159: Chapter 159 The Creation Furnace Appears

"That is… the tianxuan creation furnace?!" Xue Jiu exclaimed, a look of disbelief flashing in his eyes.

Xue Sha and Xue Ming were also stunned.

As Elders of the Blood Fiend Sect, they had naturally heard of the Tianxuan Sect's supreme treasure—rumored to be forged from fragments of an ancient Divine Artifact, containing a trace of the power of creation. If one could obtain it, one could refine all things, and even forge supreme treasures containing the power of rules.

But it was rumored that this object had been lost for a thousand years. Successive Sect Masters of the Tianxuan Sect had searched for it, but always without result.

Who would have thought that it had been hidden within the Sect all along!

"This is impossible!" Xue Ming muttered. "If the tianxuan creation furnace existed, why would Sect Master Situ Kong not have used it sooner? How could he have been beaten so miserably by us?"

"Because…" Sect Master Situ Kong's voice came from behind, weak yet carrying a hint of pride. "Although this furnace has a spirit, no Sect Master in history has been able to truly awaken it. Not even this old man."

"The tianxuan creation furnace can only be driven by someone recognized by its Furnace Spirit. For a thousand years, none of the thirty-seven generations of Sect Masters of my Tianxuan Sect have obtained this Opportunity. It has merely been a decoration, a symbol, and has never truly been used by the Tianxuan Sect."

Greed flashed in Xue Jiu's eyes: "If that is the case, then it should belong to my Blood Fiend Sect!"

He struck out with his palm, and a blood-colored giant hand grabbed toward the cauldron of creation!

However, the moment the blood light was about to touch the furnace body, the Chaos-colored flames within the furnace suddenly surged, transforming into a wall of fire that completely devoured the blood light! It didn't even stir up a ripple.

"What?!" Xue Jiu's expression changed.

The wall of fire slowly dissipated, and an ancient and majestic voice emanated from the furnace: "Descendants, those who dare to disturb the cauldron of creation must endure the 'Trial of Heart Refining.' Pass, and you may obtain the Legacy within the furnace; fail, and your Divine Soul will be extinguished."

The voice seemed to come from ancient times, containing an indescribable Dao rhyme. Every word was like a heavy hammer, striking at everyone's heart.

The three men, including Xue Jiu, stepped back in unison, their expressions grave.

"The Trial of Heart Refining?" Xue Sha gritted his teeth. "What kind of nonsense is that?"

"Who cares what kind of trial it is!" A ruthless look flashed in Xue Ming's eyes. "With the three of us working together, are we afraid of a broken furnace?"

He attacked again, this time summoning his Life-Bound Blood Blade and slashing toward the cauldron of creation!

The blade light tore through the Void Realm and fiercely struck the furnace body!

However, the furnace body only trembled slightly, and the Chaos flames surged out again, devouring the blade light. Immediately after, a grayish radiance shot out from the furnace, instantly enveloping Xue Ming!

"Ah!" Xue Ming let out a shrill scream, his entire body freezing in place.

Countless images flashed in his eyes. The images changed extremely fast: scenes of him being adopted by the Blood Fiend Sect in his childhood, his first time killing, his slaughtering of innocents and harvesting of female cultivators, his betrayal of his master, and so on. Each scene was a memory from his deepest core, and each scene made his spirit tremble violently!

In just three breaths, Xue Ming collapsed to the ground, bleeding from his seven orifices, his breath weak to the extreme!

"Xue Ming!" Xue Sha exclaimed, wanting to step forward, but was grabbed by Xue Jiu.

"Don't move!" Xue Jiu said in a deep voice. "That is the Trial of Heart Refining. He is experiencing the interrogation of his Heart Demon. If an outsider interferes, it will only make him die faster!"

Sure enough, after another three breaths, Xue Ming violently spat out a mouthful of black blood, the light in his eyes completely dimming.

His Divine Soul had been completely erased by the Trial of Heart Refining.

The corpse fell softly, with no signs of life.

The entire scene was deathly silent.

Everyone was too stunned by this scene to speak.

A powerhouse at the Middle Stage of Soul Transformation had actually been easily erased by a furnace in just a few breaths!

Xue Jiu's face was livid, and Xue Sha was trembling all over.

"This, what kind of monster is this?!"

"It is not a monster." Sect Master Situ Kong spoke slowly, a flash of realization in his eyes. "It is the Furnace Spirit. The Furnace Spirit of the cauldron of creation has finally awakened."

He looked at the tripod furnace, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

The Opportunity that generations of Sect Masters had sought but could not obtain had appeared in this way at the moment of the Sect's destruction.

