Chapter 146: Dwarf Divine Hammer Stolen, a Chance for Rank-Six Reforging!
"Shifu! I am fated to complete this mission!"
Pei Wubing looked back at him.
"I don't think you're fated for the mission; you're just fated for that rank-six Artifact Refiner."
"It's all the same."
Lin Chuan followed him into the stone house.
"I'll help you finish the mission, and I get to upgrade my weapon."
"Don't celebrate too early."
Pei Wubing picked up a map from the table.
"This mission has been posted for over a dozen days already. The White Eagle Country and the Northland Federation have each sent a Martial King, and several local mercenary groups are involved as well."
"And none of those people found it?"
"If they had found it, would I still be sitting here?"
Pei Wubing rolled up the map.
"Let's go. I'll take you to meet the people from the Ash Furnace Family. We need to add your name to the team first, so they don't back out after you take out the culprits."
"Would they dare go back on their word?"
Lin Chuan thrust his hands into his pockets and followed Pei Wubing out of the stone house.
Fang Shen and the other two did not accompany them.
They had just returned from the Human Race's Qianjin Cityand still needed to organize a shipment of supplies and the intel they had previously gathered.
The Ash Furnace Family was not far from here.
After crossing three streets, the two quickly arrived at a massive forging district.
The buildings here were entirely constructed from black ore and metal.
Both sides of the streets were lined with weapons, battle armor, and various types of ore. Massive mine carts rumbled in and out, and the surrounding air was filled with the rhythmic clatter of hammering metal.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The deeper they walked, the higher the temperature climbed.
Just as Lin Chuan stepped through the main gates of the Ash Furnace Family, he saw a Furnace Dwarf less than 1.5 meters tall walking past, carrying an ore weighing several tons on his shoulder.
"Damn, that really is a small body packed with immense power!"
"The physical density of a Furnace Dwarf is far higher than that of a human."
Pei Wubing said, "Don't judge them by their height. In a close-quarters fight in the same Realm, one swing of their hammer can beat an ordinary Human Race Martial Artistso badly that even his mother wouldn't recognize him."
"How does that compare to me?"
"Are you an ordinary person?"
The two arrived at the Ash Furnace Family's meeting hall.
A sizable crowd was already seated inside.
On the left was the team from the White Eagle Country.
Leading them was a wind-element Martial King, tall and lean, with his hair combed back neatly.
Six students followed behind him.
On the other side was the Northland Federation.
Their leader, an ice-element Martial King, leaned back in a chair with a nearly two-meter-long greatsword resting beside his hand.
The auras of the several disciples behind him were equally formidable.
Seeing Pei Wubing enter, they all exchanged greetings.
Although they came from different nations and competed frequently, they weren't bitter enemies.
The Human Race shared a common enemy in the catacombs.
If the Demon Race truly invaded, everyone would still have to fight side by side.
Of course, with an opportunity for a rank-six weapon forging dangling right in front of them, no one was about to step aside voluntarily.
The wind-element Martial King of the White Eagle Country was the first to notice Lin Chuan.
"Pei, is this the student you recently took in?"
"Yes."
Pei Wubing pulled out a chair and sat down.
"My youngest disciple, Lin Chuan."
"I recognize him."
The wind-element Martial King had seen the video of Lin Chuan slaying the Demon Kings Spiritual Body.
The students behind him were also sizing Lin Chuan up.
Before coming to the catacombs, they were all top Geniuses in their respective academies.
Yet compared to the guy standing before them, they felt somewhat inadequate.
The university semester hadn't even officially begun.
And this guy had already pinned down and killed a Peakrank-five Demon Kings Spiritual Body.
The ice-element Martial King from the Northland Federation also looked up.
"You brought him here—are you planning to have him join the mission as well?"
"I didn't bring him."
Pei Wubing said, "I hadn't made any progress for several days, so after hearing about it, he ran all the way from Jiuli on his own to help out."
The wind-element Martial King chuckled.
"It seems Mr. Pei is very confident this time."
"I suppose so."
Pei Wubing wasn't modest in the slightest.
"At the very least, I have one more capable fighter than you do."
"This mission requires more than just raw combat power."
"Well, you've been investigating for so many days, and haven't you failed to find it too?"
The two glanced at each other, both wearing smiles.
The representative of the Ash Furnace Family seated in the center lightly tapped on the table.
"Let's get down to business."
He was also a Furnace Dwarf.
He appeared quite old, with metal rings threaded throughout his long beard.
Pei Wubing handed over Lin Chuan's identification documents.
"Add him to my team."
The representative glanced at it a few times.
Confirming there were no issues with his identity, he wrote Lin Chuan's name onto the mission roster.
"Once joined, all clues and battle achievements he acquires will be credited to your Great Xia Martial Arts Associationteam."
"However, the rules remain the same."
"Your teams can compete, and you can conceal your own clues, but you are not allowed to plunder mission items that others have already secured."
"Whoever finds it first gets it."
None of the Martial Kings objected.
A mission naturally rewarded whoever completed it first.
If everything had to be split equally among all factions, no one would put in this much effort.
Lin Chuan sat down beside Pei Wubing.
The Ash Furnace Family representative activated a projected map on the table.
It displayed over a dozen trade routes.
Several locations were already marked in various colors.
"After the divine hammer vanished, we blockaded the nearby trade routes."
"However, the other party came well-prepared. They split up and transported the divine hammer, the kidnapped craftsmen, and the batch of forging materials separately."
"From what we've discovered so far, those involved include not only ordinary bandits, but also the Shadow Race."
The wind-element Martial King from the White Eagle Country raised his hand and pointed to several locations on the western side of the map.
"We paid a heavy price to purchase three pieces of transport intelligence."
"Two of the merchant caravans indeed helped transport items for that group. But they were only responsible for a single leg of the journey, switching carts at least three times along the way."
"By the time we caught up to the final cart, it was already empty."
Pei Wubing glanced at him.
"I heard those pieces of intel cost you quite a fortune?"
"When taking on a mission, investments are completely normal."
The wind-element Martial King didn't seem to mind.
"At the very least, we discovered the initial direction in which the divine hammer was transported."
Pei Wubing didn't call him out on it—they had indeed discovered the direction.
Too bad the people who followed up didn't find so much as a stray hair of that hammer.
The Northland Federation also had some findings.
They had captured a middleman who specialized in procuring supplies for bandits.
That man had purchased vast amounts of dry rations, healing medicines, and potions capable of suppressing astral qi.
Judging by the quantity, a significant number of the kidnapped Grey Furnace craftsmen were likely still alive.
The problem, however, was that every time the middleman delivered goods, he brought them to a predesignated drop point.
The payments were wired from untraceable accounts.
Once the goods were dropped off, someone naturally picked them up.
He hadn't even laid eyes on the other party's face.
"After we captured him, those drop points were abandoned."
The ice-element Martial King crossed his arms.
"We staked them out for several days, but not a single soul showed up."
