Chapter 152: Chapter 45: Forged
=Due to frequent updates, Chapter order errors may occur. Some readers have noted that Chapters 46 and 47 have appeared in the public Chapter list. The order will be corrected shortly.=
Taibai Volcano, Divine Weapon Foundry.
Su Zhou, Li Daoran, Weilie, Zhou Buyi, and the Grand Master—who lay on a stretcher—stood by the vast pool of molten iron, gazing at the Blade of Annihilation. It had finished completely absorbing the essence of all the Spiritual Materials.
"Wait... a moment... The Divine Weapon... is almost complete."
The Grand Master’s injuries consisted mainly of burns across his entire body. For an ordinary person in a normal world, they would have been fatal. But because he was a Postnatal Expert and Su Zhou had applied Holy Water to his wounds, he had managed to pull through, though he was temporarily immobilized. All the other wounded soldiers treated with the Great Cauldron Holy Water yesterday, supplemented by other healing herbs, had also survived.
Now, as the Divine Weapon was about to be completed, all the high-ranking members of the Hundred Schools’ Righteous Army were gathered here to wait.
Bathed in a deep red Spiritual Light, the Blade of Annihilation levitated above the pool of molten iron. Its design was archaic and simple. Judging by its form alone, it was a straightforward, long, straight-bladed saber with a ring pommel.
The blade measured four chi and nine cun, nearly the height of a man. The body of the blade was pitch-black, its spine thick and lusterless, but the cutting edge faintly glowed with the same red-gold hue as the molten pool. Austere yet majestic, scorching patterns like blood vessels ran from the blade to the hilt, converging on the single, jade-like Relic.
Its hilt and scabbard were crafted from Thunderstruck Wood, its body forged from Earth Vein Flame Iron, with a High Monk’s Relic as its core. It was inscribed with Runes using Western Star Gang Sand, granting it God-slaying Soul-annihilating power.
"—To Call Thunder and Fire, to bring down the Fallen Celestial Star, to achieve Heart Silence Nirvana, to become the Immortal Slayer—"
Hence its name: the ’Blade of Annihilation’.
The body of the nearly-complete Blade of Annihilation began to slowly rotate above the pool of molten iron. It had originally been positioned horizontally over the center of the pool to absorb the essence of metal and subterranean fire.
But now, having apparently reached Perfection, it no longer needed to absorb Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi. The blade pivoted until its tip pointed down and its hilt up. Waves of intensely hot, distorted air—like the heat shimmering over a volcanic lava lake—began to radiate in all directions, forming a scorching gale.
In an instant, the entire Divine Weapon Foundry was filled with a rain of flying sparks. Ordinary cloth would ignite on contact. Even Martial Artists had to concentrate their qi to shield themselves. Otherwise, though they might escape injury, their clothes would be scorched full of holes.
After generating this anomaly—a gale of fire and rain—the Blade of Annihilation hung motionless, seemingly waiting for someone to grasp its hilt and claim it.
Su Zhou raised a hand, his Spiritual Power forming a great wind that blocked the aura radiating from the Blade of Annihilation. He said nothing, turning instead to look at the Hundred Schools leaders beside him, his eyes filled with delight and eagerness.
"Only you have the strength for it, Grandmaster Su."
The leaders of the Hundred Schools all smiled and took a step back, gesturing for Su Zhou to step forward.
"Don’t mind if I do, then!"
There was no reason to stand on ceremony. Su Zhou laughed and strode forward. Before him lay a boiling pool of molten iron, but why would a Transcendent fear such a lifeless thing? Su Zhou walked on air, his Spiritual Power condensing beneath his feet into points of support, allowing him to tread upon the wind as he approached the Divine Weapon.
Then, without the slightest hesitation, he reached out and gripped the hilt.
BOOM!
In the next instant, a scorching heat, as if from the very core of the earth, erupted throughout the Divine Weapon Foundry!
A crimson shockwave radiated outward, with the hilt of the Blade of Annihilation in Su Zhou’s hand as its epicenter. Within the area enveloped by this crimson halo, every speck of dust ignited and glowed. Immediately after, arcs of blue-green lightning began to crackle across the blade, lashing the air and creating the sharp scent of ozone.
