Chapter 450 49: Assault

Pei Jingque specialized in the Vermilion Bird Heaven-Burning Flame and was herself a master of Artifact Refining. Zhu Ju was knowledgeable and worldly, possessing his own unique insights into Artifact Refining.

The two shared the same idea.

Use a miniature sun to melt the Yin Sword and reforge the Sword Embryo.

Then, use the disassembled Three-Flame Simurgh Fan to carry Pei Jingque's Primordial Spirit into the Sword Embryo, forging a new Spiritual Artifact.

In theory.

This method should be flawless.

After all, it wasn't a major overhaul, but simply allowing Pei Jingque to reside within it as a Sword Spirit.

And since the Yin Sword had no Sword Spirit of its own, the fusion should be even smoother.

Underground.

The black longsword slowly melted under the intense heat, but pure physical energy could hardly affect the blade's foundation.

Spiritual Artifacts,

in essence, already contained the Great Dao.

The Great Dao is eternal!

Thus, Spiritual Artifacts were naturally difficult to destroy.

The Yin Yang Dual Swords involved space and the flow of energy. The Yang Sword could tear open the void, while the Yin Sword could draw upon the vast power of heaven and earth.

When the two swords were combined, their power was peerless.

As time went on, Pei Jingque's Physical Body and her Magical Treasure, the Three-Flame Simurgh Fan, silently merged into the light.

As the intense heat melted the Yin Sword, Pei Jingque's fire-aspected Primordial Spirit also began to fuse with it, bit by bit.

Time passed.

It was unclear how much time had gone by.

"HUMMM..."

A slight tremor startled Zhu Ju, who was sitting cross-legged above with his eyes closed in Cultivation. He lowered his head to look down.

He saw that the once pitch-black Yin Sword was now crimson from hilt to tip. Its body had become slender and sharp, losing its former simple, grand design, and it now exuded an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

"My wife..."

Zhu Ju's expression was complicated.

In the past, although Pei Jingque had relied on the Three-Flame Simurgh Fan to live, she had, after all, possessed a Physical Body.

But now, her Physical Body was gone, and she had completely and utterly become a "sword."

"HUMMM..."

The longsword trembled again.

A ripple, imperceptible to the naked eye, spread out in all directions through the earth, causing Zhu Ju's brow to furrow.

He didn't know the source of this ripple, but his instincts told him it was nothing good.

With a flick of his finger, The Investiture of the Gods silently unfurled, completely enveloping several miles of the earth below.

Once the Array was active, the strange phenomenon immediately subsided.

However, Zhu Ju's expression darkened, because Pei Jingque's aura immediately weakened as well.

'It's not working!'

Although the Array of The Investiture of the Gods could seal off the area from the outside world, it also interfered with the Refinement process.

If it remained trapped for too long, Pei Jingque's Primordial Spirit might be unable to fully merge with the sword.

He deactivated the Array.

The ripples appeared once more.

A kind of Invisible Power from heaven and earth began to gather. The longsword grew even more crimson as an unknown force gradually built up within it.

The situation seemed to improve because of this, but Zhu Ju had a bad feeling.

"Chief!"

Qiann Lan's voice came through the chip, tinged with alarm:

"The Cloud Wing Satellite has detected a Holy King Beast in the Third Barren Zone. It appears to be heading in your direction."

'A Holy King Beast?'

Zhu Ju's eyes twitched, but he didn't panic.

Things were different now. In the past, he could only handle a heavily injured Holy King Beast. But now, his Cultivation had reached the Mid-Stage Golden Core. More importantly, his Outer Body Incarnation Wukong's second Immortal Vein was complete, granting it power on par with a Holy King Beast.

"Notify Wuh Qing. Have her evacuate the base with her people."

"Yes, sir."

Qiann Lan acknowledged, then added:

"The experiment's progress might be affected."

"No matter," Zhu Ju said, his voice flat.

"As long as everyone is alive, that's what matters. The experiment can be done elsewhere. Besides, Funeng City has labs too."

"Understood."

After receiving authorization, Qiann Lan opened the bay doors at the top of the base, and a stream of Flying Artifacts entered in single file.

"Warning!"

"Warning!"

"Danger approaching. All personnel, evacuate immediately. Follow security staff to the Flying Artifacts and proceed to Safe City."

"Warning!"

"..."

"What's happening?" a researcher asked, looking up in confusion.

"What kind of danger could there be here?"

"Don't worry about it." Wuh Qing quickly gathered the files in front of her, sweeping several data discs into her Storage Ring.

"Just go, quickly!"

*

*

*

"Chief."

Qiann Lan's voice trembled: "Something's wrong. A Moonlight Silver Ape has appeared in the satellite's patrol range, and it's heading your way."

"And..."

"Two more Holy King Beasts have appeared nearby."

Four of them!

By now, four Holy King Beasts were rushing toward this location. It was clearly not a coincidence.

"Chief," Qiann Lan's voice filled with concern. "What on earth is happening over there? How could you attract Holy King Beasts from ten thousand miles away?"

"Get out of there, quick! Come back to Safe City!"

"Come back to Safe City?" Zhu Ju lowered his head, glanced at the crimson longsword below him, and asked, "The closest Holy King Beast—how long until it arrives?"

