It was known that Electrolux had accidentally entered Huo Yuhao's Sea of Consciousness because the powerful spiritual fluctuations released when Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's Million-Year Soul Ring merged with Huo Yuhao had drawn him over from near the world barrier of the Douluo Plane.
And now, purifying the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife with high heat might also produce powerful fluctuations of life energy. Could that attract Electrolux as well?
Jiang Ci'an thought it was worth a try.
The sudden appearance of Da Ming and Er Ming had given him some sense of urgency.
So he was being a little more reckless this time, but he didn't think there was a problem with that.
In fact, during the month he'd spent waiting for the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife, he had long since made all sorts of arrangements. He had even taken care of everything concerning Xiao Xiao.
If he wanted to break through this deadlock, how could he do it without taking a gamble?
Even if the one he attracted wasn't Electrolux, but some Ferocious Beast from the Star Dou Great Forest—or some other powerful being—that would still be fine.
In the end, it was worth a try.
Jiang Ci'an took a deep breath and glanced over the Sun Furnace.
Under Perspective, every part of the furnace's internal structure, along with every potential weak point, was clearly visible to him.
He carefully inspected it and confirmed that the Level 8 Soul Tool was operating normally, with no obvious malfunctions or signs of wear.
Then,
It was time to begin.
Jiang Ci'an raised his hand and slightly loosened the layers of restrictions on the jade box, leaving them at a level where the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife's vicious aura could break through them, but hadn't yet.
Then he quickly placed the jade box inside the furnace's inner chamber, stepped back, and closed the sealed lid.
The lid clicked shut.
Jiang Ci'an stood at the control panel, already wearing his goggles. His fingers hovered above the start button. After a brief pause, he pressed it firmly.
A faint hum came from inside the furnace.
Light rose within it, and the temperature began climbing rapidly.
One hundred degrees,
Two hundred...
Through the thick heat-resistant glass and layers of protection, golden light swirled in Jiang Ci'an's pupils. His Perspective pierced the furnace's outer shell, fixing on the changes inside.
In barely a moment, the temperature had climbed to five hundred degrees.
And in the high heat, the first thing to give way was the jade box containing the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife.
The soul tool formation patterns engraved on the box warped and twisted in the heat. The embedded metal fittings began to glow red and soften first, then flowed down like melting wax.
The jade box itself cracked apart layer by layer under the scorching heat. The fractures spread from the lid to the bottom, until at last—
Crack.
The jade box broke open completely.
The Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife was exposed to the heat.
The resentment sealed away for so long seemed to have finally found an outlet. It poured from the knife like floodwaters bursting through a dam, forming a roiling cloud of black mist. With a faint, shrill hiss, it tried to break free of the furnace.
But the moment the dark, heavy mist touched the scorching air, its edges began to curl into wisps of black smoke, like paper catching fire. The furnace's hot currents tore them apart, and they vanished in the blink of an eye.
The resentment instinctively contracted, the black mist clumping together in an attempt to withstand a temperature hot enough to burn souls.
But the temperature kept rising.
Six hundred degrees.
Eight hundred degrees.
The light inside the furnace grew brighter and brighter. Under the scorching heat, the black mist kept shrinking, like a chunk of ice thrown into a fire, peeling away and melting from the edges inward.
One thousand degrees.
One thousand four hundred degrees.
By now, the furnace had turned completely white-hot. The black mist had shrunk to one-tenth its original size, and its texture had grown thin and wispy.
Deeper within it, countless tiny wronged souls seemed to be shrieking in anguish. Their cries pierced the furnace's metal walls and echoed through the sealed room.
Jiang Ci'an watched it all without expression.
The temperature kept climbing.
Two thousand one hundred degrees, two thousand four hundred degrees.
The black mist shrank again.
This time, however, it seemed to vanish entirely. The furnace returned to a bright, tranquil glow, leaving only a carving knife lying quietly at the bottom of the chamber.
The knife's design was ancient and unadorned. It didn't budge in the heat, and the dark red sheen on its surface had dimmed considerably, revealing a faint glimpse of the metal beneath.
The purification seemed to have succeeded.
Jiang Ci'an watched the carving knife resting quietly, but didn't take his hand off the dial.
He had Perspective turned on. How could he fail to see what was going on?
Keep raising the heat!
The temperature continued to soar!
Two thousand four hundred degrees, two thousand eight hundred degrees...
In barely a moment, it had shot all the way up to three thousand eight hundred degrees!
And the instant the temperature passed three thousand eight hundred degrees, the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife, which had been lying quietly inside, suddenly went berserk!
Boom—
A shrill cry rang out. Like a dying creature's final strike, resentment far more violent than before erupted from deep within the carving knife.
The black mist gathered in midair, forming a hideous face. It opened a cavernous mouth and tried to force its way out of the furnace.
But the moment its body touched the furnace's inner wall, the scorching metal burned it, sending black smoke billowing upward. Pain showed on the hideous face as it let out a piercing shriek.
It raised its eyes and glared at Jiang Ci'an outside the furnace, its venomous hatred completely undisguised.
Jiang Ci'an met its gaze without expression.
Then he twisted the dial almost all the way to the bottom.
Four thousand five hundred degrees!
The furnace's temperature surged. Under the extreme heat, the hideous ghostly creature's body began to twist violently.
It opened its mouth in a silent scream and frantically pounded the sealed lid with its claws. Once, twice, three times—but each blow grew weaker, and its cries fainter.
At last, its body began to turn to ash from the edges inward, fragment by fragment, like paper ashes scattered by the wind.
Finally,
The black mist disappeared completely.
And the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife inside the furnace finally couldn't withstand the last round of scorching heat.
The knife's dark, ancient-looking surface began to peel away, revealing the material hidden beneath.
A vivid green light shone through the cracks.
It was warm and pure, carrying a faint breath of life.
Jiang Ci'an looked at that flash of green, and his expression finally shifted slightly as he let out a breath of relief.
Success.
He didn't stop the furnace. Somewhat impatiently, Jiang Ci'an glanced around, his gaze sweeping over every corner of the sealed room as he tried to find any unusual fluctuations.
And yet...
There was nothing.
No little gray ball of light suddenly appearing, and no voice suddenly ringing in his ear to declare, "With the sun and moon in hand, I pluck the stars from the sky. None in this world can compare to me"...
Jiang Ci'an fell silent for a moment, then looked away.
A faint, flowing light glimmered in his golden pupils as he gazed at the rich, life-filled emerald green inside the furnace, his eyes calm.
The Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife had been successfully purified, and he had obtained the Gold of Life. By all rights, he should stop here, take the Gold of Life, and go back to cultivate.
But to really stop here...
He couldn't accept it!
Jiang Ci'an took a deep breath. His eyes grew resolute as he placed his hand on the dial,
Then turned it again.
The temperature kept rising!
Before you continue