Forging Artifacts with Devouring Starstones?

Lu Wuhen exerted immense pressure on him. The man's strength and cultivation were very likely above his own. His half-step Body Integration was not the usual sort where someone merely brushed the threshold of the Body Integration Realm. Rather, Lu Wuhen gave the distinct impression that he could step into the Body Integration Realm at any moment, whenever he wished! In other words, the participants in the arena match were limited only by age, not by realm. He had to be prepared for the possibility that Lu Wuhen might break through to Body Integration during the duel. As for Ye Feng and the others, he had full confidence in their strength. And losing? Li Guanqi never allowed himself to contemplate defeat, regardless of who stood before him! Meanwhile, within the domain, Xi Yunhuai was studying a formation that flickered with silver light, his eyes bloodshot, his mind utterly absorbed in the intricacies of the runes... *Boom!* The spiritual energy throughout the Purple Spirit Grotto-Heaven surged like a raging storm, forming a vortex spanning thousands of feet across that poured directly toward Li Guanqi! Seven days—the calm before the storm was the most oppressive. In the pitch-black void, a woman with a dark flower blossoming between her brows heard a man's voice echo beside her ear. "In time, you may become the next Liang. "As long as you break through to the Void Refining Realm, you will be the Saintess of the ancient Cloud Brocade Palace." Song Zhi'ang nodded impassively, her eyes fluttering shut. Her cold, breathtaking face slowly submerged beneath the murky, dark pool. *** Elsewhere, Cao Yan and the others had arrived within the Meng clan domain in the Shenbao Domain. When Li Guilan saw Ye Feng and the rest, her eyes filled with affectionate warmth. In her eyes, these young men were her son-in-law's trusted sworn brothers, each an exceptional talent. Moreover, they were extraordinarily polite, treating the woman with the utmost deference. After all, she was their Eldest Brother's mother-in-law. If any of them dared show disrespect, Ye Feng would have erupted on the spot. Meng Jiangchu also understood the urgency of the situation; very little time was left on the clock. Even so, the sheer talent and strength of Ye Feng's group left him profoundly shocked. When he learned that all three possessed Saint Grade spirit ruins, his voice jumped several pitches. "What?! All three of you have Saint Grade spirit ruins?" "Wait, that can't be right! Brat Ye, didn't you possess a seventh-grade Sword Ruins before?" The three exchanged glances, smiling without offering an explanation. Ye Feng took a step forward, presenting Meng Jiangchu with an exquisitely crafted array plate, and said solemnly, "Senior Meng, Eldest Brother knows how much strain this will put on you, so he told me I must place this in your hands personally." Meng Jiangchu did not think much of it at first—until he sent a sliver of primal energy into the array plate. *Boom!* The formation expanded. Meng Jiangchu's pupils contracted violently, and he snapped his head up to glare at Ye Feng, demanding in a heavy voice, "Guanqi had you give this to me?" Ye Feng replied with a grin, "That's right. He said it was only a modest gift, and asked that you not take offense." Meng Jiangchu's mouth twitched. A supreme array plate boasting a threefold time dilation, and the brat dared to call it a modest gift? Originally, he had intended to fire up the furnace and forge all three dharma artifacts in a single frantic rush, but with this in hand, time would not be nearly so tight. Ushering the three into the forging chamber, Ye Feng, Xiao Chen, and Cao Yan paused at the threshold, swallowing hard. Inside a colossal forging furnace, five spirits of dark-green flame soared and dipped through the air. Envy gleamed in Cao Yan's eyes as he watched the flames, murmuring, "The Five Yang Ghost Flame! Incredible..." Meng Jiangchu said, "The two of you, lend me your assistance with your Yinming Profound Flame and Great Sky Rosy Flame shortly. Little Cao, you can sit this out. "All right, manifest your ruins artifacts. This time, I will forge weapons modeled precisely after their forms. "That way, your harmony with your spirit ruins will be seamless." Without hesitation, the three manifested the arms of their respective spirit ruins. In an instant, the void trembled as one magnificent ruins artifact after another emerged. Ye Feng's Nu Sha Sword, Cao Yan's Gu Yang Gauntlets, Xiao Chen's She Shen Spear... Seeing their ruins artifacts, Meng Jiangchu's gaze burned with fervor. He was truly envious! He possessed only a single king-grade ruins artifact, yet each of the three youths before him wielded a Saint Grade one. Setting aside their Saint Grade nature, a single glance revealed that none of these weapons were ordinary creations. He could even tell that they did not originate from the Spirit Realm! Furthermore... these ruins artifacts were clearly not born of the manifestations of their inner obsessions. They were unmistakably legendary weapons from the past that had been transformed into ruins artifacts through the sheer might of a supreme expert, allowing these young men to claim them as their own! *Damn it all! Just how many secrets is that brat hiding?!* In particular, when he caught sight of the mottled bloodstains upon Ye Feng's Nu Sha Sword, his throat bobbed. He could not resist sending a soft transmission. "Immortal blood?" Ye Feng rubbed his nose, neither confirming nor denying it. An audacious plan struck Meng Jiangchu's mind. He wanted to... forge three growth-type ruins artifacts! As long as these weapons continued to grow alongside them in the future, a day might come when... The trio's ruins artifacts would become the spirits within the physical weapons in their hands! When that happened, the ruins artifact and weapon would merge into one. The power of those arms would be unleashed to its absolute limit! "*Phew...*" Meng Jiangchu looked deeply at the three and said in a grave tone, "Wait here for a moment. I'm missing one material, but I'll have it sorted out shortly." Returning to his private chamber, Meng Jiangchu took out a jade slip and spoke into it with great caution. "Elder Su, do you have any Devouring Starstones on hand?" Before long, Su Xuan's voice drifted back from the jade slip. "How much do you need?" Delight surged through Meng Jiangchu's heart. He held up three fingers and answered, "Three! Three fist-sized pieces will do!" In the pitch-black void, the corners of Su Xuan's mouth twitched, and he cursed under his breath, "It takes me three centuries just to dredge up a fingernail-sized piece of Devouring Starstone, and you open your maw asking for three fist-sized chunks?!" Meng Jiangchu rubbed his hands together with a dry chuckle. "Well, I don't even have a fingernail-sized piece... Besides, I'm only forging these weapons for that rascal Guanqi." At that point, his tone turned grim. "Regarding that wagered arena match... are we truly not going to intervene?" Su Xuan did not answer the question. He merely said, "Give me one hour." *Boom!* Inside the sealed Meng clan domain, fire-attributed primal energy erupted into a frenzy as the power of three heavenly flames permeated the void. Cao Yan and the others struggled against the encroaching waves of heat, their skin baking until it felt scalding hot. Meng Jiangchu wore a severe expression, scowling as he roared, "More heat! Are you all so useless that you can't even melt a few rocks?!" Ye Feng's face was flushed a dark purplish red, straining with every ounce of strength he possessed to fuel the flames. He could not help snapping back, "You couldn't melt them either, could you?! Why else did you drag us in to help?!" Cao Yan was lending his strength as well, but those jet-black stones were absurdly resilient. Even with three heavenly flames combined with his mutated flame operating at maximum power, they could only melt the three stones by the barest fraction at a time.