Chapter 131: The Explosive Stone

The light flickered, standing out sharply against the mountainside facing away from the sun. I was certain it was not a reflection off an object, so I hurried over. It was a round stone, roughly the size of an egg, glowing with a solid golden hue; the light was emanating directly from it. "A golden egg? Can this mountain lay golden eggs?" I muttered to myself, unable to fathom what this thing was. Just as I was about to pry it loose, the strategist arrived in a rush.

"King Feather, it is dire! Something terrible has happened!"

I withdrew my hand and asked, "What is it?"

The strategist wiped the sweat from his forehead. "I sent men to investigate the World Alliance overnight. I hear the Alliance Leader is capturing people everywhere to build a base." Only then did I notice the beads of sweat on his brow. It was nearly mid-autumn, and the morning air in the mountains was quite cold. Seeing him panting, he must have run a long distance.

I told him, "Calm down, speak slowly." Chu Jun was indeed expanding his power, and his target was certainly the Mingxu Star. However, I wasn't worried; when the time came, the Heavenly Realm would likely intervene, and I was content to let them tear each other apart. I didn't see why the strategist was so nervous about him capturing people.

The strategist took a few heavy breaths and said, "He has brought every power within a hundred-mile radius under his control. Any who refuse are wiped out, leaving none alive. Everyone knows this is meant to kill the chicken to scare the monkey, so some sects have joined the World Alliance voluntarily to ensure their own survival. I fear Chu Jun will set his sights on our Feathered Tribe next!"

I wasn't familiar with the local factions, but if Chu Jun dared to infringe upon the Feathered Tribe, I would show him no mercy! While practicing the Heavenly Demon Divine Art earlier, I had nearly broken through to the fourth level of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Demon Forms. Coupled with the leveling system established by the World Alliance, I was certain that since absorbing the demonic crystal from the Taotie Divine Ox, my level had exceeded one star, though I had yet to prove it.

I said to the strategist, "Do not worry. With me, King Feather, at the helm, the Feathered Tribe will not fall!" I spoke with great confidence. While I did not understand the art of war, I knew that if one person lost heart, the fear would spread like a plague, and the situation would become impossible to manage.

The strategist felt slightly reassured upon hearing this, but after a pause, he added, "King Feather, perhaps you do not know—the Alliance Leader is immensely powerful. They say even the Heavenly Gods are no match for him. In my view, we should evacuate. We must leave Carefree Valley to avoid unnecessary trouble!"

His words were not without merit, but these were tens of thousands of Feathered people; evacuation was easier said than done. Such a massive movement would surely be discovered before we even left the valley. Besides, where could we go? We could not leave. Carefree Valley was easy to defend and difficult to attack; if Chu Jun dared to come, he would certainly pay a heavy price!

I said to the strategist, "Let us discuss this later. First, take a look at this."

Only then did the strategist notice the golden stone embedded in the mountainside. He leaned in for a closer look and let out a gasp of surprise. I expected him to recognize it, but he said, "I have never seen a stone like this before. Why not pry it out and have a look?"

I also wanted to take it out for inspection. It couldn't really be gold, and even if it were, it was of no consequence to me now. Gold and jewelry were worthless; besides, I had plenty to eat and wear here, and wealth had become a mere external object.

I channeled a portion of my demonic energy into my right hand and tried to pry the golden stone from the rock face. I used thirty percent of my energy, but the stone seemed as if it had grown into the mountain and would not budge. With no other choice, I intensified my energy, using my full strength. With a sharp crack, I gouged a large chunk of rock from the mountain, and the golden stone rolled onto the ground along the slope.

I picked it up and examined it closely. From the outside, it looked like an oval egg, but now that it was removed, I saw it was irregularly shaped. I bit it, and it was exceptionally hard—it was not gold. Assuming it was just an ordinary stone that happened to look like gold, I tossed it aside. I was about to tell the strategist that I needed to step away for a moment to visit my master at the Cave of Ten Thousand Demons when a deafening explosion erupted behind me.

The strategist jumped in terror. We both looked toward the source of the blast and saw a pit half a meter in diameter in the ground. I rushed over to investigate. There were specks of gold in the pit, and when I picked one up, I saw it was the same type of stone. The site of the explosion was exactly where I had thrown it.

I looked at the golden fragments in my hand, thinking, could this explosion have been caused by that stone? To test my theory, I flicked a fingernail-sized fragment at the mountainside. Upon impact, there was another thunderous boom, and the mountain was blasted with a fist-sized crater. The flying debris stung my face, but I ignored the pain, my heart hammering in my chest.

"Quickly, summon all the Feathered people to gather in the plaza!" My excitement was indescribable, my voice trembling. The strategist, who had watched my sequence of actions, stood frozen in place, only reacting when I gave the order.

He walked up to the blasted mountainside and reached out to touch it. "This... King Feather, I never imagined your power was so formidable!"

He thought I had caused the explosion. I placed my hands on his shoulders. "This was not my doing; it was the stone—the golden stone! Go, summon the people, and I will be there to hold a meeting immediately." I spoke with such excitement that the strategist simply nodded and left. I wasn't sure if he understood what a "meeting" was, but the moment I realized the stone could explode, a thought had taken hold.

The destructive power of this stone was comparable to the thermal weapons of the twenty-first century. If I could harness it, I would have no reason to fear Chu Jun! With this in mind, I intensified my demonic energy once more and began digging into the mountain with both hands. Surrounded by a layer of black demonic energy, the hard rock felt like tofu; my fingers sank in with a slight push, and with a pull, I tore away large chunks of stone.

Though I wasn't sure if there were more golden stones in the mountain, I was determined to find out. I would not stop, even if it meant razing every mountain in Carefree Valley to the ground! I did not know how long I had been digging, but I only stopped when I had hollowed out a space the size of a parking spot. Any deeper, and the entire peak might collapse! Perhaps in my excitement, I had dug deeper than I realized. No sooner had I stopped than the mountain began to tremble.