Chapter 105: The Serpent Spear
Chapter 105: The Serpent Spear
“The Spell of Wenshui, the Spell of Remnant Night, and the Spell of Wangchuan — redo them all!”
“This, this, and this — these three magic reagents, prepare them again!”
Li Yi’s voice was clipped and sharp.
“Yes!”
“Yes!”
Yao Shen and Yan Qin nodded, voice no complaint, and immediately got to work.
It was only the third day, yet they were already truly convinced.
At the very beginning, both had still harbored resentment and anger. Li Yi had acted decisively: he lined up nine spells, pointed out every single flaw without a single misjudgment. Then, right in front of Yan Qin, he prepared a bottle of Shadow Solution, measuring each ingredient with flawless precision.
Faced with such overwhelming skill, they were left speechless, sincerely impressed.
They secretly envied Li Yi. This young man before them seemed uniquely favored by the Creator. His talent was truly shocking!
That “Profound Darkness Heart” went without saying. Add to it his sharp, eagle-eyed perception, and his hands — those hands! Steady as mountains, yet mysteriously nimble!
Every time their eyes fell on Li Yi, each of them couldn’t help but silently lament how unfair Heaven was!
“Hoo!”
Held his breath and focused. The Crane-Luan Brush darted like wind and fire. Slender, strange, curved lines crawled continuously across the paper, twisting and tangling like snakes, sprouting and spreading.
Li Yi felt he was transforming!
His Dawnlight Eyes, born from the ‘Dawn Baptism’; the Steadiness of Mountains forged from ‘Mammoth Shakes the Mountain’; the precise agility tempered by ‘Siren Splits the Tide’ — all were merging seamlessly within this work of Dao Transformation Armament.
No, it wasn’t just fusion. It was settling.
Sedimenting, solidifying, becoming firm. Amidst the rainbow-like magic arcs, Li Yi felt himself sprinting up the soaring ladder of Dao Transformation Armament!
Every day left him exhausted as death, yet filled with a wonderfully satisfying feeling of exhilaration.
However, soon, he hit a wall.
The fifth day.
The feeling of satisfaction vanished.
Li Yi’s expression began to change, becoming agitated, increasingly gloomy and brooding.
He had a vague sense that this Profound Darkness Heart was lacking something…
But he couldn’t quite grasp what was missing.
The tenth day.
Li Yi’s eyes were bloodshot, his hair standing on end. He paced restlessly like an angry lion, muttering to himself one moment, scratching his head and ears the next, his expression shifting constantly.
The others kept their distance.
Everyone knew he had encountered a blockage.
“This can’t go on!” Yan He said, his face full of worry, shaking his head.
…
“Senior Brother, material procurement like this, you can handle it alone,” Li Yi stated gravely, his expression distant. “I need to go back. There are many points I haven’t figured out yet…”
“Locking yourself away isn’t the solution!” Yan He stopped him, smiling slightly. “A change of scenery might make inspiration appear on its own.”
“Alright,” Li Yi agreed after a moment’s thought, nodding.
Langya Pavilion.
Yan He was in his element, talking fluently and explaining how to judge material quality. He was an expert in this area and quite engaging.
Amidst the low chatter, Li Yi gradually relaxed, the gloom in his heart lessening a little.
“Hmm? What is that long spear?” Li Yi’s gaze suddenly fixed, his eyes sharpening.
Langya Pavilion was built like a hollow square building. At the center of the inner gallery stood a gleaming long spear. Its blade curved sinuously, its point looked venomous. An ice-cold, ghostly chill radiated from it, coalescing right within the building into an enormous spectral spear image, shining brilliantly.
“A Legendary Equipment — the Zhangba Serpent Spear!” Yan He stated, clearly long accustomed to it.
“Legendary Equipment?” Li Yi’s expression flickered.
Equipment ranks, ascending: Artifact, Epic, Legendary, and Heaven’s Retribution.
Legendary Equipment was already incredibly rare worldwide.
“Wait, Zhangba Serpent Spear… that belongs to First Brother Zhang?” He thought of something and asked again.
“Indeed, the very weapon of ‘Roaring Upstream’ Zhang Fei!” Yan He nodded.
“Incredible!” Li Yi gasped repeatedly, curious. “Such a mighty piece of Legendary Equipment, used just as decoration? That’s far too extravagant!”
“Not entirely,” Yan He explained. “Langya Pavilion collects heaven-sent treasures, which attract powerful magical beasts. Having this Zhangba Serpent Spear stand guard deters beasts. Of course, it’s not the only method, but this method… well, it shows tremendous wealth!”
“Advertising…” Li Yi murmured softly, then asked curiously, “Displayed like this, aren’t they afraid it’ll be stolen?”
“This spear weighs over a thousand jin. What’s more, powerful guardians are stationed here. Stealing it isn’t something just anyone can do.”
Li Yi stopped asking, his gaze fixed intently on the Zhangba Serpent Spear.
The spear’s blade curved sinuously, rising and falling like an undulating serpent lifting its head to taste the air.
