346: Cold Iron Sword

Inside the weapon workshop deep within Hanyue Valley, the furnace fire illuminated half the sky.

Ouyezi, bare-chested, sweat beading on his bronze skin, brought down his iron hammer with immense force each time, striking the red-hot cold iron and sending sparks flying.

On the iron rack beside him, fifty longswords were neatly arranged, their blades gleaming with a faint blue light. These were the "duan shui sword" crafted from the cold iron of the meteoritic iron mine.

"Young Lord, you're here!" Ouyezi caught sight of Jun Xiaoyao walking in, grinned, and held up a freshly quenched duan shui sword.

"Look at this quality! Cutting hair is a minor feat; even the Protective Aura of a Heavenly Human Realm expert can be broken with one strike!"

Jun Xiaoyao stepped forward, his fingertips lightly caressing the blade. The unique coldness of the cold iron spread along his fingertips, and the cloud patterns on the blade flowed under the firelight, as if something alive was swimming within. He nodded slightly: "Good, better than expected."

Ouyezi stroked his beard proudly: "Naturally! This old man could forge Zhanlu and Chun Jun back in the day. Now, with the excellent material from this meteoritic iron mine, plus the Spiritual Qi blessing from Beyond Heaven, these duan shui swords are no less sharp than ancient divine weapons!"

At this moment, Zhao Gao entered the weapon workshop with several "Heaven"-level assassins. The leading assassin knelt on one knee, his voice steady: "Young Lord, your subordinates are here to receive their swords."

Jun Xiaoyao motioned for Ouyezi to distribute the duan shui swords. The assassins took the longswords and drew them to test their sharpness. Sword Qi intertwined into a cold gleam, actually dimming the furnace fires in the workshop. An assassin couldn't help but praise: "Good sword! With this sword in hand, assassinating a Heavenly Human Realm master gives us at least three tenths more certainty!"

Jun Xiaoyao watched this scene and said to Zhao Gao: "Have the 'Heaven' group depart immediately to retrieve the 'dragon soul jade' from the Western Qin Imperial Family. It is said that the jade can stabilize one's Realm, perfect for Wu Song, who just broke through to the Grandmaster Realm."

Zhao Gao bowed and replied: "Reporting to Young Lord, the 'Shadow' group has sent back news that the Western Qin Imperial Family has invited Liu Jinghong, the Sect Head of the 'Jinghong Sword Sect,' to guard the dragon soul jade. Liu Jinghong is in the Middle Celestial Realm, and his 'Jinghong Sword Art' is as fast as lightning, making him difficult to deal with."

Jun Xiaoyao's eyes flickered. He had an impression of Liu Jinghong's name; this person had a great reputation in the Jianghu years ago, but later disappeared for unknown reasons. He hadn't expected him to be invited out by the Western Qin Imperial Family. He looked at the leader of the 'Heaven' group, who had just received his duan shui sword: "Are you confident?"

The leader gripped the duan shui sword in his hand, a sharp glint in his eyes: "Young Lord, rest assured. This subordinate's duan shui sword is eager to test the sharpness of the Jinghong Sword!"

Just then, a hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the weapon workshop. A The Net Secret Guard rushed in, his face solemn: "Young Lord, something's wrong! There's an anomaly in the secret vault. The 'Earth' group guarding the vault sent an alarm, saying an unknown force has broken in!"

Jun Xiaoyao frowned slightly. The secret vault of Hanyue Valley was hidden deep within the underground palace, surrounded by the Seven Star Gathering Righteousness Formation set up by Wang Chongyang. Ordinary masters couldn't even get close, yet someone dared to break in?

"Let's go see." Jun Xiaoyao turned to leave, and Ouyezi quickly followed, picking up an iron hammer from the corner: "Who dares to break into our secret vault? This old man will smash him flat with one hammer!"

At the entrance of the secret vault, the Formation glowed, and runes intertwined into a net, trapping two Men in Black in the center. The Men in Black wore night clothes, their faces covered with black cloth, and the short knives in their hands glowed green, obviously coated with potent poison. They were frantically attacking the Formation core, but the Spiritual Qi rebounded by the runes repeatedly forced them back, blood spilling from the corners of their mouths.

"It's the Poison Shadow Cult people!" Zhao Gao recognized the snake-shaped token at the waist of the Men in Black at a glance. "The Poison Shadow Cult specializes in poison and stealth. They were suppressed by The Net years ago. I didn't expect them to dare provoke us again!"