The wind-element Martial King smiled. "At least you caught a living person, unlike us, who spent money only to end up with a few empty carts."
"If you like, I can hand him over to you."
The ice-element Martial King glanced at him.
"He even confessed what color underwear his wife wears, but when it comes to where the hammer is, he doesn't know a thing."
Pei Wubing chuckled from the side.
"At the end of the day, our investigations are all pretty much in the same boat."
The representative turned toward Pei Wubing.
"What about your Great Xia side?"
"Following the purchase records for Meridian-Locking Poison, we found two transit hubs."
Pei Wubing marked the locations on the map.
The craftsmen of the Ash Furnace Family were exposed to Earth Fire year-round.
Both their physical body and astral qi were exceptionally strong.
Ordinary poisons were of little use against them.
To control them, one had to use high-grade toxins specifically designed to seal meridians.
This happened to play right into Pei Wubing's area of expertise.
Leading Tang Li and the others, he thoroughly combed through the poison trade records around Iron Furnace City.
In the end, he actually tracked down two locations.
"At the second transit hub, we captured a member of the Shadow Race."
"However, that guy was just an errand boy too. He was only responsible for receiving goods and delivering them to the next location."
"Before each operation, his superiors would tell him where to go."
"The moment we captured him, contact was cut."
This crew was exceptionally cautious.
The entire transport route had been split into countless legs.
Each person was only responsible for the small task in front of them.
Even if someone in the middle were captured, it would be impossible for them to betray the people down the line.
Looking at the map, Lin Chuan understood why Pei Wubing had been worn out by this mission for so long.
They didn't even know where the culprits were hiding.
No matter how formidable Pei Wubing's poison arts were, he had nowhere to unleash them!
"Only one thing is certain right now."
The Ash Furnace Family representative closed the map.
"That gang hasn't left the vicinity of Iron Furnace City yet."
"They kidnapped the craftsmen so they could help break the Grey Furnace Mark inside the divine hammer."
"As long as the mark remains intact, the divine hammercannot be sold, nor can anyone wield it normally."
This was the sole reason the Ash Furnace Family still had time to search for them.
However, they couldn't afford to drag it out for too long.
If that group truly succeeded in breaking the mark and smuggled the divine hammer into deeper layers of the catacombs, finding it again would be nearly impossible.
The representative brought out the official mission document.
"Whoever retrieves the divine hammer intact will receive the primary reward."
"A rank-six Artifact Refiner of the Ash Furnace Family will forge or reforge a rank-six weapon for them free of charge."
"In addition, rescuing the kidnapped craftsmen, recovering the forging materials, and capturing or killing members of the bandit crew will all grant independent rewards."
"Even if you don't retrieve the divine hammer in the end, your efforts won't be in vain."
Lin Chuan had been listening somewhat attentively up to that point.
Upon hearing about the reforging of a rank-six weapon, his back straightened instantly.
"Wait a second."
"Did you just say reforging is an option too?"
"Yes."
The representative nodded.
"As long as you possess a suitable weapon and materials, the Ash Furnace Family can handle the reforging."
Lin Chuan immediately unstrapped the thunder blade from his back.
"Will this one work?"
The representative took the thunder blade.
The moment the blade was drawn, intricate purple lightning patterns flared across the black-and-gold body.
He tapped his finger against the blade and inspected the internal spirit inscriptions.
"The blade incorporates rank-six Heavenly Demon Mystic Gold."
"The materials are more than sufficient. What limits its grade right now are the internal rank-five spirit inscriptions."
"Once you retrieve the divine hammer, we can help upgrade it."
"How far can it be upgraded?"
"To the Peak of rank-six."
Lin Chuan snatched the thunder blade right back.
Before coming to Iron Furnace City, he had been wondering when he'd ever run into a rank-six Artifact Refiner.
Now, the opportunity had landed right before his eyes.
What else was there to consider?
Although the Peak rank-five thunder blade was already very handy,
a rank-six version was guaranteed to be even better!
Lin Chuan sheathed the thunder blade and looked up at the Ash Furnace Family representative.
"Don't worry, that hammer—I'll definitely bring it back for you!"
Chapter 147: Lin Chuan Has Special Search Techniques
After leaving the council hall, Pei Wubing did not take Lin Chuan back to his residence.
"We are going to find someone first."
"Do we have a clue?"
"Sort of."
Pei Wubing opened his wristband and pulled up a photo of a dwarf apprentice.
"This kid's name is Luomu, an apprentice at a rune workshop in the southern part of the city."
"Three days ago, someone came to him with a black cargo box and asked him to repair the sealing runes on the box."
"Sealing runes are specially used to isolate the aura of weapons."
Lin Chuan understood.
"Is the divine hammer inside the box?"
"Not necessarily."
Pei Wubing shook his head.
"It could also be that batch of looted forging materials."
"However, he is currently the only person who has actually come into contact with the suspicious cargo."
Fang Shen drove.
Tang Li and Du Qingming also followed.
More than half an hour later, the off-road vehicle stopped outside a narrow street in the southern part of the city.
Both sides were lined with forging shops run by dwarves.
Even before walking in, one could hear the clanging sounds of hammering.
Luomu's residence was behind a rune workshop.
Pei Wubing pushed open the courtyard door.
There was no one in the courtyard.
The small furnace nearby had not completely gone out yet, and a half-drunk glass of rye beer was placed on the table.
Lin Chuan walked into the room to find a messy bed.
The cabinet door was open, but the things inside had not been taken away.
A deformed metal clasp was still dropped on the ground.
Tang Li picked up the metal clasp and looked at the emblem on it.
"The Ash Furnace Family's External Affairs Team."
Pei Wubing turned around and walked next door.
An old dwarf who was forging iron immediately stopped the hammer in his hand when he heard they were looking for Luomu.
"You are too late."
"Half an hour ago, people from the Ash Furnace Familytook him away."
Pei Wubing looked at the metal clasp.
"How many people came?"
"Two."
"Wearing gray armor, they said Luomu was involved in the theft of the divine hammer and took him back for questioning."
Fang Shen immediately contacted the Ash Furnace Family.
A few minutes later, the other party replied.
They hadn't sent an external affairs team to the southern part of the city at all today!
"We were beaten to the punch again."
Pei Wubing's expression did not look very good.
Luomu was mostly not dead; the other party also needed him to repair the sealing runes.
But where had he been taken?
Lin Chuan checked the room again; there were not many traces of battle left behind.
Luomu probably went along willingly after seeing the emblem of the Ash Furnace Family.
"Are there any other clues?"
"Yes."
Pei Wubing looked to the other side of the street.
"The sealing ink Luomu used to repair the runes was bought at a materials shop ahead."
Several people rushed over immediately.
The door of the materials shop was closed.
Fang Shen knocked for a long time, but there was no response.
Du Qingming stepped back two steps and kicked open the front door.
Bang!
A pungent burnt smell gushed out from the shop.
Behind the counter lay a dwarf who had already lost his breath.
There were no wounds on his chest, but his skin had turned dark gray.
