: The Old Monster in the Stone, God Transformation Level?!

After a narrow escape, good fortune follows!

After a detailed discussion, both Sun Ning shared similar sentiments.

"That was really too close." Ning Zhuo thought back to the moment when Sun Lingtong was on the brink of death and still felt his heart racing.

His gaze became more resolute, and he subconsciously clenched his fists. "Our cultivation is too weak; we must accelerate our improvement, improve even more!"

Sun Lingtong, with her hands behind her head, wore an excited smile, her tone lingering with excitement. "So thrilling, it was really too much fun."

Ning Zhuo immediately turned serious, pointing at the Fetal Breath Spirit Boat. "Boss, don't mess around. The Fetal Breath Spirit Boat is already in such a sorry state."

Sun Lingtong walked up to the Fetal Breath Spirit Boat, inspecting the numerous cracks and fissures covering the vessel, her excitement fading somewhat. "We need to find a way to repair it."

"I was able to escape this disaster thanks to it."

"Not only did it help me suppress the spatial rift, but it also had merits from before."

"If I hadn't used it before to cultivate my physical body, relying on my former foundation as a body cultivator, I probably could only have held on for a few breaths under the infiltration of the spatial rift!"

After a pause, Sun Lingtong added, "Xiao Zhuo, in the future, you'll also need to enhance your physical strength, and you'll rely on it too."

Ning Zhuo nodded.

After further discussion, the two made a new division of labor.

Ning Zhuo went to the dragon-head cabin to operate the Ten-Thousand-Mile Roaming Dragon, while Sun Lingtong retreated to another cabin to attempt cracking the storage pouch lost by the escort officer.

Both Sun and Ning had strong expectations for this storage pouch.

The reason was simple.

The storage pouch emitted starlight, attracting a terrifying pursuit at the God Transformation level.

Since the enemy was so resentful and went to such great lengths, the contents of the storage pouch must be of great importance and priceless!

"This is a storage pouch at the Nascent Soul level!"

Sun Lingtong rubbed his hands, his eyes shining brightly.

He was only at the Foundation Establishment level.

In the past, he wouldn't have had the confidence to crack a Nascent Soul-level storage pouch. But now, after risking his life to absorb the Void Evil God's marrow, the "Void and Nothingness" mark in his divine sea had undergone a qualitative change.

And the Void Path is most suited for dealing with storage tools.

"I'm going to give it a good try!"

While Sun Lingtong struggled with the storage pouch, Ning Zhuo piloted the Ten-Thousand-Mile Roaming Dragon, leaving the void and returning to the real world.

The storage pouch no longer emitted starlight, and no stellar attacks descended from the sky.

Cautious, Ning Zhuo stayed outside for a while longer, but there was no movement.

Crucially, the mechanical ring on his finger was also exceptionally calm.

After confirming it was safe, Ning Zhuo returned to the Three Generals Camp.

The Three Generals Camp was stationed on the Dice Bone Giant Wood Mountain.

Liu Er had just finished today's training, his sweat drying and wetting repeatedly, leaving him physically and mentally exhausted.

A mountain breeze blew, causing Liu Er's body to tremble slightly, and he sneezed.

While walking, the sneeze disrupted his rhythm; his left foot tripped over his right, his knee buckled, and he nearly fell.

After all, he was at the Golden Core level with a foundation in body cultivation.

The next moment, he steadied himself and stood up.

*Plop.*

A very faint sound—a semi-liquid bird dropping landed on his shoulder.

Liu Er looked at the bird dropping, circulated his magic power, and removed it.

He couldn't help but frown, muttering to himself, "Lately, I've been feeling unsettled, not grounded."

Just then, a subordinate ran over to report, informing him that Ning Zhuo had returned.

Upon hearing this, Liu Er felt displeased but suppressed the negative emotion, forcing a smile onto his face. He changed direction and jogged toward the camp gate.

"Military Advisor, haha, you've finally returned." Liu Er, upon seeing Ning Zhuo, grabbed the latter's arm, shaking it a few times, appearing overjoyed.

"General." Ning Zhuo also wore a full-faced smile.

When he left the camp, he had naturally reported to Liu Er. After all, this was an external operation, not routine camp training.

Liu Er accompanied Ning Zhuo into the military advisor's tent, inquiring about his well-being all the way.

Once inside the tent, Liu Er sighed, his face full of worry, and recounted the current difficulties of the Three Generals Camp.

This advance, especially the occupation of the Dice Bone Giant Wood Mountain, had resulted in numerous casualties for the Three Generals Camp. To treat the wounded and intensify training, the daily consumption of spirit stones was increasing, and military funds were gradually hitting rock bottom.

Ning Zhuo listened carefully and, in the end, smiled and nodded. "General, do not worry. Here are one hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones; take them to cover the military expenses."

Liu Er was overjoyed and quickly clasped his hands in thanks. "Having the Military Advisor here is truly a blessing for our Three Generals Camp."

