Suddenly, Mu Guangming turned around and placed the iron essence in Xu Yi's hands. Smiling, he said, "I understand now. It must have been during battle, when the power of your blood essence, your willpower, and the thunder came forth one after another in an endless cycle. The iron essence absorbed them, forming an inner cycle that finally tainted what had been pure and untouched by outside forces."
Iron essence was much like raw iron. It, too, was a metal-type material among the Pure Five Elements Raw Materials, and such pure Five Elements materials were the hardest to taint.
That was also why, despite Xu Yi repeatedly using the iron essence to form a shield and defend himself, it had remained completely intact.
Mu Guangming's guess was right. The iron essence had been tainted because Xu Yi had endured one battle after another, using it repeatedly in combat. First, eight thousand Golden Talisman Army soldiers had surrounded him, and the iron essence, serving as his main defense, had borne the brunt of their attacks.
The Golden Token used to form the Golden Armored Giant God had been nurtured with blood essence and strengthened by talismanic power. The iron essence had been eroded by the power of blood essence.
After that, Xu Yi had been attacked by the Dragon Lock Imperial Qi. Though the iron essence had protected him, he had still suffered severe injuries. At its root, this Dragon Lock Imperial Qi was a form of willpower—the power of the countless people of Great Yue, whose hearts recognized the imperial family.
Finally, the Nine Heavens True Dragon Sword had drawn upon the power of thunder to attack.
All three encounters had been layered onto the iron essence, creating this perfect inner cycle and completely locking it in place.
As it