Breaking the Precept

"Second Young Master, proceed with caution. I will remain here, awaiting your command," the white-haired elder said, cupping his hands respectfully. He stopped outside Dragon Prison Mountain to provide support. Even Golden Core cultivators could not withstand the miasma enveloping the mountain, and so he could only watch as Zhan Tianxiang disappeared into the swirling violet mist, heading toward the mountain's peak.

During his time infiltrating the Fire Refining Sect, Zhan Tianxiang had thoroughly mapped out the interior of Dragon Prison Mountain under the guise of mining duties. Now, standing at the heart of the array formation, he took a deep breath and summoned an arrow. With a flick of his wrist, he cut a deep gash into his left arm. Blood gushed forth, and with a gesture from his free hand, he activated his spiritual orifices, allowing spiritual energy to surge from his body.

As the energy coursed through him, the fresh blood darkened to an ominous grayish-black. The dense blood energy swirled around him, spreading outward like a tangible force.

Within moments, an uneasy beastly roar echoed from deep within the mountain.

More roars followed, one after another, resounding through the air.

"My blood energy has darkened again," Zhan Tianxiang muttered, unperturbed by the cacophony of roars. His focus remained fixed on his wrist as his brows furrowed deeper. At the age of five, when he discovered that his blood energy could incite beasts into frenzy, it was merely a faint shade of crimson. Now, fifteen years later, it had become this murky black.

The elders of his clan had long concluded that by the time he reached ninety, he would either be consumed by his own Earth Soul or transform into a mindless demon, severed from all familial bonds. Judging by the current state of his blood energy, he doubted he could even live to seventy.

Unless he could recover his missing Heaven Soul and unify his three celestial souls, there would be no way to expel the demonic energy left behind by the fourth-tier Nascent Soul beast that had once ravaged his body. But finding a fragment of one's soul in the vast expanse of the Crimson Sky Realm was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Even the mighty Zhan Clan, whose influence spanned the entire continent, was powerless.

"If Xiaolou were still alive, perhaps after resolving this matter, I should search for my Heaven Soul. Even if the chances are slim, it's worth trying..." Zhan Tianxiang thought to himself.

Before, he had accepted the idea of living to ninety as a blessing. Yet now, for reasons he couldn't quite explain, a flicker of unwillingness stirred within him. Humans, it seemed, grew greedy once they held onto a certain hope.

Fire Refining Sect Plaza

Unamused, Nameless glanced at the sword case in Yue Ze's hand. "I heard Yue Daoist excels at crafting nimble and subtle weapons. Why a sword this time?"

Yue Ze stood serenely, caressing the sword case with a faint smile.

"Fine, if you prefer swords, suit yourself. Just don't cry about it later," Nameless said with a shrug, then reached into his storage pouch. "This is my creation, Softy—"

But instead of a weapon, he pulled out a cactus bristling with sharp needles, causing him to flinch in pain.

"Hehe, my bad, grabbed the wrong thing." Grimacing, he stuffed the cactus back into his pouch and resumed rummaging through its contents.

The crowd watched him as if he were some sort of oddity.

After all, a storage pouch required only a thought to summon items; why was he manually searching through it?

Oblivious to the stares, Nameless continued pulling out random objects—pig bristles, durians, pebbles, blades of grass, and even a rooster comb flower. Finally, he fished out a yellowish lump of clay the size of his fist.

"Ah, here it is," he said, holding up the soggy lump.

It truly was... soft and mushy.

Yue Ze glanced at the wet, lumpy mass and fought the urge to roll his eyes. The crowd erupted into laughter.

From the viewing platform, Zhan Tianming frowned. Though he lacked expertise in artifact forging, his ability to appraise artifacts was exceptional. Yet he saw nothing remarkable about the lump of clay.

"Does that guy have something wrong up here?" Huo Ying tapped Zhan Tianming's arm with a folding fan and pointed at his own temple.

"Perhaps geniuses simply have their eccentricities," Yue Nianxi remarked, her enchanting eyes shimmering with interest as she observed Nameless. Ever since her arrival on the high platform, she had drawn countless admiring gazes from male cultivators below—everyone except Nameless, it seemed.

Not that Nameless hadn't looked at her.

But his gaze bore no admiration or desire. Instead, it carried blatant disdain, as if silently mocking her, Eastern Immortal Twin Beauties? You look more like a gourd. Just average.

To her surprise, Yue Nianxi felt a surge of excitement rather than offense.

Seated beside the sect leader, Li Jianzhao caught Yue Nianxi's lingering gaze on Nameless and felt an overwhelming urge to leap down and turn the man into minced meat. Unfortunately, the sect leader's oppressive aura held him firmly in place.

Meanwhile, the elders exchanged worried glances.

As accomplished artifact forgers, they could clearly perceive the lump of clay's astonishing complexity. Its internal formation patterns were so intricate that even with their Golden Core cultivation, they struggled to discern its full workings. How could a Foundation Establishment cultivator like Yue Ze hope to unravel its mysteries?

Clenching his fists under his sleeves, Elder Xuan Zhen was tempted to strike Yue Ze dead on the spot.

Yue Ze, however, paid no attention to the artifact's internal patterns. Instead, he remarked blandly, "Softy? That name sounds familiar."

"It was an idea from the guardian of your cave abode... what's her name... oh, Jian Xiaolou. No wonder you've heard of it," Nameless replied nonchalantly, raising the lump of clay. "With this artifact, I'll duel you."

He tossed the clay into the air, where it rapidly expanded with a bubbling sound. As the noise grew louder, the clay swelled to cover the sky before abruptly shrinking into a three-foot-wide, cloud-like mass that floated above his head.

The crowd, which had been laughing moments ago, now erupted in exclamations of awe.

"This is a defensive artifact of Earth-grade quality," Nameless introduced. "It can grow alongside its owner's cultivation."

"What a coincidence," Yue Ze replied. "This sword of mine is also Earth-grade and capable of self-evolution."

With that, he removed the talisman sealing the sword case. As soon as the case opened slightly, radiant beams of light escaped, illuminating the plaza.

Gripping the sword case tightly, Yue Ze commanded, "Release!"

Boom!

The wooden case shot into the air and exploded into fragments. A three-foot-five azure sword emerged, spinning gracefully before descending to hover before Yue Ze. Its narrow blade bore no edges, only a mysterious azure mist swirling along its surface.

"What material is this sword forged from?" the sect leader murmured in astonishment, glancing at Elder Xuan Zhen.

Elder Xuan Zhen's previously grim expression brightened with pride. "To think Yue Ze concealed such a heavenly material. No wonder..."

"The Heart of Flames?"

Amidst the murmurs of amazement, only Nameless stared at the sword with a strange expression, muttering, "The Heart of Flames reappears... Could it be that terrifying being is about to awaken after five thousand years? And now, to see it forged into a divine weapon... I wonder how that bald monk would feel if he saw this..."

Then, fixing Yue Ze with a piercing gaze, Nameless demanded coldly, "How did you manage to smelt the Heart of Flames?"

"So that's what it's called," Yue Ze replied casually. "As for how I did it, that's my skill!"

Without further ado, he commanded the sword to strike.

Nameless dodged backward, forming rapid hand seals. The Softy artifact transformed into a cloud-like shield, intercepting the sword.

The azure sword struck the shield, its energy seemingly swallowed up by the clay. The crowd watched in disbelief as the shield morphed and bounced under the sword's relentless assault.

Suddenly, Yue Ze smirked. "Did you think a divine weapon's power ends there?"

He formed a hand seal and shouted, "Sword Shadow Reillumination—Rise!"

To be continued...