Ye Qin manipulated the Sky Nether Water Sword, forged from the Myriad Net technique, testing its power with a preliminary display. He found it far more formidable than anticipated, his expression showing undisguised astonishment.

"The sword is forged; now it requires the imprint of my Divine Sense!"

A subtle movement emanated from the Nidan acupoint between Ye Qin's brows, shooting forth a thread of Divine Sense. This thread descended into the core of the complex spell patterns woven throughout the body of the Heavenly One Nether Water Sword, embedding his unique Divine Sense Mark.

The Heavenly One Nether Water Sword immediately established a profound spiritual connection with Ye Qin's consciousness, allowing him to reach it even from a thousand li away.

Unless a Nascent Soul cultivator, possessing a Divine Sense dozens of times more potent, completely erased the ingrained spiritual imprint and magical aura from the sword's spell matrix, this Heavenly One Nether Water Sword could never be seized by another cultivator.

"Conceal Presence!"

Ye Qin issued the command through his Divine Sense, initiating control.

The three-inch slender sword, hovering in mid-air—flickering faintly, almost transparent—immediately vanished without a trace. Within the artifact refinement chamber, it completely lost all signs of presence or aura, dissolving into the void of the air.

"Having absorbed the prime essence of the Phantom Shrimp Demon, this Heavenly One Nether Water Sword has gained an incredible cloaking ability, mirroring the phantom demons deep within the sea."

An irrepressible excitement bloomed across Ye Qin's face.

He employed the Spirit Eye Technique, Divine Sense sweeping, and numerous other methods, meticulously probing every inch of the artifact refinement chamber. Yet, he could not locate the sword's position within the room.

However, Ye Qin’s mind could still perceive a faint resonance of the flying sword’s existence; it remained suspended silently in the air within the chamber, awaiting his next command. Because Ye Qin's Divine Sense had left its indelible mark within the sword, the weapon and his spirit shared an exquisitely subtle, sensory connection.

Ye Qin softly exhaled a single syllable, "Go!" A surge of potent magical energy erupted from his right fingertip, shooting into the empty space.

Then, he flicked his right hand, holding two fingers together.

Instantly, the space wavered, as if the very air had been torn by some invisible, razor-sharp object, causing a spatial disturbance.

In the very next moment, a long, ragged tear appeared across the thick protective light barrier surrounding the refinement chamber.

There was no earth-shattering roar, nor any terrifying display of might. Yet, this protective barrier, erected using high-grade formation flags, had been silently sliced clean in half, utterly collapsing.

A transparent water sword, extending over ten feet long and radiating an aura of absolute extinction, materialized ethereally within the chamber.

"Truly worthy of being the most difficult sword to refine among the Great Five Elements Swords."

"The Heavenly One Nether Water Sword lacks the dazzling radiance and unparalleled sharpness of the Golden Crow Solar Light Sword, the stability and bedrock solidity of the Yellow Heaven Thick Dust Sword, the agility and melodious immortal sound of the Celestial Silk Sound Sword, or the fierce might and engulfing flames of the Southern Bright Lihuo Sword. But it is the true sword of annihilation, capable of slaying foes instantly, unseen. All the effort expended for it, even risking my very life, was entirely worthwhile!"

Ye Qin had only called upon a fraction of the Heavenly One Nether Water Sword's true power, manifesting it in a ten-foot-long sword form, significantly smaller than the other four.

Nevertheless, while this water sword possessed extreme power, it also had a clear 'flaw.'

That is, if he manipulated the Heavenly One Nether Water Sword alone in battle, the exertion would only last for the brief time it takes for one stick of incense to burn before his internal magical power was completely depleted. Even consuming large draughts of the Ninth-Grade Scarlet Osmanthus Spirit Wine to rapidly replenish his mana, the duration would barely stretch to half an shichen (an hour).

If all five Primordial Spirit Flying Swords were deployed simultaneously, the usable time would be even shorter—only half a stick of incense.

