Physical therapy

On the other side.

Lin Qianxue's actions were far more direct, and far more shocking.

She unfurled her movement technique, shooting like a pale blue streak of light straight towards the earth core fire essence furnace at the center of the square, which radiated terrifying high temperatures! Wherever she passed, cold air spread, and a thin layer of frost condensed on the ground, forming a stark contrast with the searing heat all around.

"What is she doing?!"

"Is she insane? Charging directly at the earth core fire essence furnace?"

"That's Lin Qianxue! The Supreme Grade Ice Spirit Root! Does she want to use cold energy to oppose the earth core fire?"

The Disciples in the square were so startled by this scene that they stopped their work one after another, exclaiming in shock.

Under the gaze of countless astonished eyes, Lin Qianxue leaped up, actually jumping directly onto the hundred-zhang furnace's outer wall! Her toes lightly tapped on the scorching, flame-pattern-engraved furnace wall as her figure flitted upwards like a swallow. At each point of contact, an extreme cold of Ice Spirit Qi erupted, temporarily suppressing the flame patterns in that area. The furnace wall would frost over with ice-blue crystalline flowers, only to be quickly melted and evaporated by an even fiercer fiery Qi, hissing and steaming.

Within a few breaths, she had already leaped to the edge of the furnace mouth. The flames spewing from there were the most terrifying, a searing white tinged with gold, warping the very space with their heat.

Lin Qianxue's Face showed no fear. Her Innate Sword Heart gave her an intensely acute perception of the sword embryo within the furnace. She could "hear" the sword embryo's struggle and its eager cries for completion within the endless flames, and she could also sense how the overly violent fire was damaging its potential.

"It's you," Lin Qianxue whispered to herself, her eyes reflecting the churning, golden-red magma within the furnace.

She hesitated no longer, fully activating her Supreme Grade Ice Spirit Root! With her as the center, a terrifying cold wave erupted with a boom!

"Frozen for a Thousand Miles!"

Not a true thousand miles, but enough to temporarily suppress the violent fire essence in this tiny area around the furnace mouth!

A sapphire-blue stream of frigid Ice Spiritual Power surged from her palms like a waterfall flowing backwards, crashing fiercely against the spewing white-hot flames!

"BOOM—HISSSSS—!!"

Extreme cold and extreme heat, two diametrically opposed, mutually restraining forces clashed violently, erupting in a world-shaking roar and countless plumes of billowing steam! Ice and fire intertwined, spiritual power ran wild, forming a massive energy vortex that constantly annihilated and renewed itself!

Lin Qianxue grunted, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of her mouth. With her Golden Core Stage cultivation, forcibly opposing the core fire essence of the earth core fire essence furnace—even just to temporarily suppress the mouth—was an immense strain. She suffered internal injuries instantly. But her gaze remained resolute, with no intention of retreating.

The cold energy temporarily suppressed the eruption of flames, and the temperature at the furnace mouth plummeted.

Now!

A flash of sharp light gleamed in Lin Qianxue's eyes. She extended her right hand, making a grasping motion towards the very heart of the molten pool within the furnace, targeting that most intense, vaguely sword-shaped mass of golden-red light!

Innate Sword Heart, Affinity with All Swords! She wasn't forcibly seizing it, but rather issuing a call of resonance from her Sword Heart!

"Zheng—!!!"

A clear, crisp, piercing sword cry, brimming with boundless sharpness and joy, suddenly rang out from the depths of the furnace core, resounding throughout the entire square and even spreading across half of Divine Weapon Peak!

In the next moment, under the stupefied gazes of everyone, a golden-red streak of light, like the first ray of dawn, tore through the not-yet-settled vortex of ice and fire and shot out of the furnace!

The streak of light circled once in the air before finally, obediently and with a hint of affection, landed in the palm Lin Qianxue had already opened.

The light faded, revealing its true form.

