Holy Outside, Demonic Within

Inside the Castellan Manor. Su Yu looked toward Zhao Li and said with a smile, "Teacher, I'm starting!" Zhao Li nodded. Today, Su Yu took the lead while he played a supporting role. To forge an armament of one's own Dao, it was naturally best to do it with one's own hands. At this moment, the armamentsmiths, including Hu Xiansheng, were all feeling a little thrilled. Over this past month, only they knew the astronomical price Su Yu had paid for this weapon. If it ended up merely producing an ordinary Earth armament, Su Yu would vomit blood from the sheer loss. Nearly all of Su Yu's worldly possessions had been poured into this. A hammer materialized—the Mind Expansion Hammer. Zhao Li said in a low voice, "First forge the covers, then join the spine; lay the foundation first, then bind the pages!" "Understood!" Su Yu took a deep breath. In the next moment, he swung his hammer to begin forging. Merging the cover with the spine was the foundation. Even so, since the spine was forged from a carrier, laying the foundation was an immensely arduous task. *Clang!* The crisp ring of the hammer reverberated through the ancient city, sending tremors outward! A single blow, yet the echoing vibrations rang without pause. Stacked strikes! Back when Su Yu and Zhao Li had joined forces to forge an armament, a single strike from Zhao Li reverberated 180 times. The stronger an armamentsmith was, the more strikes they could discern. Back then, Su Yu had made out 108 strikes, the strongest of the other Earth armamentsmiths had heard 144, and only Zhao Tianbing had detected all 180. At that time, Su Yu's strength was still weak. At that time, Su Yu had not yet mastered the oscillation method. So back then, when Su Yu forged armaments on his own, a single hammer strike could not layer many vibrations. Yet today, at the very first strike, Zhao Li's furrowed brows instantly smoothed out. Seventy-two strikes! A single blow appeared to be just one hit, but in that split second, it reverberated seventy-two times. Although Su Yu had not forged armaments for quite some time, with his increase in cultivation strength and his deepening comprehension of the oscillation method, his progress was enormous. *** *Clang!* This hammer strike rang out differently from the forging sounds that had echoed over the past month. Outside the ancient city, an armamentsmith well-versed in the craft listened and remarked with delight, "The Mind Expansion Hammer! Zhao Li or Su Yu has formally begun forging!" The Mind Expansion Hammer was an exclusive legacy. In all the myriad realms, only Zhao Li and Su Yu knew it. As armamentsmiths, the various experts possessed some understanding of Zhao Li's Mind Expansion Hammer. The moment they heard the strike, someone deduced that this was the legacy of Zhao Li's Expanding Will Art; it had to be either Zhao Li or Su Yu. Just then, the void rippled. People had arrived. Experts of the human race! King Tianzhu wore a gloomy expression. Beside him, Nan Wujiang arrived accompanied by Yun Chen. Behind them followed several Invincibles, along with a number of youths and armamentsmiths. "Seventy-two strikes!" King Tianzhu spoke with feeling. "Su Yu has probably truly stepped into the Earth rank!" *Clang!* Another crisp chime sounded. King Tianzhu listened for a moment, raising his eyebrows slightly. Seventy-three strikes. Was Su Yu getting into the groove? Gradually increasing his count of stacked strikes? In the distance, other powerful armamentsmiths arrived as well. They were not humans, but rather members of the Earth Fire Demon race, who were renowned for their forging. Right now, that Earth Fire Demon powerhouse laughed heartily. "Good, truly good! Seventy-three stacked strikes! With Su Yu's strength, layering seventy-three strikes at once means that, even ignoring everything else, a single blow like this would crush a sixth-layer Shanhai expert's willpower!" He was speaking strictly of willpower, not physical strength; physically, Su Yu had long possessed Sun Moon Realm power. "Layering seventy-three strikes at once... is indeed impressive!" Several powerhouses nodded in agreement, especially those of the armamentsmith path. One might harbor hostility toward Su Yu, but no one could deny his talent in the craft. Su Yu was so young, yet he had reached this level so quickly; to deny Su Yu would be to deny oneself and the entire path of armamentsmithing. As Su Yu's forging commenced, clouds and mist swirled in