THE MARTIAL KING, VOLUME 8 - Season 19 Episode 42

As the strength source gushed out, it landed upon a hollow path in the cave where it flowed and seeped into a crack on the wall.

“So this is the strength source. The strength of the Holy Being?”

Strength was originally formless. For example, the strength Zen exerted in lifting a rock would be unseen and intangible—it took no visible shape or form.

However, the strength source was in liquid form and it was the source of the Divine Refinement Forbidden Land.

After a Holy Being constructed a new world, their soul, perception, strength, and life vitality would fuse into its every corner in the form of a source.

The Holy Being who built this Divine Refinement Forbidden Land had thrown his own strength source into this place.
This strength source came in the form of this seven-colored spring water that attracted Zen greatly. It wasn’t just him. Any living creature that came upon such a wonder would never be able to keep calm.

However, Zen had a strong resolve and managed to keep a level head.

According to Chapman, it was already considered fortunate for the Collapsing Mountain warriors to swallow a mouthful of strength source upon entering this place. It wasn’t unusual for people to often come back empty-handed after their search.

Zen looked at the flowing stream in front of him. He was sure that there was more than a single mouthful there. In fact, there was so much to fill an entire barrel with.

What would happen if he devoured so much strength source? Zen wasn’t really sure but Chapman told him that it wasn’t really a possibility. He, himself, only managed to drink a little more than ten mouthfuls of spring water back then. Fortunately, it was enough for him to become the Collapsing Mountain race’s leader.

After a split second of hesitation, Zen quickly shook it off and carefully made his way to the rocks.

He was about a thousand feet away from the strength source and he could hear the howling of the wind as he pushed on forwards.

As he approached, Zen thought it better to crawl. The wind was strong and he didn’t want to be drawn into it now that the strength source was so close. If the wind swept him away, he wouldn’t know where he’d land.

The seven-colored spring got closer and closer as he crawled.

A faint fragrance emanated from the spring.

“This spring water has a scent?”

Its fragrance was extremely tempting. Every inch towards it fired up an intense lust in Zen’s heart and made him want nothing more than to drink mouthful after mouthful of this seven-colored spring water.

The strength source did not really have any flavor but awakened an instinctive thirst among living beings. Of course, Zen wasn’t aware of that.

Zen could never hope to stop this desire that arose from him. It was his primal instinct itself that told him that he must drink this strength source.

800 feet…

500 feet…

300 feet…

He grew more excited the closer he got to the water.

However, it was at this time that he realized something amiss in front of him. Just as he thought that he was about to reach the strength source, a bottomless ravine appeared. It was massive and incredibly dark.

“I must jump,” Zen murmured.

It was terribly deep but it was only about thirty feet wide.

That distance was nothing to Zen in normal conditions. However, he had to consider the strong gravitational force here. The wind also did not help his situation and could cost him greatly if he wasn’t careful.

Zen pondered for a moment and lay at the edge of the ravine. He reached out a hand to see if there was any wind. To his assurance, there didn’t seem to be any down there.

He was already quite used to the terrifying gravitational force after staying in the Collapsing Mountain race for quite a while. He was already able to move his body quite freely but his jumping skills were still severely restricted. It would be impossible for him to fly though, so his only option was to give it his all and leap across the ravine.

After planning his trajectory, Zen slowly retreated a few steps and breathed deeply.

“Charge!”

The strength source wasn’t something that could easily be obtained. Zen understood that he would have to take some risks if he wanted to obtain that delectable spring water.

Whoosh!

He sped up and launched himself off the edge of the ravine, soaring high into the air.

It was only 30 feet. He’d make it so long as there weren’t any accidents.

However, in the midst of floating, Zen’s face immediately darkened. An irresistible force seemed to be pulling him downwards!

Suddenly, the leap he had planned so carefully ended and he was plunged deep into the ravine.

His world was plunged in darkness as he plummeted below. He tried to fly or resist the pull in whatever way he could, but it was futile. The gravitational force was too strong.

As he fell though, the force gradually decreased and seemed to now be coming from all directions.

As these forces came into equilibrium, Zen came to a point where his body floated in the air.

The gravitational forces all pulled at one another, resulting in his suspended state.

At that moment, Zen neither ascended nor descended. He merely swayed in the air, supported by the forces of gravity.

His current situation reminded him of the boulders back in the Collapsing Mountain race. Due to the disorder of power, the boulders had been suspended in the air for thousands of years now, never coming down due to the equilibrium of gravitational forces.

“The gravitational forces won’t let me stay here forever, right?”

Zen tried to struggle but soon gave up. The gravitational forces bound him too tightly for him to move. He felt as if he was a small bug trapped in a spider web.

Tick tack!

The sound of flowing water soon reached Zen’s ears and he once again smelled a familiar fragrance.

Was there also the strength source here?

He blinked slightly and looked down. A faint green light spread out from within his pupils and he immediately saw cracks on the side of the mountain. From these cracks flowed the seven-colored spring water!

Water flowed downwards but this strength source was flowing upwards!

Many of the things in the Divine Refinement Forbidden Land went against common sense, so while this scene in front of him was unnatural, Zen wasn’t the least bit surprised.

The most important thing now was that this strength source was here, except it was too far for him to reach. There was no way he could drink from it like this.

Zen tried whatever method to break through the gravitational forces’ restraints but to no avail.

He was completely stuck there, floating in a void with his goal just past his reach.

Zen gritted his teeth and, just as he was about to try another method, he saw the water’s flow suddenly change. It now flowed downwards!

‘Is it because the gravitational forces changed?’

As he thought of this, he suddenly felt the equilibrium of gravitational forces supporting him disappear.

He didn’t have time to react as his body was once again subject to the gravitational force from above as he was pushed up with incredible speed.

Whoosh!

As he flew, Zen once again returned to the place he had landed on earlier. From there, he saw the strength source gathered into a small stream not too far away.

Unfortunately, he still wasn’t in possession of his limbs. Zen was continuously pulled upwards, way past where he landed.

Bam!

In the end, Zen slammed his back onto the ceiling and tumbled down, falling into a strange cave.

A rock protruded in front of him and right below it was a drop of strength source.

This drop wasn’t hanging underneath the stone; rather, it seemed to be affected by the gravitational force and “fell” towards the top. It was only blocked by the stone which was why it sat underneath it.

A look of joy appeared on Zen’s face when he raised his head to look at the ceiling.

A pool of strength source gathered at the top of the cave.