Chapter 62: Origin Stone
After hearing the concept of the Dawn Shield, Reed slapped his thigh and said, "What a peculiar idea. The best use for these twelve 'Dawn Fragments' is to glue them into a stool. I reckon they'd last until the next era without any issues."
Reed took a gulp of beer. By his standards, even if he were to actually forge the 'Dawn Shield,' he'd first have to figure out how to dissolve the materials. That alone was a dead end. As for gluing them together, Reed would rather discourage the idea of the 'Dawn Shield' than actually craft such a shield for his old friend to use in life-or-death battles.
"To forge the Dawn Shield you're talking about, you'd at least need to solve the problem of dissolving the materials."
"Impossible. These are fragments of the Dawn Paradise's external defense layer."
"So, with just these fragments, it's impossible to forge the Dawn Shield. You can't just glue them together to form a large shield."
Reed drained his beer, savoring the malt flavor while shaking his head.
"Right, just glue them together."
"Absolutely not. Gluing is far less stable than casting. What if—"
Before Reed could finish, Su Xiao said, "Use a living armor forged from a Molten Giant to aggregate these twelve Dawn Fragments."
"Even a Molten Giant can't... Hmm? If it's a living armor forged from a Molten Giant, hmm~, that might actually work. As long as the shield isn't shattered in one blow by an enemy, the living armor holding it together would self-repair. Yes, that's a good concept. But you'd need to find a Molten Giant for that. I can't forge living armor. Why are you here?"
"To take you to see how living armor is forged."
Hearing this, Reed felt a surge of emotion, almost swelling with gratitude. His only thought was, 'You bastard, you're finally acting like a decent person for once, instead of always bringing me those two pieces of junk to fix.'
However, Reed's gratitude and excitement came to an abrupt halt with Su Xiao's next words.
"After you observe the Molten Giant's living armor forging, you might be able to apply some of those traits to the Wild Hunt Night."
"Damn it, no way, absolutely not."
Reed's beard nearly bristled. He chugged a few more mouthfuls of beer poured by his adopted daughter, Wo Wo, his face contorting as if wearing a mask of pain.
"Having the Molten Giant teach you some secrets of living armor forging is also doable."
Su Xiao spoke calmly. Hearing this, Reed calmly finished his beer, stood up, and said, "It's getting late. Let's set off. Early start, early return."
Regarding the matter of Reed mastering some living armor forging secrets, Su Xiao wasn't exaggerating. First, the Law Destruction Faction and the Molten Giants were allies. Previously, when he went to the 'Watcher's Tower,' the Molten Giant was trapped there. The Molten Giant was indeed an ancient being, but if it remained trapped in the 'Watcher's Tower,' it might fall into an eternal slumber.
Another point was that the Molten Giant didn't want to join any faction. Looking at the three legendary blacksmiths, the Demon Blacksmith was powerful, and no one dared to provoke him. The Dwarf King was caught between the Sea Clan and the Beast Clan, and had recently been under semi-house arrest by the Sea Clan.
As for the top-tier armor-forging Molten Giant, no one in the Void Realms coveted his skills? Of course not; they just didn't dare to act. The Molten Giant was in the Gray Sanctuary of the Eternal Light World. If any faction tried to kidnap or threaten the Molten Giant there, they'd have to deal with the Demon Insect Race in the Eternal Light World.
Crack, crack, crack~
Crystals spread across the ground, forming a Law-Destroying Teleportation Array. Seeing this, Reed's eyes widened in surprise. "This teleportation array of yours looks quite advanced."
"Not bad."
"Is it stable?"
"Very stable."
"Good, then let's set off... Wait!"
As the Law-Destroying Teleportation Array activated, Reed's eyes gradually bulged, wrinkles forming on his face.
Boom!!
The array activated. Wo Wo, who was sitting nearby on a small stool eating ice cream brought by Bubu Wang, let out a yelp as the large ice cream nearly smacked her in the face.
...
Eternal Light World, in the wasteland in front of the Gray Sanctuary covered with grass and wildflowers, Reed bent over, one hand supporting a red-leafed tree trunk, letting out a series of 'dragon roars.'
After a moment, Reed leaned against the tree and asked, "You call this teleportation array stable?"
"It's never been successfully intercepted by the enemy."
"This..."
Reed was momentarily speechless. As he turned and walked toward the Gray Sanctuary, he muttered, "Your teleportation array? Even a dog wouldn't ride it."
"Woof?"
Bubu Wang, who was chasing butterflies, stopped and tilted his head in confusion. What did that have to do with him?
Just as they entered the Gray Sanctuary, they heard the clanging of hammering from the forging workshop inside. The Dark Maiden wasn't there; she was likely still traveling. Sornes wasn't there either; he'd been frequently taking his disciple, Yusha, to the 'Wet Salt Zone' for training.
For Su Xiao, the Dark Maiden, and Sornes, the 'Wet Salt Zone' was no longer dangerous. But for Yusha's power level, the 'Wet Salt Zone' was both eerie and perilous, with dark creatures, nightmares, and crimson forces posing significant threats.
