The True Might of a Divine Weapon, Heading to the Scripture Pavilion

Ying Bing knew that within the Divine Blade Cave, there lay a divine weapon.

In fact, the only reason she knew of this was because of Shang Wu.

When the Clear Abyss Sect was overturned, it was Shang Wu who paid a tremendous price to take up that Calamity Meteor Hammer.

Later, when Ying Bing went to the Central Divine Province, she had seen several divine weapons that were no less formidable than the Calamity Meteor Hammer.

Yet, in the end, not a single one of them had brought her that same sense of boundless, overwhelming power.

That was correct.

Even by her standards, divine weapons were not common or ordinary objects.

Divine weapons were two full tiers above profound artifacts.

They were the ultimate manifestation of the forging arts, the ceiling of what the human race could reach with their exhaustive skills.

Anything beyond that?

Those would be Dao weapons, which seized the fortune of heaven and earth and were born in response to the times.

For instance, the Seal of State and Nation held by the successive emperors of the Great Yu Dynasty.

Coming back to the matter at hand.

She remembered that in her previous life, the Calamity Meteor Hammer had no master.

Shang Wu had barely managed to activate it once, and after that fleeting appearance, both of them had vanished without a trace.

When she had first taken charge of the Cassia Palace, she had inquired about this matter.

But she had only obtained some hearsay and rumors, impossible to distinguish as true or false.

"Elder Shang Wu... hmm?"

There was no answer from across the way for a long time.

When Ying Bing finally raised her head to look, she discovered that at some point, Shang Wu had fallen asleep in her rocking chair, even letting out soft, rhythmic snores.

Before long.

"Roast lamb is coming up."

Li Mo walked out carrying the prepared lamb.

He placed it onto the rack and began to light the fire.

The youth's face was bathed in the warm glow of the flames.

It was also reflected in Ying Bing's cold, clear eyes.

Could it be... that this has something to do with him?

Back then, the Rosy Soul of the Nine-Colored Primal Phoenix also seemed to have a special fondness for him...

"Give me a hand."

At that moment, a brush was handed to her by the youth.

Ying Bing tilted her head slightly in confusion.

Li Mo then brought over an earthenware jar, from which a pungent, spicy aroma wafted out.

Ying Bing realized what he meant.

He wanted her to brush the sauce onto the lamb.

"This is my specially concocted soul-sauce."

"Even Xi Yangyang eats it without a peep; it's all yours now."

Li Mo said this while slowly turning the grill.

And so.

The Phoenix Heavenly Empress narrowed her eyes, her gaze flickering.

In the end, she dipped the brush into the so-called "soul-sauce" and began the first cooking experience of her life.

Later, young Li simply handed the task of turning the grill over to her as well.

Before long.

The roast lamb began to sizzle and drip with oil.

Watching from not far away as Ying Bing applied the sauce to the meat with a vaguely serious expression, Li Mo couldn't help but smile inwardly.

When the Ice Block cooked, she gained a touch of worldly warmth, making her seem not quite so cold and distant.

"Perhaps in the future, I can achieve fully automated feeding from the Ice Block?"

Very soon, young Li stopped thinking that.

"What is that smell?"

Li Mo, who was preparing the side dishes, caught the scent of something burning.

Turning his head, he discovered that the perfectly good lamb had met a tragic fate.

Half the lamb was charred, while the other half remained raw.

The young girl continued to rotate the lamb, seemingly completely unaware that anything was amiss.

Li Mo: "..."

He looked at Ying Bing helplessly, his expression a mix of amusement and exasperation.

No, sister, it's all burnt.

Are you really going to keep roasting the side that's already charred?

Sensing his gaze, Ying Bing met his eyes with a tranquil expression.

"What is it?"

She asked with such righteous confidence.

Fine.

Ice Block still had her flaws; for instance, she was fundamentally incompatible with the kitchen in this lifetime.

"Let me, let me."

By the time they finished this meal—which was hard to tell if it was breakfast or dinner—the sky was already bright.

Inside the room.

Master's meal cost five hundred taels of gold? That far exceeds the value of that jar of Green Bamboo Brew.

Ice Block's feedback is even more fragrant...

Li Mo lay on the bed, taking a rare moment to inventory his purse.

