The elderly men and women present were rendered speechless by the majestic words they had just witnessed.

The villagers nearby, however, paid no attention to these words, their eyes fervently set on the manor within the mountain.

This was definitely not an ordinary mountain manor, but rather a hidden sanctuary where a group of reclusive immortals resided!

To these common folk, it was their first time witnessing such a magnificent scene.

"Please wait a moment."

Through Su Yuniang's communication and negotiation, the heavy gate of the manor opened.

There was no greeting or hospitality, as if the manor saw the arrival of these guests as just a minor affair.

The Sword Fairy spoke in a low voice, "Please excuse them, they are not skilled at communicating with people, engulfed in their own forging world, the glow of the furnace, the warmth in their hearts... that is their everything!"

Zhang Jinseng felt a bit of admiration, but was not surprised.

Not everyone is good at conversing with others.

Especially some geniuses immersed in their own worlds, who stutter when talking with people, eyes darting away, making it impossible to tell if they're a renowned master in their domain.

Entering this mountain manor.

The first sight was a clean and tidy sprawling plaza.

At the entrance stood a notice board labeled [Update Announcement], filled with densely written block characters in an unknown dialect.

Thanks to a translation plugin, the blacksmiths could understand the Otherworld text, but they still used Huaxia characters for documenting on the notice board.

Next to the [Update Announcement] was another board labeled [Daily Tasks].

Occasionally, one or two people could be seen observing the board, accepting tasks, nodding a cool "smile" of acknowledgment to the arriving guests, then walking away in a somewhat rigid manner—was it nervousness?

"Their smiles are a bit eerie."

Zhang Jinseng furrowed his brow and pondered for a while, "There's definitely something wrong with this manor."

Fortunately, he was mentally prepared, knowing the Demon Manor would often have abnormal occurrences; a mere smile would not concern this elder who had lived for over three thousand years.

Instead, his gaze fell upon the notice board.

The unfamiliar block characters, with their forceful strokes.

The script ebbed and flowed like waves, the construction of the characters harmonious and exquisite, akin to a melodious, skipping tune.

"How is it I have never seen this before?" Zhang Jinseng muttered.

What kind of person was he? Despite lacking combat power, he was esteemed in Pingchang City as a distinguished guest, one of the city's oldest living relics.

Over three thousand years, he had seen countless passersby, travelers, and esteemed cultivators from afar, yet he did not recognize the dialect and characters.

This group of blacksmiths surely hailed from some distant region, bringing with them a deep-rooted heritage and craftsmanship, right?

"This is the oceanic script of our homeland."

At this point, Jiucai Rong had unknowingly appeared by his side, offering a courteous greeting, "Welcome guests, this will surely be the most correct decision of your lifetime."

"Ocean? Your homeland is from the ocean?" Zhang Jinseng was astounded. "This script..."

"The script comes from our homeland, used by our ancestors," Jiucai Rong responded with a gentle smile. "We are merely a branch cast adrift here, and our forging techniques differ slightly from the local style."

Zhang Jinseng was nonplussed by what he heard.

A unique writing system inevitably signifies an ancient and secluded race, and this explanation validated some of the conjectures in his mind.

Their forging system evidently comes from afar, some ancient heritage.

"If you are curious about our homeland, we can discuss it later. Let's first handle the formalities; please stay in the guest lodge within the manor for now."

"As for you..." Jiucai Rong looked at several disaster victims, "Please join us as well."

As the lodge doors opened, everyone stepped into the hall. The lounge was brightly lit, with walls adorned with paintings rich in artistic atmosphere—oil paintings, ink paintings... all kinds of artworks.

Couplets, poetry, and calligraphy in exotic scripts adorned the walls, the brush strokes of dragons and phoenixes appearing extremely captivating.

The interior of the lodge felt foreign, the unreadable mysterious block characters exuding a high-class mystique.

Piping hot meals were prepared on the tables, making the hungry villagers gaze with fiery eyes.

"Please sit down and eat."

Jiucai Rong gave a gentle smile, "This welcome feast is prepared for you, please eat your fill, and we can talk afterwards."

The elderly men and women relaxed and savored their meal, elegantly wiping their lips, and then separated completely from the villagers, being led to the steward's quarters.

The villagers, feeling a bit nervous, stood up hesitantly.

"Don't worry, as passing travelers, we will arrange guest rooms for you," said a voluptuous beauty in a qipao, standing up and smiling as she led them to the second floor.

...

In the steward's room.

Jiucai Rong invited them to sit.

Daojiu, the Medical Fairy, and Su Yuniang were already seated, expressionless and aloof, their faces stiff with an air of indifference.

"This is our Forging Master," Jiucai Rong introduced.

Daojiu nodded coldly in acknowledgement, "Hello, welcome."

"Hello," Zhang Jinseng nodded, not underestimating them due to their youth.

Zhang Jinseng's expression grew serious as he got straight to the point:

"With only a few days left until the arrival of the Red Sun, we must forge the weapon you talked about within this time. Can you tell us the principle and the forging process of this weapon, and what kind of cooperation you need from us?"

"Of course," Jiucai Rong replied, "But the content needs to be kept secret, first swear on your Tao Heart."

Zhang Jinseng and others were prepared for this.

After swearing on their Tao Hearts.