Passing by the withered tree-like Old Tree Clan, Su Xiao noticed several small flowers placed on the steps. Some flowers were tucked into the dead branches of the Old Tree Clan, and the facial contours on the trunk had been wiped clean. It was clear that Sornes' disciple, Yusha, had good character, even if she was a bit wild at heart and always wanted to travel and adventure across the realms with the Dark Maiden.
As they passed a stone table, Bubu Wang, following behind Su Xiao, placed over a dozen bottles of Elemental Brew on it. Sornes' only hobby was fine wine.
Entering the forging workshop, the Molten Giant was hammering a deep red billet. This material was extraordinary; even from a few meters away, it gave off a soul-pressing aura. On a nearby workbench lay several Eternal-grade gems.
The Molten Giant was forging a headdress for a lady. Who was it? The Spider Lady of the Soul Library.
Su Xiao had learned of this matter in an interesting way. The Spider Lady and the Molten Giant were old friends, having risen to prominence in the same era.
The Spider Lady couldn't leave the Soul Library. She had a little elf who cleaned the library summon the top-floor acting administrator, Little Elf Boboli.
Among the library's elves, Boboli was a big shot. But facing the Spider Lady's summons, Little Elf Boboli had to quickly leave the top floor to meet this Supreme Being.
The Spider Lady handed a large chest of materials to Little Elf Boboli, instructing him to find a way to deliver them to the Molten Giant. This troubled Little Elf Boboli greatly. Although he knew the Eternal Light World was now the territory of his big-shot friend, the Law Destroyer Bai Ye, he still didn't dare go there. Any random insect, bird, or beast there could make a meal of him.
Little Elf Boboli initially wanted to contact Su Xiao, but the problem was that Su Xiao was in the Witch Realm at the time. After much thought, Little Elf Boboli contacted his third brother, the Hot-Tempered Little Elf Diagu.
When Diagu arrived, he mocked his second brother relentlessly. Nevertheless, he took the large chest of materials and headed to the Eternal Light World.
Hot-Tempered Little Elf Diagu didn't care whether this was the Spider Lady's secret. Despite his foul mouth and rebellious nature, he knew who was in charge. He then passed the information to Su Xiao through intelligence channels.
Regarding this matter, Su Xiao pretended not to know. He didn't need to guess the Spider Lady's intentions. Before being imprisoned in the Soul Library, she was the infamous Poisonous Beauty Lady of the realms. To put it simply, if she hadn't been trapped in the Soul Library, the ultimate boss Su Xiao would have had to deal with in the Eternal Light World wouldn't have been just the Scarlet Monarch; the Spider Lady would have been added to the list.
If the Spider Lady ever broke free, who would be the first to suffer? The answer was definitely the Wind Sea Continent.
Many outsiders believed the Sea Clan and Beast Clan respected the Spider Lady. In the past, when major events occurred on the Wind Sea Continent, the Spider Lady made the decisions. But that wasn't the case. While the Sea Clan and Beast Clan outwardly showed respect, when the Spider Lady was still on the Wind Sea Continent, her relationship with them had already soured.
The reason was the prolonged war between the Sea Clan and Beast Clan, which repeatedly dragged the Spider Lady into conflicts, leaving her restless. Initially, the Spider Lady suppressed her temper and tried to mediate, but the contradictions between the Sea Clan and Beast Clan went beyond resources and hatred.
To resist the Abyss in ancient times, the ancestors of the Sea Clan and Beast Clan absorbed Abyssal energy, evolving incredibly high fertility. The Beast Clan often had over a dozen offspring per birth. The Sea Clan was even more extreme; oviparous species laid tens of thousands of eggs at once, with a survival rate of over 95% in harsh environments.
The Sea Clan and Beast Clan had two choices: war with each other or internal conflict. War with each other barely maintained the dignity of the top forces in the Transcendent World. If they turned inward, the situation on the Wind Sea Continent would worsen.
The Spider Lady was deeply troubled at the time. She had ascended to Supreme Being on the Wind Sea Continent. To take the ultimate step beyond transcendence, she had to stay on the Wind Sea Continent and wait for an opportunity—a gift from the native world. The problem was that, for the Spider Lady, whose perception was nearly linked to the world while in it, the war between the Sea Clan and Beast Clan was like two neighbors renovating and hammering walls.
This constant noise during her meditative cultivation irritated her to the point of nearly waking, disrupting her training and wasting years of accumulated effort.
If the upstairs and downstairs neighbors were renovating for a few weeks, she could endure it. But when the renovation lasted thousands of years, the Spider Lady completely lost her temper.
When the Spider Lady lost her temper, both the Sea Clan and Beast Clan panicked. She was the pride of the Wind Sea Continent, but when she looked at the Sea Clan and Beast Clan with murderous intent, it was a different story.
