The Heart-Infusion Art

Ji Ning felt a surge of joy.

World God Northrest had gone to such great lengths to nurture a successor. Whatever he left for his heir should be far better than what Ning had already obtained on Mooncrater Isle within the Moon Underwater Abyss.

“Of all the treasures in the Moon Underwater Abyss, the single most precious one—and the greatest reliance that allowed my master to escape with a sliver of his shattered truesoul despite being grievously wounded and surrounded—is this sword.” The golden-armored female general pointed to the tattered, blood-colored thin sword lying in a corner.

Ji Ning froze. That broken thing?

Even if it had once been incredible, it was utterly ruined now.

“Don’t underestimate it just because of its current state.” The golden-armored general sneered. “Your entire Three Realms, combined in value, cannot compare to this broken sword before you.”

Ji Ning was shaken.

The entire Three Realms combined? Worth less than that?

“The most valuable treasure in the Three Realms is the ‘Worldheart,’ and that won't even condense and form until the Three Realms themselves are destroyed. But even that Worldheart… cannot compare to this divine sword.” The golden-armored general sighed. “Even in its current ruined state, it is something you cannot possibly fathom.”

“That powerful?” Ji Ning asked, astonished.

“Powerful?” The golden-armored general laughed coldly. “World Gods and Chaos Immortals possess tremendous strength as they roam the endless primordial chaos. To them, accelerating the destruction of a Chaosworld to obtain its ‘Worldheart’ is not difficult.”

Ji Ning nodded.

A World God or Chaos Immortal could indeed destroy a Chaosworld. The great calamity of antiquity had been caused by the Lord of All Demons. If a World God had initiated it instead, they would have swept through everything without even giving Mother Nuwa a chance to break through.

“A Worldheart, while a valuable treasure to World Gods and Chaos Immortals, can still be obtained with some effort. But this sword…” The golden-armored general’s voice grew heavy with emotion. “It is enough to drive any World God mad with desire, to make them risk everything. My master, with the aid of his companions from the Heavenly Palace of Azure and his own full strength, barely managed to acquire it. He paid an immeasurable price, but it was all worth it. He obtained this divine sword… ‘Ziguangqiong.’”

“That precious?” Ji Ning stared at the ruined ‘Ziguangqiong,’ puzzled. “What is its origin? You should know, shouldn’t you?”

“I don’t know.”

The golden-armored general shook her head, a trace of shame in her voice. “Back then, Ziguangqiong fled with my master’s remnant soul, sustaining severe damage. Its original artifact spirit completely dissipated. My master then placed ‘Ziguangqiong’ here in the Moon Underwater Abyss, stabilized its source, and allowed a new artifact spirit to slowly gestate. That new spirit is me.”

Ji Ning understood. A master could directly erase an artifact spirit and nurture a new one.

“But everything my master could tell me before his death, he told me. Everything was arranged.” The golden-armored general looked at Ji Ning.

“From what you say, this divine sword should be even more powerful than a Chaos Treasure?” Ji Ning pressed.

“Far more powerful.”

The golden-armored general said, “What you in the Three Realms call ‘Chaos Treasures’ are typically used by Elder Gods and Ancestral Immortals. World Gods, even bare-handed, are no weaker than a Chaos Treasure. They wield far more formidable divine weapons. As for this divine sword… it ranks at the very pinnacle among the weapons used by World Gods and Chaos Immortals.”

Ji Ning frowned. “Can I refine it?”

After soul-searching the prisoners from the Ninefang Chaosworld, Ji Ning had learned some information. In the Ninefang Chaosworld, True Gods and True Immortals used Innate Spirit-Treasures, while Elder Gods and Ancestral Immortals used Chaos Treasures. As for their realm lord… according to legend, he used an even more terrifying treasure. Such treasures, it was said, required at least the power of an Elder God or Ancestral Immortal to refine.

This ruined divine sword, if it ranked at the pinnacle of World Gods’ and Chaos Immortals’ weapons, how could he, a mere Empyrean God and True Immortal, possibly refine it?

“This weapon generally requires the power of a World God to refine.” The golden-armored general looked at Ji Ning. “However, since my master left this divine sword for you, there is naturally a reason. Within the Heavenly Palace of Azure, there is a hidden, special refining method recorded in the ‘Eightfold Secret Scrolls.’ It is only casually noted there, but it is profound and extraordinary. The method is called the ‘Heart-Infusion Art.’ With this Heart-Infusion Art… you can completely refine this divine sword. Only then will its oppressive aura be completely concealed and its appearance and color changeable. Otherwise, if you took this weapon outside, anyone would recognize its terrifying nature at a glance.”

