming the senior brother of Can Yue Xian Cheng.

This was the greatest driving force that had propelled a young man like him to grow. Without it, would he have pushed that door under the sea, or decided to push this one now?

A new world, here I come!

With a burning heart, Xiao Kongdong reached out and pressed.

"Rumble, rumble..."

The massive door inch by inch receded inward until, at last, it opened a gap wide enough for three normal-sized humans to pass through.

He didn't open it fully—that would disrespect the relic.

Opening it this much was respect for life.

—If the door suddenly closed on its own, a gap of this size would let Xiao Kongdong escape in an instant.

"My apologies."

Muttering his regret, Xiao Kongdong excitedly hoisted his sack and stepped through the door.

"Buzz—"

The moment he entered, the surging energy waves inside captured all of Xiao Kongdong's attention.

A black giant!

The colossal corpse of a giant sat within the door, enthroned on a massive seat.

It was clad in the toughest Mo Shen armor, gripping a spear massive enough to pierce the heavens, with a helmet on its head. Even as a corpse, it exuded a thick aura of ferocity and malice.

"Chattering..."

Xiao Kongdong's teeth chattered.

Not from fear, but from excitement.

Was this really a Mo Shen?

Were the legends true?

He had found the Mo Shen's corpse right here in the cave of Chenmian Valley, with no seals in sight, and it let him in so easily?

"Could my true opportunity not be meeting my teacher and becoming a Gu Jian Xiu, but right now, obtaining the Mo Shen's inheritance?"

Xiao Kongdong was slightly agitated.

The giant corpse was invaluable, but he had no intention of desecrating it.

Even the Mo Shen spear in its hand—Xiao Kongdong didn't want to pry it loose.

After all, he was a Jian Xiu, uninterested in any weapon besides swords.

But...

There was one thing on the Mo Shen corpse that made Xiao Kongdong's eyes burn with desire.

Around the neck of this massive Mo Shen seated on the throne hung a strikingly obvious black necklace, each link larger than a normal human body.

Yet, the core of the necklace—a crystal-like gem— was only about the size of a normal person's fist.

"Sheng Li!"

Xiao Kongdong was moved.

That fist-sized crystal gem emitted intense Sheng Li fluctuations, like a Ban Sheng Wei Ge core.

"No way, no way?"

He looked once, twice, three times...

Xiao Kongdong's expression grew increasingly manic, and he scratched his head in disbelief.

"Ban Sheng Wei Ge!!!"

"This rundown place actually has a Ban Sheng Wei Ge!"

"How is that possible? Isn't Xukong Island from ancient times? Did Ban Sheng Wei Ge exist back then?"

"Or maybe, the realm of 'Ban Sheng' is just a term adapted from ancient times, and 'Ban Sheng Wei Ge' is just a name that fits the current era?"

Regardless.

Xiao Kongdong was certain he hadn't mistaken the Ban Sheng Wei Ge on the Mo Shen's pendant.

For over thirty years since founding Can Yue Xian Cheng, even if he mobilized all the forces of the Gu Jian Xiu he had cultivated, he couldn't find a single lost Ban Sheng Wei Ge on Sheng Shen Dalu.

And now, in this cave, he had encountered one?

"Can't take it, can't take it—absolutely not!"

"Xiao Kongdong, don't be foolish. Think about Chenmian Valley, think about that half-open door, think about the Mo Shen legends..."

"There's not even a seal here—who do you think you are? You're not the lord of Xukong Island, nor the 尊 of the black and white lineages. What makes you think you can get a Ban Sheng Wei Ge without any effort?"

"This is a trap!"

The cautionary voice in Xiao Kongdong's mind stood up again.

But in the next second, it was struck down by the wicked voice.

"I am the senior brother of Can Yue Xian Cheng; who under the heavens can stand in my way?"

"The path of Jian Dao is to forge ahead bravely; we Jian Xiu must charge forward with resolve!"

"Heaven grants, but if you don't take it, you'll suffer for it!"

One powerful declaration after another stirred Xiao Kongdong's blood to a boil.

Xiao Kongdong leaped onto his spatial sword in an instant, soaring into the air to face the towering Mo Shen corpse. Under its tightly shut eyes—who knows if it was watching...

"Forgive me!"

He reached out.

And grasped the crystal gem.

"Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom..."

The next second, thunderous explosions echoed from outside the cave, shaking like apocalyptic thunder, as if the sky was collapsing.

"Damn, damn, damn!"

Xiao Kongdong had barely held the crystal gem— the Ban Sheng Wei Ge—for half a breath when his face changed drastically, as if he were holding the scythe of death. He tossed the gem into the air in fright.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry—I didn't mean it. I was just curious about what the gem looked like exactly. I'll put it right back for you now."

"Return it to its owner, return it—please don't hurt anyone, don't hurt anyone..."

Xiao Kongdong trembled as he tried to reattach the crystal gem to the necklace, but he accidentally bumped into one of the links beside it.

That link, thicker than a person, "whoosh"—turned to dust and disintegrated...

Disintegrated...

Xiao Kongdong: ???

Without the link, how am I supposed to put the gem back? Stick it in your heart?

"Rumble, rumble, rumble..."

The explosions outside grew even louder, as if massive footsteps were closing in.

"I'm so sorry—I really didn't mean to break your necklace!"

Xiao Kongdong was on the verge of tears. He glanced up at the Mo Shen giant's tightly shut eyes, fearing they might open any second and awaken the Mo Shen.

Fortunately, things hadn't reached that point yet.

The Mo Shen didn't awaken.

"I'm done for, done for, done for..."

Xiao Kongdong didn't dare delay any longer.

With the link gone and the Mo Shen corpse still before him, he thought, "The Ban Sheng Wei Ge is yours, but without the link, I can at least stuff it in your nostril, right?"

