Chapter 40: Days in the Violet Crystal Mountains
Within the canyon, a large group of violet crystal monsters surrounded the lakeshore. The small purple cub stood atop a giant monster’s head, staring intently at the lake water.
One after another, violet crystal monsters emerged from the lake and climbed ashore, each lowering its head.
“All of you are idiots. You can’t even find a few people who fled in there,” the cub roared in anger.
None of the violet monsters dared to make a sound.
The cub hesitated for a moment, then said, “We’ve already wasted half a day by this lakeshore. The Mist Tide is almost over for today. I can’t waste all my time here.” The purple cub immediately shouted loudly, “Little ones, let’s go! Leave this place and continue killing humans!”
“Roar!” Countless violet crystal monsters immediately roared with excitement.
They, too, craved slaughter. After all, the Mist Tide only occurred once in a hundred million years, and they could only emerge on this one day. This day’s time was extremely precious. If they wasted it all here, they would feel it wasn’t worth it.
Countless violet crystal monsters roared as they followed the purple cub away.
“Hmph, I remember those few people. I hope you’re still here during the next Mist Tide. When that time comes, I’ll be sure to give you a proper welcome.” A hint of cunning flickered in the cub’s clear eyes.
The slaughter continued. Vast numbers of violet crystal monsters spread across every area, and many humans were killed. Of the God-level experts who had entered due to the Mist Tide—originally over a hundred million—fewer than one in ten remained alive after the carnage. Even counting those who had already been in the Violet Crystal Mountains before, the number of survivors was less than ten million. Then the Blood Sun set, the Violet Moon rose, and the day of the Mist Tide came to an end.
Of course, because the Violet Crystal Mountains were perpetually shrouded in white mist, neither the Blood Sun nor the Violet Moon could be seen.
However, the entire Violet Crystal Mountains were remarkably punctual. The number of violet crystals ejected from the 108 Violet Crystal Abysses sharply decreased, returning to normal levels. The forces of the eighteen clans outside the Violet Crystal Mountains all halted their activities, excited by the vast quantities of violet crystals they had obtained.
Inside the Violet Crystal Mountains, the violet crystal monsters immediately began their journey back, quickly vanishing into the depths of the range. So many violet crystal monsters, yet the God-level experts could no longer find a single one.
Since Linley and the others were inside the cave, they couldn’t determine the exact time. They simply waited for over ten hours straight. Only when the next day arrived did they emerge from the lake’s depths.
By the lakeshore within the canyon, Linley and his five companions sat resting on the ground.
Jarod’s face was full of joy. He said excitedly, “The day of the Mist Tide is finally over. Now that this day has passed, we have another hundred million years of peaceful, quiet days ahead. I never thought that I, Jarod, would survive two Mist Tides in a row.”
“Just surviving is worth it, even if it cost me a divine clone,” Galen said, also feeling delighted inside.
Linley looked at Jarod and Galen. He could tell that the two of them were genuinely happy. Curious, he asked, “Jarod, in these Violet Crystal Mountains, we can only see a distance of one or two hundred meters. It’s covered in white mist all year round, and we can’t leave. Doesn’t that bother you at all?”
Linley’s words resonated with Bebe and Olivia as well.
In the Violet Crystal Mountains, aside from the day of the Mist Tide, there was no danger at other times. But enduring the astonishing gravitational pull year-round, unable even to fly, and only able to see within a range of one or two hundred meters—living like this for ages would indeed be extremely dull and painful.
Jarod and Galen exchanged glances and both smiled.
Jarod looked at Linley. “Linley, it’s not that we don’t want to leave. It’s that this damn place makes it impossible to leave. Since we can’t get out, what else can we do? Just quietly enjoy life. At least I still have Galen.”
Galen’s face flushed slightly. The look in her eyes as she gazed at Jarod held deep love. Having depended on each other for nearly an eternity, they could no longer live without one another.
“I don’t believe we can’t get out,” Bebe snorted. “We’ll just walk straight ahead without flying. When we reach the edge of the Violet Crystal Mountains, we’ll keep going! I don’t believe we can’t walk out. If we reach the end, I’ll burrow underground and keep going from there!”
The land outside the Violet Crystal Mountains wouldn’t be nearly as hard.
“You can’t get out,” Galen advised. “The gravitational pull of the Violet Crystal Mountains isn’t straight up and down. The entire Violet Crystal Mountains attracts everything from all directions. Whether you’re underground, on the surface, or in the air, you’ll still be pulled by the Violet Crystal Mountains!”
“What?” Linley was shocked. He had read that book about the basics of laws and mysteries, including the introduction to the Gravity Space mystery. That mystery created a gravity field within a certain area. Linley had never heard of an entire mass attracting everything from all directions.
The Violet Crystal Mountains were like a giant magnet.
Whether you were below, beside, or above the Violet Crystal Mountains, you would still have to endure its gravitational pull.
