Chapter 865: Distant Past

Chapter 857: Distant Past

The water vapor in the Sky Lightning Formation slowly dissipated, and He Lingchuan’s vision cleared. He saw the ground crisscrossed with furrows, all scorched marks plowed by lightning.

This land was severely damaged.

There was still one person half-sprawled on the ground within the formation. He Lingchuan looked closely and realized it was True Master Sanshui!

He was still breathing, his clothes charred black. His left hand and everything below his knees had turned to charcoal, completely devoid of his former ethereal, immortal demeanor.

He Lingchuan slowly walked over, stopped in front of True Master Sanshui, and then removed his mask.

It was unclear if it was a final burst of clarity, but True Master Sanshui’s eyes were unusually clear.

He struggled twice, trying to sit upright, but his strength failed him.

The once dignified Celestial Immortal, a figure capable of moving mountains with one hand, was now in such a desolate state.

He Lingchuan squatted down and carefully helped him lean against a large rock:

“The battle just now was unavoidable, True Master. Please do not take offense.”

To this prominent figure from thousands of years ago, one of the creators of the Grand Alacrity Flask, he still needed to show respect.

True Master Sanshui’s gaze held no hatred, only a hint of remorse: “The Grand Alacrity Flask should never have existed. I took away the Ling Censer Lid back then to halt its evolution. But in the end, you found it again. Alas, you are truly foolish.”

He Lingchuan knew that the "you" True Master Sanshui referred to wasn't just him, but countless individuals who persistently sought the Grand Alacrity Flask.

“The Grand Alacrity Flask's evolution was never interrupted, not once,” He Lingchuan said softly. “Look around you.”

The secret realm they were in was a creation of the Grand Alacrity Flask.

True Master Sanshui choked up.

Faced with this firsthand source of information, He Lingchuan couldn't help but ask, “What exactly is the danger of the Grand Alacrity Flask?”

Just now, the Naraku Heaven avatar mentioned that True Master Sanshui was one of the Celestial Immortals who forged the Grand Alacrity Flask. Therefore, his understanding of the Grand Alacrity Flask should far exceed that of others.

“The most crucial treasure used to forge the Grand Alacrity Flask was actually a large fragment of the Tianluo Star that had crashed down.”

True Master Sanshui said this. Seeing He Lingchuan’s expression was normal, clearly indicating he already knew, he continued:

“Back then, led by Celestial Immortal Shou'an, we originally intended to forge another divine artifact to counter the Tianluo Star’s influence on the mortal realm. Who would have thought that the more we forged, the more distorted it became, eventually creating something like the Grand Alacrity Flask?”

“Was forging the Grand Alacrity Flask considered a failure?” How could a failed product be so profound?

“Not exactly. But its emergence completely deviated from our original intentions.” True Master Sanshui shook his head. “Those involved in the forging were all powerful experts skilled in artifact crafting. Logically, we should have known what the finished product would be like beforehand, with near certainty.”

“However, this forging process was incredibly convoluted. The Grand Alacrity Flask entered the furnace three and a half times. The first two times, the furnaces completely exploded. Haha, those two furnaces were rare treasures.” True Master Sanshui licked his lips. “I vaguely sensed something was wrong and said it was heaven's will, that we shouldn't forge it anymore.”

“But seeing that even a mere fragment of this heavenly demon treasure was so difficult to handle, everyone felt quite indignant, thinking, ‘We could banish your master, so how could we not deal with a small fragment of yours?’”

The forging of the Grand Alacrity Flask took place after the war between the gods and immortals ended. The heavenly demons had been expelled from the mortal realm, and signs of spiritual energy decline had emerged. However, the immortals who participated in the epic war, empowered by their great victory and their accomplishments in saving the world, still reigned supreme.

