Chapter 529: Phosphor Silk and Divine Weapons

Duan Rong arrived inside the pavilion, in Zhu He's room.

After he paid his respects, Zhu He raised his hand, pressed an object onto the table, and pushed it gently toward him.

Duan Rong narrowed his eyes to look; it was the Yinlu Cicada that had been retrieved from Wuliang Cliff.

Zhu He said, "Over these past five or six days, I have refined this Yinlu Cicada once more. It can now be used three times; you should keep it safe!"

Upon hearing this, Duan Rong felt a slight warmth in his heart.

Zhu He had actually spent these five or six days refining the Yinlu Cicada again, replenishing the two uses he had consumed while at Shenyun Prefecture. Thinking about it, Zhu He must have been nourishing this cicada with Law Power every night during this time; to finish the refinement in such a short period must have been a grueling drain on his spirit.

Duan Rong stared blankly at Zhu He for a moment before cupping his hands and saying, "I will never forget the grace of Master's protection, Duan Rong!"

Duan Rong had been worrying these past two days about the person behind Xiao Qiwu who was plotting against him; with the Yinlu Cicada to protect his body, he finally had an extra means of saving his life.

"You are a person of Yunfu Peak; if I cannot even protect you, then I, your master, have no face left!" As Zhu He spoke, he pointed his finger at another chair not far in front of the table and said, "Duan Rong, sit down; I have something else to discuss with you."

"Yes, Master!" After Duan Rong took the Yinlu Cicada and carefully put it away, he sat respectfully on that chair.

Zhu He looked at him and asked, "That woman, Xiao Yu, how do you plan to settle her?"

Upon hearing this, Duan Rong's expression shifted slightly.

In truth, regarding this matter, he had already given it thought last night while he and Xiao Yu were intimate in the Cultivation Secret Chamber. After all, Xiao Yu was someone he had abducted from the Tower Forest; this matter violated the Sect Iron Law, and having Xiao Yu constantly coming and going within the Yunfu Peak pavilion would inevitably have a bad influence. The gossip regarding this matter would also be constantly brought to people's minds because of Xiao Yu's presence.

If that were the case, it would be bad not only for him and Xiao Yu, but also for Yunfu Peak.

When Zhu He solemnly brought this matter up to him just now, it was because he had this same consideration.

Duan Rong said, "When I was a Registered Disciple, I followed the Pharmacist Shang Xiangyu of the Medicine Pavilion, who later went missing. He had a hilltop in a remote location, and Xiao Yu and I are both quite familiar with that place. I plan to build a Separate Courtyard on that hilltop using local materials, and in the future, I will live there permanently with Xiao Yu."

Duan Rong made this plan because as long as Xiao Yu lived in seclusion on that hilltop, as time passed, people would forget about this matter.

Seeing Duan Rong answer this way, Zhu He knew he had understood his meaning, so a faint smile hung on his face as he said, "That is excellent! The History Supervisors of the Inner History Department have several who are quite skilled at construction. I will instruct Wu Shidao later to assign a few people to you. Since you are going to build it, build a proper Separate Courtyard; if I have some leisure time, I can go stay there for a few days as well."

Duan Rong smiled and said, "Then many thanks, Master!"

Zhu He smiled and waved his hand.

At this moment, the master and disciple were in accord, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious.

Zhu He suddenly had a shift in his expression and asked, "Since you left Wanxiang Cave, you haven't been to see the Ancestor yet, have you?"

Duan Rong said, "Reporting to Master, I have not!"

Zhu He said, "Go early! Do not keep the Ancestor waiting!"

Duan Rong said, "Yes, Master!"

Zhu He knew that Chu Wushang must have reported to the Ancestor yesterday that Duan Rong had left Wanxiang Cave. Duan Rong receiving three lashes of the God-Striking Whip and being locked in Wanxiang Cave were all arranged by the Ancestor; the Ancestor must also want to know about Duan Rong's situation.

After Duan Rong took his leave from Zhu He, he returned to the dense forest in the mountain hollow.

Ximen Kankan had already eaten until his belly was round and was there laughing and joking.

Shen Mizhi was sitting there, occasionally using words to needle him.

Only Xiao Yu was there staring at the extinguished fire pit, lost in thought, occasionally brushing honey onto several chicken wings; the extinguished fire pit was just right for keeping them warm.

Ximen Kankan glanced at those chicken wings, swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and said, "Who knows when Duan Rong will be back? I think those chicken wings should just be given to me to eat."