Jiucai Rong slowly rose, "We come from an ancient island in the ocean, the blacksmith heritage traceable back to a distant era."

"In the ocean, embers are plentiful, far exceeding the land; the quantity of embers and Demon Beasts is almost equal, vast and mighty, lurking in the deep sea."

"Under such circumstances, the Artifact Spirits forged by us over generations began to shift from incorporating Demon Beast Essence Souls, instead gradually nurturing Embers as Artifact Spirits."

A few iron smiths were stunned on the spot, and even some of the less composed elders couldn't help but exclaim.

"Embers as the Artifact Spirit?"

"Isn't this an obsolete technique?"

The history of humanity lies in experimentation.

The dead spirit of Demon Beasts—Embers, used as an Artifact Spirit, had long been tested.

Yet, it was far inferior to the living spirit of Demon Beasts—Essence, as an Artifact Spirit.

First of all, the appearance of Demon Beast Embers is unstable.

Secondly, Demon Beast Embers retain their hatred towards humans from their lifetime, making them prone to killing their masters, unlike the pure and innocent new Artifact Spirits of Demon Beast Essence with erased consciousness.

Embers represent a loss of the malleability of the Artifact Spirit.

They retain the self-personality from their lifetime.

"Of course we know this is a craft slightly inferior to mainstream forging."

Jiucai Rong said:

"But the deep sea's abundant Ember-special environment makes it easier for us to capture this type of Artifact Spirit, though it may be weaker than the average standard."

Jiucai Rong casually recounted history: "But our ancestors were ultimately unwilling to accept this, spending generations forging Ash Artifacts, only to be mocked by our peers for not conforming to the mainstream."

"So through years upon years of research, it was an attempt to forge an Ash Artifact with the entire family's strength to prove our path was not wrong."

"Finally, the main bloodline in the clan gave birth to the line of the Saintess, a lifelong dual spiriť."

"Our family's ancestor once had a wild idea that if a dual spirit both produced Embers and merged together..."

Zhang Jinseng and others were dumbfounded.

Two Embers, merging?

This...

Is it really feasible?

But their experience told them it was very likely.

Other souls and Demon Beast Artifact Spirits cannot merge, as they are two different living beings.

But the essence of Embers is a Soul Bubble.

If after death, a person produces two Soul Bubbles... it is very likely to have the basis for merging.

"I see, you intend to forge an unprecedented Ash Spirit!" Zhang Jinseng, who had a fiery temper, suddenly stood up in shock, as if he'd heard something unbelievable.

Jiucai Rong continued describing calmly: "Yes, after tens of thousands of years, finally, we were born in this generation by chance."

Zhang Jinseng, even with his broad knowledge, felt chilled in his heart upon hearing such a plain narration.

How improbable is this?

A life born with a dual spirit is extremely unlikely to appear, an Alien Species indeed.

And the probability of one Ember being born might be enhanced by a Treasure, yawning at a fraction of one in a few hundred.

But what about the probability of one person producing two Embers?

One in a few hundred times one in a few hundred.

The other party waited countless ages, and in this generation, a chance occurrence produced twin Embers...

For a moment, the elders present looked at this young smith with mixed emotions.

"This is what it means to spend millennia forging a Divine Weapon."

Zhang Jinseng gripped the chair arms tightly, his heart shaking.

Even though he had seen genuine Forging Masters of Continent City level and the heritage of renowned Great Noble Families resounding throughout the Xinyi Continent, none had half the conviction and elegance of this remote minority lineage.

This family possesses a bold, single-minded courage.

Ash Artifact.

To prove Embers as Artifact Spirits are no less than humans!

The precious material before us, claimed as an absolute treasure appearing once in tens of thousands of years, is a miracle born from countless ages...

"That Saintess is..." Zhang Jinseng began.

"The very Sword Fairy herself."

Jiucai Rong elaborated calmly: "She possesses One Yang Spirit Root and One Yin Spirit Root in harmony, which will fulfill our family's millennia of mission, bringing the Demon Weapon into the world!"

He stood up, expression carrying memories of distant ages:

"This is the lifelong wish of our Forging Family lineage, generation after generation!"

"Our ancestors repeatedly made compromises due to their lifespan and untimely birth and died with regret, how sorrowful it is."

"Our generation descendants have reached this historic moment, we are even willing to forge everything with our lives — knowing the Tao in the morning, we could die content that evening."

The voice fell, and the aged smiths sat in silence for a long time.

When the news was confirmed and the invitation's truth was revealed, rather than feeling joyful or excited, these seasoned smiths felt endless sorrow and melancholy for this slice of history.

This family, honing a sword for millennia!

Suddenly recalling the words of the Sword Fairy, the voice, wrapped in the torrent of fate, conveyed:

"I pledge my life as a guarantee!!"

"On that manor, something more mythical than myths, more legendary than legends, a forging miracle condensed by innumerable lives and blood is happening!"

It was indeed...true.

More mythical than myth, more miraculous than miracle.

This Forging Family, using a cascade of generational life sacrifices, fearlessly penned a magnificent opus.

They pursued an unattainable dream, desperation and tragedy engraved deeply by each succeeding Forging Master's death.

At this moment, the hearts of the seasoned smiths present were heavy yet excited, and a thought surfaced in them all:

"If this weapon succeeds, it will surely shake the entire world."

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.