With the inscription of that rune successfully completed, Ye Chen remained calm, his right hand moving swiftly to etch the second, more intricate and precise rune, which then drifted toward the Fire Crystal Pillar and embedded itself deeply within the structure.
Next… The third, the fourth, the fifth… One by one, complex and precise runes formed rapidly.
In the past, even with Ye Chen’s carving ability, successfully inscribing such runes might have taken days and nights of effort, yet now they were finished in the blink of an eye.
Over these ten days, his pace of progress was unrecognizable; his state of mind had soared, and within his consciousness, the 289 star charts constantly revolved, weaving themselves into pathways of law—the most fundamental diagrams for the operation of law, containing the secrets of the cosmos’s cyclical seasons and the movement of stars, profoundly esoteric and mysterious.
Grasping these insights greatly aided Ye Chen’s secret manual cultivation.
Now, his fingers moved like swords, sweeping like playful dragons, his momentum vigorous as he rapidly inscribed one complex rune after another.
The runes multiplying upon the Fire Crystal Pillar pulsed with an uncanny light, suffusing the entire pillar with an aura of deep mystery.
This aura was rapidly escalating.
Within the pillar, a stream of deep crimson airflow drifted, seemingly the very core of the Fire Crystal Pillar.
The energy runes increased… 219, 220, 221… Ye Chen’s inscribing speed gradually slowed.
What once took a minute now demanded an hour, sometimes even two, for a single rune.
When carving the 225th rune, this energy symbol was the most complex, appearing as if countless interwoven meridians had been fused together—a pattern too intricate for even the most precise instrument to replicate.
Ye Chen’s fingers moved slowly, each stroke requiring visible effort.
Three hours later, as the final stroke of the energy rune was completed, the entire symbol blazed with ten thousand feet of light in the void, dazzling and brilliantly spectacular.
The previously still Fire Crystal Pillar suddenly hummed and trembled slightly, as if urgently summoning something.
Drawn by this pull, the energy rune shot towards the pillar, branding itself onto the very apex.
Boom! The entire Fire Crystal Pillar shuddered.
The seventh layer was successfully achieved.
Ten thousand feet of magnificent light erupted from the pillar, so brilliant and dazzling that it illuminated the entire room as if it were midday.
Ye Chen narrowed his eyes, unable to clearly see the pillar, but he felt a wave of heat emanating from his left palm.
His palm felt as if it held a roaring, blazing flame.
This searing heat flowed from his palm into his body, washing through every limb and bone like an influx of fire.
Hot! Hot! Hot! Ye Chen felt his body becoming intensely searing, yet amidst this intense heat, there was no sensation of sharp pain, only a simple feeling of being evaporated.
On the back of his left palm, the energy Fire Crystal Pillar began to change.
Under the cover of the immense radiance, its physical form gradually shrank, while its volume at the top began to expand, slowly coalescing into the shape of a hammer! This hammer was majestic and imposing.
The head was like a massive iron ball atop a long, slender handle.
When the blinding light subsided, its form was revealed: a hammer entirely the color of fire! The handle was blood-red, with a few rings of golden markings near the pommel to prevent slippage.
Where the head met the handle, there were eight golden rings, each seemingly engraved with minuscule patterns.
The hammer head was enormous and crimson, approximately two meters across.
In Ye Chen’s hand, it surpassed his own height, radiating fierce, untamed power.
“This is the Blazing God Hammer!” Ye Chen’s eyes shone as he gripped the hammer forged from elemental fire.
It felt incredibly light, almost weightless, and intrinsically connected to his flesh and blood, controllable as if it were another arm.
He examined it closely, noticing that the Blazing God Hammer was covered in secret markings, too subtle for the naked eye to discern, exquisitely minute.
“Blazing God Hammer, perfection achieved!” Ye Chen clenched his fist.
“Now, only the Darkflame Shield remains!” With a clench of his hand, the entire Blazing God Hammer instantly shrunk, retracting into his palm to become a surge of scorching fire within his body, guarding the vicinity of his heart, aligned alongside that single drop of golden divine blood, like two bodyguards watching over his core.
Ye Chen unfurled his right palm, from which rich firelight ascended.
As this light condensed, the Fire Imprint he had inherited automatically surfaced on his brow! Yet, within this Fire Imprint, there was faintly visible a more mysterious marking.
Had Ye Chen been able to see his own forehead, he would have recognized this faintly manifesting imprint as the one he received from that mysterious crimson gate after falling into the deep pit on Earth.
Whoosh~ The flames in his palm erupted like a volcano, soaring ten feet high.
Under Ye Chen’s control, they swiftly coalesced into the shape of a shield, its edges blazing with fire that warped the surrounding air.
In Ye Chen’s mind emerged the energy rune structure for the Darkflame Shield from the Blazing God Secret Codex—it too required seven layers, each demanding 225 energy runes.
Ye Chen raised his left hand and began inscribing swiftly.
