Ou Yangming chuckled and assured, “Big Yellow, don’t worry, I’ve checked earlier and noticed that the stones here are exceptionally tough. With their mouthparts alone, not that I’m belittling them, they can’t peck through even if they gnaw for ten years.”
In actual fact, the stones that were piled up by Ou Yangming in a hurry were unreliable.
If an Extreme Grade powerhouse or a man with brute force was present, one could easily make an opening by hammering the stones with a giant hammer.
On the other hand, the Black Magic Crawlers were great in numbers and had powerful mouthparts, but their strength… Even an ordinary person could throw them out to the street effortlessly.
Sure enough, Ou Yangming’s observation under the thoroughly meticulous state was accurate.
He had grasped the Black Magic Crawlers’ weakness and knew that they could not do anything to the cave for the time being.
The big yellow dog cast a strange glance at Ou Yangming.
It meant to ask what difference it would make even if the Black Magic Crawlers could not enter the cave; they were still trapped inside.
Ou Yangming giggled. “I have an idea, and we can give it a shot.”
Subsequently, he turned to pick up a stone.
The stones inside varied in sizes, but they shared a common feature; their toughness was unbelievable. In fact, featured steel would be inferior to the stones.
Ou Yangming inhaled deeply and said, ‘Hopefully, everything goes well.’
By using his mind, he released the Military Fire to burn the stone.
Ou Yangming’s forehead was already covered in beads of sweat after a brief moment. As expected, the stone’s toughness was beyond his expectations. However, not only was he going to melt the thin layer on its surface, but he also wanted to reshape the stone as he wished, so the difficulty increased by a huge margin.
The Military Fire successfully burned the surface layer, but when it tried to go deeper, the process exceeded Ou Yangming’s ability. If Ou Yangming’s mental power was at its peak at the moment, he could at least refine the stone slowly to melt it, but he could not endure it any longer as he had just gone through a big fight.
Suddenly, the purple light in Ou Yangming’s mind was released.
Therefore, a purple hue was seen in the burning Military Fire.
When the hue appeared, the stone in Ou Yangming’s hand melted right away as though it had turned into butter.
Ou Yangming was overjoyed, and he quickly made the adjustments. Before long, a strange piece of equipment that was similar to a gauntlet was produced. He nodded with satisfaction when he studied it for some time. [Item: Extraordinary paw gauntlet (Red)]
(Equivalent Rank: Ordinary Tool, Fine Grade, Rank Five]
[Attributes: Sharpness +20, Toughness +20, Power +5]
Fine Grade. The equipment smithed using the material found inside the cave could actually achieve Fine Grade.
Needless to say, it was the result of adding attributes that were stored inside Ou Yangming’s mind. Besides, he had a vague feeling that the ore’s limit was not the peak of Fine Grade Rank Five; there was a limit to the number of attributes he could attach to the equipment even though he used the Military Fire.
If Ou Yangming wanted to smith it to a higher level, it would likely fail and crack.
He dared not take the risk due to his body condition.
After a moment of hesitation, Ou Yangming fixed 1 Point of Devouring attribute to the equipment.
Afterward, he approached the big yellow dog to put the gauntlet on one of its paws.
The big yellow dog was clearly unhappy about his action, and the gauntlet was inconvenient as it did not need the equipment given that it was such an inappropriate timing.
That said, just as it wanted to get rid of it, Ou Yangming squatted beside it and said with a serious face, “I’m a human.”
The big yellow dog was stunned, but it thought, ‘You don’t say.’
“I’m a human, so I have human Qi, and the Qi we cultivate is known as essential Qi,” Ou Yangming added, then pointed at the dog and said, “You’re a dog, so you have dog Qi. Do you cultivate animal Qi?”
