Evil Artifact Refiner

Xie Lang was an artifact refiner from Chongyang County.

In the Eastern Region, artifact refiners were an exceptionally sought-after profession. Most Lineages were willing to pay enormous sums to treat them as honored guests, having them forge divine weapons and sharp artifacts for the Lineage.

Yet whenever most Lineages in the Eastern Region mentioned Xie Lang, they were filled with hatred and loathing, wishing they could kill him without delay.

This was because the man's methods were exceedingly bizarre, and his artifact-refining techniques were equally evil. Every time he opened his furnace to refine an artifact, he required the blood of living people as a sacrifice. Sometimes, he even threw living people directly into the Smelting Furnace and burned them alive.

Such a vicious man had been wanted and hunted by quite a few Lineages throughout the Eastern Region. Yet he was immensely powerful, and his whereabouts elusive. He had narrowly escaped several encirclements.

Who would have thought that today, he would happen to pass by this place, inexplicably choose Luo Zheng, and seize him without a word?

"Xie Lang, this man is a member of my Luo Family. Release him at once," Luo Bingquan said gravely. Though he had reached Half-Step to the Innate Realm, he would never dare take Xie Lang lightly.

Xie Lang clicked his tongue twice and laughed. "Since he is a member of your Luo Family, why are you pointing your swords at him? Since you want to kill him so badly, wouldn't it be better if I handled him for you?"

"This rebellious son of my Lineage will naturally be dealt with by me, the clan head. Those who provoke my Luo Family never come to a good end. Do not bring ruin upon yourself!" Luo Bingquan said sternly. Several purple longswords floated around him, poised to strike.

"If Luo Xiao were here, I might have some reservations. But you... haha, you still fall short. In the Luo Family as it stands now, who is there that I cannot afford to offend?" Xie Lang shrieked with laughter.

"You fiend, spouting such wild boasts! Watch me personally slay you here!" Luo Bingquan's face darkened. The purple longswords gave a low hum, then howled toward Xie Lang.

"I would like to see how you plan to slay me!" With a piercing laugh, Xie Lang burrowed back into the bronze furnace. The furnace began rolling, then unexpectedly wheeled around and charged toward the Luo Family Disciples.

Seeing the enormous bronze furnace rolling toward them, the Luo Family Disciples wailed for their fathers and mothers and scattered in all directions. Several Luo Family Disciples failed to evade it in time and were sent flying, their flesh mangled and bloody, their fate unknown.

Luo Bingquan followed behind, constantly controlling his purple longswords as they struck at the bronze furnace. Though his swords were incomparably sharp, the furnace seemed to have been forged with some unknown metal. Under the swords' repeated blows, it only rang out with a string of clinks and clangs, without even leaving a mark.

The bronze furnace crushed and rolled through the training ground, throwing the entire place into chaos. The Luo Family Disciples screamed without end. Then it suddenly changed direction and rolled away into the distance...

Luo Bingquan watched helplessly as the bronze furnace rolled farther and farther away. Gritting his teeth, he was about to take up his sword and give chase when Luo Junyi stopped him. "Second Brother, that fiend acts too strangely. We should not pursue him."

"What of that rebellious son, Luo Zheng?" Luo Bingquan asked expressionlessly.

Luo Junyi sneered. "Xie Lang is vicious and cruel. Of the living people he captures, nine out of ten are thrown into his Smelting Furnace and burned alive. Having fallen into his hands, Luo Zheng has absolutely no chance of survival."

Luo Bingquan nodded and swept his gaze over the Luo Family Disciples present. Yet an inexplicable unease rose within him. He could not figure out where it came from, and so he said irritably to Luo Junyi, "Give the order. Spare no effort in treating the Luo Family Disciples injured today!"

There were likely several dozen injured Luo Family Disciples across the training ground. Many had broken legs or ribs and howled to heaven and earth in agony.

The other Luo Family Disciples who had escaped injury watched this scene with heavy hearts.

Setting aside the grudge between Luo Zheng and Second Uncle and Third Uncle, the Luo Family had indeed declined.

When Luo Zheng's father, Luo Xiao, had still been around, how would fiends like Xie Lang have dared come knocking so brazenly?

Moreover, the Luo Family's decline showed itself in many subtle ways.

When the great Lineages of Chongyang County were ranked, the Luo Family, once firmly at the very top, had now fallen out of the top three.

In the past, Luo Family Disciples strutted through the streets in all their glory. Within Chongyang County, who would dare provoke them?

Now, the Luo Family Disciples had become turtles hiding in their shells. Even within the Lineage, they had to watch the faces of certain servants.

This life was impossible to endure...

Luo Zheng remained curled up inside the small bronze furnace, silent all along.

As the former young clan head, Luo Zheng had naturally heard of Xie Lang. His father had told him more than once that if Xie Lang fell into his hands, he would use the Three Feet Green Edge Sword in his hand to cleave Xie Lang in two with a single strike.