The ledgers, transaction records, and video-recording equipment in the back were all burned into black ash.
Tang Li squatted down to check for a moment.
"He has been dead for less than half an hour."
"Shadow poison has entered his body, directly corroding his heart meridian."
Fang Shen looked at the burned ledgers.
"If we had arrived a little earlier, we probably would have run into the perpetrator."
"It's not that we arrived late."
Pei Wubing stood at the door and glanced at both sides of the street.
"It's that someone knew we were coming."
This wasn't the first time something similar had happened.
They had just found the transport caravan, and the driver died.
When they were ready to investigate the buyer of the pulse-locking poison, the other party burned down the transit point a step ahead.
Now, it had only been half an hour since they left the Ash Furnace Family.
Luomu was taken away, and the materials shop owner was silenced.
The speed at which the other party received the news was even faster than their travel!
"Inside the Ash Furnace Family, there are their people."
Lin Chuan came to a conclusion.
"And their status is not low."
Ordinary members could not possibly know the investigative directions of several task teams at any time.
Pei Wubing nodded.
"This is the most troublesome part of this mission."
"We finally stumbled upon a clue, but before we could even get there, the person who knew the clue died first."
"Let's go back to the Ash Furnace Family first."
Everyone returned to the forging area again.
The people from White Eagle Country and the Northland Federation had also just returned from outside.
The expressions on both sides did not look very good.
A transport supervisor bribed by White Eagle Country was found hanged in the warehouse.
A material merchant targeted by the Northland Federationdisappeared with his whole family.
The Ice Martial King sat in the chair with an icy expression.
"The actions of our teams have been watched all along."
"If we continue to investigate like this, all we will find are corpses."
The person in charge of the Ash Furnace Family also realized the problem.
He had people close the doors of the council hall.
All family members retreated outside.
"The Ash Furnace Family will screen internal members."
"Before the spy is caught, you don't need to report your subsequent investigative directions to us anymore."
The Wind Martial King looked at him.
"Merely screening, I'm afraid, won't be that easy."
"Since the other party dares to stay in the Ash Furnace Family, their identity can definitely withstand inspection."
Pei Wubing suddenly asked: "What about that Shadow Race person in the dungeon?"
Lin Chuan looked over.
"There is another one?"
"The one I caught was just an outer errand boy."
Pei Wubing explained: "The Ash Furnace Family caught one themselves."
The person in charge was silent for a while.
"That person's status in the bandit group is not low."
"When we caught him, he was carrying a pass token used inside the Ash Furnace Family."
"But he refuses to say anything."
"There is also a Shadow Race Restriction in his spiritual space. Once his soul is forcefully searched, the Restrictionwill destroy his soul."
Lin Chuan stood up.
"Take me to see."
...
Ash Furnace Family dungeon.
A tall and thin Shadow Race member was locked to a stone chair by several crimson chains.
His skin was dark gray.
His eyes were pitch black with no whites.
There were quite a few wounds on his body, but his expression was very calm.
Hearing everyone come in, he even raised his head and smiled.
"Give up."
"Even if you throw me into the furnace, you won't find the divine hammer."
The person in charge of the Ash Furnace Family had a gloomy expression.
For three days, all kinds of methods had been used.
This Shadow Race member hadn't confessed a single word.
Lin Chuan walked to the front of the stone chair.
"Hand him over to me for two hours."
The person in charge frowned.
"What do you want to do?"
"Find someone."
"He won't open his mouth."
"Who said I wanted to make him open his mouth?"
Lin Chuan looked at Pei Wubing.
"Old Pei, do you believe me?"
"I believe you."
Pei Wubing didn't even think about it.
"Give him the person."
The Wind Martial King was somewhat surprised.
"Pei, you don't even know what he is planning to do."
"This disciple of mine is indeed eerie sometimes."
Pei Wubing pulled over a chair.
"However, if he says he can find it, he most likely can."
The person in charge hesitated for a moment and finally nodded.
"Two hours."
"He cannot be killed, nor can his spiritual space be destroyed."
"Rest assured."
Lin Chuan looked at the dungeon guard.
"When this guy was caught, was his communication equipment there?"
The guard quickly brought a black crystal chip.
"This is a Shadow Message Stone."
"There is an encrypted channel inside, but we cannot determine the identities of the channel members."
Lin Chuan took the crystal chip.
"As long as things can be sent into it, it's fine."
He opened his mission wristband and connected the live-streaming equipment to it.
The camera aimed at the Shadow Race member on the stone chair.
Afterwards, a simple and crude live-streaming title appeared in the encrypted channel.
[Your people are in my hands!]
The channel was silent.
However, the number of viewers began to rise steadily.
Thirty people.
Eighty people.
One hundred and forty people!
The Shadow Race member on the stone chair finally reacted.
"What do you want to do?"
"Nothing much."
Lin Chuan took a barbed whip off the wall.
"Let your friends see how you are doing in the Ash Furnace Family."
Slap!
The whip fell.
A bloody mark immediately appeared on the Shadow Racemember's body.
His body swayed, he gritted his teeth, and didn't say a single word.
Lin Chuan raised the whip again.
Slap! Slap! Slap!
Several consecutive whips went down.
The Shadow Race member still didn't open his mouth.
Tang Li stood aside and frowned deeply.
"Junior Brother, this kind of person has all been trained."
"Beating is useless."
Fang Shen also shook his head.
"The Ash Furnace Family interrogated him for three days. If he could really be beaten into talking, he would have said it long ago."
"I know."
Lin Chuan looked back at the guard.
"Where is the chili water?"
The guard was stunned.
"There is no such thing in the dungeon."
"Go to the kitchen and get a bucket."
Ten-odd minutes later.
A bucket of chili water mixed with molten lava peppers was sent into the dungeon.
The guard even thoughtfully heated it up once.
Lin Chuan picked up the wooden bucket and poured it directly down.
"Ah!"
The Shadow Race member finally couldn't help it and let out a miserable scream.
His body struggled violently on the stone chair, and the crimson chains rattled loudly.
Du Qingming's eyelids twitched as he watched.
"Junior Brother, besides making him hate you more, doing this doesn't seem to be of any use, right?"
"I want him to hate me!"
Lin Chuan looked at the live-streaming equipment.
In the live broadcast channel, still no one spoke.
But the System prompt in Lin Chuan's mind was already ringing.
[Detected a new enemy!]
[Binding successful!]
[Detected a new enemy!]
[Binding successful!]
[Enemy Wuzi has a strong murderous intent towards the Host!]
[Current location: East District of Iron Furnace City, underground of the Slag Tavern!]
[Current action: Assembling Shadow Race members!]
Here they come!
Lin Chuan's eyes lit up.
On the System map, a red light spot lit up directly.
Then, the second one!
The third one!
Seeing their companion tortured by Lin Chuan, the bandit group members watching the broadcast grew stronger and stronger in their murderous intent.
Some were preparing to rescue people, and some were beginning to transfer stolen goods.
