"To treat all life as straw dogs... I am the same. A pity you should have never, ever tried to forcibly perform the Gathering Spirit."

Dugu Jiu wiped two fingers along the edge of his Ancient Sword. The bloody starlight reflected on its blade suddenly flared.

The moment he slashed toward the Observatory, sword marks appeared across the grounds of the Seventy-Two Districts. His Sword Qi forced nine streams of Earth Vein Dragon Qi out from the earth, which coalesced above the Imperial City into the struggling, illusory form of a dragon.

The Empress’s Nine Dragon Canopy shattered with a BOOM.

Her black and gold Dragon Robe billowed out, and the twelve strings of jade beads on her crown whipped before her forehead like swords.

A jade-like luster suddenly appeared on her right hand as she gripped her sword. The instant the Golden Brilliance Sword left its scabbard, the Profound Iron foundation of the entire Observatory began to tremble with a dragon-like cry.

"CLANG!"

As the blade was revealed, the Golden Brilliance Sword shimmered with the color of molten gold. This Divine Weapon, forged from the Sun Radiance Profound Iron of Kunlun Peak, had nine dragon patterns along its spine that actually began to writhe as she infused it with True Qi.

"I uphold the laws of the Great Zhou and command the National Divine Artifact. How dare a mere commoner speak so presumptuously of imperial matters? You’re courting death!"

The Empress shattered the twelve-emblem floor tiles beneath her feet, the mercury-like blood in her Silver Marrow surging like a river tide.

With every step she took in her Profound Bird-embroidered Palace Boots, a three-foot-deep footprint appeared on the ground. The Earth Vein Dragon Qi gushing from the cracks coalesced into nine golden chains that wrapped around her blade.

The moment the golden radiance and the cyan qi collided, the ruins of the Observatory suddenly sank a thousand feet.

The twelve Coiling Dragon Pillars turned to dust, and the three thousand six hundred Bronze Lamps melted into molten metal. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

The entire Observatory crumbled with a thunderous roar under the swords of the two Ninth Realm Supreme Qi Cultivation Grandmasters, and the sky-filling dust and smoke instantly recoiled.

At that moment, the first light of dawn appeared. A ray of the nascent sun shot from the horizon, piercing the blood-red clouds to illuminate the world.

-----------------

"Hmm?!"

Seated atop the Celestial Craft Fortress, Xu Yunfan was meditating on a protruding Profound Steel Scale on the forehead of the Mechanical Giant Tiger. His suddenly opened eyes reflected the rising sun with an unusual gilded sheen.

Uncertain, he sensed a faint warmth that had suddenly appeared within his body. It flowed slowly through his flesh, nourishing his limbs and bones, and lingered without dissipating.

He could clearly feel several wisps of gentle breath coursing deep within him, flowing between muscle, bone, and skin like a thawing spring creek. They nourished his very skeleton until it emitted a faint, cicada-like hum.

In the past few days, cultivating the Pure Yang Qi Skill while facing the rising sun had never yielded such a benefit.

He subconsciously glanced at a notification that had popped up in his vision.

’You face the rising sun and visualize yourself swallowing the first wisp of purple qi ascending between heaven and earth. In a state between void and non-void, you absorb a grain of Primordial Spirit Breath into your body. Your Pure Yang Qi Skill Level has increased.’

Seeing this, Xu Yunfan nearly jumped to his feet, a look of shocked delight on his face. ’Could it be that the Heaven and Earth Primordial Spirit is reawakening?’

Ever since he began his Martial Dao Cultivation, many people had told him that the Heaven and Earth Primordial Spirit was extinct, and the Heaven and Earth Secret Power no longer manifested.

’What’s going on today? Did the world decide to revive just because I showed up?!’

Just as he was feeling pleased with himself, a voice spoke up beside him.

"When the Earth Dragon Flipped Over yesterday, I sensed something unusual with the mountains and Earth Veins. Zhu Xu of the Melt Gold Hall has already investigated. The entire Earth Vein of Cangzhou has suddenly turned over."

The morning wind swept across the thousand-foot-high fortress, causing the twin hammers at Zhan Yan’s waist to clink and clank.

"The Incense and Candle Sect has stirred up seven Earth Veins, causing a small amount of Primordial Spirit buried deep within the earth’s core to rise to the surface."

Zhan Yan’s brow furrowed. "This matter..."

