Outsider

Hundreds of miles away, one could see a crack tens of miles long on the distant cliff face.

Rolling magma flowed continuously from the crack, forming a great river that flowed through the basin, plunging into an abyss where it violently collided with the magma below.

A fierce wind howled, rushing forward and bringing with it waves of heat and thick moisture.

Wu Tie stood on a small hill, holding his spear, gazing at the dazzling red light.

Behind him, a tiny, pea-sized, highly venomous funnel spider descended lightly from the sky. A thin, gossamer thread trailed from its swollen abdomen as it drifted slowly towards the back of Wu Tie's neck.

Wu Tie narrowed his eyes. An invisible force field enveloped the space within a hundred-meter radius. The funnel spider was still over ten meters away from him when he suddenly raised his left hand and clenched it heavily into a fist. The tiny spider instantly exploded into dust with a 'snap'.

"Control Heaven and Earth!"

This was the name Old Tie had given to Wu Tie's innate divine ability.

It was an extremely powerful innate divine ability with terrifying potential. Its initial manifestation was just like this: Wu Tie was acutely aware of every slight movement within a hundred meters around him and could directly influence things within a dozen meters of his body.

As Wu Tie grew stronger, "Control Heaven and Earth" would allow him to truly manipulate all tangible and intangible forces in the outside world.

A Gray Rock Lizard suddenly darted out from a large patch of mushrooms, charging foolishly towards Wu Tie. It ran with all its might, thick, foul-smelling saliva dripping from its mouth.

Wu Tie turned around and looked at the adult Gray Rock Lizard, about five meters long.

The Gray Rock Lizard was still over ten meters away from Wu Tie. Wu Tie waved his left hand, and a stone the size of a human head flew up with a 'whoosh', whistling through the air before smashing heavily onto the Gray Rock Lizard's head.

With a dull thud, the Gray Rock Lizard stumbled, falling and tumbling several times.

Before it could get back up, Wu Tie waved his left hand repeatedly. Stones continuously flew high into the air and then fell heavily, each one striking the Gray Rock Lizard's head.

In just a few breaths, the Gray Rock Lizard's skull was crushed, and its body twitched, unable to move any further.

"Hahaha!" Wu Tie laughed heartily, feeling refreshed. He ran forward a few steps, using the momentum to leap up. An invisible force field enveloped his body, and he glided down from the dozens of meters high hill, soaring lightly for over a hundred meters.

Just as his body was about to hit the ground, Wu Tie's eyes widened. A gust of wind rose from the ground, and his body, like a leaf in the wind, folded back in reverse, gliding back along the original path to the hill.

His feet landed heavily, and Wu Tie staggered back a couple of steps, gasping for breath.

He grinned with excitement, raising his spear high and thrusting it dozens of times towards the sky.

This kind of gliding was no different from flying.

As long as his innate divine ability grew stronger, achieving short-distance flight would definitely not be a problem.

After laughing for a while, Wu Tie let out a whistle. A metallic spider hopped over cheerfully. Its back split open, and a mass of gray metallic solution poured out, quickly forming a saber about a meter long.

Wu Tie chopped the Gray Rock Lizard into more than a dozen pieces. Over a dozen metallic spiders swarmed forward, dragging the prey back towards the Ancient Divine Weapon camp.

With the awakening of his innate divine ability, Wu Tie's hunting and self-preservation capabilities soared.

He could constantly monitor everything within a hundred meters around him, making any sneak attack impossible.

Those tiny, venomous spiders and lizards would have their bodies crushed before they even got within ten meters of Wu Tie. Even the largest Black Ring Snakes, several meters long, would be frozen in mid-air by the invisible force field and crushed at their vital spot after getting within a few meters of Wu Tie.

Wu Tie's hunting efficiency skyrocketed. In just two months, he had consumed dozens more Foundation Establishment Potions.

One day, in the Ancient Divine Weapon camp, Wu Tie's Foundation Establishment Form finally broke through to the 360th form. Just as Old Tie had said, it was like an invisible valve. As he correctly assumed the pose of the 360th form, Wu Tie clearly heard crisp cracking sounds from all over his body.

Blocked meridians opened up, invisible valves unsealed, and countless heat spots, large and small, erupted with white steam all over his body.

Foundation Establishment Potions were rapidly consumed, and streams of heat flowed rapidly within his body.

Subconsciously, he began from the first form of the Foundation Establishment Form, practicing it all the way to the 360th form, repeating it again and again.

The heat flow that surged from within his body gradually grew stronger. With Wu Tie's movements, these heat streams flowed joyfully through his body, bringing immense comfort wherever they passed. Wu Tie could clearly feel his strength constantly increasing.