The Sea Clan and Beast Clan couldn't stop their conflict due to the bloodline curse left by their ancestors' resistance against the Abyss. After secret discussions, the current Sea King and Beast King decided to ambush the Spider Lady.
The Sea Clan and Beast Clan weren't afraid of other Supreme Beings, but they had to fear the Spider Lady. Theoretically, her soul poison could envelop the entire Wind Sea Continent for years.
This was why the Spider Lady was imprisoned in the Soul Library, spending her days reading ancient texts, drinking afternoon tea, appearing dignified, comfortable, and elegant, as if she had long since let go of past grudges.
When the Spider Lady was 10 years old, a local thug from the Haoya Clan in her town beat up her younger brother. She quietly waited in the sewer beneath the thugs' residence for a week until all a dozen of them had left. She then sneaked in, used her spider venom to poison them, and killed every last one.
Vindictiveness and a protective nature were traits the Spider Lady maintained even at the top tier of Supreme Beings. After being betrayed by the Sea Clan and Beast Clan, she chose to forgive? That could only mean one thing: she was pretending to show goodwill toward the Wind Sea Continent, waiting for the day she broke free.
Thinking about it now, the Wind Sea Continent hadn't produced any top-tier strong individuals for years. Besides the high casualty rate among strong beings due to the war between the Sea Clan and Beast Clan, could it also be because, after the Wind Sea Continent once produced a top-tier Supreme Being who planned to wipe out the Sea Clan and Beast Clan, the two clans had been preventing such a strong being from emerging again?
With that in mind, the situation in the three Transcendent Worlds would certainly be interesting. The Witch Realm had lost its pillar, the Moon Witch Sesshiris. The Doom Star's Underworld God and Night Mother were about to go to war. The Wind Sea Continent was about to face the Spider Lady's revenge.
Su Xiao didn't want to miss such excitement. But to participate, he'd at least need to ascend to Supreme Being. Therefore, finding a way to go to 'Blazing Sun Star: Chiriad' in the next world was crucial.
To ascend to Supreme Being, Su Xiao lacked the resource foundation accumulated over time. The forbidden tower imprisoning the White Dragon Lady contained all the legacies of the Ancient Dragon Faction and the Sun Faction. This would immediately give him the top-tier foundation needed for ascension.
The problem was that he already had one of the two keys to open the forbidden tower, the 'Ancient Dragon Key.' The remaining key, the 'Sun Holy Emblem,' was still on 'Blazing Sun Star: Chiriad.'
Su Xiao estimated that the danger level of 'Blazing Sun Star: Chiriad' might not be lower than that of the Eternal Light World. In the Eternal Light World, Ninth Rank contractors were as common as dogs, Absolute Strong were everywhere, and only Supreme Beings could stand out. But when Su Xiao arrived in the Eternal Light World, he activated the 'Super World-Level Sealing Technique,' temporarily capping the combat power limit at the peak of Absolute Strong.
'Blazing Sun Star: Chiriad' didn't have the 'Super World-Level Sealing Technique.' Moreover, as the world of the Sun Faction, when the blazing sun no longer brought warmth and life, it brought scorching heat, distortion, aberration, and blazing eeriness.
Under such circumstances, if Amu could wield the 'Dawn Shield,' the danger Su Xiao's team faced would decrease by at least 20% to 30%.
The Molten Giant placed a large crucible into the furnace before looking at Su Xiao. A rare smile appeared on his bark-like, rough face.
"..."
Su Xiao tossed a wooden barrel of wine to the Molten Giant. The large barrel looked like a giant wooden cup in his hands. He opened the seal, took several big gulps, and after forging near the scorching furnace for over half a month, a large mouthful of water-element brew settled in his stomach. The Molten Giant let out a big yawn. This ancient being loved to sleep when feeling relaxed, and a single nap could last a hundred years.
After hearing Su Xiao's description of the Dawn Shield, the Molten Giant scratched his messy hair, sat blankly for a moment, then retrieved a large metal billet with spark-like patterns from the material cabinet.
After leaving several wooden barrels of Elemental Brew for the Molten Giant, Su Xiao took Bubu Wang and Baha out of the Gray Sanctuary. They rode the Demon Flame Dragon, Barbatos, to the Insect Race's main base. An hour later, inside Jila's nesting chamber, he pulled the half-asleep Jila out of her sweet dream. Jila, too afraid to vent her morning grumpiness, sat there looking pitiful.
After understanding the specifics of the Star Devourer, Su Xiao took out the [Abyss Source Crystal (???)] and had Jila control a large number of Demon Beasts to seal this item at the base of the Star Giant Tree, thereby suppressing it.
Carrying this thing around felt unsafe to Su Xiao. As for whether someone might steal it later, first of all, this wasn't a supreme treasure. The Star Giant Tree was just a kilometer from the main nest base, guarded by the Insect Race. Only Kaisa could possibly steal it.
Speaking of Kaisa, Su Xiao opened his contact list and sent 2,000 ounces of Space-Time Power via email. This large amount of Space-Time Power served as payment, with two conditions attached.