the sky above. Gradually, the projection of a rectangular block emerged. The moment someone caught sight of the projection, they smiled. "It's starting at the Earth armament level!" Only an Earth armament had the potential to cast a projection. Of course, whether it could be successfully forged remained uncertain, but judging by the projection, it already possessed the foundation of an Earth armament. As for what the rectangular block was, no one could make it out clearly. In truth, it was merely the projection of the book cover. Right now, the first golden grain appeared on the cover. *** Beside Niu Baidao, Cui Lang arrived. Cui Lang was an armamentsmith as well, though he had only barely stepped into the Profound rank. Looking at the projection, he could not help turning to Niu Baidao. "Director, is he forging a brick?" Why did it look so much like a brick? Niu Baidao ignored him. It certainly wasn't a brick! Right then, King Tianzhu spoke from the side. "Su Yu is actually attempting to forge and assemble it all on his own. His strength isn't that overwhelming; whether he can hold out for a full day is hard to say! Forging an Earth armament—especially an Earth armament of no low caliber—takes at least a day." "He can do it!" Niu Baidao chimed in. "He knows the Expanding Will Art, his willpower is formidable, and he recovers quickly. He definitely won't have any trouble!" King Tianzhu said no more, for Su Yu was still deep in the process of forging. *Clang!* The shockwaves rippled in all directions. The penetrating clangs made some listeners uncomfortable; certain cultivators in the Tengkong Realm even felt a sense of suffocation. With every hammer blow Su Yu delivered, they felt as though a heavy strike had landed directly upon their hearts. For now, Su Yu's forging proceeded fairly normally. A master armamentsmith watched for a while and remarked, "It looks like a normal armament, nothing weird has happened..." "Indeed. Looking at this momentum, no tribulation will appear. If he succeeds, there will likely be some rewards from the rules." Up in the sky, the projection gleamed golden. This was the standard process of forging. Su Yu was adhering strictly to orthodox methods without playing any tricks, so everyone set aside their stray thoughts and quietly watched. *** Yet inside the Castellan Manor, Zhao Li's expression was grave. Normal? No, this was no normal weapon—this was a weapon of slaughter! Su Yu had not yet bound the pages. The pages were where the crafting of this murderous weapon truly began. Each page contained a drop of Sun Moon blood essence, making it an outright blood weapon, a weapon of carnage! Three hundred drops of Sun Moon blood essence, three hundred different races, three hundred dead Sun Moon figures! The cover was forged like a normal weapon, and Su Yu had even blended a touch of sacred power into it: holy on the outside, demonic within! The book cover brimmed with an aura of benevolence and righteousness. It felt just like a saintly armament. In reality, that was utter nonsense! Zhao Li knew it, and Zhao Tianbing and the others knew it as well. Hammer strikes fell one after another. The shockwaves shattered Su Yu's upper garments, exposing his lean, corded muscles. His shoulder-length hair was sheared short by the vibrations, leaving behind a spiky crew cut like needles. Beads of sweat began rolling down his body. *Drip, drip...* Sweat fell to the floor like steel ball bearings, striking heavily against the ground. *Clang!* Seventy-four strikes! Gripping the massive hammer, Su Yu increased the number of stacked strikes once more, and another golden grain instantly surfaced. Several armamentsmiths stood around him, watching in silence. They watched quietly as Su Yu hammered the cover into the spine blow by blow. The spine was crafted from an ancient carrier and was exceedingly tough; embedding the cover into it was not something an ordinary person could achieve. Flames surged! They constantly baked the spine, allowing the cover to be slotted in. While heating it, Su Yu ignited the Fire of Inheritance, using it to temper the spine and make it appear even more sacred. *Buzz!