What was even more remarkable was the intense itching and tingling sensation throughout his bones. As Foundation Establishment Potions were continuously consumed, Wu Tie's joints grew rapidly.

With a 'crackling' sound, as Wu Tie completed his twentieth cycle from the first to the 360th form of the Foundation Establishment Form, his height increased by about half a foot again. The streamlined muscles all over his body rippled rapidly, sweat constantly seeped out, and every pore expelled heat.

A vortex of electric current appeared on the ceiling, and a massive metal ingot dropped down heavily.

Wu Tie stopped his Foundation Establishment Form movements and strode over. He wrapped his arms around the metal ingot and, with just a slight exertion, easily lifted it above his head.

"Perfect Foundation Establishment, physical strength exceeding ten thousand jin!" Old Tie grunted with satisfaction. "Very good... it's all thanks to Grandpa here!"

Old Tie suddenly grinned and laughed heartily. "Hahaha, it's all thanks to Grandpa here... Who says Grandpa is just a butcher who only knows how to fight and kill? Isn't Grandpa also a pretty good mentor?"

Big Iron swayed beside Old Tie and let out a few muffled grunts.

Old Tie's voice immediately dropped several octaves. "That's right... there were a few minor mistakes, and this kid almost died several times... but Grandpa is a first-time mentor... Who doesn't have a first time? What's there to fear from mistakes?"

Old Tie's voice dropped several more octaves. "Isn't the kid still alive? Fine... fine, it's partly your credit too... partly your credit... but learn to speak human language first... with your grunts and groans, only Grandpa can understand you!"

Wu Tie slammed the metal ingot heavily onto the ground, creating a deafening sound.

He spread his arms wide, looking at his arms with disbelief and overwhelming joy.

He clearly remembered that Wu Zhan had said when Wu Jin, Wu Yin, and Wu Tong, his three elder brothers, broke through to the first layer of the Foundation Establishment realm, that their family's "Sky-Breaking Fist" could grant over a thousand jin of physical strength when condensing primal energy.

But he, practicing the Foundation Establishment Form, had achieved a perfect Foundation Establishment, possessing over ten thousand jin of physical strength!

This metal ingot was marked as ten thousand jin, yet Wu Tie lifted it without any effort, feeling it was quite easy. His physical strength definitely exceeded ten thousand jin. According to Wu Tie's own estimation, it was probably between twenty and thirty thousand.

"Old Tie! Big Iron!" Wu Tie turned around, staring intently at Old Tie and Big Iron.

"Still a long way to go... little rookie!" Old Tie said with a swaggering smile. "Now, you can be considered a qualified little rookie... but no matter how strong a rookie is, they are still a rookie, a rookie that gets eaten as a snack by the enemy!"

"Keep hunting... keep cultivating!" Old Tie's eyes suddenly blazed with a fierce red light, forcing Wu Tie to turn his head away, unable to meet his gaze. "Wu Tie, don't get complacent over a little bit of insignificant achievement. With just this bit of strength... back then, you wouldn't even have qualified to go to the battlefield!"

A strong wind blew along the wide riverbed. Dozens of enormous Giant Hippos slowly emerged from the river, heading for the most lush patch of fern forest. They opened their mouths and tore into the dense, juicy branches and leaves with gusto.

Wu Tie stood on a small dirt mound several hundred meters away, watching the Giant Hippos with excitement.

After observing the large creatures for a while, Wu Tie turned his gaze towards a distant lava fissure.

Old Tie had sternly warned Wu Tie that he was not to go near the lava fissure until he possessed sufficient strength and received Old Tie's permission.

The area was hot, humid, and the nutrients brought by the water vapor and strong winds from the depths of the abyss were abundant. The vegetation there was much denser than in the half of the basin where the Ancient Divine Weapon camp was located. The animal populations were larger and more complex, and giant creatures with immense size and power were more dangerous.

The half of the basin where the Ancient Divine Weapon camp was located was closer to the exit of the underground river waterfall where Wu Tie had arrived in this strange realm. The river water was cold, resulting in a lower temperature. The vegetation and animal populations were sparser, and some of the larger creatures disliked frequenting this half.

With Wu Tie's current strength, it was safe for him to roam in this half of the basin.

If he dared to approach the lava fissure again, no one could guarantee what he would encounter.

"Hunt... more Foundation Establishment Potions... cultivate relentlessly, and then, continue to grow stronger!" Wu Tie raised his spear and strode towards the group of Giant Hippos.

An invisible force field flowed around him. Wu Tie could cover seven to eight meters in a single step. Sometimes, he would leap into the air, lightly pushing off ferns and mushroom clusters with his toes, gliding effortlessly for over ten meters.

In just a few breaths, he covered three to four hundred meters. Wu Tie waved his left hand, and a fist-sized stone suddenly lifted off the ground, arcing through the air to smash heavily onto the nose of a twelve-meter-long Giant Hippo a hundred meters away.

