Chapter 1007: Creating the Strongest Wings

By the end of the first year of the Xia calendar, snow fell upon the Human Imperial Capital.

Here at the Seven Blood Eyes, winter always seemed to arrive late, with rain dominating all four seasons.

Even at the year's end, it was no different.

The falling rain enveloped the harbor. Looking out, a hazy curtain of rain obscured the view, while hurried pedestrians and distant boats painted a picture of beauty.

The patter of rain on oil-paper umbrellas, a delicate and gentle sound, like a heavenly melody, softly touched the hearts of those who heard it.

It was as if the sky was confessing its deep affection for the earth, or the clouds expressing their boundless fondness for all living beings.

Amidst this rhythm and melody, Xu Qing walked through the rain to his Port 176. In a large warehouse area, he saw Zhang San, squatting under the eaves like an old farmer, smoking a pipe.

Beside him was another familiar face.

Er Niu was also squatting there, twisting the rain-soaked fur on his body while speaking.

Noticing Xu Qing's arrival, Er Niu greeted him. Zhang San's eyes lit up. He quickly stood, put away his pipe, instinctively rubbed his hands, and broke into a simple, honest smile.

This kind of smile was instinctive for Zhang San, only appearing when facing enemies or important figures.

Evidently, the current Xu Qing was both familiar and unfamiliar to Zhang San.

Familiar were the memories from earlier years; unfamiliar were his increasingly astonishing cultivation and status.

"Xu..."

Zhang San hesitated, unsure how to address him.

"Senior Brother Zhang San."

Before Zhang San could ponder a suitable address, Xu Qing spoke with a smile.

As he spoke, he walked under the eaves and squatted down as well.

It was just like the first time Er Niu brought Xu Qing to meet Zhang San years ago.

Zhang San smiled. Er Niu, however, looked into the distance, searched around, and then grumbled.

"Where's that old bird Huang Yan? He's not with you, is he? Let me tell you, little Ah Qing, that old bird really isn't a good bird!"

Er Niu snorted.

Xu Qing thought for a moment, then spoke softly.

"Senior Brother, with Huang Yan's cultivation, even if he's not here, he should still be able to hear you."

Er Niu's eyes widened upon hearing this, and he spoke loudly.

"This is the Seven Blood Eyes! I have my junior sister here, I have my master here! I, the esteemed Great Highness of the Seventh Peak of the Seven Blood Eyes, would I be afraid of a mere bird?"

Whether it was a coincidence or not, the moment Er Niu finished speaking, the sky rumbled, lightning flashed, and a deafening sound echoed.

Er Niu looked surprised.

Zhang San felt a headache coming on. The Captain had arrived that morning, and after squatting there, had been complaining for a long time.

Zhang San didn't want to offend either party. Seeing Xu Qing's arrival, he quickly changed the subject.

"Xu Qing, I heard the Captain say you went to the outer sea before?"

Xu Qing nodded, then raised his hand and waved, bringing out the largely broken and collapsed Great Wing. With a thud, it landed in the warehouse yard.

It occupied over ninety percent of the yard.

Although the Great Wing was shattered, the aura of the divine creature's flesh and blood, mixed with the alien substance from the outer sea, emitted a dense black mist. Like malevolent spirits, it spread ominously.

It looked extremely grotesque. The falling rain was swallowed by the black mist, which rapidly encroached upon its surroundings.

Everything it touched turned pitch black.

Zhang San's heart jolted.

Xu Qing raised his hand and gently pressed down. Instantly, the black mist emanating from the Great Wing was compressed, ceased to spread, and gradually dissipated.

"Senior Brother Zhang San, the Great Wing is broken. Do you have any repair plans?"

Xu Qing looked at Zhang San.

Xu Qing admired Zhang San's expertise. Furthermore, Zhang San had been responsible for his magic vessel from the very beginning. Although Zhang San's cultivation no longer allowed him to personally handle such tasks, his understanding of magic vessels enabled him to provide preliminary solutions.

Zhang San looked at the Great Wing, examining the shattered remains, and gasped.

"This looks like it was directly bitten apart by a huge mouth..."

Xu Qing nodded. Er Niu coughed.

"San San, your judgment is correct. There was indeed a large beast that swallowed me, little Ah Qing, and this Great Wing together. Hmm, it was summoned by me."

Er Niu stated proudly.

Seeing his Senior Brother's smug expression, Xu Qing was speechless. However, there seemed to be some truth to his words.

Zhang San's eyes widened at this, then he shook his head. He felt it was better not to know too much about Xu Qing's and the Captain's experiences.

After all, in many matters, knowledge itself posed a danger.

"My small frame isn't suited for participation."

Zhang San was very content with his current life of immense influence within the Seven Blood Eyes. He had his own port, inexhaustible spiritual stones, and had even cultivated many Dao companions within the sect.

Furthermore, few dared to offend him.

He was perfectly satisfied with such a life.

He had no desire to court disaster.

So, instead of responding to the Captain, he stepped forward, onto the Great Wing, and began inspecting it.

A moment later, after a rough inspection based on his expertise, Zhang San returned under the eaves. He took a puff from his pipe and sighed at Xu Qing.

"Most of it is unusable. Even if dismantled, the materials are severely corroded."

"Xu Qing, there's nothing I can do."

Xu Qing's gaze fell upon the shattered Great Wing, and he pondered for a moment.

"Senior Brother Zhang San, what if we build a new one?"

Zhang San shook his head.

"An ordinary Great Wing holds little meaning for someone of your cultivation level now."

