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Though it felt like a long time, the reality was that Lei Dong connected the might of eight finger strikes in the mere flash of an eye. Yet, the result was agonizing: not only did his very soul feel as if it were churning in a violent sea, but his entire circulation of vital energy was thrown into chaos, surging upward until his face turned a deep, painful red. It seemed only after spitting out a mouthful of blood that he felt the slightest relief. The luster of the three peak-grade spirit artifacts had each dimmed by more than half; they would likely require a period of spiritual nurturing before they could fully recover.

"Good, good, good! Three peak-grade spirit artifacts, and a puppet at the pinnacle of its class. Boy, I’d like to see what other tricks you have left to withstand my final strike." Wang Lei’s spirit seemed to surge with sudden fervor, the aura of a Golden Core stage cultivator exploding forth. It whipped the surrounding air into a whirlwind, causing it to continuously sweep and swirl. As if gathering all his strength, a sphere of azure energy gradually expanded upon his fingertip, growing to the size of a human head. With a mere gesture toward the void, a brilliant streak of cyan light shot out. It tore through the air, the violent friction erupting in a sharp whistle that made one’s ears ache intolerably.

Facing what Wang Lei clearly believed to be his strongest attack, Lei Dong dared not show the slightest carelessness. Raising a hand, the Black Dragon Banner, which he had long prepared, shot out, transforming into a cloud of dense, inky black mist that writhed like a venomous dragon, baring fangs and claws as it pounced toward the incoming finger force.

Simultaneously, all the Netherworld Ghost Qi instantly gathered and converged within his right hand’s meridians.

Sssshhhhrrriiiip—The cyan light pierced mercilessly through the illusory inky-black flood dragon. With a single blow, it shattered the creature, dispersing it into nothingness. However, the cyan light had been obstructed for a moment, its momentum and color significantly weakened. At the same moment, the golden puppet erupted with brilliant light, opening its mouth to spew forth a pillar of golden radiance. The golden light met the cyan light. Amidst a booming crash, the golden light was broken without suspense, dissolving into ragged strands of gold that scattered in all directions before slowly vanishing.

After blocking two successive blows, the cyan light had already dimmed by more than half, losing the invincible momentum it possessed moments before, capable of killing any who stood in its path. But in the blink of an eye, it had closed the distance to Lei Dong, now only seven or eight zhang away, visibly about to pierce him through. Lei Dong roared, slamming his palm out with tremendous force. His entire hand and the front half of his body were almost entirely enveloped in black mist.

A "Black Dragon," perhaps ten zhang long, broke free from his palm. Amidst successive roars of the dragon, it met the azure finger strike head-on. BOOM!—The two immense forces collided violently, the resulting explosion of power sending ripples cascading outward. In the air, a continuous series of sharp cracking sounds echoed relentlessly. Yet, even so, Lei Dong’s unpracticed Black Dragon Chant could not entirely stop the cyan light. By this point, however, the cyan finger force was weaker than an ordinary single strike. The Undying Shield flared up abruptly, blocking the residual force with a crisp clang that sounded effortless.

Everything finally dissolved into smoke and silence. Lei Dong’s focus snapped, and he almost fell from mid-air. He hastily pulled out a small Mystic Mist Spirit Replenishing Pill, closed his eyes, and began slowly regulating his breath while remaining standing. Wang Lei, the Artifact Refining Grandmaster, gazed at Lei Dong with a complex expression, sighed softly, and then sat down cross-legged back onto the rock. Zhang Heng stood guard at the bow of the ship, diligently protecting Lei Dong during his recovery. If anyone dared attack Lei Dong at this moment, the Nether Fire Main Cannon would fire without hesitation. Zhang Heng was quite impressed with Lei Dong, managing to withstand ten strikes from a Golden Core cultivator, especially the last one, which was clearly an all-out effort. Zhang Heng observed and estimated that he himself could perhaps manage to block such attacks, but the level of distress would certainly be no less than Lei Dong’s currently displayed state. Then again, this kid certainly had an abundance of peak-grade spirit artifacts.

In no time, Lei Dong opened his eyes [Update by Little Beauty at The Great Demon Lord Forum]. Aside from a slight paleness, his complexion had largely recovered. After retracting the item he had just used, he clasped his hands in greeting toward Wang Lei from a distance: "Thank you for showing mercy, Senior Wang. Your azure finger strikes are truly peerless in might."

"Hmph," Wang Lei opened his eyes and snorted coldly. "Stop wasting my time with flattery. I merely wished to test if my technique had regressed after such a long period of inactivity. Ten consecutive strikes failed to subdue you, a mere sixth-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator—how can you speak of prowess? Are all disciples of the Yin Sha Sect's War Hall as monstrous as you?"

This was a question Lei Dong found hard to answer. Zhang Heng jumped in to assist: "Senior Wang, while Lei Dong’s cultivation level is not high, among the Foundation Establishment disciples of the Yin Sha Sect, he is already rarely matched."

"Senior Brother Zhang exaggerates. Though I possess a few skills, I probably wouldn't even rank in the top ten among all Foundation Establishment disciples in the Yin Sha Sect," Lei Dong said, shaking his head. This was not false modesty; the Yin Sha Sect had so many disciples, especially squad captains who needed genuine capability to hold their posts. Look at Zhang Heng, for instance. Still, Lei Dong conceded that if he fought with his full life-risking power, few Foundation Establishment disciples could truly defeat him.