Ning Zhuo hurriedly modestly declined, "The General praises me too highly; I am惶恐 (humble and apprehensive). It is only by relying on the General's divine might that I could advance into the Thousand Peaks Forest and seek opportunities to avenge my family. To have met the General is the honor of my lifetime!"

Liu Er, having obtained a satisfactory result, finally left the military advisor's tent. Halfway there, the smile on his face faded.

His feelings were complex.

He held much animosity towards Ning Zhuo, especially since the Dice Bone Demonic God had publicly submitted to Ning Zhuo before, which made him feel quite bad.

But he had to endure it!

Because at this stage, the Three Generals Camp really couldn't do without Ning Zhuo, their financial backer.

After seeing Liu Er off, Ning Zhuo instructed the guarding attendants to decline visitors, stating that he needed to go into seclusion for cultivation.

Alone, Ning Zhuo carefully drew the Ten-Thousand-Mile Roaming Dragon from his waist.

His movements were cautious because the damage to this mechanical dragon was even more severe than before.

He first held the shrunken Ten-Thousand-Mile Roaming Dragon in his hand, examining it carefully.

After a moment, Ning Zhuo sighed deeply, then put down the Ten-Thousand-Mile Roaming Dragon and went straight inside.

In the cabin, he found Sun Lingtong.

Sun Lingtong looked haggard, his hair disheveled, his eyes bloodshot.

Upon seeing Ning Zhuo, he subconsciously pouted and told the latter dejectedly, "I never expected the anti-theft measures on this storage pouch to be so stringent."

"I tried every method but achieved no results at all."

He had previously held hope relying on the "Void and Nothingness" mark. But now, he was utterly defeated in reality.

He sighed to Ning Zhuo, "I was like a frog at the bottom of a well."

"Comparing national-level anti-theft measures with civilian ones."

"The seal on this storage pouch has dual layers of official art and general art封印, and the national power infused is extremely abundant."

"Moreover, it's at the Nascent Soul level, two major realms above my cultivation. Perhaps only when I advance to the Golden Core stage might I have a slim chance, leveraging the power of the void, to steal some items out."

"In the short term, barring any surprises, we won't be able to open this storage pouch."

Ning Zhuo nodded. "So be it."

"Then let's wait until our strength reaches that level in the future to unlock it."

Ning Zhuo currently had enough money to spend and a considerable amount of treasure materials on hand. The one hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones he had just given Liu Er actually amounted to less than half of what the Ten-Thousand-Mile Roaming Dragon had consumed this time.

Ning Zhuo called upon Sun Lingtong, asking for his assistance.

This time, they still intended to spare no expensive materials to repair the Ten-Thousand-Mile Roaming Dragon.

The recent void turbulence, whenever Ning Zhuo recalled it, filled him with lingering fear.

"If the mechanical ring hadn't alerted me before, I would have definitely chosen the repair method with the higher cost-effectiveness."

"And if I had really chosen that way, both Boss Sun and I would have perished in the violent void tremors. The Ten-Thousand-Mile Roaming Dragon would hardly have been able to hold on!"

Just as Sun and Ning were extensively repairing the Ten-Thousand-Mile Roaming Dragon, the repercussions of the events at Bikong Mountain also reached the upper echelons of the Thousand Peaks Forest alliance.

Thousand Peaks Forest.

Dragon King Mountain.

Chen Lingfeng had been speaking passionately for quite a while.

Accompanying him were Gu Ya and others.

They were all accusing one person, or more accurately, one demon.

The Old Monster in the Stone!

"This demon, for his own selfish gain, plundered almost all of our spoils of war."

"What we ultimately obtained, when tallied up, amounted to a mere five thousand mid-grade spirit stones."

Chen Lingfeng spread his hands, unusually displaying the helplessness and frustration of a Golden Core expert.

This resonated strongly with many cultivators present.

They discussed amongst themselves:

"If such a demon cultivator isn't severely punished, who will wholeheartedly fight in the future?"

"If no one charged forward, would there have been an opportunity for the Old Monster in the Stone to steal everywhere? Impossible!"

"The Old Monster in the Stone is too detestable. Such a cancer within the ranks should be eradicated as soon as possible."

Lu Hongtu remained silent throughout, a stark contrast to his usual eloquent self.

Lu Hongtu's odd behavior attracted the attention of some observant individuals, who thus asked, "What does Army Advisor Lu think?"

Lu Hongtu thought to himself, "I'll just watch your commotion!"

He felt smug; very few knew the Old Monster in the Stone's true cultivation level. Even Lord Long only had suspicions.

Only he could confirm it for sure!

He quickly pondered how to help cover for the Old Monster in the Stone.

At that moment, urgent intelligence was delivered.

As the alliance's chief army advisor, Lu Hongtu, after reading the intelligence in his hand, remained silent for a long time.

The intelligence was personally witnessed and escorted back by cultivators led by Gao Cuo. They had even recorded related images!

After viewing the spell images, Lu Hongtu's heart sank.

"This starlight is very restrained, but its power is absolutely supreme, reaching the God Transformation level."