* The spine trembled, and yet another golden grain surfaced. Su Yu continued swinging the great hammer, sweating like rain as he struck again and again. With every blow, the massive recoil set his muscles trembling. His physical body was exceptionally strong; otherwise, forging a carrier was something even ordinary Earth armamentsmiths would struggle to accomplish. Zhao Li watched steadily. After a moment, he suddenly said, "With each new golden grain, add one more strike to the stack!" Su Yu said nothing, but followed Zhao Li's advice and began stacking further. With every new golden grain that appeared, the stacked strikes increased by one. The resounding chimes shook all four directions. The surrounding armamentsmiths felt no pressure at all; instead, they savored the experience, feeling the vibrations of each strike and tuning their own breathing and cultivation to Su Yu's rhythm. Hu Xiansheng, on the other hand, felt quite uncomfortable. He knew little of armamentsmithing, and each of Su Yu's hammer blows left him feeling distinctly unsettled. Zhao Tianbing transmitted his voice: "Director Hu, if you feel uncomfortable, try stepping farther back. This is the path of forging; it is not suited for outsiders." Hu Xiansheng was speechless. *As if you guys are so amazing.* Space rippled slightly around him. Hu Xiansheng absorbed the oscillating force, and instantly, the discomfort vanished. Seeing this, the armamentsmiths said no more. This man specialized in the spatial path, a rare spatial Civilization Master who was far stronger than he seemed. *** *Clang! Clang!* The number of stacked strikes grew higher, and on the projection, golden grains multiplied. Nine grains formed! The peak of the low-tier Yellow rank. Outside the city. Someone watched and laughed. "It exudes a path of benevolence and righteousness. Is Su Yu aiming to forge a sage's armament?" It was part jest, part truth. In the void, white light flickered, akin to finding light amidst darkness. The aura was tranquil and even carried the refined scent of books, taking many by surprise. At his core, this fellow Su Yu was still a scholar. Looking at the projection again, someone chuckled. "He wouldn't be forging a book, would he? It looks somewhat like one. You can never understand what goes through these scholars' minds!" At this moment, powerhouses and geniuses alike were observing. Because the craftsman was Su Yu. Everyone was deeply intrigued by him! Otherwise, so many people would never have gathered. Within the crowd, an elder and a young woman were also observing. Both wore special masks that did not belong to the Heaven Hunting Pavilion. The young woman transmitted her voice: "Elder, that bloodthirsty butcher—can he still be considered a scholar? A man of benevolence and righteousness? Forging a sage's civilized armament... do you buy that?" The one addressed as Elder glanced around, sensed the surroundings, and transmitted back: "I don't buy it, but... it really is an armament of the sage's path! With such sacred, radiant power, I almost feel like a villain myself! I'm not curious about that, though. What I'm curious about is what material that guy is using to forge it. Why do I get the feeling that the material is extraordinarily unusual?" He too was exceptionally skilled in spatial arts. Right now, he vaguely sensed that the materials Su Yu was using were anything but ordinary. The young woman was not surprised, transmitting: "He's rich. No matter what he uses to forge, it wouldn't be strange." "No, that's not... forget it." Kongkong wanted to say something, but held back. He felt that Su Yu might be using something truly remarkable. Furthermore, Hu Xiansheng had severed a massive volume of space earlier, yet none of that spatial power was perceptible right now. It was entirely possible that Su Yu had not even begun the true forging process yet. *** *Clang!* Eighteen golden grains! The peak of the mid-tier Yellow rank. Altogether, about half an hour had passed. Su Yu had swung his hammer over a thousand times, each strike an act of thorough tempering. The better the materials, the harder the forging. For an ordinary mid-tier Yellow armament, Su Yu might have finished it in just a few minutes. The stacked strikes had increased to ninety per blow. Su Yu was drenched in sweat, but the moisture was instantly vaporized by his aura before it could even drip, preventing it from distracting him. Zhao Li had not stepped in. He was merely assisting Su Yu's forging. So long as Su Yu could persevere, he would not interfere. The flames burned ever more fiercely. The cover was not yet fully embedded; this was still only the cover alone. *Clang!* Twenty golden grains appeared—high-tier Yellow rank. Paying no heed to this, Su Yu hammered on with undivided focus. At this moment, nothing else mattered to him. His sole objective was to forge, to bring into being this weapon intimately bound to his destiny. *Clang!