Chapter 1290 - One Year

Liu Wuxie set a one-year deadline—he would duel to the death with the divine race's divine son on Blood Purgatory Summit. Yet no one felt optimistic about his chances. He stood at the fifth-level Origin Conversion Realm, while the white-robed youth had already reached the pinnacle of the Primal Origin Realm.

To close that gap in a year was no different from climbing to the heavens. With the white-robed youth's talent, he would surely step into the Void Realm within a year. Once that happened, the gulf would only widen, and catching up would become even harder for Liu Wuxie.

"Divine Son, why did you agree to it? If we attack the spiritual array with all we've got, we can break it in no time," a divinekin asked. They couldn't understand why the divine son had accepted a life-and-death duel with Liu Wuxie.

"Only

he

is worthy to be my opponent," the white-robed youth said, his gaze piercing the sky.

That was his arrogance; he believed only Liu Wuxie counted as a worthy foe. Unlike others, he understood Liu Wuxie's combat strength, and for a prodigy like him, it was rare to encounter someone who could truly match him.

Relying on numbers to defeat Liu Wuxie would be unfair to both of them—an insult, even. A true enemy arose not from hatred, but from mutual admiration.

Liu Wuxie, for his part, had his own reasons for proposing a match one year from now.

"What if the lord holds you accountable?" asked the divinekin beside him.

The lord had ordered them to eliminate Liu Wuxie at all costs, but the divine son's agreement to a life-and-death battle a year later meant they could not act against him during this period of time.

"I will take responsibility if the lord questions me about it," the white-robed youth replied with a wave of his hand.

The other divinekin did not dare defy his will and withdrew as swiftly as they had come.

Seeing the divinekin leave, Vanya collapsed to the ground, exhausted and drenched in sweat. The earlier battle had drained her magical force, and even she doubted whether she could hold out until the last day.

When the crowd realized there was no spectacle left to watch, they pulled their gazes back and returned to forging.

Liu Wuxie forged as if nothing had happened. With the divine race dealt with for now, his mind cleared, and his speed increased. He did not dismiss the spiritual array in case the divine race returned. Vanya kept her attention locked on it, maintaining constant vigilance.

Three days passed in a blink, and the divine race made no further move. They had retreated to the depths of the plains. The blacksmithing event entered its finale as candidates completed their masterpieces.

Liu Wuxie still forged his artifact, combining dozens of materials and inscribing artifact runes. His technique looked ordinary, but every motion contained boundless profundity—the utmost simplicity of dao.

Those who finished etched their names and their factions onto their weapons before sending them into the sky to enter the Immortal Slaying Domain.

The Immortal Slaying Domain protected the entire Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain, and only those who gained its acknowledgment counted as qualified. Weapons soared into the domain and disappeared without eliciting any reaction.

"There's no reaction?" many asked, baffled.

No reaction meant failure. They waited fifteen minutes before anything changed. The Immortal Slaying Domain rejected more than two hundred weapons, and they fell from the sky. Watching the rain of failed artifacts, many could only smile wryly.

Their month of effort had gone to waste.

"Quick, look!" someone pointed upward. Dozens of weapons hovered there, releasing a faint glow. The stronger the glow, the higher the grade. The Immortal Slaying Domain approved those weapons to varying degrees.

"Look toward the Grand Unity Sect! They forged dozens of weapons, and the Immortal Slaying Domain has approved almost all of them," voices exclaimed.

The Grand Unity Sect, a superpower in the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain, stood even higher than the Heavenly Dragon Sect. In that ancient battle, the Heavenly Dragon Sect had suffered grievous losses; that war slaughtered almost all the dragon clan's elites.

Long Xiao's death had struck hardest; the damage was so significant that it took hundreds of thousands of years to recover.

"The Grand Unity Sect has a high chance of winning this year!"

As an overlord of the Domain, the Grand Unity Sect occupied a vast number of planets and had expanded rapidly over the years.

"The Nine Dragon Palace's weapons are pretty decent, too. The Immortal Slaying Domain acknowledged three of their weapons," the crowd said, pointing toward three longswords about fifty meters from the Grand Unity Sect's artifacts.

The artifacts hummed as they competed. Each held spirituality and the maker's will. Blacksmithing had always been a human forte, and in this event, the human results outshone those of other races.

In fact, most of the other races aimed for the final event—the Divine Sun-Shooting Tower.

Artifacts continued to stream into the Immortal Slaying Domain, and they fell from the sky one after another, while thousands remained suspended in the air.

