Chapter 333: Chunhun Shen Tie, Benming Baofa FenTai, the Trembling of Xuan Kong Shan

“Yan” had a certain curiosity about the Plague Gourd.

Logically speaking, a lower-grade Spirit Artifact that was severely damaged and unclaimed shouldn’t have been able to resist its purifying transformation at all. Yet earlier, despite its full effort, it had failed to melt even a single thread of the gourd.

Had it not been for Lu Qing’s assistance using the Array Power from the Cave Chamber, it would have suffered a major embarrassment.

Thus, “Yan” remained intrigued by the gourd.

But without Lu Qing’s consent, it couldn’t conduct a thorough investigation.

Now, however, it had finally realized.

Lu Qing’s merciless treatment of the old Plague Ghost—refusing even the chance to beg for mercy, and deliberately reducing the gourd’s rank in the process—wasn’t just about the old ghost’s repeated insults and mockery.

Most likely, it was a warning.

A clear message to “Yan”: if it ever dared to negotiate or bargain with Lu Qing again in the future, its fate would be no better than that of the Plague Ghost.

Understanding Lu Qing’s ruthlessness, “Yan” couldn’t help but shift its attitude.

It no longer looked down on the young man as a mere apprentice.

In fact, it even felt a twinge of relief that it had once agreed to Lu Qing’s proposal.

Otherwise, given the boy’s petty nature, it might have ended up in real danger.

Still, despite this shift in attitude, “Yan” wasn’t about to call Lu Qing “Master” outright—it simply couldn’t bring itself to swallow that pride.

“Something strange?” Lu Qing looked at the gourd.

But now, as merely a fragment of spirit essence, he couldn’t activate his abilities. He couldn’t see through the gourd’s true nature.

With a thought, his spirit essence returned to his body.

He waved his hand, and the Lihuo Ding spat out the Plague Gourd, letting it fall into his palm.

Then, activating his abilities, he stared intently at the gourd.

After a while, a faint purple glow emerged from the gourd.

Several characters floated out.

“Purple Light?” Lu Qing blinked in surprise.

According to “Yan,” the Plague Gourd had already fallen in rank—it was no longer a Spirit Artifact.

Yet it still emitted a Purple Light?

He quickly scanned the floating characters.

And what he saw was different from the last time.

> Treasure Artifact Gourd: Damaged High-Grade Treasure Artifact.

> The True Treasure Artifact of the Ancient Cultivation Era’s Sinister Cult Master, Plague Elder.

> Originally a Spirit Artifact, it was destroyed when the Lihuo Ding’s Artifact Spirit, using the power of the Fiery Flame, shattered its Seal and killed the Artifact Spirit formed from the Plague Elder. Rank dropped, becoming a High-Grade Treasure Artifact.

> Since the Artifact Spirit was extinguished and the Seal completely destroyed, the demonic energy within has been entirely purged. No longer holds sinister cultivation force—now merely an ordinary Treasure Artifact.

> During its creation, the Plague Elder, in ancient times, unknowingly infused a piece of Chunhun Shen Tie into it. This serendipitous fusion gave rise to the Artifact Spirit, transforming the gourd into a Spirit Artifact.

...

“Chunhun Shen Tie?!”

When Lu Qing finished reading the inscription, his eyes lit up with pure astonishment.

He never expected that the Plague Gourd had once contained Chunhun Shen Tie—a priceless divine metal.

In the heritage records of the Lihuo Sect, Chunhun Shen Tie was said to be even more precious than Celestial Meteor Iron.

It was the ultimate treasure for crafting artifacts—something every cultivator dreamed of possessing.

And this old Plague Ghost had actually obtained a piece of it?

“Little Master,” “Yan” exclaimed, equally stunned. “You’re saying this gourd contains Chunhun Shen Tie?!”

“Indeed,” Lu Qing replied. “The Plague Ghost must have used some method to embed a piece of Chunhun Shen Tie into the gourd during its forging. That’s probably why you couldn’t melt it before.”