“Moreover, besides the gravitational pull, there’s also that bizarre wind-sound zone. In that area, you simply can’t get out,” Jarod said. Then he smiled. “Dylin, Linley, thank you for this time. Galen and I will be leaving now.”
After Jarod and his wife left, Linley, Dylin, Bebe, and Olivia didn’t give up. Even though they had heard what Jarod said, they wouldn’t abandon hope without seeing for themselves. So the four of them set off in a straight line.
The canyon where Linley and the others were located was tens of thousands of miles from the edge of the Violet Crystal Mountains.
The gravitational pull inside the mountains was too strong, so Linley and his group couldn’t move very fast. It took them over half a month to reach the edge. But when Linley tried to step forward and continue, he felt a terrifying gravitational force instantly act on his entire body, yanking him back into the mountains.
It was very strange!
When standing on the outermost rocks of the Violet Crystal Mountains, Linley and the others were fine. But as soon as they took a single step forward, they were suddenly pulled back by that gravitational force.
Linley had never heard of such a bizarre gravitational pull.
A Gravity Space attracted things downward. But this gravitational pull was centered on the Violet Crystal Mountains, attracting things from every direction.
If they couldn’t even take a single step beyond the mountains, how could Linley and the others leave?
At this edge, Linley and his companions racked their brains and spent an entire month trying. But they achieved nothing. In the end, they had no choice but to give up. All four chose a mountain hollow only a few hundred miles from the edge to begin their lives. Linley’s three divine clones—Wind, Earth, and Fire—were all training, while Linley’s main body stayed with Dylin.
Linley sat casually on the ground, leaning against the stone wall behind him. Dylin leaned against Linley. She looked up at him, knowing in her heart that Linley longed for a life full of passion. If he had to stay in the Violet Crystal Mountains for a hundred million years, it was simply unimaginable.
Dylin still remembered that month when they kept trying at the edge of the mountains.
Actually, just trying would have taken only half a day.
But because Linley and Olivia refused to give up, they desperately thought of ways and tried again and again. They all wanted to leave and return to the Infernal Realm. But after persisting for a month, Linley finally gave up. Dylin understood that Linley was unwilling to accept it.
“Linley, do you really want to get out?” Dylin asked softly. “Or… use one drop of that cyan liquid?”
Linley turned his head to look at Dylin beside him and shook his head slightly.
He had told Dylin and Bebe about the Sovereign’s power twenty years ago, during the quiet cultivation period after parting from the volcano giant, Phusro. They all knew… that this was Linley’s last resort—the Sovereign’s power.
If he used the Sovereign’s power, he was confident he could resist the gravitational pull.
But could he use it?
Linley shook his head. “Even if I use the Sovereign’s power to resist the gravitational pull, I don’t know if I can fly out of that chaotic zone. Dylin, you should know that there were once Highgod experts who could resist the gravitational pull, but even they couldn’t fly out of that strange wind-sound zone.”
“If I use the Sovereign’s power and still can’t get out… that would be too tragic.”
“Besides, the Sovereign’s power is an extremely important treasure. I can’t waste it here. Unless it’s a matter of life and death, I should only use it at a critical moment,” Linley said. He understood that the Sovereign’s power could not only save him at a crucial time but also save Dylin and the others.
It was a trump card. How could he use it lightly?
“But here, for a hundred million years… can you endure it?” Dylin whispered.
Linley reached out and pulled Dylin into his arms. He said softly, “Dylin, isn’t it just a hundred million years? Jarod and the others endured it. Why can’t I? As long as I’m with you, I’m willing to spend even an eternity.” Dylin felt a surge of emotion, and Linley held her even tighter.
“Linley, I wonder how Sasha and Taylor are doing now? Are they doing well in the Yulan Continent?” Lying in Linley’s arms, Dylin spoke softly.
Thinking of his children, Linley couldn’t help but smile. “They should be doing fine. I wonder if they ever think of me.”
Dylin smiled too. She looked up at Linley and teased, “Of course they think of their father. But I’m afraid Taylor and Sasha never imagined that their greatest, most powerful father would be trapped in a mountain range in the Infernal Realm—and possibly for a hundred million years.”
Linley couldn’t help but laugh.
Then he sighed, gazing into the distant white mist as if he could pierce through space and see the Yulan Continent. “We’re in the Infernal Realm. The Yulan Continent is far too distant from us.”
During his days in the Violet Crystal Mountains, Linley’s heart was very peaceful. Since his main body didn’t need to train in other laws, and Dylin had already reached the Highgod level and didn’t need to train either, Linley spent every day with Dylin, living a quiet and leisurely life.
Of course, Linley’s three divine clones—Wind, Earth, and Fire—were all training.
Bebe and Olivia were also training, and they would occasionally spar with each other.
As for Linley’s Wind Element law, because he was comprehending and fusing the Sound Wave and Music mysteries together, his progress was very slow. As for the Fire Element law, it was Linley’s weakest area, so naturally, his training speed was even slower.
