High-Temperature Purification, A Desperate Gamble

It was known that the reason Electrolux accidentally entered Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea was essentially due to the powerful spiritual energy fluctuations released when the Sky Dream Iceworm's million-year soul ring fused with Huo Yuhao, which attracted Electrolux's divine sense that had been drifting near the world barrier of the Douluo Plane.

Now, since his high-temperature purification of the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife might also generate powerful life energy fluctuations, could this potentially attract Electrolux as well?

Jiang Ci'an believed it was worth a try.

The sudden appearance of Da Ming and Er Ming had brought him a certain sense of urgency, to say the least.

Therefore, his actions this time were slightly more aggressive, but he felt there was no issue with that.

In fact, during the month he spent waiting for the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife, he had already arranged many matters, including the plans for Xiao Xiao, all of which had been handled properly.

If one wanted to break the deadlock, how could it be done without taking a gamble?

Even if the entity attracted in the end was not Electrolux, but rather some fierce beasts from the Star Dou Great Forest or some other powerful existence, that would not be unacceptable.

In any case, it was worth a try.

Jiang Ci'an took a deep breath and swept his gaze over the Sun Furnace.

Under his "Perspective," every structural detail and every potential point of failure within the furnace was clearly presented before his eyes.

He carefully inspected it once more, confirming that this Level 8 soul tool was operating normally, with no obvious malfunctions or signs of aging.

Then, it could begin.

Jiang Ci'an raised his hand and slightly loosened the layers of seals on the jade box in his hand, leaving it in a state where it was easily broken by the malevolent aura of the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife, yet not quite broken yet.

Subsequently, he quickly placed the jade box into the inner container of the furnace, stepped back, and closed the airtight lid.

The lid locked with a "click."

Jiang Ci'an stood before the control panel, his goggles already on. His finger hovered over the start button, paused for a moment, and then pressed down firmly.

A faint humming sound emanated from within the furnace.

Light rose inside the furnace, and the temperature began to climb rapidly.

One hundred degrees, two hundred degrees...

Through the thick heat-resistant glass and layers of protection, golden light swirled in Jiang Ci'an's pupils as his "Perspective" pierced through the furnace's outer shell, locked firmly onto the changes within.

In just a few moments, the temperature had already risen to five hundred degrees.

Under the high-temperature environment, the first thing to give way was the jade box sealing the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife.

The soul tool arrays inscribed on the jade box twisted and deformed under the heat; the embedded metal components were the first to turn red and soften, then began to flow like melted wax.

The body of the jade box cracked layer by layer under the intense roasting, with fissures spreading from the lid to the base, until finally, "Snap."

The jade box shattered completely.

The Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife was exposed to the high heat.

That long-sealed resentment seemed to have finally found an exit, pouring out from the carving knife like a burst dam, transforming into a churning black mist that carried faint, shrill shrieks as it attempted to break through the furnace's constraints.

However, the moment that deep black mist touched the scorching air, it was like paper being ignited; wisps of black smoke rose rapidly from its edges, only to be torn apart by the high-temperature currents within the furnace, vanishing into nothingness in the blink of an eye.

The resentment instinctively recoiled, the black mist condensing into a ball as it tried to resist the temperature capable of incinerating a soul.

But the temperature did not stop rising.

Six hundred degrees.

Eight hundred degrees.

The light inside the furnace grew brighter, and the ball of black mist continued to shrink under the intense heat, like a piece of ice thrown into a fire, peeling away and dissolving layer by layer from the edges.

One thousand degrees.

One thousand four hundred degrees.

At this moment, the interior of the furnace was completely illuminated in a white-hot glow. The black mist had shrunk to one-tenth of its original size, its texture shifting from thick to thin.

And from deeper within, it seemed as though countless tiny, wronged souls were screaming miserably, their voices piercing through the metal walls of the furnace and echoing incessantly throughout the secret chamber.

Jiang Ci'an watched all of this with an expressionless face.

The temperature continued to rise.

Two thousand one hundred degrees, two thousand four hundred degrees.

The black mist shrank once more.

And this time, the black mist seemed to vanish entirely. The furnace returned to a bright and calm glow, with only a single carving knife lying quietly at the bottom of the container.

The blade was ancient and simple, remaining motionless amidst the high heat. The dark red luster on its surface was extremely dim, revealing the faint, natural color of the metal beneath.

The purification appeared to have been a success.

Jiang Ci'an looked at the quiet appearance of the carving knife, but his finger did not leave the dial.

He had already seen through everything; how could he possibly fail to grasp the situation?

Keep increasing the heat!

The temperature continued to soar!

Two thousand four hundred degrees, two thousand eight hundred degrees...

In just a moment, the temperature surged directly to three thousand eight hundred degrees!

And the very moment the temperature crossed the three-thousand-eight-hundred-degree mark, the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife, which had been lying quietly there, suddenly erupted in a frenzy!

"BOOM—"

With a shrill shriek, as if delivering a final death blow, a resentment far more violent than before gushed out from the depths of the carving knife.

That mass of black mist coalesced in mid-air, forming a hideous face that opened its cavernous mouth, attempting to forcibly break through the constraints of the furnace.

However, the moment its body touched the inner wall of the furnace, it was scorched by the searing metal, sending black smoke rising. A look of agony appeared on that hideous face as it emitted a piercing, mournful sound.

It raised its eyes, staring fixedly at Jiang Ci'an outside the furnace, its venomous resentment undisguised.

Jiang Ci'an met that gaze with an expressionless face.

Then, he twisted the dial almost all the way to the end.

Four thousand five hundred degrees!

The temperature inside the furnace spiked, and the body of the hideous specter began to twist violently under the extreme heat.

It opened its mouth in a silent scream, its sharp claws frantically pounding against the sealed lid—once, twice, three times—but its movements grew increasingly feeble, and its sound grew ever fainter.

In the end, its body began to turn to ash from the edges, piece by piece, like paper ash scattered by the wind.

Finally, The black mist vanished completely.

And the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife inside the furnace, under this final round of high-temperature calcination, finally could not hold on any longer.

The layer of pitch-black, archaic surface on the blade began to flake away, revealing the material hidden beneath.

A verdant hue seeped out from the cracks.

Warm, pure, and carrying a faint aura of life.

Jiang Ci'an looked at that touch of emerald, his expression finally shifting slightly as he let out a sigh of relief.

It was done.

He did not stop the furnace there. Jiang Ci'an looked around somewhat impatiently, his gaze sweeping across every corner of the secret chamber, attempting to find any anomalous fluctuations.

However...

There was nothing.

No small gray ball of light appeared suddenly, nor did any words like "Holding the sun and moon, plucking the stars, there is no one in this world like me" ring in his ears...

Jiang Ci'an was silent for a moment, then withdrew his gaze.

His golden pupils shimmered with a faint light as he watched the emerald green within the furnace, which contained rich vitality, his eyes calm.

The Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife had been successfully purified, and he had obtained the Gold of Life. By all logic, he should finish now, take the Gold of Life, and return to cultivate.

But to end it just like this...

He was not reconciled!

Jiang Ci'an took a deep breath, his eyes turning resolute as he raised his hand and placed it on the dial.

Then, he turned it once more.

The temperature continued to rise!