Chương 161: The Thunderclap Nether Sword

The Zhang Family's influence expanded at a dizzying pace, their fearsome reputation now firmly etched into the minds of all who dwelled in Qingtai Prefecture. Though friction persisted with the Jin Family, it did nothing to dampen the Zhangs' commercial ventures. Their shops thrived regardless. Beyond the Tier 2 cultivator already stationed at their spirit mountain, the Zhang Family had dispatched two more Tier 2 cultivators to Qingtai City. All thanks to those nine Green Spirit Peach Trees.

The family's roster of late-stage Tier 1 cultivators had now swelled to nearly one hundred! Zhang Lixian, ever the strategist, wasted no time in redirecting a portion of this formidable force to Qingtai City. To preempt any desperate recklessness from the Jin Family, Huaijin quietly tipped off Fang Tao. Fang Tao was naturally overjoyed at the news. The leader of their faction had finally seized the opportune moment to ascend to the Purple Mansion realm.

In preparation for the coming confrontation at Blood Lion Mountain, the two great Tier 3 families had begun unveiling their deepest reserves. The strength of every major power in the region was steadily climbing. Even the Zhou Family had managed to produce a new Tier 3 cultivator. But reclaiming Blood Lion Mountain would demand a brutal, bloody struggle. The spirit beasts from Black Tiger Cliff would almost certainly emerge once more. This time, however, the Heavenly Crane Sect had pledged their support.

Blood Lion Mountain lay far too close to Qingtai, its loss was simply unthinkable! Over the past decade, the spirit beast population had exploded once again, overrunning the lands. The nine counties of Qingtai Prefecture groaned under pressure. The various clans had no choice but to strengthen their forces while simultaneously waging a campaign against the beasts. In the Purple Dusk Mountain Range, blood soaked the earth.

Langya County, thanks to the protective presence of Purple Cloud Peak, faced relatively few spirit beast incursions. The Tier 2 forces stationed there could manage the situation with reasonable ease. Other factions, however, were locked in desperate, chaotic battles every single day. Deep within Blood Lion Mountain pulsed a Tier 3 Earth Vein. If the Raging Blood Lions held it for a few more decades, their race would multiply at an explosive rate, a catastrophe that would spell doom for all of Qingtai Prefecture.

The people of Qingtai had no choice. They had to take Blood Lion Mountain back. —— Purple Cloud Peak. The twenty Zhang Family members had already settled into their new home, their hearts brimming with excitement they could barely contain. Under Zhang Rende's meticulous arrangements, they set about managing the affairs of Purple Cloud Peak. The spiritual energy here was incomparably richer than the thin air of Green Bamboo Mountain.

To these young cultivators, just beginning their journey on the immortal path, it felt like stepping into a celestial paradise. Here, their cultivation would advance by leaps and bounds. Wujian and Yunli had already broken through to the second level. They trained relentlessly day after day, pushing themselves to their limits. In truth, they owed much of their rapid progress to Huaijin. Their role as guardians of the spirit mountain earned them not only cultivation time but also steady merit points.

Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Their primary duty was to gather resources from Purple Cloud Peak and transport them back to Green Bamboo Mountain, where the family leadership would distribute them to Zhang outposts scattered across the region. The Green Spirit Peaches, after all, were a treasure unique to the clan. Only Tier 2 cultivators could be trusted to safeguard them during transport, the risk of interception was simply too great.

The family had also sold a portion of the Green Peaches they had stockpiled over the years, trading them for a handsome sum of spirit stones. For cultivators whose lifespans were drawing to a close, longevity resources were the most precious commodities in existence. Over the years, the Zhang Family's treasury had grown pleasantly plump. Huaijin, meanwhile, had completed his calculations. The Zhang Family's expansion in Qingtai City was now firmly established. This made procuring ores and herbs considerably easier.

All the forging materials Huaijin needed were finally in his possession. Haihu stood outside his secluded cultivation chamber, while the Azure Ink Dragon patrolled the perimeter of Purple Cloud Peak. Huaijin had sunk into a state of profound meditation, oblivious to the world beyond his forging chamber. —— His mind swirling with focused intent, Huaijin began the forging process. He laid out eight pieces of Tier 2 upper grade ores.

