Bu Qin manipulated the Samadhi True Fire. After igniting the raw materials of Ink Pine Charcoal, Qiong Whale Liquid, and Heavenly Nether Water with a mighty sigh, the fierce flames burned for the duration of one stick of incense. When they extinguished, he saw the wisp of Heavenly One Nether Water lingering in mid-air, a look of pleasant surprise spreading across his face.
Because the Ink Pine Charcoal and Qiong Whale Liquid had been added, the Samadhi True Fire, normally azure, had become almost cyan-black, the flames deeper and burning with ferocious intensity far beyond the usual.
It was likely that even top-grade magical artifacts could be incinerated by this fire in a very short time.
Despite the fire’s fierce nature, it still could not completely burn away the Heavenly One Nether Water. Most of the dross was removed, refining a small amount of the subtle essence fluid.
Ye Qin manipulated this wisp of Heavenly One Nether Water essence fluid with his spiritual power, clearly sensing that the quality of this essence fluid was tens of times higher than the unrefined Heavenly One Nether Water.
Since the majority of the dross had been purged, controlling this single wisp of essence fluid required far less spiritual power. With Ye Qin's reserves, he could continuously manipulate this wisp for two or three days straight.
This was hardly artifact refining; it was more akin to burning spirit stones.
And these were mid-grade spirit stones at that. Burning one stick of Ink Pine Charcoal and one drop of Qiong Whale Liquid for the time it took one incense stick to burn consumed the equivalent of twenty mid-grade spirit stones.
The mingling and defeat of water and fire left behind a trace of condensed essence fluid. This was merely the first step in forging the sword: ensuring the Heavenly One Nether Water shed as much dross as possible and refined its essence.
Ye Qin placed this wisp of Heavenly One Nether Water essence fluid into the silver vial he had purchased from the marketplace.
After slightly regulating his spiritual power, he retrieved the second drop of Heavenly One Nether Water from within the Silver Armored Guard’s abdomen, along with a small piece of Ink Pine Charcoal and a drop of Qiong Whale Liquid, repeating the previous process of water and fire mingling for further refinement.
In the secluded chamber of his villa in Linhai City, Ye Qin repeatedly refined the Heavenly One Nether Water.
This kind of artifact forging, much like alchemy, was simple yet tedious, demanding immense patience.
Time slipped by, day after day.
Three months later.
Ye Qin had completely refined all the Heavenly One Nether Water stored inside the Silver Armored Guard. The refined essence fluid had just filled a small, fist-sized silver vial, an amount sufficient to forge one “Heavenly One Nether Water Sword.”
“Water Sword Form Shaping!”
This step was crucial; it was the core key to shaping the primary water-element material into the artifact form. It had to be executed strictly according to the steps outlined in the Purple Jade Ancient Scroll, without the slightest deviation.
Ye Qin rested for a day, restoring his essence, spirit, and vigor to their peak condition. He also prepared the highest-grade, ninth-rank spirit wine consumable by Golden Core cultivators, the “Crimson Osmanthus Nectar,” ready to replenish the massive spiritual power expenditure during the forging process. Only then did he begin crafting the final primordial spirit artifact of his Great Five Elements Swords: the Heavenly One Nether Water Sword.
Ye Qin’s expression grew solemn. He formed arcane hand seals for artifact refinement with both hands, sending out a string of mysterious gestures. A mass of deep blue radiance, condensed from these magical hand seals, materialized in his grasp.
Gradually, this sphere began to scintillate with strands of luminous spell-light. Filled with the glow of mysterious incantations, it grew brighter and brighter, rapidly shifting its form until it resolved into the sharp shape of a sword.
“Rise!”
Ye Qin lifted the entire mass of essence from the small silver vial into the air.
He then sharply struck out with the large mass of light held in his hands. This dazzling radiance completely enveloped the Heavenly One Nether Water essence fluid, shaping it into the form of a sword.
As soon as this large mass of deep blue light touched the Heavenly One Nether Water essence fluid, it began to rapidly dissipate, like snow meeting scorching sun. In less than a moment, it would vanish.