* Another golden grain manifested, and Su Yu's hammer strikes grew heavier. Inside the city, some residents began shutting their doors. The reverberating blows made their hearts flutter uncomfortably, leaving them deeply unsettled. Meanwhile, Su Yu continuously swapped divine characters, applying roaring fire and cascading lightning to temper the entire spine. With a carrier as its core, even Su Yu felt strained—not because of any waste, but because the difficulty of forging had skyrocketed! *** An hour passed. Twenty-seven golden grains appeared. *** Two hours passed. Thirty-six golden grains appeared. The peak of the Yellow rank! Even though it was only at the peak of the Yellow rank, many onlookers could already feel a surging sense of immense power. A master of the armamentsmith path clicked his tongue in wonder. "The foundation of this armament is simply too magnificent. Even now, it's still in the foundation-laying stage. What on earth is Su Yu using to forge it? He's laid the foundation all the way to the peak of the Yellow rank!" Someone surmised, "It likely has the foundation of a Heaven armament. That fellow is planning ahead for forging a Heaven armament in the future. A fine idea, but... if he dies before reaching the Heaven rank, this embryonic vessel will just end up benefiting someone else." As he spoke, he chuckled. The foundation of Su Yu's weapon was undeniably superb. Even now, golden grains were appearing with complete fluidity, meaning the foundation stage had not yet ended. Once the foundation was fully laid, golden grains would not appear so rapidly; only then would the true challenge of pushing the limits begin. *Clang!* A hammer blow shook the void with a booming crash. The projection in the sky grew much clearer as thirty-seven golden grains emerged. A Profound armament had appeared. In the sky, Su Yu's own projection almost seemed to take shape. A gleaming golden physique appeared to reflect across the void. Sweat pouring like rain, striking against the heavens. A female demon clicked her tongue admiringly. "What a physique! Who would have thought City Lord Su, with his delicate, fair skin, actually had such a body beneath it!" "Shameless!" On the human side, someone snorted in disdain. Truly shameless. Yet no one paid them any attention. People weren't interested in that. Someone said with a chuckle, "Tianzhu, what rank do you think the weapon Su Yu ends up forging will reach?" King Tianzhu glanced in that direction and said impassively, "Does that have anything to do with you?" "Tianzhu, you're truly dull!" It was the expert from the Earth Fire Demon race, grinning broadly. "How about a wager? I bet he can forge a mid-tier or high-tier Earth armament." "Not interested!" King Tianzhu had no desire to bet with him; he had no money to spare. Besides, he was not certain what Su Yu would produce this time either. All he knew was that Su Yu had likely not even begun the official forging process, because Niu Baidao had not entered the manor yet. Niu Baidao was supposed to provide Su Yu with certain components, which meant they had not reached that stage yet. Seeing his reaction, the Earth Fire Demon paid it no mind and said with a laugh, "This Su Yu—what a pity! If he had truly dedicated himself to the path of armamentsmithing, his accomplishments might not have been inferior to yours, Tianzhu. He's already stacked up to 108 strikes!" "The Zhao family's Mind Expansion Hammer is genuinely fascinating. I wonder if Zhao Li would be interested in trading it for some treasures..." The Zhao family's Mind Expansion Hammer was uniquely suited for forging. No one knew how Zhao Li had created it. Naturally, it was related to his father, who had been a grandmaster of the craft and had left behind techniques that Zhao Li had drawn heavily upon. King Tianzhu sneered internally. *Keep dreaming.