"Blood and marrow from the Northern Plains Ice Vulture!" Shen Shitian shouted.
With a sweep of Luo Long's large hand, a jade bottle flew over, and Shen Shitian reached out to catch it.
Lu Wu and the others said nothing, watching as they worked to melt the Mystic Ice.
The jade bottle was small. The scarlet blood and marrow poured from it amounted to no more than a fist-sized mass, yet it radiated a terrifying chill.
It felt even colder than the Mystic Ice!!
Shen Shitian controlled the blood with his telekinesis, keeping it suspended in midair. After pouring the profound ice water into the grooves on the giant bone sword, he let the blood seep into them.
It was only a little blood, yet all the intricate grooves on the giant bone sword began glowing red!!
"Hummm!!!"
An immense aura burst from the giant bone sword, snuffing out the flames in Lu Wu's hands.
The Star Path he had been maintaining so well broke apart as the aura spread.
His heart hammered relentlessly. Lu Wu felt as though an incomparably powerful force were pressing down on him.
It was not just him. Zu Yanzhi and Nangong Pei had both gone somewhat pale.
"Huff, huff!!"
Lu Wu kept taking deep breaths, trying to ease his discomfort.
He tried to control his stars again, but could not manage it at all. Worse, he kept feeling as though some colossal creature were bearing down on his soul.
"Why does it feel like we're standing in front of some colossal creature, with its eyes fixed on us? I can't even maintain my Star Path." Nangong Pei looked around, his tone somewhat shocked.
Honestly, he had never felt anything like this even when facing an Advanced Mage.
And the strangest thing was that there was no Demon Beast in sight.
"It's that giant bone sword. There's something eerie about the giant bone sword being forged this time. Why does it feel alive?!" Of the three, Zu Yanzhi was in the worst shape.
"Keep melting the Mystic Ice. Old Man Shen is still waiting to use it." Luo Long had already come up beside them.
His aura slowly unfurled. He did not cast any magic, yet Lu Wu and the others felt much more at ease.
It was as though that aura had been cut off.
"Elder Luo, just what is Grandpa Shen forging this giant bone sword for?" Once Lu Wu realized he no longer felt the pressure, he asked again.
Luo Long said nothing, merely watching Shen Shitian work. So much painstaking effort had gone into this sword. Nothing had better go wrong.
As for its purpose...
What ill intentions could an old man like him possibly have?
"Just focus on melting the Mystic Ice. You won't be shortchanged on your payment," Luo Long urged.
They had actually stockpiled quite a lot of profound ice water earlier. He was having them melt more now just to be prepared for any eventuality.
After all, this was Old Man Shen's first time incorporating blood and marrow into his artifact forging.
Although Old Man Shen was an excellent artifact forger, this time was still different.
Hearing this, Zu Yanzhi signaled to Lu Wu and Nangong Pei to stop asking questions.
If these two elders were unwilling to talk, why say more?
With Luo Long's help blocking the powerful aura radiating from the giant bone sword, the three resumed melting the Mystic Ice.
The forging had reached a critical juncture, and the surrounding magma had now been stirred into motion.
The orange-red magma, which had originally flowed quietly, now began surging like seawater churned up by a flood dragon.
Magical energy surged from Luo Long as he erected thick Rock Barriers around them.
The Rock Barriers blocked the surging magma, but could not keep out the steadily rising temperature.
The giant bone sword began shaking violently, continuously absorbing the energy between heaven and earth. The surrounding magma churned as its fire-element energy was drawn out.
"I need more profound ice water! We can't let all our efforts go to waste!" Shen Shitian shouted.
He had not expected there to be some blood and marrow within the bones already. Adding more now had stirred what was already inside, causing the process to require even more profound ice water.
Otherwise, it would be difficult to fuse it with those runes.
"Even what we stockpiled earlier isn't enough?" Luo Long asked.
"It's not enough! I need more!!"
"Can you three melt more Mystic Ice? As long as you help me, I'll definitely reward you handsomely!" Hearing this, Luo Long turned his gaze toward Lu Wu and the others.
"We can try," Zu Yanzhi replied. "But we'll need a wider platform to put the Mystic Ice on."
"I should be able to melt some more too." Nangong Pei nodded as well.
Lu Wu knew all the more that there was no time to lose. "I need a bigger iron bucket and more Mystic Ice."
"I don't have an iron bucket. I'll make something for you."
Overjoyed, Luo Long immediately used Earth Element magic to construct a long brown trough. "This trough is very sturdy. Go ahead and melt the Mystic Ice."
The trough was large and even had a place to collect the Mystic Ice water. The three spread out, then tipped the Mystic Ice out of their iron buckets.
Seeing the Mystic Ice spread across the trough, Zu Yanzhi and Nangong Pei began releasing flames to melt it without another word.
"I can handle some more Mystic Ice." Lu Wu did not rush to start, but looked toward Elder Luo instead.
To melt Mystic Ice, they only needed to cover it in flames and let it melt slowly.
With his current level of control, Lu Wu felt he could melt more Mystic Ice.
"It'll consume a great deal of magical energy," Luo Long reminded him.
Although they did not need to cast particularly powerful Fire Element magic, increasing the area covered would indeed consume a lot of magical energy.
"But we need a lot of profound ice water right now." Of course Lu Wu knew it would consume a lot of magical energy. "I remember Grandpa Shen saying that if this attempt failed, there wouldn't be another chance, right?"
Having accepted Elder Luo's Spirit-grade Stardust Magic Tool to cultivate with, he certainly had to do something.
Even if he had to return it later, it had already been a tremendous help to him.
"Good lad! I knew I hadn't misjudged you. Just do your best. Whether this succeeds or not isn't on you." Luo Long rubbed his bald head, a habit he indulged in at any time.
Rubbing his bald head, Luo Long walked toward Shen Shitian.
He had no Mystic Ice himself, so he had to get some from his old friend.
Although he left, Luo Long kept his aura protecting the three of them, preventing the giant bone sword's aura from suppressing them.
Placing all the Mystic Ice he had obtained into the trough, Luo Long said gravely, "This is all the Mystic Ice we have."
"We'll do our best to supply all the profound ice water Grandpa Shen needs." Lu Wu released his flames.
Under the control of his will, the flames spread out.
The trough was roughly four meters long. Zu Yanzhi and Nangong Pei together occupied about half of it, while Lu Wu alone covered the other half with his flames.
Profound ice water flowed out continuously, then was taken away through the air by Shen Shitian.
The three did everything they could to melt the Mystic Ice, each consuming magical energy at a tremendous rate.
Although he could no longer sense the pressure of the giant bone sword's aura, the sight of the wildly surging magma in the cavern told Lu Wu that the forging was nearing its end.
Grandpa Shen brought his purplish-black flames with him, enveloping the entire giant bone sword within them.
Grandpa Shen's figure was completely hidden from view.
After roughly ten minutes, Zu Yanzhi and Nangong Pei's magical energy had bottomed out. The two gritted their teeth and held on a little longer before resting.
"It's not enough! I still need as much profound ice water as I just took!" Shen Shitian's voice rang out. "We've reached the critical moment now! Get it to me as quickly as possible!!!"
"What?" Hearing his old friend's voice, Luo Long's heart trembled.
Even someone as steady as him was somewhat flustered at this moment.
Zu Yanzhi and Nangong Pei had already exhausted their magical energy. They could not possibly have even a trace left.