Chapter 730: Drysource Mountain Alone

Meng Chuan also stepped forward and, with a wave of his hand, conjured food and wine nearby. Having long cultivated on Painting Saint Mountain, Meng Chuan naturally had his favorite delicacies and beverages prepared. Some were even unique to the Cangyuan Realm. As for whether they would suit Senior Thousand Hand's taste, Meng Chuan had no idea, since Daoist Shan Wu hadn't mentioned it beforehand.

Daoist Shan Wu watched the scene with a smile.

"Senior Thousand Hand, these are from my home universe. Please have a taste," Meng Chuan said humbly.

The black-and-white exotic beast extended its eight claws, some reaching for the wine, others for the plates of food.

He took a long drink.

He took the food and wine Meng Chuan had prepared, gulped down a good amount of the drink, blinked, and grinned. "This wine is actually quite good," he remarked.

Meng Chuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

It was a fruit wine from the Cangyuan Realm, slightly sweet and sour, producing a pleasant tipsy feeling. Meng Chuan quite liked it, and he had even added some rare treasures that aided cultivation, blending it to suit his own taste. He would occasionally take a few sips while painting. Each pot of wine had a large internal space, equivalent to a tall wine vat, and one pot was enough for Meng Chuan for quite some time. Each pot was worth around a hundred units, and he had prepared over a thousand such pots for himself.

"Another ten pots of this wine," the black-and-white exotic beast requested, clearly enjoying it. He was quite satisfied and could sense that Meng Chuan had over a thousand more pots hidden away. For him, ten pots were enough, no matter how delicious; he was merely sampling.

Meng Chuan naturally took out ten more pots.

"Crunch, crunch." Eating various delicacies while drinking, the black-and-white exotic beast ate rapidly. At the same time, he glanced at Daoist Shan Wu and waved a hand. "Shan Wu, you can't stay on Qianyuan Mountain for too long. Leave quickly."

"Yes, I'm leaving now. Senior Brother Thousand Hand, Meng Chuan is a young Seventh-level Tribulation Realm expert from my home universe. Please look after him," Daoist Shan Wu said.

After all, they were from the same home universe, and Meng Chuan's apprenticeship through the painting secret art meant he would naturally be close to Daoist Shan Wu under their shared master. Daoist Shan Wu naturally wanted to help this future junior disciple as much as possible.

The black-and-white exotic beast nodded and continued eating.

"You're on your own now," Daoist Shan Wu said, looking at Meng Chuan. "I'll be going."

"Thank you, Daoist," Meng Chuan nodded, indicating his understanding.

Daoist Shan Wu departed, leaving only Meng Chuan, who watched Senior Brother Thousand Hand eat and drink.

Senior Brother Thousand Hand was completely immersed in his meal, clearly enjoying himself. In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he finished everything, putting away only the ten pots of wine.

"Meng Chuan," Thousand Hand stood up.

"Senior Thousand Hand," Meng Chuan listened carefully.

Thousand Hand calmly said, "Since you have learned the painting secret art, you are fated with Master. The trial on Qianyuan Mountain is very simple… Thirty-one Chaos Overlords are imprisoned on Qianyuan Mountain! You only need to kill one Chaos Overlord using your own strength, without relying on any secret treasures, before your lifespan ends. If you succeed, you will become Master's disciple."

"Kill a Chaos Overlord?" Meng Chuan's expression subtly changed. He had endured a lot today and had strong resilience, yet this trial still made him feel immense pressure.

Chaos Overlords are Eighth-level Tribulation Realm forbidden creatures! And he wasn't allowed to use any secret treasures to kill an Eighth-level Tribulation Realm forbidden creature?

"Although these Chaos Overlords can employ many Eighth-level Tribulation Realm techniques, their mastery of laws is ultimately inferior to true Eighth-level Tribulation Realm cultivators," Thousand Hand explained. "Once you reach the Eighth-level Tribulation Realm, killing one won't be difficult."

"This junior understands," Meng Chuan nodded in reply.

However, he knew in his heart it would be extremely difficult. In the river of time and space of his home universe, the number of Soul Eighth-level Tribulation Realm experts born was very small. Meng Chuan wasn't underestimating himself, but he was also acutely aware of how arduous this path was.

"Oh, you are a Soul Tribulation Realm expert. Becoming a Soul Eighth-level Tribulation Realm expert is indeed a bit difficult," Thousand Hand nodded slightly.

Meng Chuan remained silent.

No matter how difficult, he had to keep it to himself.

"Don't panic," Thousand Hand laughed, a hint of pride in his voice. "If it were just about killing a Chaos Overlord, there would be no need for you to come to Qianyuan Mountain; there are plenty of Chaos Overlords across the endless void. The reason you're here at Qianyuan Mountain is because Master is benevolent and wants to offer a helping hand in cultivation to those who are fated."

"A helping hand in cultivation?" Meng Chuan's eyes lit up. Assistance granted by an Eternal existence? The scale of it would certainly be immense.

What kind of assistance would it be?

Since arriving at Qianyuan Mountain, Meng Chuan hadn't felt any particular benefit, only noticing the different flow of time.

The time flow on Qianyuan Mountain was thirty-three times faster than in his home universe.

