Soaring the Heavens - Chapter 149

Chapter 149: Refining Artifacts (6)

Translator: Kelaude

To the man, it wasn’t a big deal if he obtained the eggs at a later time as he wasn’t worried that Miao Yi would escape his grasp.

Thus, while being pressured, Miao Yi once again revealed the items that he’d put away, spreading them out on the ground.

Standing to the side, it could be said that Miao Yi had an expression of agony on his face. His heart ached for his items, and yet he anticipated the artifacts he could use. At the same time, he also wanted to see how artifacts were refined.

Yao Ruoxian examined the first-grade transcendent artifacts, sifting through over one hundred in number. After selecting the trident, he passed over the long saber that Miao Yu had thrown out earlier, and instead went to rummage out a melon hammer.

He held and measured the two weapons with his hands for quite some time, before giving a slight nod as he said, “Should be enough to refine a spear.”

He waved a hand once he said it, causing the treasure basin’s multi-sided lids, each with several vents, to lift open with a rumble.

Casually removing the former master’s art source from the melon hammer, he unfolded it along with the trident in his grasp. Immediately, they exploded into two balls of silver mist, transforming into a python and a wild boar. Like flowing clouds, both illusory forms lengthened before diving into the apex of the treasure basin.

Once they entered the treasure basin, the python and the wild boar’s figures had shrunk by quite a lot, which left them looking a little silly.

“Go!” Yao Ruoxian once again waved his large hand, and a bar mace flew out from the storage ring, exploding into the illusion of a bear up in the sky. It then immediately went into the treasure basin.

Then, a strange scene unfolded. Once the bear dived into the treasure basin, it immediately seized both the python and the wild boar, madly biting the two. It chowed down as though gorging on a delicious feast.

And the python and wild boar had foolishly remained unmoving, allowing the bear to eat them.

But it appeared as though a mirage was eating another mirage, and the bear looked like it was munching on air.

Puzzled, Miao Yi then asked, “Senior Yao, what is going on?”

Yao Ruoxian explained, “My pair of bar maces exhausted a large amount of energy during the battle with Yuan Kaishan. In any case, since these two artifact’s souls will need to be destroyed, it would be better if I made use of them—just enough for one of my bar maces to devour their souls to replenish its energy. There is no need to waste Yao Cores now, except that the energy of two first-grade souls might be quite low, which won’t be enough for my third grade bar mace’s soul to regain its energy.”

“Senior is truly wise,” Miao Yi praised with an expressionless face.

Yao Ruoxian wasn’t a fool, so how could he not hear this left-handed compliment? He was blatantly saying he was skilled in taking advantage of him.

“Rascal, you should consider it a blessing that you get to watch me refine artifacts. Normally, I never allow anyone to observe me when I refine items, so as to prevent others from stealing my artifact refinement techniques.”

Yao Ruoxian’s words seemed to imply that he was also letting Miao Yi take advantage of him.

Miao Yi was instead unimpressed. He had no knowledge of refining artifacts so he wouldn’t be able to learn anything just by looking. Perhaps keeping me by your side is because you’re worried that I’ll escape?

Inside the pure, sparkling and crystalline treasure basin, the white glowing layer enshrouding the python and wild boar gradually darkened as the bear continued to chew. In turn, the glowing red shroud on the bear’s body began to steadily brighten.

At last, upon losing the last of their energy, the illusory figures of the python and wild boar crumbled, one by one.

They manifested back into the trident and melon hammer, falling to the bottom of the treasure basin with two clangs.

The bear also transformed back into a bar mace and dashed out from the treasure basin. Yao Ruoxian then beckoned it back into his own storage ring.

Yao Ruoxian turned around and once again stood before a pile of First Grade Yao Cores. Twirling his sloppy beard, he muttered irresolutely, “Brat, do you seek agility or power for the spear you wanted?”

Miao Yi had been keeping an eye on him the entire time. He realized that whenever this sloppy old man entered into a state of refining artifacts, the wretched air surrounding him seemed to disappear. His entire presence seemed altered, as he gave off a feeling of utmost devotion. It really did feel like he had the air of an artifacts refining expert about him.

“I’m not sure myself which kind is better. I only seek lethal power when battling!” Miao Yi replied.