“So everyone decided to try again, but my persuasion was fruitless. This time, Celestial Immortal Shou'an activated the 'Heaven-Earth Primordial Furnace' beneath Shou'an Mountain of the Grand Reversal Sect to refine the Tianluo Star fragment,” True Master Sanshui recalled. “This 'Heaven-Earth Primordial Furnace' was not a man-made treasure; it was a naturally formed geothermal furnace. It contained the primordial qi from the very beginning of creation. It could refine all things; even divine weapons couldn't withstand its heat. Oh, and it also gave birth to spirit creatures like the Great Fire Spirit, Ju.”

So that was Ju's cradle? He Lingchuan thought to himself. No wonder even the arrogant Heavenly Palace and Beja had to properly venerate Ju. It seemed this fellow not only had formidable power but also an extraordinary origin.

In simple terms, being connected to the geothermal furnace made it difficult to kill.

“No one expected that this forging process would only take nine hours!”

He Lingchuan let out an exclamation of surprise. Back then, the Floating Life Blade had only been re-forged and joined, not completely melted down, and that had taken several days. For a divine artifact of the Grand Alacrity Flask's caliber to be completed in just nine hours was indeed astonishingly fast.

He also had an impression of the name "Celestial Immortal Shou'an." At the Dunyuan auction held by Fang Canran, a sword tip, broken from Celestial Immortal Shou'an's destined artifact and containing Boundless Gold, had fetched the sky-high price of eight hundred seventy thousand taels of silver.

Of course, Celestial Immortal Shou'an's name carried even greater weight because he was not only the sect master of the Grand Reversal Sect but also one of the leading figures who led the immortals against the heavenly demons in the ancient great war.

If a mere broken sword tip of his could sell for eight hundred seventy thousand taels, how much would the Grand Alacrity Flask, personally forged by him, be worth?

This tempting thought flashed through He Lingchuan's mind but was quickly extinguished.

What good would it do if it couldn't be sold? Wishful thinking.

“The moment the Grand Alacrity Flask was completed, the sky was filled with red light, lightning, and thunder, which lasted for three days. We knew that such phenomena only occurred when a treasure capable of shaking heaven and earth came into being.”

“When we examined it, we discovered this artifact was peculiar. It clearly possessed immense energy, yet its interior was chaotic. Despite the chaos, it displayed remarkable stability. Furthermore, it had no artifact spirit, and it was unlikely to ever develop one in the future — this was the unanimous opinion and regret of all of us.”

“Can an artifact without a spirit still be called a divine object?” True Master Sanshui gave a bitter smile. “Without a spirit, it wouldn't recognize anyone as its master, nor would it obey any commands. Yet it was so unstable; if its energy were to leak, the consequences would be unimaginable.”

“However, the power it contained was complex and abundant, as if it gathered the essence of two realms. Celestial Immortal Shou'an even believed it could help us comprehend the supreme Great Dao. We had seen countless heavenly demon treasures before, but none had fascinated us this much, captivating us for over a hundred days of study.” True Master Sanshui shook his head. “Two individuals quickly gained enlightenment, advancing another step further. I can't explain that feeling to you.”

He Lingchuan nodded, his mindset perfectly calm.

Different levels of understanding meant it was impossible to force; it was like a summer insect being unable to comprehend ice.

“We urgently needed to communicate with it, so someone proposed to simply put it back into the furnace and directly imbue it with an artifact spirit! This time, no one objected; even I strongly agreed.” He sighed. “Looking back, our judgment was truly clouded.”

He Lingchuan asked, curious, “Is that even possible? That sounds incredibly difficult.”

“The situation of having an artifact without a spirit is quite common. If the artifact is good enough, you can simply transfer a spirit into it. This step is called 'spirit infusion,' like what farmers often do, called... called...” True Master Sanshui was weakened after all, and stumbled over his words.

“Grafting?”

“Yes. Injecting vibrant life into a strong base. This is a common technique in artifact forging. Don't you do this?”

