# Chapter 1638: Artifact Cloud
"Just this pair of wings can definitely become a third-grade imperial artifact, and its quality won't be low." The crowd's gazes fell upon the wing artifact embryo that Sima Nan had carved, their hearts filled with awe. Moreover, Sima Nan was now carving formations together with his partner. The two worked in tandem, and the wind-attribute power within the wings grew stronger and stronger. The artifact embryo already bore the shadow of an imperial artifact.
On Ge Qingfeng's side, his ice crystal feather fan swept through the air, turning the surroundings into a layer of frost. The void froze solid, and with a crisp cracking sound, a young refiner who was in the midst of forging suddenly froze, watching as the icy mist surged toward him.
"This can't go on." The man's face turned pale as the icy breath engulfed him. In an instant, a thin layer of frost covered his body, freezing him solid. The refining furnace and flames in front of him also crystallized into frost, the flames encased within the ice, creating a dazzling spectacle. His partner, meanwhile, retreated, speechless.
"Ah..." The crowd was left speechless by the sight. The refining competition strictly prohibited interfering with others, but Ge Qingfeng hadn't done it intentionally. The terrifying cold released by his ice crystal feather fan had caused this outcome, something no one could have anticipated. Even the purple-robed masters showed awkward expressions. Then, with another crack, the man broke free of the frost, his face full of fury. He had barely made it into the finals of the refining competition, and now it was all over?
"There's still time. Move to another spot and start over. However, given your refining skills, the top ten is likely out of reach. You'll need to work harder." A purple-robed master spoke up. The man's head drooped, and he said no more. He packed away his refining furnace and stopped forging. His momentum was already broken, and his refining abilities truly couldn't compete with these people. There was no need to start over; watching from the sidelines would be fine.
Just then, golden light spread out. Hen Changtian was alone, carving formations onto a golden tower. The massive golden tower seemed to scatter its light across the heavens, exuding a terrifying pressure that threatened to crush everything.
"Another third-grade imperial artifact is about to be completed. I wonder whose will be superior." The crowd watched the artifact embryos being forged by Hen Changtian and the others, which were already showing their sharp edges. The distant audience had already begun guessing who would claim the top three spots in the refining competition.
"Formation, condense!" At that moment, Lin Feng let out a loud shout, and his palm pressed downward. The formation power seeped into the artifact embryo. Instantly, flowing light flashed, and the lines began to move, spreading to every corner of the embryo. The formation patterns remained the same, but their layout was changing. A power that could annihilate all things surged forth, and the long spear's sharpness reached its peak.
"The hammer!" Lin Feng called out. Mu Linxue threw the hammer from the refining furnace toward him. Catching the massive hammer, Lin Feng's body descended like the wind, and the hammer slammed heavily onto the artifact embryo.
"Is he shaping it now?" The crowd's eyes narrowed. Just how powerful would this imperial artifact become with that destructive might?
No one knew yet.
"The power is decent. With that formation, it should be enough to reach the third-grade imperial artifact level, and a highly offensive one at that. But is that enough?" Yan Feng's quasi-master muttered, watching Lin Feng's movements. He turned to the purple-robed master beside him and said with a smile, "It seems I'll have to borrow your refining technique for a look."
"The competition isn't over yet. Isn't it too early to say that? Even if the long spear's embryo limits the formation's potential, the formation's power alone can already threaten a Martial Emperor. Combined with the refining materials and techniques, the finished weapon could kill a low-rank Emperor. A high-quality third-grade imperial artifact—Yan Feng is only at that level."
The refining master who favored Lin Feng and Mu Linxue spoke slowly, but his heart was uneasy. Lin Feng's formation was ultimately constrained by space. The long spear's embryo was too narrow, and the formation Lin Feng had carved was a terrifying one, interwoven with countless lines. If it had been on a sword, it might have been fully realized. As it was, Lin Feng's chances of defeating Yan Feng were truly uncertain.
"Haha, you'll be disappointed soon enough." Yan Feng's quasi-master laughed heartily.
As if to prove his words, Yan Feng's eyes suddenly snapped open, flames seeming to burst from his pupils. Then, his blood began to surge violently, the sound like roaring waves and crashing seas.
"With my blood as the guide." Yan Feng spoke solemnly, and blood began to flow from his body, rushing toward the artifact embryo in front of him. The embryo churned, and within the sword's howl, the roar of blood power could be heard.
"The fifth transformation of the Nine Transformations Refining Art: Blood Transformation!"
"Pfft..." A mouthful of blood sprayed from Yan Feng's mouth onto the artifact embryo, turning it as red as blood. The Nine Transformations Refining Art already gave him an extremely close connection with the artifact, and now, with the fifth transformation—Blood Transformation—the sword embryo became wrapped in strands of crimson light.