Though the Mo Shen's nostril was huge, and a small gem might not stay put.

Still, human—orifices are connected, so Xiao Kongdong aimed and tossed the crystal gem toward the nostril to send it inside the corpse.

Whoosh.

But as soon as the gem touched the Mo Shen corpse, the corpse turned to ash and disintegrated as well.

The massive Mo Shen spear, however, didn't disintegrate—it merely tilted and came crashing toward Xiao Kongdong.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom..."

The footsteps outside sounded like they were in a rage, each one striking Xiao Kongdong's heart and turning his face pale.

"Don't trick me like this!"

Xiao Kongdong was almost in tears.

Was the power of this Ban Sheng Wei Ge what was preserving the Mo Shen corpse?

By moving it, he'd destroyed the corpse—so even if he hadn't meant to steal, the result was the same!

Bang!

He thrust out a palm to hold back the falling Mo Shen spear, but it knocked him flat on the ground.

The spear was heavier than he imagined—capable of smashing a Tai Xu to death or sending a Ban Sheng flying.

Xukong Island truly lived up to being his teacher's land of opportunities; treasures were everywhere.

The only pity was...

These treasures seemed to demand one's life in exchange!

"Since I've taken it, I'll keep it."

Unable to return the crystal gem, Xiao Kongdong stopped holding back.

If he had to face the consequences, then the Ban Sheng Wei Ge was his, and this priceless Mo Shen spear was his too!

He strained with all his might but still couldn't lift the spear properly, so he used his Jian Shu to make it float slightly.

"Run!"

"Run now!"

"If I don't run, Xiao Kongdong's reputation will end in this Chenmian Valley!"

With the sack on his shoulder, the gem in hand, and the wobbling Mo Shen spear behind him, Xiao Kongdong heard the "boom" echoing outside in the dark cave. Suddenly, he calmed down.

His eyelids drooped, veiling his gaze.

In that moment, he resembled a compassionate deity statue.

"Buzz—"

A surging Jian Yi erupted from his small body like tidal waves, making the cave hum and tremble, with rocks rolling down.

"With a thought, it exists..."

"Gaze upon it, and the deity appears..."

Bang, bang, bang!

Stones fell as the cave began to collapse.

"With the sword of nothingness, make the illusion real..."

"With a mind of deity, vanquish demonic desires..."

Clang—

Though there was no sword, a sword's cry rang out melodiously from within Xiao Kongdong.

The next second, a pinpoint of golden light blossomed in the cave, and a colossal hundred-zhang golden Buddha statue slowly unfurled behind Xiao Kongdong.

It stretched out its curled body.

And opened its tightly shut eyes!

"Xin Jian Shu—Gaze of the Deity!"

Xiao Kongdong opened his eyes too, and brilliant golden light poured from them like a waterfall.

With a thunderous boom, the cave shattered under the rising Buddha illusion, dispelling the darkness and revealing the light.

"This..."

With the cave destroyed, Xiao Kongdong could see the booming world outside.

But after one glance, his momentum faltered—he was clearly stunned.

What he saw...

The massive mountains that had lain like giants were gone, and those enormous broken swords buried in Chenmian Valley had vanished.

In their place stood towering stone giants, rising into the clouds!

"One, two, three..."

"There's got to be three or four hundred of these stone giants?"

"So, Chenmian Valley really was just the giants slumbering, not fallen?"

There were giants a hundred zhang tall, three hundred zhang tall, even a thousand zhang tall...

These stone giants, awakened after draining the power of Chenmian Valley's ten thousand mountains, each wielded broken blades and halberds, their eyes blood-red as they charged toward Xiao Kongdong with thunderous booms.

"Damn it!"

In that moment, Xiao Kongdong's heart skipped a beat.

He was strong.

Strong enough to rule a realm, build nine cities, and create another holy ground for Gu Jian Xiu cultivation, earning the title of senior brother of Can Yue Xian Cheng, even... the Ninth Jian Xian!

But facing this horde of blood-eyed stone giants...

Look at that thousand-zhang giant!

It had run so fast that its leg broke off!

Yet, after a roll, the leg reformed, making it even more formidable than before.

—These were clearly unkillable monsters!

Xiao Kongdong had thought that despite his fear, with a move like "Xin Jian Shu—Great Buddha Slash," he could sweep through and crush them effortlessly.

But now...

"What's the point of fighting? I've stirred up a nest of giants!"

"As fast as I can go, run as far as I can!"

The hundred-zhang golden Buddha illusion behind him was like a child compared to these hundreds of stone giants.

The shortest among them was twice as tall as his Buddha illusion.

Without hesitation, Xiao Kongdong dismissed the Xin Jian Shu Gaze of the Deity and channeled his Huan Jian Shu power, leaping onto the Mo Shen spear.

"Huan Jian Shu—Spacetime Leap!"

Whoosh, the spear shot forward, but the first leap couldn't break through the stone giants, startling Xiao Kongdong so much that his body shuddered, nearly dropping the crystal gem with the Ban Sheng Wei Ge.

Amid the barrage of heavy fists and blades from the hundreds of stone giants, he dared not try attacking again.

"Spacetime Leap—leap! Leap! Leap!"

"Damn it, hurry up and leap farther!!!"

In one leap, the Mo Shen spear pierced through space.

Xiao Kongdong had covered nearly half of the 300,000 li of Chenmian Valley in his recent travels.

This leap took him straight to the stone stele where he had first landed on Xukong Island, covering roughly 10,000 li.

"Whew."

That distance should shake them off, right?

Not bad for me—even in this situation, only I could escape.

Xiao Kongdong felt a wave of relief.

But as soon as he relaxed...

"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang..."