Jun Xiaoyao didn't speak, only looked at the Men in Black in the Formation. Their movements seemed chaotic, but in fact, each attack landed on a weak point of the Formation core, clearly indicating they knew something about the Seven Star Gathering Righteousness Formation. He had an idea and said to Zhao Gao: "Keep them alive."

"Yes!" Zhao Gao winked at the 'Earth' group guarding the vault. An assassin suddenly struck, a silver needle piercing the air and accurately hitting the numbing points of the two Men in Black. The Formation light dispersed, and the Men in Black collapsed to the ground, twitching all over, clearly having been hit by The Net's specially made "muscle-softening powder."

Zhao Gao stepped forward and tore off the black cloth from one of them, revealing a scarred face. He snorted coldly: "Indeed, it's the Poison Scorpion of the Poison Shadow Cult. You escaped back then, but this time, let's see where you run!"

Poison Scorpion gritted his teeth and glared at Zhao Gao, his eyes full of resentment: "Zhao Gao! Don't get complacent! Our Cult Master said that the secret vault of Beyond Heaven hides many treasures. Even if we die today, someone will avenge us!"

Jun Xiaoyao looked at Poison Scorpion and said lightly: "Who is your Cult Master? Why did you break into the secret vault?"

Poison Scorpion sneered: "How can you know our Cult Master's name? But I can tell you, what we're looking for is the golden silkworm gu egg brought back from the Myriad Gu Cave! As long as we get the gu egg, the Cult Master can refine the 'Myriad Gu Soul Devouring Pill.' By then, the entire continent will submit to our Poison Shadow Cult!"

"Wishful thinking!" Ouyezi roared, raising his iron hammer to smash down, but Jun Xiaoyao stopped him.

Jun Xiaoyao looked at Poison Scorpion, his eyes deep: "Is your Cult Master 'Thousand-Faced Poison Lord' Situ No-Return?"

Poison Scorpion's face changed dramatically: "How do you know..." Before he could finish, he realized his slip of the tongue and quickly shut his mouth.

Jun Xiaoyao understood in his heart. Situ No-Return was a notorious poison master in the Jianghu ten years ago, said to be able to refine the colorless and odorless "bone melting powder." Later, he was jointly hunted down by several Righteous Path masters and disappeared without a trace. He hadn't expected him to be hiding in the Poison Shadow Cult as its Cult Master.

"Zhao Gao," Jun Xiaoyao said, "lock them in the water prison and have the 'Punishment' group interrogate them. Make sure to find out the Poison Shadow Cult's lair."

"Yes."

After dealing with Poison Scorpion and the others, Jun Xiaoyao returned to the underground palace. He sat behind the cold jade couch, watching the 'Heaven' group assassins exploring the Western Qin Imperial Palace in the water mirror, his fingertips tapping gently on the table. The Poison Shadow Cult's disturbance made him realize that Beyond Heaven's secret vault had attracted the covetous eyes of Jianghu forces. It seemed he needed to strengthen its defenses.

He looked at the summoning array in the center of the underground palace. The Spiritual Qi in the Formation core, due to the quenching of the duan shui sword and the Spiritual Qi fluctuations from the secret vault, had increased to 80%. Amidst the flowing runes, a sword-shaped phantom actually appeared.

[System Notification: Potential threat detected, triggering defensive summon.]

[Summonable Character: Xie Xiaofeng]

[From: The World of 'The Third Master's Sword']

[Realm: Late Heaven-Man Realm]

[Martial Skill: Thirteen Swords of Life Taking (Perfection), Divine Sword Art (Major Achievement)]

[Specialty: Sword Dao Grandmaster, can see through the flaws of all sword techniques, unparalleled defense]

[Summon Cost: 75% Spiritual Qi]

Jun Xiaoyao's fingertip touched the name "Xie Xiaofeng." The summoning array suddenly erupted with dazzling white light, and runes intertwined like sharp swords. A white-robed figure condensed in the light. The man held a longsword, his face handsome, with a hint of melancholy between his brows. It was none other than "The World's Foremost Swordsman" Xie Xiaofeng.

"Xie Xiaofeng greets Young Lord." His voice was calm, his gaze sweeping across the underground palace, finally resting on Jun Xiaoyao. "Although the Spiritual Qi here is thin, there is the sound of swords, making it a good place to practice swordsmanship."

[Character Panel: Xie Xiaofeng]

[Status: Calm]

[Loyalty: 85%]

[Current Thought: The material of the duan shui sword is good. If it can be used to reforge the 'Xie Family Divine Sword,' it might reach a higher level.]