* He knew Zhao Li's temper all too well. He had sent people to offer trades before, and Zhao Li had flatly refused, let alone to an outsider race. King Tianzhu had offered no small price, yet Zhao Li had completely ignored him. In the end, without taking a single coin, he had passed it on to Su Yu. Because he deemed Su Yu worthy, he passed it on. If he deemed someone unworthy, he would never impart it. *** "Forty grains!" After a long time, someone marveled, unable to resist saying, "Why does it feel like City Lord Su's forging... even though it's only at the Profound rank, its aura is stronger than an ordinary Earth armament? Could the Expanding Will Art really be that incredible?" "It has to do with his materials and the limits of his craftsmanship." "I don't understand it well, but I can vaguely sense it. How long will it take City Lord Su to finish forging?" "For an Earth armament, probably around a day." "That's not too bad..." The crowd buzzed with discussion. Meanwhile, Su Yu's hammer strikes fell without pause, and the golden grains continued to increase one by one. By this point, Su Yu had already embedded one side of the cover; the back cover was not yet attached. Even so, this incomplete book had already reached the Profound rank. Inside the Castellan Manor. Zhao Tianbing watched for a while, exhaled, and transmitted his voice: "Once both covers are embedded, it will probably reach the peak of the Profound rank." Zhao Li nodded. Just about. The mere framework was already at the peak of the Profound rank, and it was definitely stronger than an ordinary low-tier Earth armament. His only worry was whether Su Yu could hold out! Forging a weapon like this was far more difficult than forging a typical Earth armament. Su Yu's skills had undeniably reached the level of an Earth armamentsmith. There was no question about that. Yet how much longer could he endure? *** How much longer? Su Yu had no such concern. Up to this point, he had consumed a fair amount of willpower, but his recovery was equally swift. Whether Heaven Yuan Qi or other restorative treasures, he had barely touched them; there was no need to worry. Moreover, in forging, yuan qi could also be employed. Last time, he and Zhao Li had alternated between consuming yuan qi and willpower. His yuan qi was overly abundant, so what was the rush? Exhaustion, however, was real. Without a word, Su Yu continued to forge. Golden grains multiplied, and the number of stacked strikes grew higher. With every blow, the massive recoil set his muscles bulging. Forty-one golden grains, forty-two golden grains... Three hours passed. Four hours passed! More and more golden grains emerged, reaching a full fifty-five. Connoisseurs saw the craft, while laymen merely watched the spectacle. Outside, the laymen could not truly comprehend what was happening. Since it was still only a Profound armament up to this point, many did not pay it much mind. Only the experts grew increasingly solemn as they watched. Fifty-five golden grains had already been forged, yet why did it feel like Su Yu was still in the preparatory, brewing stage? Could it be that he truly intended to push the foundation all the way into the Earth rank? Was that even possible? *** A full eight hours elapsed. The seventy-second golden grain appeared! The peak of the Profound rank! At this moment, many onlookers exhaled. It seemed this was the limit; next, Su Yu would likely go all out to forge an Earth armament. Inside the Castellan Manor, Su Yu glanced down. Both sides of the cover had been embedded. The framework was prepared. The next step was to bind the pages, slotting them in leaf by leaf. Yet Su Yu slightly furrowed his brows and shook his head. Not enough! With the covers fully forged, it was merely at the peak of the Profound rank. Although his Profound peak was stronger than an ordinary Earth armament, it still fell short of his expectations. Su Yu took a deep breath, licked his lips, and laughed. "Teacher, whether I've truly inherited your legacy today all comes down to this!" Zhao Li looked at him and sighed. "I'm worried you won't be able to hold out!" "No problem!" Before the others could understand, Zhao Tianbing suddenly realized something and barked in a low voice, "Su Yu, think twice! If you re-forge it, the difficulty afterward will be far higher. You won't be able to handle it..." "No, I want to try! If I forge, I will forge the best! I believe I can do it. My strength right now is far greater than Teacher Zhao's was back then..." Zhao Li was speechless. *Can you fucking leave me out of this!* Yes, Su Yu was going to re-forge it. Re-forging! Just as Zhao Li had done, he would take the seventy-two golden grains, smash them back down, and then forge them back up again. Adding another cycle would make the civilized armament significantly stronger, but the difficulty would multiply exponentially. At this point, Hu Qi and the others finally understood. One after another, they spoke up: "Su Yu, you want to forge the spine itself into an Earth armament?" "Yes!" Panting, Su Yu grinned. "Precisely! If it doesn't reach the Earth rank, it's too weak, unworthy!" With those words, he let out a low shout and withdrew all his willpower. Powerful yuan qi instantly surged and boiled! Re-forging—he would use yuan qi to re-forge it. *Boom!