Chapter 48: Bursting from the Stone

She carefully made her cuts, measuring the force of every stroke to avoid damaging whatever lay hidden inside.

As layer after layer of stone peeled away, the material suddenly twitched. Zhao Erdong started, freezing the stone knife suspended in mid-air. The round block of stone was like a stone egg, rocking back and forth as if a life within were struggling to burst through the shell and be born into the mortal world.

What—what on earth was happening?

Could there actually be a living creature trapped inside this stone?

Her mind involuntarily conjured the earth-shattering scene of the Monkey King bursting forth from stone, shaking the heavens and descending upon the earthly realm as a demon.

Her hand trembled, and she lost her grip on the stone knife, which clattered to the ground. At the same time, cracks began to spread across the stone egg. She retreated three steps in a flurry, watching the egg from a distance while secretly channeling the primordial energy within her. Her divine power surged, ready to unleash a palm strike capable of crushing ten thousand tons of weight.

The entire stone egg was now covered in cracks, and its violent shaking intensified, yet no living creature broke through the shell.

She could sense a wave of anxiety emanating from within the stone egg.

Moments passed, and the rocking of the stone egg grew slower and slower, resembling a dying life that, after a grueling struggle, was finally ready to give up.

At that moment, driven as if by some inner demon, she took step after step forward, drawing close to the stone egg once more.

Her divine eyes opened again. Through the thin layer of stone, a tiny, fluffy creature was weakly clawing at the shell. Its eyes were filled with terror, and its small mouth gasped for air in huge gulps, as if someone were choking its neck.

No, wait—the space inside the stone egg was sealed, and the air reserve was extremely limited. If this little thing didn't get out soon, it would likely suffocate to death.

At this thought, only a single determination remained in her mind: to save it.

As the Buddha says, saving a single life is more meritorious than building a seven-tiered pagoda. A human life is a life, and an animal's life is equally a life. Regardless of what it was or what it might become in the future, at this moment, it was merely a weak and pitiful creature.

She picked up the stone knife once more, carefully judging her strength, and made a slow cut.

The thin outer stone peeled away, revealing a layer of translucent, soft membrane beneath.

Indeed, this was truly an egg. Perhaps thousands of years ago, some unknown creature had laid an egg that was swallowed by mineral magma, remaining buried until it was finally unearthed today.

Without time for further thought, she gently traced the edge of the stone knife against the soft membrane.

Strangely enough, while the stone knife could easily slice through hard spiritual stone raw materials, it could not leave the slightest scratch on this thin soft membrane.

No wonder this little fellow had been unable to break out of the egg on its own.

Through the transparent membrane, the little creature stared intently at Zhao Erdong, its pitch-black eyes brimming with yearning.

Zhao Erdong continuously soothed the little creature while casting her gaze around the room, hoping to find something that could pierce through the soft membrane.

The room was neatly organized, with all its contents visible at a glance. There were no sharp weapons to be found.

She gripped the stone knife tightly as she watched those pitch-black eyes grow increasingly dim, the vitality draining from the little fluffy face. Her heart suddenly plunged into chaotic turmoil. Unknowingly, her finger brushed against the sharp blade of the stone knife, and a torrent of blood immediately gushed from her slender, fair finger, dripping down. Unmindful of the pain, she cast the stone knife aside, scooped up the stone egg with both hands, and cried out loudly, urging it to hold on.

Her blood-stained fingers touched the resilient soft membrane, and the membrane suddenly emitted a dazzling, blinding glare.

She closed her eyes, shielding herself from the stark white light. When the radiance finally faded, she saw that the soft membrane had vanished without a trace. A ball of snow-white fluff, paired with large, round eyes, a pink nose, and a small mouth covered in white fur, was indescribably adorable. It took a long, deep breath in and out, wearing an expression of having narrowly cheated death, possessing a startlingly human-like demeanor.

Zhao Erdong let out a long breath. She had saved it in the end. Though she did not understand why the soft membrane had suddenly vanished at the very last moment, the outcome was, after all, the best possible one.