Chapter Seventeen: The Great Hammer and the Great Sword

After entering the cluster of buildings, Wu Shu immediately faced an awkward question: Where exactly was the core area? How could they access it?

At that moment, Li Jianfeng cautiously inquired, “Wu Shu, are we heading to the core area now?”

Without hesitation, Wu Shu nodded. “Brother Li, that is indeed my intention.”

Li Jianfeng had no knowledge of where the core of the Nine-Turn Phantom Array lay. Yet, seeing Wu Shu choose this direction, he trusted there must be a reason. However, the core area was fraught with danger. With their current strength, entering it might mean going in without coming back out. Tentatively, Li Jianfeng said, “Wu Shu, the core area must be perilous. Even if we manage to get inside, I fear at best we can only protect ourselves.”

Honestly, though Li Jianfeng burned with the passion to fight the demons to the end, he remained clear-headed. With his present abilities, he could not dare to challenge beyond his level, much less confront the ancient demon elders lurking in the core.

Though he doubted Wu Shu’s choice, Li Jianfeng chose to believe in him. His own strength was formidable, but moments like today—where he could shine—were truly exhilarating and unforgettable. It seemed even Li Jianfeng had caught some of Wu Shu’s flair for showmanship.

Hearing this, Wu Shu stopped in his tracks, realizing he had overplayed it earlier and forgotten they were only halfway up the perilous Lone Summit. But where exactly was the core of the Nine-Turn Phantom Array? How could they reach it?

Noticing Wu Shu deep in thought, Li Jianfeng asked, “What is it, Brother Wu? Have you thought of something?”

Wu Shu felt awkward. If the core was elsewhere and they turned back now only to encounter Feiyu and his group, that would be an unpleasant scene indeed. He felt a surge of impulsiveness he could hardly suppress.

At that moment, the spirit within his mind—the Stele Spirit Xiaoling—broke the silence. “Boss, are you aiming for the center of the array? Xiaoling knows the way.”

Upon hearing this, Wu Shu immediately summoned Xiaoling, who appeared before him and bowed deeply. “Boss, your satisfaction is Xiaoling’s purpose. I am always at your service.”

Li Jianfeng, along with Fuyun the White Tiger and the Night Stalker Beast, were utterly bewildered by Xiaoling’s performance. Li Jianfeng even wondered if this talking creature was really just a stele spirit. Its flattery was so excessive that even humans would struggle to match it.

In stark contrast, Wu Shu grabbed the spirit casually and said, “Xiaoling...”

Before he could finish, Xiaoling interrupted, “Boss, that’s your mistake. You know I’m your subordinate now. You should call me Wuling.”

Within Wu Shu’s mind, his twin spirits Wuzuo and Wuyou had long recognized Xiaoling’s sycophantic nature. What irked them most was Xiaoling’s audacity to claim the same surname as them—Wu—a small stone spirit daring to equate itself to their star spirit status was a blatant challenge to authority.

Unexpectedly, Wu Shu didn’t want to hear more nagging and said, “Wuling, we’re heading into the core. Let’s move.”

Wuzuo and Wuyou’s tender hearts almost melted at the sight. They had to admit: Xiaoling was truly a master at survival.

Xiaoling beamed with joy at receiving the title “Wuling.”

“Boss, look up. Have you noticed anything unusual?” Xiaoling reminded him.

Following the prompt, Wu Shu glanced upward and indeed sensed something amiss. They were halfway up Lone Summit, but the area was vast—too vast.

Wu Shu suddenly realized, “Wuling, could it be that we’re actually at the edge of the core area? Lone Summit has been cleaved in two, separated by the array’s barrier. The peak beyond the divide is the very heart of the core.”

Recalling the history of Lone Summit, Xiaoling nodded solemnly, “Yes.”

While Wu Shu and his companions pondered how to enter the core, Xiaoling looked up to the sky and called out, “Great Hammer, Great Sword, allow us entry.”

Suddenly, a beam of light descended from the heavens. Moments later, Wu Shu, Li Jianfeng, and the others found themselves amidst a mountain range thick with spiritual energy.

Xiaoling, evidently familiar with the core area, regarded them with a commanding presence. “This is the heart of the array. Look around, and you will see how different this place is from the outside world.”

Indeed, the core was unlike the outside world. Towering peaks pierced the clouds, and surrounding them were...

Wu Shu and Li Jianfeng stared in disbelief. “What are those?”

Xiaoling, unfazed, replied, “Hundreds of meters tall hammerheads? Thousand-meter-long giant swords? What’s wrong? Haven’t you seen such spirit weapons before?”

Wu Shu could hardly believe his ears. Xiaoling’s casual tone belied the enormity of those weapons. Hundreds of meters tall? Thousands of meters long? Could these be wielded by even the strongest on the Thick Earth Continent?

The weight of these weapons must be in the hundreds of thousands of jin. Such mass alone could crush entire cities or swaths of body-refining warriors.

Seeing Wu Shu’s astonishment, Xiaoling said earnestly, “Boss, I know your body refining is weak right now. But now that you’re in the core, I guarantee that within a day your strength in body refining will leap forward.”

Xiaoling’s frankness was typical, but Wu Shu remained skeptical. Yet Xiaoling continued, “After all, your surname is Wu, and you come from the Wu family—the most powerful refining clan on Thick Earth.”

While Wu Shu was confused by Xiaoling’s words, Li Jianfeng found the spirit’s rambling hard to follow and difficult to communicate with.