Even Su Zhou could not protect all his clothing. The shirt on his upper body was instantly incinerated by the extreme heat, revealing the flawlessly defined musculature beneath. Only his lower body, shielded by his Inner Qi, remained more or less intact.
The intense heat and electricity did indeed cause Su Zhou pain in the right hand that gripped the blade. He could even feel his fingers and palm being scorched and seared by the current.
But after his battle with the National Preceptor, such minor pain wasn’t enough to make Su Zhou even frown. As his clothes smoldered, he instead laughed with glee and raised the Divine Weapon high above his head. It seemed to have accepted him, for it no longer released flames or lightning.
In the end, he had grasped both fire and thunder. With his own undying body, he had taken hold of the blade that could slay the undying!
"To purge this floating world of all injustice, and ascend with you to the highest heavens... Divine Blade, oh, Divine Blade, tell me: can you sunder the unjust?"
Though phrased as a question, Su Zhou’s spirited tone was a resounding affirmation!
"You Dog Emperor! Just you wait! I’m going to use this blade to chop off your head!"
"The Divine Weapon is forged!" Around the iron pool, both Li Daoran and Weilie wore gratified expressions. Zhou Buyi even hid his face in his sleeve, his expression unseen. One could only faintly hear him murmuring names under his breath. His tone was sorrowful, yet it also carried boundless gratification and relief.
’The National Preceptor has been dealt with,’ they thought. ’The Demon Emperor’s natural talent is far inferior to the National Preceptor’s. In terms of strength, he’s probably evenly matched with him at best, and only with the support of the Divine Wood. Now that the Divine Weapon is forged and wielded by an Abnormal Person like Su Zhou, who can even slay a Grandmaster... what’s so difficult about breaching the Southern Celestial Capital and storming the Yongning Celestial Palace on Cloud Peak?!’
And Su Zhou, naturally, knew without a doubt what he had to do next.
The final counterattack of this world: storm the Celestial Capital of the Anx Dynasty and slay the undying Evil King!
But just then, amidst their joy, everyone heard a tremendous roar.
The roar of the Taibai Volcano.
Su Zhou, utterly bewildered, found himself carrying the Thunderstruck Blade Scabbard and following the main force of the Hundred Schools’ Righteous Army. They had already been prepared for this, hastily strapping on Sled Boots that allowed for rapid travel over snow. As he sped toward the distant Jade Green River in Liaozhou, he still hadn’t quite grasped what was going on.
Behind him, the once pale-gray sky had turned pitch-black. A colossal pillar of dust was spewing from the volcanic crater of the Taibai Celestial Pool, blotting out the sun like an overwhelming storm cloud. It turned the surrounding ice and snow into a scalding rain, bringing with it lightning and ash.
As he used his Qinggong to lead the way, Zhou Buyi explained, "Forging a Divine Weapon requires the power of Heaven and Earth. The Blade of Annihilation had to be created in the Taibai Volcano because the process required a node of Extreme Yang Spiritual Energy to become a Qi-Forged Divine Weapon. When we removed the blade, we naturally disrupted the Spiritual Qi Circulation at that point... Don’t worry, the volcano won’t truly erupt. At most, it will just vent some poisonous gas and hot smoke."
"I want to believe you, but it looks like the volcano isn’t cooperating," Su Zhou said.
Su Zhou now had all his belongings with him—his large hiking pack, the Spirit Iron Long Spear, and the Blade of Annihilation. He was even carrying a bag of mountain delicacies and Spirit Plants gifted to him by grateful Martial Artists. It was a bountiful harvest, and he had left nothing behind. Still, the whole situation felt surreal to him. "Look, it’s even causing earthquakes. Are you sure it’s not going to erupt?"
The entire garrison of Martial Artists from the Taibai Mountain fortress had formed into a large column, racing away from the mountain. Propelled by their Qinggong, they moved like a fleet of flesh-and-blood snowmobiles at incredible speeds. But they were accompanied by tremors so violent it felt like an earthquake. Avalanches thundered down the surrounding mountainsides, and the world descended into chaos!
RUMBLE!
And at that very moment, a thunderous explosion erupted from the Taibai Volcano behind them. In an instant, a colossal wave of scorching Spiritual Qi burst from the depths of the Earth Veins. It kicked up a cloud of dust and ash large enough to blot out the sun and transformed into a gale that blasted out in every direction!
