Chapter 2220: Such Power
Zhang Ruochen stood roughly a thousand miles diagonally above the Heaven and Earth Divine Furnace. Even at this position, the temperature of the divine fire radiating outward was comparable to the "Common Flame" of the Purifying Divine Flame.
Any living being below the Half-Saint realm standing where he was would be burned to death in an instant.
He released his spiritual power to sense the temperature changes of the Heaven and Earth Divine Furnace.
Soon, Zhang Ruochen divided the temperature of the Heaven and Earth Divine Furnace into five levels.
From three hundred miles to a thousand miles away from the furnace, the temperature and residual flames were comparable to the "Common Flame" of the Purifying Divine Flame.
Within three hundred miles of the furnace, it was comparable to the "Minister Flame" of the Purifying Divine Flame.
At the edge of the interior of the Heaven and Earth Divine Furnace, the temperature of the flames was on par with the "Emperor Flame" of the Purifying Divine Flame that Zhang Ruochen had cultivated.
The fourth level of divine fire felt to Zhang Ruochen as not inferior to the Purifying Divine Flame cultivated by the Yan God.
There was also a deeper fifth level, filled with an aura of destruction. Zhang Ruochen dared not probe it with his spiritual power, only vaguely sensing its terror, far surpassing the divine fire used by the Yan God.
In other words, the Heaven and Earth Divine Furnace could refine gods to death.
"The Blood Absolute Family has dominated the Blood Heaven Tribe for who knows how many tens of thousands of years. Their foundation is indeed extraordinary, surpassing many great worlds of the Heavenly Court. A single family can rival an entire realm."
Zhang Ruochen stopped overthinking and took out the Water Star Gourd.
The gourd was yellowish-brown, the size of a palm, and looked very ordinary.
He infused sacred qi into it, and the Water Star Gourd grew larger, becoming thirty zhang long. It released white water vapor, cooling the surrounding high temperature and giving a refreshing sensation.
In the distance, Qingsheng Great Saint squinted, his eyes narrowing. Suddenly, his spirit jolted, and he said, "This... should be a divine-level plant. The gourd it bore is as large as a star in its original form, a natural spatial spirit treasure."
Such a treasure was something even gods could only encounter by chance, not seek.
Qingsheng Great Saint showed envy on his face, thinking to himself, *It's said that the Kunlun Realm is full of rare treasures, and it's true. Zhang Ruochen casually takes out something that makes me, a Supreme Realm Great Saint, covet it.*
"What a pity! Such a treasure, a divine material for artifact refining, if it fell into the hands of an Artifact Refining Heavenly Master, it could definitely be forged into a powerful Monarch Sacred Artifact. After nurturing it for one or two eons, it might even become a Supreme Sacred Artifact."
Qingsheng Great Saint didn't know Zhang Ruochen's level of artifact refining, but he was so young and had spent most of his time on cultivation. His skill in artifact refining definitely hadn't reached the Earth Master level.
As for Artifact Refining Heavenly Master...
That was simply impossible.
The Undying Blood Clan did have an Artifact Refining Heavenly Master, and Qingsheng Great Saint had known him for thousands of years. It wouldn't be too difficult to invite him.
Qingsheng Great Saint was worried that Zhang Ruochen would waste this divine material with the potential to become a Supreme Sacred Artifact, so he couldn't help but speak up, "Ruochen, artifact refining is not something accomplished overnight. When you obtain extraordinary materials, you must not act hastily. This gourd of yours is extraordinary. You should invite an Artifact Refining Heavenly Master to refine it, so its value can be maximized."
Zhang Ruochen knew that Qingsheng Great Saint doubted his artifact refining skills.
The other party meant well as a reminder.
Zhang Ruochen said, "The artifact refining skills of an Artifact Refining Heavenly Master are indeed unattainable, far beyond my reach. But the Water Star Gourd must be refined by me personally to maximize its value."
"Hmm?"
Qingsheng Great Saint frowned, feeling he couldn't quite understand his words.
Zhang Ruochen didn't explain further. Carrying the Water Star Gourd, he flew closer to the Heaven and Earth Divine Furnace, entering the three-hundred-mile range, and stopped.
"The temperature and residual flames here can meet the needs of the initial refining."
Zhang Ruochen took out the Sundial, inserted two divine stones, and activated it.
The time power emitted by the Sundial completely enveloped the Water Star Gourd.
Zhang Ruochen spent six days walking around the Water Star Gourd more than three hundred times, meticulously studying every inch of the gourd's structure. After analyzing everything thoroughly, he sat cross-legged in the void.
"Whoosh—"
Three thousand spiritual power thoughts flew out from his body, turning into three thousand micro-sized Zhang Ruochens, each the size of a grain of light. Some landed on the surface of the Water Star Gourd, while others flew inside.
