Chapter 3668: A Realm As The Forge

Lin Mu understood the meaning behind the Forge immediately.

By placing it in a separate realm, they ensured that even if Mantleheim were discovered or destroyed, the Dao Forge would remain untouched. Only those with the correct means could access it.

His gaze swept across the realm once more.

At first glance, it appeared simple.

The ground beneath their feet was solid stone, smooth and unbroken. The air was still, carrying no scent, no temperature, no natural flow. The sky remained a dark expanse, within which faint traces of energy flickered like distant echoes.

Yet Lin Mu knew better.

He narrowed his eyes slightly and extended his perception deeper.

The illusion peeled away.

The ground was not stone.

It was a construct.

A vast network of runes layered upon one another, forming a stable surface that mimicked reality. Every step they took was supported by a complex array, one that could shift, repair, and reinforce itself instantly.

The same was true for the air.

The same was true for the sky.

This entire realm...

Was an array.

A single, massive formation built with precision beyond what most cultivators could even comprehend.

’In a way this is similar to the Kong Plane from Xiaofan world.’ Lin Mu remembered.

He had transferred the anchor to himself, as such could enter the realm from anywhere as long as he was in the Xiaofan world. The Dao Forge was the same. As long as one had the key, which acted as the anchor, they could enter it.

Lin Mu felt a quiet sense of admiration as he realized more features of the realm.

"This place can repair itself," he said.

The elders nodded.

"Any damage done here will be restored," one of them confirmed. "That is necessary when dealing with forces at the level of the Dao Forge."

Lin Mu understood.

If something went wrong during forging, the consequences could be catastrophic.

Yet despite everything he observed, something was missing.

He looked around again.

There was no forge.

No structure.

Nothing that resembled the legendary artifact he had come to see.

His brows furrowed slightly.

"Where is the Dao Forge?" he asked.

The elders looked at him calmly.

"We are standing within it," one of them said.

Lin Mu blinked once.

"We are?" he asked.

"Yes," another elder replied. "The forge does not always take a physical form."

Lin Mu’s gaze sharpened further.

"It must be invoked," the Rune Dwarf elder explained. "And it must accept the task before it reveals itself."

Lin Mu exhaled slowly.

"So it decides whether it will act," he said.

"Exactly," the elder confirmed.

There was a brief pause.

Then the elders turned toward him.

"Take out the material," they said.

Lin Mu nodded.

He reached into his storage and brought out the husk.

The moment it appeared, the realm reacted.

HUMM

Thin strands of runes flickered into existence, emerging from the very fabric of the space around them. They moved with purpose, converging upon the husk like threads drawn toward a central point.

They surrounded it and covered it entirely before layering themselves around it in intricate patterns.

Lin Mu watched closely.

The runes did not touch the husk directly. Instead, they hovered just beyond its surface, analyzing it in a manner that felt both precise and cautious.

Minutes passed as the silence grew heavier.

Ten minutes stretched on as the runes continued their work, shifting, rearranging, and dissolving into new configurations as if testing every possible interaction.

Lin Mu remained still.

He understood what was happening.

The Dao Forge was judging. It was determining whether the material was worthy. Whether the task deserved its involvement. Finally, the runes began to fade. One by one, they disappeared back into the realm but the husk remained suspended in the air, unchanged.

Lin Mu looked at the elders.

"Did it work?" he asked.

The elders did not answer immediately.

They watched the space around them.

Waiting.

Then it happened.

A low tremor spread through the realm.

RUMBLE

The ground beneath their feet vibrated with a deep, resonant force that seemed to originate from everywhere at once.

The space itself began to shift, and energy gathered.

At first, it was slow.

Then it grew.

Lin Mu’s eyes widened slightly as he sensed it.

This was not ordinary Qi or even immortal Qi. This was something far more profound.

These were pure and unfiltered Dao Traces!

And they weren’t alone, among them were... Dao Insights.

He could feel them clearly.

Nearly half of the energy that gathered carried direct imprints of understanding, fragments of comprehension left behind by countless masters who had contributed to this forge.

It was overwhelming.

Even for Lin Mu.

The density alone was enough to make his mind tremble.

The energy coalesced, drawing inward as if pulled by an unseen force. It condensed at a single point before expanding outward again, taking shape.

Slowly a structure began to form.

At first, it was only an outline.

Then it gained substance.

Metal appeared, layered with patterns that shifted between reality and abstraction. Runes carved themselves into its surface, each one carrying weight and meaning beyond simple symbols.

The forge emerged fully.

Its size adjusted seamlessly, expanding until it was large enough to accommodate the husk.

Lin Mu stared at it.

This was the Dao Forge.

Not a mere tool.

Not a simple creation.

But something that existed at the boundary between craftsmanship and the Dao itself. A manifestation of countless generations of dwarven mastery. And now it had accepted his material.

A quiet wave of relief spread through the dwarven elders as the Dao Forge revealed itself.

The moment the forge took form, their earlier tension melted into something closer to satisfaction, even pride. It had accepted the husk. That alone meant the task was worthy of being attempted.

Lin Mu could sense the shift in their demeanor. Their posture straightened, their expressions sharpened, and their focus became absolute. This was no longer a question of possibility. It was now a matter of execution.

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