Jun Xiaoyao nodded slightly: "The Poison Shadow Cult covets the golden silkworm gu egg in my secret vault. Go assist in guarding the vault. Anyone who trespasses will be killed without mercy."

Xie Xiaofeng's longsword hummed softly, a thin light emanating from its blade: "Young Lord, rest assured. With me here, no one will get into the secret vault unless they step over my corpse." He turned and walked towards the secret vault entrance, his white robes like snow, his steps steady. With each step, a faint Sword Intent emanated, imbuing the surrounding air with a hint of sharpness.

At this moment, news came from the 'Heaven' group in the water mirror. The dragon soul jade of the Western Qin Imperial Palace was hidden in a secret compartment in the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Liu Jinghong was guarding outside the hall with ten Disciples of the Jinghong Sword Sect. The 'Heaven' group leader had already led his people to infiltrate and could act at any time.

Jun Xiaoyao said to Zhao Gao: "Tell them to act quickly, grab the dragon soul jade and retreat. Don't get entangled with Liu Jinghong."

"Yes."

The water mirror scene switched. Outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Liu Jinghong stood with his hands behind his back, his white robes fluttering in the moonlight, like an exiled immortal. He seemed to sense something and suddenly spoke, his voice clear: "Since friends from The Net have arrived, why not show yourselves?"

Before his words finished, ten black figures leaped down from the rooftop, precisely the assassins of the 'Heaven' group. The leader, holding a duan shui sword, said in a deep voice: "Sect Head Liu, hand over the dragon soul jade, and your Jinghong Sword Sect will be safe."

Liu Jinghong chuckled lightly: "Just you? You dare to run wild in the Western Qin Imperial Palace?" His longsword suddenly unsheathed, and a sword light like a startled swan flashed, striking directly at the leader's face.

The leader was prepared. The duan shui sword slashed out horizontally, and the two swords clashed, emitting a crisp Dragon roar. Liu Jinghong felt a huge force, his tiger's mouth slightly numb, and he was secretly surprised: "What a sharp sword!"

The 'Heaven' group assassins took the opportunity to rush into the Hall of Mental Cultivation and quickly found the dragon soul jade in the secret compartment. Seeing their objective achieved, the leader shouted: "Retreat!"

How could Liu Jinghong let them go? He unleashed his Jinghong Sword Art, and sword light enveloped them like a net. The leader countered with a sword, and the Sword Qi of the duan shui sword actually broke through the sword light, forcing Liu Jinghong back half a step. The assassins seized the chance to use their Qinggong and disappeared into the night.

"Chase!" Liu Jinghong roared, leading his Disciples in pursuit, but there was no trace of the assassins.

Before the water mirror, Jun Xiaoyao watched the assassins successfully retreat with the dragon soul jade and said to Zhao Gao: "Have them go directly to the Northern Territory and give the dragon soul jade to Wu Song. Also, inform Xie Xiaofeng that the Poison Shadow Cult people might retaliate, and tell him to be careful."

Zhao Gao took the order and left. The furnace fire in the weapon workshop remained strong, and Ouyezi was still tirelessly forging duan shui swords.

At the entrance of the secret vault, Xie Xiaofeng's figure stood like a rock, Sword Intent enveloping the entire underground palace. In the Northern Territory military camp, Wu Song was eagerly waiting for the dragon soul jade to stabilize his Realm... Jun Xiaoyao leaned on the cold jade couch, looking at the Spiritual Qi slowly flowing in the summoning array, a deep glint in his eyes. Beyond Heaven was like this constantly tempered cold iron; every resource struggle, every challenge faced, was a tempering.

And what he had to do was to make this sword named "Beyond Heaven" sharper and sharper, until it could cut through all obstacles on this continent.

As night deepened, the snowy peaks of Hanyue Valley gleamed silver in the moonlight.

Jun Xiaoyao knew that the Poison Shadow Cult matter would not end here. Since Situ No-Return dared to covet the golden silkworm gu egg, he must have other tricks up his sleeve.

But he wasn't worried. With Xie Xiaofeng guarding the vault, plus The Net's assassins, even if Situ No-Return came personally, he wouldn't gain anything.

The Spiritual Qi of the summoning array had recovered to 80%, and as the runes flickered, it seemed to be nurturing new powerful individuals.

Jun Xiaoyao's fingertips lightly tapped the edge of the couch, a plan already forming in his mind—the next summon should perhaps be a master skilled in using poison, so as to completely resolve the hidden danger of the Poison Shadow Cult.

After all, the best way to deal with poison is with even more potent poison.