While a year passed in his home universe, thirty-three years would pass on Qianyuan Mountain. However, this also consumed his lifespan along with the time, so it wasn't considered a real aid.

"On Qianyuan Mountain, thirty-one Chaos Overlords are imprisoned, along with fifty-six thousand eight hundred 'Seventh-level Tribulation Realm Chaos Creatures'," Thousand Hand stated. "These Seventh-level Tribulation Realm Chaos Creatures are the assistance you'll receive in your cultivation."

Meng Chuan was astonished by the sheer number of Seventh-level Tribulation Realm Chaos Creatures. Even the Demonic Mountain Lord, in order to collect the life cores of Seventh-level Tribulation Realm forbidden creatures, had painstakingly set up the Chaos Turbid River, yet it still took a long time to slowly gather them.

Over fifty thousand Seventh-level Tribulation Realm Chaos Creatures on Qianyuan Mountain?

"Chaos creatures can devour matter and life to strengthen themselves. They even cannibalize each other, consuming other Chaos creatures," Thousand Hand explained. "After consuming, they can absorb the talents of the devoured Chaos creatures, making themselves even more powerful."

Meng Chuan nodded.

Forbidden creatures continuously grow stronger simply by eating, which many cultivators envied.

"All existing laws are based on time and space and can be comprehended and mastered," Thousand Hand said. "'Devouring to grow stronger' for Chaos creatures is also a type of law. Master has already established a law on Qianyuan Mountain… Here, as long as you kill a Chaos creature, you can fully absorb its power into yourself."

"Chaos creatures themselves can only absorb a small portion through their own devouring."

"Master's established law allows you to fully absorb the power of any Chaos creature you kill, and it's absorbed in the way most suitable for you," Thousand Hand continued. "This can grant you numerous talents, making your cultivation path much smoother. With your comprehension, the painting secret art, and the many chaos talents granted by Qianyuan Mountain, if you still can't reach the Soul Eighth-level Tribulation Realm… then you can only blame your own inadequacy."

Meng Chuan was both surprised and delighted.

He himself possessed the "Heaven-Opening Blade" technique, which significantly smoothed his path in comprehending the laws of heaven-opening. If he were to kill Seventh-level Tribulation Realm Chaos Creatures and gain various other talents, such as time-related talents… then comprehending the laws of time would also become much easier.

It was truly a great fortune to receive such an opportunity from an Eternal existence.

"Can I kill Seventh-level Tribulation Realm Chaos Creatures at will?" Meng Chuan asked.

"Dream on," Thousand Hand scoffed, glancing at Meng Chuan. "These Chaos Creatures were captured for violating Master's prohibitions, and there's only this many! They're also meant for future fated juniors to undergo their 'trials.' You can kill at most one Chaos Creature every five thousand years, and a maximum of ten Seventh-level Tribulation Realm Chaos Creatures in total. After that, you're not allowed to kill any more. You're only allowed to kill one Chaos Overlord; once you do, you pass the trial and must leave Qianyuan Mountain to meet Master."

Meng Chuan understood.

Although there were some restrictions, it was still excellent. This was indeed a great aid to cultivation, and the intervention of an Eternal existence was extraordinary.

"Since the wine you offered was quite good, I'll give you a piece of information: this contains data on all the Chaos Creatures imprisoned on Qianyuan Mountain." Thousand Hand waved his hand, conjuring a golden tablet. "Read it quickly, then give it back to me."

Meng Chuan joyfully took it. With a thought, a massive amount of information flooded his mind.

"Thank you, Senior Thousand Hand," Meng Chuan said, returning the tablet after memorizing the information.

"Those I don't fancy don't get any intel; they have to figure it out themselves," Thousand Hand chuckled smugly, his pupils widening. "Alright, I'm going back to sleep. Don't wake me until you pass the trial." He then returned to his previous spot, lay down, adjusted his eight claws into a comfortable embrace, and resumed his slumber.

Meng Chuan felt a touch of relief.

Whether or not he received information depended entirely on Senior Brother Thousand Hand's whim. Without this intelligence, it would be almost impossible to gather data on over fifty thousand forbidden creatures. Even with numerous battles, it would be extremely difficult to ascertain the true nature of each forbidden creature.

Moreover, many of these forbidden creatures were simply too bizarre and troublesome.

"Qianyuan Mountain has thirty-one Chaos Overlords."

"There are five hundred sixty-nine Peak Seventh-level Tribulation Realm Chaos Creatures."

"There are nine thousand eight hundred three Top-tier Seventh-level Tribulation Realm Chaos Creatures."

"And over forty thousand ordinary Seventh-level Tribulation Realm Chaos Creatures."

"Each has its own unique strengths."

Meng Chuan stood there for a long time, pondering the information and considering which Chaos Creatures would be suitable targets. A gust of wind blew through the mountain, suddenly startling Meng Chuan.

He looked at the silent Qianyuan Mountain.

Senior Brother Thousand Hand was sound asleep, and all the Chaos Creatures were sealed, held in a state of 'time suspension.'

On the entire Qianyuan Mountain… he was the only one awake.

For a very long time, he would live here in solitude.