Chapter 79: This Is Just Too Hard on the Bear!
Seeing Bear Lord pat his chest in reassurance, Jiang Chen finally relaxed.
"I need you to forge a weapon for me."
"No problem!" Bear Lord slapped a paw-like hand on Jiang Chen's shoulder. "What's the big deal between brothers? Your problem is my problem. Just tell me what kind of weapon you want!"
Jiang Chen nodded and gestured for the Snow Empress to take out the materials. When the little Snow Empress stepped out from behind him, Bear Lord instantly froze—completely dumbfounded—his bear brain going blank. He raised a trembling paw and pointed at her.
"You… you you you—"
Jiang Chen kicked him. "What 'you'? Are you stuttering?"
Bear Lord grabbed Jiang Chen's shoulder, eyes wide with disbelief. "No, brother, wait—you mean this is the Snow Empress? You… you turned her human?!"
"And hold on, didn't you just undergo your seven-hundred-thousand-year tribulation? You still had thousands of years to go before the eight-hundred-thousand one, right?"
"And you just… switched to human cultivation already?"
The Bear Lord was completely baffled. Even if her next tribulation was drawing near, wouldn't it still be better to endure it than to give up her beast body and live as a human for a few centuries?
Why go human at all?
He looked from Jiang Chen to the Snow Empress and back again.
"So… you two are choosing to walk the path to godhood? Will this really work?"
Jiang Chen teased, "Of course. If you'd like to try reincarnating as human too, you're welcome to join us."
"No thanks. I'd never betray the soul beasts." Bear Lord shook his head firmly.
Jiang Chen's face darkened. "Don't make it sound like that—what do you mean 'betray the soul beasts'? My heart still stands with the soul beasts!"
But Bear Lord only shook his head again, unwilling to argue.
Those other 'traitors' had said the same thing, and yet they'd gone and created the Yuanen Clan.
Once they had half-blood offspring, whose side would they take when war erupted between humans and soul beasts?
Their children's side, of course.
If that wasn't betrayal, what was?
Still, Bear Lord understood. Jiang Chen's million-year tribulation had been a death sentence. Trying a new path was his only chance.
"You can rest easy—I'll look after the Huo Clan for you after you're gone."
"Get lost!" Jiang Chen's face turned even darker. Was that a curse? Take care of his wife after he died?
Damn it, this bear was learning all the wrong things from humans!
"Are soul beasts… truly incapable of becoming gods?" Bear Lord muttered.
"You'll have to ask your 'master' that one." Jiang Chen spread his hands.
But for Bear Lord, his million-year tribulation was still ages away. With Behemoth blood flowing in his veins, feasting on dragons by nature, there was no way he'd fall early. He still had plenty of time.
"Forget it, I'll think about that later. So, what kind of weapon do you want?"
He scanned the pile of materials before him: ice-elemental treasures, Aureum of Life—those he recognized.
But Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow, Cold Jade Marrow Bed, Eight-Angled Profound Ice Grass? Never seen those before.
Bear Lord swallowed hard. Maybe he'd agreed too fast.
After all, how simple could the weapon of a million-year soul beast be?
Then he saw it—the Ice God's Pearl. The moment its aura filled the room, something ancient and primal stirred in his blood. Recognition. Worship. Fear.
Bear Lord almost fell to his knees.
"Holy crap—what have you done? Why do you have the corpse of a Dragon King here?! Are you out of your mind?!"
Despite his rough appearance, Bear Lord wasn't stupid. His Behemoth blood carried inherited knowledge, and though he ranked sixth among the ferocious beasts, he could still fight Ditian head-on if the Dragon God Claw wasn't used.
That Heaven-Rending Claw of his was nearly unstoppable.
And of course, he'd heard of the Eight Great Dragon Kings.
After all, Ditian himself hailed from the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King lineage—one of those very Dragon Kings.
That aura… unmistakable.
This was a Dragon King's corpse!
"You dug up a Dragon King? From where?! Do you have a death wish?!"