The big yellow dog was startled for a while, and it glared at Ou Yangming to the extent that its eyeballs seemed like they would fall out. Fortunately, the dog could not speak, or it would have cursed at Ou Yangming long ago instead of being so calm. “I don’t know what Qi you cultivate, but no matter what it is, you must exert it,” Ou Yangming continued and disregarded the dog’s looks. He proceeded to fully insert the gauntlet into the big yellow dog’s front right leg and said, “If you’d like to live and regain your health, bring out your dog Qi, animal Qi, spiritual Qi, or whatever.” His last sentence sounded like he was reproaching the dog.
The big yellow dog shivered and subconsciously tensed up, causing the Blood Meridian Power inside its body to flow into the gauntlet. Next, it felt the pleasant sensation that came from the equipment upgrade.
Ou Yangming grinned and dragged over one of the dead Black Magic Crawlers. “Try piercing its body with your claws.”
The big yellow dog was hesitant for a while. Based on its character, it would never touch a dead body, but it finally gave in after seeing how confident Ou Yangming was. “Puff…” It pierced its claws into the Black Magic Crawler’s dead body.
Later, the big yellow dog roared in a surprising manner, and its eyes were filled with indescribable joy.
Ou Yangming nodded. He knew that the dog had finally experienced the equipment’s real power. He turned around to kick the remaining dead Black Magic Crawlers, which he had either left in the cave or kicked in from the outside, to the big yellow dog. The dog answered his expectations by sticking its claws into the dead bodies one by one.
Seeing as the dead bodies disappeared in front of the big yellow dog one after another, Ou Yangming let out a soft sigh.
He had initially planned to never reveal the Devouring attribute to anyone, but in order to get out of trouble and to save the dog, he was forced to show it.
Although the big yellow dog was not a human and could not perfectly communicate with a human, it was more or less still a hidden trouble…
Nonetheless, Ou Yangming could not bring himself to eliminate Big Yellow when he saw how it jumped happily and barked from time to time.
‘In any case, this fella saved me a while ago when my life was at risk, and it was only bitten by the Black Magic Crawlers because it wanted to save me.’
The big yellow dog stopped after devouring the flesh and blood of twelve Black Magic Crawlers.
Its bloody wounds had actually recovered and only faint blood traces could be seen. If one did not look closely, one could probably not notice that it was injured before.
Additionally, the dog was releasing powerful Qi and blood power from its body without any reservation. Its high spirits made it seem like it had become a different… Dog. The big yellow dog jumped beside Ou Yangming after noticing that he was looking at it, and it seemed like it was fawning on him with a big smile. Yes, do not ask Ou Yangming how he understood the dog’s expression because he just did, and he saw a flattering look through its eyes.
After that, the big yellow dog wagged its tail happily while reaching out its other paw to Ou Yangming
Ou Yangming could not help but laugh when he saw the empty paw that was not equipped with anything
He knocked the big yellow dog’s head softly and uttered, “Wait.”
Through the Military Fire and the Devouring attribute, Ou Yangming kept absorbing the Black Magic Crawlers’ flesh and blood for energy. He could sense a mysterious power gushing into his body, causing his mental state to arrive at a peak condition in a short span of time like never before.
The Black Magic Crawlers were not big in size as they were only as big as a human baby, but their bodies contained humongous energy. A few of them were enough to fulfill Ou Yangming’s needs, and his mental power was faintly upgraded too.
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Indeed, the Black Magic Crawlers’ flesh and blood were able to upgrade mental power.
Ou Yangming looked at the remaining stones in the cave, the dead Black Magic Crawlers, and the big yellow dog’s eager face.
He grinned and said, “Now, I can start working!”
The big yellow dog cheered. It suddenly felt confident even though they were in the cave that seemed like a dead end. This time, we’ll definitely go back alive.’
Chapter 128 - Massive Slaughter
The Military Fire kept burning and equipment after equipment was born in Ou Yangming’s hands.
He was like an inexhaustible machine that kept releasing the Military Fire. Of course, whenever he felt like he lacked energy, he lifted his military saber to stab one of the dead Black Magic Crawlers to transform its flesh and blood into energy that upgraded his mental power. Ou Yangming was in high spirits, and his mind was constantly in a hyperactive state.