"Very soon!" Qiann Lan replied hurriedly. "It's changed direction a few times, but it will correct its course soon. It'll be there in less than an hour."

"Chief!"

"There's no time!"

"That's enough." Zhu Ju cut the connection. With a wave of his hand, his Outer Body Incarnation Wukong appeared at his side.

"Stop them!"

"Screee..."

Wukong shook his head, stretched his body while holding his short staff, and then vanished in a flash.

「Several hundred miles away.」

An ox, large as a small mountain, appeared in the distance and drew near.

The ox was shrouded in emerald Ghost Fire, as if tens of thousands of Vengeful Spirits were circling it. Wherever it passed, the earth cracked, all life withered, and even hard rock crumbled into drifting ash.

The Nether Flame Ox!

It usually haunted dead, desolate regions and disliked places where the living dwelled, which was why it posed no threat to Safe City.

"MOOO!"

"BAM!"

Suddenly, a short staff, descending with immense weight, appeared above the Nether Flame Ox's head. It crashed down with the force of Mountain Opening.

The charging Nether Flame Ox let out a pained cry, its head split open as it crashed to its knees.

This was different from the time they had surrounded and tried to kill Qit Baifeng. Back then, Wukong couldn't use his Void Shifting technique due to the array. Now, however, he possessed two Immortal Veins: one for Void Shifting and one for explosive Giant Power.

On top of that, its own physical strength was not much weaker than a Holy King Beast's.

"BAM!"

"BAM! BAM!"

Wukong's figure flickered as the short staff in its hand danced into a blur of afterimages. In the blink of an eye, it had battered the Nether Flame Ox until it was covered in wounds. For a moment, the Nether Flame Ox, a Holy King Beast, had no power to fight back.

"SCREEECH!"

At that moment, a giant blue bird let out a sharp cry as it soared across the sky.

Wukong looked up. With no time to finish off the heavily injured Nether Flame Ox, it shot toward the blue bird in the sky.

"CLANG..."

The short staff collided with the bird's beak. The resulting shockwave shredded the clouds for a hundred miles in every direction, and the two figures were both thrown back violently.

"THUD!"

The ground shook as a centipede covered in bizarre claws shot into the sky, its pincers swinging toward Wukong.

A Holy King Beast!

In just a few moments, three Holy King Beasts had appeared here.

Wukong flickered to the side, dodging the attack, but before it could make another move, a giant hand seized it.

The Moonlight Silver Ape!

Yet another Holy King Beast.

"ROAR!"

Wukong's eyes turned crimson. It threw its head back and roared in fury, the Power of the Immortal Vein erupting from its body, and it instantly broke free from the grip.

Immediately after, illusory figures spread out in all directions. Wukong, short staff in hand, seemed to split into hundreds of copies, launching a frenzied assault on the four Holy King Beasts.

As a Primordial Spirit Stone Embryo born from the spiritual quintessence of heaven and earth, it possessed immense natural Talent.

Giant Power and Shifting.

Combined with the tendrils of the Creation Immortal Vine in its hand, for a time, it actually managed to trap all four Holy King Beasts in place.

However...

"ROAR!"

A deafening roar came from the distance.

Deep underground, Zhu Ju's expression sank. He extended his senses and detected two more powerful auras appearing one after the other.

Holy King Beasts!

Six of them!

No matter how strong Wukong was, there was no way it could handle so many Holy King Beasts.

As for Zhu Ju...

His Ten Directions Cross Sword and Wind and Thunder Blade Wings were severely damaged. He would have trouble facing even one Holy King Beast.

Time ticked by, second by second.

With the arrival of the other two Holy King Beasts, Wukong's defense was clearly starting to crumble.

The Power of the Immortal Vein within its body was also being rapidly depleted.

Zhu Ju lowered his head.

He looked at the longsword flashing ceaselessly below.

He didn't know why, but these Holy King Beasts were clearly after this Treasure Sword.

'Logic tells me I should abandon the longsword, flee, and prioritize my own survival.

'Taking it a step further, I could just shatter Pei Jingque's Primordial Spirit and return the Treasure Sword to its unrefined state. That way, it wouldn't attract the Holy King Beasts, since there were no issues before.

'Then I could refine the Treasure Sword myself, use the power of the Spiritual Artifact to kill the Holy King Beasts, and avenge Pei Jingque.

'As for affection...

'To be honest...

'The two of them didn't have a very deep emotional connection.

'Meeting, getting to know each other, marrying—it was more about responsibility.

'As a disciple of the Bright Void Sect, I had to ensure I wouldn't leave the Sect. I had a physical relationship with Pei Jingque, and our marriage was far more about duty to the Sect and responsibility than it was about love.'

His thoughts raced.

Scenes from the past flashed quickly through his mind.

In the end, his thoughts settled on an image of Pei Jingque's placid face, holding just a hint of a smile.

"What makes a person human is their inability to truly see how desire and emotion affect them."

"I..."

"...am no different!"

With a soft sigh, Zhu Ju's eyes focused, and he tapped his fingers lightly on his abdomen.

Inside his Dantian.

Cracks suddenly appeared on his once bright and flawless Golden Core.