Chapter 8: Heartless Dagger

  Even though Guī Jiàng was a moody person, seeing someone with such exceptional talent still filled him with excitement. He thought back to when he was also a respected Refining Master, but being in a high position made him feel lonely, and not having found an opponent, he became increasingly isolated. If it weren't for that incident, he should have had many disciples by now, cultivating a new generation of Refiners. However, life is unpredictable, and he never thought he would end up like this, looking at this young girl who was still striving hard. Having lived to his age, it was impossible for him not to care about passing on his legacy.

  "It's fine now, slowly distribute your spiritual energy evenly...". Just as he said that, the lightly clenched fists began to shake slightly, and Gui Jiang hastily spoke up.

  The more she practiced, the less she could be called a novice, but she had also grasped a bit of the trick. Carefully controlling her spiritual energy, she watched as the crystal slowly took on the shape of a dagger, and she became even more composed.

  "Good, now, let the blood drip in!" The ghost craftsman reminded aloud, although his "blood-refining furnace" was despised by those people, but he still wanted to pass on this method, and he believed that one day, time would prove everything!

  Upon hearing his orders, Qing Kuang didn't have time to be surprised, just now she was distracted and failed, this time she absolutely cannot make the same mistake again. She bit her finger, dripping blood onto the formed crystal stone, but no matter what, she couldn't enter.

  "Like spiritual power, forcing blood into it."

  Spiritual power doubled, extracted and attached to the blood, then evenly distributed to the dagger, forcibly pressed in, for a time the red light burst forth, the entire dagger became evil and enchanting, yet with a few points of cruel bloodthirst.

  "Next, add properties and assign it the attributes you need."

  Endow attributes? Gui Jiang doesn't think much of the crystal core here, but thinking about it, there are many crystal cores in her spatial ring. What attribute should she add? After careful consideration, whether it's martial skills or something else, speed is unmatched, so let's add a Thunder Fox crystal core! She took out a white, slightly transparent crystal core and embedded it on top. The dagger vibrated for a moment before stopping, and the crystal core was firmly embedded, only revealing one facet.

  "Another piece!"

  No, the properties of a fantasy device can be diverse. Lightly crazy and took out a crystal core of an invisible mouse, inlaid on it. For this first refined fantasy device, expectation, anxiety, excitement all gathered in her heart, then came a huge sense of accomplishment.

  "Come again!" The mental strength had persisted for so long, and it was quite good that he could do this much on the first try. He really wanted to see what kind of ultimate form this fantasy device would take.

  It's not just Gui Jiang who wants to know the limits of Qing Kuang, but also Qing Kuang himself wants to make this fantasy device perfect. He took out crystal nuclei of different colors and properties again, and inlaid them on the dagger one by one, each one looking good.

  However, before she could laugh, the dagger suddenly began to shake violently, and the crystal core on top of it was also incompatible with each other. The colorful light was chaotic and disorderly, and what had been stable just now seemed to want to break free.

  The ghostly craftsman's face fell, his eyebrows furrowed together, and he lashed out with another whip, striking with a loud crack.

  "Damn it! So many attributes will naturally clash, use spiritual power and the blood from earlier to stabilize them, useless things!"

  Her body stiffened for a moment, and she focused all her attention on the weapon in front of her. After such a long time of intense spiritual energy consumption, coupled with excessive blood loss, her face had turned somewhat pale. Using her spiritual energy to guide her blood flow through each crystal nucleus, she calmed them down one by one. As time passed, a brand new dagger slowly took shape, radiating a dazzling glow. The entire space shook, and the dagger materialized, hovering in front of her, flashing with brilliant light. Lighthearted smiled weakly, propping herself up against the table as she panted heavily.

  "It's just a small matter, but it can exhaust you to this extent, useless!" Although he said so with his mouth, Guī Jiàng's heart was still deeply shocked. Has it really succeeded? It was completed overnight, something that only a Lian Qi Xian Zun could do. If not for him seeing it with his own eyes, he would have thought it was a fantasy!

  Looking at the dagger floating in front of her, she was extremely pleased with herself. After all, it was her first phantom device to be refined! The only thing is that she didn't know how powerful it was? A severe pain came from her back, and her sinister gaze directly fell on Guijiang. The dagger seemed to understand her intentions, and with a swift and fierce momentum, it shot towards Guijiang, leaving behind a faint afterimage.

