Chapter 1364 - 539: Furnace Spirit Chooses Its Master

Just thinking about the cost the Ban Family would incur in repairing the Clan Fate Mechanism Chain made the Senior Elder of the Ban Family feel a chill on his scalp, and his heart almost stopped.

The other Supreme Family Elders whispered among themselves.

"Is the King’s Command Human Tribulation really that powerful? It’s simply unimaginable!"

"What should we do now?"

"Should we continue with the King’s Command Human Tribulation?"

"Ah. If only Ning Zhuo were outside the Myriad Images Sect’s Main Mountain Gate... we could have directly acted to eliminate him. But unfortunately, he’s inside."

The Senior Elder of the Ban Family slowly closed his eyes.

"Let it be as it is." His voice was very light, as if he had exhausted his last ounce of strength. "No more interference. Don’t think about dealing with Ning Zhuo, not even employing Destiny Observation. We must first focus entirely on repairing the Clan Fate Mechanism Chain, then do our best to assist Ban Ji."

"The King’s Command Human Tribulation is destined to be crossed with the King’s Command."

A Supreme Family Elder asked, "What about the arrangements we made against Ning Zhuo in the Xingyun Trial?"

The Senior Elder opened his eyes, his gaze firm: "Repairing the Clan Fate Mechanism Chain takes priority; everything else must cease!"

Danxia Peak.

In the alchemy room that had exploded, a strong man squatted in front of the broken Pill Furnace.

His physique was imposing, with a tiger-backed and bear-waisted stature, and his square face was covered in a thick beard, within which faint specks of iron flakes could be seen.

He wore a grease-stained short jacket, with sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing muscular arms full of burn scars, layered both new and old.

His fingers were thick and short, knuckles protruded, and iron rust embedded in his nails that couldn’t be washed away.

He is none other than Tie Kuang, the current Hall Master of the Artifact Refining Hall at the Myriad Images Sect.

At this moment, he was touching the surface of the Pill Furnace with his hands, constantly scanning with his Divine Sense.

Tie Kuang’s brows furrowed tighter and tighter.

After a long time, he slowly stood up, his face full of solemnity.

"How is it?" The old alchemists surrounded him, their voices eager.

"The Nanming Fire Furnace... is a Spiritual Treasure." He spoke, his voice deep, "The Spiritual Wisdom of its Artifact Spirit is quite extraordinary. It knows it’s dying and is engulfed in deep fear."

The old alchemists all stared at him.

Tie Kuang continued, "The usual refining techniques can no longer restore it. It’s not a matter of insufficient resources... but because the Vermilion Bird Artifact Spirit itself is closed off from any external treatments."

The old alchemists were stunned.

"What do you mean?" someone asked, voice trembling.

Tie Kuang glanced back at the broken Pill Furnace, as if seeing the little hidden Vermilion Bird inside it. It curled up into a ball, drooping its wings and burying its head under, revealing only the top of its listless golden feathers.

Tie Kuang looked at the old alchemists and revealed the truth: "Repairing ordinary Magic Treasures and Pill Furnaces is actually not difficult for me."

"But Spiritual Treasures are special."

"Spiritual Treasure repair requires the cooperation of the Artifact Spirit."

"And now, the Vermilion Bird Artifact Spirit is scared. It’s not ordinary fear; it’s the kind that pierces the bones. It’s already scared out of its wits."

Tie Kuang continued: "The Vermilion Bird Artifact Spirit has completely lost trust in you all. Any approach you make is seen as a life-threatening attack by it. Your Mana, your Elixir Pills, your medicine powder, your Divine Sense—it’s afraid of them all. It can’t differentiate whether you’re saving it or killing it."

He paused, his voice lowering, "It’s wary of me too. During my investigation just now, its fear reached the extreme, but it’s too weak to even muster the strength to struggle."

"So..." an old alchemist’s voice came out dry, "what do we do?"

Tie Kuang was silent for a moment: "If only the cultivator who refined the Nanming Fire Furnace were still here. He was its old master, the only person it trusted. Only he could soothe it, open its heart again, and receive treatment."

"Old master..." an old alchemist murmured, "The refiner of the Nanming Fire Furnace... That was over thirteen hundred years ago."

"Then doesn’t that mean..." another old alchemist’s voice trembled, "it’s beyond saving?"

Tie Kuang gritted his teeth: "Perhaps there’s still one last method. It’s like treating a dead horse as if it were alive."

The old alchemists hurriedly pressed for details.

Tie Kuang then explained, "The principle is quite simple. Find a person whom the Vermilion Bird Artifact Spirit finds pleasing to the eye. Someone who can make it put its guard down and evoke a sense of goodwill. Calm it, let it regain peace, rebuild trust, then slowly treat it."

"This..." The old alchemists looked at each other in dismay.

"The Vermilion Bird Artifact Spirit already has complete Spiritual Wisdom; it has its own preferences and judgments." Tie Kuang said, "Maybe there’s someone it finds pleasing, someone it naturally wishes to be close to. Maybe its intuition tells it this person won’t harm it. Such a person is actually its medicine."

"But..." an old alchemist hesitated, "where can we find such a person?"

Tie Kuang shook his head: "I don’t know either. Perhaps within Danxia Peak, maybe within the Main Mountain Gate, maybe in Flying Cloud Country, or perhaps somewhere under the heavens. It’s also possible that no such person exists in this world."

"I’m not it."

"Everything depends on it."

Tie Kuang paused before continuing: "However, there are patterns to follow."

"Firstly, this cultivator who can help the Vermilion Bird Artifact Spirit regain trust might likely not have a high cultivation level. The higher the cultivation level, the more the Artifact Spirit feels threatened; how can trust be built?"

"Secondly, the Vermilion Bird Artifact Spirit originates from the Pill Furnace, so it should inherently be closer to cultivators of alchemy or fire-attribute."

The old alchemists looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Report this." The leading old alchemist sighed deeply, "We can’t decide this matter."

Tie Kuang nodded, finally advising: "This matter needs to be handled swiftly. The Vermilion Bird Artifact Spirit won’t last much longer."

Green Grass Peak.

At the peak’s top is a broad stone terrace, with twelve stone pillars standing by the edge, each topped with a bronze lamp, its flame burning a ghostly blue, bathing the entire stone terrace in a cold glow.