A Mortal's Start in the Spirit Beast Mountain

Chapter 248 Geng Metal Body Refinement

Wen Tianren's composure and arrogance froze instantly, and for the first time, disbelief and astonishment appeared in his eyes. He knew all too well the power of his Heavenly Sun Gilded Needles. After being infused with Geng essence, they were incomparably sharp, and even ordinary top-tier defensive magic treasures could hardly withstand their continuous barrage. Often, a single strike could break through a defense and severely injure the enemy. He had originally planned to use this thunderous method to crush this arrogant rogue cultivator in one fell swoop, both to seize his spirit beast and to intimidate the surrounding area.

But this eerie black shield actually withstood all the piercing needles head-on!

"What...what kind of magic weapon is this? It can actually withstand the Heavenly Yang Flowing Gold Needle mixed with Geng essence?!" Wen Tianren's heart surged with emotion. His gaze towards the ghost-faced shield had changed from initial disdain to solemnity and a hint of barely perceptible greed. A defensive magic weapon that could withstand the sharpness of Geng metal must be made of extraordinary materials, at least incorporating top-grade earth or yin attribute spiritual materials of the same level!

The four black-robed cultivators behind him, as well as the cold and beautiful girl, now looked at Luo Ming with more respect for this unknown cultivator who dared to provoke their young master, seeing that he had actually blocked the attack of the golden needle magic weapon.

In particular, the aloof young woman stared intently at Luo Ming, her hands forming a series of hand seals, ready to rush up and help her young master should she sense anything amiss. She had a vague feeling that this unknown cultivator was not simple at all.

After a brief moment of astonishment, Wen Tianren's face quickly darkened. He felt as if his previous attack had become a joke, easily neutralized by his opponent. He snorted coldly, his voice icy and piercing: "No wonder you dared to be so stubborn. So you actually possess such a formidable defensive magic weapon. I underestimated you."

His eyes sharpened, and a brilliant purple-gold light shone from his body. He unleashed the powerful spiritual pressure of a peak Core Formation cultivator without reservation, enveloping the entire cave in a heavy oppressive aura. The aura of the earth fire and the yin veins seemed to be temporarily suppressed.

"However, do you think you can act so arrogantly before me with just a tortoise shell? Today, I'll let you, a frog in a well, open your eyes and see what true power is! This is something a mere rogue cultivator like you, who has only managed to obtain one or two treasures by chance, can't compare to!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Wen Tianren suddenly shook his arms, and the wide sleeves of his brocade robe moved automatically without wind, making a rustling sound!

"Buzz—!"

Accompanied by a strange resonance, eight fist-sized, pure, and intensely hot golden flames suddenly surged out from his sleeves!

Eight golden flames spun in the air, their trajectories mysterious. As they spun, the flames rapidly changed shape, stretched, and solidified—in the blink of an eye, they transformed into eight ancient-style, uniquely shaped, and golden mirrors!

The eight mirrors floated above and in front of Wen Tianren's head, slowly rotating. The mirror surfaces were as smooth as water, and countless tiny runes seemed to flow and disappear within them, connected by pale golden light threads, faintly forming a complex and mysterious formation.

A vast, majestic aura of a powerful magical artifact, carrying the meaning of imprisonment and penetration, suddenly descended, greatly diluting the eerie ghostly aura emanating from the Ghost Mask Shield!

"The Eight Gates Golden Mirror!"

Luo Ming's pupils suddenly contracted, and he gasped in shock. His face displayed a perfectly timed expression of extreme shock and realization. His gaze was fixed on the eight slowly rotating golden ancient mirrors, then he abruptly turned to Wen Tianren: "The Core Formation cultivator who bought that magic treasure at the Tianxing City auction for an astronomical price... it was you!"

When Wen Tianren saw that Luo Ming had revealed the origin of the magic weapon and the old story of the auction, his eyes grew even colder. Without saying anything more, he clasped his arms together and activated his magic. The eight golden mirrors above his head simultaneously emitted a clear and melodious hum, and the mirrors shone brightly, instantly enveloping the area where Luo Ming was located in a dazzling and mesmerizing golden mirror light that was hard to distinguish from reality.

"Since you recognize this treasure, you should know its power. To die under my Eight Gates Golden Light Mirror, you can say your death was not unjust. You can... die in peace!"

Just as Wen Tianren finished speaking, his aura surged once more, the purplish-gold spiritual light almost solidifying. His skin between his brows began to writhe strangely, splitting open to reveal a three-inch-long, golden horn—as if forged from the purest gold essence—that pierced through the skin and grew out! The horn was naturally engraved with intricate and profound patterns, radiating a terrifying golden aura originating from his bloodline, incomparably sharp, seemingly capable of slicing through heaven and earth!

When Luo Ming's divine sense swept over the golden horn, it felt as if he had been pricked by a needle. An indescribable sharpness pierced his soul, as if even his own divine sense was about to be shattered and cut apart by the golden light!

At this moment, Tianjing Sanren exclaimed in surprise within Luo Ming's body: "The power of the metal element! This person has actually refined the Geng metal energy into his body and combined it with his own bloodline?"

"Geng Metal Body Refinement? Is there any harm in doing that?" Luo Ming asked doubtfully.