* A hammer struck down. A golden grain did not scatter, but was compressed and reduced in size. The re-forging method—this was precisely what Zhao Li had done in the past. Zhao Li watched, feeling helpless inside. This kid was truly mad enough. You haven't even reached the final stage yet, and you're already re-forging. The difficulty that follows will be even more terrifying. *** "Re-forging?" Outside, the crowd was equally stunned. The Earth Fire Demon powerhouse exclaimed in surprise, "What is he doing? Re-forging? But he's still in the foundation-laying stage, and he's already starting to re-forge... isn't this... a bit too early, or even unnecessary?" At this moment, King Tianzhu did not care that he was speaking to a demon, and said in a grave voice, "It seems he's still only laying the foundation. Re-forging now will consume far too much energy. What will he do when he has to forge again? He isn't an Eternal! Can his stamina, vitality, and willpower keep up with such consumption?" The armamentsmith experts were all at a loss regarding Su Yu's plan. Still, re-forging seventy-two golden grains was within their comprehension. Others had assumed Su Yu was about to forge an Earth armament, only to see him stop. Some who did not know the craft asked curiously, "Did the forging fail? I see the golden grains decreasing..." Those who understood gave them cold, aloof looks. Idiots! If you don't understand, keep your mouth shut. Failure? Who told you that fewer golden grains meant failure? A genius from one of the major races explained with a smile, "This is the technique of re-forging! It is a method used by skilled craftsmen who are confident in their abilities to enhance the might of an armament. Once City Lord Su re-forges this weapon until no golden grains remain and then hammers it back to seventy-two golden grains, its power will surpass that of an ordinary Earth armament, yet its consumption will remain that of a Profound armament. It is the kind of weapon many powerhouses dream of!" Now, many understood. That was incredible! Forged as a Profound armament, but stronger than an Earth armament, with lower consumption and easier control—that was indeed marvelous. Someone asked, "Immortal Monarch Huoqi, then City Lord Su... should have no problem using an Earth armament, so why bother re-forging?" "To lay the foundation!" The genius who had spoken earlier replied, "City Lord Su has been laying the foundation this entire time. His goal is not an ordinary Earth armament, but an overwhelmingly powerful one. In terms of forging capability, once City Lord Su re-forges it back to seventy-two golden grains, his craft will already surpass that of an ordinary low-tier Earth armamentsmith." Even as they spoke, a golden grain vanished. The re-forging had officially begun. As the grain disappeared, the book framework's power seemed to intensify. Golden grains were the manifestation of power. Now that Su Yu had fused them into the framework itself, it naturally made the frame even more formidable. Vanish! They continued to vanish! It took another full eight hours for Su Yu to complete the re-forging. Every single golden grain had disappeared. By now, night had fallen. Su Yu had been forging continuously for sixteen hours. The outside world was shaken. This fellow's stamina was truly monstrous. At the very least, his endurance was beyond what an ordinary person could match. Yet Su Yu did not pause. Catching his breath slightly amidst pouring sweat, he resumed forging. After sixteen hours of continuous hammer strikes, his physical body was constantly reverberating with signs of an impending breakthrough. Su Yu suppressed it; it was not yet time, he had to wait. This time, as he forged anew, the golden grains appeared even faster. *** Six hours later, seventy-two golden grains manifested once more. This time, not only did seventy-two grains appear, but an illusory additional grain formed directly—a semi-Earth armament! The void rippled slightly. Vaguely, it seemed as if a reward was about to descend. Ordinary Earth armaments did not necessarily trigger rewards. Yet the Earth armament Su Yu was forging was far from ordinary, and it was an armament of the benevolent path. When Su Yu let out a furious roar and slammed down his hammer, a seventy-third solidified golden grain materialized! The Earth armament was successfully forged! At that moment, a gentle power manifested in the void and instantly merged into the book framework. Clouds appeared one after another, strengthening the frame. Su Yu broke into a wide grin! *I guessed right!