It dawned on Xu Yunfan, and he asked, "Those blood sacrifices by the Incense and Candle Sect... surely they weren’t to bring about the descent of their Ming Venerable?"

Zhan Yan had his suspicions but said nothing. The implications were too shocking.

He paused for a moment before saying, "The disciples of the Giant Kite Team will be sending back information soon. Perhaps they’ll have news."

For the next several days, Xu Yunfan settled into a routine.

As soon as dawn broke through the clouds, he would sit cross-legged on the Thunderfire Platform, which extended from the eastern side of the Celestial Craft Fortress.

Every time he channeled the Pure Yang Qi Skill and visualized the purple qi from the east entering his body, a notification would pop up on his Attribute Panel.

’You visualize the purple qi coming from the east and absorb a grain of Primordial Spirit Breath into your body. Your body has been tempered and nourished. Your Pure Yang Qi Skill Level has increased.’

Nine warm currents would instantly rise up his spine, pouring through his entire body along the Ren Meridian like molten gold.

With his persistent daily Cultivation, the wisps of gentle breath coursing deep within his flesh grew richer. Even when he stopped cultivating, they did not dissipate, but instead lingered silently within him.

It was a wonderful feeling. His Skill Level increased by at least five points each time.

If not for the fact that the Pure Yang Qi Skill specifically drew upon the scene of purple qi coming from the east, an effect that only occurred at the first light of dawn, the rest of his practice would just be ordinary martial arts training, requiring two to four hours to increase his Skill Level by a single point.

Otherwise, he would have devoted himself entirely to the Cultivation of the Pure Yang Qi Skill. This feeling of growing palpably stronger every day was addictive.

Unfortunately, he only had that one hour of effective practice. The returns on practicing at any other time were terribly low, so he focused on the Celestial Craft Forging Technique for the rest of the day.

He would spend his time forging a few Upper-Grade Mortal Items, after which Zhan Yan would instruct him on the more advanced Forging Skills for the Sharp Blade Level.

At Noon in the Weapon Workshop, steam rose from Xu Yunfan’s bare torso.

Every time his Eight-Edged Gilded Hammer fell, sparks flew with precision into the Cold Pool quenching trough.

His Attribute Panel didn’t show any increase in his Celestial Craft Forging Technique Skill Level. It only displayed a few notifications saying his Forging Skill was becoming more familiar, and so on.

The rest of his time was spent honing other aspects of his Celestial Craft Forging Technique. With a massive facility like the Celestial Craft Fortress at his disposal, he had ample opportunity to practice and raise his Skill Level.

His Skill Level in the Celestial Craft Forging Technique was rising quite quickly. At this rate, he would reach Minor Achievement in three months at most.

But soon, as he accumulated a vast amount of knowledge, Xu Yunfan discovered that the Celestial Craft Forging Technique became harder to advance the further he progressed. He was still sixty points away from Minor Achievement, yet his Skill Level wasn’t increasing by even a single point each day.

At night, he practiced the Linn Character Technique as usual. He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but his Cultivation of the Linn Character Technique felt smoother than ever.

Although his Skill Level still hadn’t budged.

After seven days and nights of this routine, a Thunderous Eagle Cry suddenly tore through the dawn.

Three mechanical Giant Kites crashed askew into the outer armor of the Celestial Craft Fortress.

"Jade Capital City... has fallen..."

A blood-soaked Giant Kite Guard crawled out from the wreckage. He was the disciple who had flown the farthest. By the time he reached Jade Capital, he saw two figures clashing above the collapsing Observatory. Their cyan and gold Sword Qi tore the clouds for miles around into a spiderweb.

Even from a great distance, he could still feel the terrifying pressure that had severed the Earth Vein.

"A message arrived through a channel left by the Celestial Craft Cave! The Jiuyao Sect has sealed its mountain! The Qingwei Mountain Daoist Sect has sealed its mountain!"

Another Giant Kite disciple coughed, then tilted his head back and gulped down a large mouthful of water before spitting out angrily, "The Blood Banner Guard of the Incense and Candle Sect has slaughtered everyone in the Longxi Seven States, yet the Six Top Sects have sealed their gates!"

The crowd was shocked. Mo Han, being the most learned among them, was the first to react. He let out an angry shout and slammed his hand on the table.

"That Empress! She wants to make the Heaven and Earth Primordial Spirit reappear! And the Six Top Sects of the Great Zhou are just sitting by and watching, waiting to see what happens!"