Some even gave orders on the spot to take Lin Chuan's head!
Moreover, Lin Chuan found that after he became a Great Grandmaster, the System's ability became even stronger, and he could even check what some enemies had been doing recently.
It was much richer than before, when it only reported cultivation information.
Furthermore, Lin Chuan had a feeling that when he reached Martial King, the System functions would definitely welcome another wave of major upgrades.
[Enemy is destroying transit records!]
[Current location: West District of Iron Furnace City, abandoned drainage ditch!]
[Enemy is contacting the bandit group leader!]
[Current location: North District of Iron Furnace City, Black Stone Inn!]
In just over ten minutes.
Inside and outside Iron Furnace City, a total of nine red dots lit up!
Two of them were actually inside the Ash Furnace Family!
[Enemy Horne Ashen Furnace generates murderous intent towards the Host!]
[Current location: Ash Furnace Family, West Furnace Warehouse!]
[Current action: Preparing shadow poison, getting ready to assassinate the Host!]
The other person was hiding in the external affairs room of the Ash Furnace Family.
He was deleting the investigative records of Luomu and the materials shop owner!
Lin Chuan threw the whip aside.
"No more beating."
Tang Li glanced at the Shadow Race member on the stone chair.
"From beginning to end, he didn't say a single word."
"There's no need for him to speak."
Lin Chuan directly turned off the sound, keeping only the live broadcast screen.
Then he walked to Pei Wubing's side and lowered his voice.
"People have been found."
Pei Wubing's expression immediately turned serious.
"How many?"
"Seven in the city."
"Inside the Ash Furnace Family, there are two more."
"The one closest to us is mixing poison in the West Furnace Warehouse, getting ready to drug me later."
Pei Wubing directly stood up.
"Let's go."
Lin Chuan said to Fang Shen and the others: "You guys stay here and keep an eye on the live-streaming equipment."
"Don't let people outside know that I've already left."
After speaking, he took Pei Wubing to leave the dungeon.
The two did not take the main entrance.
Instead, they followed the underground passage used for transporting ore materials directly to the West Furnace Warehouse.
Looking at the motionless red dot on the System map, Lin Chuan showed a smile.
"Never mind the hammer for now, let's catch the rats first!"
Chapter 148: The Traitor Really Is Here! How on Earth Did You Find Him?
The Ash Furnace Family's underground material transport tunnels spanned nearly the entire forging district.
Lin Chuan and Pei Wubing followed the tracks straight west, navigating several bifurcations along the way.
ore carts passed by occasionally, alongside plenty of dwarves tasked with transporting materials, but none paid them any mind.
On the System map, the red dot representing Horn Gray Furnace remained stationed inside the West Furnace Warehouse.
"Right ahead," Lin Chuan whispered, pointing toward the end of the tunnel. "That guy hasn't left yet."
Pei Wubing didn't ask how he was so certain.
There were far too many strange things about this kid anyway. As long as they found the right person, the method didn't matter.
The two arrived at the West Furnace Warehouse.
Its massive gates stood wide open, revealing piles of ore, potions, and forging materials stacked inside.
Horn Gray Furnace stood before a workbench at the innermost section, holding a vial of faint red potion as he slowly dripped a few drops of black liquid into it.
Once inside the potion, the black liquid vanished without a trace.
From the outside, it looked like nothing more than an ordinary recovery potion.
The moment Horn sealed the cork, he heard footsteps behind him.
He turned his head, visibly surprised to see Pei Wubing, but quickly put on a smile. "King Pei, what brings you to the West Furnace Warehouse? Is your mission team short on materials?"
"Just dropping by to take a look."
Pei Wubing strolled over to the workbench, his gaze resting on the potion. "Just brewed?"
"The mission teams have gone through a lot of potions lately, so I was preparing to deliver some," Horn said as he tucked the potion into an adjacent crate, then shifted his eyes to Lin Chuan.
"This must be Lin Chuan, correct? If there's anything you need during your first visit to Iron Furnace City, feel free to come straight to me."
"Actually, there is something."
Lin Chuan picked up the faint red potion, swirling it in his hand. "Was this concoction prepared for me?"
A flicker of unease flashed across Horn's eyes.
"It is meant for any mission team. Little Friend Lin has traveled a long way and must be exhausted, so by all means, take it right now."
"So generous?"
Lin Chuan stared at the liquid in the bottle. "Knowing that I have a poison body, you prepared some poison as a tonic for me?"
The smile vanished from Horn's face instantly, and he pulled a pre-hidden black Formation Flag right out of a cabinet!
"Rise!"
Boom!
The moment the Formation Flag lit up, energy tremors erupted all around the West Furnace Warehouse.
Over a dozen Formation runes hidden beneath the shelves, stone pillars, and flooring flared to life. Thick black light curtains rose from all sides, dividing the entire warehouse into multiple layers.
Numerous metal chains surged from the ground, crisscrossing as they whipped toward Lin Chuan and Pei Wubing.
Several black light walls also rose in front of them, completely barricading all the exits.
This Formation had no offensive power; it was specialized entirely for containment and obstruction.
Clearly, Horn had long anticipated the possibility of being exposed, and had prepared his retreat route inside the warehouse well in advance!
"Break!"
Pei Wubing threw his hand forward, unleashing a cloud of poisonous mist.
The poisonous mist slammed into the black light wall. The entire barrier shuddered violently, yet did not shatter immediately.
Horn seized the opening, lifted a metal plate behind the workbench, and dove into the escape tunnel hidden beneath.
"This fellow is thoroughly prepared."
Just as Pei Wubing prepared to breach the array by force, Lin Chuan had already disappeared from beside him.
Divine Mobility Technique!
Lin Chuan stepped straight through the black light wall in front of him.
The Formation remained undamaged, and the incoming metal chains completely grasped at empty air.
Taking several continuous strides forward, his form seemed to flicker across different spatial folds, bypassing every barrier in the warehouse in the blink of an eye.
Behind the West Furnace Warehouse.
A metal manhole cover went flying.
Horn burst out of the underground tunnel and sprinted into the distance without looking back.
He had a small ore cart ready nearby; as long as he broke out of the forging district, people would be waiting outside to extract him.
Barely a dozen meters into his sprint, the space ahead of him rippled faintly.
Lin Chuan materialized right along his path.
"Not a bad Formation you set up there."
Lin Chuan glanced back toward the warehouse. "Too bad it can only block roads, not me."
Horn skidded to a dead halt, panic finally showing on his face.
That was a Rank Five Containment Array he had spent several years secretly setting up!
Even with Pei Wubing being a Martial King, breaking out without destroying the warehouse should have cost him some time.
Yet Lin Chuan had stepped right through the Formation as if completely unaffected by it!
Horn wheeled around toward another passageway. As long as he reached the forging street ahead, he could blend into the crowd.
Lin Chuan threw a kick out from behind.
Bang!
Horn was sent flying a dozen meters, slamming hard into the black stone ground.
