Chapter 299: Immortal Weapon Forged, Serpent Slain

Blood Sacrifice Method!

Upon hearing those three words, Liu Tiezhu instantly widened his eyes.

He exclaimed:

"Old Iron, you're actually going to use the Blood Sacrifice Method?!"

Having trained under Tiekuang, Liu Tiezhu's knowledge was no longer that of the small blacksmith from his youth; he knew exactly what the Blood Sacrifice Method meant.

His shock stemmed from the fact that the Blood Sacrifice Method was a technique for forging demonic weapons.

The evil of a demonic weapon.

Was the evil of its qi.

A demonic weapon—and of Immortal Weapon rank.

This was no small matter.

Ordinary weapons tainted with even a trace of demonic qi could strike fear into hearts; an Immortal Weapon-level demonic weapon was a demonic spirit.

Weapons forged by the Blood Sacrifice Method far surpassed ordinary weapons, but because they required essence blood as a catalyst, the spirit within would immediately absorb the impurities and resentments within the blood, allowing external evils to invade and ultimately become a demonic spirit.

A cultivator who used such a weapon for long would have their mind corroded, eventually descending into complete madness.

From then on, the person would no longer be the weapon's master, but its slave—a ravenous bloodthirsty monster, a killing machine.

A thousand years ago, an Immortal Weapon-level demonic weapon drove a Earth Immortal to qi deviation, turning him into a mindless killer; only the intervention of a Rank-One cultivator prevented total catastrophe.

Yet all they managed was to slay the Earth Immortal and seal the demonic weapon in the Eastern Sea—proof enough of its power.

Tiekuang made no haste, merely gazing calmly at Li Rui:

"The Blood Sacrifice Method forges a demonic weapon. Do you dare take it?"

Demonic weapon.

Li Rui's eyes narrowed slightly.

He knew full well the meaning of "demonic weapon," then smiled carefree: "Take my essence blood, Elder."

Seeing Li Rui make his decision so swiftly,

Tiekuang's admiration deepened.

A man is the master of his weapon. As a great weaponsmith, he always believed in forging weapons tailored to the wielder. No matter how fine the weapon, if the man is unworthy, it's useless; conversely, no matter how demonic the weapon, if the man is upright, he can still control it.

For anyone else, he would never even mention the words "Blood Sacrifice Method."

If an Immortal Weapon couldn't be forged, so be it.

But if he bred a monster capable of slaughtering a city, he'd regret it for eternity.

But Li Rui was the most resolute martial heart he'd ever seen—a man who climbed from stable boy to fifth-rank martialist had a will harder than steel; could a weapon ever sway his mind?

He trusted Li Rui.

That was why he revealed the Blood Sacrifice Method.

"Good!"

Tiekuang roared.

Before the roar faded, Li Rui slashed his right wrist with a finger-sword, forcing out a single drop of blood shimmering with purple-gold luster.

This was a martialist's essence blood.

His complexion paled visibly.

Hiss!

The blood drop shot into the furnace, merging with the blade blank.

The instant the essence blood touched the blade blank,

BOOM!

Thunderous roars erupted within the room.

A dragon's roar.

Tiekuang's face darkened: "Worse—it's the lingering spirit of the great serpent! It's trying to destroy the Immortal Weapon."

Almost as the dragon's roar sounded, a spectral image of the great serpent appeared within the furnace; the furnace began to shake violently, as if about to explode.

Tiekuang's face turned ghastly; he slowly spat four words through clenched teeth:

"Half-step Rank-One!"

He never imagined the great serpent had already reached half-step Rank-One power.

The situation had slipped beyond his control.

If the serpent's spirit broke free, the Immortal Weapon would shatter instantly, rendering all their efforts worthless.

But just then—

A tiny blood-colored figure, no larger than a thumb, stepped forth from Li Rui's essence blood.

It bore a striking resemblance to Li Rui.

The blood figure leapt forward, its right hand glowing with divine radiance—when he looked closer, it held a knife.

An Immortal Knife!

Silent and swift, the Immortal Knife sliced through the serpent's head, instantly shattering the spectral form.

The furnace's violent turmoil ceased instantly.

Tiekuang stared, eyes wide, at what unfolded inside the furnace, unable to believe it.

"This is..."

"Slain the Serpent?!"

Even this seasoned great weaponsmith had never witnessed such a sight.

Li Rui's voice came at once: "Elder, the heat is nearly right."