“Not good! I fear the light will be completely exhausted before the sword shape is fully formed.”
A sharp gleam flashed in Ye Qin’s eyes. He roared and took a large gulp of Crimson Osmanthus Nectar. His internal spiritual power surged, and he slammed his palms out repeatedly, frantically replenishing the mass of light to restore its radiance.
After an unknown period, under the control of the artifact refining formulas, the Heavenly One Nether Water Sword essence fluid gradually condensed into a small flying sword.
The blade was a little over several inches long, covered densely with countless minute, mysterious incantations. The sword’s color was profoundly dark, like the abyssal void of the starry sky, absorbing all luster, exuding a majesty of stillness and extinction.
“Water Sword Form Setting—only the final step remains: incorporating the Primal Essence.”
Ye Qin stared intently at the flying sword, carefully extracting a drop of the Primal Essence from a Ghostly Demon Shrimp that he had prepared in a small vial. He meticulously merged the Ghostly Demon Shrimp Primal Essence into the water-element blade.
The originally dark and profound blade body began to gradually turn transparent and faint after the incorporation of the Primal Essence. Once all the Ghostly Demon Shrimp Primal Essence blended seamlessly with the water sword, the blade hovered in mid-air, faintly visible, concealing all traces of its aura.
“The Ghostly Demon Shrimp Primal Essence can actually conceal the flying sword’s aura!”
Ye Qin exclaimed in ecstatic disbelief.
The Purple Jade Ancient Scroll had not specified that a particular type of Primal Essence must be used; any water-element Primal Essence would suffice. Ye Qin had used the Ghostly Demon Shrimp Primal Essence purely out of convenience.
He never imagined that this Primal Essence could make the Heavenly One Nether Water Sword suppress its deathly aura, even completely hiding the blade’s form. This was an unexpected and immense surprise.
Ye Qin was in seclusion in a small city by the eastern sea, forging the Heavenly One Nether Water Sword.
Little did he know that the outside world was already stirring violently due to the opening of the Niang Nuo Secret Realm.
Two unconfirmed minor rumors had spread throughout the Eastern Sea, becoming the focal point of discussion among countless cultivators.
The first rumor stated that the Lang Bang Secret Realm, which opened roughly every five hundred cycles, was rumored to have hatched a channel to the Niang Nuo Secret Realm on an obscure island in the Eastern Sea, and the channel’s opening time would likely not exceed three to five days.
The second, even more shocking piece of news, was that a large contingent of eighty Golden Core cultivators, dispatched by both the Heavenly Dao Alliance and the Heavenly Demon Alliance, had gone to subjugate a native tribe on a small island. By sheer coincidence, they had entered the Niang Yu Secret Realm, only to suffer near-total annihilation; merely a dozen or so Golden Core cultivators managed to escape alive. This rumor nearly shook the entire Eastern Sea Cultivation World, provoking astonishment, dread, and anger.
The Eastern Sea Cultivation World had been relatively peaceful for the past several hundred years due to the absence of warfare.
Although nearly every day a few Golden Core cultivators perished due to treasure hunting, adventuring, or personal grudges leading to duels, these were isolated incidents involving only a handful of deaths.
The Eastern Sea Cultivation World had not experienced such a catastrophic, large-scale loss—the death of sixty or seventy Golden Core cultivators at once—in a very long time; the scale of the slaughter was truly horrific.
Moreover, the vast majority of these fallen Golden Core cultivators were core disciples dispatched by the Immortal Palace, important future figures meticulously nurtured by the Palace, rather than insignificant rogue cultivators.
However, none of this deterred the Eastern Sea cultivators from seeking the Niang Nuo Secret Realm. On the contrary, they flooded toward the Eastern Sea even more frantically, determined to find the entrance to the realm before it closed.
This was because all Eastern Sea cultivators understood a simple principle: the risks associated with adventure in the cultivation world were often directly proportional to the potential rewards. The greater the loss incurred during the risk, the greater the possible harvest. If seventy Golden Core cultivators could perish within that realm, it must surely contain immense treasures.