It was a sword embryo about three chi and three cun long. Its entire body was crimson like blood jade, not yet fully solidified, with the blade still faintly flowing with a liquid metallic sheen. The sword had no guard; the hilt and blade were seamlessly integrated, with fluid, perfect lines that contained a primitive, unpolished, ultimate sharpness and fervor. Even more peculiar was the faint sense of distortion and folding in the space around the blade, a characteristic brought by that trace of "Spatial Crystal Dust."

The sword embryo was scorching hot to the touch. Had Lin Qianxue not wrapped her palm in Ice Spirit Qi, she would have been burned instantly. But it seemed to enjoy her Ice Spirit Qi, emitting a pleased hum as its fiery temperature gradually began to recede.

"A fine sword embryo," Lin Qianxue murmured, a flicker of infatuation and fervor in her eyes. She caressed the hot, strange blade with deep affection, sensing the immense potential and spirituality contained within, as if seeing its future form as a peerless Sacred Weapon. "From now on, I shall call you 'flowing fire.'"

She had obtained the sword embryo of her dreams, while Divine Weapon Peak had lost a potential future Sacred Weapon to guard its peak.

Right at that moment.

"Su Ye, you little brat! How dare you bully our Divine Weapon Peak as if we have no one?!"

A roar filled with a fury capable of scorching the heavens and boiling the seas, like a thunderclap from the Nine Heavens or the eruption of a volcano, boomed from the deepest part of the Divine Weapon Hall!

BOOM RUMBLE—!!!

The entire Divine Weapon Peak, no, even the surrounding mountain ranges, trembled violently under this roar! The square's ground cracked, countless forging furnaces toppled over, magma-like molten iron flowed everywhere, and Disciples stumbled around in terror, looking towards the source of the sound.

An Aura even more terrifying and violent than that of the earth core fire essence furnace shot skyward! That Aura was filled with the Concepts of destruction and forging, as if an ancient deity controlling fire and metal had awoken from slumber.

A crimson pillar of spiritual power smashed through the dome of the Divine Weapon Hall, shooting straight into the clouds, dyeing the sky the color of fiery sunset clouds!

A figure enveloped in roaring flames, carrying boundless rage and killing intent, shot through the air! Wherever he passed, the air ignited, leaving behind a fiery trail that lingered.

The figure landed at the center of the square, standing ten zhang directly in front of Su Ye.

The flames gradually receded, revealing his true appearance.

The newcomer was tall and powerfully built, not fat, but giving off an immense sense of robust solidity. He wore a suit of crimson battle armor that seemed woven from flowing magma, with natural patterns resembling roaring fire dragons. His beard and hair were crimson, standing on end like burning steel needles. His Face was rough-hewn with sharp angles, and his large, bell-like eyes seemed to contain two boiling volcanoes, now spewing tangible fury. The thick, fierce muscles of his Face twisted and trembled with extreme rage.

In his hand, he held an absurdly exaggerated great saber! The saber was a full zhang long, with a blade as broad as a door plank. Its entire body was dark red, inscribed with countless complex, ancient flame runes that flickered and glowed with his Master's fury, emanating a terrifying high temperature capable of instantly vaporizing metal and stone.

Even before the saber moved, its scorching, sharp Saber Intent had already begun to melt and crack the ground within a radius of a hundred zhang!

This was none other than the Peak Master of Divine Weapon Peak, the number one Artifact Refiner of the Taichu Holy Land, the powerhouse of the Hé Dào Realm Fifth Heaven—Ouyang Ye!

He was also famously known within the Holy Land for his explosive temper, a veritable Powder Keg that ignited at the slightest spark!

"Master!"

"Peak Master, you've finally come!"

"Peak Master! Kill this robber! He's almost emptied our armory! He even stole the Sacred Sword Embryo from the Earth Core Furnace!"

The surrounding Disciples who were fortunate enough to still be holding their weapons (or whose weapons Lin Waner hadn't fancied) cried out as if seeing a savior, tearfully accusing Su Ye of his "atrocities."