“What method?” “Yan” scoffed. “The Plague Ghost’s forging technique was crude—nothing elegant about it. The only reason it worked was because Chunhun Shen Tie itself possesses extraordinary properties. It fused naturally into the gourd.”

After a moment of stunned silence, “Yan” finally realized.

“I always wondered—why would a clumsy forging method, with such a rough Seal, result in a perfect Spirit Artifact? The Plague Ghost wasn’t even known for his crafting skills. Yet, as a mere Spirit Realm beginner, he managed to create a Spirit Artifact perfectly suited to himself. Now I understand—his secret was the Chunhun Shen Tie!”

As the Lihuo Sect’s chief Spirit Artifact, “Yan” had refined countless Treasure Artifacts and pills. It was, without doubt, at the highest level of mastery in crafting and alchemy.

When it had first attempted to invade the gourd using the Fiery Flame, it had noticed: the forging technique was amateurish, even crude by its standards.

According to logic, such a flawed method should never have produced an Artifact Spirit.

Now it understood—the flaw was in the method, but the foundation was flawless. The gourd had been forged with Chunhun Shen Tie.

“Little Master, this is a great fortune!” “Yan” exclaimed with delight. “This gourd contains Chunhun Shen Tie—its foundation is superb, its potential boundless. It’s the ideal Benming Baofa FenTai.”

“Now that the Plague Ghost’s Seal has been nearly completely destroyed, and the plague qi purged, this is the perfect moment to refine it into your own True Treasure Artifact!”

“True Treasure Artifact?” Lu Qing stared at the gray gourd in his hand.

“Exactly,” “Yan” said. “This gourd, infused with Chunhun Shen Tie, can accommodate any cultivator. The Plague Ghost didn’t understand its value—he turned it into a weapon only for plague qi. What a waste! But you, Little Master, with your diverse cultivation paths, this gourd is the perfect match for your True Treasure Artifact.”

Lu Qing fell into deep thought.

He knew, through the Li Hua Zong Chuan Cheng, the true nature of Chunhun Shen Tie.

He wasn’t surprised by “Yan”’s claims.

This gourd, with its Chunhun Shen Tie core, had incredible malleability—perfect for him.

After all, as “Yan” said, his cultivation was too varied—especially with the Five Elements Body Cultivation Scripture and the five elemental spiritual powers within him.

Single-attribute or even multi-attribute Treasure Artifacts weren’t suitable as True Treasure Artifacts.

But this gourd, with its all-encompassing nature, perfectly aligned with his combat style.

“Very well,” Lu Qing decided after a moment. “I’ll refine this into my True Treasure Artifact. But I’ll need your help, ‘Yan’.”

“Naturally,” “Yan” smiled. Crafting Treasure Artifacts was its specialty.

Lu Qing immediately traced a hand seal, opened the Lihuo Ding, and tossed the gray gourd inside.

A flame roared upward, engulfing the gourd.

Then, Lu Qing focused his spirit within the Lihuo Ding, working with “Yan” to activate the furnace’s flames, refining the gourd.

This step was essential—to completely erase the Plague Elder’s Seal and eliminate all risks.

Without the Artifact Spirit’s presence, the remnants of the Seal were nothing more than ash to the Lihuo Ding’s flames.

They were swiftly consumed, leaving no trace.

After thoroughly refining the gourd inside and out, ensuring no flaws remained, Lu Qing began channeling the Lihuo Ding’s power into the gourd, forging his own Seal.

Watching Lu Qing skillfully inscribe the Seal, “Yan” felt a surge of shock.

Because it recognized—this was the exact secret forging technique of the Lihuo Sect.

That was why Lu Qing could so effortlessly harness the furnace’s Fiery Flame.

“How did this boy learn the Li Hua Zong Chuan Cheng? Could it be that… one of the Tai Shang Elders actually survived that battle, leaving behind heritage elsewhere?”

“Yan” was both stunned and baffled.

Back then, the Lihuo Sect had fought to the death. Its strongest cultivators were wiped out. The Tai Shang Elders and the Sect’s Zong Zhu had all fallen.

