Chapter 1008: Forging the Sword

So this is the ancestor of the Giant Spirit Race!

Hearing these words, Li Qing finally snapped out of his daze. He took a deep breath and swiftly clasped his hands in a respectful bow. "Junior Li Qing greets Senior Gu!"

"No need for such formalities. Let's discuss the matter of our trade."

"I heard you mentioned wanting to use the flame law fragments here for weapon refinement. I can lend you a hand."

The Giant Spirit Race ancestor's words sent a jolt through Li Qing's heart.

Trading with a great ascension realm expert? That's something I never dared to dream of!

He couldn't fathom what he possessed that could possibly interest such a powerful being. Incurring a debt to someone of this caliber would be a matter of life and death.

He decided to first understand exactly what the Giant Spirit Ancestor wanted him to do. Otherwise, he wouldn't dare agree so casually.

"Senior Gu, what do you require of me?"

The Giant Spirit Ancestor chuckled softly. "Long ago, a violent upheaval occurred in the Fire Domain. This flame law fragment nearly exploded, threatening to devastate the entire Tonggu Continent."

"Later, a human great power, skilled in the fire dao, arrived. He left behind these mysterious dao patterns, not only stabilizing the fragment but also harnessing the power of the flame law through them."

"If not for that human great power's miraculous methods, the Tonggu Continent might not exist in its current form."

At this point, the Giant Spirit Ancestor turned to Li Qing and continued:

"Though I don't know your connection to that human great power, your ability to control these dao patterns qualifies you to make a deal with me."

"I want you to use these dao patterns to extract a portion of the flame law fragment's power for me."

He wants to play this big?!

Using dao patterns to manipulate the power of a flame law fragment was something Li Qing had never even dared to imagine.

Any misstep could lead to his death and the dissipation of his cultivation.

"This might be a bit difficult for me," Li Qing said. "I can't claim to have mastered these dao patterns."

Li Qing quickly pieced together the situation. With the war between the two races at a critical juncture, the Giant Spirit Ancestor likely intended to use the power of this flame law fragment to confront the Tree Demon Clan's ancient ancestor.

The flame law fragment's power likely possessed a potent countermeasure against the Tree Demon Clan.

The Giant Spirit Ancestor continued, "Just give it a try. If anything goes wrong, I'll protect you."

"Moreover, you can first use these dao patterns to manipulate the flame law fragment for weapon refinement. I'll assist you throughout the process, so there's no need to worry too much."

"This way, your mastery of the dao patterns will undoubtedly improve significantly."

Refining his second killing sword with a fragment of the flame law was an incredibly tempting proposition. Even Li Qing felt a surge of excitement.

This was the flame law itself! Even a fragment was something ordinary cultivators could never dream of accessing.

How many people in the world could claim to refine weapons with such power?!

"Shall we give it a try?" Li Qing asked tentatively.

The Giant Spirit Ancestor burst into laughter. "Hahahaha! Of course we shall!"

"Little friend, feel free to begin manipulating these dao patterns. I will assist you throughout the process."

With such an invitation, refusing would be impolite.

Li Qing took a deep breath, stilled his mind, and focused his divine sense on the Lihuo Profound Jade piled on the ground.

He channeled his mana, activating the mysterious dao patterns etched across the surface of each jade piece.

Buzz!

The dao patterns spread like a spider web, gradually extending under his mental control toward the incomplete rune burning with flames.

Initially, the process seemed stable. Li Qing successfully drew upon a terrifying power from the flame law fragment. But the calm didn't last long. A terrifying burst of fire erupted.

Boom!

Li Qing's heart jolted. He was about to halt the dangerous experiment and recall the dao patterns to form a protective barrier around himself.

But the Giant Spirit Ancestor chuckled softly. "No need to worry. Continue manipulating the dao patterns. I will serve as your guardian."

With a flick of his sleeve, the Giant Spirit Ancestor instantly halted the overwhelming sea of flames surging toward them, as if an invisible wall had materialized.

Is this the power of a great ascension realm expert? Li Qing marveled, watching the flame law's power be restrained with a mere wave of a sleeve.

Sensing Li Qing's astonishment, the Giant Spirit Ancestor chuckled and explained, "This is just a rudimentary application of law power. All things in the world are mutually reinforcing and mutually restraining. You'll understand this when you reach the great ascension realm."

"The dao patterns you've mastered were specifically refined to counter the flame law, which is why you can approach the flame law fragment so easily."

With such a formidable guardian by his side, Li Qing felt considerably more at ease.

He continued attempting to manipulate the flame law's power using the dao patterns, but each attempt triggered violent reactions and fluctuations, making it nearly impossible to smoothly extract the flame power from the fragment for his own use.

However, the Giant Spirit Ancestor effortlessly blocked every backlash from the flame law, allowing Li Qing to experiment with greater confidence.

Finally, after countless trials, Li Qing successfully extracted a wisp of flame law power without triggering a backlash.

Under Li Qing's control, a wisp of scarlet flame, as vibrant as dawn, spontaneously emerged from the flame law fragment.

This flame didn't attack Li Qing or the Giant Spirit Ancestor; instead, it burned gently and steadily.

"Well done," the Giant Spirit Ancestor praised. "You may begin weapon refinement now. If you need any assistance, don't hesitate to ask."

Li Qing nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Senior!"

With that, he patted his storage bag, quickly retrieving several pieces of Ghost Eye Purple Gold.

Under his command, the Ghost Eye Purple Gold pieces fell directly onto the scarlet flame.

Almost instantly, the Ghost Eye Purple Gold began to melt rapidly.

Seeing this, Li Qing continuously channeled the power from the flame law fragment to quench the molten metal.

Before long, Li Qing's movements grew bolder as he focused his entire mind on the artifact refinement process.

Li Qing skillfully employed the "Artifact Refinement into Silk" technique, retrieving the liquefied Ghost Eye Purple Gold and then hammering it with the Primordial Chaos Peerless Hammer.

This was a refinement method he had learned in the Heavenlight Secret Realm. Through continuous hammering, all the Ghost Eye Purple Gold would be refined into extremely fine silk threads, so thin they were barely visible to the naked eye.

Hammering relentlessly, Li Qing entered a state of complete absorption, losing all sense of time and even forgetting about the great ascension realm expert standing nearby.

Under this intense focus, all the Ghost Eye Purple Gold was refined into countless invisible threads, each thinner than a human hair.

Without hesitation, Li Qing retrieved a section of jade bamboo from his storage bag.

Boom!

This time, he used his four spirit fires in rotation to bake the jade bamboo, then personally shaped it by hand.

Before long, the rough form of a killing sword's blade began to emerge.