Three hundred million li from that white hole, precisely three hundred and sixty-five concave mirrors, entirely forged of profound ice, were arrayed before Zong Shou.
These gathered all the light, all the heat of this place.
Converged into a single thread, the intensity of the flame energy, the purity of the blazing force, was perhaps even slightly greater than that surrounding the white hole itself.
Upon these Dragon Fangs, carving proceeded bit by bit, without any impediment. The runes etched upon them became more coherent and meticulous. Zong Shou, theoretically, could not approach within one hundred million li of this white hole. The true fire capable of refining Dragon Fangs of the peak Immortal Tier, or even the Divine Realm, could just as easily reduce him, Zong Shou, to ash.
Thus, after exhaustive consideration, Zong Shou could only resort to this ingenious, indirect method.
Normally, refining a sword artifact by borrowing external power made it impossible to achieve the soul-bond he managed with the previous Imperial Dao Dragon Fang Swords, which he had labored over painstakingly.
Zong Shou’s approach, however, was to incorporate his own divine sense into the process, allowing it to endure the scorching heat of the white hole’s true flame alongside the forging.
Consequently, every moment, Zong Shou was teetering on the edge of ecstasy and agony; his soul sea suffered continuous heavy damage, and his brain throbbed with unbearable pain.
That he could sustain this, retaining enough surplus awareness to merely perceive the structure of the white hole before him, was something Zong Shou himself found utterly inconceivable.
“Perhaps only a Will of the Ultimate Realm can roam freely here. I believed my Primordial Spirit and soul thought had already transformed to Yang. Now I realize I am still worlds apart. The fundamental nature of the Primordial Spirit has scarcely changed. Only when achieving the Pure Yang state, perhaps reaching the Ultimate Realm, will I truly be unafraid of external things, existing eternally—”
At this time, every thread of Zong Shou's intent, when cast outward, would be incinerated and dissipate beyond roughly twenty zhang.
His situation here was even more desperate than when he was near the black hole.
Fortunately, comprehending the marvels of the white hole did not require scattering his soul consciousness too far. Quiet contemplation and observation of the surroundings were sufficient.
For both Martial Cultivators and Spirit Masters, the most crucial skill is discerning the great from the small.
To see a spot and grasp the whole leopard.
His divine sense enveloped only twenty zhang, yet within this limited radius, all the changes were enough for him to glimpse some essence of the white hole.
Furthermore, here he only needed to be careful not to be burned to death by the light and heat, or torn apart by the violent force fields.
In truth, it was far safer than the black hole, which could swallow him whole at any moment.
“I have gained much, but to fully know all its wonders would take at least a thousand years, perhaps more. It seems if I can ascend another tier or two in the future, I will need to return here to observe again.”
Zong Shou felt an immense surge of joy in his heart.
The fourteen days spent in this realm were tantamount to a century of arduous cultivation for him.
Within his Primordial Soul, the Dharma Manifestations of the black and white holes had truly been perfected.
Along with the eighteen Rune Restrictions, the Star Dao Seeds in his soul sea had also seen considerable advancement.
Because of the distortion of the void and the tearing apart of the fundamental structure of heaven and earth caused by these two holes, all manner of Laws were laid bare before Zong Shou’s eyes, almost without concealment.
These two locations were, for him, veritable inexhaustible treasuries.
And deriving from them, Zong Shou sensed no fewer than twenty distinct Heavenly and Earthly Laws.
He needed no deliberate contemplation; simply looking with his 'eyes' allowed him to grasp the majority of their mysteries.
The black hole's inward suction prevented Zong Shou from fully discerning its secrets, but the white hole’s outward radiation, conversely, allowed him to clearly perceive its subtleties.
“The Dao I have grasped is sufficient now, far exceeding the seventy-plus Earthly Fiend count. It is the integration of these Rules into the Star Dao Seeds that will require time—perhaps a month or two—”
That time would coincide perfectly with his ascension to the Immortal Tier.
Coming to this world had indeed benefited him immensely. Ten days here saved him countless hours of groping and exploration—
Even his combat strength had increased immeasurably.
The insights he had gathered these past few days, even incorporating a fraction of them into his own Sword Dao, were enough to cause a massive leap in his swordsmanship and martial arts!
It was precisely at this moment that a humming sound suddenly emanated from before Zong Shou.
While near the white hole, Zong Shou dared not open his eyes lest his vision be seared.
Yet, a faint smile touched his lips, knowing that one of the nine Imperial Dao Dragon Fang Swords he was refining had just been completed.
With a mental command, the sword flew to his side.
“It is the Fang of Strength—”
The Dao contained within this Imperial Dao Dragon Fang Sword was precisely the Great Dao of Strength.
This was one of the mainstays of the Ten Absolute Imperial Dao Extinction, supporting one quadrant of the sword formation’s operation.
Zong Shou spread out the twenty-eight existing swords, casually tossing this new one to join the formation.
As this sword took its place, the entire sword formation immediately felt distinctly different.
Before, it was concentrated but not cohesive; the twenty-eight swords could not truly combine their might into one.
But now, the Ten Absolute Imperial Dao Extinction Sword Formation seemed to possess its own skeleton, allowing for a more effective exertion of power.
Then, in an instant, the second sword also resonated with a sharp hum.
The Dao contained within this sword was the character ‘Void’—the xu of substance and illusion. Upon joining the formation, the thirty swords subtly dimmed, becoming slightly more ephemeral.