Rubble exploded outward, carving a conspicuous crater into the floor.
Lying face down in the crater, he felt as if his back had been rammed by a behemoth, his entire skeleton on the verge of shattering.
Just as Horn tried to mobilize his astral qi, a foot planted itself onto his back, pinning him down once more.
"What's the rush?"
Lin Chuan stepped down on Horn. "I haven't even had the potion you prepared for me yet."
Knowing there was no escape, Horn bit down hard on the poison pill hidden behind his molar.
Yet barely as a crack formed on the pill, purple Mental Strength seized his jaw, forcefully wrenching his mouth wide open.
The black poison pill popped out from between his teeth and landed neatly in Lin Chuan's hand.
Horn tried to detonate his internal astral qi, but high-grade Mental Strength suppressed his body ahead of time, locking down his limbs, astral qi, and spiritual space all at once.
Forget self-detonation; he couldn't even twitch a single finger now.
Just then, Pei Wubing broke through the containment array and rushed out of the warehouse.
He glanced at Horn pinned in the crater, then took the faint red potion from Lin Chuan's hand.
Uncorking the bottle, Pei Wubing channeled a wisp of poison-attribute astral qi into it.
Stimulated by it, several tiny black threads swiftly emerged within the faint red liquid.
"Shadow Erosion Poison."
Pei Wubing's expression darkened. "This is the very poison found inside the materials shop owner and those other silenced insiders.
It remains dormant upon entering the body, but once the toxicity rides the astral qi into the spiritual space, almost no one below Rank Six survives."
Lin Chuan looked down at Horn. "Our very first meeting, and you prepared such a fine gift for me.
You Shadow Bandit Group sure are courteous."
Crushed under the Mental Strength, Horn was unable to answer.
Just as Pei Wubing was about to summon the Ash Furnace Family, Lin Chuan noticed a second red dot on the Systemmap beginning to move rapidly.
That person had been hiding inside the Ash Furnace Family's External Affairs Hall.
He was currently destroying the investigation records regarding Luomu and the materials shop owner, and was preparing to make his exit.
"There's another one."
Lin Chuan hoisted Horn up with his Mental Strength. "Let's head back right now to catch the second traitor!"
The two swiftly returned to the Ash Furnace Family's quarters.
The External Affairs Hall was situated in the eastern forging district, responsible for personnel deployments, caravan affairs, and mission registrations.
When Lin Chuan arrived, an external affairs steward was standing before a small furnace, tossing metallic recording slips into the flames.
The bottommost slips were already glowing red-hot.
Hearing the door open, the steward instinctively glanced back.
Upon seeing Horn suspended in midair by Mental Strength, his expression changed, and his right hand darted to his waist.
Lin Chuan pressed his hand downward.
Purple Mental Strength descended from above, slamming him alongside the adjacent table flat onto the floor.
The recording slips that hadn't yet been tossed into the furnace were also swept up by Mental Strength and brought back.
Pei Wubing went into the adjacent archives room and pulled out the remaining records.
Before long, the head of the Ash Furnace Family, the wind-attribute Martial King of White Eagle Country, and the ice-attribute Martial King of the Northland Federation all received word and rushed to the External Affairs Hall.
The storage equipment belonging to Horn and the steward was searched on the spot.
Inside, they found not only armor and insignias used to impersonate the Gray Furnace External Affairs Brigade, but also relocation records for Luomu's apprentices, the materials shop owner's residence and travel routes, and a shadow communication stone used to contact the Shadow Bandit Group.
One of the armor sets still bore traces of metal furnace ash originating from Luomu's dwelling.
Paired with the shadow poison potion prepared for Lin Chuan, there was no longer any room for denial.
The head of the Ash Furnace Family stood by the table, his face darkened to the extreme.
Horn had served the Ash Furnace Family for over a decade, and the other external affairs steward had managed caravan records for seven or eight years.
The Ash Furnace Family had conducted multiple internal screenings to smoke out the spies, but these two had managed to pass clean every single time.
"No wonder Luomu was whisked away by people impersonating the external affairs team the moment he was discovered."
The family head picked up the forged armor. "Our investigative movements have been leaked through the External Affairs Hall all along. Those insiders didn't die coincidentally—you were feeding intelligence to the Shadow Bandit Group the entire time!"
The ice-attribute Martial King from the Northland Federation picked up the unburned recording slips.
"When we investigated the materials supplier, we also requested maps through the External Affairs Hall. Less than half a day after the request went through, that man vanished alongside his entire family."
Meanwhile, the wind-attribute Martial King from White Eagle Country kept his eyes glued to Lin Chuan.
Their three teams had spent over a dozen days investigating and repeatedly screening thousands of Gray Furnace members, yet failed to locate either traitor.
Lin Chuan, on his very first visit to the Ash Furnace Family, without even knowing how many members were here, had rooted out both within less than half an hour.
"How on earth did you track them down?" the wind-attribute Martial King couldn't resist asking.
The head of the Ash Furnace Family stared at Lin Chuan as well.
He wanted to know the answer just as badly.
Leaning against the table, Lin Chuan replied casually, "I was just born with a little Talent for hunting down culprits."
The wind-attribute Martial King's eyelids twitched violently. "Accurately pinpointing two traitors out of thousands of people, and you call that a little Talent?"
"It's alright, just handy for catching people."
It certainly sounded like shameless bragging.
Yet the culprits had been caught by Lin Chuan, and the shadow poison along with the evidence were laid bare right before them.
The world was full of bizarre and peculiar Talents; it wasn't inconceivable that Lin Chuan truly possessed some ability to pinpoint culprits.
Pei Wubing couldn't care less about any of that.
"As long as we got the right people."
He placed the shadow communication stone in front of Horn. "Now spill it. Where did you move the Gray Furnace divine hammer?"
Horn closed his eyes without uttering a word. The other steward lowered his head as well, showing no intention to confess.
Lin Chuan didn't bother interrogating them further.
Horn reported the Gray Furnace teams' investigation progress to the Shadow Bandit Group daily through the shadow communication stone. Today's message had yet to be sent, presenting a prime opportunity.
Lin Chuan guided Horn's hand onto the shadow communication stone.
The black crystal plate illuminated, identity verification successfully cleared. Lin Chuan then mimicked Horn's messaging habits and dispatched a new update.
[Their people uncovered new transport records and plan to lead a squad to the Old Smelting Plant in the west city tonight.]
Seeing the message, Horn began to struggle desperately. But firmly suppressed by high-grade Mental Strength, he could only watch helplessly as the message was successfully dispatched.
After the crowd waited for less than a minute, a reply appeared on the shadow communication stone.
[Understood.]
Just one word.
The other side had not suspected a thing.
At that very moment, several red dots previously idling across different areas on Lin Chuan's System map suddenly began to move.
Some departed their residences, some were assembling companions, and two red dots had already entered Iron Furnace City's underground tunnels, rapidly closing in on the Old Smelting Plant in the west city.
