Translator: AnubisTL
Having served in the Law Enforcement Hall for many years, Elder Wei Han had long since mastered the art of survival: the less trouble, the better. The sect's power structure was a tangled web, and as one of the external affairs elders, getting involved in every trivial matter would be a thankless and exhausting endeavor.
To him, Chu Mingyi's report of tremors at the mountain gate and a sudden drop in temperature were nothing to worry about. Alerting more people would be an overreaction.
"It would be stranger if the Forbidden Speech Snow Mountains didn't experience avalanches," he mused. "If we had to bother Senior Brother Sect Leader or even the core formation ancestors every time, they'd be worked to death."
"In my opinion, these newly initiated disciples are just inexperienced and easily startled."
Elder Wei Han gently waved his feather fan and took a leisurely sip of steaming spirit tea. Savoring the fragrant aroma, he wore an expression of contentment.
"With so many new disciples joining recently, incidents like this are bound to increase. It seems I'll be kept busy for a while."
"But what else can I expect as an elder of the Law Enforcement Hall? If only I'd chosen to work in the General Affairs Hall back then..."
"..."
No matter how massive an avalanche, it would eventually come to an end.
At the summit of the Forbidden Speech Snow Mountains, the spiritual light emanating from the mysterious runes gradually dimmed.
A stone egg floated in the air, the avalanche had ceased, and the seal Crocodile Venerable sought to breach had finally cracked open.
Buzz!
A wisp of faint demonic energy leaked from the mountain's fissure, rapidly dissipating into the surrounding world.
"That's all I can do for now," Crocodile Venerable's divine sense transmitted. "Though the Extreme Ice Demon-Sealing Formation hasn't been completely undone, its sealing power has begun to irreversibly erode."
"Over time, the gap in the seal will widen until it completely fails."
"Unless the Lingyun Sect has a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator specializing in formations, it will be impossible to repair."
Ling Ying and Liu Hongyuan, standing below, bowed respectfully, their faces filled with awe.
"Thank you for your efforts, Crocodile Venerable Master!" they said in unison.
The stone egg trembled in the air before sweeping up the Crimson Crystal from the crater.
"This place is no longer safe. I must depart now. Take care of yourselves."
In the next moment, Crocodile Venerable, carrying the Crimson Crystal, tore through the air southward across the snow-capped mountain range, beyond the borders of the Azure Ridge Domain.
After the stone egg vanished into the sky, Liu Hongyuan and Ling Ying exchanged uneasy glances.
"Let's go. We've stirred up a hornet's nest here. Now it's Lingyun Sect's headache to deal with."
In the next moment, the two of them fled the Forbidden Speech Snow Mountains with all their might.
They couldn't afford to linger. If Lingyun Sect discovered their actions, they would face certain annihilation, and their actions might even jeopardize the sect's grand plans.
"If I follow the artifact refinement diagram to the letter, refining the Heavenly Net Banner shouldn't be too difficult. Given my current skill level, I should be able to attempt it."
Li Qing stroked his chin, already planning to begin refining this top-grade magical artifact.
Over the past few days, he had thoroughly mastered the second-tier artifact refinement inheritance, giving him considerable confidence in refining top-grade magical artifacts.
"If I succeed in refining this banner, my strength will undergo a tremendous leap."
"Afterward, as long as I avoid encountering extremely rare Talisman Treasures, I should be able to sweep through most foundation establishment cultivators of the same level."
With that, Li Qing retrieved the Black Furnace.
Clang!
This plain, unadorned forge had become increasingly familiar to Li Qing with each use.
Despite its unremarkable appearance, Li Qing was continually amazed by the Black Furnace's defensive capabilities, which only grew more impressive as his own strength increased.
Not only could it withstand the scorching heat of his Innate True Fire, but it could also easily endure powerful physical strikes.
Though he had already reached the Second-Tier of body cultivation, he still couldn't damage this mysterious Strange Furnace. No matter how hard he struck it, the furnace would only hum faintly, without even a single crack appearing.
Its sole drawback was its complete lack of spirituality. It couldn't be activated with spiritual energy and lacked any additional functions.
Of course, if it weren't for these limitations, the Black Furnace would never have fallen into his hands.
"Hah!"
"Let's begin. The materials are gathered. Now it's time for refining!"
Refining a top-grade magical artifact for the first time, even Li Qing couldn't help but rub his hands together, his face alight with anticipation.
He had chosen not to use the Demon Fire in the refining hall for two reasons.
First, once this magic artifact was refined, it would undoubtedly become a frequently used tool. He wanted to refine it with his own Innate True Fire.
Second, the successful refinement of a top-grade magical artifact would inevitably create a significant commotion. The refining hall was crowded with prying eyes, and he preferred to avoid drawing unnecessary attention.
Though no one in the sect harbored hostility toward him, it was always wise to conceal one's true capabilities.
Boom!
In an instant, a blazing torrent of Innate True Fire erupted, raging fiercely within the Black Furnace.
"First, we must purge the malevolent energy!"
As the words left his lips, Li Qing retrieved a deep-colored spine from his storage pouch.
This was the spine of a Late Second-Tier raging bull, nearly the hardest bone in its body aside from its horns.
Even just holding it, Li Qing could sense the dense malevolent energy deeply embedded within. A cultivator with weaker cultivation might even have their mind corrupted by this energy.
The spine was unimaginably tough and massive, nearly as thick as Li Qing's thigh, a testament to the immense size of the Late Second-Tier raging bull.
As the wild bull spine fell into the Black Furnace, intense crimson true fire surged upward, completely purging the malevolent energy within.
This was arguably the most arduous demonic purge Li Qing had ever undertaken. Late Second-Tier demon beast materials were far from ordinary.
The mere act of purging the malevolent energy consumed three full days and nights!
Fortunately, Li Qing's mana had grown significantly stronger. Though still short of the mid-foundation establishment stage threshold, it far surpassed his mana reserves from when he had just reached foundation establishment, allowing him to barely sustain the process.
Even so, Li Qing needed to thoroughly replenish his mana to avoid any shortages during the subsequent refinement process.
Several more days passed, and with the aid of spirit stones, Li Qing's mana had once again reached full capacity.
"Next comes the shaping stage," he muttered. "This massive spine needs to be refined into a smaller form first. Otherwise, even the shadow spider's silk won't be enough."
Following each step of the artifact refinement diagram meticulously, he executed every detail with utmost precision, daring not to overlook a single detail.
The materials were simply too precious. Wasting them would make it nearly impossible to find replacements.
Especially the Late Second-Tier demon beast's spine—he couldn't bear to waste it. Even as a foundation establishment cultivator, he would have struggled to obtain such a treasure outside the sect.
"Bone trimming, size reduction, and melting the spine's essence into a single mass."
With these words, Li Qing channeled his Innate True Fire once more, intensifying his refinement of the wild bull spine.
Crimson flames surged, and the cave abode's temperature soared, transforming it into a blazing furnace.
(End of the Chapter)
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