It was far from achieving full spatial transition for the entire array, but it allowed one-third of the swords to conceal their presence at any time.
“This method bears a certain connection to the existence and annihilation methods of Ao Kun—”
As Zong Shou mused, two more Dragon Fang Swords were successively refined and added to the array.
With each addition, the surrounding sword aura intensified.
It gradually began to repel the boundless light and heat, the sky-filling white flames, pushing them out to three hundred zhang away.
And with every main sword entering the formation, Zong Shou felt his control over the thirty-odd swords become easier.
The might of the sword formation surged, yet the consumption of his soul consciousness actually decreased.
“Only with branches can there be leaves. Refining these auxiliary components will allow more swords to be incorporated.”
The eight secondary main swords were sufficient to support sixty-four additional swords, exactly matching the number of Earthly Fiends.
“Refining swords using this white hole is actually even more potent than using my own Void-Burning Flame. The unity of intent is even superior to the previous twenty-eight swords.”
The suffering of these past few days, actively allowing his soul consciousness to be scorched, had not been a loss; in fact, it was a massive gain.
Though they were not his original life-bound artifacts, he could command them almost as fluidly, only slightly inferior to the former ones.
Zong Shou then used his ‘Mind’s Eye’ to look toward the only sword still suspended in the void before him.
This was the Imperial Dao Dragon Fang Sword Zong Shou anticipated the most.
Forged from the canine tooth of a Spatial Dragon of the Divine Rank, it was supremely hard and sharp, imbued with a greater measure of Dragon Might.
Two-thirds of the preceding three hundred and fifty-six profound ice mirrors were currently engaged in carving and refining this single Dragon Fang.
The body of the sword had taken shape, and the spiritual markings were nearly complete. Only the internal containment, the core of the artifact matrix, required Zong Shou’s personal attention.
In normal circumstances, Zong Shou’s divine sense could not even intrude within.
However, the true flame of the white hole, used here for forging and softening, allowed him to manage it with great strain.
Zong Shou was intensely eager to see the final power this sword would bring to the Ten Absolute Imperial Dao Extinction Sword Formation.
If the eight swords were the branches, then this one was the main trunk.
“Seventy-two swords, centered around this single Divine Rank Dragon Fang artifact, with five sets making up three hundred and sixty-five blades—exactly one full heavenly cycle. And governed by a Saint Grade Dragon Fang—”
For an entire day, Zong Shou set aside all distractions and ceased observing the white hole.
He focused solely on this Divine Rank sword artifact.
But gradually, he felt an intense heat rising from within his marrow and blood.
It was as if molten lava flowed through his body.
Initially, it was like the gentle trickle of a stream, but after a full day, it surged like violent waves.
White flames began to erupt from all over Zong Shou’s body.
At first, Zong Shou assumed this was due to his inability to withstand the flame energy of the white hole here.
However, when he momentarily diverted his attention, he realized he was the only one affected.
The Azure Fire Profound Turtle below him remained unharmed, diligently supporting the profound ice mirrors.
Even the surrounding sword formation was successfully repelling the flame energy far away, its sword aura spreading out to dominate the surroundings.
The heat remained intense, yet the temperature around his immediate position was normal.
“Why is this? If it is not due to the white hole’s flames, then what is the cause? Could it be related to myself?”
As if a sudden thought struck him, Zong Shou’s chest tightened with alarm, and horror flashed in his eyes.
“I recall Cha Houhu mentioning that infusing the Blood Spirit with the Marrow-Burning Blood Spirit Curse has residual side effects, inducing a bloodline mutation with endless future trouble. If one cannot survive it, there is a danger of perishing. Could this be the reason?”
The moment this thought arose, Zong Shou felt unbearable pain coursing through his limbs.
At times, it felt like being flayed by a sharp blade; at others, his body seemed to split into countless fragments.
It felt as though ten thousand savagely malevolent ants were gnawing at every inch of his flesh and blood.
His vital currents surged backward, his blood vessels distended.
And in his soul sea, changes were occurring. The flame symbolizing the Lu family bloodline pulsed continuously, gradually growing fuller.
Stimulated by this, the shadows of the Water Qilin, Thunder Luan, and Nine-Tailed Profound Fox also began to change frantically.
They resisted the Void-Burning Flame, striving to maintain equilibrium.
Countless streams of information exploded into his memory.
And the growth of his bloodline power frantically siphoned the life essence he had accumulated within his body.
“This is the agony of the Blood Spirit Marrow Burning? Indeed. The Lu family has always been adept at controlling fire. Was this bloodline mutation triggered by the white hole’s flame energy? Instead of seeking a cold, desolate place to cultivate and regulate my currents after receiving the Blood Spirit Marrow Burning Curse, I came here—was I deliberately seeking death?”
Zong Shou managed a wry smile; the timing could not have been worse. Yet, he focused his intent even more intently into that sword artifact.
“The pain is excruciating, beyond human endurance. Cha Houhu’s words were not an exaggeration.”
The suffering of his previous dual-meridian afflictions was child’s play compared to this, ten times worse.
The Zong Shou of the past would likely have had his mind instantly collapse.
Struggling to maintain consciousness, he did not know how long it took before the sword artifact finally emitted a soft chime.
A dragon’s roar echoed through the void. (To be continued)RQ