  Even the ghost craftsman was startled by this sudden attack, what a fast dagger! Covering the wound on his neck, a chill spread, as if to freeze all his blood, and it even had an ice attribute! Before the dagger could launch another attack, the ghost craftsman also took out a defensive phantom device to block in front of him, barely blocking one blow.

  Seeing Gui Jiang injured, Qing Kuang smiled with satisfaction. Although the wound was small and not fatal, she had been beaten like this, so he should be punished severely!

  "What are you laughing at! You should be worried about your own life instead! Now that you've learned how to refine equipment, get out of my sight tomorrow!" Looking at her smug and self-satisfied expression, the blacksmith's anger surged up in his heart. He was actually injured by this little girl, it was truly a humiliation! In a fit of rage, he flung his sleeve and slammed the door shut with a loud bang.

  Looking at the tightly closed door, the cold eyes were full of frost. You ghost craftsman! Those who come out to mix will eventually have to pay the price!

  Looking at the dagger flying back to her side, Qing Kuang thought to herself, "Invisible!" As soon as she had this thought, the dagger vanished. "Reappear!" She grasped the dagger in her hand and fondled it lovingly, truly not expecting this dagger to be so obedient to her words, worthy of being a top-grade attack artifact! The dagger suddenly flashed with a red light, but it was fleeting. Qing Kuang skillfully played with it in her hand, thinking of what name to give it. Let's call it "Sui Xin" (Follow Heart)! Not only did it share the same name as Sui Xin Treasure, but this dagger really listened to her heart's intentions. However, before she could indulge further, a pain in her back pulled her mind back. "Damn Ghost Craftsman! This isn't over between us!"

  She trudged back to her house with small steps, the wound that hadn't healed from yesterday was again a big patch of blood. Following the principle that long pain is like short pain, she took a deep breath and pulled down her clothes, instantly making her skin feel sore from being stretched. She carefully applied medicine to herself, thinking it would be better to refine a defensive magical artifact as soon as possible. In this treacherous and illusory ghost realm, preserving one's life was the most important thing.

  After a hard night, Gui Jiang didn't give her a good face the next day, looking at her gloomily, "Why haven't you rolled away yet?"

  "I'll refine the defensive illusionary equipment!"

  "I don't have so much time to teach you, now get out and avenge me, I'm too lazy to look at you."

  "Do you think I'm willing to look at you?" If she doesn't teach, then so be it. She can just learn on her own! It would have been better if she had read more books about this kind of thing from the start. "You don't give me anything, how am I supposed to find Hell's Thirteen Wolves?"

  "Blackmail me?" The stinky boy, are you going to extort him again before leaving? The ghost's face turned red with rage.

  "Wrong! This isn't extortion, I've been all over the place searching for people, are you sure you can wait? And that Phantom Shield that can block city gate light also has to be mine." Of course, she didn't care about the Death Ring on her hand, there's always a way to get it off, right?

  "I'm giving you the Wolf-Seeking Mirror, which I specifically found for the purpose of killing the Thirteen Wolves of Hell. You must kill them within the specified time, or else... Hmph! He had been waiting anxiously for so long, and finally, he could avenge his severed arm. The sooner they die, the more relieved he will be."

  "Seeking Wolf Mirror? You really don't have any standards when it comes to naming things." Without any courtesy, she took the two items back, and with a playful air, turned around in circles in the courtyard several times. Regardless of whether he liked them or not, her intention was clear - none would be left for him. She swept away both the crystal stone and crystal core, disregarding the darkening face of the angry Ghost Craftsman, and walked away contentedly.

  Watching the person gradually disappearing before his eyes, Gui Jiang's face was full of ferocity, Die, die, none of you should think about living!

  Leaving the residence of Gui Jiang, Qing Kuang was walking while studying the Wolf-Seeking Mirror. The mirror, which was more than twice the size of her palm, had strange patterns on its surface and emitted a faint glow. As someone who rarely came into contact with mysterious devices, she was trying to figure out how to use it. Should she infuse spiritual energy? No effect! Rub it a few times? Still no effect! She tried saying "Hell's Thirteen Wolves" experimentally, and immediately, human silhouettes appeared on the mirror. Qing Kuang was left speechless - it was that simple after all!