Xiao Yu rolled her eyes at him and said, "How many have you already eaten? Still eating? Aren't you afraid of bursting your belly!?"

Ximen Kankan huffed and said, "A few?! You pulled the wings off every single one! You certainly know how to pick the good meat, don't you?!"

As the two were talking, a gust of wind suddenly rose, and with the falling leaves, Duan Rong was already standing beside Xiao Yu, smiling as he looked at her.

Xiao Yu's expression turned joyful, and she said, "You're back! Did your master have any trouble?" Xiao Yu thought that since he returned so quickly, the conversation must have gone quite smoothly.

Duan Rong smiled and said, "Nothing much. I was still thinking about this honey-roasted chicken. If I didn't come back, wouldn't I have missed out on eating it?"

Xiao Yu smiled and said, "Here! I saved eight wings for you, brushed with honey several times."

Duan Rong glanced at Xiao Yu, reached out to take them, and seeing those golden, glistening large wings, his appetite immediately surged.

He remembered catching four pheasants in total, and all eight wings were actually here; it seemed Xiao Yu had saved the best parts for him.

Duan Rong glanced at Ximen Kankan's gluttonous gaze, pulled three charred-yellow chicken wings off the green bamboo in his hand, and handed them one by one to Xiao Yu, Shen Mizhi, and Ximen Kankan, smiling as he said, "Sharing joy is better than enjoying it alone; it's a bit dull for me to eat by myself, so you all should keep me company."

This was exactly what Ximen Kankan wanted; he immediately jumped up and took the large chicken wing Duan Rong handed over.

The four of them sat in the forest, eating chicken wings while chatting idly.

Duan Rong took this opportunity to tell them about his plan to build a Separate Courtyard on Shang Xiangyu's hilltop.

Upon hearing this, the three of them were naturally very happy.

Staying on Yunfu Peak, they often felt like guests, uncomfortable everywhere. If they could have a Separate Courtyard on Shang Xiangyu's hilltop, that would be for the best.

Duan Rong said, "Master will send a few History Supervisors skilled in construction to help us build this Separate Courtyard. Later, we will go over to look at the site first, and then you can think about any requirements you have in advance so that when those History Supervisors arrive, we can discuss it with them."

Ximen Kankan jumped up and said, "What are we waiting for!? Let's go now!"

Duan Rong smiled and said, "Why are you in such a rush? That hilltop isn't going to run away, is it!?"

Ximen Kankan rolled his eyes and said, "Building a house! It sounds like it might be quite fun."

Duan Rong smiled slightly and thought to himself: *Great, this kid is interested again. *

Under Ximen Kankan's urging, before Duan Rong had even finished his chicken wings, the four of them were already on their way.

They were all very familiar with Shang Xiangyu's hilltop; after crossing a few cableways, they had already arrived at this hilltop.

Ximen Kankan said, "To build this Separate Courtyard, we must consider the water source. I think we should clear out an open space in the dense forest not far from that pool of water."

Duan Rong nodded and said, "That is a very good suggestion. The trees felled in the dense forest can be used as local materials for the timber of the Separate Courtyard."

Soon, the four of them arrived in the dense forest.

After they looked for a while, Xiao Yu looked up at the sun above the clouds and said, "If we are to build a Separate Courtyard, the orientation and the geomantic position are also important. But we don't know much about this. It's better to wait until those History Supervisors arrive to discuss the specific location."

Duan Rong nodded, looking at Xiao Yu's concerned expression, and smiled slightly.

Duan Rong said, "I will leave this matter to the three of you. When those History Supervisors arrive tomorrow, you can coordinate and discuss it with them."

Xiao Yu was slightly stunned and asked, "Then what will you be doing?" She felt that for a major matter like building a Separate Courtyard, it was better for Duan Rong to make the decisions.

Duan Rong smiled and said, "I have other things to attend to. You are the mistress of the house; you take these two and handle it."

Upon hearing the words "mistress of the house," Xiao Yu felt a slight stir in her heart; this was a term from Blue Star, and this realm had no such title, but Xiao Yu was clearly very pleased to hear it, and thus she turned a blind eye to Duan Rong acting as an absentee Manager.

Ximen Kankan had always been keen on such trivial matters, so he was naturally willing to follow Xiao Yu and tinker around. Shen Mizhi, meanwhile, was indifferent.