"The Old Monster in the Stone was able to withstand such an attack, clearly displaying his God Transformation cultivation!"

"This intelligence can't be suppressed anymore. Not only will I and Lord Long confirm it, but the upper echelons won't be able to keep it hidden either."

This was bad news for Lu Hongtu.

It meant he couldn't utilize this information asymmetry in future actions.

He sighed, feeling quite helpless, thinking to himself, "Oh well, this situation is beyond my control."

Thinking this, he passed the jade slip containing the intelligence to others. "Take a look, all of you."

The intelligence was quickly circulated.

Chen Lingfeng looked utterly discomposed.

Gu Ya and the others exchanged glances, all feeling shocked and apprehensive.

The powerful cultivators in the hall immediately changed their expressions drastically and began revising their statements.

"Excellent! The Old Monster in the Stone truly lives up to being a leader of our Thousand Peaks Forest, withstanding the national power attacks of the Two Pillars Kingdom with immense strength, greatly boosting morale."

"The Old Monster in the Stone is a role model for our generation. Ah, to be a member of the Thousand Peaks Forest alongside him is truly the fortune of three lifetimes for me."

"Hahaha! I understand now, I get it! The Old Monster in the Stone is indeed a lofty figure; his every move has profound meaning. He was worried that if we took the spoils, we would suffer, facing the enemy's spell pursuit, so he took all the spoils upon himself."

Everyone looked over and saw that the one who had just spoken was none other than Chen Lingfeng.

Chen Lingfeng laughed heartily, patting his own chest. "I was being shallow! I was being shallow!"

"I measured the heart of a gentleman with my own mean measure."

"The Old Monster in the Stone has done too much, too much for us. He is immensely responsible. If I had been carrying the storage pouch, I'm afraid I would have been turned to dust, completely annihilated."

"From this perspective, the Old Monster in the Stone is my savior!"

The hall fell silent.

The onlookers stared at Chen Lingfeng, many with mocking looks in their eyes.

Chen Lingfeng coughed, glanced around, then looked at the people behind him.

Gu Ya and the others, as if waking from a dream, quickly echoed Chen Lingfeng, stating that the Old Monster in the Stone was highly responsible, shouldering the risks alone. Being able to fight under such a powerful figure was truly their good fortune!

After these people finished their statements, the discussion in the hall finally erupted.

The cultivators were generally very excited, and the center of discussion was only one—the Old Monster in the Stone!

At this critical moment when a great war was imminent, the sudden appearance of a God Transformation level existence on the side of Thousand Peaks Forest was truly uplifting and immensely helpful.

After discussing for two or three hours, Lu Hongtu finally stood up, suppressing the crowd's enthusiasm for conversation.

Because the talk was becoming increasingly outrageous.

The Old Monster in the Stone himself was a reclusive怪 (monster/oddity), with few related deeds. But as the cultivators discussed and conjectured, many flattering rumors were born right under Lu Hongtu's nose.

Clearly, the Old Monster in the Stone had devoured fragments of the Treasure Distribution Rock, but now, in the mouths of the cultivators, the Old Monster in the Stone's true form was a ten-thousand-year earth essence nurtured within the Treasure Distribution Rock.

This origin was dozens of times more impressive than the truth!

They also said that the Heaven Pillar Giant Wood Mountain where the Old Monster in the Stone resided and secluded himself had once nearly collapsed. The Old Monster in the Stone, relying solely on his own power, suppressed and reshaped it, rendering immense merit to the myriad beings on the Stone Demon Giant Wood Mountain.

That was utterly ridiculous!

The Stone Demon Giant Wood Mountain was extremely desolate; what myriad beings were there? Probably only the Old Monster in the Stone himself!

Lu Hongtu could no longer stand it and called a halt to the cultivators, forcibly changing the topic. "The next military discussion: how do we exterminate the four armies that have broken through?"

This was indeed an important issue. The cultivators fell silent for a moment, each sinking into thought.

Soon, a cultivator snorted coldly. "These four armies are all cannon fodder, so let them become cannon fodder. Directly mobilize our troops and annihilate them!"

"Not feasible." Someone immediately refuted. "If we dispatch troops, our military deployment will be exposed. Du Tiechuan's strategy would then succeed."

Someone else added, "Therefore, it's best to send individual experts or employ some special means to eliminate these armies!"

"I believe that with the abundance of talent in our Thousand Peaks Forest, we are not without methods to deal with these four armies."

Bikong Mountain.

Sun Gan gazed distantly at Bikong Mountain, his brow furrowed, halting his steps.

He held a jade slip in his hand, which was the latest military intelligence urgently transmitted through special means, consuming national power.

"The Old Monster in the Stone, God Transformation Level?!"

"The last location he disappeared was right here at Bikong Mountain before me?"

"What a joke!"

Just then, his deputy came to inquire: "General, we've rested for the time of half a cup of tea. Shouldn't we set off to capture Bikong Mountain now?"

Sun Gan snorted coldly, tucked the jade slip into his robe, and issued a cold order: "Bypass it."

(End of )