  More than a dozen scenes flashed by in cycles, advancing bit by bit from the surrounding environment to every city, and then to every room, with every word and action of each person appearing in the mirror. However, what made her feel shocked and amazed was that the poisonous wolf had clearly already died, so how could it still appear on this? It wasn't until the scene cycled again that she reacted, realizing that the ghost craftsman's hatred for them was deep-seated, and these scenes were all left behind by him a long time ago. In short, this mirror didn't have any practical use at all - he was thinking of people when seeing objects, while they were thinking of objects when seeing people, damn it!

  However, from these scenes, it can be seen that the place where these people appear should be their fixed residence. Looking at the one closest to her, it should be the poisonous widow known as the wolf, but that's a third-level strongman in the Xuanming realm! Guī jiàng is deliberately letting her seek death! Thinking of Guī jiàng, Qīng kuáng looked at the cumbersome life-and-death ring on his wrist and studied it carefully, but he really couldn't find the switch. He had to think of a way to take it off, otherwise, she would have a feeling that there was a knife hanging over her head, ready to take her life at any time.

  She had originally intended to use her fire-based spiritual power to burn the cursed ring to destruction, but the ring seemed to be made of some unknown material and didn't suffer any damage. Hitting it with objects also had no effect. Just as she was deep in thought, a sudden flash of inspiration struck - hadn't she just refined a mysterious artifact? She might as well try using it on a whim.

  Wielding a dagger, she hacked at the deadly ring on her wrist with all her might. To her surprise, the ring didn't break apart, but instead triggered a mechanism inside! Rows of razor-sharp teeth spun rapidly, almost cutting off her wrist, which was now deeply lacerated to the bone. The pain was excruciating, and blood flowed slowly down her arm, seeping from under the thick ring. Enraged, Qingkuang's eyes turned red with fury. That despicable old ghost craftsman had indeed been ruthless!

  The delicate flesh on her wrist was scraped off, and it's said that the ten fingers are connected to the heart. But which part of the body doesn't hurt when injured? The cursed ring finally stopped after a long time. If it had come two more times, she would have cut her wrists in desperation. She hastily stopped the bleeding, took out the medicine made from the Spring of Life, and applied it. As she rubbed it in, she cried out in pain again.

  She can't shake him off for the time being, but she'll think of a way. Does that old ghost, Guijiang, still want to wait for her revenge? Then let him wait for death, now the most important thing is to find her Ye'er.

  Although she didn't want to cause trouble, trouble still came to her.

  She had just left Hei Cheng City and was on her way to Shuang Hun City when she encountered a fight. She wanted to stay out of it, but the people around her pulled her into the battle.

  Watching a group of people surround and bully a beautiful woman, he didn't make a sound, but just looked at her with some familiarity.

  "Are you in cahoots with them?" The beautiful woman, dressed in a purple long gown, asked harshly, her eyes gleaming with hostility.

  "Stop wasting words with her, let's go together, or else no one will survive!"

  "Alright, let's go!"

  "It's all over!"

  "Hmph! You think you're worthy? My Elegant Wolf will never put you insignificant people in his eyes?"

  When I heard the beautiful woman's arrogant words, Qing Kuang immediately matched up with that person in the broken wolf mirror. However, this woman was even more beautiful than the one in the mirror, like a rose with thorns. If you're not careful, you'll get hurt all over and be left with no whole skin. Looking at these people surrounding her, there were all sorts of people, but the only common point was that they all wore the same death ring on their wrists as hers. No wonder they thought they were in cahoots. Hmph! That ghost craftsman really won't give up until he achieves his goal, and he even knows how to cast a wide net to catch fish. But among these people, isn't there anyone who has killed the Hell's Thirteen Wolves?

  When she was indulging in her wild and fanciful thoughts, Yang Lang didn't have that much time for her.

  "Now Grandma is sending you all to hell!"

  "Don't be afraid of her, let's all go at her together! With so many of us, can't we take down just one of her?"

  "It's all just one death anyway, might as well take a chance!"

  For a time, it was unclear whether it was a group fight or a single challenge. Among these people threatened by Guijiang, the strength was uneven, but each had their own unique skills.

  A young girl stared into the eyes of a wolf, and just as their gazes met, she was instantly captivated. Her hand movements paused, and the people around her saw an opportunity to attack. They quickly picked up their weapons and charged at the wolf. The wolf, awakened by pain, let out a cry, and its beautiful face suddenly changed color. Strange patterns crawled from its neck onto its cheeks, and its fingernails began to grow rapidly. The girl, who had been trying to resist, was too late. With a "poof" sound, the wolf's rapidly growing fingernails pierced the girl's chest. The wolf pulled its hand back with great force, and the girl fell to the ground, convulsing several times before losing all signs of life.

