Luo Wu flailed about as he tried to escape from Yang Tiecheng’s stranglehold. However, this was to no avail, and he only felt more and more unwell.
“Although I won’t allow Ling Han to kill you, I won’t gloss over the fact that you two purposefully blasted him into the sea, either!” Yang Tiecheng reached out and lifted Fan Yong by the neck as well.
The two of them squirmed violently, yet neither of them was a match for Yang Tiecheng. They could only flail about helplessly.
“Humph! When we disembark this ‘ship’, I’ll personally deal with you two first!” Yang Tiecheng said coldly. He forcefully flung his arms outward.
Pa!
Luo Wu and Fan Yong were both dripping with cold sweat as their bottoms plonked onto the wreckage. They felt as if they had walked to death’s doors and back.
Their heads remained lowered as all kinds of cruel thoughts flashed through their minds.
Chapter 1017 - Wanting to Forge the Strongest Sword
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
The two broken pieces of the ship were now like two small rafts, bearing the fortunate survivors as they floated on the huge sea.
They were trying hard to return to the marine routes of the Yang Clan. Then, only three days would be needed, at most, and they would meet with another ship from the Yang Clan and be saved.
However, they had survived a great disaster, yet they did not meet their good fortune 1 . Not long after, they encountered a stormy sea that turned them all dizzy and caused them to lose any sense of direction.
When it was calm again, Yang Tiecheng took out his compass for a look, and discovered that they were extremely far away from the normal marine routes.
There was nothing else that could be done. They could only row as much as possible to return to their original marine route.
Thankfully, all of them were elites of Immortal level, and thus there was no need to worry about problems like food and water.
Soon, night fell. Everyone took their turns to rest, but none of them dared to be too relaxed, because everyone was trying to outwit everybody else, so who would really be trustworthy among them?
At dawn, a red sun leaped out of the horizon, incredibly magnificent.
“Yi, there… there seems to be a ship!”
A black dot appeared ahead of them. Everyone focused their gazes and looked in one direction, and there indeed was something floating on the surface of the sea.
“Be careful, it could be pirates!” Yang Tiecheng exclaimed.
This place was completely distanced from the marine routes of the Yang Clan’s fleet. The ships belonging to the Yang Clan would definitely not appear here unless by complete accident. Hence, the possibility that it was a pirate ship was extremely high.
“That’s not right!” Ling Han activated the Eye of Truth, and shook his head. He said, “That’s not a ship. Instead, it’s an island.”
The reason why it looked like a ship was because this island was too far away from them.
“An island!”
Everyone felt invigorated. If they got on the island, they would be able to reorganize. At least, they could make a few real oars, or they could even create a sail. It would be better than now, at least.
They rowed once more to advance. After quite a long while of rowing, that island was also becoming gradually bigger in front of their eyes, and finally, they could see it clearly. That was indeed an island, and it was a very big one.
This stunned quite a few of them. How could Ling Han’s sight be so good?
Another long while passed, and they finally landed on the beach.
“We’ll move separately. One day later, we will gather back here. We will collect all materials that can be used,” Yang Tiecheng said. He stored away the two broken pieces of his ship to prevent anyone from leaving by themselves and leaving everyone else on the island.
Ability-wise, he was the strongest. He was also the “captain”, so naturally, he would be the one calling the shots. Furthermore, he was more trustworthy. Otherwise, it didn’t matter who got ahold of these two “boats”, for the others would not be at ease.
Luo Wu and Fan Yong exchanged a look. After their “shared trial”, they had formed an alliance. Now that everyone was moving separately, they naturally had their eye on Ling Han.
Unfortunately, Yang Tiecheng chose to go with Ling Han, which caused the duo’s plan to tail and kill him secretly to completely fizzle out.