He Lingchuan rubbed his nose: “Later generations of artifact forging are quite different from your era. So, you infused the Grand Alacrity Flask with a new spirit?”

Hearing this, he vaguely guessed the subsequent course of events.

“Everyone wanted to contribute their own artifact spirit. When it came to the Grand Alacrity Flask, who wouldn't have a little self-interest?” True Master Sanshui paused to catch his breath. He Lingchuan noticed his knees had turned to foam.

It seemed he wouldn't last much longer.

“Finally, my Ling Censer Seal, or rather, the Ling Censer Lid, got the opportunity to be placed into the Heaven-Earth Primordial Furnace to infuse the Grand Alacrity Flask with a spirit.” True Master Sanshui said in a low voice, “The spirit of the Ling Censer Lid was a congenital spirit; it gained sentience when it was still a gold essence scurrying all over Xiling Mountain, a process known as 'mineral enlightenment,' which is incredibly rare. Later, after two or three smelting processes, this spirit still resonated with my will, becoming increasingly intimate over a thousand years and suppressing countless great demons. If it were still here, haha, what I used today wouldn't have been the Heavenly King Seal, and you might not have been able to withstand it... In short, it was the most suitable choice to send it in at that time.”

As he said this, He Lingchuan thought of the Floating Life Blade. The idea of an artifact as a soulmate described his relationship with Floating Life, as well as True Master Sanshui's relationship with the Ling Censer Lid.

“This time, the forging period was even shorter. Just half an hour after the Heaven-Earth Primordial Furnace began refining, I sensed the Ling Censer Lid's urgent cry for help!” Connected by will to the Lid, I could feel the spirit's changes. “The Grand Alacrity Flask was actually trying to devour it! Not infuse it, not merge with it, but devour it!”

“Uh...” This was nothing new to He Lingchuan; he fed the Grand Alacrity Flask every few days. However, thousands of years ago, True Master Sanshui and the others had no knowledge of the Grand Alacrity Flask's true nature, so they were naturally greatly shocked.

“Just as we were about to stop the forging, the Heaven-Earth Primordial Furnace suddenly erupted.” True Master Sanshui raised his voice as he spoke. “That scene of heaven and earth collapsing is still unforgettable to me. Thanks to the measures taken by us and Ju, we eventually suppressed the eruption. Otherwise, the Grand Reversal Sect's stronghold, along with Shou'an Mountain, would have been reduced to ashes.”

Shou'an Mountain was what later generations called Mount Xu. He Lingchuan listened silently, recalling the volcanic eruption he caused during his rampage in the Heavenly Palace.

Compared to what the Grand Alacrity Flask did back then, the trouble he caused was minor.

“Only later did I learn that simultaneously with the eruption of Shou'an Mountain's geothermal fire, eleven other volcanoes within a fifty-thousand-li radius also erupted, accompanied by earthquakes and tsunamis, and two maritime nations to the south completely sank.”

“...Such immense power?” No wonder True Master Sanshui said the Grand Alacrity Flask was forged three and a half times, because the fourth attempt wasn't completed.

“Ju descended into the earth to investigate and discovered the cause of the volcanic eruptions was the Heaven-Earth Primordial Furnace exploding, causing geothermal fires to surge.” True Master Sanshui shook his head. “Without the suppression of the Heaven-Earth Primordial Furnace, Shou'an Mountain would rarely know peace from then on.”

He Lingchuan, hearing this, suddenly understood.

Why did Mount Xu's main peak have such a magnificent circular magma pool? When he visited Tianshu Peak, he found it incredible that the Heavenly Palace was situated on an active volcano.

It turned out that the Heaven-Earth Primordial Furnace's rupture led to the geothermal eruption, which created that peculiar landscape.

No wonder both the Grand Reversal Sect and the Heavenly Palace later had to keep Ju well-fed and well-provided for. It seemed that only it could suppress the geothermal fires back then.

(End of Chapter)