“Hmm?” A bolt of realization struck Li Yi, his face changing dramatically.
“This weapon imitates the form of the primordial Divine Beast — the Ming Serpent (Sonic Serpent). Form and concept match, deeply mysterious…” Yan He began explaining slowly.
“You go buy the materials. I’ll look around myself!”
Li Yi said flatly, his gaze glued to the Zhangba Serpent Spear.
He had a feeling the missing piece he sought lay within it.
Li Yi pressed his lips together tightly, a cold gleam flashing in his Dawnlight Eyes.
“Eh?”
His vision pierced through the blade. Deep within the serpent spear coiled a small green serpent, sleeping with its eyes closed.
“This is… a spirit of the artifact?” Li Yi’s expression shifted completely. “Once an item possesses an artifact spirit, it gains growth potential! In other words, the potential for this Zhangba Serpent Spear to eventually grow into Heaven’s Retribution level exists… Could it be this unique environment, gathering so many heaven-sent treasures, actually birthed an artifact soul?”
Whoosh!
As he pondered, the emerald serpent spirit, disturbed by Li Yi’s focus, became irritated. It transformed into a streak of green light, biting towards him!
Thud!
Their souls collided. A bone-chilling coldness instantly froze Li Yi’s soul. He shivered violently and took a step back.
A shock ran through him, leaving him cold all over. Like suddenly hearing a temple bell, it woke him up! He stood dazed for a moment, then wild joy spread across his face.
He understood!
“So that’s it! The form is similar, but the essence is lacking!”
Dao Transformation Armament is the manifestation of rules. It must harmonize with laws and resonate with the heavenly way.
Yet his “Profound Darkness Heart,” seeking to imitate the Soaring Serpent, Ninth Inferno Emperor, only replicated the serpent’s form, not its soul. It lacked the divine subtlety! It was missing the conceptual realm!
When one understanding broke through, countless others followed. The thick fog shrouding his mind vanished, replaced by clarity.
A smile of enlightenment spread across his face.
“Little thing, being so arrogant isn’t good! If you were a mature artifact spirit, I’d naturally be wary. But now? Ha! Can’t I just handle you as I please?”
His mind relaxed, a mischievous, unfriendly glint appearing in Li Yi’s eyes as he looked at the serpentine artifact spirit.
The serpent spirit sensed Li Yi’s hostility. It hissed, its tongue flicking, rearing up defiantly.
Li Yi glanced around quickly, saw no one paying attention. His eyes sharpened. The huge, haughty phantom of a Dragon surged up from within him! Its formidable presence was earth-shattering!
The serpent spirit was instantly shocked, its scales bristling. Though fearful, it maintained its defensive stance.
“Oh?”
Li Yi was in no mood for compromise. He snorted softly. An overwhelming Dragon’s Aura burst forth, roiling alongside the Dragon phantom’s massive, ferocious outline!
The small serpent instantly withered, coiling its body in a gesture of submission.
“Heh, picking on the weak…” Li Yi chuckled. He eyed the Zhangba Serpent Spear with obvious envy for a moment longer before turning to find Yan He.
Undoubtedly, this Zhangba Serpent Spear holding an artifact spirit was a giant stock of potential. Its growth into Heaven’s Retribution Class felt like just a matter of time!
But Legendary Equipment was out of his league for now.
Perhaps… Maybe he could find a way to just take the artifact soul?
He hadn’t gone far when an uproar reached his ears. Following the sound, Li Yi’s expression changed and he quickened his pace.
Up ahead, a man with a long face was viciously grasping Yan He’s collar, shouting abuses, spraying spittle all over him.
Nearby, Zhou Xun stood smirking, clearly enjoying the situation.
Li Yi knew, without needing to think, that this was almost certainly Zhou Xu meddling again.
“What’s happening?”
“This guy stepped on me!” The long-faced man postured arrogantly, immediately announcing his status — clearly a spoiled young master. “Know who I am? My father is Infantry Commander Yang Yanbo!”
“The military?” Li Yi’s mind flickered, recalling something. He put on a modest smile. “Do me this small favor? It’s such a minor thing, just let it go, alright?”
“Favor? What the hell are you?” The spoiled youth sneered, ugly-faced, redirecting his spittly tirade towards Li Yi. “Why should I do you any favors?”
“Me, a small potato, what favor is there to grant?” Li Yi chuckled dryly, his tone flat. “I merely wished for you… to do it a favor…”
“It? What’s it?”
A medallion appeared in Li Yi’s palm. Upon it, a single, aggressive character for “Wang” (King) seemed to materialize into an armored Dragon Rider poised to launch.
“What kind of damn playthi…”
His words ended abruptly. He stiffened, his legs going weak. In the crowded public space, he actually dropped to his knees!
What act was this? The expression of delight froze on Zhou Xu’s face. The reversal happened too fast; his mind couldn’t quite catch up.
“The Jianpao Wang Clan has this much influence already?”
Li Yi blinked in surprise himself, stroking his chin. It seemed this business of borrowing a powerful tiger’s prestige was a tactic worth repeating.