Swoosh… 

After a pair of tweezers glimmering with white light pulled out the last line, Gao Muya and Old Man Di took a long sigh.

Done… Finally completed… The project had taken a period of four months. With Grandmaster Gao Muya undertaking the operation and a half-step Core Formation cultivator serving as the assistant, the project was finally over.

The duo’s faces were run haggard by exhaustion but likewise carried an unconcealable excitement. This never-before crafted magik prosthesis… It wasn’t that the medium’s qualifications weren’t enough, but the craftsman’s skill was inadequate. Now, the plan really wasn’t according to the blueprint but instead a direct fusion of raw materials. The medium hadn’t been tested as well, but its natural endowments were first-class. They were already itching to see the might of this arm!

“So this is the Ketu-Rahu Sword, huh…” Xu Yangyi stroked and caressed his left arm with complex feelings. There wasn’t any difference with his right arm, and the sword-shaped groove on the forearm was still reminding him that the last step lied here.

If a sword-shaped magik artifact was inserted, this would be the true Ketu-Rahu Sword!

“Young fellow…” Gao Muya’s voice was shaking. “I know… you confirmed that you had more than that sword tip, right?”

“Come… put your sword in. Let us see the true complete form… This old man can no longer wait patiently!” He sucked in deeply and steadied his mind. “Fellow Daoist Di, escort young friend Xu to the weaponry forging grounds. I… will come posthaste!”

He clearly understood that Xu Yangyi had originally just taken out a sword point. This represented that the other didn’t want them to see the sword itself. Right now, the demon slayer absolutely wouldn’t produce this sword in front of them.

He further understood… that the reason why the Ketu-Rahu Sword took the word ‘sword’ in its name was this essential, final step!

The greater the sword treasure’s might, the more powerful this magik prosthesis’s power. Xu Yangyi’s sword point that he’d looked at before caused him to feel somewhat apprehensive. As the creator of this masterpiece, he wanted to lay eyes upon the ultimate power of this magik artifact more than anyone else.

“You only have five minutes in the weaponry forging ground.” Gao Muya forcibly pushed down his emotions to watch immediately, and his figure disappeared. “In five minutes, I and Fellow Daoist Di will come in at once.”

At the same time his silhouette vanished, Xu Yangyi had already completely rose up as if he was soaring across clouds and sailing mists!

Old Man Di’s mood was even more impatient than Gao Muya’s! Just as Gao Muya’s voice subsided, Old Man Di had already cast out a ray of yellow spiritual light, sweeping Xu Yangyi into it. Like electricity, his figure charged outside!

Swish swish swish!

 Both sides of the surrounding landscape were blurry. In less than a minute, Xu Yangyi already stood in front of a stone door.

“Open!” Old Man Di bellowed and both of his hands pushed. The stone door slowly opened, and Xu Yangyi looked inside. To his awe, the inside contained a roughly thousand-meter martial ground. 

“Five minutes!” Old Man Di’s voice was hoarse, and his eyes were somewhat reddened. Such a feeling was just like he had won a special award, the reward being a Bentley. However, it was like he couldn’t redeem it. In his mind, it could even be said that a hundred claws scratched at his heart. He clenched his teeth and said, “After five minutes, This Throne doesn’t care whether or not you’re done! I’ll definitely come in!”

Xu Yangyi clasped his hands and entered the empty martial ground. Behind him, the stone door rumbled shut, and he didn’t say another word. The first thing he did was activate the strongest seal that he could use to isolate all outside visual and hearing. He then made several jumps on the stage and shut his eyes. Taking a few good deep breaths, he carefully and cautiously took out the shortsword on his neck.

Ruffle… 

In the wake of soft fumbling noises, the black shortsword answered and was taken out. Its entire body was pitch-black, any outline or border of it unseen. His gaze intensely studied the shortsword, and he quickly pushed it into the open groove on his left arm!

Click… 

The shortsword fell into the sword groove. In an instant, the sword joined seamlessly and then several cracking noises, the sounds of a machine closing, rang out. Several mechanical enclosures marked with talismans completely took the blade into the groove with a crack. Shortly afterwards… 

The opening on his left arm started to automatically fuse.

