Chapter 260 - 221: Rumors of a Divine Weapon, The Hope of Martial Artists

Chapter 260: Chapter 221: Rumors of a Divine Weapon, The Hope of Martial Artists

Just as Lu Zhao was preparing to mass-produce two types of Non-Tiered Puppets, a storm directly related to him was quietly brewing among the Mortal Martial Artists, far removed from the world of Cultivators.

In the vast region surrounding Broken River Castle, an area filled with countless mortal villages and merchant caravans, a seemingly absurd piece of news dropped like a bombshell. It instantly caused an uproar in the martial artist community, sending shockwaves far and wide.

The core of the news was so simple it was unbelievable, yet its content held a fatal allure: a supreme Divine Weapon was hidden within Broken River Castle! This Divine Weapon was not an Immortal Spiritual Artifact; even a Mortal Martial Artist who obtained it could contend with an Immortal Master and slay a Demon Beast!

At first, the news was only whispered in the taverns and backyards of Escort Agencies where martial artists gathered, spoken with a tone of probing and doubt.

However, as more and more "witnesses" who had "seen it with their own eyes" and "heard it with their own ears" emerged, the details were embellished and exaggerated until they sounded utterly miraculous.

What started as "contending with" them soon evolved into "slaying" and "slaughtering," even reaching the horrifying claim that "with it, one can kill Immortal Masters as easily as slaughtering dogs."

Panic, greed, disbelief, and a sliver of desire for the power of Immortal Masters—a desire suppressed for countless generations—began to grow wildly in the hearts of innumerable martial artists.

"The Lord Commander is a figure of immense stature. Anything that might slip through his fingers is beyond the imagination of us mortals, isn’t it?"

"I heard the Divine Weapon is shaped like a Sword Box. With one press of the mechanism, iron pellets rain down with perfect accuracy. Even an Immortal Master would have trouble blocking it!"

"No, no, I heard it’s a Profound Iron Long Saber! It’s impossibly heavy, yet can be swung like a feather. Wherever its blade falls, the bones and sinews of Demon Beasts are like rotten wood!"

"Is that for real? If such a thing truly exists, then we martial artists could..."

"SHH! Quiet! Don’t forget where you are..."

Amidst the clamorous discussions, there was an undercurrent of deep reverence for the master of Broken River Castle, that mysterious and powerful Commander.

It was this reverence, like an invisible shackle, that temporarily restrained the surging undercurrent. No one dared to actually approach Broken River Castle to verify the rumors.

After all, these Mortal Martial Artists couldn’t even withstand the wrath of an ordinary Immortal Master, let alone *him*. His rage could leave corpses strewn across a hundred li—a truth that the Mortal Martial Artists surviving on the Broken River Plains understood better than anyone.

The rumors were thus confined to the martial artist community. However, the emotions of those martial artists were like Earth Fire surging beneath layers of rock—though it hadn’t erupted, its heat was already unbearable.

Meanwhile, near the edge of the Broken River Plains, the atmosphere within a martial artist organization called the Hidden Dragon Association was as heavy as the dead calm before a storm.

The organization had an extremely high bar for entry; only Grand Martial Artists were allowed to join. It brought together the top echelon of the Mortal Martial Dao from hundreds of li around.

At this moment, two of the organization’s most respected elders were engaged in a heated debate.

In a room with simple, antique furnishings, an old man with white hair and a white beard, but eyes as sharp as an eagle’s, was pacing back and forth anxiously.

He was not tall, even a little stooped, but with every step he took, the green bricks beneath his feet let out a faint groan, revealing the terrifying power hidden within his body.

This was Zhao Shouren, respectfully known as Elder Turtle. He was famous in the martial artist circles of the Broken River Plains for his unrivaled defensive technique, the Profound Turtle Force. His personality, like his name, was exceptionally steady.

"Elder Lu! Are you absolutely certain? It’s not a Blood Refining Spiritual Artifact? And ordinary Martial Artists, even basic Martial Artists, can truly use it?" Elder Turtle stopped abruptly, his turbid yet piercing eyes fixed on the other man sitting in the Grandmaster’s Chair. His voice was filled with suppressed excitement and profound doubt.