Watching the red dots congregate of their own accord, Lin Chuan smiled.
"They took the bait."
Chapter 149: The List in Hand
After the reply via the shadow communication stone, the six red dots on the System map quickly left their hiding spots and moved toward the Old Smelting Plant in the west of the city.
Five of them were within the city.
One was hidden outside the city, responsible for backup.
Lin Chuan clicked to view the information of one of the Shadow Race members.
[Enemy is heading toward the Old Smelting Plant!]
[Current Action: Preparing to ambush the Host and reclaim the transport records!]
[After the operation concludes, will return to the Ash Furnace Family to silence Horn!]
"They're coming pretty fast."
Lin Chuan stowed away the shadow communication stone.
"What's the plan?"
"Senior Brother Du will walk in carrying the fake documents, while the two of us trail behind."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
Lin Chuan looked at Pei Wubing.
"They're just a few Rank 5 Shadow Race members, what else is there to plan?"
Pei Wubing thought about it; indeed, there wasn't much need for a plan.
He was a Martial King, and although Lin Chuan had only just achieved a breakthrough to Great Grandmaster, Lin Chuan could already kill a Peak Rank 5 Demon Kings Spiritual Body head-on.
With the two of them fighting a few Rank 5s, they really didn't need to prepare anything.
Du Qingming picked up the metal case containing the fake documents.
"Can't the two of you just come in with me?"
"If we show up together, would they still dare to come out?"
Lin Chuan patted his shoulder.
"Just pretend you don't know anything and head over normally."
"Once they show their heads, leave the rest to Shifu and me."
Du Qingming glanced at Pei Wubing.
Seeing his Shifu nod as well, he had no choice but to carry the case and leave the Ash Furnace Family.
Fang Shen and Tang Li stayed behind to watch over Hornand the others.
Lin Chuan and Pei Wubing followed behind Du Qingmingat a distance.
Old Smelting Plant in the west of the city.
This area had been abandoned for years.
Over a dozen giant smelting furnaces were reduced to empty shells, with piles of slag and rusted pipes scattered across the ground.
Du Qingming carried the metal case into the plant area and deliberately turned on his communicator.
"The stuff has been delivered."
"Shifu, when are you coming over?"
Pei Wubing spoke from the other end of the communicator, "Still going to be a while. Wait there first."
"Alright."
Du Qingming hung up and found a relatively clean stone to sit on.
There was no movement around him.
Nor did he look around, merely placing the metal case by his feet, pretending to be oblivious.
A few minutes later.
A patch of shadow crept slowly along an abandoned pipe.
The shadow reached behind Du Qingming and silently split open.
A Shadow Race member emerged from within.
The black dagger in his hand made no sound as it thrust straight toward the back of Du Qingming's heart.
When the blade was only centimeters away from the combat suit, it abruptly stopped.
Hum!
A layer of purple Mental Strength wrapped around the dagger.
The Shadow Race member exerted force with both hands, yet the dagger seemed welded in midair, unable to move forward even an inch.
"What is this?!"
Shocked, he instantly let go of his weapon and prepared to dive back into the shadow.
However, Lin Chuan's voice came from the side.
"Where do you think you're hiding?"
The purple Mental Strength pressed down.
Bang!
The Shadow Race member slammed flat onto the ground.
His arms, legs, and the astral qi inside him were all firmly pinned down by the high-grade Mental Strength.
Du Qingming looked back.
"Scared the hell out of me!"
He bent down to pick up the metal case.
Beneath several surrounding furnaces, four more dark shadows surged out simultaneously.
Purple light shone between Lin Chuan's brows.
Before the four Shadow Race members could even get close, their bodies froze in midair all at once.
They frantically circulated their astral qi.
The black soft armor on their bodies gleamed repeatedly, yet they still could not break free from the Mental Strengthcontrol.
Pei Wubing leisurely strolled out from behind.
"Just these few people?"
"There's one more lookout outside."
Lin Chuan pointed toward the outside of the smelting plant.
Pei Wubing raised his right hand.
A wisp of black toxic gas, so thin it was nearly invisible, drifted out along the abandoned pipe.
A few seconds later.
A muffled thud came from the distance.
A Shadow Race member hidden in the shadows fell straight down from midair.
His body was stiff, a terrified expression frozen on his face.
Pei Wubing hooked his finger.
The black toxic gas coiled around the man's ankle, dragging him all the way into the smelting plant.
"That's all of them."
All five Shadow Race members were captured.
But the sixth red dot on the System map was still moving rapidly.
That person had not entered the smelting plant.
Upon realizing something went wrong inside, he chose to retreat immediately.
And his speed was astonishing; in just a few seconds, he had already fled over a thousand meters away.
"There's still one Peak Rank 5."
Lin Chuan looked toward the north of the city.
"I'll go catch him."
The moment his words fell, he vanished on the spot.
Divine Mobility Technique!
North side of Iron Furnace City.
A Shadow Race captain darted repeatedly through the shadows lining the streets.
He had no idea how many people were lying in ambush inside the smelting plant.
The most important thing now was to get the message back.
The Ash Furnace Family had already captured Horn.
Those two moles were most likely exposed as well.
He had to notify the leader immediately to relocate the divine hammer and craftsmen!
The Shadow Race captain activated Shadow Escaperepeatedly.
Each time his body reappeared, he was already several hundred meters away.
As long as he crossed the black stone street ahead, he could leave Iron Furnace City.
Just as he slipped into the shadow cast by a stone house, the space in front of him suddenly rippled slightly.
Lin Chuan appeared right in his path.
The Shadow Race captain's face changed drastically.
"How did you know I was here?!"
He was in a state of Shadow Escape.
His aura, astral qi fluctuations, and body were all integrated into the shadows.
Ordinary Mental Strength couldn't possibly lock onto his position!
Lin Chuan glanced at the red dot on the System map.
"Maybe you're just too bright."
The Shadow Race captain didn't understand what this meant.
However, he knew he couldn't stop.
He immediately changed direction, his body splitting into over a dozen shadows that dashed toward different streets.
The auras of the real and fake shadow clones were completely identical.
Even a Martial King would find it difficult to tell them apart in a short time.
But just as those shadow bodies dispersed, the silver weapon casket in Lin Chuan's hand had already opened.
Hum!
Twelve hundred Willow Leaf Mind Blades flew out simultaneously.
Vast swathes of silver flowing light instantly blanketed the entire black stone street!
All the mind blades attacked directly toward the position of the System's red dot.
Just as the Shadow Race captain emerged from the shadow beneath a wall, twelve hundred mind blades were already raining down from all directions!
He raised his twin blades, desperately defending.
Clang, clang, clang!
Over a dozen mind blades were knocked aside by him.
Yet even more silver blade lights bypassed the twin blades, slicing through his protective astral qi.
Ch-ch-ch!
The soft armor on the Shadow Race captain shattered repeatedly.
The twin blades were also snapped in half by the frontal impact of the mind blades.
He wanted to dive back into the shadows, but every hiding spot nearby had already been sealed off by the silver blades.