“Flawless.” His gaze twinkled, and he immediately breathed in deeply. Both of his hands began to form seals at flying speed.

These were the Ketu-Rahu Sword’s activation seals. They would incite all the magik artifact’s internal constructs to life. Along with the start of his hand-seals accelerating, he distinctly sensed the qi in his body start to rush towards his left arm at a feverish speed.

Buzz… 

A dot of white light glimmered below the skin of his shoulder blade. This was the Heavenmend Stone’s quintessence representing the arm bone. Following the shining of this white light, he suddenly sensed his shoulder lighten. The comfortable sensation of spiritual force passing through caused his body to become flexible.

Swoosh… 

White light brightened, making his arm seem transparent. In the wake of this rise below, a humming noise echoed from his joint. A dot of red brilliance shined at the elbow.

This component was personally crafted by Grandmaster Gao Muya, employing several kinds of S-rank heavenly treasures to cover the elbow. The white light at the shoulder blade was almost without hindrance and quickly turned red, extending over the forearm.

Buzz… 

The third low cry rang out. On the forearm, a dot of moss-green light shined in the vicinity of veins and arteries. This was the three God Tree Leaves crafted into the left arm’s skin and muscle.

As the three light dots all shone, there was another feeling in his left arm, not enigmatic at all! Moreover, there wasn’t the slightest bit of averseness!

The effortless and free sensation of an arm following a finger returned once more. Xu Yangyi forced down the excitement in his heart and looked at his once-lost-yet-returned left arm. He didn’t wave it with great strength but instead stretched it out in front of his eyes and gently exercised his five fingers.

Exceptionally agile!

A wisp of a smile finally appeared at the crook of his mouth, and his left arm easily formed seals. Without warning, his five fingers all opened, yet his fingertips were already thick with cold light!

Xu Yangyi suddenly clawed downwards. At the same time in his left arm, qi passed through, qi that he hadn’t met for a long time. In the next second, five snow-white rays of spiritual light drew forth a meter-plus-long tail of light at his fingertips! 

Crack crack crack!

 Discord echoed, and five marks that were over a meter long and ten-odd centimeters deep appeared on the ground in a flash!

“Compared to my previous strength, it’s around 20% stronger!” He licked his lips in excitement. This was the power of a magik prosthesis? No… it wasn’t limited like this. This was nothing more than his passing claw! Simply without experiencing divine ability amplification!

If such a method was placed in the mortal world, a battalion would be needed to defend it.

Without a wasted word, his right hand was already starting to form a complex seal. This… was the hand seal for activating his left arm’s divine ability! He wanted to see what kind of power the Animus Armament hidden in his left arm would possess.

Nonetheless, in this instant, he felt… all his bodily spiritual force come to an abrupt stop. In less than half a second… all his spiritual force was actually like the breaching waters of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers! Spiritual force madly flooded his left arm!

Beep… Beep… Beep… 

At this moment, all his spiritual force, late Qi Condensation qi, was now being drawn in until there wasn’t a sliver remaining! As spiritual force rushed his shoulder blade, it promptly issued an ear-piercing alarm. After the white light dot twinkled several times, it actually died out!

However… at the same time it was extinguished, a black spirit ray flowed down along his shoulder—just as Xu Yangyi simply couldn’t react—and charged to the red light dot at his elbow!

SWOOSH!!!

 The brilliance at his elbow dimmed in a flash! Subsequently, the black spirit rays all surged towards his forearm!

This time, nothing caused the dot of light at his forearm to extinguish. This was because… all of Xu Yangyi’s bodily qi was now condensed there! His arm was pitch-black like ink, but… a crimson shortsword talisman was slowly coalescing behind his forearm! 

This shortsword talisman was virtually identical to the Animus Armament, but right now… it resembled a dot of cinnabar in the darkness, spreading out to over ten red talismans. These talismans caused Xu Yangyi’s hand to appear not as a humans but more like a devil’s edged claw!

“This is…” Xu Yangyi’s gaze suddenly flickered. This kind of situation was absolutely not normal. This was the strange form brought on by the Animus Armament.