Actually, Ling Han was feeling a bit sorry too. He still had the Crimson Ground Locking Net which he had not used yet, so even against a cultivator in the high extreme, he would be unafraid. Moreover, he could stun his opponent with the Seven Kill Subduing Soul Technique, and draw them into the Black Tower, so he was assured of victory against any cultivator in the high extreme.
This island was very big, and had a narrow, elongated shape. They were now at about one-third of the island. Hence, they separated into two groups. One group would head east, while the other group would head west.
The island was covered with dense jungle, and each tree was at least 300 meters tall, with huge leaves. Hence, if one were to walk underneath the trees, there was practically no light that could penetrate the canopy, making it appear extremely spooky.
Ling Han’s group had six people. Aside from himself and Shui Yanyu, there was also Yang Tiecheng, Yin Yuanxiang, Fu Tian, and Jin Zhihui.
Very obviously, Yang Tiecheng had separated Ling Han from his enemies.
“Brother Jin, you keep holding onto a sword, don’t you feel tired?” Ling Han asked the young man who was hugging his sword after they had set out.
Jin Zhihui shook his head, and replied, “Only when I experience the feelings of the sword at all times would I be able to forge an excellent sword!”
Was he a sword maniac?
Shui Yanyu suddenly twitched slightly, and asked, “Could it be… Brother Jin comes from the Swordforge Manor?”
If it was another man, being the focus of attention from a seductive beauty like Shui Yanyu, he would probably be completely dizzy with ecstasy. However, Jin Zhihui did not have the slightest bit of reaction. He merely hugged his sword as if it was his true love.
“Indeed, I do come from the Swordforge Manor,” he answered with a nod, appearing not to have the slightest bit of subtlety.
“As expected!” Shui Yanyu nodded. All members of the Swordforge Manor had the surname Jin.
“What Swordforge Manor?” Ling Han asked.
“The Swordforge Manor is the most acclaimed holy land of weaponsmiths on the Joint Peace Planet. However, this Manor only forges swords, and does not forge any other types of weapons. The blades they forge are not only sharp and sturdy, quite a number of them also has their own unique attributes,” Shui Yanyu explained. “Every swordsman would be proud of having a sword from the Swordforge Manor.”
So awesome?
Ling Han couldn’t help but smile and ask, “Brother Jin, if I obtain the materials in the future, can I ask you to forge my sword?”
Yang Tiecheng couldn’t help but shake his head. He had naturally heard of the Swordforge Manor, and also knew that the people from this Manor were very strange. They were obviously famous all over the world, yet did not care the slightest bit about money or power. They were too busy forging their swords.
However, though they enjoyed forging swords, it was up to their mood whom they would be willing to forge a sword for. Some had paid astronomical amounts and it was still useless, whereas some people needed not pay a single cent and would be gifted a sword of their own.
Since Ling Han had spoken so rashly like this, he was probably going to meet with a merciless refusal from Jin Zhihui.
“Okay!” Jin Zhihui said, nodding without hesitation.
Pu!
Yang Tiecheng almost choked. Wasn’t it said that everyone from the Swordforge Manor had weird temperaments? How could he have agreed so easily?
Jin Zhihui scratched his head,
and said a bit shyly, “However, I have not forged a single sword yet.”
F***!
No wonder he had agreed so readily; he should only be an apprentice.
Yet Ling Han laughed loudly, and clapped a hand on his shoulder, and said, “Then, it’s decided. In the future, my sword will be up to you.”
“Are you not afraid I will waste your materials?” Jin Zhihui asked in surprise. When others heard him say this, they were likely to shake their heads directly. Even those who gave him some face would change the topic and no longer speak of the matter of forging a sword.
Ling Han said, “With what you said earlier about wanting to experience the feelings of a sword, I am certain you can forge an excellent, supreme sword!”
Jin Zhihui couldn’t help but feel excited. Even in the Swordforge Manor, he had never gotten the approval of a single person. Even his father merely advised him not to daydream. Only this man in front of him approved of it.