"Lord Furnace Spirit," Sect Master Situ Kong clasped his fists and bowed, respectfully saying, "The thirty-eighth generation Sect Master of the Tianxuan Sect, Situ Kong, greets you. The Sect has suffered this great calamity; I implore you to take action and save my Tianxuan from this crisis!"

The furnace was silent for a moment, and then the ancient voice sounded again:

"Sect Master of later generations, do you know the conditions for awakening this seat?"

Sect Master Situ Kong was startled: "Please enlighten me, Lord."

"It requires the vital blood of the Tianxuan direct Bloodline, combined with the Chaos Power, to activate the spiritual consciousness that has been sleeping in the furnace for ten thousand years." The Furnace Spirit said slowly. "Just now, that girl used the Chaos Power to activate the Formation, which resonated with this seat. And when her vital blood spilled onto the Formation eye, it happened to drip onto the stone chamber where this seat was hidden, seeping into the furnace body."

The furnace light turned slightly, shining on the swaying Situ Ya not far away.

"It was she who awakened this seat."

Sect Master Situ Kong was stunned.

Everyone was stunned.

Situ Ya herself was also stunned.

She stared blankly at the huge tripod furnace, then looked down at her own fingertip that was still dripping blood, her mind blank for a moment.

"I… I awakened it?"

"Correct." The Furnace Spirit's voice actually carried a hint of gratification. "Little girl, you have the seed of the Chaos Power within you. Although weak, it is pure. Your vital blood also contains the mark of the Tianxuan direct Bloodline. The combination of the two is precisely the Opportunity this seat has been waiting for for ten thousand years."

The furnace body trembled gently, and a grayish radiance shot out from the furnace, slowly landing on Situ Ya.

Situ Ya felt a warm force surging into her body. The force was gentle and profound, as if it could soothe all pain. The Origin she had previously overdrawn from activating the Chaos Power was actually recovering at a speed visible to the naked eye!

"This is?"

"A small token of goodwill." The Furnace Spirit said. "Little girl, what is your name?"

"Situ… Situ Ya." Situ Ya replied stutteringly.

"Situ Ya," the Furnace Spirit repeated, then suddenly asked, "Do you know why this seat chose you?"

Situ Ya shook her head.

"Because you have a pure and stubborn heart." The Furnace Spirit said slowly. "Just now, when those three Soul Transformation powerhouses were besieging, everyone was in despair. Only you, knowing you were no match, still fought to the death to protect the Formation. You burned your vital blood, burned your Origin, burned everything, just to gain one more breath of time. This persistence reminded this seat of my former master."

The furnace light trembled slightly, as if lost in distant memories.

"My master was the same back then. Knowing that Heaven's mandate could not be defied, he still acted in a Heaven-Defying manner. Knowing that the Heavenly Dao could not be resisted, he still led the masses to resist. In the end, he fell, but the last words he left for this seat were: Wait."

The Furnace Spirit's voice actually carried a hint of vicissitudes and emotion.

"This seat has waited for ten thousand years, and finally, I have waited for you."

Situ Ya's eyes reddened, and for a moment, she didn't know what to say.

Sect Master Situ Kong, however, was already streaming with tears of old age.

"The ancestors bless us, the ancestors bless us!" He knelt on the ground and kowtowed heavily toward the cauldron of creation. "Ancestors of the Tianxuan Sect above, today the cauldron of creation has recognized its master; Tianxuan has hope!"

Other Tianxuan Sect Disciples also knelt down one after another, their eyes filled with tears of excitement.

Xue Jiu and Xue Sha's faces were livid.

They had not expected things to develop to this point.

"Big Brother, what should we do?" Xue Sha gritted his teeth. "That furnace is too evil; Xue Ming has already perished inside it."

Xue Jiu took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

"Don't panic." He said in a deep voice. "No matter how strong that furnace is, it is just a Magic Treasure. No matter how strong a Magic Treasure is, it needs someone to manipulate it. That girl is only at the Golden Core Middle Stage; how much power can she exert?"

A ruthless look flashed in his eyes: "While she has just recognized the master and has not yet fully mastered it, kill her! As long as the master is dead, that furnace will be an ownerless object!"

"But Xue Ming…"

"Xue Ming sought his own death!" Xue Jiu said sternly. "We only need to attack from a distance and not touch the furnace; what can it do to us?"

Xue Sha gritted his teeth: "Alright!"

The two looked at each other and attacked simultaneously!

This time, they did not approach, but instead activated their Blood Fiend Qi from afar, transforming it into countless blood blades and blood needles, shooting toward Situ Ya in an overwhelming manner!

"Careful!" Sect Master Situ Kong was shocked and tried his best to pounce toward his granddaughter.

But under his serious injuries, his speed was too slow.