The cultivation master

Suddenly, three shadows split the air at great speed and advanced toward the mountains.

Whoosh!!!

They were three elders from an immortal sect, dispatched to this area due to the sudden shift in spiritual energy, causing an earthquake and the rampage of a stone titan.

The three were riding on spiritual tools, indicating their affiliation with a significant sect. Their shadows had no opportunity to showcase themselves as they swiftly soared over the plains and hills, leaping over rivers and plunging into the depths of valleys.

One of the elders, with a thin gray beard, narrowed his eyes. Upon seeing the highland borders, he stroked his chin. He turned to the others and nodded. They, too, stood with dignity on their magical swords, nodding in agreement and enhancing the sword aura.

An hour later, they reached the site of the titan's rampage. The surrounding mountains had collapsed and were half-submerged in dust. Occasionally, the roar of a mad titan echoed as it smashed the tallest peak with repeated blows.

The three elders pointed their hands toward the titan and traced Taoist and magical symbols in the air. Gradually, the speed of their drawing increased until only a vague shadow of their hand movements was visible.

Once all the symbols were drawn, a massive formation suddenly appeared above the mountain, resembling a golden circle. The circle fell from the sky like a weight, placing the burden of karma on the titan's shoulders.

The titan knelt, roaring in rage. Struggling, it raised its head toward the sky and saw the three men stood in the sky. With all its might, it picked up a boulder and hurled it at them, but the pressure of karma prevented it from exerting much force behind the throw.

The three immortal elders executed another magical spell. Suddenly, chains of molten metal burst from the earth like serpents, coiling around the titan's limbs and embedding themselves in its rocky flesh.

The titan let out a loud roar, but when it felt the killing intent of the three elders, its voice quieted slightly; however, the decrease in volume did not lessen their intent to kill.

The elders gently descended and stood before the titan. Their spiritual tools shrank to the size of a fingertip. They placed them in a special container around their necks.

One elder examined the titan closely. There seemed to be no obvious issue causing the titan's behavior. However, such madness in titans did not occur without reason.

What the elders did not know was that the death of the supreme titan had led to this calamity. The one who ended the titan's life was none other than Fang Yuan. By killing the firstborn and sealing its spirit and spiritual power, he had drained the mountain's spiritual energy to a terrifying extent.

Spiritual energy was essential for titans, especially those who had not yet fully matured. They needed spiritual energy or a death aura for their evolution. While mature titans unconsciously emitted spiritual energy, immature titans were mere consumers of it.

Absorbing spiritual energy had many advantages compared to the death aura. The most important was the absence of the deadly calamity required for purifying death energy. However, absorbing the death aura granted the titan greater power.

Initially, titans could only cultivate through grave slumber. But over many years, they found a new method of cultivation. When titans were around firstborns and supreme elders, they could also engage in cultivation.

However, anyone who followed the path of spiritual energy would never be able to cultivate the death aura.

One of the three elders took a small pill like energy bead from his storage ring and created a small crack on its surface by pressing it. The golden spiritual energy slowly seeped out like steam from the crack and flowed toward the ground. It had a beautiful golden color that attracted any observer with its high purity.

When the golden spiritual energy reached the ground, it floated slightly above the soil. Moments later, a small golden pond formed at that spot, radiating a soothing aura.

The name of that technique was the Immortal Golden Pond.

This pond was essentially a blend of refinement, arrangement, and illusion techniques.

The titan's rocky skin cracked and flaked away. Its scales fell like autumn leaves, and the giant titan's body began to wither.

They created three more golden ponds; the illusion created was no longer a pond but had now merged into a lake.

The titan's body continued to lose mass and shrink.

The golden light from the lake fell upon the clouds, nourishing them.

Now, the clouds also held streaks of golden spiritual energy within them. The mentioned spiritual energy expanded upon contact with other clouds, and in an instant, all the clouds above the mountains were imbued with it.

One of the elders looked at the titan and said, "This titan is still a child, even though it has lived longer than all of us. What should we do with it?"

Another elder stroked his chin and replied, "What can we do? We have to put it down. This titan has gone mad, and who knows what it might do. This disaster likely occurred because of its presence. It has absorbed all the spiritual energy in the region; otherwise, how could a child construct such a gigantic rock body?"

The other two elders nodded in agreement.

"If it has achieved such a level of cultivation without any guidance, it must be a genius."

"Indeed, that alone is enough reason to eliminate it; geniuses from other races may target humans in the future. The best way to prevent this is to act now."

However, the third elder had a different opinion.

"Maybe not. That child may have another reason for its madness."

The other two elders replied in unison, "Stop it."

"Showing mercy to an enemy who might tear your throat out tomorrow is sheer folly. If you want to survive in this savage wilderness, you must cast aside compassion. Always be cautious! You're an elder now; you know better how the world works."

The third elder said nothing and lowered his head. This was the prevailing logic in this world. Many masters had cultivated unruly disciples out of pity and compassion, only to be killed by those very disciples later.

In a world where people did not value goodness, being cruel was a necessity.

Suddenly, the fertilized clouds in the sky roared, and raindrops settled on the silk garments of the cultivators. They made their decision. Just because that titan was young, they would not kill it outright; instead, they bound it so it would drown in the flood.

The rain that fell was not ordinary. Each droplet contained the spiritual energy absorbed from the golden lake.

Thus, using the golden lake and the rain, the elders decided to restore the spiritual energy of that land. Then, they took out their spiritual tools and swiftly departed from the area.