Luo Zheng had also heard many stories of Xie Lang's atrocities, such as using living people to sacrifice and refine weapons.

Having fallen into this man's hands, Luo Zheng could only sigh at his own bad luck. He had barely escaped the wolf's den, only to fall into the tiger's lair.

As the bronze furnace rolled onward, Luo Zheng spun constantly with it. Coupled with the waves of corpse-like stench coming from Xie Lang's body, he nearly vomited.

After rolling for quite some time, the bronze furnace suddenly stopped. Xie Lang's hollow, skull-like eyes stared at Luo Zheng. He leaned over and sniffed him, then said in puzzlement, "Strange. In all these years, I have never seen a constitution like yours. You do not seem to be human! Your scent is very similar to the Mysterious Artifacts I refine."

"I'm alive and well, with hands and feet. If I'm not human, then what am I? I advise you to let me go. I am of no use to your artifact refining," Luo Zheng said irritably, though his heart skipped a beat. Xie Lang's nose is actually this keen? He can even smell my Mysterious Artifact Body?

"Let you go? Hehe, don't count on it. I like people with special constitutions like yours. If I throw you into my precious Smelting Furnace, who knows what sort of thing I might refine?" As he spoke, Xie Lang reached out and fastened one of the chains inside the bronze furnace around Luo Zheng's wrist, then leaped out of the furnace.

The bronze furnace suddenly rose from the ground and floated forward. Xie Lang was carrying it on one hand as he raced onward without pause. His speed was far faster than when the furnace had been rolling before.

This suited Luo Zheng well. That rolling journey had been unbearable. Now, he no longer had to smell Xie Lang's rotten stench. He could even stick his head out of the bronze furnace and look at the scenery around him.

As for the chain fastening him in place, it was neither gold nor iron. He tugged at it with all his strength, but it did not budge in the slightest, so he gave up on trying to break it. Even if he could escape the bronze furnace, what then? Xie Lang was not even afraid of Luo Bingquan. Could he possibly flee before Xie Lang?

Running barefoot, Xie Lang moved with astonishing speed. The dark forest flew past behind Luo Zheng. Looking at the towering trees, along with the ghostly cries of crows and owls, they had likely reached the deepest part of the forest.

After passing through a vast stretch of forest, Luo Zheng saw a cliff suddenly appear ahead. Yet Xie Lang seemed utterly unaware and raced straight toward its edge. At last, still carrying the bronze furnace, he leaped into the air.

If they jumped from such a cliff, would they not be smashed to pieces? Luo Zheng clutched the edge of the bronze furnace tightly. Just as panic rose within him, the furnace's fall came to a halt.

It turned out that the cliff face was covered in protruding rocks like barbs. Xie Lang supported the bronze furnace with one hand while using the other to grab those barbs, descending the cliff step by step.

Halfway down the cliff stood a towering tree with lush branches and leaves. Xie Lang stepped onto its trunk and pushed aside the dense foliage, revealing a large cave.

The entrance was narrow, and the bronze furnace could only barely squeeze through. Yet the farther in they went, the wider the space became. There was a whole other world within.

No wonder Chongyang County launched several joint hunts and still let Xie Lang escape. He actually built his lair in a place like this. It is far too well hidden, Luo Zheng thought.

The depths of the cave rose dozens of zhang high. Dark Red light flickered across the cave walls. Looking closely, Luo Zheng could vaguely see earthfire flowing within. This was truly an excellent place for refining artifacts.

At the center of the cavern stood a pitch-black Smelting Furnace. It had four legs and was black from top to bottom. Eight spikes extended from its walls, and the tip of every spike was embedded in a person's body!

Every drop of those people's essence and blood had been drained by the spikes. They were all reduced to skin stretched over bone, more terrifying than skeletons. Yet their bellies still rose and fell. They were barely alive—they were all living people!

Not far from the Smelting Furnace stood more than a dozen iron cages forged from refined iron. Each cage was a meter wide on every side, and within each one huddled a living person. Most of them had dull, vacant eyes, their bodies trembling without stop.

They said Xie Lang's methods were cruel and vicious, and now it seemed the rumors were true. He actually refined artifacts through such evil means. Luo Zheng shuddered inwardly at the sight.

Clang!

The bronze furnace was hurled heavily onto the ground. Xie Lang gave two sharp laughs, climbed atop it, and stretched his nose toward Luo Zheng again for another sniff. A satisfied smile appeared on his face as he said, "Refining artifacts with flesh and blood, sealing human resentment into the weapon—then the Mysterious Artifact refined will naturally carry intense resentment, and its power will greatly increase! I do not know why, but the aura of your flesh and blood is extremely close to that of a Mysterious Artifact. If I refine you together with a Mysterious Artifact, I fear it will add even greater power to my Karma Fire Sword. Perhaps this old man may even refine it into a Spirit Artifact!"