Only the Earth Element law—specifically the Earthwalking mystery—was progressing relatively quickly, since Linley wasn’t trying to fuse it with other mysteries.
Peaceful days passed quickly, and soon over fifty years had gone by. During this time, because he was constantly feeling the gravitational pull in the Violet Crystal Mountains, Linley had managed to gain a basic understanding of the Gravity Space mystery of the Earth Element law. However, the Gravity Space mystery was extremely difficult, so Linley mainly focused his efforts on Earthwalking.
Before entering the Violet Crystal Mountains, Linley had already trained in Earthwalking for nearly twenty years.
Now, after another fifty-plus years of training, Linley finally reached the Great Perfection stage in Earthwalking.
Linley, Bebe, and Olivia were together.
“Boss, you’re really amazing! You’ve mastered Earthwalking too!” Bebe cheered.
“Earthwalking is somewhat related to Earth Element, and it’s one of the simpler mysteries among the six mysteries of the Earth Element law. But even so, it still took me over seventy years in total to break through,” Linley said with emotion.
Over seventy years—Linley’s greatest improvement was actually in his soul!
In the Violet Crystal Mountains, the one thing that wasn’t scarce was violet crystals!
Just by carefully picking up violet crystals on the ground, one could collect over ten thousand in a single day. If one went to the Violet Crystal Abysses, although the eruptions were nowhere near as intense as during the Mist Tide, and the amount of violet crystals spread in the pits wasn’t that great during the lull, one could still grab millions in half a day using elemental giant hands.
When Bebe and Olivia were bored, they once went there. By the pit, they spent a month scooping up over a hundred million violet crystals before finally getting bored and returning. In the Violet Crystal Mountains, violet crystals were practically worthless.
For others, refining violet crystals was troublesome. But Linley was different.
By continuously refining violet crystals and strengthening his soul, Linley was now far stronger than he had been fifty years ago. After all, over those fifty-plus years, his soul had been constantly growing.
“With Earthwalking, you’ll be safest in the Violet Crystal Mountains,” Olivia remarked. “These rocks are still part of the earth. By using Earthwalking, you can merge with them and travel through them. During the Mist Tide, if you have Earthwalking, you’ll have the best chance of surviving.”
Linley nodded slightly.
Only about ten percent of God-level experts trained in the Earth Element law, and among them, even fewer had comprehended Earthwalking. Jarod and Galen were unlucky—neither of them had trained in the Earth Element law. They knew that mastering Earthwalking could save one’s life in the Violet Crystal Mountains.
But training wasn’t something you could just do because you wanted to, even if you had enough time.
“Boss, give it a try! See how Earthwalking works!” Bebe’s eyes lit up.
Linley smiled. “I was planning to try it anyway.” Then Linley calmed himself and immediately activated Earthwalking. He felt himself completely merge with the boundless earth element. Since the rocks were also filled with earth element, he easily penetrated the stone and moved forward at great speed within the rock.
“Boss disappeared! Earthwalking is really interesting,” Bebe said with a laugh.
Olivia was full of admiration. “This Linley is truly remarkable. He has three divine clones, and now he’s mastered Earthwalking too.” But Olivia also felt some comfort, because over these years, he had finally trained the Darkness Element law to the Demigod level.
The first time he used Earthwalking, it was indeed a marvelous experience.
Linley let himself freely travel through the rock. “Using Earthwalking is really interesting. But… this Violet Crystal Mountains is filled with gravitational pull everywhere. Even when I use Earthwalking, I can’t move very fast.” Even when his body merged with the elements, he could still feel the effect of the gravitational pull.
Linley kept moving forward, traveling several thousand miles.
Suddenly—
“Huh?” Linley suddenly discovered a hollow cave deep within the rock of the Violet Crystal Mountains. This cave had no exit, yet it existed inside the mountain. It was indeed strange.
With a thought, Linley’s body materialized inside the cave.
“This cave is quite large.” Linley looked around carefully. The cave was about ten meters high and several dozen meters long and wide, but there were no passages. The cave was completely sealed. Linley could tell that it was naturally formed.
“No signs of carving at all. Nature really is amazing,” Linley marveled.
“Hey, kid from the Four Divine Beasts clan, how did you end up in my place?” A crisp voice suddenly rang out. Linley was so startled that his heart jumped. He turned his head—
There it was! That adorable purple cub was sitting on the ground, looking up at Linley with a sly glint in its eyes. “I didn’t expect this. I was planning to wait until the next Mist Tide to cause you trouble, but you actually came to me instead.”
“Run!” Without any hesitation, Linley immediately activated Earthwalking.
“Bam!”
Linley slammed hard into the ground. He couldn’t get away.
“You come to my territory and still think you can leave?” The purple cub snorted, its eyes full of smugness. “Tsk, tsk. After billions of years of boring days, a fine plaything has come to me. How should I play with him?”
Linley’s heart sank. He had only used Earthwalking to reach this cave with no passages. How could he have run into this little purple cub?