Steady Cultivation: Starting With the Perk “Work Hard, Rest Hard” Chapter 652: The Tribulation of the Weapon Refiner
Previously on Steady Cultivation: Starting With the Perk “Work Hard, Rest Hard”...
"Hahaha, it's you, Fellow Daoist Yuan Changting!"
Qi Wuhui, having emerged from his secluded cultivation, greeted his old acquaintance with a smile.
Yuan Changting, whose agitation had previously been palpable, immediately calmed upon seeing Qi Wuhui. He beamed, saying, "Haha, Elder Qi, I apologize for this intrusion. I hope you don't mind?"
"Haha, your visit is most welcome!" Qi Wuhui replied, pausing before adding, "However, if your purpose is artifact refining, you'll have to join the queue. While I can expedite your wait, it will still be substantial!"
"It is not about artifact refining," Yuan Changting stated, shaking his head.
"Oh? Not artifact refining?" Qi Wuhui's curiosity was piqued.
Yuan Changting subtly glanced towards the attendant present.
Qi Wuhui made a dismissive gesture.
The attendant, understanding the unspoken cue, discreetly exited the main hall, conscientiously closing the door behind them.
Yuan Changting then produced a pagoda-shaped treasure. This artifact, a sixty-rank True-Grade Dominator Artifact of the sealing-suppression variety, boasted formidable capabilities in isolating its surroundings and preventing any leakage of information.
Qi Wuhui gave the artifact little thought, his interest now focused on the motive behind Yuan Changting's need for such an isolating measure. What critical matter demanded the deployment of a Dominator Artifact?
"Elder Qi, have you encountered the term 'Nothingness Dominator'?" Yuan Changting inquired with a subtle smile.
Qi Wuhui appeared slightly taken aback. "Nothingness Dominator? Are you referring to... the Scavengers?"
A hint of unease began to surface within him.
"Partially correct, yet incomplete!" Yuan Changting responded, shaking his head. "Those mindless Scavengers cannot claim the title of Nothingness Dominators. Only cultivators capable of independently wielding Nothingness Power, remaining unaffected by its influence, can truly be designated as Nothingness Dominators!"
Qi Wuhui's brow furrowed. "Fellow Daoist Yuan Changting, I must ask, what precisely is your point?"
A faint radiance began to emanate from his body, indicative of spiritual energy.
"Hehe, Elder Qi, as you are aware, the cultivation of a Chaos Dominator possesses an inherent limit. I wonder, what is your personal cultivation ceiling? Does your Dao foundation possess the fortitude to sustain it?" Yuan Changting probed.
Qi Wuhui remained silent for a beat. He harbored a dawning suspicion but eventually replied, "My foundation is quite robust. The upper limit I perceive is ninety-four ranks."
Upon hearing this, Yuan Changting's expression faltered.
Lowering his voice, he pressed, "Even at ninety-four ranks, you are still six rungs shy of the ultimate hundred. When that juncture arrives, Elder Qi, what course of action will you pursue?"
"I possess a method that can assist you in transcending your current cultivation limitations. All you need to do is..."
"Silence! Have you lost your mind?!" Qi Wuhui's demeanor turned severe, and a multitude of treasure lights flared around him.
"It appears, Fellow Daoist Qi, that you are disinclined to listen!"
Yuan Changting sighed, then gestured towards the diminutive pagoda hovering above his head. "This is your creation, the zenith of your craftsmanship. You are undoubtedly aware of its prowess in suppression, are you not?"
He consulted an unseen timepiece and declared, "Our time is drawing to a close. I shall grant you ten breaths to make your decision! Align with us, and you shall avert annihilation, even receiving numerous boons. Most significantly, you will shatter your cultivation bottleneck!"
Qi Wuhui's countenance darkened considerably. He had never conceived that his long-standing friend, Yuan Changting, would stoop to becoming a minion of the Scavengers. Did he not comprehend the aberrant nature of the Scavengers' minds? How trustworthy could their promises be?
To his knowledge, the Scavenger leader stationed beyond the Second Frontline remained ensnared within the seventy-two rank realm. Such an obvious failing, and Yuan Changting failed to perceive it?
