Chapter 104: The Spirit Swallow Overcomes the Enemy

It was actually quite simple. Wei Cheng had merely switched to the Spirit Swallow Heart Technique.

Previously, he had unleashed eighteen consecutive Immovable Golden Bells, followed by the Path of Non-Contention, and finally, the ultimate form of the Immovable Golden Bell. This sequence of powerful moves had completely exhausted his internal energy for Mountain Moving. Any other practitioner of the Mountain Moving profession would have been rendered useless at this point.

Yet, Wei Cheng had spent a single second switching to the Spirit Swallow Heart Technique. Just as Xu Shan and Liu Sui were being scorched into human torches, and while Yu Liang and Mei Renli were moving to intervene, Wei Cheng vaulted into the air. With footwork superior to Xu Shan’s, he soared over the sea of fire and caught up to the Flame Giant. The entire process was as fluid as flowing water, executed in one seamless motion. This was only possible because he had also mastered the second stage of the Spirit Swallow Heart Technique.

At that moment, the Flame Giant falling from the cliff was on the verge of death; even the golden flames burning on its body were rapidly extinguishing. After all, this was its blood, which was extremely precious. It was only an instant away from plunging into the magma sea. Without a doubt, once it entered the magma, even if it didn't fully recover, it would quickly regain its vitality.

Wei Cheng did only one thing: he took all the Mysterious Iron Stones from his miner’s basket and, aiming for the Flame Giant’s damaged eyes, hurled them in one after another. This might sound like a complex maneuver; had Wei Cheng still been in the Mountain Moving profession, he would have been exhausted to death trying to throw so many stones. But he was now a Spirit Swallow—a Spirit Swallow of sixty years of cultivation—and this series of intricate actions was completed in a split second. He did not know if it would work, but it was his only remaining option.

The next instant, with a thunderous roar, the massive body of the Flame Giant smashed into the magma sea, sending waves of fire hundreds of meters into the air. Wei Cheng could only leap away at that moment, clinging to the cliffside as he watched the Flame Giant sink into the magma. It seemed they had failed. Wei Cheng felt a pang of heartache—all those Mysterious Iron Stones had gone to waste.

However, he quickly regained his composure, keeping his mental focus locked tightly onto the submerged Flame Giant. Suddenly, his expression shifted, a flicker of joy crossing his eyes. Following this, the colossal corpse of the Flame Giant floated back to the surface. The eye sockets where the iron stones had been embedded were pitch black, like the bottom of an extinguished furnace. It was unclear what the creature was composed of, but its body began to dissolve rapidly into the magma. Was this a case of losing everything?

Gritting his teeth, Wei Cheng darted forward and stepped onto the giant’s nose, wanting to see if he could pry his iron stones back out. As he pried, the entire head of the Flame Giant disintegrated. Instead, Wei Cheng managed to grab a two-meter-long, ugly, knotty, and crooked iron rod.

Without time to think, Wei Cheng tapped his toes lightly and fled the magma sea before the giant’s body completely dissolved. He then climbed back up the cliff. The moment he surfaced, he saw a glowing scripture stele, engulfed in raging flames, descending from the sky.

Such a change had actually occurred!

"Boss!"

"Don't dally, let Xu Shan touch it first!" Wei Cheng shouted. Even with the protection of the Immovable Golden Bell, Xu Shan was nearly charred to a crisp. It had to be said that the Spirit Swallow profession was too fragile. Of course, it was mostly her own fault; she had been too careless, failing to treat this as a life-or-death battle and ignoring the basic rule that one must retreat immediately after an attack, regardless of whether it lands. She had succeeded in her initial strike, but instead of retreating, she had greedily tried to show off her skills to finish the giant in one blow. She deserved this setback.

Similarly, Liu Sui had made the same mistake. He should have retreated quickly after dealing a heavy blow to the giant, then waited for an opening to strike again. Instead, he had pressed the attack and ended up with broken bones. Yu Liang and Mei Renli had been steady, and their timely intervention had saved Xu Shan and Liu Sui from being burned alive; that golden, blood-like flame was truly terrifying.

