Blood Refinement Begins! The Sword of Countless Blades Is Finally Forged!

As Hong Ling descended, Su Han and Tian Ling'er quickly reached the bottom of the gorge.

Tian Ling'er swept her gaze around, her delicate brows slightly furrowed, her eyes filled with vigilance and curiosity.

"Su Han, something feels off about this place..."

The surrounding trees were lush and verdant, yet the air was permeated by a bone-piercing chill.

Even though it was noon, the sunlight that fell here was strangely devoid of the slightest warmth.

Meanwhile, Su Han felt the increasingly violent "heartbeat" of the Blood Devouring Pearl in his robes as he breathed in the dense Demonic Energy in the air.

He could now be certain that the Soul-Absorbing Rod was ahead!

This made Su Han's heart burn with excitement.

Yet outwardly, Su Han remained calm. "What's abnormal about it?"

Tian Ling'er gently shook her little head. "I can't really explain it, but it just gives me a strange feeling."

"Then, Ling'er, wait here for me. I'll go take a look ahead by myself."

With that—

Su Han prepared to head forward alone.

Hearing this, Tian Ling'er immediately cried out, "Absolutely not~"

"Your talent may be good, but my cultivation is higher than yours. This place is so strange—what if there's danger? I have to protect you!"

As she spoke, she stubbornly raised her chin.

"Don't misunderstand. I only want to keep you safe because Mother told me to."

After saying that—

She did not wait for Su Han's reply before running ahead on her own initiative.

Warmth filled Su Han's heart as he watched Tian Ling'er's retreating figure. The little girl is quite tsundere, but she really is kind-hearted.

With that thought, Su Han shook his head and did not stop Tian Ling'er from following him.

After all, with him here, Tian Ling'er would not face any danger. At most, she would be affected by the Soul-Absorbing Rod's Demonic Energy and fall unconscious for a while.

Along the way—

Su Han could clearly sense the Demonic Nature emanating from afar growing stronger and stronger, making him increasingly expectant.

Meanwhile, Tian Ling'er continued muttering about the oddities of this place as she ran.

"Su Han, there's really something wrong with this place. It's broad daylight, yet it's so cold and gloomy."

"Maybe it's because we're at the bottom of the gorge."

Su Han casually brushed her off.

At the same time, his gaze was fixed on the small pool at the far end of the gorge.

Not a blade of grass grew around the pool, and the earth was an eerie charred black.

The sunlight had completely lost its warmth here, blocked outside by the dense Demonic Energy.

The surface of the pool was like stagnant water, without the slightest ripple, yet it exuded a suffocating pressure. It seemed capable of swallowing everything, inspiring fear in anyone who looked upon it.

"This should be the pool where the Soul-Absorbing Rod lies submerged, right?"

"Ah~"

Just as Su Han was pondering this, Tian Ling'er seemed to notice the pool's abnormality as well and appeared to want to step forward to investigate.

But the moment Tian Ling'er stepped onto the blackened earth, her body suddenly went limp without warning, and she could not help crying out.

The next moment—

Tian Ling'er collapsed unconscious.

"As expected."

Seeing this, Su Han walked to Tian Ling'er's side and lifted her into his arms. "I have to say, the little girl is quite soft."

Smiling, Su Han placed Tian Ling'er beneath a large tree some distance away.

Only then did he head alone toward the pool, which was almost completely shrouded in Demonic Energy.

Perhaps it was because of the Demonic Buddha Body, Demonic Heart trait.

Standing by the pool, Su Han did not feel anything unusual, such as weakness throughout his body. Instead, an unprecedented sense of exhilaration rose within him.

"Soul-Absorbing Rod, you really made me search for you."

Su Han murmured softly, then took a book from his robes.

It was the book on artifact refinement that he had obtained from Shui Yue before leaving Little Bamboo Peak.

"Let's see how, during artifact refinement, one can make an 'artifact' take on the shape one desires..."

"So that's how it is."

"As long as I envision the shape of the 'artifact' in my mind while it takes form, I can mold it according to my wishes."

"Simple."

After all, this was merely the most basic method of shaping artifacts. It was a technique that any Qingyun Sect disciple at the fourth level of the Yuqing Realm had to learn when descending the mountain to refine magical treasures, so it was destined not to be difficult.

Thus, Su Han only needed to read through the entire book once before thoroughly grasping the method of shaping artifacts.

"Now that everything is ready, it's time to begin blood-refining my own magical treasure!"

Su Han smiled and shattered the book in his hand, then leaped into the deep pool without the slightest hesitation.

The instant he entered the pool, the Blood Devouring Pearl in his robes seemed unable to wait any longer. It shot out from his chest and flew toward the depths of the water.

Seeing this, Su Han grabbed the Blood Devouring Pearl.

Allowing it to guide him, he was led toward the very bottom of the pool.

Within the deep pool, jagged rocks filled the depths. There was not a single living creature; all was deathly still.

After diving an unknown number of meters—

A massive whirlpool suddenly formed directly beneath Su Han, creating a brief vacuum.

Within that vacuum—

A strange black rod, seemingly made of both wood and iron, was embedded in the rocks at the riverbed, wreathed in blood-red Demonic Energy.

It was the Soul Seizing Staff that Su Han had longed for.

At the sight of the Soul Seizing Staff, Su Han's eyes burned even hotter.

Spiritual energy surged, instantly increasing his diving speed.

In the blink of an eye, Su Han was less than ten meters from the Soul Seizing Staff.

And at that moment—

The Blood Devouring Pearl began to pulse more violently, as though it had encountered a perfectly matched foe.

At the same time, the Soul Seizing Staff at the bottom of the pool shot upward and arrived before Su Han. It and the Blood Devouring Pearl circled around him, confronting each other.

Seeing this—

Su Han summoned his spiritual power and sliced open his right palm.

"Let the blood refinement begin!"

At that moment, Su Han's blood seemed drawn by some unseen force, flowing separately toward the Blood Devouring Pearl and the Soul Seizing Staff.

The two, which had been warily confronting each other just moments ago, slowly moved together under the pull of Su Han's blood.

Towering Demonic Energy, like burning red flames, completely enveloped Su Han, the Blood Devouring Pearl, and the Soul Seizing Staff.

At the same time, Su Han envisioned the form of a "sword" in his mind.

The sword was pitch-black from end to end, incomparably sharp.

Yet its blade was covered in countless fine cracks, as though it was not a single whole...

But rather formed from thousands upon thousands of fragments, connected by the violent demonic power emitted from the Blood Devouring Pearl embedded in the hilt—a red pearl like a demon's eye.

Who knew how much time passed.

Su Han felt that roughly a third of the blood in his body had been burned away, turning his face pale.

Finally, the "sword" before him took complete form.

"Now!"

The next moment—

Su Han thrust out his right hand, breaking through layers of Demonic Energy, and fiercely grasped the hilt of the demonic sword.

Boom!!!

As Su Han's right hand gripped the hilt of the demonic sword, endless Demonic Energy exploded, blasting the entire deep pool into a temporary vacuum.

A red demonic glow shot into the sky, illuminating the entire gorge.

Thus, the "sword" was forged!