The man he called Elder Lu had a straight, pine-like posture, a ruddy complexion, and nimble eyes. He was none other than Luming Mountain, famous for his Lightweight Skill and Tracking Technique.

Faced with Elder Turtle’s questioning, Luming Mountain showed a trace of exasperation. He set down his teacup and said in a low voice, "Brother Turtle, that’s the eighth time you’ve asked me that! I, Luming Mountain, swear on my name that I am not lying!"

"That thing is definitely not an Evil Object! And one of the people who tested it was one of my own worthless disciples! That boy’s character is as straight as iron. He’s been with me for twenty years and has never told me a single lie! If he says it works, then it definitely works!"

Elder Turtle heaved a heavy sigh, his wrinkled face etched with weariness and fatigue. "Brother Lu, it’s not that I don’t believe you, nor that I don’t believe your disciple."

"It’s just that you and I have lived most of our lives struggling to survive on these Broken River Plains. Is there anything we haven’t seen or heard?"

"All those so-called ’Divine Skills’ and ’Treasure Artifacts’ that claim to let one ’contend with Immortal Masters’ and ’slay Demon Beasts’—hasn’t every single one been praised to the high heavens? Blood Refining Spiritual Artifacts are some of the better ones, as they can at least unleash some power, even if the price is devastating."

"Most of them are just tricks used by charlatans to swindle money, or traps set by some Evil Cultivator to harm martial artists! Haven’t enough of our brothers in the Hidden Dragon Association fallen for them? These are lessons written in blood!"

He walked to the window, his voice dropping low as he gazed outside, tinged with an indescribable sorrow. "Back then, there was Old Li. For that so-called demon-slaying ’Evil-Breaking Saber,’ he spent his entire fortune, only to have his Essence Blood drained by the saber until he was nothing but dried bones. And Hua Sanniang, who believed that nonsense about ’Qi Introduction’ and ended up rupturing all her meridians..."

"Hope after hope, shattered time and again. Watching our brothers fall one by one... my heart grew cold long ago."

"And now the rumors outside are so absurd, claiming one can ’kill Immortal Masters like slaughtering dogs’? Brother Lu, how can you expect me to believe that? It sounds a hundred times more ridiculous than any of the old scams!"

Hearing this, a flash of pain also crossed Luming Mountain’s eyes. Clearly, those past events were just as deeply etched in his memory.

He was silent for a moment, then slowly rose and walked to Elder Turtle’s side, his tone exceptionally firm. "Brother Turtle, I understand everything you’re saying. I haven’t forgotten the blood our brothers shed, either. But this time, it’s really different!"

He took a deep breath, his voice dropping even lower but carrying a power that could not be questioned. "Do you know who it is that refined this ’Divine Weapon’?"

Elder Turtle’s head snapped around, a sharp light bursting from his cloudy eyes. "Who?"

"The master of Broken River Castle! That legendary existence!" Luming Mountain spoke each word deliberately, as if every syllable were a heavy hammer striking Elder Turtle’s heart. "It is the Commander, Immortal Master Lu! He is the one refining this item! This is the absolute truth!"

"Immortal Master Lu."

Elder Turtle repeated the name in a mumble, his stooped body trembling slightly. In the hearts of the mortals on the Broken River Plains, this name had long since transcended the category of an ordinary "Immortal Master," bordering on divinity.

He guarded Broken River Castle, protected the region, and slaughtered Demon Beasts as if cutting weeds. His power was unfathomable. If it truly came from his hands...

The doubt on Elder Turtle’s face finally began to waver, replaced by a mixture of reverence, shock, and a faint, rekindled glimmer of hope.

He slowly sat back down in his chair, his voice a little hoarse. "If it’s really him... what does this Divine Weapon look like? Is there truly no price to pay? It doesn’t need to be activated with Essence Blood? And it won’t cause a backlash to the user?"

These were his greatest concerns, and the greatest fears of all martial artists.

Power always came at a price. When mortals coveted the power of Cultivators, they often had to offer their own lives as a sacrifice.

Seeing that Elder Turtle was finally starting to believe, Luming Mountain’s spirits lifted. He quickly said, "According to my disciple’s description, there are two types of Divine Weapons."