After repeated trials, Ye Qin determined this precise limit on operational time, feeling a deep regret.

When facing an enemy, he must conclude the battle swiftly, within that half-incense duration. Otherwise, with his power exhausted, the formidable might of the Great Five Elements Formation would be nothing more than a decoration. "It seems my cultivation at the first layer of the Golden Core stage is still too low; my internal magical power reserves are too limited to sustain the Heavenly One Nether Water Sword in combat for long. If I could cultivate to the ninth layer of the Golden Core stage, the duration for wielding the artifacts would surely increase substantially."

Of course, Ye Qin understood that cultivation could not be rushed. He needed to adhere to the established routine daily: meditating to cultivate his techniques, consuming spirit elixirs, and practicing diligently year after year to raise his realm.

"The Azure Nether Lotus is finally in hand. Upon returning to Fire Mist Island, I will focus entirely on cultivation, elevating my realm, striving to break through the Nascent Soul bottleneck and become a Nascent Soul cultivator as soon as possible."

Ye Qin resolved this internally, then, with satisfaction, opened his mouth and swallowed the several-inch-long water sword, retracting it into the Dantian within his abdomen to slowly absorb the faint streams of vital qi flowing there for nourishment and tempering.

Within his Dantian, the five Primordial Spirit Flying Swords—Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—formed a miniature Five Elements Sword Formation, their varied magical lights reflecting off one another. They slowly absorbed the qi within the Dantian, continuously refining and enhancing the quality of the Primordial Spirit Artifacts.

In the Cultivation World, Primordial Spirit Artifacts are classified into four tiers: Primary, Intermediate, Advanced, and Supreme. The standard for distinguishing these tiers is based on the total quantity of qi absorbed. Furthermore, once a Primordial Spirit Artifact absorbs a sufficient quantity of qi over time, surpassing the Supreme tier, it can evolve into a Minor Divine Ability Artifact. This meant that each of Ye Qin's five Primordial Spirit Flying Swords, given enough time for tempering, had the potential to become as mighty as the 'Crimson Flood Dragon Sword' or the 'Xun Thunder Ancient Mirror.'

Ye Qin emerged from the secluded small courtyard where he had been in closed-door cultivation for four full months, his face alight with joy. All five Primordial Spirit Flying Swords required for the Great Five Elements Sword Formation were now complete. He wandered through Linhai City, searching for any promising raw materials for alchemy or artifact forging.

Because Linhai City possessed the teleportation array leading to the Sea of Blood, it attracted a large number of demon-hunting and treasure-seeking cultivators. Consequently, the prices for high-grade alchemical and forging raw materials here were generally one to two cheng lower than in Baifu City. He intended to purchase some materials cheaply and take them back to Baifu City for potential future use.

As Ye Qin browsed the goods displayed on the street stalls and in the market squares of the city, he was surprised to find that the number of Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators in Linhai City had clearly multiplied several times over. Moreover, there seemed to be an underlying abnormality, a tense atmosphere pervading the area.

Ye Qin paused to consider, then headed toward the Drunken Immortal Pavilion near his temporary residence. This establishment was quite famous in Linhai City, typically serving as a gathering spot for numerous Golden Core cultivators to network and exchange information.

"Senior, what would you care to order?"

A young waiter approached, greeting him with a smile. The staff at this Drunken Immortal Pavilion were all cultivators in the early Foundation Establishment stage, earning small amounts of money.

"A pot of fine wine and a few small dishes will suffice!"

Ye Qin smiled faintly, stepping up to the second floor of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion and settling down comfortably at a table near the window, flipping his robe aside.

"Coming right up, sir!"

The small waiter quickly delivered a pot of excellent spirit wine, along with several plates of snacks. These dishes were prepared from the flesh of East Sea demonic beasts, serving as delicacies that greatly aided cultivators in replenishing their vital energy.

