Chapter 128 (1): Gates of Hell

"These are some exceptional spear forms. It's just a pity that I'll never be able to use them myself," Jun Lin sighed. "You were slightly off with your calculations. There weren't over 3,600 forms. Instead, the number was precisely 3,600. Your spear forms are flawless, but they need to be strung together to form techniques.

“Some will say that techniques are not important, and that honing individual forms will suffice, but that's nonsense! Without cohesive techniques, you can't built any momentum. It's just like the waves of a sea. A single wave can hardly topple even a sand castle, but the power of multiple compounding waves can give rise to a tsunami!

“The waves of the sea are like individual forms, while the resulting tsunami is akin to techniques that string together those forms to fully maximize their power! Throughout my entire life, I was only able to develop thirteen perfect forms. Never had I imagined that there would be 3,600 perfect spear forms, and the knowledge has come to me far too late."

Jun Lin's gaze fell upon the spear in Fang Che's hand as he smiled and remarked, "That's a fine piece of metal you have. Have you thought of a name for your spear yet?"

"Not yet," Fang Che replied.

He had been pondering this matter ever sine he received this piece of divine metal, but even now, he still hadn't thought of a name that he was satisfied with.

"My spear was forged using Heavenly Black Gold, so I gave it the name of Black Gold Spear," Jun Lin explained with a faint smile. "However, the name of your spear cannot be so mundane. You are going to have fight in even more battles than I did, and this spear of yours will be sure to claim countless lives. If you're unable to think of a suitable name for it, may I suggest one?"

"Please! I would be honored to have you name my spear, Senior!"

Jun Lin returned his gaze to the piece of divine metal in Fang Che's hand, and even though it was still yet to fully take on the form of a spear, its tip had already been imbued with immense baleful qi.

"Your spear already holds so much baleful qi, even though it hasn't even fully taken shape yet," Jun Lin remarked. "Once you reach the peak of your powers, this spear will become a harbinger of death, sending all of your enemies straight to the depths of Hell. How about you name it just that? Hell!"

"Hell Spear?"

"No, just Hell. Come to think of it, if you name it just Hell, then others will be sure to add the word 'Spear' to its name. Hell Spear simply doesn't have the same impact. To prevent that, you can perhaps consider naming your spear 'Gates of Hell.'"

"Gates of Hell..." Fang Che repeated to himself. "That's a fantastic name!"

The more he thought about it, the fonder of the name he became.

"In private, I'll call it Hell, while to others, it'll be known as Gates of Hell! Any enemy who has the misfortune of facing my spear in battle will have the gates of hell opened to them!"

"Precisely!" Jun Lin agreed with an approving smile. "I look forward to seeing you open the gates of hell to all of your enemies, including that so-called centipede deity!"

"I hope to be able to live up to your lofty expectations," Fang Che said in a solemn voice.

"I don't know how you've managed to master such a complete set of perfect spear forms, but that is a priceless asset that will be sure to give you an advantage over everyone else, and I'm certain that my spear techniques will not go to waste in your hands. My spear techniques have no name, but once you've mastered them and truly made them your own, you can give them the name of 'Hell.' What do you think?"

"It would be my honor!"

"Great! I will now pass my spear techniques down to you. Make sure to focus."

"I'm ready!"

Fang Che immediately channeled his Boundless Sutra and Cool as Ice mental technique in unison.

"From this day forth, you shall embark on the path to invincibility!"

Jun Lin raised a hand before extending a finger toward Fang Che, and the finger gradually expanded before Fang Che's eyes, eventually taking up his entire field of view.

The tip of the finger gently pressed itself against his glabella, and a vast torrent of information instantly came surging into his mind, temporarily rendering him unable to think or process anything else.

"I am now bestowing upon you everything I've learned about the way of the spear throughout my entire life. Take this knowledge and make sure to use it to defend our continent from the forces of evil that may be. In times of chaos and peril, heroes must step forward to take the mantle and navigate the world to safety.