He was extremely busy but was never tired because he enjoyed the busy process. Pieces of equipment were formed in his hands while the big yellow dog’s body slowly started shining
Unlike pieces of equipment that were already shaped for humans, the equipment set smithed for the big yellow dog was a unique work. If it was not for the extreme environment that they were in at the moment, Ou Yangming would not necessarily have thought about it.
Therefore, Ou Yangming designed while he smithed.
Apart from the exposed joints, the big yellow dog’s body was basically covered in steel.
Ou Yangming stopped only when the dog’s furry tail was also equipped with a steel rim.
The big yellow dog shook its head and tail. Although it was not very used to it, it was extremely obedient because it knew what it would soon be up against.
Once it was fully equipped, it charged with a surging aura at the stones that blocked the cave’s mouth.
Small Black Magic Crawlers could obviously not move the stones, but if the big yellow dog that was equipped with pieces of Attribute Equipment crashed into them, the defense network that was built by Ou Yangming would crumble from the inside.
Ou Yangming’s face changed, and he quickly grabbed the eager dog while he cursed, “Big Yellow, do you want me to die?”
The big yellow dog was stunned, and it looked at Ou Yangming in confusion.
Ou Yangming pointed at his body and asked, “Look at me now, do you think now’s the right time to go out?”
It was then that the big yellow dog came to a sudden realization. When it looked at Ou Yangming’s armor and greaves that were damaged after being bitten by Black Magic Crawlers, it wandered its eyes about and even raised its paws to cover its eyes.
Ou Yangming was startled, then he burst out laughing. He had never been so happy ever since he entered the cave.
Nevertheless, as happy as he was, he must finish his task. Not only was it related to his safety, but most importantly, Ou Yangming did not have time to waste because of Old Craftsman.
The Military Fire burned again, and brand new pieces of equipment were made in Ou Yangming’s hands.
A helmet, armor, arm guards, greaves, and a military saber. He smithed everything again, and naturally transferred the attributes from his original equipment set to the new pieces of equipment.
After advancing to Yang Grade, Ou Yangming’s mental power improved greatly, and the number of purple lights in his mind reached a new height.
According to the deduction Ou Yangming made with his appraisal art, he found a rough deduction formula. Each time he advanced a class in martial arts, he would earn five extra slots to store purple lights; each time he gained 1 Point of mental power, he would earn roughly ten slots.
Based on the attributes that Ou Yangming possessed, his mind could store more than 300 purple lights. Before Ou Yangming left the military camp, he had snuck into the abandoned armament depot to sweep all the attributes there and had drawn attributes from the precious ores from before. This was why he could smith such astonishing equipment sets for himself and the big yellow dog.
When every piece of equipment was eventually replaced, Ou Yangming used his military saber to absorb the remaining dead Black Magic Crawlers with the Devouring ability. Consequently, his condition was at a peak once more.
The big yellow dog was not going to be outdone after seeing what Ou Yangming had done. It used its sharp claw that had the Devouring attribute to eliminate the remaining dead bodies too. Once they were both done, whether it was their mental state or Qi and blood, they were highly stimulated.
In fact, Ou Yangming and the big yellow dog could not be in a better condition than they were in at the moment.
After exchanging glances, they exhaled and let out a vocal breath. As Ou Yangming yelled while the big yellow dog roared, they charged at the stones at the speed of light.
“Boom…”
Through the burning Military Fire, the defensive network that was built with piled-up stones instantly exploded, and they zoomed out through the gaps between the falling stones. There were at least 10,000 Black Magic Crawlers outside the cave, and they were so densely packed together that it would get one’s dander up.
Nonetheless, Ou Yangming and the big yellow dog were fearless. They flashed and killed tens of the creatures in the blink of an eye.
Ou Yangming’s body actually had a drawback; he was still wearing the boots he acquired from Zhang Yinli, and they could not resist being bitten by the Black Magic Crawlers’ bites even though they were bound with attributes. That said, Ou Yangming entered the thoroughly meticulous state once he charged out, and he was always able to fit a steady and reliable landing point whenever he jumped. By wielding his military saber at the same time, Ou Yangming could easily get rid of the crawlers that threatened him.