Most importantly, though his idea of experiencing the feelings of a sword was something he’d said himself, hearing it from Ling Han’s mouth gave him the feeling like he had encountered an intimate friend.
“All right. In the future, I will definitely forge a supreme sword for you!” He clenched his fists, his eyes shining.
Previously, he had spoken little, but now it seemed like his vocal box had been opened. He thought of Ling Han as an intimate friend, and spoke endlessly.
“Brother Ling, I want to forge the strongest sword in this world!” he exclaimed.
Chapter 1018 - Giant Pit
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
“The strongest sword?” Ling Han was surprised.
This was not something to be said easily; did the strongest exist in this world? There would always be a mountain taller than the last. There was only talk of a stronger existence, so where would this strongest sword come from?
Yang Tiecheng and the others shook their heads as well. The talk of the strongest should only be the naive thoughts of a child.
“The strongest sword!” Jin Zhihui shook his head continuously. “I will definitely forge the strongest sword!”
“How?” Ling Han was very intrigued.
Jin Zhihui’s whole head was filled with forging swords, and now that he thought of Ling Han as an intimate friend, he would naturally not mind sharing a secret with him. He thus said, “I am studying a kind of material. If I can successfully refine it, there is hope of forging the strongest sword.”
Pu!
Yang Tiecheng and the others were all disdainful. What material would be that awesome? If there really was this kind of material, what would be left for you to study? It would have long since been snatched away by others.
Yet Jin Zhihui did not spare these people a look. Instead, he minded his own business, and said, “This is a king of materials that has endless possibilities of improvement. You see, when we forge a sword, no matter how much effort we expend, it would still be limited by the material that it is forged from.”
“True.” Ling Han nodded. You could not possibly forge a piece of Level One Godly metal into a Level Two God Tool, as the material itself determined that it was impossible.
“However, if I could extract that kind of material, no, no, no, that kind of essence, and forge it into a weapon, it would be able to automatically swallow other materials or God Tools. From Level One to Level Two, from Level Two to Level Three, there would be endless room for improvement,” Jin Zhihui explained excitedly.
Instantly, the eyes of Yang Tiecheng and the others all widened. Even their mouths were about to fly open—they were that dumbstruck.
A God Tool that had endless room from improvement?
Putting aside actually making it reality, the mere thought of it was enough to chill the spine. Would any other person think of this kind of fantastical story? If a God Tool like that really appeared, the whole world would experience a revolution because of it!
Ling Han was also stunned. Then, he put his hand on Jin Zhihui’s shoulder heavily. “Brother Jin, you are definitely a genius without compare!”
Jin Zhihui looked absolutely touched. When he related this theory to his clansmen, even when his father heard it, all he received was mockery and ridicule. Even his father who had the highest opinion of him advised him to give up such an unrealistic idea.
“Brother Ling, do you believe I can forge that kind of sword?” he asked.
Ling Han smiled slightly, and said, “If you don’t try, then there really won’t be the slightest bit of possibility, but if you work at it, then even if there was only a one-in-a-million chance of success, there is still at least a sliver of hope!”
“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Jin Zhihui continued to nod his head. Ling Han’s words had really touched his heart, causing him to feel as if he had met an intimate friend, and he wanted nothing more than to completely devote himself to Ling Han.
Meanwhile, Yang Tiecheng and the others lost interest. The “strongest sword” sounded very awesome, but no matter how they thought about it, it was an impossible endeavor.
“Brother Ling, after I forge this Divine Sword, I will send it to you!” Jin Zhihui said. He loved forging swords, but was no swordsman himself. In truth, all the members of the Swordforge Manor were outstanding masters of the hammer because they needed to wave their hammers endlessly when they were forging weapons. On the other hand, they were not accustomed to using swords.
“Then I’ll be waiting,” Ling Han said with a smile.