  The wolf licked that heart in front of these people, and its tone also became somewhat strange, "You... all... one... fate..."

  Everyone was stunned by the bloody scene, and they were about to retreat, but if they couldn't kill her, they wouldn't be able to live for a few more days. They had seen with their own eyes what happened to those who failed to complete their mission - a fate worse than death. They must kill her, they must!

  Someone with sharp eyes saw that Qing Kuang had not made a move and shouted, "Aren't you going to make a move? Are you waiting for death?"

  Alas, if this group of people were all killed by the fierce wolf, she would be alone and weak, and her fate would certainly be miserable. It's better to join forces with these people!

  When she heard the sound, Yan Lang also looked at him, with a strange gaze that seemed to be hiding in the forest like a snake, so cold and ruthless, just waiting to swallow its prey bit by bit.

  "Up!" With a loud shout, another group of people rushed up, and in an instant, the atmosphere around Yang Lang also changed. The patterns on his face seemed to come alive, and as they rose, a layer of black air gradually began to emerge behind him. When he looked at them again, their eyes had all turned black, with no pupils visible.

  "Go to hell!" Along with the powerful black air, the god of death instantly arrived among those people. Everyone was painfully covering their necks and struggling constantly.

  At the time of the wolf's attack, Qing Kuang had long since retreated to a safe distance. Who would have thought that this wolf would turn out to be poisonous! In that case, the name "Poisonous Widow" is indeed well-deserved.

  Exposed to the venomous gaze of Yan Lang, Qing Kuang's alarm sounded loudly in her heart, and she dodged the dark energy with agility. Confronting each other, in this desolate and eerie realm, lives were often taken back from others by force. Qing Kuang had never considered herself a good person, adhering to the principle that if one didn't fight for oneself, heaven and earth would destroy them. With that in mind, she struck directly.

  "Phoenix Slash!"

  The majestic fire phoenix burst out of its body, still carrying a faint layer of dark residual shadow, and rushed towards the wolf with a sharp momentum.

  "Hmph, petty skills!" The elegant wolf let out a cold snort, clearly not taking her seriously.

  Taking advantage of the sudden attack, the people who were still resisting also rushed up, apparently intending to perish with her. The explosion of various attribute spiritual powers, the effects of different levels are naturally different, however when they all target one person, the power can be imagined.

  "Hahaha, you think this can hurt me? What a ridiculous idea..." She laughed loudly, looking down at them with disdain. Although she, the thirteenth wolf of Hell, was ranked last among her peers, how could these insignificant creatures dare to provoke her?

  But before she could finish, all the sounds had already stopped abruptly, and everyone was staring at her in confusion. However, when the black aura around Yanyu completely dissipated, they saw a huge hole on Yanyu's chest, with blood gushing out. Yanyu looked at Qingkuang in disbelief, her eyes wide with shock, "How...can..."

  She sheathed her dagger, gazing at the bloodstains on it with a look of distaste, and then used water-based spiritual power to clean it several times before she was satisfied. Catching someone off guard was the only way to gain victory, and she didn't think there was anything shameful about launching a sneak attack; methods and tactics were unimportant, as long as one came out alive - that was what truly made someone strong. She was an entire level below Yan Lang, so going head-to-head with her would be suicidal. So, taking advantage of the moment when Yan Lang wasn't paying attention, her dagger followed her heart's desire and utilized its stealth attribute to circle around to Yan Lang's back, directly piercing through her heart.

  "So fast......" Before she could finish her sentence, a loud crash was heard as she fell to the ground. And not far from her was the very girl whose heart she had dug out, a scene that was full of irony.

  It's indeed a fairy-level attack phantom! It was fast and ruthless, just to her liking. After solving one, Li Kuang was about to leave when he was called out by someone.

  "Hey, you're also going to kill the Thirteen Wolves, right? Why not cooperate with us... Cough, cough... Lie Wolf has already been killed by us... Cough, cough... Yan Wolf is dead too... Let's work together..."

  Looking at the people who had fallen to the ground, he thought for a moment with a hint of disdain in his heart, then said mercilessly, "I don't believe you!"

  Yes, she didn't believe them. Even if they went through thick and thin together, she would still turn her back to the people she trusted, not these deceitful ones. But life wasn't as smooth as she thought it would be. When hardships, betrayals, and dangers came, how heart-wrenching it was!