96: Weapon Martial Immortal Sect

"We have arrived." The Artifact Martial Immortal Emperor raised his hand and pointed lightly. Below, the clouds and mist parted, revealing a magnificent city.

The golden roof of the immortal mansion in the center of the city gleamed under the sunlight, surrounded by seven-colored auroras.

The Five-Clawed Golden Dragon let out a long cry and spiraled down, landing steadily on the plaza in front of the immortal mansion.

The Heavenly Emperor patted the dragon's head. "Xiaofei, go and have some rest."

The golden dragon lowered its head, the Heavenly Emperor's figure reflected in its golden pupils. "As you command, Your Majesty." With that, it soared into the sky, turning into a streak of golden light that vanished into the clouds.

As the two walked toward the immortal mansion, the golden-armored guards at the gate immediately knelt on one knee. "Greetings, Mansion Master."

The Artifact Martial Immortal Emperor nodded slightly. The token with the character for 'Artifact' hanging at his waist flashed with a faint light, and the mansion gates opened in response.

As they passed through the long corridor, exotic flowers and rare plants bloomed on both sides, their fragrance floating in the air.

The maidservants they encountered along the way bowed in greeting, the pearl hairpins in their hair making soft tinkling sounds.

Turning past a screen wall carved with the Myriad Artifacts Map, a woman dressed in a pale green silk dress approached with several maidservants.

She wore only a single white magnolia hairpin in her hair, yet it complemented her snow-white skin perfectly.

Seeing the two, she immediately led the maidservants in a salute. "Your humble servant greets Your Majesty." The flower baskets in the hands of the maidservants swayed gently, emitting a faint orchid fragrance.

The Heavenly Emperor raised a hand to gesture for her to rise. "Sister-in-law, there is no need for such formality."

The Artifact Martial Immortal Emperor stepped forward and said warmly, "Yuehe, His Majesty will be dining in the mansion today."

Li Yuehe understood and turned to whisper a few words to the maidservant beside her.

When the maidservant bowed and withdrew, the silver-threaded patterns embroidered on the hem of her skirt rippled like water.

"Your Majesty, please follow Your humble servant." Li Yuehe led the two through the winding corridor.

The wind chimes hanging under the eaves tinkled, and the distant sound of the kitchen preparing the meal could be faintly heard.

After the host and guests were seated, the maidservants brought out glazed cups, from which the immortal tea sent up wisps of steam.

After the banquet, the setting sun dyed the glazed tiles of the immortal mansion golden.

When the Heavenly Emperor rose to take his leave, the Artifact Martial Immortal Emperor and his wife escorted him to the mansion gates.

The evening breeze blew gently, and Li Yuehe's silk dress rippled like waves.

Watching the Heavenly Emperor's figure depart on a cloud, the Artifact Martial Immortal Emperor gently took his wife's hand... After leaving the Artifact Martial Immortal Mansion, the Heavenly Emperor stepped onto auspicious clouds and passed through the Nine Heavens' curtain.

Clouds and auroras flowed beneath his feet, and the golden sunlight cast a sacred glow over his brocade robe.

Atop the towering immortal mountains, clouds and mist swirled, and the glow of dawn shone brilliantly.

The main hall of the Artifact Martial Immortal Sect stood at the peak of the mountains, its eaves upturned and immortal runes flowing, exuding an ancient and profound aura everywhere.

This place was famous in the Immortal Realm for its art of Artifact Refining; countless immortal weapons and divine armors were crafted by this Sect.

When he landed before the mountain gate of the Artifact Martial Immortal Sect, two figures were already waiting on the jade-paved steps.

The purple-gold parasol trees on both sides of the mountain gate rustled in the breeze, and an old man with white hair and a youthful complexion stood in the center.

He stood tall and straight like a pine tree, his ruddy face showing a heroic spirit amidst the wrinkles, and he wore a dark blue robe embroidered with dark gold Artifact Refining patterns.

This was none other than the Old Ancestor of the Artifact Martial Immortal Sect who shook the myriad realms—Elder Qi.

Beside him stood a middle-aged man with sharp brows and bright eyes, standing respectfully; the gold-plated token at his waist declared his status as the Sect Master of the Artifact Martial Immortal Sect.

"Elder Qi." A flash of pleasant surprise crossed the Heavenly Emperor's eyes as he stepped forward quickly to support the old man who was about to salute.

He could clearly feel the calluses on Elder Qi's palms—marks left by millions of years of Artifact Refining. "Why have you come personally?"

Elder Qi insisted on saluting, and Lin Tuochuan behind him also bowed deeply. "This old man greets Your Majesty."

"Quickly, rise." The Heavenly Emperor gestured for them to stand and nodded to Lin Tuochuan, noting the same steadfastness in his brow as Elder Qi's.

"Elder Qi," the Heavenly Emperor sighed softly, "the scenes of you teaching me the Dao of Strength Tempering step by step are still fresh in my mind. This master-Disciple bond..."

