was truly speechless, unsure if Wang Lei had gone mad, or if he himself was losing it. The value of the auxiliary materials had shockingly surpassed that of the main components. Although Lei Dong knew he’d stumbled upon an immense bargain with the pair of wings, facing such exorbitantly priced secondary materials made his heart pound uncontrollably. Over forty million contribution points—even at a thirty percent discount, that was nearly thirty million. If he had relied solely on throwing spirit stones at the contribution system, almost six million spirit stones would have vanished. However, being in a top-tier sect did come with certain advantages. Gathering such a diverse and exceedingly rare collection of materials through auction houses or shops would likely take several years. Yet, the Yin Sha Sect had existed as a massive, top-tier sect for ages, possessing an unimaginable stockpile of materials. For instance, Star Brilliance Stone usually cost around twenty thousand spirit stones per liang on the market; acquiring a few jin would have been relatively easy. But Wang Lei insisted that this Star Brilliance Stone, being both pliable and incredibly tough, was the perfect substance for mending the wings, thus demanding ten jin. If this weren't a leading grand sect, how could they possibly produce ten jin of Star Brilliance Stone? Even extremely obscure components were kept in reserve by the sect. This was a significant edge for disciples of a supreme grand sect. Fortunately, Zhang Heng agreed to absorb a portion of the materials in exchange for spirit stones. After discreetly inquiring within the squad, many members were in dire need of spirit stones. Several had just planned to convert their surplus contribution points into spirit stones, perfectly enabling Lei Dong to offload this batch of materials. The total came to twenty-eight million seven hundred thousand contribution points; with many members in the team, the cost was distributed among them, allowing Lei Dong to secure the materials. For this, Lei Dong spent four hundred and ten top-grade spirit stones, a considerable saving compared to pure grinding.

Many of these materials were out of stock at Xiaozhou Island, the temporary headquarters for the Third Territory. They had to be reported to the Yin Sha Sect headquarters so they could be included in the next shipment of war supplies bound for Lei Dong’s location. The entire process would take about a month. Lei Dong could afford to wait a month. The more difficult task was persuading Tian Mo to assist in refining the wings, which left Lei Dong deeply uneasy.

As Lei Dong nervously sought an audience with the Hall Master, Tian Mo received him with great formality. After Lei Dong, steeling himself, explained the basics of the matter to Tian Mo, she interrupted before he could even ask: “You wish for this Venerable One to help smelt the wings? Very well. When your materials arrive, this Venerable One will accompany you.”

Her straightforwardness far exceeded Lei Dong’s expectations. Even after leaving, his mind felt slightly dizzy. Yet, his regard for Tian Mo increased tenfold. She hadn't proposed any conditions or requested any favors regarding this matter. Still, he suddenly realized he seemed to owe her more and more. What could he possibly offer in return?

For the remaining time, Lei Dong occasionally patrolled the seas near South Seventy-Six Island with his squad members. The atmosphere of war seemed to grow heavier, and personnel executing missions elsewhere in the Third Territory began trickling into South Seventy-Six Island. During his rest days, Lei Dong would cultivate, particularly the Black Dragon Roar. He felt that once perfected, the power of this technique would be even more immense, prompting him to constantly find deserted islands to repeat his practice.

A month passed in a blink. The refining materials Lei Dong had exchanged for finally arrived on Xiaozhou Island via a transport airship, filling an entire chest. He arranged to meet Tian Mo and travel together to the deserted island where Wang Lei resided. With Tian Mo accompanying him, Lei Dong felt full of confidence about the undertaking.

The Refining Grandmaster Wang Lei was visibly surprised when Lei Dong returned in just a month. Facing Tian Mo, his usual arrogance noticeably diminished. Without preamble, he began preparing to refine the wings for Lei Dong, carefully laying out the numerous, exceptionally precious materials one by one. He hadn't been idle during the past month, constantly brewing and planning the entire refining process. He candidly told Lei Dong that his confidence in successfully forging the Asura King Wings was only seven or eight parts in ten.

Lei Dong naturally had no objections; no one could guarantee that artifact refinement would always succeed. He first brought out a supreme-grade cauldron and immediately tossed in the full ten jin of Star Brilliance Stone. He had originally intended to use his own Dan Fire. However, with Tian Mo present, she revealed things to him that Lei Dong was unaware of. He respectfully cupped his hands toward Tian Mo: “My Lady, the quality of your Demonic Flame far surpasses that of this humble one’s Dan Fire. I beg your assistance in melting and purifying the Star Brilliance Stone.”