The final wave of mind blades came down.
Thud!
Twelve hundred mind blades drove into the ground, surrounding his body.
Over a dozen of them pierced through his shoulders, arms, and legs, pinning him along with his shadow beneath him to the black stone street!
The Shadow Race captain trembled from head to toe in agony, unable to move even a single finger.
Lin Chuan walked up to him.
"Ran pretty fast, huh! Keep running, then!"
The Shadow Race captain looked up at Lin Chuan.
He truly couldn't understand.
His Shadow Escape clearly hadn't failed.
Exactly how did Lin Chuan pinpoint his escape route and appear before him multiple times with such precision?
Lin Chuan lifted the Shadow Race captain with his high-grade Mental Strength and recalled all twelve hundred mind blades back into the weapon casket.
From pursuing him to capturing him,
it had taken less than a minute.
By the time he returned to the Old Smelting Plant, Du Qingming had just finished collecting the storage gear from the Shadow Race members.
Pei Wubing glanced at the captain suspended in midair by Mental Strength.
"Captured alive?"
"Yeah."
Lin Chuan tossed the man to the ground.
"This guy's status shouldn't be low. Let's interrogate him."
Pei Wubing crouched down and took out an off-white potion from his storage gear.
Seeing it, the Shadow Race captain immediately clamped his mouth shut.
"Don't be nervous."
Pei Wubing shook the potion.
"This stuff is called Mind-Disrupting Poison. It won't control your soul, nor will it trigger the Restrictions in your mental space."
"It just makes it impossible for you to fabricate lies."
After the potion was poured down his throat, the Shadow Race captain's gaze soon grew unfocused.
Pei Wubing waited a moment before asking, "In this heist of the Gray Furnace divine hammer, how many Shadow Race members were involved in total?"
The Shadow Race captain gritted his teeth, wanting to say only nine.
But when the words reached his lips, they changed completely.
"Twenty-seven people!"
The moment he finished speaking, his face turned deathly pale.
Pei Wubing continued asking, "Who is the leader?"
"Heruo."
"What Realm?"
"Early Stage Rank 6, Shadow Martial King."
With the first answer out, the rest became much simpler.
Under the influence of the Mind-Disrupting Poison, the Shadow Race captain quickly confessed everything clearly.
In this operation, twenty-seven Shadow Race members participated in total.
They collaborated with insiders of the Ash Furnace Familyand obtained the transport route of the divine hammer in advance.
Afterward, they ambushed the Ash Furnace Family's escort team outside the city.
Besides the Gray Furnace divine hammer, a large batch of high-tier forging materials was stolen.
Twelve dwarf craftsmen who mastered the Clan's Spiritrunes were also kidnapped.
Heruo had been forcing those craftsmen to erase the Gray Furnace imprint inside the divine hammer.
As long as the imprint was gone, the divine hammer could be resold.
"What are the names of those twenty-seven people?"
The Shadow Race captain did not want to answer.
But Pei Wubing only had to ask a few times before he blurted out all the names.
Lin Chuan opened the System's enemy list.
After that livestream spread, many in the Shadow Bandit Group developed killing intent toward him.
In just this half day, several hundred new enemies had been bound by the System.
Lin Chuan checked them one by one against the list given by the captain.
The first one.
Present.
The second one.
Also present.
All twenty-seven names appeared on the enemy list!
One of them had already been locked in the dungeon by the Ash Furnace Family.
The squad before them had six people in total.
The locations of the remaining twenty Shadow Racemembers all appeared on the System map.
Some were hiding in Iron Furnace City.
Some were active on the trade routes outside the city.
And over a dozen red dots had already converged toward the southwest.
The largest red dot was several times darker in color than the others.
[Enemy Heruo!]
[Current Location: Fire Vein Canyon!]
[Current Action: Gathering members of the Shadow Bandit Group, preparing to relocate their base!]
Lin Chuan stared at that red dot.
"Found their boss."
Pei Wubing looked up.
"Where?"
"Fire Vein Canyon."
Fang Shen and Tang Li had already received the message and rushed over to take custody of the captives.
Hearing "Fire Vein Canyon," both of their expressions turned serious.
"That place is already outside Iron Furnace City's sphere of control, and the terrain is complex."
Fang Shen said, "I'll notify the Ash Furnace Family right now, then contact the teams from White Eagle Countryand the Northland Federation. Once personnel from all three sides assemble, we'll surround Fire Vein Canyondirectly."
Lin Chuan watched the map; Heruo's position was moving.
The other red dots were also beginning to converge on him.
"By the time everyone gathers, they'll have already made off with the hammer."
Lin Chuan stood up.
"Shifu, just the two of us will go."
Pei Wubing glanced at the location of Fire Vein Canyon.
"There's a Rank 6 Martial King there."
"What, you scared?"
"Are you kidding? What would I be scared of?"
Pei Wubing stood up on the spot.
"Just an Early Stage Rank 6. Your Shifu isn't so old that he can't walk."
He had Fang Shen and the other two stay behind to watch over the Shadow Race captives.
Then, he raised his hand and opened his beast-taming space.
Boom!
A massive dark-green poison frog, over thirty meters long, dropped down from midair.
The poison frog's back was covered in black markings, and its two golden eyes were larger than a human.
When its four limbs touched the ground, the surrounding earth shook along with it.
Lin Chuan looked up at it.
"Shifu, when did you raise a pet like this?"
"When it started following me, you weren't even born yet."
Pei Wubing leapt onto the poison frog's back.
"Hurry up and get on."
Lin Chuan jumped up after him.
The giant poison frog pressed down with its four limbs.
Thump!
A large patch of ground collapsed instantly.
The next second,
its massive body leaped across thousands of meters, charging straight toward Fire Vein Canyon!
Chapter 150: Lin Chuan Wants to Fight a Tier 6 King
Fire Vein Canyon, underground smelting plant.
Heruo stood beside an abandoned underground furnace, the shadow communication stones in his hand extinguishing one after another.
The Old Smelting Plant in the west of the city had lost contact.
The two contact points within Iron Furnace City also gave no response.
The team responsible for receiving them seemed to have vanished as well.
Heruo was instantly on alert.
"Everyone prepare to evacuate!"
"Pack the ash furnace divine hammer into an sealing box, divide the forging materials into three batches, and transport them out through different exits."
"Kill all those craftsmen and throw their corpses into the underground furnace."
It was precisely by relying on this cautious vigilance that the Shadow Race had been able to pull off their thefts time after time.
Several Shadow Race members beside him sprang into action immediately.
A black metal box over two meters long was carried out.
Once the ash furnace divine hammer was placed inside, the aura on its surface rapidly vanished.
Another dozen or so Shadow Race members drew their weapons and headed toward the imprisoned dwarf craftsmen.
They had already stayed here for more than ten days.
The twelve craftsmen still had not managed to purge the Clan imprint from inside the divine hammer.
Since they could not take them along, they would kill them all.