"Hmph, I suppose so. Four peak-grade spirit artifacts, and a pinnacle-class puppet that is even more useful to you than a peak-grade spirit artifact." Wang Lei’s expression finally softened somewhat. Having his full-power strike nullified by this boy had left him deeply uneasy. But the kid was truly abnormal, possessing so many treasures.

Four artifacts? Lei Dong blinked, realizing he hadn't even brought out the Evil Ghost Shroud. He quickly understood: Wang Lei must have counted the Black Dragon Banner as a peak-grade spirit artifact too. That made sense. At Lei Dong's level of cultivation, being able to manifest a phantom dragon from the Black Dragon Banner with the strength of the tenth layer of Foundation Establishment would certainly lead others to assume it was a peak-grade artifact. How could a standard high-grade spirit artifact possess such terrifying power? Unbeknownst to them, the Black Dragon Banner's strength relied on the intensity of one's spiritual sense, which happened to be Lei Dong's greatest asset, thus allowing this high-grade artifact to unleash power comparable to a peak-grade one. However, as Lei Dong's cultivation climbed to the eleventh or twelfth layer, the Black Dragon Banner’s power would peak, and it would revert to merely being a high-grade spirit artifact, as the illusionary dragon it summoned could only reach the twelfth layer of Foundation Establishment strength at its maximum.

"Speaking of which, you are brimming with top-tier items. Why did you go to such lengths to find me for artifact refinement?" Wang Lei’s eyes now held a flicker of anticipation. "Perhaps your request might actually sway me. Boy from the Yin Sha Sect, tell me, what is your primary material? What spirit artifact do you wish to forge? Let me state the ugly truth upfront: if it’s just material for an ordinary peak-grade spirit artifact, don't even bother showing it to me; just scram."

"I assure you, Senior, I will not disappoint," Lei Dong said, about to retrieve the material, when Zhang Heng called out, "Hold on, Junior Brother Lei. I suddenly need to relieve myself and will take a brief stroll around the nearby sea area. If you need anything, Junior Brother, just call out." Saying this, without waiting for Lei Dong’s objection, he directed the Netherworld Number Nine and flew off a great distance.

That fellow certainly knew how to read a situation. Lei Dong guessed that Zhang Heng had figured out that what he intended to refine was no trivial matter—likely something essential for self-preservation. Any means of survival one possessed, one preferred to keep secret. Thus, Zhang Heng found an excuse to leave, effectively doing Lei Dong a favor.

"Senior, I have a pair of Greater Asura wings here, and I wish to ask the Senior to help me refine them into a spirit artifact." As Lei Dong spoke, his spiritual sense penetrated his storage bracelet, and he produced the Greater Asura wings.

"Greater Asura Wings?" Wang Lei was slightly stunned, a mix of surprise and disappointment washing over him. He was pleased because this material was indeed extraordinary. A Greater Asura was a powerful entity equivalent to a Nascent Soul cultivator among human cultivators. Their wings certainly held significant value for artifact refinement. But he was disappointed because, even after refinement, the final quality of the artifact formed from such material would never surpass the Blood-Colored Cloak, perhaps even being slightly inferior. At best, it would be an ordinary peak-grade spirit artifact. His expression immediately cooled. "Boy, you’re trying to fool me with this trash? Forging a mere peak-grade spirit artifact? Can't you find any Artifact Refining Grandmaster in your own sect?"

Lei Dong took out the terribly damaged pair of wings. He hadn't expected Wang Lei’s standards to be so high as to look down upon Greater Asura Wings. He could only cough dryly and elaborate: "The wings I possess are from a Greater Asura at the pinnacle realm. I’ve heard they were only one step away from becoming Asura Kings."

"Pinnacle Greater Asura?" Wang Lei’s eyes lit up, a look of delight appearing on his face. "Quickly, hand them over for me to examine. Perhaps we can forge a treasure that surpasses the Blood-Colored Cloak." Between a Pinnacle Greater Asura and an ordinary Greater Asura, although both were Greater Asuras, there was a heaven-and-earth difference.

Lei Dong wasn't worried that Wang Lei would turn hostile after taking the wings. After all, he was a disciple of the Yin Sha Sect's War Hall. If Wang Lei dared to pocket his materials, it would certainly result in him being utterly annihilated.

Lei Dong used his true energy to levitate the enormous, damaged wings and placed them before Wang Lei. Wang Lei didn't seem overly concerned by how tattered the wings were. Instead, he crouched down and began inspecting them meticulously, piece by piece. However, the more he looked, the heavier his expression became, and his brows furrowed tighter and tighter. Soon, he pulled out a large collection of strange-looking tools, tapping and probing here and there.

Specialized skills require specialists. Lei Dong lacked knowledge in artifact refinement, so he let the master work. After a long while, Wang Lei finally looked up, his expression heavy, and asked: "Boy, where did these wings come from?"

"I exchanged them from the sect using contribution points. They were labeled as the wings of a pinnacle-stage Greater Asura," Lei Dong replied, feeling a surge of surprise and nervousness. "Senior, is there a problem with these wings?"

"A problem? Yes, a very big one." Wang Lei’s expression turned peculiar. "The way I see it, these don't look like the wings of a Pinnacle Greater Asura at all." Before Lei Dong could react with alarm, he burst out with another sentence: "The hell I see are clearly a pair of Asura King wings! Are you playing games with me? Or do you think I’m old and my eyes are failing, trying to test my eyesight? Damned brat!"

This time, it was Lei Dong’s turn to be dumbfounded. His mouth hung open in sheer disbelief. Asura King Wings?

... (To be continued. If you wish to know what happens next, please log in to Qidian for more chapters, support the author, and read the genuine version!)

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