184: It's done

The dawn over Fentian City was still shrouded in a dark red blaze of sunset clouds. The ever-burning furnace fires of the Tiangong Workshop seemed particularly intense this night, as if intent on extracting the last vestiges of Spiritual Qi from this land.

When Lin Chen pushed open the heavy black iron door to the inner chamber, a wave of heat hit him, carrying a mix of metallic chill and a young woman's body fragrance.

Bent over before the forging platform, Iron Heart Orchid was using a small file to perform the final polishing on a pair of gauntlets that emitted a dark golden luster. Her bronzed skin, illuminated by the furnace fire, glistened with beads of crystallized sweat. Her black hair, slightly disheveled from working through the night, clung in a few strands to her neck, revealing a breathtakingly untamed beauty.

"It's done," Iron Heart Orchid let out a sigh of relief and turned her head. Her eyes, brimming with heroic spirit, were bloodshot, but upon seeing Lin Chen, that redness melted into an intense, almost tangible affection and pride.

She picked up the pair of gauntlets, named [Dragon Scales], and walked over to Lin Chen. These gauntlets used the star iron Lin Chen had subdued as their foundation. Their interior was densely engraved with Ancestral Dragon Patterns, and the knuckles were even inlaid with a few shed juvenile Dragon Scales from Little Demoness Dragon, exuding a fearsome aura of baleful energy.

"My Lord, these are not just for defense, but a weapon of slaughter. They were tailor-made for your 'Ancestral Dragon Divine Body'. Here, help me test... their hardness." Iron Heart Orchid's voice was slightly hoarse, and in the dimly lit workshop, that hoarseness carried an indescribable allure.

Lin Chen did not take them. Instead, he spread his arms, allowing this Artifact Refining Grandmaster to 'dress' him.

It was an extremely slow and intimate process.

Half-kneeling before Lin Chen, Iron Heart Orchid first meticulously wrapped his hands with premium Fire-Silk Bandages. Her hands, calloused yet sensitive, traced the lines of Lin Chen's arms inch by inch. With each touch, she could feel the explosive, magma-like power contained within his muscles.

Due to the gauntlets' extremely tight, form-fitting closure design, Iron Heart Orchid had to press herself closely against Lin Chen's body. Her magnificent peaks were squeezed violently against his arm with her movements, and each rise and fall from her breathing caused the thin fire-resistant fabric to emit a groan as if under immense strain.

Looking down at her, Lin Chen could see beads of sweat on her bronzed back tracing the valley of her spine, disappearing into the curve of her taut waist.

"What's wrong? Are the Great Master Iron's hands trembling?" Lin Chen chuckled softly, his warm breath brushing against her ear.

"Shut up... This star iron is incredibly difficult to seal. I... I'm just afraid of hurting you," Iron Heart Orchid retorted stubbornly, but her heroic face was already flushed crimson, almost blending with the furnace fire behind her.

When the final dragon scale clasp snapped shut, Lin Chen suddenly clenched his fists.

"Hum—!"

An intensely suppressed dragon's roar exploded within the chamber. Lin Chen's eyes turned cold. Without using any Immortal Rank energy, relying purely on his Physical Body's strength, he threw a simple, straightforward punch into the Void Realm.

"Boom!"

Instantly, a visible white sonic boom ring erupted from his fist! The terrifying fist wind, like a tiger unleashed from its cage, instantly tore through the entire Tiangong Workshop. Not only did it pulverize a ten-thousand-pound test stone in the distance, but it even blasted away half of the Tiangong Workshop's heavily fortified, Formation-reinforced roof!

Crimson daylight poured into the workshop amidst swirling dust.

"Excellent gauntlets!" Lin Chen praised, feeling the feedback from within the gauntlets as if they could tear the Void Realm apart.

Iron Heart Orchid was sent staggering backward by the violent residual force. Just as she was about to fall into the fire pit, a powerful hand firmly grasped her slim waist.

Lin Chen pulled her in, pressing this Artifact Refining Grandmaster, who could command respect throughout the Second Heaven, tightly against his chest. Feeling the impact of her surging peaks, his eyes filled with aggression.

"The gauntlets are certainly hard enough. But the woman who forged them seems even softer."

"You... you scoundrel! You never miss a chance to take advantage!" Iron Heart Orchid exclaimed, a mix of shyness and competitiveness flashing in her eyes. She struggled to get up, but Lin Chen used his hands, now clad in the Dragon Scales gauntlets, to domineeringly cup her firm, round buttocks.

The icy cold metal texture colliding with her scorching skin sent a shudder that trembled her very Soul.

"If... if you keep talking nonsense, I'll pound you into an iron pancake! Tomorrow is the assembly. Don't embarrass me, and don't... die there." Her final words were almost inaudible, carrying even a hint of a humble plea.

Lin Chen laughed heartily, released his hold, and turned to walk towards the flying vessel already prepared outside.

On the flying vessel, Su Qingge remained in her white dress, eyes veiled, standing by like the quietest attendant. Little Demoness Dragon sat at the prow, swinging her feet, crunching on a few pieces of discarded spirit ore.

"Set off. To the Divine Fire Palace."

...The flying vessel shot through the sky, transforming into a streak of golden light, heading straight for the center of power in the Second Heaven—the Divine Fire Palace.

However, in a shadowy canyon along the necessary route, dozens of cyan Sword Qi glows were rising and falling, interweaving.

Jun Bufan sat cross-legged atop a massive broken sword, his gaze venomously fixed on the rapidly approaching streak of light in the distance. Behind him, several Elders from the Sword Washing Pool stood with profound auras, all experts at the True Immortal level.

"You broke my Magic Treasure, you insulted my Sword Sect. Lin Chen, today this canyon shall be your burial ground!"

...Night fell. The flying vessel navigated through a sea of fiery clouds, drawing closer and closer to the ambush zone.

But at this moment, within the vessel's inner chambers, the atmosphere was thick and palpitation-inducing.

With the legendary Red-Haired Empress Zhurong Zhuyan to face tomorrow, Iron Heart Orchid's heart was restless. Under the pretext of 'final equipment maintenance,' she once again slipped into Lin Chen's bedchamber.

"My Lord... let Qinglan check your body's strength one more time."

Her voice hoarse, under the flickering palace lanterns, she slowly pulled open her sweat-soaked martial attire.

As the fabric slid away, that body, sculpted like a bronzed marble masterpiece, was laid bare before Lin Chen. Unlike Su Qingge's ethereal whiteness, Iron Heart Orchid's body radiated a wild, healthy glow. Her abdomen bore two distinct lines of muscle definition, her waist astonishingly slender yet brimming with explosive power.

"This body... was forged to its limits for you, my Lord."

"Ah—!"

"Master... refine me too... right here..."

High above the churning sea of clouds, delicate cries intertwined with dragon roars.

Looking down at the woman in his arms, her eyes glazed over with extreme pleasure, a cruel, confident smile curled at the corner of Lin Chen's mouth.

What Sword Washing Pool, what Empress.

All the pride in this world would ultimately, upon this bed, beneath him, Lin Chen, turn into the most humble, formless mud.

[Congratulations, host! Deep Fusion with Iron Heart Orchid achieved! Equipment affinity reached: 100%!] [Dragon Scales Gauntlets have evolved into: [Ancestral Dragon Immortal-Slaying Claws] (Ignores defenses below True Immortal level)!] [Large-scale Sword Qi fluctuations detected ahead. Sword Washing Pool ambush initiated. Protagonist, it's time to give those Sword Cultivators an unforgettable 'surprise'!]