46: Mountains and Rivers

The bronze fragment was about a foot long and wide, with irregular fractured edges. The upward-facing side was carved with patterns.

The patterns had a unique artistic style, forming designs that looked like fish and birds.

The fish resembled koi, leaping high as if trying to cross the Dragon Gate, while the birds were shaped like peacocks, spreading their wings above. Their tail feathers were the same color as the fragment, yet gave off a sense of brilliance.

“A transcendent item from the Great Wilderness?”

Qin Jin’s expression became serious.

Since he entered the Great Wilderness, he had encountered many things with transcendent elements, such as Treasure Techniques and crystal cores. However, this was the first item that showed clear signs of artificial creation, rather than being naturally formed.

“Tell me about how you discovered it.”

Qin Jin’s voice rang out.

Qi Ze spoke, recounting every detail from when he arrived at the spiritual spring.

Qin Jin listened quietly.

“It sounds like this bronze fragment, merely by the power it emanates, created a pool of spiritual spring with healing properties.”

After a moment of contemplation, Qin Jin manipulated his Votive Power. Wisps of golden mist solidified, lifting the fragment from Ding Yang’s hand.

At the same time, his authoritative voice resonated.

“Retreat.”

“I need to thoroughly investigate this item.”

“Yes, Lord Sacrificial Spirit.”

Ding Yang and Qi Ze did not hesitate in the slightest. They clasped their fists in salute, turned, and retreated from the Sacrificial Spirit Hall.

In the current Si Huo Tribe, Qin Jin commanded sufficient prestige.

With the Votive Power restriction rising, Qin Jin leaped from the cockpit, taking three steps in two, and arrived at the front of the fragment.

Supported by Votive Power, and enveloped in golden mist, the faint glow emanating from the bronze fragment seemed to brighten even further.

Qin Jin scrutinized it carefully.

The upward-facing side had the fish and bird patterns, while the underside was a smooth inner wall.

“It looks like a fragment of a container, like a cauldron.”

Qin Jin pondered, “The Tribes of the Great Wilderness do not possess the ability to craft such Precious Treasures. This is very likely from the Divine Kingdom Qi Chuan mentioned, or forged by even more ancient intelligent beings in the Great Wilderness.”

He reached out and grasped the fragment.

Upon touch, a warm sensation spread. Qin Jin clearly perceived that the moment he contacted it, his life energy suddenly became active.

“The effect is the same as what Qi Ze described.”

“Did it react mysteriously with life energy, or does it… also affect other energies generated within the human body for other cultivation systems?”

Qin Jin lowered his eyes slightly.

At this moment, his mental power, in the form of Divine Intent, stepped forth. Votive Power encircled the Divine General, and enveloped in golden mist, this golden-armored Divine General appeared like a deity on earth.

Mental power could detect much information invisible to the naked eye.

However… the object before him was very likely a fragment of an extraordinary Precious Treasure. Qin Jin had made ample preparations, lest his own spirit be affected during the exploration.

Under the protection of Votive Power, the Divine General descended, contacted the fragment, and mental power began to explore.

The moment the two made contact.

Qin Jin’s mental power perceived a sensation of “traversal,” as if merging into water. His Divine Intent did not stop at the fragment’s surface but entered the world within the fragment.

His vision dimmed for a few seconds.

The instant the darkness receded, a magnificent scene unfolded before Qin Jin.

He clearly saw a colossal cauldron, inscribed with a mountain and river landscape, covering the sky and sun, ascending into the air and soaring towards the firmament.

Just a moment later.

Accompanied by the earth-shattering sound of shattering, cracks appeared on the cauldron’s body. The mountain and river shattered, exploding with a roar.

“This fragment, is it a piece of that colossal cauldron?”

“What kind of power, and what level of individual might, would be capable of forging such a Precious Treasure?”

“And why did this colossal cauldron shatter?”

All sorts of questions surged in Qin Jin’s mind.

When he first arrived in the Great Wilderness and saw the golden crow sun in the sky, he had already realized that this world was extraordinary.

Now… a corner of the mysterious veil had been lifted.

Qin Jin did not ponder too much.

This magnificent scene, like an imprint left on the fragment, disappeared immediately after mental contact and its re-enactment.

The true appearance of the fragment’s inner world revealed itself to Qin Jin.

At this moment… his Divine Intent, the golden-armored Divine General, was strikingly situated within a desolate space.

Perceiving the surroundings with his spiritual senses, Qin Jin’s heart trembled.

“This is not a world accessible only by spirit, similar to a Martial Dao Crystal.”

“This is a genuinely existing space!”

“This fragment possesses a function similar to spatial expansion.”

Within the Starfire Federation, spatial expansion equipment was not uncommon. Although Qin Jin did not own any himself, he had long understood them.

What was certain was that… the Federation’s spatial expansion equipment was created through technological research into space.

However, this colossal cauldron fragment likely utilized completely different means, another system entirely.

The golden-armored Divine General stood within this space, and Qin Jin’s gaze swept across the surroundings.

What met his eyes was desolation.

No plants, no animals; dead silence, emptiness.

It appeared the entire space was approximately a hundred meters in size.

What was striking was… the edge of the space!

Beyond this hundred-meter radius, there was no barrier or restriction, but an endless, man-eating darkness.

Qin Jin manipulated a wisp of mental power to approach the darkness. The moment it entered the darkness, it vanished completely.

And at the upper end of the space, it was even more shocking.

At the upper edge, within that boundless darkness, there were broken bronze chains, extremely thick, suspended in the sky, motionless.

Qin Jin thoroughly explored this space, and after confirming there was nothing else, he had the idea of withdrawing his Divine Intent.

His Divine Intent retreated, detaching from this space smoothly and without hindrance.

Opening his eyes, Qin Jin looked at his hand.

The bronze fragment glowed faintly, exceptionally soft.

“The human race of the Great Wilderness, in the past, lacked methods for spiritual cultivation, leading them to be in a mountain of treasures without realizing it.”

“Even just a fragment can contain space and possess wondrous effects. The power of the complete colossal cauldron would be unimaginable.”

He raised his head, his gaze directed outwards.

“That colossal cauldron could already be called a magic treasure, or even an immortal treasure. The power capable of forging such a treasure could not possibly be obscure.”

“Perhaps…”

“In a more distant era, the Great Wilderness once harbored an extremely brilliant civilization. They had a complete cultivation system and manufacturing system, but for unknown reasons, they ultimately perished.”

Qin Jin was thoughtful.

The Starfire Federation, in the past, was able to step into the Star Sea and begin nearly ten thousand years of exploration due to legacies left by other civilizations.

However, to date, the current Federation has not heard of finding any other traces of that civilization.

The two were somewhat similar.

“Exploring in this Great Wilderness is rather like an archaeologist searching for traces of other civilizations in the Star Sea.”

“Later, I can learn some relevant knowledge and see if it can generate a profession.”

As thoughts flashed by, Qin Jin’s attention refocused on the fragment.

“Mental power flows unimpeded, and there is a tangible space within.”

“Then… what about living beings? Or, can items like mechs be stored within it?”

As he thought, Qin Jin immediately began to try.

He used mental power as a bridge, connecting the two objects.

Items like crystal cores and beast bones all failed.

But… when he tried to send the Deep Driller in, the mining machine in the hall silently disappeared, and the Deep Driller entered the fragment’s internal space.

He succeeded.