NOVPUBThe ferocious ghosts that had regained their freedom began to wantonly unleash their desires, and had there been any living people present in the mausoleum, it surely would have turned into purgatory by now.
Chen Xiang frowned as he watched everything unfold, finding the shrieking of the ferocious ghosts incredibly unpleasant to his ears.
The ferocious ghosts likewise noticed Chen Xiang standing in the void above them, their eyes glinting with desire as they began to frantically approach him, intent on tearing this human to shreds, using his soul and blood to celebrate their newfound freedom.
"Zha!" Chen Xiang bellowed, his voice echoing through the mausoleum, endowed with an unexplainable power.
This syllable itself possessed the power to subdue demons, and under the enhancement of Chen Xiang's strength and bloodline, it became even more terrifying. A fearsome storm instantly arose within the mausoleum, tearing into pieces any ferocious ghost it touched.
It was at this moment that the ferocious ghosts realized they had provoked someone they should not have, and they started to flee in terror, trying to escape this dangerous place. However, the mausoleum was incredibly sturdy, there was nowhere for them to run, and they could only face their demise.
When the last ferocious ghost was destroyed by the storm, the entire mausoleum fell silent. Chen Xiang slowly began ascending the steps as he surveyed his surroundings, meticulously examining the tomb of this great emperor.
Gemstones dotted the ceiling, as if condensing the entire sky within this small space, with silver rivers and black earth, a miniature Kyushu accompanying the great emperor in eternal rest.
Standing on either side of the bronze coffin were Chen Xiang's objectives for this trip, the Twelve Golden Men capable of carrying the fortune and destiny of the Human Path.
A hint of joy on his face, Chen Xiang stored the Twelve Golden Men within his magical treasure for storage, and with a thought, he left the mausoleum, without touching anything else inside it.
Seeing Chen Xiang return safely, the Rakshasa Princess and Zhao Pu both showed delighted expressions.
"Chen Xiang, did you get the items?" the Rakshasa Princess asked with concern.
Chen Xiang nodded and said, "I've got them." With a gentle wave of his sleeve, the twelve golden figures stood atop the city wall. Zhao Pu scrutinized these legendary treasures of the ancestors closely, finding nothing remarkable about them—they were just ordinary golden figures.
"No need to look any further; these golden figures had their special attributes taken by the gods long ago, and at this point, they serve no purpose other than as materials and mementos," Chen Xiang explained with a smile.
As the group conversed, an excited voice reached their ears: "Chen Xiang, Rakshasa, I've come to find you."
Turning around, they saw an exuberant Sun Shier running over with vigorous strides. The playful little monkey had finally arrived at the Capital City.
"Where did you run off to play this time?" Chen Xiang asked, curious.
"Unspeakable, unspeakable," Sun Shier said with an air of mystery, obviously not about to tell Chen Xiang that he had gone off to become the Monkey King, or he'd never hear the end of their laughter.
However, Chen Xiang was too lazy to probe further, after all, he had achieved his own objective and it was time to return and see his master.
A few days later, atop Huaguo Mountain, Lu Yu and the monkey looked at the orderly Twelve Golden Men before them.
"Scholar, so this is the legendary weapon you've mentioned. Doesn't seem like much," the monkey remarked nonchalantly.
"You must not underestimate them. Initially, they had tied the hands of the gods. If a Saint had not intervened in the end, there's no telling what would have happened. However, the Ancestral Shaman's Essence Blood which was the most powerful has long been reclaimed by the Underworld, and the Cursed Script that solely belonged to the Qi Cultivators has also been destroyed by the various gods. That's why their might isn't manifesting," Lu Yu explained with a smile.
"Scholar, do we have enough materials now? When shall we forge the weapon?" Chenxiang was growing impatient. He had waited so long and endured so much hardship, all for the sake of rescuing his own mother. Now that success was within sight, he couldn't help feeling restless.
Lu Yu gently touched the Golden Figures and nodded with satisfaction, "The materials are certainly enough; now all we lack is fire."
"Fire?"
"Yes, since we are forging an Artifact of Human Path, naturally, we need the Mandate of Heaven's Fire."
"The Mandate of Heaven's Fire." Chenxiang murmured to himself, somewhat perplexed yet in awe.
"Haha, this fire is not hard to find. All you need to do is gather the light from a myriad of families' lanterns into the Precious Lotus Lantern. However, the value of this fire lies in sincerity, so you cannot take by cunning or force, you can only ask for it door-to-door. You might even face disdain from others. You should be prepared," Lu Yu explained with a chuckle.
"Scholar, rest assured, your disciple doesn't fear disdain, I only wish to rescue my mother, and reunite our family."
Hence, Chenxiang, who had not long returned to Huaguo Mountain, set off for the human realm again, this time to collect the light of a myriad of family lanterns. The light of the stars from each household would be the best aid in forging the Divine Weapon.
From then on, there would often be someone knocking on doors in the evenings, not asking for anything else but just for a shard of lantern light. Fortunately, in that era, the people's hearts were simple and not many refused him.
Countless families' lights gradually gathered within Chenxiang's Precious Lotus Lantern, bringing the once-silent Treasure Lamp back to light. Looking at its warm light, Chenxiang seemed to see his mother's gentle eyes.
Lu Yu took the Precious Lotus Lantern from Chenxiang's hands, looking at its light with a faint smile. He lifted the lantern, and the light from the myriad of lanterns in the human realm seemed to be within reach, attracted by an inexplicable power into the Precious Lotus Lantern.
With a gentle exhale, a blazing flame ignited on the peak of Huaguo Mountain. This flame, however, was exceptionally warm, for it was the flame of the Human Path.
With a gentle gesture from Lu Yu, the Twelve Golden Men plunged into the flames. As soon as they entered, there seemed to be a chemical reaction, with the fire suddenly swelling as if it would break through to the sky, coloring the entire heavens red.
The originally indestructible Twelve Golden Men, which even the gods could not destroy, were now melting at a speed visible to the naked eye. An Artifact of Human Path naturally needed the fire of the Human Path to dissolve it.
Everyone around knew that the moment of weapon forging had begun.
At the same time, the gaze of the great powers of the heavens looked over from the Thirty-Three Heavens, from beneath the Nine Serenities. Everyone was clear that the final moment was drawing closer and closer. Once the weapon was complete, the opening of the heavens was imminent, and the time for the Saints to achieve Transcendence would also arrive.
Lu Yu dared not be the slightest bit careless. At this moment, his body was brimming with Mana, surging out, as the shadow of the Enlightenment Tea Tree formed above his head, the essence of Human Path Fortune and Destiny.
The melting Golden Figures, under his manipulation, gradually floated above the Mountain of Flames. The entire Huaguo Mountain seemed to display an Eight Trigrams Formation. Lu Yu was about to use heaven and earth as the furnace, the Fortune and Destiny of Human Path as the great hammer, to forge this Artifact of Human Path.
Endless merits and fortunes descended upon Lu Yu, covering him in a dazzling glow. With a light grasp, a phantom hammer appeared and he struck down hard upon the materials.