Yao Ruoxian pondered for a while and nodded his head slightly. “Cultivators with a cultivation like yours are still unable to fully utilize the long range attacks of a transcendent artifact. When it comes to close combat, rather than having agility, it’s better to use the force of one to defeat ten. Therefore, this spear should mainly rely on unleashing its strength. What do you think?”

Miao Yi had never used a transcendent artifact before, so what would he know? He could only nod helplessly and reply, “I’ll listen to you, Senior.”

Yao Ruoxian promptly searched through the pile of First Grade Yao Cores as he pondered over each one. Grasping each Yao Core, he invoked his arts and forced out their living phantom spiritual bodies. The illusions of wolves, apes, snakes and the like, vividly emerged, one by one.

After the last illusion revealed itself, that of a rhinoceros, only then did Yao Ruoxian nod with satisfaction. He kept away the phantom rhinoceros above the Yao Core and then clutched the Yao Core in his hand.

He jerked back his hand and pointed at the half-filled case of Blaze Resins. With a flick of Yao Ruoxian’s finger, a Red Blaze Resin leaped out from the case.

Whoosh! The Red Blaze Resin speedily revolved throughout the immense subterranean pit.

Chi… After a round of abrupt chafing on the stones of the cave walls, fire sparks emerged from the friction.

Hum! A blazing ball of crimson quickly ignited from the Red Blaze Resin, and the temperature of the entire subterranean space suddenly increased dramatically, creating a feeling of suffocation in the atmosphere.

Miao Yi swiftly invoked his arts to withstand the high temperature, otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to bear it.

“Go!” Yao Ruoxian snapped his fingers with a wave, and a ball of ignited Blaze Resin fell into the treasure basin.

The flames rose with ferocity from the wide opening of the furnace; the insides of the entire transparent furnace were filled with vigorous flames.

Deep down, Miao Yi was more or less shocked. He’d never expected that such a small piece of Red Blaze Resin could actually ignite into such a destructive and powerful flame. No wonder it was used for refining transcendent artifacts.

Once more, he saw Yao Ruoxian give another wave of his large hand and the multi-sided vented lid of the treasure basin flipped over to a close with a rumble, sealing most of the flames ignited from the Red Blaze Resin inside the furnace. From time to time, he could see the flames emitting out of the vents of the multi-sided lid.

With a toss of the Yao Core held in Yao Ruoxian’s fist, it managed to suppress the flames spitting out of the top of the furnace’s opening.

On the body of the treasure basin was an opening that was the size of a fist, which was covered by an inverted lid. This was to avoid the violent flames inside from spewing out from the sides.

Yao Ruoxian gave a casual wave of his hand, and the inverted lid flipped open. A fierce surge of flames immediately gushed out, only to be quickly pushed back by a single block of Yao Ruoxian’s palm.

He then saw him putting two fingers together, invoking his arts to set off a gust of wind, which moved along his fingers, imbuing the wind force that entered the opening.

With the wind being imbued, the Red Blaze Resin within the furnace rose more and more dramatically. The Yao Core suppressing the small opening was immediately raised by a spurt of whooshing flames. It levitated to about a height of one chi, and the flames turned orange-white in color.

The trident and melon hammer within the furnace were also hovering, as they revolved constantly in sync with the imbued wind force.

Before they knew it, the sky had darkened and dusk had fallen around them.

The two weapons within the furnace were still revolving within the fire and no changes could be seen from them. Sitting and waiting by the side, Miao Yi was beginning to get a bit impatient.

The Yao Core on top of the furnace opening had risen by quite a lot and had already been liquefied into a ball, emitting a white misty glow. Every now and then, it would reveal the illusion of the rhinoceros struggling, as though it couldn’t stand being refined anymore and was subconsciously attempting to escape. It was instead being pressed down by Yao Ruoxian as he invoked his arts.

Miao Yi, who had been quiet all along, finally couldn’t restrain himself from asking, “Senior Yao, is it because the heat isn’t enough? I’ve heard that the Blue Blaze Resin’s firepower is stronger than that of the Red Blaze Resin. Do you want to change it and try this with a Blue Blaze Resin instead?”

“What do you know? The magnitude of the heat is not important. Being perfect is the crucial part.”

“How do you deem it to be perfect? “

“Shut up! It’s now the crucial point, so stop distracting me! Otherwise, don’t blame me if it gets destroyed!” Yao Ruoxian suddenly shouted.