Ouyang Ye's gaze swept across the square.

He saw the bare, empty spot where the black iron weapon racks (along with the racks themselves) used to be.

He saw the chaotic mess, the toppled furnaces, the flowing molten iron, the panicked Disciples.

He saw the outrageously bulging, clanging large sack behind Lin Waner.

Finally, his gaze fixed dead on the crimson, flowing, spiritually vibrant sword embryo in Lin Qianxue's hand.

That was his life's work, painstakingly crafted over decades of collecting Materials, nurtured for a full sixty-year cycle in the earth core fire essence furnace, a project he placed great hopes on to break through to the Realm of Artifact Refining Grandmaster! It was the key to whether he could forge a true Sacred Weapon! He had even fused into it a trace of "Spatial Crystal Dust" he had obtained at great risk from an ancient ruin!

And now, it was in the hands of a little girl from Purple Bamboo Peak?!

"Puh—!" Ouyang Ye was so furious he spat out a mouthful of heart's blood, a result of acute rage causing his spiritual power to surge backwards. His entire body trembled—not from fear, but from extreme anger. His crimson beard and hair began to burn at the roots, and the flames around him surged once more!

"You! Little! Bastard! From! Purple! Bamboo! Peak!"

Ouyang Ye spat out each word, his voice like grinding metal, containing overwhelming killing intent. With each word uttered, the temperature in the square skyrocketed, and a layer of the ground's rock melted.

"Even if that madwoman Yun Yuzhen protects you, I won't give her that Face today!"

He raised the blazing great saber named "Skyburner" in his hand, its tip pointing directly at Su Ye. The violent Saber Intent locked on, as if the very space was being ignited and solidified.

"Put! Everything! Down exactly as you found it!"

Ouyang Ye's voice boomed like thunder, filled with indisputable authority:

"Then, sever one of your own arms, kneel, kowtow, and admit your wrong! I might consider sparing your wretched life!"

"Otherwise..."

A ferocious light erupted from his eyes. The flame runes on the Skyburner saber simultaneously lit up, the entire weapon transforming as if into a sun crashing to earth:

"I'll cut down this Supreme Bone of yours today! Let's see what that madwoman Yun Yuzhen can do about it! The Holy Land's rules won't tolerate such lawlessness from you either!"

Before his words even faded, Ouyang Ye had already made his move!

No probing, no mercy. A furious strike from the Hé Dào Realm Fifth Heaven erupted with a boom!

"Sky-Burning Slash!"

Ouyang Ye gripped the saber with both hands and, with a simple, straightforward motion, brought it down in a vertical slash!

The movement was ancient and unadorned, yet it contained the terrifying will and supreme power to incinerate the eight directions and cleave the heavens!

"BOOM—!!!"

A crimson stream of pure, compressed flame Saber Qi tore through the Void Realm and slashed down ferociously! Initially only about a zhang wide, the Saber Qi swelled with the wind the moment it left the blade, transforming in the blink of an eye into a hundred-zhang-long, sky-chasm-wide torrent of destruction! Wherever the Saber Qi passed, space was scorched with black fissures, groaning under the strain. The square's ground was plowed by the intangible Saber Intent into a bottomless molten trench, rapidly extending towards Su Ye!

Even before the Saber Qi arrived, its all-incinerating heat and sharpness made the Souls of the watching Disciples in the distance tremble, their skin stinging as if they were about to be ignited and torn apart the next second! Many lower-cultivation Disciples collapsed on the spot, blood seeping from their noses and mouths.

This was a full-power strike from a Hé Dào Realm Great Power! Even fellow Cultivators of the Hé Dào Realm would not dare to take it head-on! A Soul Transformation Cultivator would Face nothing but annihilation under this saber!

"Senior Brother!" Lin Waner cried out, her little Face pale with fright. She instinctively hid behind Su Ye, tightly clutching the hem of his robe.

