Chapter 311: Chapter 310: Demon Arm, Redfire Sword
Before a range of mountains, two groups of warriors fought terrifically. The splattered blood stained the rocks a deep red, as corpses kept plummeting off the cliffs.
Bam!
Another direct battle occurred, as an air wave surged forth powerfully and shook the sky.
"Liu Hanshan."
"Feng Tianxiang."
Both elite fighters retreated simultaneously.
Liu Hanshan, the Principal of the Haomu Courtyard, ranked 67th in the Martial World list, was often called ’the Twin Stars of Wind and Rain’.
Feng Tianxiang, the Chief of the Heavenly Dragon Gang, ranked 61st in the Martial World list, he was often referred to as ’the Dragon that Flies Nine Heavens’.
More than half a year ago, these two first-class forces crossed swords over a lost golden dragon, but had somewhat restrained themselves. However, as the conflict intensified, contradictions deepened, leading to a complete outbreak today.
Crack.
A crack appeared between the two men, extending out to hundreds of meters at an alarming pace, making both of them frown.
That last blow seemed powerful, but it shouldn’t have caused such a big commotion. Even the top-ranked fighter in the Martial World list wouldn’t have such a destructive force.
In just a moment, strands of black smoke seeped from the fissure. It started off inconspicuous, but towards the end, it was like a dark cloud that covered hundreds of meters.
"What is this?"
Liu Hanshan, a cultured middle-aged man, recognized something and his face turned shocked and terrified.
"A Demonic Aura!"
Feng Tianxiang was more direct. As soon as he cried out the words ’Demonic Aura’, he ignored the on-going fight with Liu Hanshan and rushed outwards as if he was fleeing.
However, he underestimated the rate at which the aura was spreading, as in a short span, it had encompassed thousands of meters. Despite him trying his best, he still couldn’t see the end, and instead, his body was invaded by the demonic aura, starting to lose control.
He smashed huge rocks into pieces, turning them into dust.
At a distance, Liu Hanshan was seen fleeing in the other direction. This top-ranked figure in the Martial World list was already pale from fear.
What calamity was this? Why was there such a dense demonic aura here?!
This aura was commonly produced by martial skills of the Devil Path.
A long time ago, there were countless cases which proved that highly advanced demonic auras could strongly erode the skills of lower-ranked martial artists. In its lightest form, it could cause confusion, and in severe cases, drive the person mad.
The severity and intensity of the demonic aura here far exceeded Liu Hanshan’s tolerance. He felt countless auras invading his body like leeches every second, eroding his Internal Power and sanity. It was unstoppable.
"Ah!"
A loud scream resonated for miles before it faded away.
The scale of this demonic aura was immense, and it didn’t take long before someone rushed over from afar. After observing the situation, he immediately turned and fled without looking back.
"A great disaster has struck, a great disaster has struck in the Martial World."
Less than half a day later, news of the manifestation of the demonic aura had spread throughout the Martial World, creating a sensation everywhere like a violent storm.
A few days later, the Chiefs of the top forces in the Great Cold State gathered outside the demonic aura which had ceased spreading, their eyes full of heaviness.
"Has it been confirmed who it is?"
A deep voice spoke.
"This demonic aura is as dark as ink and has an absorption effect. It closely resembles the Devouring Demon Skill of Black Devil, the Divine Monarch, from years ago."
The speaker was none other than Lady Bizan, the master of the Jade Moon Palace.
Everyone present were top-ranked experts from the Martial World list, who usually controlled their own territories and could make the martial world tremble with a single stomp. Yet, hearing the name of the Black Devil Divine Monarch made their hearts quiver.
Six hundred years ago during the great war between the Righteous and Devil Paths, the entire world was engulfed in battle.
The Righteous Path was led by the Martial Emperor, while the Devil Path was led by the master of the Ghost Carriage. However, there were respective leaders in each region.
The Black Devil Divine Monarch was the leader of the Devil Path in the Great Cold State, and his Demon Sky Hand was invincible across the Martial World.
He was also known as ’Heartless Turncoat’ because when he went mad, not only would he harm the Righteous Path, but he would even kill his own people from the Devil Path.
After six hundred years, the Black Devil Divine Monarch couldn’t possibly still be alive. But since there was an overflow of the Black Devil’s aura in this place, it indicated an undeniable connection to the Black Devil Divine Monarch.
"Lady Bizan, I heard that your Jade Fragrant Carriage was a gift from a mysterious stranger and can resist demonic auras. Perhaps we could use it to go in and investigate."
The deep voice spoke in a negotiating tone.
Lady Bizan wouldn’t have dared if it were the Black Devil Divine Monarch at his peak. However, after six hundred years, the demonic aura was apparently not that strong.
With this in mind, Lady Bizan said, "You all should come with me. It would be good to have some backup."
"Okay."
"For the safety and stability of the martial arts world, let’s go and investigate."
The elite fighters entered the Jade Fragrant Carriage. As the wheels began to turn, the carriage soared into the air and rushed into the demonic aura.
A few days later, an even more terrifying news spread across the Martial World, causing an uproar among many people.
The top-ranking fighters of the Righteous Path encountered some elite fighters of the Devil Path who had infiltrated the demonic aura. During the fierce battle, they accidentally stumbled upon an arm that was emitting a demonic aura!
"I heard that it was indeed the arm of the Black Devil Divine Monarch, no doubt about it!"
"My god, the power emanating from a dead man’s arm has caused such a stir. How strong was the Black Devil Divine Monarch during his time?"
People from the Martial World were amazed and filled with dread as they engaged in heated discussions.