Wherever he went, he left behind a rain of blood.
As compared to Ou Yangming, the big yellow dog was a moving steel fortress.
Other than its four leg joints, its body was covered in thick armor. It was also worth noting that the equipment set that the big yellow dog had were not only made of pieces of Attribute Equipment, but also had layered attributes.
A normal human powerhouse would definitely be envious and drool at the equipment set. With the equipment set, the big yellow dog was like a heavy tank among the crawlers. It went berserk by sweeping everything in its way. Needless to say, there were times when Ou Yangming and the big yellow dog could not manage since the place was full of Black Magic Crawlers, but it was fine as long as they protected the important parts of their body.
It did not matter if the Black Magic Crawlers bit the armor or the greaves because their tough mouthparts were ineffective against the pieces of equipment. After all, when the pieces of equipment were still in the form of stones, the crawlers had to spare no effort in gnawing the same spot for around 15 minutes to acquire an insignificant amount of stone powder.
How could they have so much time during the intense fight?
Moreover, even if the crawlers managed to get some stone powder, how would it benefit them? They were definitely fools with wishful thinking if they wanted to bite through the pieces of equipment.
Suddenly, Ou Yangming heard an ear-splitting voice when he was killing halfway. An exceptionally powerful mental power was coming at him.
Ou Yangming suffered when he encountered it the first time as he was caught off guard, and he almost lost his life as a result.
He was well-prepared this time, and had fully compressed his mental power while he waited for the sneak attack.
Regardless of the external power’s impact, Ou Yangming’s consciousness would not be disintegrated. When his enemy’s mental power tried to retreat after seeing that its efforts were to no avail, he suddenly widened his eyes and counterattacked with his purple mental power.
The two invisible powers clashed hard in the void.
Ou Yangming grunted as he felt that his mental power was slipping away, to the extent that he was going to crumble.
His face took on a ghastly expression. He quickly wielded his military saber to connect five Black Magic Crawlers together, then wonderful energy gushed into its body. Ou Yangming’s Qi and blood were replenished, and his lost mental power was also being recovered. This was the greatest advantage of killing the Black Magic Crawlers; he could disregard lost mental power.
“Screech…”
A seemingly painful shriek burst out from the group of crawlers, and the bodies of the creatures that heard the sound stiffened.
The big yellow dog was already on guard. It immediately opened its fierce and wide mouth to breathe out.
Next, stalagmites emerged where the crawlers were, each one hanging at least one crawler on the tip.
However, the thing that truly caught the big yellow dog’s attention was the three stalagmites that crossed with each other. They twisted like ropes, an especially huge Black Magic Crawler was contained in the middle.
The big yellow dog moved like lightning and killed several crawlers with its claws along the way. It then jumped and scratched the giant Black Magic Crawler’s head with its claw that was equipped with 20 Points of Sharpness.
In the end, the giant Black Magic Crawler was split into two.
It did not die right away, but its struggling body was obviously slowing down.
On the other hand, the remaining Black Magic Crawlers swarmed at Ou Yangming and the big yellow dog as though they sensed that their king was going to perish. Furthermore, the crawlers no longer attacked according to areas or formations; they simply charged without order.
Ou Yangming and the big yellow dog shifted and quickly found each other. They cooperated with a deep connection, slashing and piercing the Black Magic Crawlers with a saber and a claw. Simultaneously, they kept changing their battleground to prevent the crawlers from cornering them into one spot. As Ou Yangming observed through the thoroughly meticulous state, they were always able to act ahead, hence the crawlers’ attacks were pointless.
When Ou Yangming swung his saber and slashed, he utilized the contact between his saber and the crawlers to absorb the crawlers’ flesh and blood for replenishment. Whether it was their physical condition or their mental power, he and the big yellow dog remained in peak condition.
Immortal Path to Heaven c1-725 Page 76
