Chapter 176

Demon Heart: "In that pile of materials, there is an ink-black hard stone. Weapons refined using this hard stone deal double damage to the Punished, just like the Haoran Zhengqi Sword in the execution ground; it can easily harm the Ox-Horn Red-Eyed Demon."

Lu Fang took out the storage bag and searched through it carefully, finally finding a piece of ink-black hard stone that looked like crystal. It felt heavier than ordinary ore in his hand.

If not for the Demon Heart's reminder, he might not have been able to distinguish the uniqueness of the "hard stone."

"Just this palm-sized hard stone—wanting to refine a weapon with it is likely not a simple matter."

Lu Fang tossed the hard stone in his hand, feeling somewhat disappointed in his heart.

He had thought there was a material that could directly deal several times the damage to the Punished.

This hard stone is only the size of a palm. If he were to refine a weapon as the Demon Heart said, he would likely need to find quite a few more of the same hard stones.

The Demon Heart seemed to see through Lu Fang's thoughts and laughed, "You are still not satisfied? Later, try your best to pry out from that Luo Sha where he obtained the hard stone, and acquire as many hard stones as possible."

"If you can use hard stones for the entire weapon, that would be best, but if you haven't found that many hard stones, you can also mix in other materials."

"The amount of hard stone used will cause the corresponding power to fluctuate."

Lu Fang put the hard stone in his hand into the storage bag and furrowed his brows. He looked out at the colorful snow mountains in the distance, shook his head, and returned along the path he came.

Upon arriving before that cave, Xue Luosha and Pan were no longer there; they must have gone inside to cultivate.

"So cold!"

Lu Fang muttered. Standing at the cave entrance, he could clearly feel the richness of the extreme yin energy; he felt as if his blood were being frozen.

The most miraculous thing is that this is just a feeling.

He circulated his Haoran Zhengqi to resist the cold, yet the Haoran Zhengqi on his body had faint signs of congealing. This is the reason why the snow mountain is a sacred place for cultivation.

As he entered the cave, this chill grew more and more intense.

Because the surrounding cave walls were illuminated by fist-sized night-luminescent pearls, it was as bright as day inside the cave.

After walking about a hundred meters, the cave suddenly became spacious.

In the center position, there were dense, sword-shaped ice sculptures. The extreme yin energy contained within them made it impossible for anyone to get close.

Further away, Xue Luosha and Pan were sitting on the icy ground, closing their eyes and absorbing the extreme yin energy to cultivate.

"Is the other side of the summit spectacular?"

Xue Luosha opened her eyes and looked at Lu Fang with a smile.

Lu Fang smiled gently and said, "It was even more beautiful than I imagined. It's a pity that those are all unknown places filled with danger everywhere; otherwise, it would be quite interesting to go down and have a look around."

Xue Luosha smiled sweetly and said, "What a coincidence. When I first saw the colorful snow mountains, the thoughts in my heart were exactly the same as yours."

Lu Fang nodded slightly and asked, "Just sitting here, have you started cultivating? What are the ice swords in the center, and why does it feel so cold?"

Pan, who was to the side, opened his eyes and replied, "The ice swords in the center are formed by extreme yin energy that has condensed to a certain degree. If Lord Wenguan feels it is too cold, you can sit further away to cultivate accordingly."

"Understood." Lu Fang sat down near Pan's side, tossing the ink-black hard stone in his hand, and said with a smile, "Where did you get this broken rock?"

Pan was stunned for a moment. His gaze examined the hard stone for a while, and he hesitated, "Lord Wenguan, you are interested in this broken rock? I can't see anything different about it; isn't it just a piece of ordinary ore?"

Xue Luosha reached out, took the hard stone from Lu Fang's hand, and said somewhat uncertainly, "It doesn't seem to be a common ore or material. It feels a bit heavier, and the texture is quite a bit better."

Lu Fang smiled without answering and looked at Pan, saying, "I want to refine a weapon and happen to need this kind of sturdy ore. I won't treat you unfairly; tell me the location, and I will return the wager you brought out earlier to you."

Pan was somewhat hesitant. He was not a fool; an ore that could be taken a fancy to by Lu Fang must have value. If he had known the value of the hard stone earlier, he definitely would not have brought it out to use as a wager.

Xue Luosha frowned and said, "If you still remember where this ore was obtained, just tell Lord Wenguan. Isn't he trading it for ore and materials? You won't be at a loss."

Even with Xue Luosha's persuasion, Pan remained silent.

Lu Fang raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "Of course, if you don't want to say, I won't force you. I can also find out where you have been. You can think about whether you want to say it or not."

"I need to think about it."

Pan frowned tightly, weighing the pros and cons in his heart.

Lu Fang waited for a while and said somewhat impatiently, "I will count to ten; if you really don't want to say it, then forget it."

After finishing, he began to count, putting psychological pressure on Pan. When he counted to seven, Pan finally couldn't hold out anymore. He smiled bitterly and shook his head, "I accidentally found this strange ore not long ago on the edge of the deep scorched earth region, to the east."

Lu Fang nodded with satisfaction and pressed, "How was it obtained? I need the specific method."

Pan smiled and said, "It was obtained from the belly of an exotic beast in the soil. Not far from that place is a poisonous swamp. Lord Wenguan only needs to go there and can try to see if he can dig up this kind of ore."

Lu Fang tossed the storage bag in his hand to Pan. His face remained calm as he closed his eyes. What Pan said should basically be true; the other party had no reason to lie.

Pan took the returned storage bag. After taking a look at the items inside, not a single material or ore was missing, except for the hard stone. He couldn't help but reveal a smile and guaranteed, "Lord Wenguan, you are straightforward!"

"Since you are so straightforward, I will also give you a peace of mind."

"Everything I said just now is true. If there is a single lie, let the Heavenly Dao be the witness and let me be smashed to pieces."

Pan said solemnly.

Lu Fang nodded and said, "I believe what you said is true." After saying this, he sent a voice transmission to Xue Luosha, "After leaving this place, have someone help me check if Pan has entered the depths of the scorched earth region during this period."

Xue Luosha also sent a voice transmission: "Alright, I will have someone check once we go out."

Lu Fang received the confirmation and said no more. He closed his eyes to rest his mind; he could not absorb the extreme yin energy and could only use the cold air of the extreme yin energy to condense the Haoran Zhengqi on his body.

However, sitting in the same place as Xue Luosha and Pan, the extreme yin energy he perceived was not that strong.

Thus, he stood up and walked forward two steps.

Seeing this scene, Xue Luosha hesitated and said, "Lord Wenguan, do not be in a rush to cultivate using extreme yin energy. It is just right to feel a little bit of cold; if you are too anxious, you will be injured."