Chapter 716 - Finding The Bronze Statue

Inside a forging chamber in Divine Weapon City, a woman’s howl echoed. “Who killed my fourth son?”

The voice belonged to Lady Huang, one of the city’s five blacksmith masters. The Divine Weapons she had forged sensed her anger and started vibrating to soothe her.

Lady Huang had more than twenty children, but she cherished her fourth son above the rest. She sensed the moment his life was severed. That certainty left no doubt. He was dead.

“Revenge... Revenge!” she growled.

She summoned her two personal guards and tossed a compass to them. “Use this compass to find the killer. Kill them!”

The compass appeared old and broken, yet it was a powerful Divine Weapon. It could point toward whatever its wielder desired. It was also one of Lady Huang’s most prized God-grade Divine Weapons.

“Also, bring back my fourth son’s corpse. I need to give him a proper burial.” Tears filled her eyes as she spoke.

The two guards said nothing. They picked up the compass and left to complete their mission.

***

Elsewhere, Han Wu directed the Glutton Locusts to devour the mutated beasts’ corpses. They ate Master Huang’s corpse and left nothing behind.

Han Wu found two Divine Weapons scattered beside Master Huang’s corpse. The first was the Deceiver’s Cord, a decent God-grade Divine Weapon. The second was a Divine-grade cannon.

Han Wu fired it once and found that its explosive power rivaled the Explosive Locust Blade, though it reformed more slowly.

He discovered that Locust-V could absorb it, so he allowed the integration. As expected, Locust-V obtained a skill, which was called Explosive Rounds. Once activated, he could replace standard bullets with explosive ones. Each shot detonated on impact. While the blast radius was small, the increase in firepower was significant. Han Wu was satisfied with it.

As for the Deceiver’s Cord, he had plans for it. However, after reaching the God grade, it had developed its own conscience. It refused to obey him and even fought back.

Han Wu didn’t tolerate defiance and threatened to have his Divine Weapons absorb it if it continued to resist. Under that threat, the Deceiver’s Cord relented but set a condition. It disliked Han Wu and didn’t want to be used by him. It preferred the beautiful Qin Shuang.

Han Wu was pissed and even lectured it on gender equality. Still, the Deceiver’s Cord refused to yield. In the end, Han Wu relented and gave it to Qin Shuang.

After she formed a contract with it, the Deceiver’s Cord wrapped around her arm like a vine and responded to her will.

“You little pervert!” Han Wu scoffed and told himself not to compare himself to a rope, much less feel jealous over it.

Aside from Master Huang’s Divine Weapons, there were many priceless materials of the mutated beasts. Under Master Ou’s careful instructions, the Glutton Locusts avoided consuming specific parts. Master Ou gathered the materials with visible excitement, like a child with a new toy. The most valuable items were the giant rhino’s horn and core.

Han Wu had once obtained an Ape Core from Master Huang before. It contained part of the White Ape’s ego, along with the Freespirited Ape God Skill, which enhanced agility.

He had consumed many small animals and had learned only part of it. His frame had grown slightly lighter, but he was far from mastering it. His greatest obstacles were his eating speed and the lack of nutrients.

Han Wu had been searching for a solution. If he could match the Glutton Locusts’ ravenous appetite, he would have mastered the skill already. He hoped to find a way to overcome this limitation.

Master Ou handed him the rhino’s core, and he gingerly felt the power contained within it. Just like the Ape Core, this one contained part of the massive rhino’s ego and its technique. It was called Brutish Rhino and allowed the user to raise their strength explosively for a short period.

Unfortunately, most of Han Wu’s Divine Weapons favored ranged attacks, and Qin Shuang faced the same limitation. He ultimately tossed it to the Locust Soul Orb to raise its rank.

By the time they cleared the corpses, it was already morning. Sunlight cut through the valley’s mist, and the trio made haste with their travel.

According to Master Ou’s memories, they weren’t far from the site of his master’s bronze statue.

Along the way, Han Wu noticed numerous humanoid skeletons scattered across the path. They even managed to pick up a few Divine Weapons. This was a testament to how dangerous the Carefree Valley was.

After half a day of travel, they finally reached the place preserved in Master Ou’s memory. In the past, he had turned his master into a bronze statue before escaping. Today, he returned with gratitude. “Master, your useless apprentice has come back for you.”

Many years had passed. Only the stone walls remained visible, while vegetation had overtaken the entire area. Finding the statue would require considerable effort.

At Master Ou’s request, Han Wu commanded his locusts to eat everything in the area. Once they chewed through the vines, they uncovered the bronze statue ten meters beneath the overgrowth.

Time had coated the bronze statue in green patina, blending it into the surrounding vegetation. Even so, Master Ou still recognized his master. He rushed forward and scrubbed away the patina until the statue’s true form emerged.

“Master!” he shouted with excitement.

Because of his shout, Han Wu suddenly felt something was wrong in the area.

“Shuang’er, have you noticed how quiet it’s become?” Han Wu’s wariness made Qin Shuang pause. She sensed it as well. The silence was unnatural.

That was when a huge swarm of bats flew out from a nearby cave.

“There’s a swarm of mutated beasts! Protect Master Ou!” she shouted.

Han Wu summoned his Divine Weapons. The Small Locust Blade attacked anything that got close. He kept the Explosive Locust Blade ready in his pocket, prepared to throw it at any moment. The Locust Soul Orb turned into a fiery tiger that roared at the bats, channeling Spiritual Energy to subdue or repel the bats.

Han Wu gripped Locust-V with his finger on the trigger. The Gluttonswarm Ring offered little support here and continued to reduce the satiation gauge and restore durability.

Qin Shuang also summoned her four Divine Weapons and turned the entire area into a lightning zone to protect them.

Master Ou saw what was happening, and the scene dragged his memories to years ago. It was the same. Thankfully, he was no longer helpless.

He placed his palm against the bronze statue, and it started to melt. Molten bronze gathered in his hands and formed a forging hammer. The weapon radiated a powerful aura unique to God-grade Divine Weapons. Even the Deceiver’s Cord, which was supposed to be of the same grade, coiled tighter around Qin Shuang’s arm and didn’t dare move another inch.

Master Ou locked onto the swarm and hurled his hammer. It tore through the bats with tremendous force, reducing a wide swath to pulp. The scent of blood drew even more bats, along with additional mutated beasts.

Han Wu squeezed the trigger, and Locust-V roared to life, raining a hail of bullets on the enemies. At the same time, he shouted to Qin Shuang, “Get the railgun ready! That’s our way out.”

He turned to Master Ou and shouted, “Master Ou, gather your master’s bones and place them in the Dimension Bag! We may need to escape at a moment’s notice.”