Based on current trends, the Grand Unity Sect's artifacts held a clear advantage. The faceless clan forged a black spear and sent it up.

The Immortal Slaying Domain acknowledged it, too. Its glow was no less intense than the Grand Unity Sect's. The outcome would depend on which artifact endured longer. The ghost clan's dark-purple dagger, wrapped in a dark-crimson glow, proved formidable as well, and the giant clan's axe also earned the Immortal Slaying Domain's approval.

With one day remaining, the event was essentially over.

"Young Master Liu, we don't have much time left," Vanya said. Liu Wuxie's weapon still had not taken shape, and the clock was ticking. Many had gathered their materials, only to run out of time anyway.

"No hurry," Liu Wuxie said, calm and unhurried. He had polished the materials again and again, purging every impurity.

No one knew what he was doing; by rights, the longsword ought to have taken shape by now. The other disciples of the Heavenly Dragon Sect had finished forging and sent their works into the domain.

Out of more than two thousand participants from the Heavenly Dragon Sect, only slightly over a hundred managed to gather all the materials they needed.

In the end, the Immortal Slaying Domain acknowledged only twenty artifacts.

Their glow was intense, but still somewhat inferior to the Grand Unity Sect's. From the looks of it, the Grand Unity Sect would likely win the blacksmithing event. The event was ending; it was too late for those still forging.

Outside the White Moon Valley, the Grand Unity Sect's upper echelons had already begun celebrating.

If they placed first, they would gain control over the Gos Star for a thousand years. In that time, they could turn Gos Star into their own territory. Even after their term ended, no one else would be able to reach the planet.

"What is he trying to do?" Elder Long murmured anxiously. The Heavenly Dragon Sect's disciples had completed their artifacts, yet none would enter the top ten.

"Calm down," Zhuge Ming said. He remained optimistic about Liu Wuxie, who had stayed calm and composed from beginning to end, and he could tell it wasn't an act.

With half a day left, the Grand Unity Sect's disciples began to celebrate. Among their artifacts, one longsword shone brightest, overshadowing all others. If nothing unexpected happened, its owner would secure first place without suspense.

On that afternoon, Liu Wuxie finally began the fusion process. He formed seals, and a terrifying spiritual rune hovered above his head like a divine dragon.

"What terrifying spiritual runes!" the crowd cried. Such a large rune rarely appeared. Liu Wuxie's footwork turned strange, and ripples spread through space like flowing water.

"What peculiar footwork and blacksmithing technique!" many exclaimed, baffled. Even Heaven Gaze Realm cultivators could not fully understand it.

When he reforged the Heretic Blade, Liu Wuxie had used only half of this method; now he executed it in full, laced with a hint of immortal art.

The longsword gradually took form and began to devour the surrounding laws. Everyone stared, lost. Liu Wuxie's sword seemed to have merged with heaven and earth, drawing in spiritual energy on its own, and no one could explain how.

Over in the Grand Unity Sect's ranks, thousands of disciples turned to watch.

"This brat's blacksmithing technique is strange. Could he surpass our Grand Unity Sect?" some wondered.

"What are you thinking? No one can surpass us! Don't forget that an immortal personally guided Senior Brother Mo Hong's blacksmithing technique," several disciples scoffed.

The most successful longsword so far belonged to Mo Hong. In the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain, no one failed to recognize his name; rumor had it that an immortal had personally guided him.

The discussion swelled as attention fixed on the spectacle Liu Wuxie created. Yet it remained uncertain whether he could truly forge a peerless artifact. He kept to his bizarre footwork, hands weaving more seals, while faint spiritual runes shone and drifted through the air.

"Vanya, cast the Great Purification Magic!" Liu Wuxie roared.

Vanya already stood beside him. She began to chant softly, releasing a white light that enveloped the longsword and purged its impurities. The blade had taken shape, and only a few steps remained.

"What is this blacksmithing technique that can even fuse magic into the forging process?" many asked, baffled.

"Reckless! Magic isn't suitable for blacksmithing at all!" Elder Long swung his fist through the air, convinced Liu Wuxie was being too rash.

Liu Wuxie ignored the doubts. His hands stilled, and the spiritual runes roamed freely. The sword itself began to change as the surrounding spiritual energy grew restless. Then, the atmosphere lurched—all the artifacts hanging in the sky began to resist, as if they wanted to destroy Liu Wuxie's longsword.

No one could make sense of the sight.