"Leader, which route do we take?"
"Take Tunnel No. 3 first."
Heruo opened the underground map, glanced over it, and changed his mind.
"No, switch to No. 7."
"First dispatch two teams carrying artifact-sealing boxes to leave via Tunnels No. 3 and No. 5. We will leave last."
Several contact points going dark at the same time meant that the Ash Furnace Family had already closed in on them.
Heruo was exceptionally cautious.
Not only did he switch routes on the fly, but he had also prepared several identical artifact-sealing boxes.
As long as the teams split up...
The pursuers would have no way of knowing where the ash furnace divine hammer was.
Yet Heruo had no idea that no matter how many times he changed routes, that red dot on the System map was locked onto him dead to rights.
Facing an opponent using cheats, sometimes one was simply helpless.
...
Boom!
The Great Poison Frog bounded overhead across the valley.
Its massive body landed on the mountaintop, sending swathes of boulders tumbling down.
Pei Wubing looked around.
"There are three paths ahead."
"Left."
Lin Chuan glanced at the System map.
The Great Poison Frog immediately adjusted its course.
A dozen minutes later.
Another fork appeared ahead.
Lin Chuan still did not hesitate.
"Go right."
Pei Wubing glanced at him.
"Are you sure?"
"Sure."
"That Shadow Martial King has already changed directions three times in a row."
"Even if he changes it thirty times, he can't get away."
On the System map, Heruo's red dot was constantly moving.
Around it were more than a dozen smaller red dots.
They first scattered outward toward the canyon, and then several people led squads back.
They were clearly creating false leads to misdirect any pursuers.
Lin Chuan paid no attention to them whatsoever.
He only kept his eyes on Heruo.
A few more minutes went by.
The largest red dot finally came to a halt in the deepest part of Fire Vein Canyon.
Lin Chuan raised his hand and pointed ahead.
"Right down below."
The Great Poison Frog leapt again.
A second later, its massive body landed outside an abandoned smelting plant.
This smelting plant had been abandoned for a long time.
Several metal smokestacks had completely collapsed, and no craftsmen were visible in the vicinity.
On the surface, there was no one.
Yet on the System map, over a dozen red dots lurked within the shadows.
Pei Wubing hopped down from the poison frog's back.
"There are Shadow Killing Formations outside."
"Quite a few, too."
In the shadows on both sides of the canyon, numerous black Formation Flags were buried.
The moment an ordinary Martial Artist stepped into the smelting plant, the Shadow Killing Formations would trigger all at once.
When that happened, every shadow in the surroundings could condense into an attack.
Lin Chuan looked over.
"Can we get through?"
"A few Tier 5 Formations can't stop me."
Pei Wubing raised his right hand.
A vast expanse of dark green poison mist surged out from behind him.
The poison mist spread rapidly across the ground.
The abandoned factory buildings, rock crevices, and shadows cast by the furnaces were all shrouded by the poisonous mist.
The Shadow Race members lurking outside quickly noticed something amiss.
"Someone's coming!"
"Activate the Formation!"
Just as a Shadow Race member stood up, a wave of numbness washed through his legs.
The astral qi in his body seemed to rust, circulating slower and slower.
Others tried to activate Shadow Escape.
Yet the moment their bodies began merging into the shadows, the poison mist forced them back out.
Thud!
One by one, the Shadow Race members collapsed.
Their skin rapidly turned dark green, leaving them unable to lift even an arm.
The dozen or so Shadow Killing Formations had barely lit up before those controlling them entirely lost consciousness.
The black Formation light flickered a few times before quickly going dark again.
Pei Wubing waved his hand.
The dark green poison mist continued seeping underground.
"The Tier 6 inside, I'll take him down."
Lin Chuan had already walked up to the underground entrance.
Hearing this, he looked back at Pei Wubing.
"Shifu, now that I'm here, why would an elder like you need to lift a finger?"
Pei Wubing was stunned for a moment.
"Wait, disciple."
"The opponent is Tier 6, equivalent to a human Martial King!"
"Just because you can kill a Tier 5 Peak doesn't mean you can clash head-on with a true Martial King right now."
"Can you really handle it? Don't joke with me!"
Lin Chuan gripped the thunder blade.
"Just sit back and watch."
"A newly breakthrough Great Grandmaster must offer a King-Rank as a blood sacrifice!"
Having said that, he strode right into the corridor.
Pei Wubing watched from behind.
"This kid is even cockier than I was in my youth!"
Still, a Great Grandmaster and a Martial King were two completely different species; the difference in strength was like night and day!
Pei Wubing followed him in nonetheless.
If Lin Chuan truly could not hold his ground, he would naturally step in.
Underground forging area.
A dozen or so Shadow Race members had gathered the craftsmen together.
The twelve Furnace Dwarfs had both their hands and ankles bound with chains.
They had also been afflicted with Meridian-Locking Poison.
Unable to circulate their astral qi, even standing up was a struggle.
Luomu was among them.
He was far gaunter than in his portrait, his face covered in wounds, with both hands locked separately to a runic iron plate.
Several Shadow Race members were just about to strike.
A tide of poison mist suddenly poured in through the corridor.
The moment they turned their heads, their bodies froze in place.
Thump, thump, thump!
More than a dozen figures collapsed to the ground one after another.
Pei Wubing emerged from the poison mist, raising a hand to draw all the toxins back.
"Give it everything you've got. I've got your back."
Lin Chuan nodded, his eyes settling on the deepest recess of the underground forging area.
Heruo stood there.
Beside him lay the sealing box containing the ash furnace divine hammer.
He did not leave immediately.
The exit had already been cut off by the poison mist.
If he could not deal with Pei Wubing and Lin Chuan, he would only be caught again even if he managed to break out.
"Pei Wubing."
Heruo clearly recognized him.
"What benefits did the Ash Furnace Family offer to make a Poison King pursue me all the way out here in person?"
"They gave me nothing."
Pei Wubing pointed toward Lin Chuan.
"It's just that my disciple took a liking to that hammer."
Heruo's gaze shifted to Lin Chuan.
He had seen the recording of the battle at the Ancient Prison.
Both the Warden and the Demon Kings Spiritual Body had perished at the hands of this youth.
However, that Demon Kings Spiritual Body had only been at Tier 5 Peak.
Even though a Saint Artifact had shielded the demonic core, the power controlling that spiritual body had still fallen short of Tier 6.
Between Tier 5 and Tier 6 lay a massive chasm.
A true Martial King already possessed their own Domain!
"Lin Chuan, the young brat who has risen to fame in the human world recently."
Heruo's figure melted into the shadows.
"Reaching your current level at eighteen is indeed impressive."
"However, the difference between us is far too vast. Step back; Pei Wubing is my true opponent."
"Stop spouting nonsense. I'm more than enough to handle you; why would my Shifu need to step in?"
Lin Chuan exuded utter confidence, but to Heruo, a Tier 6 King, this confidence was nothing short of blatant contempt.
It instantly ignited his fury.