Gao Muya was taking a bath in his room. This room was completely different from the rough artificing basement, astonishingly refined. He was lying down in a ten-meter-long bathing ground built with white marble, groaning at ease.

Cultivators didn’t need to bathe. A Cleansing Talisman and the matter was done. Nonetheless, this was a kind of pleasure. After being cooped up in the basement for a few months, he found quite the pleasure in such a mortal enjoyment.

But now, he stood up with with a splash and looked to the four walls of the room incredulously.

“Great Circle Qi Condensation… Half-step Foundation Establishment… Foundation Establishment… Foundation Establishment?! A breakthrough to Foundation Establishment?!” He gasped coldly. He dared to confirm that this was the omen of a high-level magik artifact activating. Yet for such an omen to happen now…

“Magik artifacts that aren’t at the Core Formation realm can be called high-level depending on the artificing techniques… The Ketu-Rahu Sword unquestionably surpasses a majority of magik treasures! No… initial Foundation Establishment… 20% of the initial stage… 40%... 60%... and it’s still rising! That’s right, definitely! There’s no doubt that this is the Ketu-Rahu Sword!”

BOOM!

 Water droplets splashed everywhere. In the next second, a movement shockingly appeared in the luxurious room. Grandmaster Gao Muya had already vanished to parts unknown.

Meanwhile, outside the door, Old Man Di’s brows suddenly jumped.

“The Ketu-Rahu Sword has started up?!” He looked at the door with both extreme pleasure and surprise, but his expression became terribly grave in the next second!

“Foundation Establishment?!” He looked at the stone door in disbelief. “It’s actually broken through the Foundation Establishment mark?!”

Foundation Establishment… was absolutely considered the first great barrier in cultivation history! As a matter of fact, the number of cultivators below Foundation Establishment was far beyond in the hundreds of thousands to a million!

And yet… a magik artifact had now actually broken through to the Foundation Establishment realm?

“No good!” His face quickly went from pleasant surprise to deep worry. “Foundation Establishment spiritual pressure… Will the medium be able to take it?!”

He immediately extended his hand and slammed towards the stone door without the slightest hesitation. If Xu Yangyi died… the Ketu-Rahu Sword would be scrapped! Xu Yangyi’s death had no connection to him, but if his masterpiece was ruined before he even glanced at it, he wouldn't be able to tolerate this on any grounds!

Nevertheless, he immediately slammed the stone door and a loud boom rang out! The door unexpectedly exploded apart into pieces!

Old Man Di raised an eye to look at the martial training ground. At long last, his expression fell to utter solemnity.

There, Xu Yangyi was drenched in sweat. The area at and below his left elbow was pitch-black like ink. Rays of bewitching red light twisted around it, and endless black qi flared in his surroundings by ten-somewhat meters! In a radius of four to five meters!

This was indeed initial Foundation Establishment spiritual pressure, but… this was a spiritual pressure that he’d never actually encountered, a spiritual pressure imbued with a murderous aura!

Spiritual pressure only had one kind of attribute and that was oppressive might, to shock and awe the minds of others. He’d cultivated to half-step Core Formation, but he never knew… that spiritual pressure could actually bear murderous aura!

“No, not just murderous aura…” His silhouette flashed, he was already charging forward at a dizzying pace. “This is actually… murderous aura with a valorous spirit? Absolute valor… The supreme bravery of armies… this kid!”

[1]

He glared tenaciously at Xu Yangyi, truly alarmed and delighted in his heart. “What the hell did he put in!”

He simply couldn’t finish his thought, however. All his bodily qi was already mobilized, as if it smelled danger!

Shocked, Old Man Di felt the transference of qi within his body. Danger… this was the scent of danger? An initial Foundation Establishment qi strike truly caused him, half-step Core Formation, to feel traces of danger?

Yes, a single blow. Just as he charged in, black qi and red spiritual light seemed to react to prey. Essentially beyond Xu Yangyi’s control, these forces collectively took aim at Old Man Di!

1. 勇冠三軍 - “The supreme bravery of armies”. In a stricter sense, this points out that valor/bravery is number one for all armies.

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