Duan Rong looked at Xiao Yu and said, "I need to go to the Ancestor's place, and I may stay by the deep valley for a few days. The three of you should discuss a preliminary plan for the Separate Courtyard; we can discuss it in detail when the History Supervisors arrive tomorrow."

Xiao Yu looked at Duan Rong with a worried expression; she already knew that Duan Rong was currently cultivating by the side of the Sect Ancestor.

Naturally, this was because Duan Rong was exceptionally gifted and highly valued by the Sect, but this often made her feel uneasy, as she always felt that staying by the side of such a person, if one took a single wrong step, might lead to a fatal disaster.

Xiao Yu said, "Husband, I hope you will be careful while at the Ancestor's. Please remember that no matter when, I am waiting for you to return home."

Duan Rong looked into Xiao Yu's affectionate eyes, touched her face, smiled slightly, and said, "I know."

"I'm leaving!" Duan Rong waved to Ximen Kankan and Shen Mizhi, took one more look at Xiao Yu, and then suddenly took to Wind Riding, flew out of the dense forest, and headed in a certain direction.

Duan Rong did not head directly to the deep valley where the Ancestor lived in seclusion, because before going to the Ancestor's, he still had matters to attend to.

In fact, even if Zhu He had not reminded him, he had already been preparing to go see Lv Yinlin.

Lv Yinlin had arranged for him to receive three strikes of the God-Striking Whip and then locked him inside Wanxiang Cave; this arrangement could be considered painstaking. Since he had already come out of this Wanxiang Cave, Lv Yinlin would surely examine him.

However, to deal with Lv Yinlin's examination, Duan Rong still had some things to prepare.

He had actually thought these matters through during those few days inside Wanxiang Cave, but after coming out, he had to appease Xiao Yu first before he could attend to his own affairs.

High in the sky, Duan Rong was Wind Riding like a great eagle; as soon as he reached a certain spot in the dense forest, he suddenly dove downward and stopped in front of a cliff face.

Inside this cliff was where Shang Xiangyu used to refine medicine.

The moment Duan Rong stopped there, his Divine Sense was suddenly released.

With his Divine Sense clearing the way, he pushed aside the layers of tangled vines in front of the cliff and squeezed into the stone cave behind them.

At the entrance of the stone cave, there were still many torches placed; Duan Rong picked one up and lit it with a Fire Folder.

Guided by both the torch and his Divine Sense, Duan Rong walked slowly into the depths of the stone cave.

Walking through this familiar yet somewhat strange stone cave, many memories flooded his heart.

Back then, everyone around Shang Xiangyu, except for him, had died. It was unknown whether Shang Xiangyu was dead or alive now.

Duan Rong followed the intricate and dense tunnels of the strange stone cave and arrived inside a cavern.

In the center of this cavern stood a huge medicine furnace.

This medicine furnace was the one Shang Xiangyu had used to refine the Blood Spring Pill in the past. After using that furnace of Blood Spring Pills to extend his life, he left the Taiyi Sect and had been missing ever since.

Duan Rong walked up to the huge medicine furnace and reached out to touch its surface; although the memories were vivid, the tactile sensation of his palm felt very strange.

Duan Rong stuck the torch he was holding into the stone wall, then walked to a corner in the depths of the cavern, where a huge, heavy piece of black jade stone pressed against the ground.

Duan Rong's cultivation was no longer what it used to be; with a light tug, he lifted the incredibly heavy black jade stone, and subsequently, bubbling magma surged out from beneath it, pouring and flowing along the trenches...

Several trenches, spread out like a web, gathered the scorching, bright magma beneath the huge medicine furnace in the center of the cavern.

As the magma poured in, the temperature inside the cavern rose sharply.

The bright, scorching magma illuminated Duan Rong's face in red.

He stood there, looking at the medicine furnace in the center of the cavern. In just a few breaths, under the scorching heat of the magma, the bottom of the medicine furnace began to turn red.

He suddenly took to Wind Riding within the cavern, swept his hand, and with surging Qi, he opened the lid of the medicine furnace.

Duan Rong hovered at the mouth of the medicine furnace and suddenly pulled something wrapped in animal hide from his lapel.

It was unclear what was inside, wrapped roundly in the animal hide, about the size of a human head.

Duan Rong suddenly poured the contents of the animal hide into the red-hot medicine furnace.

The animal hide opened, tilted downward, and shook.

What was wrapped inside the animal hide was actually a pile of whitish powder.

This whitish powder was his Frost Pattern Phosphorus Crystal Blade.