Eight Profound Crystals.

The gold had long since exceeded ten thousand taels.

As for the silver... he couldn't even be bothered to count it; he had piles of silver ingots and silver notes, making the counting process simply tedious.

There were also a few miscellaneous precious items.

Various six-pattern medicinal pills, ores, and exotic flowers and herbs were all present.

"Dispel-Taint Pill, capable of neutralizing a hundred poisons."

"Wind-Summoning Rain-Calling Talisman? It can summon heavy rain for three days; I shouldn't need it for now."

"Ancient Pine-Pattern Ring, it looks exquisite and grand; it'll do as an accessory to boost my status..."

It took him nearly half an hour.

Li Mo finally finished organizing his miscellaneous items.

Afterward, he entered the World Seed once more.

Compared to when he had left, there were slight changes here.

The area seemed to have expanded by a few zhang.

In front of the chessboard in the clearing, the Calamity Meteor Hammer hung silently upside down.

Not far from the hammer, the Crimson Firmament Sword huddled in a corner, not daring to approach.

Hum—

Sensing Li Mo's arrival, the hammer vibrated gently twice.

The sharp, murderous aura of the weapon remained.

Yet, it could no longer exert any pressure on Li Mo.

After all, he was the master of this place.

"Boundless strength."

Li Mo recited silently in his heart.

He then walked over and gripped the hammer handle, actually lifting it up in one go.

It was effortless.

He couldn't even feel any weight at all.

If not for the emotion of joy radiating from the Calamity Meteor Hammer, one would think this divine weapon had been swapped for a fake.

Whoosh—

Li Mo swung it twice.

Instantly, the fierce, baleful, and sharp aura of the weapon caused the winds and clouds in the Small World to shift violently, as if the heavens themselves were enraged.

With a single strike, it was truly like a meteor crashing into the earth, carrying infinite power.

At this moment, he felt like a deity capable of shattering the heavens and splitting the earth with a mere gesture.

In Li Mo's current understanding, Elder Han He counted as a very formidable existence.

He had a premonition.

The hammer-wind he was stirring up now, even just the slightest edge of it, was likely something Elder Han He could not withstand.

"Truly worthy of being a divine weapon."

"This must be its true power."

Li Mo let out a long breath.

The Calamity Meteor Hammer hummed incessantly, growing increasingly excited; it seemed it had not been pushed to its limits by anyone in a very long time.

"Want... to go out..."

Faintly.

Li Mo seemed to hear a childish voice.

Was it the Calamity Meteor Hammer?

He lowered his head, confirming the source of the sound.

"Battle..."

He understood what this divine weapon meant.

It wanted to hammer something.

Perhaps a person, perhaps a strange beast.

As long as it wasn't being used to forge other weapons, that was fine.

Li Mo: "..."

I want to as well.

But my strength doesn't allow it.

Hum—

The Calamity Meteor Hammer felt a bit aggrieved; its faint intelligence could not yet grasp such complex matters.

Why was its master sometimes strong and sometimes weak?

Why, when its master was clearly capable of unleashing its power to the fullest, would he refuse to take it out to play?

"When the time is ripe, I will naturally let you shine brilliantly."

Li Mo comforted it in a low voice.

Having appeased the divine weapon, he began to think seriously.

"I have the divine hammer now."

"Should I... also go look for a hammer technique?"

Having experienced the power of the divine weapon, a yearning rose in Li Mo's heart.

As a swordsman, it is surely reasonable for me to know a few hammer techniques, right?

However, among the investment rewards he had received, there really were no martial arts related to hammer techniques.

"Right."

"The first-place winner of the sect trial is supposedly allowed to go to the fifth floor of the Library of Scriptures to select a martial art?"

"I should go take a look."

Thinking this, Li Mo restored the Small World from its chaotic state and beckoned to the Crimson Firmament Sword not far away.

"Come here."

Hum—

As soon as he spoke, the Calamity Meteor Hammer vibrated twice, as if a father were disciplining a wayward child.

Only then did the Crimson Firmament Sword slowly fall into his palm.

Taking the sword with him, Li Mo exited the World Seed.

He greeted the half-asleep Shang Wu, then headed out toward the Scripture Pavilion.