Chapter 3454: Empty Amethyst

The Tianfei Beast's single eye glowed with a dazzling yellow light, unleashing a thick yellow beam that struck the iron chain, causing it to snap into pieces.

Wang Ruyan's Azure Lotus Pen shone brightly. She waved it through the air, causing ripples to appear in the void above the Tianfei Beast's head. Countless golden runes surged forth, swirling before condensing into thick golden chains that coiled around the beast.

A vast volume of blue seawater surged towards it. The Tianfei Beast opened its gaping maw and inhaled sharply, causing the water to vanish into its mouth.

The water churned violently as a thousand-zhang-tall blue giant emerged from the depths. It moved its fists, striking at the Tianfei Beast's head.

With dull thuds, the Tianfei Beast's single eye projected a hazy yellow halo. It swiftly swept over the blue giant, causing it to rapidly turn to stone and then shatter into fragments.

"Oh, petrification! A mutated Tianfei Beast!"

Wang Changsheng uttered a soft exclamation. To his knowledge, Tianfei Beasts did not possess petrification abilities, indicating this one had mutated. It was no wonder this particular Tianfei Beast had advanced to the eighth rank; with such a power, ordinary seventh-rank demon beasts truly stood no chance against it.

The Tianfei Beast easily neutralized Wang Changsheng's attack and absorbed all the seawater.

Wang Changsheng raised his right hand, and the Mountain-Setting Nail shot forth, vanishing into the earth. Within tens of thousands of miles, the ground rapidly turned golden.

The yellow halo sped directly towards Wang Changsheng. He unleashed a punch, its force like thunder, sending forth a hazy blue fist-shadow. It collided with the yellow halo, likewise turning to stone and then shattering into fragments.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan swiftly dodged. The yellow halo struck a high peak, causing the entire mountain to petrify, develop numerous cracks, and then shatter into pieces.

The void vibrated and distorted as countless blue seawater emerged, converging to form a turbulent blue river that surged forward.

The blue river, like a long blue spear, surged with a formidable aura, tearing through the void in its path. Sensing the river's immense power, the Tianfei Beast dared not be reckless. Its single eye again unleashed a hazy yellow halo to meet the onslaught.

The yellow halo collided with the blue river, which swiftly petrified. However, the blue river's ceaseless flow quickly broke through the petrified form, continuing its surge towards the Tianfei Beast.

Wang Changsheng transformed into a blue rainbow, streaking directly towards the Tianfei Beast.

The Tianfei Beast opened its gaping maw and inhaled sharply, causing a large volume of seawater to vanish into its mouth. Its single eye then emitted another yellow halo.

Wang Changsheng's body radiated intense blue light, splitting into nine duplicates. The yellow halo swept over all nine figures, causing them to rapidly petrify, then shatter into fragments, and finally turn to dust.

Wang Ruyan brandished the Azure Lotus Pen, conjuring tens of thousands of golden swords, several feet long, that materialized out of thin air and shot towards the Tianfei Beast.

The dense volley of golden swords struck the Tianfei Beast's body, producing dull clinking sounds, as if merely scratching an itch, completely failing to harm it.

Inside the Tianfei Beast, a large volume of seawater surged in, churning violently, and Wang Changsheng appeared. His body was enveloped by a blue light barrier, while on either side, he saw blood-red fleshy walls with visible blood vessels.

He took out the Profound Jade Cosmos Staff and infused it with spiritual power. The staff immediately emitted a blinding white light, rapidly increasing in size and length until it pressed against the fleshy walls.

The Profound Jade Cosmos Staff then emitted a large expanse of white chilling mist, causing the fleshy walls to begin freezing.

Wang Changsheng summoned his Dharma Idol, wielding nine Sea-Stabilizing Pearls in each hand, and slammed them into the fleshy walls.

With muffled thuds, the fleshy walls slightly trembled.

While the Tianfei Beast was fending off Wang Ruyan's attacks, an unbearable, searing pain erupted from within its body. It let out tormented roars, its massive form writhing uncontrollably.

Wang Ruyan relentlessly wielded the Azure Lotus Pen, causing ice blades, colossal peaks, flames, and other spells to materialize and continuously strike the Tianfei Beast.