The head of the Yan family stood up, his eyes flashing with sharpness. "The champion of this refining competition should be decided now, shouldn't it?"
The crowd's eyes narrowed at his words. The Yan family head was quite confident in Yan Feng, but Yan Feng's refining skills were indeed terrifying. At that moment, a stream of blood-colored energy rose upward, gathering above the sword to form a blood-red artifact cloud.
"Artifact cloud!" The crowd trembled slightly. An artifact cloud had appeared—a sign that a fourth-grade imperial artifact was about to be born. Was Yan Feng really going to successfully forge a fourth-grade imperial artifact in one go?
"No wonder he chose to forge a sword." Many murmured to themselves. Sword forging was undoubtedly the Yan family's specialty. Yan Feng had chosen his strength, but he was pushing this sword to its limit, using its grade to overpower the imperial artifacts forged by others. Of course, without his partner's formation abilities and the Nine Transformations Refining Art, Yan Feng couldn't have reached this level.
"No wonder the Yan family has been so arrogant throughout this competition. Now the family head even stands up to declare they'll take the championship. So, a fourth-grade imperial artifact is about to be born."
"Haha, old man, it seems I'll have to borrow your refining technique for a look after all." Yan Feng's quasi-master smiled broadly. It seemed he already knew that Yan Feng might be able to forge a fourth-grade imperial artifact.
The purple-robed refining master beside him looked rather displeased. It wasn't that his judgment was poor—Lin Feng and Mu Linxue's combination was already impressive—but he hadn't expected Yan Feng to have another trump card. Still, he had to tough it out. "The competition isn't over yet. It's still too early to say."
"Fine, fine. Let's see how you stall when the competition ends." Yan Feng's quasi-master was in a great mood and couldn't help but laugh. He had coveted the old man's refining technique for a long time, and now Yan Feng had finally brought him honor. It was almost in his hands.
"Cough, cough!" Mu Linxue also noticed the artifact cloud above Yan Feng's embryo and let out a stifled groan. Even the flames began to waver unsteadily.
"Mu Linxue, after the competition ends, I'll 'take good care' of you." Yan Feng was brimming with confidence and spoke arrogantly. Then, he focused his energy on refining again. Mu Linxue bit her lip until it bled, and the flames became even more unstable.
"Do your best. Leave the rest to me." Lin Feng said to Mu Linxue, his voice calm. Mu Linxue looked up at Lin Feng, who had finished hammering the embryo, and seemed to feel the strong confidence radiating from him. A spark of faith reignited in her beautiful eyes—faith in Lin Feng.
The long spear's embryo had only been roughly shaped when Lin Feng stopped. Then, the crowd saw him channel terrifying power into his hand and press his finger onto the embryo, carving a line deeply into it.
"Is he still carving formations?" The crowd's pupils contracted at Lin Feng's movements. It wasn't over yet?
"What audacity. He's going to create a dual-layer embryo and fuse two sets of formations!" The purple-robed master who favored him felt his eyelids twitch, a glimmer of hope rising within him. He hoped Lin Feng would bring him a surprise.
This time, Lin Feng didn't carve as quickly as before. Instead, he carved stroke by stroke directly onto the unformed embryo. Moreover, without the power of immortality, each line he carved dimmed instantly. No one knew what formation patterns he was inscribing.
"Is it wind, or illusion?" The red-gold-robed refining master sitting on the front viewing platform of the Flame Golden Tower narrowed his eyes. This young man's formation abilities were beyond his imagination. Regardless of the outcome of this competition, he planned to invite this young man into the Flame Golden Tower. A formation master with such skill would never be poor at refining, and even if he didn't refine himself, his cooperation with others could have a terrifying amplifying effect—just like his current partnership with Mu Linxue. On her own, Mu Linxue could forge a second-grade imperial artifact, but with his formation enhancement, it could soar to the peak of the third grade, and now, there was even hope of breaking through to the fourth.
The long spear's embryo was wrapped in an invisible force. As time passed, the crowd even saw the embryo becoming faintly visible. Swirling lights slowly gathered, then rose into the air, hovering in the void with a piercing, sharp howl, like a terrifying storm.
"Artifact cloud." The crowd's expressions stiffened. The imperial artifact forged by Lin Feng and Mu Linxue, after a dual-layer embryo, had manifested an artifact cloud.
"Boom, crack!" Beside Lin Feng, a terrifying explosion rang out. Mu Lie and Mu Yu's expressions froze, their faces as dark as charcoal as they stared blankly at the shattered refining furnace in front of them. For them, this refining competition was over.
The two looked up at the artifact cloud above Lin Feng and Mu Linxue, their expressions sour. Was their combination inferior to Lin Feng and Mu Linxue's?