"The first is a long, narrow metal Sword Box, pitch-black all over, and heavy and cold to the touch. It has a mechanism inside. When used, you just pull the trigger, and it fires astonishingly powerful iron pellets as fast as lightning!"

"The second is a Profound Iron Long Saber of simple, ancient design. The body of the saber is thick and heavy, but its edge glints with an unusual, cold light. Whoever wields this saber will experience an explosive increase in combat power. My disciple estimates that it could cleave through the tough Scale Armor of a Demon Beast in a single strike!"

He paused, his tone becoming resolute and filled with utter certainty. "As for the price! Brother Turtle, I’ll say it again: there is no price!"

"My disciple personally tested that Long Saber! He said that with the saber in hand, it felt as if he could cut through any obstacle! He felt that wherever the blade pointed, he could look down upon all things with contempt."

"Other than that, there were no other strange sensations! No weakness from draining Essence Blood, no daze from an eroded Heart Spirit, and certainly none of that bone-chilling cold and deathly aura that comes after using a Blood Refining Spiritual Artifact! It was just like wielding an invincible, peerless Divine Weapon! That’s it!"

"’That’s it?’ Elder Turtle murmured, his expression becoming extremely complex. ’Power without a price?’ This simply overturned his entire life’s understanding of the world.

He imagined the scene: an ordinary Martial Artist, Long Saber in hand, cleaving a Demon Beast in two with a single strike... The image caused his Heart Lake, which had been still for many years, to churn violently.

After a long time, a long sigh, filled with endless weariness and confusion, escaped Elder Turtle’s lips. "Sigh... if this is true, then for this Divine Weapon to appear in the world... I truly don’t know if it’s a blessing or a curse for us martial artists."

He could almost see it: martial artists wielding Divine Weapons, no longer fearing Demon Beasts, even daring to raise their blades against the lofty Immortal Masters.

The vision was both exhilarating and fraught with unknown dangers. Power could bring dignity, but it could also bring destruction.

’If mortals possessed the power to challenge Immortal Masters, what would this world become?’

Luming Mountain saw the confusion in his old friend’s eyes, took a step forward, and gripped Elder Turtle’s withered but iron-hard wrist. A nearly fanatical flame burned in his eyes. "Brother Turtle! Blessing or curse, who cares! This is a power we must obtain!"

"For our fallen brothers, for the younger generation still living, and so that we no longer have to be like ants, forced to just stand by and watch Demon Beasts run rampant, watch our loved ones die horribly, and watch Immortal Masters decide our fates with a single thought!"

His voice trembled with emotion, carrying a do-or-die resolve. "I’ve had enough of this powerlessness! So what if we have so-called ’Advanced Martial Arts’? So what if we train until our hair turns white and we reach the Grand Martial Artist Realm?"

"In front of a real Demon Beast, in front of an Immortal Master, what’s the difference between us and some unarmed farmer or a crying child? The only difference is that we can run a little faster and maybe die a slightly more dignified death!"

"This time is different! Immortal Master Lu’s Divine Weapon has given us a chance! A chance to truly grasp power and change our destiny!"

"Even if I have to pay any price, even if it means becoming a slave and serving that Immortal Master Lu for the rest of my life, I would do it without hesitation!"

"As long as I can obtain this power! As long as it allows us martial artists to truly stand tall and live like human beings on these Broken River Plains, in this cruel world!"

Luming Mountain’s words struck Elder Turtle’s heart like heavy hammers.

Those five words, "live like a human being," touched the deepest pain and desire in his heart.

He remained silent, his stooped back seeming to straighten slightly. The confusion in his cloudy old eyes gradually faded, replaced by a resolve forged through a lifetime of hardship.

He slowly raised his head and looked toward Broken River Castle, his gaze seeming to pierce through the mountains and Restrictions, landing on the unfathomably mysterious Immortal Master Lu.

The Hidden Dragon Association, and the countless martial artists struggling to survive on the Broken River Plains—their destinies seemed to be quietly shifting in an unknown direction because of these sudden rumors about the "Divine Weapon."

And at the center of the storm, Lu Zhao remained completely unaware, still focused on his Puppet Refining within his cavern estate.