103: Xuan Bing first formed

Inside the forge of Beyond Heaven, flames soared to the sky. Ouyezi was shirtless, his bronze skin drenched in sweat. Every swing of his hammer carried the force of a thousand jun, sending sparks flying as he struck the profound ice iron. In the furnace at the center of the forge, the flames were an eerie blue. This was the "Li Fire" that Ouyezi manipulated with a special technique; its temperature was high enough to melt anything in the world, yet it could perfectly contain the extreme cold Qi of the profound ice iron.

Jun Xiaoyao stood quietly outside the workshop, watching Ouyezi’s focused figure through the thick glass window. Behind him, Zhao Gao held a scroll of intelligence reports and whispered, "Young Lord, The Net has discovered that the 'Fentian Palace' in the Western Regions has been very active lately. Their Saintess is gathering various branch leaders, seemingly plotting something major. It is said that Fentian Palace's sect-protecting treasure, the 'Heaven Burning Art', can summon exotic flames of heaven and earth, which happens to be the exact nemesis of the Cold Marrow Jade we just obtained. Should we..."

"No need." Jun Xiaoyao interrupted him, his gaze still fixed on the profound ice iron in the furnace. "Fentian Palace is far away in the Western Regions; we have no conflict of interest. As long as they do not touch the interests of Beyond Heaven, there is no need to pay them any mind."

Zhao Gao bowed in acknowledgment, though he secretly took note—the Young Lord did not like to stir up trouble, but he never underestimated potential threats. By letting Fentian Palace be for now, he likely already had a backup plan.

Three days later, the flames in the forge finally extinguished.

Ouyezi walked out holding a long sword. The blade was entirely translucent white, as if carved from ten-thousand-year-old ice. Intricate patterns were engraved on the spine, with a faint chill flowing through them. Touching it did not feel cold, but rather carried a hint of warmth.

"Young Lord, it is done!" Ouyezi’s face wore a weary but excited smile. "This sword incorporates the powder of Cold Marrow Jade. Not only is it unparalleled in sharpness, but it can also automatically absorb the surrounding cold Qi. When using sword techniques, it can freeze the opponent's Internal Energy. It can be considered a quasi-divine weapon!"

Jun Xiaoyao took the long sword. It felt slightly heavy in his hand, and the blade refracted a faint blue light in the sunlight, as if flowing water were surging within the sword body. He swung it gently, and as the sword wind swept past, a row of wooden stakes outside the workshop was instantly severed cleanly, with a layer of thin ice condensing on the cut surfaces.

"Good sword." He nodded with satisfaction and handed the sword to West Gate Blows Snow behind him. "This sword has a destiny with you; I shall gift it to you."

A hint of emotion flashed in West Gate Blows Snow's eyes. He gently caressed the sword body, feeling the extreme cold Sword Intent contained within it faintly resonating with his "Flying Immortal from Beyond the Heavens". He knelt on one knee and received the long sword with both hands: "Thank you, Young Lord, for the gift of the sword!"

Jun Xiaoyao waved his hand and said to Ouyezi, "Old sir, you have worked hard. The forging of weapons for Beyond Heaven will be left to you from now on. There is still some deep-sea cold iron in the warehouse; see if you can forge a few more suitable weapons to distribute to the core killers of The Net."

Ouyezi patted his chest and said, "Young Lord, rest assured, I will do my best! However, deep-sea cold iron has a violent nature and requires 'Earth Heart Fire' to temper. I ask the Young Lord to send someone to the volcanic range in the Southern Wilderness to retrieve some Earth Heart Fire crystals."

"Zhao Gao, make the arrangements." Jun Xiaoyao said indifferently.

Just then, a silver-ranked killer from The Net rushed in and knelt on one knee: "Young Lord, the Marshal of the Unruly has sent an urgent report from the East Sea. An unknown force has appeared in the Black Wind Reef sea area and is seizing the deep-sea cold iron we have been mining. The intruders call themselves the 'Sea Shark Gang'. The gang leader is an expert at the Initial Heaven Human Realm, and his methods are ruthless. He has already injured many of our brothers!"

The indifference on Jun Xiaoyao's face vanished instantly, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes: "Sea Shark Gang? Daring to touch the things of Beyond Heaven... they are tired of living." He looked at West Gate Blows Snow. "Go to the East Sea, assist the Marshal of the Unruly, and uproot the Sea Shark Gang. Remember, not a single piece of cold iron can be missing. Anyone who dares to lay a finger on it is to be executed without mercy!"

West Gate Blows Snow gripped the profound ice sword in his hand, and the sword let out a clear, resonant hum: "This subordinate obeys!"

Seven days later, East Sea, Black Wind Reef.

The Marshal of the Unruly stood on a warship, his silver spear stained with seawater and blood. On the deck in front of him lay dozens of corpses of Sea Shark Gang members, all with ferocious expressions, clearly having died violently.

"Leader, the Marshal of the Unruly is too strong, the brothers can't hold on much longer!" A small leader of the Sea Shark Gang knelt at the bow of the ship, crying out to a giant warship in the distance.

On the deck of the giant warship, a shirtless, brawny man was drinking. His left arm was tattooed with a ferocious shark, his right arm was muscular, and he held a heavy ghost-head saber in his hand. This was the leader of the Sea Shark Gang, "Shark Slayer".

"Trash!" Shark Slayer smashed the wine jar on the deck and roared, "It's just one Marshal of the Unruly, and it's worth you panicking? Pass the order down to activate the 'Shark Tide Formation'. I want to see if this person from Beyond Heaven is truly impervious to blades and spears!"

