"Five Elements energy, assemble!"
Standing beside the forge tripod, Ye Yunfei formed seals with his hands and gave a loud shout.
Boom… boom…
The five surrounding mountains trembled simultaneously as thick currents of Five Elements energy erupted from the ground, gathering around the forge tripod like five dragons of ever-shifting colors.
Ye Yunfei flicked his finger, and four distinct streams of flame leaped out, rushing into the forge tripod.
They were the True Samadhi Fire, Earth-Intense Flame, Three Crows Infernal Fire, and Heart-of-the-Sea Blue Flame!
Rumble…
Inside the forge tripod, a blazing inferno erupted, comprised of four different types of fire—an awe-inspiring spectacle.
With a wave of his hand, Ye Yunfei sent the five pieces of Yellow Path True Gold into the forge tripod. The pieces were substantial in size.
Clang! Clang!
Ye Yunfei pointed a finger. Five spirit swords shot out simultaneously, circled the forge tripod once, then dove inside.
Next, he retrieved over a thousand Initial Dao artifacts and more than a hundred Heavenly Dao artifacts, tossing them all into the forge tripod.
"So many Initial Dao and Heavenly Dao artifacts, plus the Yellow Path True Gold... The power of the Five Elements Spirit Swords refined this time shouldn't disappoint," Ye Yunfei thought, a glimmer of anticipation in his heart as he glanced at the artifacts and the five pieces of Yellow Path True Gold inside the tripod.
Then, with a flick of his sleeve, Ye Yunfei sealed the lid of the forge tripod.
Rumble…
Inside the tripod, a terrifying roar erupted as if from a monstrous tsunami.
Ye Yunfei sat cross-legged before the forge tripod, released his Soul Power, and extended his perception inside to control the smelting of the five spirit swords.
Like alchemy, artifact refinement focused on steps, heat control, techniques, and methods. Strictly speaking, artifact refining was even more difficult than alchemy. Alchemists were a dime a dozen, but artifact refiners were exceedingly rare. In low-level worlds like the Canghuang Realm, artifact refiners simply didn't exist. Even in advanced continents like the Primordial Continent, their numbers were incredibly scarce!
Rumble…
As time passed, the temperature emanating from the forge tripod grew increasingly terrifying, spreading in all directions.
From afar, one could see brilliant flames soaring into the sky between the five mountains, waves of horrifying heat rolling and expanding continuously.
"It's so hot!"
Everyone within the Sheng Yuan Sect headquarters felt the temperature steadily rising, their bodies burning and sweat pouring down as if they stood beside a giant furnace.
Unconsciously, ten days passed.
In a vast area surrounding the five mountains, the temperature had risen to an appalling degree. Nearly all plant life within this area had been incinerated into ashen dust by the dreadful heat, leaving behind patches of scorched earth billowing with black smoke.
Only the plant life on those five mountains remained unharmed and completely intact because they were protected by the Five Elements energy!
"Fall back! Everyone, retreat another thirty miles! Get away from those five mountains!"
Sect Leader Lu Yuelong of the Sheng Yuan Sect personally commanded his forces to retreat once more.
In truth, during this period, the Sheng Yuan Sect forces had retreated repeatedly, putting distance between themselves and the five mountains. The temperature radiating from the mountains was simply unbearable for them. Even Destiny Realm experts felt their hearts pounding, not daring to get too close!
"Elders, what kind of swords is Young Master Su forging? This display is too shocking," Lu Yuelong asked the three Ziwei Sect elders quietly, feeling aghast as he watched the area between the five mountains where flames soared straight to the heavens.
"We don't know either," the Third Elder answered with a bitter smile.
Fifteen days later.
Between the five mountains, Ye Yunfei remained seated cross-legged before the forge tripod, his eyes closed, his Soul Power extended within to monitor the process.
At a certain moment...
Boom… boom…
A series of terrifying roars erupted from the tripod, as if numerous primordial savage beasts were roaring ferociously.
Clang… clang…
The lid of the forge tripod also began trembling incessantly, emitting crisp metallic clanging sounds.
"Finally about to finish," Ye Yunfei slowly opened his eyes.
A moment later.
Clang!
The lid of the forge tripod flew off, landing some distance away.
Rumble…
The flames inside the tripod instantly shot skyward, scorching a vast expanse of sky above, transforming it into a rolling sea of fire, terrifying to behold.
Boom… boom…
Inside the forge tripod, the five pieces of Yellow Path True Gold and all the artifacts had vanished. In their place were five swords of extreme brilliance, circling within like five giant dragons.
Ye Yunfei pointed at his chest. A concentrated stream of vital essence blood surged forth, splashing into the tripod.
Roar! Roar!
The five swords within the tripod seemed to come alive, releasing a series of draconic roars.
Nourishing the artifacts with blood allows the refined treasures to form a bloodline connection with their wielder, making them move like extensions of one's own arms and doubling their power!
Half an hour later.
"Time to emerge!" Ye Yunfei let out a long cry and pointed a finger.
Boom… boom…
The five spirit swords shot out of the forge tripod, soaring into the sky, transforming into five giant dragons of different colors that soared through the firmament.
The entire sky seemed to boil in their wake.
At that moment, all living creatures within a radius of several thousand miles were startled. One by one, they looked up at the five sword dragons high in the sky.
"Huh? What is that?"
In a certain location, a handsome young man with a tall, slender build looked up at the five sword dragons roaming the distant sky, slightly shocked.
If Ye Yunfei were here, he would recognize this man immediately—he was Zhao Lingfeng!
A direct descendant of the powerful Zhao Family of the Eastern Barrens, he had long been pursuing Ji Yue. Before the previous expedition to Ancient Sage Gu Yao's tomb, he had clashed with Ye Yunfei and had held a grudge ever since. This time, he had learned that Ji Yue was not at Ziwei Sect and was specifically heading there to settle scores with Ye Yunfei!
While on his way, he saw the five sword dragons in the distant sky.
"Young Master Lingfeng, by the looks of it, those are likely five artifacts. The fact they can create such a commotion means their power must be exceptionally terrifying!"
Behind this young man were three elders. One of them spoke up.
"Yan Country is just a small state; there shouldn't be any particularly powerful experts here. So why have five artifacts of such immense power suddenly appeared? Could some formidable expert be passing through Yan Country?" Zhao Lingfeng stared at the five brilliant sword dragons, a glint of greed flashing in his eyes.
"Let's go take a look," Zhao Lingfeng thought for a moment and said.
"Young Master Lingfeng, perhaps we should leave it be. If these five artifacts possess such fearsome power, their master must be an extremely strong expert. It's best not to provoke them," the three elders were startled. They naturally understood Zhao Lingfeng's thoughts—he had taken a fancy to those five artifacts.
"It's fine. We'll just go have a look first. If the master of these artifacts is a powerful expert, I won't provoke them. But if they belong to a weakling or a minor faction, then I won't be polite. Besides, look, these artifacts seem to have just been born. Perhaps they are masterless items. Don't worry, I am a scion of the Zhao Family. As long as I reveal my identity, in this Eastern Barrens, there aren't many who would dare lay a finger on me," Zhao Lingfeng laughed.
"Very well," the three elders nodded in agreement after hearing his words.
Indeed, the Zhao Family was a great clan of the Eastern Barrens. Under normal circumstances, no one wanted to cross them.