So far, Shui Miao had learned everything about setting up arrays and formations, but had never actually attempted forging any artifacts.
Forging was not complicated per se, but required mastery of techniques and precise control.
A refining furnace was an essential tool for crafting magical treasures. Naturally, refining furnaces also varied in quality. To forge top-grade immortal treasures, one must first possess a top-grade furnace. To create supreme artifacts, a supreme-grade furnace was absolutely indispensable.
Among the memories that Shui Miao had acquired, there were some recollections concerning the forging of the丹炉.
However, before forging his own furnace, Shui Miao wanted to examine Bu Yi’s supreme pill furnace as a reference.
Bu Yi sealed Shui Miao into a magical treasure and summoned forth his refining furnace.
Shui Miao carefully examined the furnace and suddenly noticed a familiar purple aura circulating within it. All the other contents were merely ordinary forging materials, but this purple aura was especially thick and potent.
Wait a second…
Seeing the hidden purple aura within Bu Yi’s furnace, Shui Miao suddenly felt as though he had grasped something profound.
Since beginning his cultivation of yin-yang and the five elemental energies, the first energy Shui Miao had encountered was this purple aura. He had always believed it to be a sign of good fortune—auspicious energy that brought luck and smooth success, just like the well-known saying “the purple aura comes from the east.” However, after all his cultivation, seeing this purple aura within the furnace had shaken that belief.
Shui Miao suddenly felt that the purple aura was not simply about luck; rather, luck might only be a small aspect of it.
“Brother Bu Yi, what’s the story behind this purple aura in your furnace? Do you know where it comes from?” Shui Miao wanted to hear Bu Yi’s thoughts, since he was the greatest expert among the dwarves. The dwarves must have developed their own unique understanding of such mysterious energies over time.
Bu Yi furrowed his brow. “This purple aura accumulates during artifact forging. Immortals call it ‘Lingtai Qi’ (Spirit Embryo Energy). With it, one can forge higher-quality artifacts and even create an artifact spirit along with the treasure itself. As for the origin of this purple aura, I only know that it exists deep underground. Our dwarven clan has a legend: originally, the universe contained no planets—they were all created by a sage known as Hongmeng. According to legend, all planets are actually discarded artifacts, half-finished creations. A planet capable of nurturing life is considered a semi-finished artifact. Of course, this is just a legend. Such a powerful sage is beyond imagination, beyond imagination indeed!”
Bu Yi’s words revealed to Shui Miao that all planets were actually artifacts.
And the purple aura was the Lingtai Qi that gathered within these artifacts.
In other words, the purple aura was the most mysterious energy of all.
Shui Miao’s thoughts raced. Suddenly, he recalled that although he couldn’t reach the core of real planets, he did possess a planet within his own realm of consciousness—a planet he had gradually formed using the principles of yin-yang and the five elements. He could access its mysteries with but a thought.
Without delay, Shui Miao sat in meditation and entered his consciousness realm.
“Purple aura!”
“Indeed, there is purple aura!”
Shui Miao quickly sensed the energy at the core of his consciousness planet. It was a massive, dense cluster of purple aura, over ten meters in diameter. This aura was incredibly wondrous—it attracted yin-yang and the five elemental energies to revolve slowly around it. As they moved, stored spiritual stones within the realm gradually decomposed, entering the elemental energies and accumulating further.
“I understand now! So this is the secret of planets!”
“In fact, a planet itself is also an artifact—an artifact capable of absorbing cosmic spiritual energy and growing over time.”
“No wonder Grandpa used to say that in ancient times, cultivation was much easier and immortals were more common. Back then, the population was sparse, and spiritual energy was abundant. Simply breathing the air could lead a person to immortality, and animals could transform into spirits or fairies. It must have been because spiritual energy was so plentiful back then!”
“Humanity has developed over time, exploiting natural resources and abusing the Earth’s spiritual energy. This has caused plant life to dwindle and the balance of yin-yang and the five elements to become increasingly unstable. If this continues, humanity will drift further from the path of immortality. However, in remote places like the South and North Poles, where humans rarely tread, spiritual energy must still be well-preserved. The auroras there might even be manifestations of spiritual energy!”
Shui Miao’s thoughts continued to flow, connecting many ideas.
Soon after, he redirected his focus and drew a stream of purple aura from his consciousness planet into his body to begin cultivation.
“Boom!”
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
As Shui Miao extracted the purple aura, a section of the surface of his consciousness planet collapsed, forming a massive crater. From this collapse, a wave of corrupt energy spread outward. Many water sources gathered at the crater, forming a vast ocean across the planet’s surface!
Could this be the natural evolution of planets?
Shui Miao’s heart stirred, and he quickly focused on the flow of this corrupt energy.
The corrupt energy was absorbed into the yin-yang and five elemental energies of the planet, inevitably polluting them. Plants that inhaled this energy began to yellow and die. Tree spirits that inhaled it became corrupted—some turned evil, others even began killing their own kind, leading inevitably to death.