Bear Lord nearly wet himself. If Ditian saw this—or worse, the Silver Dragon King—Jiang Chen would be skinned alive on the spot.
Jiang Chen shrugged. "Relax. As long as they don't find out, what's the problem?"
"I knew it! Nothing good ever happens when you show up. Every time you come, I suffer! I can't do this! I'm out!"
Bear Lord was genuinely panicked. He hadn't even seen some of those materials before, and touching that Dragon King corpse? Not a chance.
If even an ounce of that aura leaked and Ditian or the Silver Dragon King found out, they'd rip his pelt off.
"Hm?"
Jiang Chen and the Snow Empress closed in on him, two small figures despite their new human forms—but the pressure they exuded made Bear Lord's fur stand on end.
He could only groan inwardly. What rotten luck.
What could a poor Saint Craftsman bear even do in this mess?
"Go find Zhen Hua. The Divine Craftsman just recovered from Heavenly Tribulation injuries after a round of Heavenly Forging. He's your guy! I can't handle this!"
This was far too much for a bear to bear.
"It's fine," Jiang Chen said with a smile. "He won't be able to run away."
Times were rough for Divine Craftsmen.
As the world evolved, every generation of soul masters grew stronger. Limit Douluos became more common, and they all needed Four-Word Battle Armor. The demand for Heavenly Forging kept rising.
But there could only ever be one Divine Craftsman per era—meaning the job kept getting more and more miserable.
Sure, a Divine Craftsman could afford to ignore anyone… but not a Limit Douluo.
Every Heavenly Forge meant enduring Heavenly Tribulation once again. The more Limit Douluos there were, the more times the Divine Craftsman got struck by lightning.
A miserable existence indeed.
That's why most Divine Craftsmen conveniently claimed to be "recovering from injuries."
But Bear Lord knew better. Zhen Hua wasn't recovering—he was enjoying life.
It had been decades since he last performed Heavenly Forging, back when he forged for Yun Ming.
"Don't worry," Jiang Chen said, grinning. "Neither of you are escaping this."
He had no intention of letting Bear Lord handle it alone.
"Let's go. With my current status, I can't just stroll into the Blacksmith's Association to find Zhen Hua myself."
"And this time, it's not just you and Zhen Hua—I'll also be seeking help from the Haotian Sect."
Once one of the legendary "Three Upper Sects," the Haotian Sect had gone into deep seclusion.
After the Tang God King's ascension, he completely took control of the sect, even replacing its master with two of his old friends, the Azure Sky Divine Dragon and the Titan Giant Ape.
Yet because of their soul beast origins, the sect could only suppress rebellion for so long.
After the Divine Realm vanished, Tang San lost his grip, and Niu Tian and Titan were forced to return to their beast heritage—no human sect would accept lifelong control by soul beasts, god or not.
Inevitably, unrest followed.
Tang San might not have cared much, but as Realm Master Tang Hao's sect, the Haotian Sect could not simply be abandoned. Thus, the two beasts retreated quietly, leaving the sect semi-independent.
Now, though it remained hidden, it still maintained close ties with the outside factions.
It had adapted to the modern era—battle armor, mecha, soul tools—and worked closely with the Spirit Pagoda thanks to their mutual reliance on soul spirits.
As for Shrek Academy?
The Haotian Sect wasn't nearly as sycophantic as the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
No benefits, no cooperation.
What if they were all tied to the great Tang San? So what? Tang San hadn't blessed them. It was Shrek and the Tang Sect that prospered instead.
The Haotian Sect's hammers had become famed across the land—especially with the Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique.
Their production of rare forging materials, like refined mithril, brought them enormous profit.
In fact, they were now the Federation's largest supplier of crafting materials.
Exactly what Jiang Chen needed next.
(END CHAPTER)
Get 30% off on my Patreon and enjoy early access to new chapters.
You can also purchase the next 100 chapters of the novel directly from my Patreon page.
Hurry up! The promotion ends on March 2, 2026.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/LightKira10