Chapter 524: Where Did Second Leader Go?

Chapter 524: Where Did Second Leader Go?

It was called a sword hut, but the area that it occupied was quite expansive. At the peak of the mountain, there was a lake, and beside the lake was a wide clearing. Standing in the center of that clearing was a massive bronze furnace, and next to it was a small hut.

Dark gold flames were blazing inside the bronze furnace, and suspended above the flames was a cleaver gleaming with golden light! A young disciple stood before the furnace and steadily fed pieces of spirit charcoal into the fire, intensifying the flames.

This was the scene that Chu Liang and Jiang Yuebai saw when they stealthily approached the sword hut. They crouched low and hid to the side, making no rash movements for the time being.

"That must be the Famous Yipin Knife," Jiang Yuebai said through Voice Transmission.

Stolen goods couldn't be used openly due to the possibility of them being recognized, so they needed to be reforged.

"It looks like the knife won't be smelted anytime soon. Let's see if we can snatch it away. Otherwise, we'll notify the Imperial Supervisory Bureau," Chu Liang replied, also through Voice Transmission.

Once they had the physical evidence, it would be much easier for the Imperial Supervisory Bureau to take action.

A middle-aged man who looked mighty and fierce emerged from the hut. His eyebrows were sharp like swords, and his eyes were the color of bronze bells. He was brimming with abundant vitality.

That man was likely Zhang Bailian, the sect leader of the Sword Forging Sect.

The young disciple immediately stood up and said, "Esteemed Teacher, I've added the spirit charcoal as you instructed, but... isn't it too much? We've never used such intense flames before. Could the furnace explode?"

"No," Zhang Bailian replied. "When Baili Tong smelted the Profound Aetherflame Essence Iron, he used the imperial family's Samadhi True Fire. We don't have such a powerful fire, so we have to use the Earthfire Sect's Primordial Core Fire. This fire is gentle but lacks force, so if the fire isn't intense, we won't be able to reforge this knife even after leaving it in the furnace for three days and nights."

He sounded like he was quite angry about that.

In Zhang Bailian's mind, the only things that separated him from the top three swordsmiths of the era were external factors like his cultivation level and access to special kinds of fire. In terms of true sword-forging skills, he believed he was second to none.

Unfortunately, he had hit the limit of his cultivation potential. It seemed impossible for him to break through to the Heavenly Gate. Now, he only had a sliver of hope left that he would be able to reach the seventh realm.

Nevertheless, even with the chancellor supporting him, his access to resources was still restricted to a limited selection. He couldn't access the world's divine fires at will.

"I see," the young disciple responded with a look of enlightenment.

"Tietou, you did very well this time," Zhang Bailian praised his disciple. "If the chancellor rewards us, the rewards will all go to you."

Zhao Tietou, the young disciple, was overjoyed. "Thank you, Esteemed Teacher!"

The chancellor had always been liberal with his money. Once they were done forging this legendary weapon, the chancellor would surely reward them generously.

Chu Liang and Jiang Yuebai silently observed the disciple and teacher from the side, unable to find a good opportunity to grab the knife.

Zhang Bailian's cultivation level was not on par with the three great swordsmiths. Still, seeing as he had managed to become the leader of his sect, he had to be at least at the pinnacle of the sixth realm.

The Heavenly Gate was like an insurmountable chasm, blocking countless people from the next realm. While many saw that as the end of their cultivation path, it didn't mean their combat power couldn't improve.

That was why the cultivators at the pinnacle of the sixth realm had levels of power that varied greatly. For example, Zhang Juque from the Great Astral Sect was known as the strongest sixth-realm cultivator and had the power to challenge the Dao Attainment Realm. Zhang Bailian had been famous for years, but it was hard to gauge his exact strength.

This was the heart of the Sword Forging Sect. If Chu Liang and Jiang Yuebai were to make a move and get discovered, it wouldn't take long for the members of the Sword Forging Sect to surround them. It would be difficult for them to escape then.

