Breathing earth, the pre-world essence of earth, contained a magically great power of creation.
A grain of breathing earth could grow into hundreds of grains, then tens of thousands of grains, without stopping. A handful of breathing earth could become a land. However, breathing earth was especially precious and rare in the mortal world.
Among all members of the alliance of human clans, only Si Xi had a portion of breathing earth, pa.s.sed down from his ancestors. But before the life-and-death in Pan Xi world began, in order to allow Si Wen Ming to protect himself in Pan Xi world, Si Xi promoted Si Wen Ming to the level of Divine Magi with that breathing earth. That portion of breathing earth merged with Si Wen Ming’s body, giving him an immeasurably great power.
That portion of breathing earth was consumed like that. After merging with Si Wen Ming’s spirit blood, the pre-world power contained in the breathing earth had already transformed into a part of the after-world body of flesh and blood. By now, even if Si Wen Ming were thrown into a magical cauldron to burn, for the best result, a human-body-shaped piece of crystal would be left by him. But not a single grain of breathing earth could be extracted from his body.
"Breathing earth, breathing earth, breathing earth!" Emperor Shun looked at that enormous sandbox with his heavy eyebrows knitted.
Si Wen Ming’s face turned purple-red. He abruptly took a step forward, said slightly hysterically and despairingly, "Amma, do we truly need breathing earth? But, but, even if I abandon this body…"
"Nonsense!" Emperor Shun slapped on Si Wen Ming’s forehead and said with a deep voice, "The breathing earth has already merged with your spirit blood and become a part of your body. It’s no longer breathing earth. What can you possibly do even if you abandon this body of yours?"
Holding his hands behind his body, Emperor Shun took a few circles in the hall with a bitter look, then turned to the few most elderly clan leaders.
Candle Dragon Gui, Wulong Yao and the other few countless years old men had been sitting in a corner of the great hall, with their sparkling eyes fixed on the sandbox, which was showing the entire Midland.
A long while later, Candle Dragon Gui murmured, "I only know how to kill people and tear cities down. Things like farming or controlling the water, I cannot do. But since the rain is toxic, build a dam with breathing earth to pool the water is indeed a good idea, in this emergency situation."
Murmuring for a while, Candle Dragon Gui knitted his eyebrows and continued in a deep voice, "Breathing earth is extremely precious. The breathing earth possessed by You Chong Clan was attained by Emperor f.u.xi back then from the heaven. If you ask me where we can still find breathing earth by now, that would be nowhere but the treasury in heaven!"
Once these few words came out of Candle Dragon Gui’s mouth, Wulong Yao laughed bitterly, spread his hands and said, "The treasury in heaven, hehe, one of my ancestors was awarded by divine emperors and invited into the treasury in heaven to select three supreme treasures as his rewards. The three greatest divine treasures of our clan are from the heaven treasury."
Raising his head and recalling for a while, Wulong Yao continued, "Things regarding the treasury in heaven are recorded on a turtle sh.e.l.l, pa.s.sed down by my ancestors…The place was well-barded, with a scarily powerful defensive magic formation. The magic formation was boundless, and the paths in it were complicated. With one wrong step, you will die, both in the body and the soul."
Si Xi stood aside and continued with a darkened face, "Even worse…The heaven is now under Gong Gong’s control."
The hall fell into a deathly silence once again.
Back then, when the heaven had fallen, with only Kua E and his brothers guarding it, if the alliance of human clans had needs, these poor divine G.o.ds might be willing to sneakily trade some divine treasures in the heaven for some wine and delicious food. Things like this did happen before occasionally.
However, Gong Gong had now controlled the heaven and the entire Heaven and Earth magic formation up there. Zhu Rong and his army encircled the heaven. Yet, he could not take a single step into the heaven.
Facing the power of the divine Heaven and Earth great formation, hiding from Gong Gong and his people, sneaking into the heaven, then into the treasury to find breathing earth, was an impossible mission.
"The Heaven and Earth magic formation!" Emperor Shun’s face turned longer, as if he had suddenly grown over a hundred years older.
He walked to the door of the hall, looking at the surging toxic water streams outside the translucent protective screen, gnashed his teeth and said, "Gong Gong is d.a.m.ned…What did human beings do wrong?"
Ji Hao looked at the despairing faces of most of those human leaders in the hall, then murmured with a low voice, "The Heaven and Earth great formation, if we have its blueprint …"
Emperor Shun stared at Ji Hao, almost madly, with his teeth gnashed so tight that it even caused a grinding noise. Clenching his fist, Emperor Shun said with a hoa.r.s.e voice, "The Heaven and Earth formation is a battle formation used by the ancient heaven for awing and suppressing the entire world. It was transformed from the moving trajectories of the great Dao of nature of Pan Gu world. How can we possibly have the blueprint of the Heaven and Earth great formation?"
Ji Hao rubbed his nose and responded with a hoa.r.s.e voice, "Hmm, the defensive magic formation of my Yao Mountain City is a Heaven and Earth great formation. Kua E and his brothers are nice, so I increased their wages by ten times, with an extra amount of wine and meat. They then threw the blueprint of the Heaven and Earth great formation directly in Yao Mountain…When the constructional work of Yao Mountain City was completed, they forgot to take it back."
"They didn’t even take the blueprint seriously, hehe," Ji Hao laughed and continued, "So, I was embarra.s.sed to remind them…"
Including Emperor Shun himself, everyone on the scene had now been staring at Ji Hao with a badly twisted face.
‘Are you joking? You must be joking!’
‘It is the greatest defensive magic formation of the heaven, the one used for awing and suppressing the entire world, including the mortal world and the netherworld, and destroying the evils. It is the most important magic formation in the world, and combined by the ten most powerful pre-world divine magic formations, it is also the foundation of the heaven. But, did you say that the blueprint of this great formation is in your Yao Mountain City?!’
‘Did you say that you attained the blueprint of this great magic formation, the essence of the most important thing of the heaven, with some money, and wine, and meat, which were too insignificant to even be mentioned?!’
‘Why didn’t Kua E and his brothers just sell the whole heaven?!’
‘How lucky is Earl Yao?Seriously, to what extent?’
Those human leaders were screaming in their heads.
"My great heaven!" Emperor Shun laughed out wildly while rus.h.i.+ng straight to Ji Hao, spread his arms then hugged Ji Hao tight. He slapped heavily on Ji Hao’s back with both hands, even causing a series of thuds.
Si Xi, Si Wen Ming, and the others rushed up altogether, laughing with badly twisted faces, cheering in low voices while wielding their fists and palms, crazily slapping and punching Ji Hao’s body.
Ji Hao lost his eyesight temporarily, while his bones were creaking. He was beaten by thousands of human leaders in the hall until he almost vomited blood.
Thrilled for a while, Emperor Shun gave a resonant roar, hearing which, the group of human leaders walked back to their positions and lined up orderly, looking at Emperor Shun.
Emperor Shun pulled out the Xuanyuan sword and shouted, "People, this is a destructive disaster to our humankind. I hope we can combine our hearts and powers to conquer it!"
Orders were given one after another, including sending a strong army to spy on the non-humankind, and asking the appearances of powerful beings from each clan, who had been living in seclusion, to help to stabilize the situation.
But the most important order was given to Ji Hao and Si Wen Ming
‘At all costs, stint no sacrifice… Sneak into the heaven and steal the breathing earth!’