1
“Lu, the Jade Hairpin you requested has been completed.”
Elder Wu truly lived up to the title of a second-rank Refinement Grandmaster, being able to work with a refining material of Taiyin Cold Jade’s caliber, and it didn’t even take him long.
Elder Wu went so far as to craft a Divine Tree Box specifically for this, considering the tremendous compensation Lu Changsheng provided.
Lu Changsheng accepted the wooden box imbued with the fragrant scent of divine wood. The quality of the box was exceptional, perfectly matching the Jade Hairpin crafted from Taiyin Cold Jade.
Elder Wu indeed understood the unspoken rules of human relationships.
Given Lu Changsheng’s remarkable growth speed, it was only a matter of time before he became one of the Great Experts. Elder Wu knew Lu Changsheng would likely seek his services again for the crafting of magical treasures, so naturally, he treated him favorably.
Lu Changsheng opened the cover of the box, and inside lay an exquisitely crafted Jade Hairpin. Its texture was delicate, and a chilling aura emanated from it, calming the mind.
A Jade Hairpin forged from the twenty-first rank refining material, Taiyin Cold Jade, was worth far more than ordinary magical treasures, even surpassing the rarity of Dao Artifacts.
After all, who would willingly use such top-grade refining materials like Taiyin Cold Jade just to craft an ornament?
Now seeing that the Jade Hairpin had no shortcuts taken, Lu Changsheng acknowledged the craftsmanship of the Elder from the Heavenly Fire Holy Land. Indeed, the Heavenly Fire Holy Land deserved its reputation as the sacred place for artifact refining.
Lu Changsheng put away the wooden box and tentatively inquired, “I wonder if Elder Wu has ever heard of a refining material known as the Ancient Star Core?”
Elder Wu’s eyes lit up. “Could it be that you, Lu, are in possession of such a material?”
“I’ve only ever read about it in ancient texts. It’s said to be one of the most supreme refining materials in the Three Realms, but unfortunately, I’ve never seen such a treasure with my own eyes. Since your Heavenly Fire Holy Land is the most renowned artifact refining sanctuary in the Immortal Realm, you must have such materials, right?”
“This… is a matter of grave importance and cannot be disclosed.”
While Elder Wu withheld a direct confirmation, his words strongly hinted that the Heavenly Fire Holy Land indeed possessed Ancient Star Cores.
“I wonder if a second-rank Refinement Grandmaster could craft magical treasures using the Ancient Star Core?”
“The Ancient Star Core is one of the highest refining materials in the Three Realms. What qualifications do I possess to refine it into a treasure? If I had that level of skill, I’d already be considered a first-ranked Artifact Refiner.”
“Only a first-ranked Artifact Refiner, huh…”
Lu Changsheng knew there were those in the Immortal Realm capable of crafting magical treasures from the Jade Balance Star Core, and that was enough for him.
At the very least, once he obtained the Jade Balance Star Core in the future, it wouldn’t go to waste.
Elder Wu’s expression turned peculiar. “You wouldn’t happen to really have an Ancient Star Core, would you?”
“Elder Wu, since the matter is resolved, I shall take my leave.”
Lu Changsheng didn’t answer Elder Wu directly and instead took his departure, leaving Elder Wu rooted in place, stunned.
“That boy… could he really have it?”
Elder Wu stood amidst the autumn wind, his thoughts in disarray.
Lu Changsheng returned to Mount Taihua, preparing to lead his group to Guanghan Palace.
Xia Ningxue’s ascension to Guanghan Palace Master was a significant event, one Lu Changsheng definitely needed to attend.
As Lu Changsheng traveled via Sword Flight, he skimmed through the skies, occasionally observing the myriad facets of human life below.
“Hmm?”
Lu Changsheng noticed below that the imperial city of a Human Dynasty was being overrun by rebel forces. A Female Sword Immortal was valiantly leading the Imperial Guard in a desperate fight, surrounded and outnumbered hundreds of times by the rebels.
Despite the overwhelming odds, the Female Sword Immortal’s cultivation level was remarkable. With only a few hundred Imperial Guards, she held the last corner tower of the imperial palace, her Sword Qi constantly felling enemy soldiers. Corpses littered the battlefield.
“Zeng Birou, your father has already been slain by me. If you surrender and agree to be my queen, I can spare your life!”
A bloated figure emerged, his large hand gripping the skulls of two Imperial Guard generals. With a slight exertion of force, the heads of the two Heavenly Immortal Realm generals burst apart gruesomely, leaving a horrifying scene.
This obese middle-aged man was surrounded by an aura of bloodthirsty malice.
“The third stage of the Immortal Emperor Realm!”
“King An’s cultivation level is utterly terrifying!”
The remaining Imperial Guard soldiers, all at the Earth Immortal level or below, looked on in fear. To them, King An, with his third-stage Immortal Emperor Realm power, was no less than a god capable of shifting the heavens and the earth at will.
“King An, your cultivation was clearly weaker than mine before. Which force have you aligned yourself with to skyrocket your strength like this?”
Zeng Birou, the Female Sword Immortal, wielded her three-foot longsword, having just slain thirteen swordsmen of King An’s forces. Although aware of the desperate circumstances she faced, she still sought answers to this mystery before her death.
King An’s rapid strength increase and the sudden surge of formidable experts in his ranks had turned the tide. It was with their help that the rebel forces defeated the Imperial Guard, even causing the emperor to fall in the chaos.
“Since things have come to this, I don’t mind telling you. I’ve joined the Blood Sea Palace, a terrifying force before whom your father was nothing but an ant.”
King An’s gaze burned as he scrutinized Zeng Birou, knowing that both the empire and this woman would soon belong to him.
Blood Sea Palace?
Initially, Lu Changsheng hadn’t intended to meddle in others’ affairs, but upon hearing the mention of Blood Sea Palace, he could no longer stand by and do nothing.
“I hadn’t expected the Blood Sea Palace to extend its reach into ordinary Human Dynasties. It seems they’re determined to seize every possible resource from the Immortal Realm.”
Lu Changsheng began piecing together Blood Sea Palace’s strategy in his mind.
The rapid expansion of Blood Sea Palace was indeed astonishing.
Numerous cultivators in the Immortal Realm, driven by desperation or a thirst for power, were swiftly drawn into Blood Sea Palace’s clutches, which explained how the faction had grown with such alarming speed.
As long as one possessed even a trace of darkness in their heart, they could be easily coerced or tempted by Blood Sea Palace.
“Father, your child cannot avenge you.”