Chu Liang watched the blazing furnace as Zhao Tietou continued to feed spirit charcoal into it. Then a thought sparked in his mind.

He quietly told Jiang Yuebai through Voice Transmission, "I have an idea."

...

"That Baili Tong obtained a large piece of Profound Aetherflame Essence Iron but failed to grasp its true essence. What a waste," Zhang Bailian said, staring into the furnace. "He did not realize that the material contained sulfur, indicating that the iron was compromised. This meant that to forge an exceptional sword, he needed to add other top-grade materials to filter out the sulfur. [1]

"So, he ended up forging the Profound Aetherflame Iron Sword, made purely with the Profound Aetherflame Essence Iron. That sword made it onto the Catalog of the Mortal World's Ten Thousand Treasures, but it was practically a failure.

Chu Liang had given Jiang Yuebai a rough idea about how intense the explosion would be, but it still exceeded her expectations. The massive explosion sent the Famous Yipin Knife flying into the sky like an arc of light, streaking through the air like a shooting star!

"Let's go," Chu Liang said.

By the time the members of the Sword Forging Sect rushed over in confusion to see what had happened, Chu Liang and Jiang Yuebai had already left calmly, going after the Famous Yipin Knife.

...

Meanwhile, there was a group of people somewhere nearby, heading toward the capital of Yu.

A middle-aged man was leading the group. He had a malicious gaze and a dark yellow-bronze complexion, with a glossy sheen to his skin.

The man flew in silence.

There were four youths behind him. One of them had striking red hair and similarly glossy skin, as if cast from bronze.

"When we arrive at the capital of Yu, you must all be cautious," the middle-aged man warned. "Don't let those mountain habits show. This place is different. If our identities are discovered, we will all die."

"Got it, Second Brother," the red-haired youth replied with a laugh. "If the sky falls, the people of Evil Dragon Mountain will hold it up. We'll just treat it as we truly did come here to compete with those righteous immortal sects."

The three underlings beside him chimed in.

"Heh, with Second Leader leading us and Third Leader participating in the battle, we at Bronze Demon Ridge will surely crush the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten!"

"Right! With Second Leader leading us, we will stomp on the Penglai Supreme Sect, beat up the Endless Sword Sect, and head straight to the palace for the Qinghong Banquet!"

"By then, our names will spread across the world. When people hear we're from Bronze Demon Ridge, won't everyone flock to the West Sea to learn from us?"

"Hahaha!"

Their lively chatter continued as they approached the capital of Yu.

The middle-aged man gave another warning. "It's good to have high morale, but you must be cautious. Old Third, your transcendent form is incomplete, so be careful when fighting those prodigies of the righteous path. You're not like me. I've already advanced to the sixth realm and possess the Invincible Bronze Demon Body. Even legendary weapons can't wound me—"

Boom!

At that moment, there was a massive explosion in the distance, drawing all of their gazes to it. They saw a crimson sun rise from the mountaintop nearby.

However, they didn't notice an arc of light flash overhead like a streak of lightning. It was so fast that it was barely visible to the naked eye.

"What just happened? Those are such powerful flames!" the red-haired youth exclaimed in shock.

"Yeah, they're terrifyingly mighty..." one of the underlings echoed.

"That looks like the Phoenix-Spirit Divine Fire. I accidentally entered the outskirts of Divine Phoenix Island in the West Sea once and saw this divine fire..." another underling said. He gasped. "Could it be that a divine phoenix has descended upon the capital of Yu?"

The third underling patted his chest in relief. "Good thing we're far enough from the explosion."

"Forget about it. It's got nothing to do with us. But the capital of Yu is indeed a place with hidden dangers. Second Brother, you're right—" The red-haired youth turned his head, wanting to say something to the middle-aged man. But he froze mid-sentence. "Where's Second Brother?"

"Yeah, where's Second Leader?"

The underlings turned and froze in surprise as well.

He was leading the way just a moment ago. How did Second Leader, a fully grown man, suddenly vanish from our midst?

Huh?

1. See translator’s thoughts. ☜