The Tianfei Beast shrieked repeatedly, its single eye ceaselessly emitting hazy yellow halos. Its massive body continued to writhe, causing all the golden chains to snap. Yet, soon after, a powerful gravitational force materialized, pulling it down like a magnet and pinning it to the ground, preventing its escape.

A short while later, with a deafening roar, two massive bloody holes tore open in the Tianfei Beast's abdomen.

It stopped breathing and ceased struggling. A miniature Tianfei Beast flew out of its body, enveloped by a blue ethereal glow, and was drawn into a blue jade bottle, vanishing from sight.

Wang Changsheng emerged from the bloody holes, covered in dust and grime.

The Tianfei Beast's mastery of petrification made it a formidable opponent. Fortunately, he had infiltrated its body and shattered its heart, decisively defeating the beast.

Wang Changsheng retrieved his Violet Blade and extracted the Tianfei Beast's eyeballs, which could be used to refine an earth-elemental treasure. He then sliced open the beast's abdomen, releasing a torrent of blood and a cascade of items: ores, demon beast carcasses, spirit wood, fragments of mountains, and more.

"Oh, is this Void-Expanding Stone?"

Wang Changsheng uttered a soft exclamation as he sifted through the blood, pulling out a silvery-white stone with golden patterns on its surface.

He picked up the silvery-white stone, noting its surprising lightness, as if it were a mere sheet of paper.

"It really is Void-Expanding Stone!"

A look of delight spread across Wang Changsheng's face.

Void-Expanding Stone is a seventh-grade material, typically used for crafting communication artifacts or setting up large-scale communication arrays. Large Void-Expanding Stone ore veins might also contain Void-Expanding Divine Crystals, which are eighth-grade refining materials suitable for constructing cross-realm communication arrays.

There's a vast difference in value between Void-Expanding Stone and Void-Expanding Divine Crystals. Void-Expanding Divine Crystals are an extremely valuable strategic resource, coveted even by Mahayana cultivators.

Wang Ruyan found several Void-Expanding Stones within the Tianfei Beast, suggesting it had consumed quite a few. Wang Changsheng lightly flicked his wrist, and Wang Tunian flew out from the Spirit Beast Bracelet, landing on the ground.

"See where it has been."

Wang Changsheng pointed at the Tianfei Beast's carcass and instructed.

The presence of Void-Expanding Stones inside the Tianfei Beast suggested it had incidentally swallowed them while consuming other demon beasts or spirit herbs. By tracing its past locations, they should be able to find more Void-Expanding Stones.

Wang Tunian approached the Tianfei Beast's carcass, sniffed it a few times, and memorized its scent.

"Master, it came from the southeast."

Wang Tunian indicated the southeast direction as he spoke.

Wang Changsheng nodded, put away the Mountain-Setting Nail and the Tianfei Beast's carcass. They began exploring in the southeastern direction. Seven days later, the trio appeared outside a narrow valley flanked by two towering peaks. The peak on the left had a large hole, seemingly where the Tianfei Beast had passed through.

"The scent trail ends here!"

Wang Tunian said with a frown that scents don't last indefinitely, and he had done well to track it this far. Wang Changsheng then released Wang Xiao and others, instructing them to search the surroundings for Void-Expanding Stones.

Within minutes, Wang Xiao hurried back, holding a silvery-white ore in his hand. He excitedly reported, "Master, I've found a demon beast's lair containing some Void-Expanding Stones. Upon further investigation, I discovered a Void-Expanding Stone ore vein within the lair, though its exact reserves are unknown."

Wang Changsheng's face lit up with joy as he followed Wang Xiao to a hidden underground cave. The cave's stone walls were uneven, and the right-hand wall faintly shimmered with a silver glow. In one corner, there were some reddish droppings and a few animal remains.

Wang Changsheng circled the cave, occasionally striking the stone walls. When the stone broke away, faint silver light became visible.

Wang Tunian and the others soon arrived. Wang Changsheng instructed Wang Tunian to burrow underground for exploration, knowing that if he encountered an ore vein, he would be unable to pass through it. This method would allow them to estimate the ore vein's approximate reserves.