* Sure enough, a reward. At least for now, it was a reward. Even the rules could be deceived; his weapon was not yet fully forged, but the framework had indeed been crafted in the mold of a saintly armament. This was the path of the sage! Benevolence, charity, elegance, scholarly grace... The frame was pure sanctity. Outside, a ripple of quiet gasps went through the crowd. The Earth armament was complete! There really was a reward! Incredible! On the All-Heavens Battlefield, receiving a reward for forging an Earth armament was not unprecedented, but it might happen only once in a hundred attempts. No one had expected that Su Yu's very first forging would draw down a reward from Heaven and Earth. This fellow could now be considered a true Earth armamentsmith in every sense. Even if Su Yu did not draw enmity, his status as an Earth armamentsmith alone would allow him to thrive anywhere in the myriad realms. *** "Is it finished?" Someone asked. It was fairly decent! Yet compared to expectations, it fell quite short. Having absorbed the benefits, Su Yu's Earth armament instantly gained three more golden grains, reaching seventy-six—a respectable weapon among low-tier Earth armaments. However... it was merely a low-tier Earth armament. Almost every genius and powerhouse present possessed one. Cultivators could use Earth armaments as early as the Shanhai Realm! While ordinary people might struggle to obtain one, these geniuses and powerhouses from various races were certainly not lacking in Earth armaments. After Su Yu had made such a huge commotion for so long, to produce only a low-tier Earth armament... to be frank, the crowd's great anticipation turned into a slight disappointment. They felt they had waited an entire day for nothing. *** Inside the Castellan Manor. Zhao Li and the others rose to their feet one after another. While the outside world assumed it was over, they knew this was only the beginning. Zhao Tianbing laughed. "Good lad, what boldness! You even dare to swindle the rules!" What saintly armament? It was an armament of slaughter! Yet Su Yu had insisted on beating the book framework into a saintly armament, even tricking the rules into granting a reward. Where was the sense in that? It was truly an eye-opener. Zhao Tianbing could only marvel at Su Yu's sheer audacity! Now, forging the slaughterous weapon would likely invite considerable trouble. Su Yu laughed heartily. "Rules are rules! What I'm forging is an armament of benevolence and righteousness to begin with! An instrument to reform all living things!" With those words, Su Yu's aura shifted. He said in a deep voice, "Everyone, I am about to officially begin! Please step back, or you might get caught up in the trouble!" The group nodded. Su Yu turned to Zhao Li. "Teacher, I might get struck by lightning next. I'll resist it, but the forging cannot stop. You need to be ready to take over the hammering at any moment!" Zhao Li nodded. A massive hammer appeared in his hand. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Don't worry!" "Here it comes!" A hovering page was drawn into Su Yu's hand. He flung it instantly toward the book cover. Blood qi abruptly erupted from the page, clashing violently with the cover, but Su Yu brought his hammer crashing down with a deafening boom! Up in the sky, the projection had been golden, but now it was suddenly tinged with blood-red. Inside the Castellan Manor, atop that single page, the phantom of a great demon roared, shrieking piteously as though unwilling to be sealed away. It struggled wildly, only to be hammered into the page blow after blow by Su Yu! This single effort drained Su Yu immensely. The projection in the void trembled violently, radiating a crimson hue. *** Some of the people who had been preparing to leave suddenly froze and turned back to look. Originally, that area had been surrounded by white light and gentle, sacred radiance. Now, blood qi billowed and murderous intent surged. Certain powerful armamentsmiths came to a sudden realization. King Tianzhu sighed, feeling somewhat helpless. "I knew that kid