Only the Shao Zong Zhu, with its damaged spirit, had barely escaped, hidden in a secret Lihuo Sect outpost—protected by the last of the elders.

But once there, the Shao Zong Zhu died from irreparable spiritual wounds, leaving behind nearly all of the Sect’s heritage within the Lihuo Ding before passing on.

Logically, no one else should know the core techniques of the Lihuo Sect.

So how did Lu Qing—without any instruction—master this authentic, flawless Lihuo Sect forging method?

“Yan” was utterly confused.

It never imagined such a being could exist.

One who could, without teaching, download the complete heritage left by the Shao Zong Zhu directly from its spirit.

Otherwise, the fear it now held for Lu Qing would have skyrocketed.

Meanwhile, deep within a hidden, indescribable realm, atop a colossal mountain floating in midair, stood a grand, awe-inspiring temple complex.

In the most majestic and solemn hall—the Da Xiong Bao Dian—numerous monks in saffron robes stood in solemn silence.

At the front, a plump monk draped in a red robe stared down at a kneeling Little Monk, his expression grave.

“Say it again. What happened in the Hun Ta?”

The Little Monk sobbed, “Master, I… I was cleaning the Hun Ta today. And I found… the Hun Deng of Senior Master Xuan Ming and Senior Master Xuan Nu… they were all extinguished!”

The Red Robe Elder’s body trembled slightly. For a moment, he nearly lost his balance.

The other monks exchanged shocked glances, barely believing their ears.

Hun Deng extinguished meant souls gone.

Xuan Ming and Xuan Nu—were they… dead?

But the Elder quickly regained composure.

“Explain. What exactly happened?” he demanded, voice low and icy.

“Yes, Master!” The Little Monk stopped crying, trembling. “I was on duty today. I didn’t think much of it at first. But when I reached the level where the Hun Deng are kept… I looked up… and saw Xuan Ming Senior Master’s Hun Deng was already out. Not just him—Xuan Nu Senior Master, and all the other elders and brothers who went on the mission… their Hun Deng… all gone!”

His voice cracked with fear.

He was terrified—because he had been slacking.

He was supposed to clean the Hun Ta three days ago, but had skipped it due to some personal matters.

The Hun Ta was rarely visited. Protected by arrays, it stayed clean for weeks without cleaning.

He’d often skipped before—nothing ever happened.

But now… this.

The Little Monk was sweating, heart pounding. If the Elder found out he’d been lazy, what punishment would he face?

But the news he brought was so shocking, the monks didn’t notice his guilt.

“Quick! To the Hun Ta!” The Elder moved with surprising agility for his size.

In an instant, he vanished from the hall.

The other monks followed, leaping through the air, racing toward the Hun Ta.

Only the Little Monk remained—cold sweat dripping down his face—as he slowly rose and slipped out of the hall.

Moments later, the Elder and the monks arrived at the Hun Ta.

They stared at the row of extinguished Hun Deng.

Their faces turned ashen. Their eyes burned with sorrow and fury.

They felt it—the spiritual traces of Xuan Ming and the others… completely gone.

“Who dares… destroy our people of Xuan Kong Shan?!”

Even the Elder, with his iron discipline, felt his limbs grow cold.

Xuan Ming had taken several sacred treasures with him—Jiang Mo Jin Gang Chu among them.

With those relics, and the strength of the other elders, they should have been safe in the Qi Lu Fu Su world.

Yet their Hun Deng were extinguished.

Who could have done this?

“Could it be the three old bastards from Sheng Shan?”

“Or someone from another secret sect?”

The Elder felt a deep, instinctive dread.

Was this the beginning of a conspiracy—targeting Xuan Kong Shan?

“Whoever did this… must be found!”

“Never before has anyone dared harm our people!”

“Even if they’re from another sect—blood for blood!”

The monks roared in fury.

Many of the fallen had been close to them—some were even their disciples.

To die like this, without warning, in the outside world… they couldn’t accept it.

The Elder nodded, his voice firm.

“This will be investigated. Xuan Yi, go to Wu Jian Lou—send people out to uncover the truth. I will ascend the mountain and report this to the Headmaster.”

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end