Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory-Chapter 915: The Mountain That Chose Him

Ethan didn’t give the enemy even a second to recover.

He tightened his grip and unleashed a final surge of force, shattering the withered body completely. What remained scattered into the air as drifting motes of energy dust.

Silence fell.

Ethan exhaled slowly, the sting across his shoulders still lingering from when he’d forced his way through the energy barrier.

That win hadn’t come easy.

In fact, that last charge had been a calculated gamble—one mistake, and he’d be the one dissolving into the sea.

He quickly pushed the tension down and reopened his system interface, initiating a wide-area scan of the surrounding ocean.

But the results were just as unsettling as before.

Beneath the surface, it was like a layer of chaotic fog blocked everything. His perception and scan range cut off completely at around thirty feet, as if the deep sea itself refused to be seen.

It felt like staring at a door that would never open.

Ethan let out a quiet sigh.

Now wasn’t the time to push deeper into the Nether Sea.

He turned and headed back to the temporary base.

He’d barely landed when Feylora came hurrying over, her expression lit with barely contained excitement.

She pulled a pale blue crystal from her storage space.

The gem glowed faintly, like frozen mist sealed inside. It was cool to the touch, but stable—solid.

"Master," she said, holding it out, "we found a mineral vein nearby."

"It’s rich with energy crystals—not just ice-type, but several other elemental variants too."

She looked up, voice steady but hopeful.

"If we mine it, it could serve as a major energy reserve for the ship. Should we go check it out?"

Ethan’s pulse kicked up immediately.

In long-range operations, energy was everything. They’d only brought limited supplies for this expedition. Without a stable energy source, even the strongest force couldn’t push deep into the Nether Sea for long.

The moment he heard "mineral vein," he didn’t hesitate. He mobilized a team and headed straight for the site.

It didn’t take long before a massive mountain came into view.

Even from a distance, the air felt different.

Elemental forces swirled invisibly through the atmosphere, like a slow-turning storm. Just breathing stirred faint pulses of energy through the body—tingling, stimulating.

The ground was littered with scattered mineral fragments, each with its own color and sheen.

A quick scan with his senses revealed the truth—each piece held a distinct elemental signature.

Ethan crouched and picked one up.

The stone glowed with a soft, pure light. A warm, steady Light Force seeped into his fingers, clearing his mind and sharpening his focus.

He stood and expanded his perception fully, activating the system to scan the mountain’s internal structure.

Data streamed in fast.

And what he saw made his breath catch.

For dozens of miles in every direction, the underground was packed with high-density energy veins—spanning a wide range of elemental types.

If they could mine it all, this site could fuel Emerald Castle’s strategic expansion for decades—maybe even a century.

It was a treasure trove beyond measure.

But just as the excitement began to build, a flicker of unease crept in.

If this place really held such vast resources...

Why had the Nether Sea never claimed it?

That thought had barely formed when one of the local guides—an indigenous resident of the Nether Sea—came sprinting over, face pale with panic.

"Lord Ethan! You must not go near that place!"

His voice trembled with fear.

"That’s a death zone. Anyone from our lands who gets close... they’re vaporized instantly. Not even bones are left behind!"

Ethan narrowed his eyes slightly.

He didn’t argue—but he clearly wasn’t buying it, not completely.

Logic told him a mineral vein of this scale couldn’t come without risks. But walking away based on rumors alone? That would be playing it too safe.

He stepped forward.

The moment his foot touched the ground, the air seemed to ripple faintly.

But the danger he’d been warned about... didn’t come.

Ethan kept walking, crossing the invisible threshold and stepping fully into the mountain’s range.

Behind him, the native guides froze.

They stared, wide-eyed, like they were witnessing something that defied the laws of their world.

"H-He actually went in..."

"Could it be... the Lord of Emerald Castle is someone this sea has accepted?"

"Our ancestors tried to mine this place once. The moment they got close, the energy dissolved them—turned them into liquid..."

Their hushed voices were a mix of awe and disbelief.

Shock and curiosity slowly began to outweigh fear.

Finally, two of the natives couldn’t resist. They rushed forward, trying to approach the mountain’s edge.

The instant they crossed the invisible boundary—

The air collapsed.

A visible wave of energy exploded outward, like a blast of superheated wind.

They didn’t even have time to scream.

In the blink of an eye, both figures disintegrated—reduced to drifting ash, not even bones left behind.

The scorched scent of raw energy hung in the air.

Silence fell like a hammer.

Every native from the Nether Sea went pale. No one dared take another step forward.

And yet, standing inside the mineral zone, Ethan remained completely unharmed.

To him, it was as if the mountain posed no threat at all.

Feylora stood frozen for a moment.

She could feel it clearly—the mountain was saturated with pure, potent energy. For any cultivator, it was an irresistible draw.

By all logic, getting close should be beneficial, not deadly.

And yet—

The Nether Sea natives were being outright rejected. Destroyed.

The contrast sent a chill down her spine. But deep down, she sensed it too—this place wasn’t random. There was some kind of "selection mechanism" at work.

She didn’t hesitate any longer.

Soon, she led the Emerald Castle team up the mountain.

And to their astonishment—

As they stepped into the zone, there was no resistance. No pressure. Instead, the energy in the air seemed to welcome them, flowing gently into their bodies like a warm tide, invigorating their minds and subtly boosting their strength.

Everyone who entered felt it—that primal pull.

No pain. No rejection.

Only resonance. Pure and deep.

Before long, the group reached the upper ridge of the mountain.

Ethan stood at the summit, his aura humming in sync with the entire mineral vein. The air around him shimmered with faint energy ripples.

At some point, a massive greatsword had formed in his hand.

With a low shout, he brought it down.

BOOM—!

The impact echoed through the mountain’s core. A massive crack split open along the sword’s path, spreading fast.

From deep within the fissure, a flood of multicolored light burst forth—like a dam of energy finally breaking loose.

High-purity energy crystals spilled into view, their glow so intense it almost hurt to look at.

The Emerald Castle crew couldn’t hold back any longer. They surged forward, diving into extraction.

The warship’s energy reserves were nearing critical. They needed to recover as much as possible to keep the expedition moving.

But Ethan didn’t linger at the surface.

He steadied his breath and followed the crack deeper into the mountain.

Before long, he reached a hidden chamber—and stopped.

A glowing lake stretched out before him.

But this wasn’t water.

The liquid shimmered with a soft, eerie light, its surface rippling with dense, layered energy. It wasn’t just purer than the outer crystals—it was wilder. More volatile.

The air itself buzzed with power, sharp enough to sting the skin.