Tian Mo did not decline. With a flick of her delicate fingers, a strand of pure, intensely dark, and flickering Demonic Flame shot out, enveloping the entire cauldron. In mere moments, the Star Brilliance Stone melted into a pool of viscous, inky black liquid. Wang Lei’s eyes lit up, appearing somewhat envious of the Demonic Flame’s efficacy, but he dared not delay. He wrapped his divine sense around the crucible, tossed in some peculiar powder, and utilized a special refining technique to completely break down the impurities within the Star Brilliance Stone. This cycle was repeated three times before the stone was fully purified. The resulting Star Brilliance Stone condensed into a single mass the size of a fist, black and clear, resembling a flawless black gemstone. The purified Star Brilliance Stone weighed only about thirty percent of its original mass. Seeing Lei Dong’s confusion, Wang Lei, giving face to Tian Mo, explained: “Ordinary refiners, reluctant to waste such precious Star Brilliance Stone, use it without purification. However, purified Star Brilliance Stone offers significantly enhanced quality and effect. It is a matter of compromise, often related to financial capability. Seeing that you do not lack resources, I’ve requested triple the amount of your materials, aiming for the absolute pinnacle, the perfect result.”

These words deeply resonated with Lei Dong. Though he held reservations about the claim of his wealth, he agreed that for the same artifact, the higher the grade, the better, even if it cost more spirit stones. He nodded quickly in agreement. Triple the amount was fine, as long as it was more perfect. At this thought, Lei Dong’s anticipation for the wings grew even sharper.

For the remaining materials requiring purification, Wang Lei requested Tian Mo’s help. One by one, they were refined repeatedly to strip away impurities and laid out separately. Except for one bundle weighing a full ten jin of Profound Nether Celestial Silkworm Thread, everything else was perfectly purified.

Afterward, Wang Lei began processing the Profound Nether Celestial Silkworm Thread. This silk was the same material Zhang Heng used to catch the Overlord Fish—extremely rare and precious. Throughout the entire world, only the Yin Sha Sect possessed a pair of late-stage Golden Core Profound Nether Celestial Silkworms. That bundle of thread represented thirty years of output from that pair, valued at fifteen million contribution points alone, making it even more expensive than the Star Brilliance Stone.

Wang Lei no longer needed Tian Mo’s direct assistance when handling the silkworm thread. Lei Dong and Tian Mo simply watched him work. His movements were swift and dazzlingly intricate as he picked up and braided the exceedingly fine yet incredibly tough strands, twisting them into a thread as thick as a sturdy needle. He managed to spin all ten jin of the silkworm thread in just two hours.

Next, he sliced off a small piece of Star Brilliance Stone along with portions of seven or eight other materials, placing them all into the cauldron for Tian Mo to melt. Once they fused into a black substance shot through with gold, he used extremely fast movements to coat the entirety of the silkworm thread. His calculations were precise, wasting not a single particle of material. Lei Dong watched with profound admiration.

Only then did he begin the repair work on the Asura King Wings, using specialized tools to separate the damaged membrane from the skeletal frame. In a short time, two bare wings remained, showing only stark white bone structures. The most troublesome parts were the fractured joints. He first placed these breaks into a cylindrical mold, then requested Tian Mo to use her Demonic Flame to melt the fractured bone sections. Even with Tian Mo’s power, fusing these bones proved difficult; it took a good half an incense stick’s worth of time to fully liquefy the bone material. Then, using a special black paste created from the molten material, he welded the breaks from the inside out. Once cooled, the repaired section was exceptionally strong.

After all the breaks were mended, it was truly time to put Tian Mo’s power to the ultimate test. He folded a single wing and placed it into the furnace, requiring Tian Mo’s potent Demonic Flame to heat the entire skeletal wing until it was soft but not melted. Simultaneously, he coated the entire frame with the blackened, gold-flecked paste melted from several rare materials. Because the bone was nearly liquefied, a significant portion of the metal material fused directly with the skeleton.

The other single wing was treated in the same manner. After both skeletal frames were refined, Wang Lei spread them out to dry. They were jet black with a faint metallic sheen, exuding a mysterious, dominating power that sent a chill down the spine.

Subsequently, he began weaving the silkworm thread around the skeletons. After a very long period, this task was completed. He then melted the cut wing membranes together with various other materials in the cauldron, adding them in batches. This process continued for a full half-day until half a pot of viscous liquid, colored like the night sky but shot through with dark gold, was refined.

After much effort, he injected all the paste onto the wings, forming completely new membranes. Not a single trace of damage was visible on the pair of membranes. When spread out to dry, they resembled the descent of the Asura King—majestic and imposing. A single glance sent ripples through the spirit, evoking an urge to prostrate in worship.

Though the final procedures were incomplete, Lei Dong found himself staring at the pair of wings, unable to tear his eyes away. He could sense the overwhelming aura emanating from them. The power sealed within the wings of the Asura King was being awakened.