Jin Zhihui nodded seriously. Because he had met with a bottleneck, he wanted to travel around to improve his mood and seek some inspiration. The deathly battles these few days had given him quite a bit of comprehension.
However, though he had no worldly experience, he was no idiot himself. Hence, he did not speak out any bit about this fact.
He had made his decision. After he returned, he would cultivate in seclusion, and after he came out of seclusion, who knew, he might have solved all the problems plaguing him, and he would be able to forge the strongest Divine Sword in history.
The group of six walked in the dark jungle. However, all of a sudden, a wide space appeared ahead of them, revealing the blinding sunlight, and the six people gaped at the same time due to their intense shock.
Ahead of them, there actually appeared an incredibly, incomparably massive deep pit!
This pit was overwhelmingly huge. It occupied about one-third of the island, and its incredible depth was unfathomable. The walls of the pit were completely steep, without the slightest bit of foothold, as smooth as a mirror.
It was like a pillar that connected to the heavens had stabbed this place, and left behind such a hollow between heaven and earth!
This was too sudden. Just one step ago, they had still been in the jungle, but in the space of a single step, the jungle had disappeared, and this kind of steep cliff had appeared. If they had not been careful, they would have directly taken the wrong step and fallen in.
It should be known that the gravity in this region was frighteningly huge, and there was no use for Flight God Tools. If one actually fell into this kind of deep pit… then it was really unknown whether he would be able to ever come out again.
It was not that scary out at sea, because the gradient out at sea was relatively gentle. One would only need to travel in a specific direction, and there would come a day when he would be able to reach shore.
But here?
If one fell in, there was a high possibility that he would never come out again.
They all stretched out their heads and looked down from the edge of the steep cliff, and could only see that the bottom was an unfathomably deep darkness, just as if it could reach the core of the Joint Peace Planet. If that was true, then even an elite of the Heavenly Body Tier would die if he fell in!
The divine flame inside the planet was definitely capable of turning even an elite of the Heavenly Body Tier to ashes.
When they stretched out
their heads to look, they were still affected by gravity. They quickly retreated back to safety. If they lost balance and fell in, they would be done for.
“Lord Yang, have you heard of this island?” Ling Han asked.
Yang Tiecheng looked completely astonished. He shook his head slowly, and answered, “Apologies. Although the Yang Clan is known as the overlord of the Star Sea, I did not know that such an island existed.”
Sure enough, even the Yang Clan did not know.
All of them were silent. All of a sudden, this island was shrouded in a veil of mystery, and though the mystery would cause one to feel curiosity, at the same time, it also symbolized unknown dangers.
Ling Han chopped down a huge tree, and then threw it into the deep pit.
Xiu , the huge tree fell down, and very soon became a little black dot. Then, it was swallowed by the darkness inside the deep pit, and there was soon no sign of it. There was no sound of impact to be heard even after a very long time.
“The bottom is not connected with the sea,” Ling Han said.
Everyone nodded. Though they had climbed some slopes along their way on this island, the sea level was definitely not that low. They should have long since heard the sound of the tree splashing into the sea.
If it was connected with the sea, then they would only need to enter and explore. They would still be able to find a water channel that connected to the sea, and then find some way to go ashore. But, the current situation was that this pit was very possibly tens of thousands of meters deep. That was too frightening.
Ling Han activated the Eye of Truth, but it was of no use. He still could not see to the bottom.
“Huh?”
Yang Tiecheng was the first to look guarded. Very quickly, Ling Han and the others went on the alert as well, and looked towards their left.
Huala , three people suddenly walked out of the dense jungle.
It was not Luo Wu, Fan Yong, and Liu Ying, but rather three young men. They were seated respectively on a tiger, wolf, and panther. However, upon another look, one would realize that these three fierce beasts were not real animals. Instead, they were forged from metal, and could not really be considered all that full of life. One only need to take a closer look, and would realize that they were not real animals.
Alchemy Emperor of the Divine Dao c1-1294 Page 522