Ye Qin sipped the fine brew and savored the delicacies while subtly straining his ears to listen. In any cultivation world, establishments like wine houses and pavilions are the quickest conduits for circulating rumors of the cultivation world. Numerous cultivators gathered inside, clinking cups and loudly debating significant recent events. While top-secret intelligence would never be overheard here, public news spread with the utmost speed.

"Daoist Friend Yuan, are you aware that Elder Yan of the Heavenly Demon Alliance and Sect Master Yu of the Heavenly Dao Alliance have recently fallen into enmity? Their subordinates have already engaged in more than ten covert battles over the past few months, resulting in the deaths of no fewer than ten Golden Core disciples, while the number of injured lower-ranked disciples is countless!"

"Daoist Friend Wu, I have heard some whispers about this matter. It is said that direct disciples from both factions engaged in a fierce fight while competing for a treasure within the Langna Secret Realm, sparking a blood feud between the two Immortal Palaces. What artifact could possibly cause two great Immortal Palaces to clash so violently?"

"What else could it be, naturally the Xu Niu Drum, an artifact famous throughout the East Sea!"

"What!? That Great Divine Ability Ancient Artifact? What exactly transpired?"

"It is rumored that Yan Hao, a direct descendant of Elder Yan, discovered this Great Divine Ability Ancient Artifact within the Langna Secret Realm. However, Yan Hao died mysteriously, and the only one capable of dispatching Yan Hao would be Yu Weifeng, the direct descendant of Sect Master Yu. They led large contingents of cultivators into the Langna Secret Realm together. The Yan family insists that the Yu family disciples were responsible, but the Yu family vehemently denies it, claiming instead that Yu Weifeng was ambushed by Yan Hao. This muddled ledger is one no one can settle clearly."

Ye Qin listened for a while and finally grasped the situation. He had been in seclusion refining swords for four months; the commotion surrounding the opening of the Langna Secret Realm had just subsided, but the news of the Xu Niu Drum's appearance had ignited an even fiercer storm. Sect Master Yu and Elder Yan were both accusing the other of murdering their disciples and stealing the Xu Niu Drum. This wave of conflict showed clear signs of escalating into a raging undertow.

Not only that, but the various Sect Masters of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, the major leaders of the Heavenly Demon Alliance, and numerous Immortal Palaces coveting this item had dispatched vast numbers of cultivators to track the whereabouts of Yan Hao and Yu Weifeng, attempting to seize the Xu Niu Drum, that renowned Great Divine Ability Ancient Artifact of the East Sea.

For a time, the East Sea Cultivation World was shaken by the news of the Xu Niu Drum's reappearance, falling into upheaval and unrest.

It must be remembered that the Xu Niu Drum is one of the most infamous ancient artifacts from the Immortal-Demon Wars. Its reappearance, while a cause for celebration for the East Sea Cultivation World, was invariably accompanied by portents of war and disaster.

There is a legend in the East Sea Cultivation World that every ten thousand years, a world-shattering Immortal-Demon War must occur—either a large-scale demonic invasion of the East Sea islands or an assault by the Immortals upon the Demon Sea. Calculating the timeline, a full ten thousand years had passed since the last unparalleled Immortal-Demon War. Cultivators from both the Immortal and Demon sides suffered countless losses during those conflicts, and now both factions had largely recovered their vitality, with immense numbers of elite forces and strong generals on both sides. The reappearance of the Xu Niu Drum only reinforced the theory that an Immortal-Demon War was imminent. Naturally, the hearts of the East Sea cultivators grew unsettled, filled with a sense of urgency that a great battle was fast approaching.

However, an Immortal-Demon War is not something that can be launched on a whim. It might very well be that even decades or centuries from now, the East Sea cultivators and the Demon Race might not actually clash. After all, an Immortal-Demon War involves too many cultivators to be easily initiated by a single party's will. Thus, most cultivators were continuing with their current tasks: seizing time to cultivate and strengthen their own capabilities.