Soon, a divine light descended, covering Xu Shan’s body. Within this light, there was an extra wisp of morning-mist-like flame, resembling the blood of the Flame Giant. However, this flame vanished after just a second. The divine light shone for a full ten seconds—a high-quality reward—but unfortunately, Xu Shan’s injuries were so severe that it took eight seconds of the light just to fully recover. The scene was, well...

While Liu Sui remained unconscious, Yu Liang hurriedly took two of his own garments from the miner's basket to cover her, his expression solemn—everyone was very proper. Xu Shan, of course, didn't care; she stood up, quickly changed into the clothes, and said with surprise, "Old Wei, this divine light is a bit different. Besides the first stage of the Green Wood Order technique, it actually gave me a Flame Ring, +3 fire resistance."

Xu Shan was delighted. Based on this alone, their decision to enter the poison zone had been correct. She now effectively possessed two artifacts, the other being a +1 Lightning Ring.

"That's normal. Let Liu Sui touch it second," Wei Cheng nodded. He was very satisfied with Liu Sui’s performance; it could be said that this was worthy of his previous investment. A Purple Mist practitioner had to be able to unleash devastating damage at the most critical moment, exactly when the Mountain Moving profession created an opening. Of course, it didn't rule out that Liu Sui was just a hot-headed youth who happened to get lucky.

"Old Wei, you go first," the incredibly weak Liu Sui offered.

"Stop talking nonsense." Wei Cheng signaled for Yu Liang to help.

The next moment, the divine light shone, again containing a wisp of the morning-mist flame. Eight seconds later, Liu Sui was fully recovered, and he too had gained a Flame Ring.

"It’s also +3 fire resistance, and the first stage of the Green Wood Order." His Dragon Wandering Palm technique had also long since reached the ninth stage.

"Interesting." Wei Cheng nodded, then stepped forward to touch the stele. As expected, the divine light lasted only six seconds, but he still received a +3 Flame Ring, the third stage of the Cloud Ladder technique, and the first stage of the Green Wood Order.

Next, Yu Liang stepped up, receiving four seconds of divine light and an identical Flame Ring. Finally, Mei Renli touched it, receiving only two seconds of divine light, but the ring and technique were the same. With that, the stele dissipated, as if it had been custom-tailored for the five of them.

"That’s great. This reward mechanism is excellent."

"Indeed. If we encounter a Magma Giant again, we won't be so passive. Though I must reflect on myself—I was so terrified that I only wanted to run as far as possible. It’s a good thing Old Wei was reliable, otherwise we would have been finished." Xu Shan apologized, feeling very embarrassed.

Wei Cheng nodded in understanding, as the fifty-meter-tall Magma Giant was truly overwhelming, especially given its speed and prowess in both ranged and melee combat; it was something an ordinary person could not fathom. He then looked at Liu Sui and thought for a moment before saying, "Although you performed well just now, I must reiterate: you must understand your role. You cannot just rush in blindly at all times. You should only strike decisively when I have created an opportunity for you, and even then, do not get caught up in the fight. The same goes for you, Xu Shan."

"And as for you, Yu Liang and Old Mei, you don't need to rush blindly forward at the start. Staying in the back doesn't mean you are cowardly. At critical moments, casting the Immovable Golden Bell to protect your teammates is just as important."

"Furthermore, if you spot an opening, you can be flexible and help share the pressure for me."

"In short, we all lack experience, and our enemies are ever-changing. We must learn to adapt to circumstances."

Wei Cheng summarized briefly but did not elaborate on how he had killed the Magma Giant. The ugly iron rod, aside from being exceptionally heavy—weighing several hundred pounds—did not appear to have any special properties. Consequently, Xu Shan, Liu Sui, Yu Liang, and Mei Renli did not dwell on it, nor would they have been so bold as to ask; they had enough social awareness for that.

"Boom!"

Just then, about ten miles downstream from the cliff, a massive tremor shook the ground, followed by a distinct, roaring sound.

It was another Magma Giant!