Could it really be this way?
“If this is true, then the vast oceans and massive craters on Earth must be the result of cultivators stealing the planet’s core purple aura?”
“Incredible! Absolutely incredible!”
“And those planets deep in the cosmos devoured by black holes or turned lifeless—could they also be the result of cultivators’ actions?”
Shui Miao’s thoughts spiraled into many more possibilities, and he couldn’t help but admit how terrifying this line of thought was.
Unwilling to see his consciousness planet in such a state, Shui Miao initially intended to absorb the corrupt energy. But suddenly, he became curious—perhaps this change could lead to some unique evolution within his consciousness realm, giving rise to special life forms, animals, or even sentient beings!
With this idea in mind, he abandoned the thought of removing the corrupt energy.
So, Shui Miao asked Bu Yi for forging materials and, using Bu Yi’s furnace, began forging a Time Talisman inside the Tower of Time.
This was Shui Miao’s first attempt at forging an artifact—his very first creation.
Bu Yi and Meng San Niang stood nearby, offering full guidance as they watched Shui Miao work.
Under Shui Miao’s spiritual control, the furnace flames melted the materials into liquid form. Guided by his will, the liquid began to take shape. Forging was an extremely mentally taxing process, but after six thousand years of cultivation within the Tower of Time, Shui Miao’s spiritual power had reached an unfathomable level. Thus, forging this time-based artifact was practically effortless for him.
He had already simulated the entire structure of the Time Talisman within his consciousness realm, so his movements were now extremely fluid and precise.
The liquid coalesced into a talisman-like pearl, with its internal components forming rapidly.
Ample purple aura nourished the talisman, causing it to radiate dazzling light and emit a powerful, alluring magical aura.
“I’ll go get some dragon blood!”
Seeing the talisman nearing completion, Bu Yi suddenly had an idea. He recalled the pools of dragon blood spilled on the ground by the wounded dragons outside.
Wuchang Yidao was still locked in battle with the four Dragon Lords, yet he remained full of vigor, while the four Dragon Lords were all wounded. For miles around, the battlefield was soaked in dragon blood.
Soon, Bu Yi returned with a large quantity of dragon blood.
At Shui Miao’s will, the dragon blood was used to temper the talisman!
“Hisssss!”
A surge of bloody vapor erupted as the talisman rapidly cooled in the dragon blood, absorbing its energy and gradually changing color.
The dragon blood was consumed quickly.
“Haha! This is great!”
“Shui Miao, normally dragon blood is only used for tempering. If it’s being consumed this fast, it means your Time Talisman is developing a natural artifact spirit. A treasure with a born spirit can be more than ten times as powerful as one without. Quick, let me go get more dragon blood!”
Bu Yi shouted excitedly. He had only ever forged one such artifact with a born spirit—his own protective pearl.
“We don’t have time!”
Seeing how fast the dragon blood was being consumed, Shui Miao immediately took the talisman and left the Tower of Time, heading outside.
He placed the talisman into a nearby large pool of dragon blood!
“Shui Miao, hurry back! Someone might steal this peerless treasure!”
Bu Yi grew anxious, cursing Shui Miao’s recklessness.
“What is that?”
Suddenly, a surge of crimson light erupted. Wuchang Yidao and the four Dragon Lords halted their battle.
“It’s the Time Talisman! Impossible! Impossible! How could he forge it?”
Feeling the talisman’s energy forming, Wuchang Yidao was stunned.
“A supreme-grade immortal treasure with a born artifact spirit!”
“Brother, shall we take it?”
“Of course! Such a treasure must be seized!”
“Silence! Shui Miao is our ally. If he can forge one Time Talisman, he can forge ten. Protect him! We must not let that Wuchang ghost steal it!”
The four Dragon Lords swiftly surrounded Shui Miao, guarding him fiercely.
Wuchang Yidao stared at the Time Talisman before Shui Miao. After a surge of blood energy, the talisman suddenly emitted a seven-colored rainbow of light, dazzling and magnificent.
“This is a supreme-grade immortal artifact!”
Seeing the colorful radiance, Bu Yi grabbed Shui Miao’s arm and urgently telepathically urged, “Quick! Drop your blood on it! What are you waiting for? This is a peerless treasure!”
“Alright!”
Shui Miao immediately summoned a drop of his blood, ready to perform the blood-binding ritual…
“Hahahaha!”
Suddenly, a wild laughter echoed through the air.
A streak of green light flashed, and the protective pearl vanished!
“Unexpected! Truly unexpected! I, Hua Tianxiong, pretended to be wounded and captured, not only discovering your secrets but also gaining a supreme immortal artifact for free! What a profit! Too much profit! Shui Miao, I’m going to blood-bind this treasure right in front of you! Hahahaha…”
Hua Tianxiong appeared mid-air, holding the Time Talisman, his face glowing with triumph and arrogance.
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