One of the micro Zhang Ruochens landed on the gourd's surface, feeling as if he had descended onto a vast, boundless planet. Beneath his feet was a yellowish-brown earth, covered with plants harder than profound iron. Some resembled thorns, some mushrooms, and others flowers...
It was hard to imagine that in the microscopic world, the surface of the Water Star Gourd was such a strange realm.
As Zhang Ruochen officially began refining, the microscopic world on the gourd's surface underwent a dramatic change. Thick clouds appeared in the sky, moisture filled the air, turning into a fine drizzle.
Thunder and lightning flashed from time to time, and the ground trembled occasionally.
The three thousand Zhang Ruochens, in this environment, on a land as vast as a planet, continuously condensed time imprints and carved space inscriptions.
Time passed, day by day...
After three years, Zhang Ruochen's spiritual power thought avatars had condensed nine hundred ninety-nine million nine hundred ninety-nine thousand time imprints on the surface of the gourd planet, covering both the inside and outside of the gourd.
"Finally, it's done."
Zhang Ruochen's main body opened his eyes and recalled all the spiritual power thought avatars from inside and outside the gourd.
However, there were now more than three thousand—four thousand two hundred.
Over the past three years, Zhang Ruochen had consumed a large number of sacred pills to enhance his spiritual power, leading to such significant progress.
"Rustle."
From the Qiankun Realm, a large pile of crystals flew out, orbiting Zhang Ruochen like starlight—three thousand seven hundred twenty pieces in total.
These were extremely precious time-space crystals.
Each time-space crystal contained a miniature space within and had a time flow ratio of three or four times. Every piece was a remarkable cultivation treasure.
Zhang Ruochen had obtained these three thousand seven hundred twenty time-space crystals from the Dragon God Hall, always regarding them as priceless treasures, reserved for refining his first true time-space treasure.
It took him half a year to embed all the time-space crystals into the Water Star Gourd, merging them with the nine hundred ninety-nine million nine hundred ninety-nine thousand time imprints.
Now, the Water Star Gourd sparkled brilliantly.
Seeing this, Qingsheng Great Saint's face darkened. Sure enough, Zhang Ruochen was wasting treasures. What was the Water Star Gourd now?
Gaudy, flashy, and colorful.
One word described it: vulgar.
"The biggest problem with young people refining artifacts is that they like to make things look pretty. What's the point? It's a waste of the Water Star Gourd and so many time-space crystals." Qingsheng Great Saint sighed inwardly but didn't dare to criticize openly.
If it were Xue Chen or Xue Ningxiao who dared to squander resources like Zhang Ruochen, Qingsheng Great Saint would have beaten them until even their mothers wouldn't recognize them.
Zhang Ruochen placed the Water Star Gourd inside the Heaven and Earth Divine Furnace, using the divine fire to temper it.
Another half year passed. The time imprints, space inscriptions, and time-space crystals all fused completely with the Water Star Gourd, becoming inseparable.
After cooling, Zhang Ruochen looked delighted. Carrying the Water Star Gourd, he flew a thousand miles away from the Heaven and Earth Divine Furnace.
He glanced at Qingsheng Great Saint with some surprise and said, "Great Saint, why are you still here?"
Qingsheng Great Saint stared at the gourd in Zhang Ruochen's hand, his expression as pained as if he were constipated. After a long pause, he sighed and asked, "Did you succeed in refining it?"
"The first stage is considered a success. Since you're here, Great Saint, why not help me test the gourd's power?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Qingsheng Great Saint asked, "How do we test it?"
"Just stand still."
Zhang Ruochen made the Water Star Gourd half the size of a person, aimed the gourd's mouth at Qingsheng Great Saint, who was dozens of zhang away, and then channeled his vast, surging sacred qi into the gourd.
Instantly, dense space inscriptions appeared both inside and outside the gourd, emitting a white radiance.
Especially around the gourd's mouth, Zhang Ruochen had carved thirty-six million space inscriptions, forming a space grand formation. This formation was linked with the inscriptions inside and outside the gourd.
"Boom."
The thirty-six million space inscriptions at the gourd's mouth emerged, transforming into a circular space grand formation covering hundreds of miles in radius, which began to operate.
Qingsheng Great Saint stood with his hands behind his back, facing the space grand formation like a flying ant confronting an immense, boundless circular wall of light.
The power of the space grand formation erupted violently.
At the same time, the formation rapidly shrank, from a diameter of hundreds of miles to the size of a fist in the blink of an eye.
Suddenly, a terrifying, boundless spatial pulling force erupted, acting on Qingsheng Great Saint's body.
His body was actually pulled, swaying slightly.
After the pulling force disappeared, Zhang Ruochen looked at the gourd's mouth, then at Qingsheng Great Saint, and showed an expression of extreme disappointment. He sighed, "It seems that with my current spatial mastery, the collapsing pulling force of the space formation I refined is still not strong enough."