Only hearing Li Rui's voice did Tiekuang snap back to himself—few things in this world could distract him during forging.

He drew a deep breath.

His hammer fell like a storm.

Another night passed.

Until the first ray of dawn touched the earth.

Finally, Tiekuang pulled from the furnace a black blade blank, rough and uneven in surface.

Li Rui was puzzled:

"Elder, why does this Immortal Knife feel devoid of spirit presence?"

He had once seen another newly forged Immortal Knife—though equally crude in appearance—it clearly bore a visible spirit.

Tiekuang grinned, eyes gleaming with pride:

"Because I haven't yet bestowed its spirit. The spirit of this blade must be nurtured by you."

"Nurtured?"

Li Rui frowned.

Tiekuang grinned even wider: "Precisely. At my current state, I could never have forged an Immortal Weapon under normal means—so a flash of inspiration struck me. A trick."

"I forced the blade to awaken its spirit through Blood Sacrifice, then handed the rest of the process to you for nurturing."

"With your true qi, you'll surely cultivate this blade blank into an Immortal Weapon."

The more he thought of it, the more pleased he became.

This idea came from the ancient method of nurturing a spirit fish into a dragon, used on a previous Immortal Weapon.

If one could nurture a spirit, why not go further and nurture the weapon itself?

Thus, he only needed to create a half-finished product, leaving the rest to Li Rui.

An Immortal Weapon was born.

Though this method would work only for Li Rui.

"Two Immortal Weapons—I die content."

Tiekuang's laughter boomed, revealing his overwhelming excitement.

Only then did Li Rui understand.

The blade blank before him wasn't even a half-finished product.

But as Tiekuang said, with proper nurturing, one day the Immortal Weapon would fully unveil its might.

"Li boy, I owe you another debt."

Seeing Li Rui about to speak, Tiekuang raised a hand to stop him: "I know what you're going to say—no need to speak. A weaponsmith dies for his weapon. Without you, I could never have forged two Immortal Weapons."

Hearing this,

Li Rui could only smile and shake his head, saying no more.

He took the Immortal Knife from Tiekuang's hands.

Tiekuang couldn't help warning: "Li boy, this blade was forged with the Blood Sacrifice Method. Though your will is strong, you must still be cautious. The demonic knife is powerful, but don't harm yourself—know your limits."

"Understood."

Li Rui nodded.

Tiekuang then turned his gaze to the Immortal Knife in Li Rui's hands.

He couldn't look away.

In rank alone, this Immortal Knife surpassed even the one in Tiekuang's own hands—infused with serpent scales and essence blood, it was destined for greatness from birth.

And because it bore his essence blood, its spirit would naturally resonate with him, granting it immense potential.

It might even grow into a Rank-Two Immortal Weapon.

Tie Kuang urged, "Li kid, name this blade."

His immortal blade had yet to be named—not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't.

That blade was forged for future disciples of the Divine Weapon Manor; whoever slew the Blood Shadow Ancestor with it would become its master and earn the right to name it.

But Li Rui's blade was different—it was his possession, so of course it had been named.

Name it?

Li Rui's eyebrows lifted slightly.

He truly had no talent for this.

After a long pause, a sudden inspiration struck.

"When sword art is complete, step forth—slay dragons where dragons dwell."

"Call it 'Dragon-Slayer.'"

Li Rui spoke slowly.

Not a single word, line, or meaning was out of place!

Dragon-Slayer

Tie Kuang's eyes lit up: "Perfect name."

At that moment, Liu Tiezhu also sidled up, fawning: "Master's naming is always excellent—so mighty."

Li Rui smiled faintly.

In truth, the blade's full name should be "Dragon-Slayer."

But the Holy Sovereign of Yu claimed to be the True Dragon, and the imperial palace was called the Dragon Court; the character "dragon" must be avoided. As a Yu official, openly speaking of slaying dragons would invite impeachment.

Li Rui gently caressed the blade's blank, utterly enamored.

This was an immortal weapon!

Who wouldn't adore it?

The immortal weapon had found a worthy master and received a fine name—Tie Kuang, the weaponsmith, was delighted.

Gazing at the blade blank, he murmured: "You're only at Sea-Viewing, yet you carry an immortal weapon—it's far too showy. Even as a blank, if someone with ill intent sees it, trouble will follow."

"Here, I'll give you a scabbard as repayment for your favor."

At once, Li Rui's face brightened:

"Thank you, Elder."