Lin Qianxue also wore an expression of unprecedented gravity. She tightened her grip on the "flowing fire" sword embryo and glanced at her own ice sword, seemingly wrestling with the difficult decision of whether to step forward and fight alongside him. But she understood that the power of this slash far exceeded any level she could participate in.

All eyes in the square focused on that figure in white robes, watching how he would respond to this heaven-and-earth-destroying slash.

Would he dodge? Flee? Or... did he have some hidden trump card?

However.

Faced with this terrifying strike capable of instantly killing Soul Transformation Cultivators and seriously injuring peers of the same Realm, Su Ye remained standing in place, motionless.

He didn't even... bat an eyelid.

His Face held neither fear nor gravity, only a faint trace of helplessness, akin to encountering yet another uncooperative family member of a critically ill patient.

Just as the hundred-zhang flame Saber Qi was about to strike, its searing edge almost singeing his hair—

Su Ye finally moved.

He slowly raised his right hand, his five fingers naturally spread, palm facing outward towards the roaring incoming flame Saber Qi.

There was no surge of spiritual power, no roar of Dao principles.

He merely, in his heart, softly uttered two words:

"Heaven Swallowing."

At the center of his palm, a point of pure, ultimate "blackness" quietly appeared.

That blackness was not the color black, but "nothingness," "emptiness," "annihilation," the ultimate manifestation of devouring and assimilating everything! It was the external manifestation of the Heaven Swallowing Demonic Art operating at a certain level—the Devouring Vortex!

The vortex was initially the size of a needle tip, but the moment it appeared, it spun and expanded madly! In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a pitch-black, eerily rotating hole about a foot in diameter, suspended before Su Ye's palm, seemingly capable of sucking in Souls.

The flame Saber Qi arrived with a roar!

And then... there was no explosion, no roar, no dazzling collision of energies.

That awe-inspiring, mountain-scorching, sea-boiling hundred-zhang flame Saber Qi, the moment it touched the pitch-black vortex, was like a wisp of smoke drifting into a bottomless abyss, or a drop of water merging into a vast ocean.

"Huu—"

A sound so faint it was almost inaudible, like a sigh.

From beginning to end, the hundred-zhang Saber Qi was completely, cleanly... swallowed by the pitch-black vortex! Vanishing without a trace!

And that wasn't all.

Centered on the Devouring Vortex in Su Ye's palm, an intangible devouring force spread out. The fire-attributed Spiritual Qi in the square, dense enough to almost liquefy, the scorching energy drifting in the air, even the wisps of fire essence energy escaping from the earth core fire essence furnace... all behaved as if encountering a black hole, madly converging towards that vortex, then being devoured and refined!

In the blink of an eye.

The suffocatingly high temperature in the square plummeted!

The scorching, distorted air returned to clarity!

Many Disciples even instinctively shivered, feeling a chill sweep over them—an unprecedented experience for the Disciples of Divine Weapon Peak, who were accustomed to year-round intense heat!

"Burp~"

Su Ye slowly withdrew his right hand, and the pitch-black vortex vanished along with it. As if satisfied after a meal, he let out a soft burp. A faint wisp of black smoke, speckled with sparks, escaped the corner of his mouth before rapidly dissipating.

He smacked his lips and commented:

"The flavor's acceptable, just a bit too fiery, somewhat irritating to the throat, and there are quite a few Impurities."

Then, he looked up towards the not-too-distant Ouyang Ye, who remained frozen in his chopping stance, and offered kind consolation:

"Junior Martial Uncle Ouyang, you see, I wasn't mistaken, was I? The fire energy here truly is excessive. Even your attack carries such violent fire poison. Prolonged exposure could harm your liver and lungs, damaging your Dao Foundation. Your liver fire really needs proper treatment."

Silence.

A deathly stillness.

So quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone seemed to have been struck by a paralysis spell, eyes wide, mouths agape, staring fixedly at Su Ye as if looking at a monster, a Heavenly God, an indescribable entity.