“While you live, make sure to dedicate yourself to serving this world that has given you everything, and when you die, make sure to do so with no regrets."

Jun Lin's voice was resounding within Fang Che's soul like the repeated striking of a mighty gong, but Fang Che had already fallen unconscious.

As time passed, Jun Lin's spirit sense avatar began to fade, and his body took on a translucent and ethereal quality.

"I don't have much time left. Black Gold, do you want to pass on with me or go with him?"

The projection of the Black Gold Spear flew into Jun Lin's body without any hesitation.

"So be it. You can fight alongside me in the next life then."

Far away, in the headquarters of the Church of the Self-Righteous, the Black Gold Spear in the treasure vault abruptly shattered into countless pieces without a sound.

Jun Lin's ethereal body began to fade away, as if there were an invisible void devouring him from below, starting from his legs before working its way up his body.

His fingertip remained pressed against Fang Che's glabella as he said, "In addition, I will bestow upon you a burst of my spear intent. When you face that so-called god, make sure to strike it with my spear intent one last time on my behalf."

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Finally, his finger slipped away from Fang Che's glabella, and he heaved one final forlorn sigh.

"How I wish I could reprise my spear and fight again. Then again, I really shouldn't be so greedy. I am already extremely fortunate that the heavens have blessed me with such a fine heir."

Before long, his arms had also faded away, leaving only his head behind, and he closed his eyes with a tranquil expression, accepting that his time had come.

***

In the distance, several dozen kilometers away, Dong Changfeng felt a vast wave of spear intent sweep over the earth, and he hurriedly sat down to cultivate in its midst.

All of a sudden, certain problems that had previously confounded him in his cultivation ceased to exist, and Duan Xiyang's residual spear intent, which had been lingering in his body like a stubborn malaise for centuries, also faded away.

He could clearly sense that his understanding of the spear had advanced significantly, and he knew that this was an exceptionally rare opportunity, one that he was eager to take full advantage of.

After an indeterminate length of time, a voice rang out deep within Dong Changfeng's heart.

"I have done all I can. The rest is up to you."

With that, Dong Changfeng snapped out of his reverie, and as he did so, he abruptly made a breakthrough.

An ecstatic look appeared on his face as he rose to his feet and extended a grateful bow toward the cave in the distance.

It was only now that he realized that it was already morning.

An entire night had passed by, completely without his knowledge, and it had felt like nothing more than a fleeting moment to him.

He felt as if he had been reborn anew, his whole body brimming with power, and his Golden Serpent Spear was also buzzing in exultation, as if it were celebrating its owner's breakthrough.

He erupted into triumphant laughter as he leaped into the sky, and he could clearly sense that the cave in the distance was now completely devoid of spear intent.

Clearly, Fang Che had received the inheritance inside, while he had also reaped some benefits.

Eager to test out his newfound power, Dong Changfeng began unleashing a string of spear techniques high up in the heavens, his unbridled spear intent raging around him like an unrestrained beast.

In doing so, he caused such a massive commotion that several people instantly arrived on the scene, including the likes of Song Yidao, Chen Ruhai, Huang Yifan, Meng Hejun, Old Man Shen, and Gao Qingyu.

It was with a combination of relief and elation that they discovered the source of the almighty spear intent to be Dong Changfeng, as opposed to an enemy.

At the same time, they could sense that the faint spear intent coming from the cave in the distance was gone, and it quickly became clear to them what had transpired.

"Congratulations, Senior Dong!"

"It's still too early to congratulate me," Dong Changfeng chortled with glee. "I still have to go into seclusion for some time in order to fully harness the blessings that I've been dealt here. What are all of you doing here all of a sudden?"

Everyone exchanged some wry smiles.

They had all been drawn here by Dong Changfeng's tremendous spear intent.

"Anyway, now that you're all here, we might as well share a meal together in celebration," Dong Changfeng proposed with a wide smile. "It'll be my treat!"

Everyone was eager to take him up on his offer, and the party returned joyfully to the city.