Chapter 1688: Faith Collapse

Little did they know, this very halo represented the power level of the Cold Spring Divine Sword.

"Oh my goodness, congratulations, Master! The Cold Spring Sword has actually broken through directly to the strength of a Prime Divine Artifact!"

As soon as the Emperor Cauldron's soul-stirring voice sounded in his mind, Xu Yang was already overjoyed. He suddenly opened his eyes, his face beaming with smiles.

"I can't believe this sword, right after being forged, directly reached the strength of a Prime Divine Artifact. That's something I hadn't expected either, Emperor Cauldron. You've contributed greatly this time. Let me think about how to reward you."

The Emperor Cauldron, however, shook its head with a hearty laugh.

"Master, there's no need for that. Unbeknownst to you, forging such a unique Heaven Sword Divine Artifact is a form of cultivation for my own soul strength. After all, as a Weapon Master's soul, my mission has been unchangeable since the moment I was born into this world. Before I met you, Master, I slept for hundreds of thousands of years in the Forbidden Land of Weapon Masters. By forging thousands of natural treasures and magical artifacts, I gradually raised my soul strength to the peak of a Prime Divine Artifact.

But I know very well that to advance further and reach the strength of a Supreme Divine Artifact is almost impossible to achieve by my own power alone. After all, to my knowledge, the entire main continent has existed for countless eras since its creation, and only a few Supreme Divine Artifacts have ever appeared. One of them, the Wheel of Samsara Mirror, a Supreme Divine Artifact of the Angel Race, is even in your hands, Master.

Therefore, my only goal is to help you, Master, by creating more high-quality divine artifacts, to continuously strive towards the realm of a Supreme Divine Artifact. If one day I can achieve my wish, then I myself will no longer need to forge any divine artifacts; I will become one of the most powerful divine artifacts in this world. At that time, I can also accompany you, Master, in conquering the world, just like other divine artifacts."

Xu Yang was very pleased with the entity's loyalty. At the same time, after understanding its core objective, Xu Yang also expressed his stance on the spot.

"Don't worry, Emperor Cauldron. One day, I will help you achieve your wish. This time truly exceeded my expectations. This is my first time cooperating with you to forge a life-bound divine artifact with my own exclusive weapon soul, and it actually reached the strength of a Prime Divine Artifact.

If the other eight swords can also reach the Prime Divine level, then I, Xu Yang, might truly become the greatest artifact master of all time."

Saying this, Xu Yang was already impatient to try and feel the power of the Cold Spring Divine Sword. With a gentle wave of his palm, the divine sword, enveloped in an icy blue halo, appeared in his hand.

Xu Yang could even clearly perceive, when holding the sword in his hand, the heartbeat of the weapon soul and the perfect spiritual resonance it generated. These were feelings Xu Yang had never experienced when wielding other divine artifacts like the Tu Tian or Jade Bone Divine Swords.

"Oh my god, is this the resonance that my own life-bound weapon soul can create with me? It's truly astonishing. When performing sword arts of similar power, if combined with my life-bound divine artifact, the sword's power unleashed could probably increase by at least 30 percent. If I had known earlier that forging my own exclusive weapon soul would have so many benefits, I wouldn't have relied so excessively on those other peerless divine weapons."

Xu Yang couldn't help but exclaim.

At the same time, he took a step into the air. Wielding the Cold Spring Sword, he slashed through the air before him. An icy blue sword energy instantly burst forth, forcefully cleaving the space into two right before Xu Yang's eyes.

With a thunderous roar, thousands of cultivators from the Misty Rain Imperial Clan emerged. They seemed to have not yet realized that their clan's forbidden land had been completely shattered by Xu Yang's single sword strike.

Of course, this so-called forbidden land actually had little to do with the cultivators of the Misty Rain Imperial Clan. Over tens of thousands of years, only a few dozen disciples had ever entered this forbidden land. Even so, the patriarch and top elders of the Misty Rain Imperial Clan were well aware that the Immortal Divine Lotus was the true foundation of their lineage's power. However, this power had little to do with them personally. They also lacked the qualifications and ability to receive the life force released by the Immortal Divine Lotus.

In the end, they were merely guardians of this power's legacy; they were not the owners or masters of this power. But now, Xu Yang, with his formidable power, directly entered the forbidden land, not only acquiring ownership of the Immortal Divine Lotus but also completely conquering the physical body of the Supreme Living Fossil of this lineage. Relying on the unique environmental conditions within the forbidden land, he forged his first life-bound Prime Divine Artifact, Cold Spring.

Perhaps because the aura and impact emanating from the forbidden land were simply too great, it inevitably caused the cultivators of the entire Misty Rain Imperial Clan to tremble with fear. Under the mobilization and coordination of the elder team, hundreds of disciples quickly rushed towards the forbidden land's area.

But when they saw Xu Yang, like a God of War from the Nine Heavens, holding the icy blue Cold Spring Divine Sword and appearing in everyone's sight, the only thing they could do was hold their breath, staring at this god-like figure who swaggered closer to them.

"Xu Yang, how dare you! You, an outsider, actually dared to boldly destroy our Misty Rain Imperial Clan's forbidden land! This is severing the lifeblood of our Misty Rain Imperial Clan's heritage. For such a heinous crime, all cultivators of our Misty Rain Imperial Clan absolutely cannot let you leave so easily!"

Several furious elders finally lost their patience. Although everyone present clearly knew that Xu Yang's strength had advanced to another level—let alone them, even a true Supreme Living Fossil would be no match for Xu Yang—yet even so, for these cultivators who held deep faith in the Misty Rain Imperial Clan's heritage, Xu Yang's actions were even more severe than desecrating their ancestral graves.

If they were to let Xu Yang leave so easily today, without consequence, then the dignity of these Misty Rain Imperial Clan cultivators would be completely trampled underfoot. As this outspoken elder finished speaking, the intense desire for resistance within the hearts of the thousands of other Misty Rain Imperial Clan cultivators was also completely unleashed. Even risking certain death, they all soared into the air and surrounded Xu Yang, who stood proudly in the void, in multiple layers.

"Even if it means our Misty Rain Imperial Clan suffers a great loss of vitality today, we must make you, this lawless fellow, pay the price!"

The elders roared, each filled with righteous indignation, and the source of their immortal victorious techniques began to circulate. The awkward truth was, their furious appearances were nothing more than a joke in Xu Yang's eyes.

"Do you really think your strength is enough to act presumptuously in front of me, Xu Yang?"