Following his command, a huge wave suddenly rose on the sea. Hundreds of giant sharks leaped out of the water, each one over a zhang long, their dorsal fins as sharp as blades, rushing toward the Marshal of the Unruly's warship. These sharks were clearly tamed by special means, their eyes flashing with bloodthirsty red light; this was the "Shark Tide Formation" that the Sea Shark Gang relied on for fame.

The Marshal of the Unruly snorted coldly, his Tiangang Art operating at full power. A dazzling golden light erupted from his silver spear. He slammed the spear into the deck, and the golden light spread along the hull, forming a golden protective shield. The sharks crashed into the shield and were shaken until their brains burst.

"Petty tricks!" Seeing this, Shark Slayer personally carried his ghost-head saber, stepped on a giant hammerhead shark, and charged toward the Marshal of the Unruly's warship. "Marshal of the Unruly, take my blade!"

The ghost-head saber slashed down with a fishy wind, the Saber Qi actually splitting the sea surface into a deep trench—clearly a full-power strike from an Initial Heaven Human Realm expert. The Marshal of the Unruly did not dodge or evade. He flicked his silver spear, and the tip precisely pierced the back of the blade. With a loud "clang," Shark Slayer was shaken back three steps, his web of the hand numb.

Just as the two were locked in fierce battle, a white shadow flashed across the horizon like lightning, and the sword light fell like a stream of silk. It was West Gate Blows Snow, who had come to provide support!

"Flying Immortal from Beyond the Heavens!"

The moment the profound ice sword was unsheathed, the surrounding temperature plummeted, and a thin layer of ice actually condensed on the sea surface. The sword light pierced through the shark tide and struck precisely on Shark Slayer's ghost-head saber. The extreme cold Qi of the profound ice iron spread along the blade. Shark Slayer felt his arm stiffen, and his Internal Energy flow became sluggish.

"Another expert of the Heavenly Human Realm?!" Shark Slayer was shocked and angry. He did not expect that Beyond Heaven actually had such a master. "You... who exactly are you people?"

"The people who are here to take your life." West Gate Blows Snow's tone was icy. He swung the profound ice sword again, and the sword light fell like a waterfall, forcing Shark Slayer to retreat repeatedly.

The Marshal of the Unruly seized the opportunity, his silver spear like a dragon emerging from the sea, stabbing straight at Shark Slayer's heart. Shark Slayer hurriedly swung his blade to parry, but was shaken by the duo's combined attack until his weapon flew out of his hand, and he fell backward, crashing heavily onto the deck.

"Leader!" The members of the Sea Shark Gang exclaimed and wanted to rush forward, but were blocked by the Marshal of the Unruly's silver spear, the blood dripping from the tip dyeing the sea red.

West Gate Blows Snow walked up to Shark Slayer and held the profound ice sword to his throat: "Speak, who sent you to seize the deep-sea cold iron?"

A flash of hesitation passed through Shark Slayer's eyes, then he grinned hideously: "Want to know? In your next life!" He suddenly bit his tongue, and black blood spilled from the corner of his mouth—he had actually committed suicide by poison.

The Marshal of the Unruly stepped forward to check and frowned: "It is 'Qianji Poison', it acts extremely fast. It seems they were afraid of being forced by us to reveal the mastermind."

West Gate Blows Snow sheathed his sword and swept his gaze over the surrounding Sea Shark Gang members: "Leave some alive, ask them if they know who ordered it."

After some interrogation, the members of the Sea Shark Gang finally revealed the truth—it turned out that Fentian Palace in the Western Regions had secretly contacted them, promising them a heavy reward to seize the deep-sea cold iron. It was said that the Saintess of Fentian Palace was refining a strange pill and needed deep-sea cold iron as a medicinal guide.

"Fentian Palace..." A cold glint flashed in the Marshal of the Unruly's eyes, "It seems they have lived long enough."

West Gate Blows Snow said indifferently: "The Young Lord has ordered that anyone who dares to touch the things of Beyond Heaven is to be executed without mercy. Since Fentian Palace dared to make a move, they should have thought of the consequences."

The two looked at each other, both seeing the killing intent in the other's eyes.

The news was sent back to Beyond Heaven. Jun Xiaoyao was sitting in his study, looking at the few weapons newly forged by Ouyezi. Zhao Gao stood to the side and whispered: "Young Lord, the Sea Shark Gang has been wiped out, all the deep-sea cold iron has been recovered. According to the confessions of the survivors, the mastermind is Fentian Palace."

Jun Xiaoyao picked up a short dagger. The blade was made of deep-sea cold iron, glowing with a dark purple luster, and was extremely sharp. He gently stroked the dagger, his tone flat yet carrying an unquestionable majesty: "Since Fentian Palace dared to touch my things, they must pay the price. Zhao Gao, pass the order down, let all the 'Heaven' grade killers of The Net move out. The target—the Saintess of Fentian Palace."

"Yes." Zhao Gao bowed and responded, knowing in his heart that a greater storm was about to be unleashed in the Western Regions.

Outside the study, the afterglow of the sunset spilled onto the palace of Beyond Heaven, illuminating the glazed tiles in golden splendor. Jun Xiaoyao looked out the window, his eyes without a ripple, as if he had only decided on a trivial matter. To him, any force that dared to challenge the authority of Beyond Heaven had only one outcome—destruction.

And far away in the Western Regions, Fentian Palace did not yet know that a net of death, woven by The Net, was already quietly covering them.