"As for an extraordinary Great Wing, it would require materials of extremely high quality. However, I cannot process materials that are too high-grade, unless someone can assist, and you yourself also participate."

"But that's still secondary."

"Ultimately, it comes down to materials. Merely divine creature materials are no longer sufficient; a higher tier, perhaps even divine flesh and blood, would be needed. You might possess such materials, but most importantly, a powerful vessel is required as a foundation."

"However, I can't think of anything that could serve as a carrier for divine flesh and blood."

Zhang San expressed his helplessness.

Xu Qing mused.

Er Niu's eyes lit up.

"The mountain in the Holy Land could work! Little Ah Qing, I still suggest we write a letter in Master's name and ask the Empress for it!"

Zhang San nodded upon hearing this. Although he had never seen the Holy Mountain of the Holy Land, he believed that the materials capable of forming a Holy Land must be perfect and meet the requirements.

Xu Qing pondered for a moment, then raised his hand to put away the shattered Great Wing. With a flick of his sleeve, he took out a piece of flesh.

This was the flesh left by Fu Xie.

Gazing at the flesh for a moment, Xu Qing squeezed it forcefully. The flesh instantly disintegrated, and a gray light flew out from within, transforming into a broken tower that landed in the yard.

It was the mysterious shattered tower Xu Qing had previously discovered and hidden in the seabed.

Originally, this tower was absorbed into Fu Xie's flesh. After Xu Qing escaped from Yu Liuchen, he hadn't removed the tower from the Fu Xie flesh he collected.

After all, with Xu Qing's current abilities, he couldn't contain the tower, so it was more suitable to keep it within Fu Xie's flesh.

Now that he had taken it out, Xu Qing looked at Zhang San.

"How about this?"

Before Zhang San could speak, Er Niu's eyes instantly narrowed, showing a hint of emotion. He sensed the terrifying aura of the broken tower and also saw the aura of the Holy Heavenly Divine Vine on it, making him gasp in astonishment.

"This is a good item!"

As he spoke, the Holy Heavenly Divine Vine within him appeared, heading straight for the broken tower, encircling it and emitting emotional fluctuations.

Xu Qing's Divine Vine also flew out at this moment and coiled around it.

It resonated with Er Niu's vine. Immediately, starlight shone from both vines, and even the broken tower itself was affected, emitting starlight.

Zhang San's expression also grew solemn. After stepping forward and observing carefully, the more he looked, the more deeply shocked he became. Finally, with Xu Qing's silent approval and the Divine Vine's assistance, he entered the broken tower's energy bubble.

He returned a moment later, his mind buzzing, eyes gleaming, and muttering.

"Unknown material, and it doesn't seem to be artificially refined. Most likely, it's a natural object!"

"The aura emanating from it is primordial and incredibly ancient, seemingly sharing a common origin with your two vines!"

"A treasure, a unique and peerless item. As for its specifics, it requires thorough research."

After speaking, Zhang San took a deep breath and looked at Xu Qing.

"Xu Qing, my intuition tells me that if there's a way to refine this object, then the warship created from it will be astonishing."

"Even if it can't be refined, its reference value is immense. And your vine... I need to ponder this matter thoroughly. Also, I'll need to ask Lord Yan Huang for help."

Hearing this, Xu Qing took out his sound-transmitting jade slip and sent a message to Huang Yan.

A moment later, amidst Er Niu's grumbling, Huang Yan arrived.

The two stared at each other the moment they met.

Xu Qing quickly stepped forward, positioning himself between them. Zhang San also promptly spoke, explaining the matter of crafting a new Great Wing for Xu Qing.

After listening, Huang Yan's gaze fell on the broken tower. He pondered for a moment, then nodded.

"You need my fire? No problem."

Just as Zhang San was about to agree, Er Niu coughed, looking at Zhang San.

"San San, for forging little Ah Qing's new Great Wing, wouldn't some icy cold power also be needed?"

Under Er Niu's gaze, Zhang San hesitated, finally agreeing.

Thus, Er Niu and Huang Yan exchanged another glare, and finally, under the mediation of Zhang San and Xu Qing, began preparations to refine the broken tower.

The crafting of Xu Qing's Great Wing was a paramount event within the Seven Blood Eyes. Zhang San's efforts alone were clearly insufficient, so under the decree of Senior Sister Second, artifact refiners from across the entire Seven Blood Eyes rushed to assist.

The final refining location was chosen in an open area of the forbidden zone.

There, hundreds of thousands of artifact refining cultivators began working on Xu Qing's Great Wing.

During this period, Xu Qing's presence wasn't often required; he only needed to leave his Divine Vine behind.

Consequently, Xu Qing became the most idle person for a time.

He simply spent some time guiding Little Mute's cultivation and also gave several public lectures within the Seven Blood Eyes.

He shared his insights on cultivation with the disciples of the Seven Blood Eyes, while also guiding and answering their questions and doubts regarding their practice.

In this manner, a month passed.

Early one morning, Xu Qing, who was meditating cross-legged in his cave abode, received a voice transmission from Zhang San.

"Xu Qing, your Great Wing is largely complete. The process was both smooth and not so smooth. You... you'll know when you see it."

Xu Qing immediately rose and exited his cave abode. Just as he was about to depart, he sensed something, looked up at the sky, and a smile appeared on his face.

In the distant sky, a long rainbow streaked through, heading directly for the Seventh Peak.

Within the rainbow were two figures.

One was a middle-aged man, the other a young girl.

The middle-aged man was Grandfather Nine, and the girl was... Ling'er.

"Brother Xu Qing."

Ling'er's joyful, sweet voice, like a silver bell, drifted from afar.