Bare... bare-handed?

He caught a furious strike from the Peak Revered Master at the Hé Dào Realm Fifth Heaven?

Not blocked, not neutralized, but... swallowed?

And he even burped???

This... is this even human?! nascent soul sixth heaven?! You call this nascent soul sixth heaven?!

An illusion! It must be an illusion! Is the Peak Revered Master acting in a play with him?! But the molten ravines on the ground, the lingering spatial scorch marks not yet fully dispersed, the residual Saber Intent that makes one's Soul tremble... all attest to the reality and terror of that previous strike!

Yet, an attack like that was swallowed... Countless gazes, filled with shattered worldviews, darted back and forth between Su Ye and Ouyang Ye.

Never mind ordinary Disciples, even Ouyang Ye himself was now completely petrified.

He maintained his sword-drawing posture. The fury, killing intent, and ferocity on his Face all solidified, then slowly transformed into extreme shock, bewilderment, disbelief, and finally a trace of barely perceptible fear.

His strike, the "Sky-Burning Slash," though not enhanced with his life's essence blood or secret arts, had genuinely utilized over eighty percent of his power! Combined with his Hé Dào Realm cultivation and the quasi-Sacred Weapon, the Sky-Burning Mad Blade, he knew full well its terrifying might!

Even a fellow Cultivator at Hé Dào Realm Fifth Heaven would never dare to receive it so casually, let alone... swallow it?

What was that pitch-black vortex? What Cultivation Technique was that devouring power? When did Yun Yuzhen ever teach such a bizarre and terrifying technique? Does Taichu Holy Land possess such a Legacy?

Countless questions exploded in Ouyang Ye's mind, momentarily making him forget to continue attacking, and even forget his anger.

"You... you..." Ouyang Ye's throat was parched, his voice hoarse. The hand gripping his blade trembled uncontrollably for the first time—not from fear, but an instinctive reaction to power beyond comprehension. "What demonic art or evil technique are you Cultivating?!"

Su Ye leisurely straightened his collar, which had been ruffled by the hot wind, brushed off nonexistent dust, and resumed his gentle, refined, and compassionate "Divine Physician" demeanor.

"Junior Martial Uncle misunderstands. This is neither a demonic art nor an evil technique," Su Ye said with sincere earnestness. "This is a fragmentary ancient conditioning secret technique my Revered Master, Venerable Yun Yuzhen, obtained by chance in an ancient frigid abyss forbidden land during her early years. It's called the 'Supreme Yin Fire-Swallowing Art.'"

He explained with an air of seriousness: "This art possesses no offensive capabilities. Its sole function is to regulate Yin and Yang, devour excessive fire energy, returning it to the Supreme Yin to nourish oneself. Seeing Junior Martial Uncle's fire energy attacking the heart, your blade intent violent and fierce, I feared innocent Disciples and the surrounding environment might be harmed. As your Martial Nephew, I had no choice but to use this art to provide slight guidance, helping Junior Martial Uncle reduce your fire energy. I hope you can forgive my offense."

Shifting the blame to his Revered Master, Yun Yuzhen, caused Su Ye no psychological burden; he even found it perfectly reasonable. After all, his Revered Master's cultivation reached the heavens. With many debts, one more doesn't matter. What's wrong with having another mysterious Legacy? It's perfectly logical.

"'Supreme Yin Fire-Swallowing Art'? Since when did Purple Bamboo Peak possess such a technique?" Ouyang Ye's brows furrowed deeply like a river, his eyes flickering with suspicion and doubt, clearly disbelieving this explanation. Yun Yuzhen was strong and mysterious, but he had never heard she excelled in fire-attribute techniques, let alone such a bizarre fire-devouring secret art.

But the terrifying ability Su Ye had just displayed—casually swallowing eighty percent of his power—truly planted deep-seated apprehension within him. This kid definitely had problems! The Aura of that pitch-black vortex made even him, a Hé Dào Realm Cultivator, feel a trace of palpitation.