Failure!
The key point in refining the Water Star Gourd was the space collapse formation at the gourd's mouth.
If its power wasn't strong enough, the Water Star Gourd would be almost useless.
Hearing Zhang Ruochen's muttering, Qingsheng Great Saint felt like ten thousand alpacas were stampeding through his heart. He cursed inwardly, *What do you want to do? You just became an Immortal Realm Great Saint, and you want to suppress a Supreme Realm Great Saint?*
*Can your heart be any darker?*
He had to admit, when the Water Star Gourd's power erupted earlier, it had startled Qingsheng Great Saint.
With his Supreme Realm cultivation, he had been pulled and swayed slightly.
What was the Supreme Realm?
It was the end of the sacred path, standing at the saint realm, able to observe the divine realm from a distance.
An Immortal Realm Great Saint compared to a Supreme Realm one was like a speck of dust compared to a majestic divine mountain.
Qingsheng Great Saint felt that Zhang Ruochen's disappointed expression was fake, meant to show off in front of him. However, as an elder and the head of a family, he had to maintain his dignity.
Qingsheng Great Saint tried to keep his tone calm, saying, "The spatial pulling force the Water Star Gourd just unleashed, if within a hundred zhang, no living being below the Thousand Questions Realm should be able to resist it."
"Oh? Is that so?"
Zhang Ruochen snapped out of it, realizing that the other party was a Supreme Realm Great Saint. It was normal that the Water Star Gourd couldn't capture him.
Then, Zhang Ruochen asked, "Can't it capture Thousand Questions Realm Great Saints?"
Qingsheng Great Saint thought for a moment and said, "It's not entirely impossible. It depends on the opponent's state. If you ambush them at close range, there's still a chance of success."
Zhang Ruochen breathed a slight sigh of relief and said, "That's not bad. Once my spiritual power improves further, I can make the space formation at the gourd's mouth even stronger. Great Saint, why not help me test the time power of the Water Star Gourd?"
"How do we test it?" Qingsheng Great Saint asked.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Just enter the gourd."
Qingsheng Great Saint turned into a speck of light and flew into the Water Star Gourd.
Zhang Ruochen made the Water Star Gourd float up, hovering above his two palms. He channeled sacred qi into it. Instantly, the nine hundred ninety-nine million nine hundred ninety-nine thousand time imprints on the gourd's surface transformed into nine long rivers of time, wrapping around the gourd.
Zhang Ruochen spun the Water Star Gourd ten times to the left, then began spinning it to the right...
He had intended to spin it ten times as well, but after only three spins, Qingsheng Great Saint forcibly broke through the gourd's mouth and rushed out, glaring at Zhang Ruochen with a cold expression.
"Boom!"
The saintly might of a Supreme Realm Great Saint uncontrollably erupted.
Zhang Ruochen, now a Great Saint, barely managed to withstand that might. He vaguely guessed what had happened and felt a bit uneasy. He coughed dryly and asked, "Great Saint, what's wrong?"
"Are you trying to refine me to death? Zhang Ruochen, I am your mother god's elder brother, your uncle! Is this how you treat your own kin, trying to screw me over?" Qingsheng Great Saint said.
Zhang Ruochen tentatively asked, "Is the time flow very fast?"
Qingsheng Great Saint was speechless. Finally, he retracted his saintly might.
There was no choice. He could only blame himself. If he hadn't been so curious and hadn't stayed here, this wouldn't have happened.
"When the gourd spins left, the time flow inside is nine to one compared to the outside. It's a remarkable cultivation treasure, capable of accommodating billions of cultivators inside."
"When the gourd spins right, the time flow inside becomes incredibly fast. You only spun it three times, and I lost three hundred years of my lifespan."
Qingsheng Great Saint was truly on the verge of tears. He was already over ten thousand years old, and every year of his lifespan was precious.
Losing three hundred years in an instant hurt more than cutting off a piece of his flesh.
Qingsheng Great Saint looked at the Water Star Gourd with a complex expression and said, "This treasure of yours, though not a Supreme Sacred Artifact, has value and potential, as well as the boost to your combat power, that far surpass even a Supreme Sacred Artifact."
"Even a Hundred Shackles Realm Great Perfection expert, if trapped inside, would soon be refined by the power of time, reduced to a pile of dry bones, unable to escape the gourd in time."
"However, Hundred Shackles Realm Great Perfection experts are highly vigilant and far more powerful than Yu Huang and the others. Capturing them is still too difficult."
Zhang Ruochen stroked his chin, contemplating the gourd, and said, "Is that so? Actually, the refining isn't over yet. I still have a second stage. Once that's done, I hope to easily suppress Hundred Shackles Realm Great Perfection Great Saints. If I can capture Thousand Questions Realm Great Saints, that would be even better."
"There's a second stage of refining?" Qingsheng Great Saint was stunned.