Chapter 272: Chapter 57: Whack-a-mole
Staring at the clod of dirt in his hand, Chen Jiuge had studied it thoroughly over the past thirty years. He could even proudly state how many grains of soil were on its surface and the depth of its indentations. If the three clods were numbered, Chen Jiuge could identify each one even with his eyes closed, just by touch.
With his eyes firmly shut, Chen Jiuge completely relaxed. He used his Dao Heart to connect with the clod in his hand, feeling an immense, earthy-yellow energy press down on his mind.
"’Vast virtue carries all things.’ This is heaviness."
Chen Jiuge, who had shouted this, tensed up, bracing for the impact of the great hammer. However, the attack that should have arrived long ago never came.
When he opened his eyes, he saw the same clay doll from before, who said with a look of gratification, "You’ve finally comprehended one Law! Quickly, on to the next one."
At last, at last, I’ve succeeded with one. Chen Jiuge was on the verge of tears. After so many years, after enduring so many hammer blows, he had finally, finally succeeded with one. It was truly moving.
Picking up the second clod, Chen Jiuge was stumped. Over so many years, ’heaviness’ was the concept Chen Jiuge had comprehended the most. As for the other two, they had only manifested a few times, and he had no feel for them at all.
Thirty minutes passed quickly.
The great hammer—eighty!
BAM!
Flattened by the great hammer once again, Chen Jiuge began to doubt life itself. Has the force of this hammer doubled?
"You’ve comprehended one of the Law characteristics, so the great hammer will now be fixed with that one Law characteristic. The force of subsequent attacks will double," the clay doll said with a pitying look.
In the silent Original Land, rhythmic thuds began to echo.
While Chen Jiuge was being pummeled by the great hammer, a small change occurred within Eden Garden.
Su Mei successfully broke through to True Immortal, officially becoming an Immortal. This qualitative leap in her cultivation led to a qualitative leap in her work efficiency. Consequently, Li Qiwen also seized the opportunity to enter seclusion, intending to charge into the Immortal Realm.
"Sister Yue Meng, please, please have pity on me!" the Silver King, in the form of a silver-haired youth, wailed pitifully as he hugged Yue Meng’s thigh.
Yue Meng twitched her calf, finding she couldn’t pull it free. Of course, if she used her full strength, she naturally could. However, the Silver King was only at the Mahayana cultivation stage; she feared he would be severely injured. It wasn’t worth it for such a small matter.
"I’m telling you, there’s no need. You’re still young; matters concerning offspring can wait a bit," Yue Meng said, feeling rather helpless.
The youth’s face was a mess of snot and tears. The Silver King, his eyes hollow, said, "Sister Yue Meng, do you know? All these years, I’ve toiled diligently, converting all my savings into Treasures that aid in producing offspring. But in the end, in the end, I haven’t seen a single cub!"
"And Black Eye already has three! He’s a True Immortal now, and he’s already on his third child!"
"Sister Yue Meng, please pity me! Just help me this once!"
Yue Meng said very helplessly, "Do you still have Spirit Stones?"
The Silver King’s wailing paused for a moment. Then, a determined expression appeared on his face as he said, "From now on, I am Sister Yue Meng’s hawk!"
"Alright, alright. You go back first. I’ll do the refining for you later," Yue Meng said, finally unable to bear the Silver King’s pestering.
"Thank you, Sister Yue Meng!" The Silver King spread his wings and soared into the sky, letting out a joyful eagle’s cry.
「Heavenly Bull Realm」
When Da Bai received the news that his ’iron triangle’ had defected, a pained expression crossed his face. "They defected for a mere Immortal Pill? Is this what our brotherhood amounts to?"
Qi Daoyuan said, exasperated, "Could you perhaps cover the Silver King’s payment?"
"Then let’s forget it. By the way, this batch of Blood Battle Bulls is ready. Mo Yu will be here to pick them up soon," Da Bai said, his expression changing in an instant.
Qi Daoyuan couldn’t be bothered with this drama king and simply pointed with his finger.
Over there, Yue Li was in the process of knocking a Blood Battle Bull unconscious and stacking it onto a pile that was already as tall as a small hill.
"All done. Looks like it’s time to bring the clansfolk in," Yue Li mused, clapping his hands together. These past few years, he had thoroughly subdued this batch of Blood Battle Bulls. He should be able to protect his clansfolk now.
Mo Yu appeared right on schedule. Looking at the prepared Blood Battle Bulls, he nodded in satisfaction. "Very good, the quantity is correct."
After storing the Blood Battle Bulls in a Spiritual Beast Bag, Mo Yu said to Da Bai, "Last time, you didn’t have to watch over the Blood Battle Bulls. Do you still want to this time?"
"Watch them? Why wouldn’t I? What else is there to do?" Da Bai replied cheerfully. "The Spiritual Beasts outside are all fiercely competitive; it’s not nearly as peaceful as hiding out in the Heavenly Bull Realm."
"Alright. In that case, I won’t send anyone else."
「Original Land of the Snake-man Clan」
Chen Jiuge tremblingly picked up the last clod of dirt, desperately trying to comprehend it with all his might.
Just a little more, just a tiny bit more! Chen Jiuge screamed frantically in his mind.
"Alas, time is up," the clay doll said with some regret.
BAM!
A deep pit appeared in the ground, with Chen Jiuge firmly embedded in it.
It took him several minutes to barely climb out. Looking at the great hammer, now inscribed with two Law characteristics, a trace of fear appeared on his face. The power of this blasted hammer was actually increasing exponentially; it was now four times its original strength! His current Physical Body Cultivation could only withstand double the initial force. Another doubling was truly beyond his capacity.
"Keep it up! It’s only been a hundred-odd years, and you’re already doing very well," the clay doll encouraged, though not entirely sincerely.
"Heh." Chen Jiuge gave a bitter smile.
Over these hundred-odd years, Chen Jiuge naturally hadn’t kept silent. He often chatted with this clay doll and had learned that the fastest cultivator to complete this little comprehension game had done so in only ten years. The most, most, most crucial point was that this person had also been a True Immortal with no foundation whatsoever. This was simply too demoralizing.
Chen Jiuge felt the active Power Dao within his body and was utterly speechless. If I keep getting beaten like this, my Power Dao is probably going to achieve a direct breakthrough!