wasn't so gentle and kind. Sure enough, everything before was just laying the foundation. At his core, he still intends to forge an armament of slaughter!" Nan Wujiang watched for a moment and nodded slightly. "It felt strange earlier. Now it seems normal." Why would Su Yu pretend to be a benevolent soul? He had killed more people than anyone. Up in the sky, the rules that had just bestowed a reward now began gathering blood clouds. It seemed almost enraged—the fury of being deceived—or perhaps blood clouds were naturally drawn here because Su Yu was forging a weapon of slaughter! Yet it had not turned into a tribulation just yet. It had not reached that threshold, but if Su Yu continued, it would inevitably summon a tribulation. The first page was integrated! The golden grains did not increase, but the blood clouds gathered in heavy numbers. Su Yu ignored them and summoned the second page, driving it into the book cover in an instant. The projection of another colossal beast roared fiercely! Su Yu remained completely calm, hammering again and again until he forcefully drove it into the page. The blood clouds grew even denser. The third page, the fourth page... By the time the fifth page was forged into place, another golden grain appeared, reaching seventy-seven grains! At that very moment, the instant the golden grain formed, the blood clouds congealed into a humanoid shape and charged toward Su Yu, hurtling straight at his book. *** "A blood tribulation!" Outside the city, King Tianzhu murmured. Beside him, Yun Chen frowned. "This is only the first wave. If Su Yu doesn't stop, every new golden grain will summon another tribulation. He must halt immediately, or else... it will keep growing stronger. Right now, it's already comparable to a Shanhai!" Seventy-seven golden grains had drawn a tribulation with Shanhai-level combat power. Yet before the eyes of the watching crowd, a thunderous roar erupted: "I am your tribulation!" The roar was immense. A gaping maw materialized, and Su Yu swallowed the blood humanoid in a single gulp! With a tremendous boom, the blood cloud scattered. Su Yu snorted. *A mere Shanhai dares act as my tribulation?!* *It just so happens that this blood tribulation can temper my physical body. I was just annoyed that it kept trying to break through; suppressing it a bit works out fine.* "Fierce!" Someone muttered. Truly savage. Was a Shanhai-level tribulation weak? This fiend had swallowed it in one bite, and the sounds of hammering never even paused. Clearly, a tribulation of that level could not harm Su Yu in the slightest. Paying no heed, Su Yu continued his frenzied hammering, binding page after page. The blood clouds began gathering anew. A weapon of slaughter had to be punished. In the void, half was white and half was red. The red was blood qi, while the white was sacred power. Holy and demonic in a single body! This time, after six pages were integrated, a loud rumble echoed as another golden grain surfaced—seventy-eight grains! The blood clouds condensed once more into an afterimage, hurtling toward Su Yu and the book. Holding the hammer in his right hand, Su Yu formed a fist with his left and threw a punch, blowing the blood silhouette to pieces! In the next instant, a divine character appeared—the "Blood" divine character. Thick with the scent of blood, it instantly absorbed the scattered remnants of the blood clouds, leaving not a single trace behind. Su Yu continued forging, continued binding pages, and in the void, the blood clouds gathered once more, stronger than before. *** "What a mad little fellow!" In the void, the Minister of the Heaven Division from the Heaven Hunting Pavilion shook his head. "He custom-ordered a vast quantity of materials, far more than this. This might only be the beginning. That fellow is aiming straight for a Heaven armament! The way this is going, a Sun Moon tribulation is bound to appear!" "He is indeed mad. I thought he was truly just forging a saintly armament, but it turns out to be a blood weapon. That boy's killing intent is still as heavy as ever!" "Who would believe he'd forge a saintly armament? I never believed it from the start!" "..." A group of Invincibles conversed among themselves. Watching Su Yu forge was its own form of entertainment. At least the kid hadn't stopped at an ordinary Earth armament, and watching the heavenly tribulation unfold was a spectacle in itself. After all, the rules of Heaven and Earth did not reveal themselves every day.