The runes for the Darkflame Shield were just as complex as those for the Blazing God Hammer, but after the practice with the hammer, engraving them now felt significantly easier.
Swish, swish, swish… Ye Chen’s fingers moved like calligraphy, swiftly sketching in the void.
Streaks of runes quickly took shape and drifted onto the flame shield.
As the first energy rune was branded, the entire flame shield trembled slightly, and the firelight upon it quickly receded, achieving a more substantial appearance.
With the branding of the second and third energy runes, the firelight across the shield completely internalized, forming a distinct shield.
At first glance, it appeared to be a solid object forged from metal.
Ye Chen did not stop, his left hand moving with blistering speed.
Runes flew upward continuously.
The color of the flame shield deepened.
Upon the inscription of the 88th rune, the metal-like appearance began to crystallize, and its edges grew translucent and exquisitely beautiful.
Time flowed… Eight hours later, the first layer of the Darkflame Shield was complete! One day later, the second layer succeeded! Three days later, the third layer succeeded! Seven days later, the fourth layer succeeded! Twelve days later, the fifth layer succeeded! In the blink of an eye, a month passed.
Combined with the previous ten days spent comprehending the Heavenly Dao Stele, a total of forty days had elapsed.
Ye Chen sat cross-legged, motionless, his expression intensely focused.
Scattered around him were four or five empty vials, each bearing a small label—fatigue potions originating from the lost civilization of Atlantis.
Sustained by these potions, Ye Chen had not closed his eyes once while undertaking this severely draining task.
The Darkflame Shield in his hands had become magnificent, forged entirely of crystal, featuring numerous tiny facets that seemed to slice the world into countless fragments.
The shield was inscribed with energy runes, each one burning with a dark, black flame that consumed itself automatically.
Only the uppermost section lacked runes.
“The 204 runes for the seventh layer!” Ye Chen focused intently, his fingers rapidly carving out an exceedingly complex secret pattern in one continuous motion.
This energy rune flew to the crimson crystal shield, embedding itself within and igniting, emitting a dark, black flame.
A flicker of exhaustion crossed Ye Chen’s eyes.
He took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, and then raised his left hand to continue engraving energy runes.
205, 206… After carving about six runes, he swallowed a bottle of fatigue potion plundered from the Fengyue family of the White Lotus Divine State, then resumed carving.
212, 213, 214… After roughly four more, he drank another bottle of potion before continuing… Approximately two days later, he finally reached the 223rd energy rune.
Ye Chen felt utterly drained and weak, his body aching.
He forcefully downed a bottle of fatigue potion, which offered only a slight lift before its effect faded.
A beautiful, exquisite energy rune slowly took shape at his fingertip—only the very last stroke remained! Bang! The entire energy rune exploded, releasing a fierce burst of light and a searing shockwave that engulfed his nearest fingers and face.
Ye Chen grunted, suppressing the urge to cry out.
His face was blackened and charred, and his fingers had gone numb.
Although the flesh was unharmed, the shock had paralyzed them.
Ye Chen let out a long breath, gazing at the exquisite shield in his hand, and sighed.
With a motion of his palm, he retracted the shield, then leaned back and collapsed, closing his eyes.
The entire world descended into darkness.
He slept for an immeasurable time in that darkness, wandering like a helpless child, walking forward, forward, ever forward… Then, he saw the sunlight.
Ye Chen opened his eyes.
The soft light of the chandelier fell upon him.
He rolled over and sat up, his mind still hazy and weary, though his consciousness felt much clearer.
He quickly looked toward the wall.
The calendar beneath the clock had advanced six slots.
“Good, only six days have passed,” Ye Chen sighed internally, shaking his head.
He went to the washroom, splashed his face with cool water, which somewhat refreshed him.
Turning back, he sat down, spread his palm, and the flame shield materialized from his palm, growing from the size of a fingertip to its full height of ten feet.
Ye Chen’s gaze turned grave.
He raised his left hand and quickly began carving in the void.
This time, the process was smooth, taking only about two hours to successfully inscribe the 223 energy runes.
“224!” “225!” Ye Chen’s fingers moved like lightning, without any pause, pushing through in one relentless surge.
A total of eight hours passed, and finally, he inscribed both the 224th and the 225th energy runes.
Hum~ As the 225th energy rune branded itself onto the flame shield, the entire shield trembled slightly, then erupted in ten thousand feet of blinding, dazzling light.
Under this radiance, the entire shield began to deform, rapidly shrinking to a height of nine centimeters and a width of six centimeters, settling into a four-cornered rhombus shape.
When the light faded, the shield was revealed to be blood-red all over, with a crimson jewel at its center, surrounded by engravings of mysterious exotic beasts and many minute textural lines.
“Darkflame Shield, perfection achieved!” A brilliant light burst from Ye Chen’s eyes; a hint of genuine joy surfaced.
The first tier of the long-desired Blazing God Secret Codex was finally completely mastered!