Moreover... just as he wavered in doubt, a faint yet vast as an abyss, cold as eternal profound ice Divine Sense quietly enveloped the entire square. This Divine Sense applied no pressure, merely existed silently, like a deity from the Nine Heavens indifferently gazing down upon this place.

The gaze of a Great Power of Tribulation Crossing Realm!

Yun Yuzhen!

Ouyang Ye's heart jolted. He abruptly looked up towards Purple Bamboo Peak's direction, as if he could pierce through space and see that woman in snow-white robes, peerlessly elegant, yet a constant headache for him. She knew everything happening here. She was watching!

With her here, even if he wanted to disregard everything and use his trump cards to kill Su Ye, success was nearly impossible. Furthermore, Su Ye himself was incredibly bizarre!

Ouyang Ye's expression shifted, his chest heaving violently, his crimson beard and hair stirring without wind. He clenched the hilt of the Sky-Burning Mad Blade tightly, knuckles white, emitting creaking sounds. Inner fury and killing intent boiled like magma, almost breaching his rationality. But that apprehension—towards Yun Yuzhen, towards Su Ye's bizarre methods, and a deep-seated instinctive fear of that devouring power—ultimately acted like ice water dousing the flames of his anger.

His teeth ground audibly, a frigid voice squeezing through the gaps:

"Su Ye! Regarding today's matter, if you don't give this old man a satisfactory explanation!"

"Even if I have to discard this old Face, I will take it to the Holy Revered Master, petition the Holy Land's Law Enforcement Hall, and definitely demand justice from your Purple Bamboo Peak!"

"The Holy Land has its rules! Even if you possess a Supreme Bone, a once-in-ten-millennium prodigy, you cannot act so lawlessly, forcibly seizing resources from other peaks! If this trend continues, where will the Holy Land's Foundation be?!"

Ouyang Ye's voice echoed across the square. He no longer spoke of killing, but invoked "reason" and "rules." This indicated that, at least overtly, he had temporarily abandoned the idea of a force solution, attempting to suppress Su Ye with righteousness and regulations.

Su Ye laughed inwardly. Afraid is afraid, why find excuses.

But outwardly, he showed an understanding expression and nodded.

"An explanation? Of course there must be one," Su Ye said calmly. "Rest assured, Junior Martial Uncle. I, your Martial Nephew, have always convinced others with reason and value principles most."

He reached into his robe (actually retrieving it from his System space), fumbled a bit, and pulled out an object.

The object looked rather shabby—roughly palm-sized, irregularly shaped, with rough edges, entirely grayish-black, its surface stained with furnace ash and oxidation marks, like a scrap of iron picked from a waste pile.

It was precisely that "Ancient Divine-Demonic Weapon Fragment" previously identified by the System scan!

As if casually discarding trash, Su Ye gently tossed the iron piece towards Ouyang Ye.

"Junior Martial Uncle, I'm not an unreasonable person either."

"Since these weapons are 'sick,' me taking them to Purple Bamboo Peak for treatment and conditioning is for the sake of the Holy Land's overall strength. It's a rightful act of 'inter-peak medical assistance.'"

"As for consultation fees, medicine costs, hospitalization fees, nursing fees, and subsequent rehabilitation conditioning fees..." Su Ye pointed at the iron piece. "This piece of 'Exotic Meteoritic Iron,' though unimpressive in appearance, has decent hardness. I'll temporarily mortgage it with you, Junior Martial Uncle, as a fee guarantee. Once the weapons recover and return, you can return it to me."

Ouyang Ye instinctively caught the tossed iron piece. The moment it landed in his hand, it felt exceptionally heavy, far surpassing black iron of the same volume. Moreover, its touch was piercingly cold, starkly contrasting with the surrounding scorching environment.

Seething with anger, seeing Su Ye trying to fool him with junk made his fury blaze even higher. He wanted to hurl this scrap back with force and unleash a torrent of curses.