This suited him perfectly.

Immortal weapons were too precious—even Earth Immortals might covet them; caution was essential.

To lose your life over an immortal weapon would be absurd.

But if a scabbard could conceal its aura, many troubles could be avoided.

He had already drawn the immortal blade—blood must be spilled before returning.

On the training ground.

"Chief Ning, beat him!"

"We of the Peace Guard have no cowards!"

Around them, a circle of Peace Guard soldiers roared, faces flushed.

Most supported Ning Zhongtian.

Zhijian

Opposite Ning Zhongtian stood a giant over eight feet tall, his body hardened to an extreme, radiating ferocity—he looked formidable indeed.

BOOM!

A fist the size of a sandbag, accompanied by a sonic boom, slammed toward Ning Zhongtian's face.

If it landed, his skull would explode—he'd be dead beyond recovery.

Ning Zhongtian was stunned.

This giant was one of the men who came with Nie Siming to Qinghe, a fierce general from the Northwest Army, truly risen from piles of corpses; his fist techniques were brutally rare even in Yunzhou.

Though martial arts were killing arts,

such terrifying killing power could only be forged on the battlefield.

Every move, every strike, was simple, direct, and solely for killing.

Camps never forbade combat—as long as it wasn't bullying the weak, no one interfered.

As long as no one died, no one would complain.

Otherwise, if they couldn't endure even this much storm, how could they face battle later?

Today,

the giant had voluntarily challenged Ning Zhongtian; their realms were equal, so Ning Zhongtian had no reason to refuse—and thus this scene.

Suddenly,

the crowd erupted in gasps.

"Too close!"

Just now, the giant had nearly struck Ning Zhongtian's chest—if that palm landed, he'd be seriously wounded.

Ning Zhongtian rolled desperately on the ground.

Barely avoided it.

His heart tightened—the giant's skill was truly formidable.

Surrender?

Impossible.

Ning Zhongtian had never been the type to yield easily.

"Again!"

The two fought fiercely.

Zaiyipang ，Ge Hong's face showed worry—losing was fine, but if Ning Zhongtian was seriously injured, it would be a terrible loss.

His eyes kept glancing toward the crowd's edge.

Then he brightened.

He saw the crowd parting—Li Rui was approaching.

"Big brother."

Seeing Li Rui appear, Ge Hong finally relaxed: "Ning's brother is dueling—he's about to lose."

Li Rui nodded calmly.

Losing was fine.

Once on the arena, one must accept defeat.

Even as Ning Zhongtian's elder brother, he couldn't interfere—if he did, Ning Zhongtian would be mocked behind his back in the Peace Guard.

Losing was acceptable, but surrendering would be shameful.

Not everyone could bear such humiliation.

The battle grew increasingly intense.

Ning Zhongtian's defeat became obvious; the Peace Guard soldiers fell silent, like ducks with their throats cut.

THUD!

The giant punched Ning Zhongtian flying.

The outcome was sealed.

But the giant pressed his advantage, lunging forward, his fist aimed squarely at Ning Zhongtian's vital points—if it landed, Ning Zhongtian would be laid up for half a year.

His martial cultivation would be set back.

At this critical moment, Li Rui moved like a phantom, appearing in the center of the training ground.

He merely extended one finger toward the giant's palm.

A searing pain shot through the giant's hand—as if his palm were being pierced through.

The giant dared not press further and immediately withdrew.

Looking down,

he saw his palm's flesh torn open.

He was stunned—though he was one realm below this old man, a casual finger had shattered his hardened body—this was absurd.

Then Li Rui's voice came:

"General Ma, this is a sparring match—let it end here. My brother Ning has lost."

The giant, Ma, glared at Li Rui, about to speak.

From the crowd stepped forward one man:

"My subordinate was uncouth, relying on brute force and injuring Li's man—I apologize."

A middle-aged man in light armor stepped forward.

Li Rui recognized him—his name was Hong Meng.

He was Nie Siming's personal guard, like Li Rui himself, a Sea-Viewing martial cultivator.

Li Rui's eyebrows lifted slightly.

Hong Meng's words sounded like an apology, but in truth they were mockery—implying Ning Zhongtian was inferior in skill, or worse, that Li Rui ruled poorly.

The entire Peace Guard had no one who could fight.

Hong Meng bowed with a grin:

"I've long heard that Master Li is known as the Dragon of Qinghe River—might I have the honor of sparring with you today?"

(End of Chapter)