Unwilling to be subdued without resistance, Qi Wuhui immediately initiated a struggle.
Countless treasures materialized from his person, aimed at breaching the pagoda's constraints.
However, to his profound dismay, Qi Wuhui discovered that the very sealing-suppression pagoda he himself had forged exhibited an overwhelming efficacy, diminishing his strength to a mere one ten-thousandth of its original might.
"There is something amiss with this pagoda of yours!" Qi Wuhui stated, his tone laced with disbelief.
"Hahaha, baffled, Elder Qi? I had your pagoda augmented by a Nothingness Dominator employing Dominator Artifact essence. It has now ascended to Saint-Grade! Hahaha!"
Yuan Changting erupted into hearty laughter.
"So be it. Since you refuse to yield, you shall remain suppressed!"
Yuan Changting glanced at his temporal reckoning and acted decisively.
The small pagoda pulsed with a faint luminescence. Instantly, Qi Wuhui was entrapped within its confines, completely stripped of his ability to resist.
Concurrently.
Across all the metropolises of the Second Frontline, a coordinated wave of assassination operations targeting artificers commenced without delay!
On a bustling street, an Artifact Refining Master, who was out for a leisurely stroll, suddenly found himself ambushed by a full seven Chaos Dominators. These attackers launched a surprise assault upon the artificer. His defensive measures automatically activated, successfully blocking the initial barrage of damage. However, another wave of seven Chaos Dominators struck, shattering the artificer's defenses and tearing his physical form asunder. The power of Nothingness then struck the Artifact Refining Master's origin, completely annihilating him from existence! Immediately afterward, the fourteen attackers initiated a mass self-destruction! The catastrophic power unleashed by their self-destruction instantly engulfed the entire street. A significant number of Chaos Dominators, caught completely off guard, sustained injuries ranging from minor to critical. Tragically, some unlucky individuals perished on the spot. "What in the world is happening?" "Run for your lives!" "Someone is attacking people in the streets right now!" "My stall! It's completely destroyed!" Utter chaos erupted in various sections of the Second Frontline. The artificers present were immediately and severely impacted! "How dare you make such a move!" A booming shout echoed throughout the entirety of the Second Frontline! Instantly, every city, without exception, was plunged into a state of temporal and spatial stagnation! Everyone froze in place, utterly incapable of movement! The Chaos Dominators who had been perpetrating these atrocities displayed sheer terror in their eyes, their pleas for mercy pouring out. But by this juncture, it was far too late! The Second Speaker took swift and decisive action! By utilizing the powerful arrays embedded within the cities, he instantly suppressed all areas across the Second Frontline. The rampant chaos ceased immediately! "Traitors, you shall be banished forever into the Nether Prison!" All the cultivators who had been engaged in atrocities and had failed to self-destruct in time were swiftly dragged into the Alliance's designated prisons. There, they would endure unending torment. Nevertheless, a considerable number still succeeded in their self-destruction, thereby escaping immediate danger. Others managed to flee instantly after completing their malicious acts. And at the precise moment the Second Speaker intervened... The First Speaker, the Third Speaker, and the Fifth Speaker materialized out of thin air right at the residence of the Seventh Speaker. Combat commenced instantly! The Seventh Speaker burst from his residence in a disheveled state, only to be met head-on by the formidable iron fist of the First Speaker, Ying Wenzheng! Boom! Boom! Boom! A fierce and explosive battle erupted in an instant! The Seventh Speaker didn't even get an opportunity to utter a single word of explanation before he was subjected to a violent and overwhelming siege! "Blast it all!" The Seventh Speaker had never anticipated that his treachery had been discovered. He had clearly done nothing, merely sending out a single message. How could they have possibly pinpointed his location with such immediate accuracy! "I must escape!" The Seventh Speaker dared not prolong the confrontation and immediately resolved to flee. Suddenly... "Confinement Array, activate!" The Third Speaker commanded immediately. Outside the Seventh Speaker's residence, a concealed, colossal array sprang to life, sealing and suppressing the Seventh Speaker. The Seventh Speaker's pupils constricted in disbelief. "You knew all along?" He then sighed, "Since that is the case, I can only abandon this avatar."
