Chapter 46: Refining "Immortal Weapons" in the Fire Domain

Qin Sheng, a disciple from the Yaoguang Holy Land whose reputation had recently skyrocketed, had just cut an Ancient Insect Source—a Divine Source!—from a stone at the Sixiang Stone Workshop.

This news spread quickly among the bystanders, causing quite a stir in the Holy City.

An Ancient Insect Source was one thing, but a Divine Source was a true rarity of the world. Forget the Four Poles Secret Realm; even those in the Dragon Transformation and Immortal Platform realms would be envious.

If this had happened outside the Holy City, a Divine Source the size of a fava bean would surely have triggered a bloodbath.

"That Qin Sheng picked three stones, and two of them yielded massive treasures. He didn't even cut the Green Rain Stone on-site; he's even more talented than the geniuses from the Source Art clans. Just how profound is his Source Art?"

"Perhaps it was just luck."

"Go buy three source stones and see if your luck can reach that level."

"Could it be that Qin Sheng obtained the inheritance of the legendary Source Celestial Master?"

"Big news! Members of the Source Art clans have publicly challenged Qin Sheng to another competition!"

"Good, good, good! The more commotion, the better. What did Qin Sheng say? Did he accept the challenge?"

"Qin Sheng... it seems he has already left the Northern Region."

Indeed, on the very day he cut out the Divine Source, Qin Sheng had returned to the Southern Region via a Domain Gate. The chaos of the Holy City had nothing to do with him.

He had departed with a wave of his sleeve, leaving nothing behind but a legend, elevating his fame to a new level.

"After making such a massive scene, if I stayed in the Holy City waiting for them to come knocking, would they think I'm a fool?"

"Don't fall in love with me; I am merely a legend."

After returning to the Southern Region, Qin Sheng did not linger in Yaoguang; he left the Holy Land immediately.

His haste to return to the Southern Region wasn't because he feared trouble from the Source Art clans—he was, after all, a candidate Holy Son of Yaoguang, not some small-fry without a background.

Rather, it was because he had urgent business: he needed to go to the Fire Domain in the Kingdom of Jin to refine his coffin.

The Fire Domain was mysterious; no one knew its origins, yet it had stood there since the Primordial Era.

This area was incredibly miraculous. Its flames were like rootless fire; even without the support of vegetation or any other combustible material, they burned eternally.

For powerful cultivators, the Fire Domain was the premier choice for weapon forging, as the flames here contained a mysterious power capable of branding Dao and Principles onto artifacts.

Qin Sheng flew all the way until he arrived.

Flames soared into the sky, burning fiercely and dyeing the heavens themselves.

However, he did not enter immediately. Instead, he took out the Green Rain Stone.

"This stone is ominous, but there should be something inside. Its value might even exceed that of the Divine Source."

After contemplating for a moment, Qin Sheng set to work and cut the stone open.

"Wuu... wuu... wuu!"

A sound like a woman weeping, full of sorrow and resentment, drifted from within the stone. A wave of immense grievance erupted, and a ghastly green light illuminated the surroundings.

Qin Sheng frowned. He summoned the Dragon-Patterned Black Gold Cauldron to suppress the resentment, and upon closer inspection, he was startled.

"Is this... a Stone Fairy?"

Inside the stone was a green, mutated Source, and within that Source was a phantom, miniature woman.

The woman looked wretched; her face was withered, and her body and limbs were covered in marks as if they had been gnawed upon. She wept incessantly.

The "Stone Fairy" was recorded in the Source Emperor's Source Art. It was a special type of spirit born within a Source, never contacting the outside world, making them extremely pure.

These spirits were precious; they could inhabit an artifact and become its deity.

Whether an artifact possessed a deity was a completely different concept; only an artifact with a deity could endure eternally and possess the ability to self-recover.

However, for a weapon to nurture a deity was an incredibly high requirement; even great power weapons did not possess such eligibility.

"A pity," Qin Sheng sighed.

This Stone Fairy had been targeted by some unknown entity and devoured alive, turning her into a "Resentful Immortal." She was no longer suitable to inhabit a normal artifact.

Of course, even if she were still intact, Qin Sheng would not allow a Stone Fairy to enter his coffin.