Ji Ning nodded.

The oppressive aura emanating from this ruined divine sword was even more terrifying than that of the Human Sovereign Fuxi. Indeed, its power could be discerned at a glance.

Ordinary Pure Yang magic treasures and Innate Spirit-Treasures also had an aura, but once refined, they could be made to look as mundane as any ordinary weapon.

“This is the Heart-Infusion Art.” The golden-armored general waved her hand, and an unrolled bamboo scroll appeared in midair.

“Using bamboo scrolls, a technique of the Three Realms.” Ji Ning smiled.

The method of storing techniques inside treasures differed between the Ninefang Chaosworld and the Three Realms. After World God Northrest had possessed Daofather Fuju, he too had used bamboo scrolls to seal his techniques.

Ji Ning took the scroll with practiced ease and immersed his mind into it.

A flood of information surged into his consciousness.

It only took about two breaths to absorb it all. It was a relatively simple technique. Though simple, even World Gods and Chaos Immortals would find it difficult to conceive intentionally. This technique… was somewhat reminiscent of ancient kings and nobles on Earth who were buried with jade artifacts. Those burial jades, after being immersed in soil for centuries or millennia, would have dirt and impurities naturally seep into their surfaces after being unearthed.

On Earth, trying to forcibly infuse jade with soil was impractical without high-tech methods. That was analogous to World Gods and Chaos Immortals using their immense power to forcibly refine this divine sword.

But jade and soil, simply touching each other, would naturally infiltrate over an unfathomably long time. That was the ‘Heart-Infusion Art.’

“What?!” Ji Ning’s expression changed. “It takes that long? A thousand years?”

“A thousand years is too long?” The golden-armored general looked at him with confusion. “You are only an Empyrean God and True Immortal. Spending merely a thousand years to refine such a divine weapon, and you complain it’s too long? This technique is already incredibly efficient… this is already a very short span of time.”

Ji Ning was anxious.

He didn’t have the luxury of slowly refining it here. Outside, the great tribulation was descending. He had already spent over a century in the Moon Underwater Abyss. The sooner he left, the better.

“Can I take this divine sword with me and refine it slowly outside?” Ji Ning asked.

The golden-armored general shook her head. “You can try. If you can lift it, then take it.”

“Oh?”

Perplexed, Ji Ning walked forward and reached out to grab the ruined divine sword. Since the golden-armored general hadn’t stopped him, there shouldn’t be any fatal danger from touching it.

BANG!

The moment his palm was about to close on the divine sword, an invisible force erupted. Ji Ning was sent flying like a meteor across the hall.

It took him a moment to fly back.

“This, this…” Ji Ning re-entered the jade-green divine hall, staring in shock at the ruined sword. Despite being so broken, it still possessed such terrifying power.

“If you take it outside without refining it, and one of the Elder Gods or Ancestral Immortals of the Three Realms discovers it, you’re finished.” The golden-armored general shook her head. “I heard you mention in the Moon Underwater Abyss that your Three Realms is currently in the midst of a great war between two opposing camps. If you go out and this treasure falls into the hands of a great power from the Seamless Gate, you would be a sinner.”

Ji Ning understood her point, but did he really have to be trapped here for a thousand years?

“Here, you only have two avatars.” The golden-armored general smiled. “These are identical avatars; this technique doesn't seem to allow for only two. You must have other avatars outside, right? The matters of the outside world can be handled by your other avatars.”

Outside, Ji Ning had the sixteen avatars from his true body and the eighteen from his Primaltwin.

“Moreover, this divine sword is too severely damaged. As you can see, it's practically shattered. The source is the only part still intact. It should be easier for you to refine. Estimate: at least five hundred years, at most a thousand.” The golden-armored general continued, “Oh, besides this most important treasure, my master also painstakingly recorded every technique he could pass on to you.”

As she spoke, the golden-armored general waved her hand.

One bamboo scroll after another appeared in midair, piling up into nearly a small mountain.

“Some techniques, due to the rules of the Heavenly Palace of Azure, cannot be passed on. Everything that can be passed on is here.” The golden-armored general pointed to the mountain of scrolls.