Xiaoling went on, “In this core, there are three supreme body refining techniques: Heavenly Thunder, Earth Fire, and Mountain-Sealing Heaven. Luckily, I possess all three. When we meet Xiaoxiang later, I’ll have him release some essence blood into the cultivation pool. You immerse yourself there for a few hours, and you’ll enter the Brute Ox Body stage.”

When Xiaoling mentioned “Heavenly Thunder, Earth Fire, Mountain-Sealing Heaven,” Wu Shu felt Wuzuo and Wuyou’s unrest. Their hearts raced and hands trembled—he had never seen them so agitated. It was unexpected that Xiaoling possessed such treasures.

Suddenly, Xiaoling’s expression darkened. “In my excitement, I forgot something important. While awakening the Heavenly Thunder and Earth Fire bloodlines on Thick Earth is easy, awakening the Mountain-Sealing Heaven bloodline is extremely difficult. To this day, I have never seen anyone awaken it.”

Heavenly Thunder bloodline? Earth Fire bloodline? And awakening those two was supposedly easy? Li Jianfeng, who had struggled immensely to awaken the Crimson Blood Sword Body bloodline, could hardly believe his ears. Just the names “Heavenly Thunder” and “Earth Fire” sounded awe-inspiring.

If awakening those was easy, what trials would one face to awaken the Mountain-Sealing Heaven bloodline? Li Jianfeng dared not imagine.

Meanwhile, the skies flashed terrifying bolts of lightning that struck the core’s array barriers with tremendous force. If this continued, the core’s protective formation would collapse within two hours.

Once the array was broken, the suppressed demons would be unleashed.

The situation was urgent. Wu Shu said, “Wuling, the core is in a critical state. Whatever else happens, we must deal with this first.”

He looked up toward the towering peak, knowing it was the site of the final battle between demons and humans. The terrifying lightning frequently streaking across the sky originated there.

A fight—then so be it.

Wu Shu had controlled his spiritual power for decades. He believed that if he endured necessary pain, he could withstand hundreds of years of spiritual assault. After several battles, he roughly understood his body’s limits.

Seeking a shortcut to the summit, Wu Shu asked, “Wuling, is there any way you can send me directly to the peak?”

His bold idea startled Xiaoling. “Boss, you’re only at the third body refining realm. The peak is extremely dangerous right now. It’s not wise to go straight up.”

If it were others, Xiaoling would have bluntly said, “Are you courting death?”

But Wu Shu was different. His sealed spiritual power was vast—no small world could contain it. If he fought to the death, many demon elites at the peak might fall.

Xiaoling’s concern was clear to Wu Shu. But the threat was urgent. If the demon invasion could not be suppressed, the Kingdom of Kun would be engulfed in rivers of blood. The bloodthirsty demon ancestors, suppressed for countless years, would run rampant once freed.

Resolute, Wu Shu said, “Wuling, don’t worry about my safety. Just tell me if you can send me to the peak.”

Xiaoling was merely a stele spirit and despite knowing many secrets of the Forgotten Continent, he was still a stone spirit. Wu Shu’s question was mainly to glean any possible shortcut.

Embarrassed, Xiaoling admitted, “Boss, I can’t send you directly to the peak.”

Just as Wu Shu prepared to ascend on foot, Xiaoling suddenly said, “Boss, please hear me out.”

Wu Shu was exasperated. At this critical moment, the chatterbox still beat around the bush. Could he get to the point?

Xiaoling continued, “Boss, I can’t send you directly to the peak, but Xiaolan can.”

Xiaolan?

Who was Xiaolan?

Before anyone could ask, a spit sound came from nearby bushes—a sign of displeasure.

Xiaoling looked toward the bushes. “Xiaolan is Jiutian Youlan, one of my subordinates. Usually lazy, carefree, and useless.”

Just now, Xiaolan was offended because Xiaoling called her “Xiaolan.” Hearing Xiaoling disparage her, she was furious. Yet her current form shocked everyone—a spotless, fair child. Wasn’t Xiaolan supposed to be a flower or grass spirit? Had she transformed?

Xiaoling exclaimed, “Wow, Xiaolan, long time no see! You’ve gained a spirit form. If the three late masters saw you like this, they’d probably shed tears.”

Mentioning the three deceased masters, the sulky Xiaolan immediately lost her temper. She hung her head and approached Wu Shu and the others. “Xiaoling, why bring these weak humans here? The War God Temple is dangerous. If you don’t leave soon, you might lose your lives.”

Xiaoling, used to bossing Xiaolan around, was deeply displeased. “Lose my life? You’re still here, and I’m supposed to be afraid?”

Xiaoling snapped, “Enough talk. Get me and my lord to the peak. The rest is on us.”

Whether inspired by Wu Shu or bolstered by newfound confidence, Xiaoling’s plan changed from Wu Shu going alone to both ascending together. Such bravado stunned Xiaolan.

She didn’t know where Xiaoling’s confidence came from but nodded, “I’ll help you now.”

A beam of light rose from the ground, and Wu Shu and company vanished. From the sky came Xiaoling’s voice, “Xiaolan, I forgot to tell you—I now have my own surname. Call me Lord Wuling from now on.”

Frozen in place, Xiaolan murmured, “Wuling? Could those two youths really be from the Wu family?”

Suddenly, an army of hundreds of thousands of divine beasts thundered past Xiaolan’s spirit form.

“Why didn’t you say so earlier? Damn stele spirit! Wait for me!”

Xiaolan activated a formation and pursued Wu Shu and the others.