Inside Wanxiang Cave, this blade had been shattered into powder by Xiao Qiwu with Law Power in a single palm strike.

Duan Rong had collected all this powder and brought it out of Wanxiang Cave.

Initially, he collected this powder to avoid leaving evidence inside Wanxiang Cave. But as he repeatedly contemplated the cloud-cluster Artistic Conception at the center of his Mirror Glaze Body—which he had fused from over a hundred complex Artistic Conceptions—while inside Wanxiang Cave...

He realized that a blade, as a weapon, could no longer unleash the full power of the cloud-cluster Artistic Conception.

Moreover, a sword would not work either; all eighteen types of weapons, axes, halberds, hooks, and forks, were all mere appendages and burdens.

During those days in Wanxiang Cave, Duan Rong repeatedly deduced and finally understood: all weapons in the world have their strengths and weaknesses; appearing to have the advantage of a weapon is, in reality, self-crippling of one's own agility.

Humans are the most spiritual of all things; in this world, the most powerful, the most agile, the most versatile, and the most compliant to one's will are the hands of a human!

To abandon the agility of one's hands and use the advantage of weapons is truly a reversal of order!

A human's hands are inherently the most powerful divine weapons in heaven and earth!

After Duan Rong poured the powder that had been the Frost Pattern Phosphorus Crystal Blade into the medicine furnace, he covered the furnace and flew to a secluded corner of the cavern.

He sat cross-legged in that corner, releasing his Divine Sense to shroud the inside and outside of the cavern. A strand of Divine Sense even penetrated the medicine furnace to investigate the state of the Phosphor Crystal Powder inside.

The scorching, bright magma emitted a dazzling light, bubbling out and continuously gathering and flowing in the large pit beneath the medicine furnace...

As time passed, the heat waves in the cavern layered upon one another; an hour later, the Phosphor Crystal Powder inside the medicine furnace finally showed signs of melting.

By this time, the temperature in the cavern had climbed to a terrifying degree; had Duan Rong not wrapped his entire body in heaven and earth Qi, he likely would not have been able to withstand it.

Another hour and a half later, the Phosphor Crystal Powder inside the medicine furnace finally melted completely.

Duan Rong had been using his Divine Sense to probe the situation inside the medicine furnace the entire time; at this moment, he suddenly flew up, pushed with his palm, and a surge of heaven and earth Qi blew open the lid of the medicine furnace, releasing a gush of heat. The visible air wave rushed upward, and when it hit the top of the cavern, the rocks there instantly shattered.

Duan Rong sat cross-legged in the void in the mid-air near the mouth of the medicine furnace where the heat had dissipated, while in the intersecting trenches beneath the cavern floor, the magma was still surging and gathering; the red, fiery magma illuminated Duan Rong's entire body like a sunset.

Duan Rong's Divine Will stirred, and suddenly a mass of scorching fluid the size of a human head slowly floated out from the mouth of the medicine furnace, hovering there and rolling incessantly.

He stared at the hot, rolling fluid; this fluid was the molten Phosphorus Crystal.

Duan Rong frowned slightly, and as his Divine Will stirred, the mass of hot fluid the size of a human head suddenly split into two.

Then Duan Rong closed his eyes tightly, his brows locked, and at the same time, a strand of liquid thread was seen being drawn out from one of the masses of hot fluid.

That liquid thread was only slightly thicker than a hair; as soon as it was pulled out, it hovered there, and then thread after thread of liquid was drawn out...

With Duan Rong's current Divine Soul attainment, it was not very difficult to manipulate this molten Phosphor Crystal and draw it into silk-like strands.

Following Duan Rong's manipulation, the liquid strands became more and more numerous, and then these liquid strands actually began to interweave...

Duan Rong's brows were evidently knitted even tighter; this process felt somewhat sluggish and difficult, even for his Divine Soul attainment.

After a full hour, two gloves woven from liquid strands floated before Duan Rong's eyes—Phosphor Silk Gloves!

At this moment, at the mouth of the medicine furnace, there still remained a small mass of molten Phosphor Crystal, about the size of a fist.

Duan Rong's gaze shifted, and that remaining small mass of molten Phosphor Crystal suddenly scattered like fireworks, after which drop after drop of liquid suspended itself around Duan Rong.

As Duan Rong urged them with his divine sense, those suspended liquid droplets actually transformed into individual liquid flying needles!

Phosphor Silk Gloves, Phosphor Crystal Flying Needle—these were the brand-new weapons Duan Rong had forged for himself!

(End of chapter)