After the Black Devil Divine Monarch’s death, his body vanished and it was rumored that due to a mutation he possessed in life, his trusted followers constructed a sanctuary to store his severed arm in a mysterious location, awaiting its retrieval by his descendants.
This disruption was probably caused by the conflict between Liu Hanshan and Feng Tianxiang, inadvertently activating the mechanism and releasing the demonic energy.
The Righteous Path was thrown into fear and uncertainty.
This wasn’t just because some top experts had been wounded, but also due to the demonic essence harbored within the arm of Black Devil Divine Monarch. Looking at the news from various places, it appeared that the Devil Path, after lying dormant for many years, was now stirring.
As part of the Devil Path, anyone who obtains the arm of the Black Devil Divine Monarch and absorbs its essence would surely experience a leap in their power, becoming unrivaled in Great Cold State.
All could smell the tension of an impending storm.
Half a month later, the intensity of the demonic energy gradually decreased.
Someone tried to withstand it and found that those in the Spiritual-Passage Realm could endure it for about a quarter of an hour with all their strength.
After a month, it was extended to half a 2-hour period.
Since then, experts from the Spiritual-Passage Realm flooded the location daily. Some were from the Devil Path, seeking the arm of the Black Devil Divine Monarch, while others from the Righteous Path tried to stop them.
The situation escalated daily.
Amidst this conflict between the Righteous and Devil Path, a shocking news from the mysterious Sky Edge Pavilion sent Great Cold State into a frenzy.
The appearance of the Tianya Saintess was imminent. If any young person could prove their worth in the fight between righteousness and evil, they might be considered as Golden Youth or Jade Maiden by the Saintess.
There were many young people aged under thirty in the Spiritual-Passage Realm in Great Cold State, unlike in Qingxue State. The news set off a flurry of reactions among the noble clans and martial arts sects whose leaders met overnight to discuss this.
Some noticed an uptick in young generations of martial artists, under the protection of their mentors, frequently moving toward the Black Devil Peak.
...
Mountain Jinyun.
Several hundred meters below the crater, there was a protruding rock about two zhang in size. On the rock stood a tall young man.
The young man was broad-shouldered and slim-waisted with long legs. His rough and smooth muscles didn’t appear exaggerated but displayed a sculpted sense of strength.
His skin was like jade, glowing red in the light of the lava. Beads of perspiration rolled off him as he tirelessly hammered the budding sword in his hand.
This young man was Shi Xiaole.
After an entire month and a half, he had finally forged the sword embryo with all the materials. Now he was engaged in the crucial step of tempering it.
Clang, clang, clang...
Shi Xiaole was engrossed in the process, his expression resolute.
Threads of invisible, yet scorching energy, released by the lava, surged into the sword embryo under the influence of a special rhythmic hammering.
After innumerable hits, the sword embryo turned blood red. A fierce power, like a fire dragon, tried to break free but was forcibly hammered back into the embryo by Shi Xiaole.
With the final blow, Shi Xiaole held up the sword embryo and looked toward the churning lava below.
Now came the final step, quenching.
A regular sword only needed to be cooled in cold water. However, the low-ranking Spiritual Weapon recorded in the parchment required lava instead of cold water for quenching.
Taking a deep breath, he grabbed the Green Edge Sword in his left hand and plunged it into the rock. Shi Xiaole reached his maximum strength and started to move downward.
Even a Martial World master would not be able to withstand the high temperature of the lava, let alone an ordinary person. The shockwave would be enough to cause severe dizziness.
When he got within tens of meters, Shi Xiaole felt that his protective true qi was about to be torn apart by the high heat. He didn’t dare to go on. He swung his right hand, wrapped the Skyworm Thread around the hilt of the sword and slowly lowered the sword embryo into the lava.
Roar!
The moment the sword embryo was immersed in the lava, Shi Xiaole seemed to hear a dragon roar emanating from the sword embryo. Its overwhelming, earth-shattering aggressiveness made his eardrums throb painfully.
A terrifying force, centered on the sword embryo, even pushed the lava three feet away. Bits of iron residue fell off, revealing the original form of the sword embryo.
The blade shone bright and sharp. Even stranger, there was a slender red line on the back of the sword, adding a touch of heat and eeriness to the otherwise cold blade.
As the Skyworm Thread retracted, the sword was held in Shi Xiaole’s hand. For a moment, it felt like his blood had fused with the sword, and an uncontrollable impulse made him swing it forward.
Whoosh!
Like an unstoppable force, the heated air expanded into a red column more than half a zhang in diameter. It directly knocked a huge rock tens of meters away into pieces. With the explosion of sword qi, the rock was further shattered into hundreds of fragments, falling into the lava and vaporising on contact.
Shi Xiaole looked at the sword in his hand, astonishment reflecting in his eyes.
He had not used his full internal power for the earlier swing. The power was solely from the sword, which autonomously absorbed a part of his internal power to create such a burst of strength.
Shi Xiaole initially thought that a low-ranking Spiritual Sword could increase his fighting power by thirty to forty percent. Now, he realized he had made a huge mistake.
With this sword in hand, his attack power had increased by at least fifty percent. He believed he could put up a fight even against a Martial Artist in the double-layered Spiritual-Passage Realm.
"This sword has a red line and was born within a volcano. Why don’t I name you Redfire Sword?"
This was the first low-ranking Spiritual Sword that Shi Xiaole had personally forged. Its significance was not just practical but commemorative.
Now that the purpose of forging the sword was fulfilled, there was no reason for him to stick around. After storing the Redfire Sword in the system space, Shi Xiaole gripped the Green Edge Sword and climbed out of the volcano crater.
Looking back at his experiences over a month and a half, Shi Xiaole smiled. He wore his green robe from the system space, then left Mountain Jinyun, striding away.