Five days later, he had smelted them all down into spiritual liquid, each droplet suspended in the air by his spiritual sense, set carefully aside for the next stage. The Thunderclap Nether Branch crackled with contained lightning, its surface wreathed in roiling spiritual energy. Huaijin approached its refinement with extreme caution. For nearly ten days, the stubborn branch softened only marginally. Half a month passed before he finally reduced it to spiritual liquid.

Huaijin's palms moved in intricate patterns, each finger weaving complex restrictions into the shimmering liquid. Within the forging furnace, the droplets of molten lava like spiritual essence trembled, gradually merging under Huaijin's precise control. Each liquid bore its own distinct nature, yet beneath his masterful guidance, they combined in perfect harmony. Time flowed like water as the liquid slowly congealed, taking shape under his will. Bit by bit, it formed into a three-foot-long sword.

He continued weaving forging restrictions, each pattern resonating with the fundamental laws of the Dao. A sharp gleam began to emanate from the blade, and a resonant clang echoed through the sealed chamber! Ten days later! The furnace opened, revealing a three-foot-long, deep purple sword. A single black line ran along its blade like a vein of night, emanating faint ripples of soul force.

Sparks of lightning flickered across its surface like trapped stars, and a subtle heat radiated from it, mingling with a keen sense of sharpness that could split the air itself. Huaijin had prepared a great quantity of Tier 2 spiritual water in a vat carved from pure jade. Ssssss! As the sword plunged into the water, a cloud of white steam erupted with a sharp hiss, filling the chamber with mist. The Thunderclap Nether Sword was complete! A Tier 3 low grade spirit artifact was successfully forged!

With this achievement, Huaijin had taken another decisive step forward, ascending to the rank of Tier 3 low grade Artifact Forger. Perhaps because of his roots on Green Bamboo Mountain, Huaijin had always harbored a deep fondness for bamboo. He had even incorporated a piece of Tier 2 upper grade green bamboo piece into the forging process, a personal touch that tied the sword to his origins. With a flicker of energy, the sword flew into his waiting palm. Pssst!

He pricked his finger, letting a drop of his blood essence fall onto the blade. The sword drank it in, and in that moment, an unbreakable bond formed between them. Once a cultivator advanced to the Purple Mansion realm, they could forge their own lifebound spirit artifact, a weapon bound to their very soul. A lifebound spirit artifact consumed only one-tenth of the spiritual energy required by a regular one. And it would grow alongside its master, evolving with each breakthrough.

This was where the advantage of having multiple spirit roots truly shone. A cultivator with a single root could forge only one lifebound spirit artifact. But Huaijin, blessed with Five Spirit Roots, could forge a full five! Each one would grow stronger as his cultivation advanced. Naturally, he would need to refine higher grade ores into them over time, to maintain their hardness and integrity as his power increased.

The more lifebound spirit artifacts a cultivator forged, the more profound their foundation became, but their cultivation speed would also slow accordingly. For Huaijin, however, this was hardly a concern. With the Realm-Breaking Pearl, the Primordial Tai Chi Visualization Diagram, and his Earth Fiend Spirit Body, his cultivation speed was already terrifyingly fast. Beyond his five roots, he also possessed the Realm-Breaking Pearl. With each major breakthrough in his realm, he could forge a new Blood Spirit Weapon.

As his cultivation realm continued to climb, the arsenal of artifacts at his disposal would easily dominate opponents of the same rank. Huaijin's foundation was already staggeringly deep. And the fact that lifebound spirit artifacts consumed so little spiritual energy made his combat prowess even more terrifying. Now that he had broken through to the Purple Mansion realm, he was ready to forge his first lifebound spirit artifact.

Huaijin ran his hand along the Thunderclap Nether Sword, a gleam of deep satisfaction in his eyes. This was his very first Tier 3 low grade spirit artifact. Not only did it possess thunder attributes, it also carried a thread of soul force. Even if someone offered him a Tier 3 mid grade spirit artifact in exchange, he wouldn't take the deal!