"Hmph, although this person has a metal-attribute heavenly spiritual root, he does not have a metal-attribute spiritual body. While this may greatly increase the power of his metal-attribute supernatural abilities, it will be difficult to suppress the extreme sharpness of the Geng essence. If this continues, once he advances to the Nascent Soul stage, his body and flesh will be completely permeated by the Geng essence, turning him into a flesh puppet."

A flesh and blood puppet? It seems that Liu Dao was indeed cultivating this person as an avatar. In that case, Wen Tianren is unaware of the hidden dangers in his body.

Luo Ming frowned as he looked at the young master Wen, a sense of pity rising in his heart.

"Haha, now you know fear?" Wen Tianren, with golden horns sprouting from his forehead, added a touch of eeriness and majesty to his face. Sensing Luo Ming's "shocked" gaze, he felt a surge of pleasure and laughed arrogantly, "This Golden Fiend Horn was forged by me, the young master, by fusing a trace of innate golden essence. It is indestructible and unbreakable! It happens to be compatible with the 'Golden Divine Flame' divine power unleashed by the 'Eight Gates Golden Light Mirror.' I recently mastered it and haven't yet had anyone test its power. You are honored to be the first to witness the might of this divine power!"

Before he finished speaking, the golden horn on his forehead suddenly shone brightly, and a pure golden beam of light, condensed to the extreme and only the thickness of a thumb, was so dazzling that it was impossible to look directly at it, shot out like a divine sword that split the heavens! This beam of light was not aimed at Luo Ming, but shot straight at an eight-door golden mirror that was floating to his left.

"Buzz!"

The golden beam of light precisely entered the mirror, causing it to tremble violently. The mirror surface rippled like water, not only absorbing the already incomparably sharp golden light, but also causing the other seven mirrors to resonate in unison! The eight golden mirrors spun wildly, and the golden light threads between them instantly became several times thicker, forming an even more complex and profound golden light array.

The golden light absorbed by the mirror array refracted, bounced, and superimposed wildly between the eight mirrors at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye! With each bounce, the sharpness and golden energy contained within it grew stronger, and the space within the mirror array began to ripple with subtle black waves, a sign that the space was almost unable to withstand such high-density sharp energy!

In the blink of an eye, the golden light had circulated and strengthened countless times within the mirror array. Finally, with a "boom," it condensed into a golden ball of light, no bigger than a head, at the center of the array, yet emanating a terrifying and destructive aura! The ball of light was not static; the golden light on its surface surged violently like lava, and countless tiny golden lightning bolts seemed to explode inside. It was extremely unstable and emitted a terrifying aura that could shatter the soul of an ordinary late-stage Core Formation cultivator.

"Go!" Wen Tianren said with a cold smile that seemed to indicate he had everything under control, pointing in the direction where Luo Ming was.

"puff!"

The extremely unstable golden light cluster exploded, but instead of spreading, it transformed into eight more condensed, arm-thick beams of blazing golden light, seemingly composed of liquid solar gold, which shot out from the center of the eight golden mirrors! The eight beams of light locked down all of Luo Ming's escape routes, arriving in an instant with a terrifying power that could pierce through the void and incinerate metal!

"Golden divine flames, vanquishing evil and breaking the law!"

Before the eight beams of light even arrived, the terrifying pressure—scorching, sharp, and carrying an aura of divine destruction—had already descended. The ghostly shield above Luo Ming's head creaked under the strain, and the ghostly energy on it evaporated and dissipated violently as if it had encountered its nemesis. The hideous ghostly face on the shield emitted a silent, mournful wail, and even the embossed features seemed to become blurred.

Luo Ming's face was pale, seemingly overwhelmed by the earth-shattering power of this divine ability. His internal magical power surged wildly, all of which was poured into the Ghost Face Shield. The Ghost Face Shield shone with dark light and rolled with yin energy, transforming into a solid black light shield that firmly protected his figure within it.

At the same time, with his other hand hanging by his side, he slightly flicked his sleeve, and a Xuan Yuan Pearl mixed among several ordinary spare Xuan Yuan Pearls, with strange and deep golden patterns flowing all over its body, was silently summoned by him under the cover of the golden light all over the sky. It turned into an extremely secretive golden shadow and disappeared into the distance.

The color of this Xuan Yuan Pearl is similar to that of Wen Tianren's golden mirror, but it appears more ancient and understated. It is the very pearl to which the primordial spirit of the Heavenly Mirror Hermit was attached!

Wen Tianren devoted all his mind and magical power to controlling the incomparably powerful "Golden Divine Flame," and with absolute confidence in his own supernatural abilities, he did not notice Luo Ming's unusual behavior.

"Like a mantis trying to stop a chariot!" Wen Tianren saw that Luo Ming's eerie shield could temporarily block the golden light attack, and a fierce glint flashed in his eyes as he activated his magic.

The next instant, eight pillars of "golden divine flames" that seemed capable of purifying all evil in the world and piercing through all things, accompanied by ear-ripping shrieks, slammed into the thick black light shield formed by the ghost mask shield!

"Boom—!!!"

An indescribable, terrifying explosion and light engulfed everything. Golden and black light collided and annihilated each other wildly, the blinding golden light almost completely swallowing Luo Ming and the Ghost Mask Shield.

A violent energy shockwave exploded out in a ring, sweeping away everything in its path. The hard rock walls were shaving off a thick layer as if they were tofu, and the magma was forced to scatter and splash in all directions. The yin energy escaping from the yin veins and cracks was completely wiped out! The entire island seemed to tremble under this attack!