But just as he prepared to exert force, the instinct and intuition of Taichu Holy Land's number one Artifact Refining Grandmaster, honed over nearly a millennium immersed in the Artifact Dao, forcibly halted his throwing motion!

Beneath that icy touch... something seemed hidden?

Ouyang Ye furrowed his brows tightly, suppressing his rage, brought the iron piece close to his eyes, and sent his Divine Sense sweeping over every corner, every finest texture of the fragment like the most precise engraving tool.

Initially, nothing seemed amiss, just a piece of waste iron with peculiar texture.

But when his Hé Dào Realm Divine Sense attempted to penetrate the fragment's interior to perceive its Material Origin—

"BOOM!!!"

An ancient, primordial, overwhelmingly domineering, terrifying will containing endless slaughter and destruction Aura, like a slumbering Vicious Beast slightly disturbed, violently rebounded from the fragment's deepest depths, crashing hard against Ouyang Ye's Divine Sense!

"Pfft—!" Ouyang Ye grunted as if struck a heavy blow, blood once again trickling from the corner of his mouth, his Face instantly paling several shades. But his eyes held not pain, instead erupting with an unprecedented, terrifying gleam akin to a starving wolf seeing flesh and blood!

What was that?!

Though it lasted only a flash, though it was so faint it almost dissipated, that was undoubtedly a wisp of Artifact Dao Law! Moreover, a level of Artifact Dao Law so high he couldn't comprehend or imagine it! Ancient, pure, filled with the aesthetic beauty of destructive power! Merely from that instant of contact, he seemed to see boundless seas of blood, fallen gods and demons, and terrifying weapons capable of cleaving stars and destroying worlds!

This was absolutely no ordinary Exotic Meteoritic Iron! This was... a treasure! A supreme treasure! A sacred object that would drive any Artifact Refiner mad!

If he could comprehend even a sliver of its Law Concept and integrate it into his own Artifact Dao... Forget forging Sacred Weapons, even impacting the legendary Realm of Divine Artifact Refiner in the future might not be impossible!

Ouyang Ye's heart beat uncontrollably fast. The hand holding the fragment trembled slightly—this time from excitement! He clutched the piece tightly, as if grasping his own great Dao future, terrified it might grow wings and fly away.

He took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, attempting to calm his tumultuous emotions. When he looked at Su Ye again, his gaze had completely changed.

He glanced once more at the mess in the square: the emptied weapon racks, the "liberated" sword embryos, the Disciples' empty hands and waists, and Lin Waner's bulging sack... Then, his gaze returned to the cold, heavy black iron piece in his hand.

The scales in his heart began to sway violently.

Those "borrowed" weapons, Materials, sword embryos, though precious, were mostly public property, accumulated by Divine Weapon Peak. Moreover, weapons could be reforged, Materials could be found again, sword embryos... though regrettable, with this iron piece, he might forge even better ones!

But this iron piece... was a supreme Opportunity that could allow him, Ouyang Ye, to achieve a Breakthrough in his personal Artifact Dao, perhaps even glimpse a higher Realm! It was personal! Belonging to him, Ouyang Ye!

Public losses versus personal great Dao prospects... This choice wasn't difficult for an old monster like Ouyang Ye, who had Cultivated for millennia and been stuck at the Hé Dào Realm for centuries.

"Ahem..."

Ouyang Ye cleared his throat twice. The furious crimson on his Face visibly faded, his contorted, burly features relaxed, and he struggled to squeeze out a smile that could be called "amiable"—though this smile appeared particularly awkward on his fierce Face.

With a grand wave of his hand, he sheathed the Sky-Burning Mad Blade, which still hummed faintly as if somewhat unwilling, and completely retracted the terrifying flames and Aura surrounding him.

"Since... since Nephew Su's intentions are good, for the sake of our Holy Land's weapons, conducting this... this 'inter-peak medical assistance'..."