"Etiquette cannot be discarded." Elder Qi stroked his beard and smiled, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothing out. "Your Majesty now rules the Immortal Realm; how can I, an old man, break the rules?"

The Heavenly Emperor looked toward the mist-shrouded Artifact Refining Peak in the distance and suddenly laughed. "Very well, let us go inside to talk. I have come this time with many questions about Artifact Refining to ask for your guidance."

"This old man has already ordered the Cloud Glow Pavilion to be prepared." As Elder Qi stepped aside to lead the way, a faint treasure light flowed from his sleeve. "I have specially brought out the Heavenly Heart Tea that has been stored for ten thousand years."

As they crossed the corridor bridge carved with dragons and phoenixes, Lin Tuochuan always maintained a distance of half a step.

Elder Qi pushed open the carved wooden doors of the Cloud Glow Pavilion, and the faint fragrance of thousand-year-old red sandalwood greeted them.

On the tea table by the window, the white jade tea set reflected the flowing clouds outside.

"Your Majesty, please take the seat of honor." Elder Qi personally poured the tea.

The Heavenly Emperor took the tea cup and watched the tea leaves unfurl into the shape of a crane. He suddenly smiled. "How about we set aside the roles of ruler and subject today and just speak of our master-Disciple bond?" Amidst the swirling tea fragrance, the shadows of the three people gradually merged on the green jade floor.

The Heavenly Emperor sat down on the cloud-patterned stone stool by the window and gestured for the two to sit with him. "It is rare for me to find some leisure. Tell me about the recent happenings in the Weapon Martial Continent."

Lin Tuochuan's hand paused as he poured the tea.

Elder Qi took the gold-plated teapot and personally filled the Heavenly Emperor's cup. "Does Your Majesty know that the younger generation now calls Artifact Refining 'blacksmithing'?"

The three of them looked at each other and laughed. Just then, the rhythmic shouts of Disciples quenching metal came from outside the window.

The night breeze blew through the hall, carrying the unique crisp scent of spirit iron being quenched.

Elder Qi stroked his long beard and said, "Your Majesty's dispatch of a million heavenly soldiers to the Demon Realm this time was a great victory. The surrounding realms of the Demon Realm are all in our hands. Next time, we will surely be able to strike directly at the heart of the Demon Realm."

The Heavenly Emperor lightly stroked the dragon-patterned armrest, a hint of solemnity appearing on his brow. "Unfortunately, the Demon, Evil, and Underworld Realms interfered. Even that Demon Ancestor personally took action, so I had to temporarily withdraw the troops."

Lin Tuochuan stepped forward and said, "With the current strength of the Immortal Realm, even facing four enemies at once should be no problem, right?"

The Heavenly Emperor's deep gaze swept over Lin Tuochuan. "Although the Immortal Realm could win, it would be a pyrrhic victory. What I want is an overwhelming advantage. If there is no certainty, I would rather wait for the right opportunity."

Elder Qi pondered for a moment. "Then when does Your Majesty intend to attack the Demon Realm again?"

The Heavenly Emperor looked at the churning sea of clouds outside the hall. "The time has not yet come."

When the moonlight climbed onto the beast-head carvings on the eaves, Elder Qi and Lin Tuochuan bowed and took their leave.

The Heavenly Emperor sat alone in the guest room. From outside the window came the continuous sound of forging—that was the "Hundred-Refinement Rhythm" unique to the Artifact Martial Immortal Sect. It was said that new Disciples had to listen to it for three full years before they could distinguish the resonance frequencies of different immortal materials.

When the Heavenly Emperor pushed the door and went out, he happened to run into a group of Disciples hurriedly running past, carrying Crimson Glow Steel.

Thirty-six artifact-forging platforms floated above the martial arts field. A female cultivator in purple robes was controlling Samadhi True Fire to shape a sword embryo, the sparks falling onto the black iron floor and turning into fireflies.

A clear chime of a bell drifted from the direction of the Scripture Pavilion. It was the Elder guarding the pavilion using the "Nine-Tone Hammer" to tune a newly refined alarm bell.

"Your Majesty." Lin Tuochuan's voice came along with wisps of sandalwood fragrance.

This Sect Master was still wearing the same dharma robe from the daytime. The Artifact Refining formations embroidered with gold line on his cuffs glowed faintly in the twilight. "The kitchen has just opened the thousand-year Cold Jade Urn and specially prepared Snow Phoenix Soup stewed with Nine-Aperture Fire Lingzhi."

The Heavenly Emperor nodded and followed. Passing the sword-casting platform, he saw more than ten Disciples forming seals around a glowing red sword embryo, sweat dripping onto the black iron and rising as white steam.

Seeing this, Lin Tuochuan smiled. "The youngsters' techniques may be immature, but they are eager to learn."

Inside the dining hall, Elder Qi was already seated at a round table carved from Flowing-Fire Jade. From the seven-treasure steamer on the table, mist mixed with the fragrance of Spiritual Plants wafted out.