The blow was heavy, breaking the skin and drawing blood.

The Giant Hippo, which had been holding a large bunch of fern branches in its mouth, let out a roar of pain. Its eyes suddenly became bloodshot, and it snorted heavily as it charged towards Wu Tie.

Wu Tie let out a loud whoop and charged forward. Still dozens of meters away from the Giant Hippo, he fiercely hurled his spear with his right hand.

The spear spun violently, tracing an arc as it pierced deeply into the Giant Hippo's back, embedding itself in its massive body and precisely hitting its heart.

The Giant Hippo stumbled forward for dozens of meters before crashing heavily to the ground, letting out a weak, low moan.

Wu Tie raised Chi You's Fang and walked to the Giant Hippo's side. Chi You's Fang shattered its thick skull, ending its suffering.

A Giant Hippo twelve meters long weighed nearly a hundred thousand catties.

The distance from here to the Ancient Divine Weapon camp was beyond the range of the metal spiders.

Wu Tie pulled out his spear and slung it over his back. He clasped the Giant Hippo's two exposed tusks with both hands and exerted all his strength.

His physical strength erupted, and streams of heat surged within him. With the enhancement of his Yuan energy, Wu Tie's strength more than doubled instantly.

The ground was thick with soil, covered in moss, and extremely slippery.

Wu Tie grunted lowly, dragging the colossal beast back step by step.

The ground trembled slightly as the giant beast slid bit by bit under Wu Tie's pull. Wu Tie's skin turned slightly red, and heat continuously emanated from his body.

Only when he had dragged the Giant Hippo back within the metal spiders' operational range did Wu Tie exhale heavily and collapse onto the ground, gasping for breath.

Using a long knife to cut the giant beast into pieces, the metal spiders scurried back and forth, transporting the flesh and blood back to the Ancient Divine Weapon camp.

This giant beast was so heavy. This single hunt's harvest would likely be enough to produce a hundred Foundation Establishment Potions.

Wu Tie gained a deeper understanding of Old Tie's words.

"Intelligent beings are essentially no different from wild beasts. Greater strength allows one to occupy greater territory and become a more powerful Lord."

"A powerful Lord has absolute control over everything within his territory."

"As long as you have enough strength!"

'Lord'!

While hacking at the Giant Hippo with his knife, Wu Tie glanced towards the distant lava fissure.

This basin, with a diameter of about a thousand li, could be considered half his territory. The other half awaited his conquest!

"Work hard!" Wu Tie raised his sharp long knife and sliced the Giant Hippo's thick spine in two.

Another month passed.

Wu Tie stood on a small hill, gazing at the riverbank not far away.

Two Water Pythons were writhing in the shallow water. One was about fifteen to sixteen meters long, and the other was about twenty meters long. According to the knowledge Old Tie had imparted, it was the breeding season, and the Water Pythons could not help but engage in Heavenly Dao's procreation.

"Once you lay your eggs, you'll be mine," Wu Tie said with a chuckle, watching the two large creatures.

Old Tie had taught Wu Tie that hunting was a necessary path to power, but hunting also had its limits; one should not deplete resources like draining a pond to catch fish. Just like these two large Water Pythons, hunting them after they had reproduced would ensure a continuous supply of prey for Wu Tie to consume.

The first layer of the Foundation Establishment realm was not particularly difficult, but the further one progressed, the more resources were consumed. It was crucial to ensure the sustainable development of resources.

Staring intently at the two writhing Water Pythons for a while, Wu Tie suddenly tensed up, his every hair standing on end.

On the river surface several li away, a shuttle-shaped black object suddenly emerged. Several cracks appeared on its surface, and several tall Ox Tribe warriors, panting heavily, poked out half their bodies. They grabbed wooden oars and frantically paddled towards the riverbank where Wu Tie was.

In just over half an hour, the Ox Tribe warriors had paddled the over ten-meter-long black object to the riverbank.

As soon as they landed, another similar black object surfaced on the river.

Two cracks split open on its surface, and a youth covered in blood poked his head out. Across the twenty-li-wide river, he screamed hoarsely, "You can't escape... you will all die! I will kill you with my own hands!"

Two more youths emerged. They grabbed wooden oars and also paddled towards the riverbank in pursuit.

Wu Tie stared at these people with a blank expression.

It seemed they had also come to this strange realm through that enormous waterfall.

And the two groups were clearly enemies.

Wu Tie clenched the shaft of his spear tightly, instinctively feeling a sense of unease and irritation.

This basin was his territory, Wu Tie's territory. These outsiders had invaded his land.

More importantly, there was the Ancient Divine Weapon camp, and Old Tie and Big Iron.