A massive influx of Golden Core cultivators flew to the Eastern Sea, searching everywhere for the location of the Niang Na Secret Realm. Only those cultivators too far away to arrive could only sigh in helplessness and abandon the search.
Since Linhai City was situated at the farthest eastern edge of the Eastern Sea islands, it became instantly overcrowded with Golden Core cultivators, nearly bursting at the seams. Even Nascent Soul cultivators appeared in Linhai City, hoping to find the Ziyou Lotus, the ingredient needed to refine the Spiritual Root Potential Pill, within the Niang Nuo Secret Realm.
Northern Islands.
Zhou Yao, Liao Xiaozhang, Jin Zhongshan, and Pan Shuang returned to Bai Fu City on the Northern Islands, subsequently heading back to their respective Immortal Palaces.
When Zhou Yao arrived at the Purple Sword Palace, the news of her cultivation regression to the Foundation Establishment stage quickly spread throughout the Palace. The entire Purple Sword Palace was greatly shaken. The fall of a core Golden Core cultivator meant a severe injury to the Palace, a major event for the Immortal Palace.
“Sister, how did you fall out of the Golden Core stage? Who wounded you so badly that you suffered such a massive drain on your vitality?” A young cultivator rushed out from the depths of the Immortal Palace upon hearing the news, his face showing shock and fury.
Zhou Yao’s complexion was somewhat pale. She quickly shook her head. “Brother, where is the Ancestor? Take me to see the Old Ancestor quickly; I have urgent matters to report to him!”
That young cultivator was Zhou Yao’s elder brother, Zhou Yi.
“The Old Ancestor is currently in seclusion, with instructions not to be disturbed lightly. However, since it is important, come with me to see him!” Zhou Yi led Zhou Yao toward the cultivation seclusion chambers in the rear hall of the Immortal Palace, to meet the Purple Sword Palace Master.
The two soon arrived outside the rear hall’s closed chamber. After announcing themselves, they stood outside, holding their breath, waiting.
“Yao’er, is your mission to subdue the Eastern Sea native tribes complete? How is it that your cultivation has plummeted by an entire stage?”
The faint, majestic voice of the Purple Sword Palace Master, Zhou Yu, soon emanated from within the closed chamber.
Zhou Yao could almost picture how deeply the Palace Master’s brow must be furrowed.
“Old Ancestor, your child has urgent matters to report!”
“Explain in detail!”
Zhou Yao immediately gave the Purple Sword Palace Master, Zhou Yu, a detailed account of the expedition against the native tribes of the Blue Mist Archipelago.
Starting from the initial assault by their group of eighty Golden Core cultivators on the Blue Mist Archipelago.
To the opening of the Lang Ya Secret Realm channel, passing through the undersea passage, and fighting into the Niang Yu Secret Realm.
Then, entering the ancient hall within the secret realm, and being trapped in the Universe Wonder Array.
Finally, the death and fall of most of the Golden Core cultivators within the Wonder Array.
She, Ye Qin, Liao Xiaozhang, and others, sacrificing their vitality to drop a full cultivation layer, managed to escape the ancient hall’s Universe Wonder Array alive only by leveraging the might of the small divine artifact, the Xun Lei Ancient Mirror.
Everything she could speak of, she reported, except for the joint killing of Yu Weifeng by herself and Ye Qin, Liao Xiaozhang, Jin Zhongshan, and Pan Shuang. That matter involved too much consequence; after careful consideration, she dared not utter it. There were many loopholes in her explanation, but she had no choice but to brazen it out and conceal the truth.
“Where is Ye Qin? As the official captain of the Purple Sword Palace, where is he? Have him come see me immediately.”
After a moment of silence in the closed chamber, the Purple Sword Palace Master’s voice continued, carrying a hidden undertone of fury. As the captain, Ye Qin bore significant responsibility.
“On the way back, our party encountered three treasure-hunting Golden Core cultivators with malicious intentions. Ye Qin stayed behind to cover our retreat, ensuring the safety of the four of us returning to the Northern Islands. However, he already possesses four primordial spirit artifacts of the Great Five Elements Swords; even if he cannot defeat those three Golden Core cultivators, he should be able to escape alive!”