The deity of a life-bound artifact was best if it grew from the artifact itself, gradually gaining sentience until it eventually birthed a "True God."

"A perfectly good spirit eaten alive like this... damn it, who would commit such a sinful act?"

Qin Sheng shook his head and carefully stored the Stone Fairy away.

He stepped into the Fire Domain, venturing deeper. The color of the flames changed constantly, from red to blue, then to milky white, and finally to black.

The Fire Domain consisted of nine layers; with every layer one descended, the flames became more terrifying.

The black Nether Fire was the fourth layer. A normal cultivator from the Four Poles Secret Realm could not survive here for long, but Qin Sheng felt it was manageable.

The fifth layer was Golden Divine Fire, incredibly intense and capable of incinerating those in the Dragon Transformation realm.

The sixth layer of the Fire Domain was known as "Purple Qi from the East." The things burning inside did not look like flames but rather like purple mist, yet they were even more terrifying.

This level of flame was already quite daunting. After some thought, Qin Sheng chose to forge his artifact in this layer.

With the protection of the Heaven-Swallowing Demon Lid, he could go deeper, but the problem was that the artifact had to be forged within his body, requiring him to draw the flames into himself. It was better to be cautious.

"First, I will use the Purple Qi to melt the Dao-Life Mother Stone and merge it with the coffin to create a preliminary artifact embryo. Then, I will consider whether to go to the seventh layer or even deeper for further refinement."

Qin Sheng sat cross-legged and carefully guided the Purple Qi into his body, channeling it into his Sea of Wheel.

He was extremely cautious during this process, not daring to be careless, for even the slightest mistake would result in heavy injury.

Strands of purple fire were guided in, enveloping the Dao-Life Mother Stone. This celestial treasure suddenly began to glow, showing a tendency to transform from a solid to a liquid state.

An unimaginably pure vitality flowed from it, spreading through Qin Sheng's limbs and bones, giving him the sensation that he might become immortal.

"As expected of the Source of Life, the beginning of all living things," Qin Sheng said in pleasant surprise. He immediately used the Demon Lid to suppress his own body, preventing any leakage of life source energy.

Following this, Qin Sheng discovered that under the influence of this life source energy, even the purple fire was soothed, becoming tranquil rather than violent.

"Good, good, good." He uttered "good" three times in a row; this was undoubtedly extremely helpful for his forging.

Next, Qin Sheng drew in more purple fire, and the Dao-Life Mother Stone melted completely.

Immediately, Qin Sheng drew the Chaos Dust from the other side of his Sea of Wheel, merging it with the liquid Dao-Life Mother Stone.

The two celestial treasures merged into a strange black substance—limitless life and boundless death, forming a cycle of life and death, a grand harmony, and a great unification.

It was profoundly mysterious, as if it encapsulated the true essence of life and death and explained all laws of the universe.

One was the source of life, the starting point of all beings in the cosmos.

The other was the destination of all beings, the end point of all living things in the world.

The combination of these two treasures allowed them to achieve a magnificent and incredible sublimation.

As the flames roared, this black substance enveloped Qin Sheng's coffin and began the tempering process.

The sound of clanging echoed from within Qin Sheng's body, as if he were truly forging an immortal weapon; it was extraordinary.

After a long time, the purple fire within his body was exhausted. Looking at the transformed celestial treasure, Qin Sheng felt joy in his heart.

"Excellent. I see the hope of success. Once this coffin is completed, what could possibly stop an artifact forged from the union of two treasures of the Golden Immortal grade?"

"It shall be the one and only in the world!"

Of course, while the future was bright, hard work was still required.

Forging was a slow, painstaking process that could not be rushed. Qin Sheng was prepared to stay in the Fire Domain for several months.

He possessed the Heaven-Swallowing Demon Art; all things in the world were his nourishment. Aside from forging, he could absorb the purest heaven and earth fire essence within the Fire Domain to cultivate, ensuring his progress would not be hindered.

Drawing the purple fire into his body once more, Qin Sheng began a new round of tempering.

However, plans rarely survive contact with reality. Three days later, Qin Sheng suddenly sensed an anomaly in the Infinite Land, and he was instantly overjoyed.

*Another "I am dead" moment?*

(End of Chapter)