Chapter 508: Forging the Body in Sacred Fire

Barely two hours had passed since the Sacred Fire Tempering began, but now only eight or nine people were left standing on the high platform.

Among them, there was a clear pattern: aside from Song Chi, nearly everyone’s Guiding Technique was already at least lv57, and five had actually reached the peak of fifth tier, lv59.

As for Song Chi, it was only by relying on his repeated body tempering in the past that he managed to last this long. But as the surrounding tempering flames grew ever hotter, he too hit the limit of what he could take.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes. Instead of turning to leave, he just raised his tightly clenched right hand.

Resting in his palm was an ice pearl the size of a longan.

The pearl radiated heavy cold mist and shimmered with silver light—it was an ice-type silver oddity.

Called the Ice Spirit Pearl, Song Chi had gotten it not long ago from the God of the Hunt’s Dimensional Spatial Stone. Since it couldn’t be used as a battleship component, Song Chi originally meant to trade it in the Oddities Exchange, saving it to recharge his Market Projection Token later.

It was only after hearing about the Sacred Fire Tempering that he thought to carry the Ice Spirit Pearl with him, just in case.

“Hope this’ll come in handy!”

With a flick of his wrist, Song Chi popped the Ice Spirit Pearl straight into his mouth. Of course, there was no need to actually swallow it; just holding it between his teeth was enough.

In an instant, intense cold flooded his mouth. But under the guidance of his internal ether, that chill quickly spread throughout his whole body.

A rush of relief washed over his mind as the scorching heat was driven out by frost. Song Chi could finally breathe easy.

Settling in, Song Chi sat down cross-legged atop the platform again.

Bit by bit, the number of people on the platform kept dwindling.

Seven remained;

Then five;

…

When Song Chi finally stood up, there were only two people left holding out alongside him. He was one of the last three standing.

He didn’t pay this much mind and forced himself to step down from the high platform.

Even with the Ice Spirit Pearl helping him, he simply couldn’t withstand any more. Pushing on now would only risk uncontrollable injuries—there was no reason to do that.

Besides, sticking it out this long had earned him plenty. His physical strength had improved significantly from before the tempering.

Given how tough he already was, that extra edge was truly precious.

The other two still on stage were both once core picks of the Tuoba Royal Clan’s inner circle, and, just like Song Chi, each had an ice or water oddity to help them last, plus top‑notch fifth‑tier Guiding Technique.

But after Song Chi stepped down, those two couldn’t hold out much longer either. Soon, the Sacred Fire Tempering came to a close.

As tradition went, a banquet followed right after. Nothing much of note happened during that, and when it finally ended, so did the entire festival.

Up in the skies, the Calm-Sea Dragon-Xiang and the Heavenly Ruin sped on their way—taking their hosts back to Brightmoon Lake. Now that the festival was over, there was no need for lingering, though proper farewells still had to be made in person.

Aboard the battleships, on an encrypted channel, Song Chi suddenly asked:

“Ancestor, the newly promoted ancestor on that side—what grade is their Torch Seed?”

There was nothing to hide here. Song Wujian replied straight away:

“Same as Miss Ru’s!”

Song Chi got the message instantly.

“Also red, huh? Sigh. Silver Upgraded Fire Sources are just too rare!”

His thoughts spun as he frowned, his mind racing in all directions.

If even a sixth-tier Dreadnought captain didn’t have a silver Torch Seed and was stuck with only a red one, their combat potential would really take a hit.

So, even with four Dreadnoughts now—and the Heavenly Ruin too, and even the Three-Eyed Clan’s Imperial Flagship and his own Dominion Projection from the Market Token—it still wouldn’t be a sure thing against that dominion-level Black Devourer King Beast. There was real risk.

That got him thinking immediately of the Silver Apple Mother Tree. He could already upgrade to a Red Advancement Fire Source whenever he wanted, so if he could get the tree to seventh tier, it’d keep producing seventh-tier Silver Apples, and silver Torch Seeds would follow naturally.

His mind made up, Song Chi turned straight to Song Wujian and said:

“Ancestor, I need sixth-tier Star Plant Tree Hearts. With enough, maybe I can…”

“Alright!”

Song Wujian answered before Song Chi could finish.

He glanced around from habit. Song Chi caught his meaning right away—after all, they were still on Tuoba Royal Clan turf, and there could be bugs about. Even sixth-tier Dreadnought comms weren’t guaranteed safe.

Knowing his ancestor understood, Song Chi didn’t say any more.

A little while later, both battleships lifted off from Brightmoon Lake and, watched by Tuoba Jun below, disappeared into the clouds.

“Sixth-tier Star Plant Tree Hearts… could someone important in the Song Family be nearing their end?”

Tuoba Jun wondered to himself, but soon put it out of mind. One way or another, he’d just gotten his hands on a silver component.

That’s right—just earlier, Song Wujian had proposed a trade: a silver component for Star Plant Tree Hearts. In the end, Tuoba Jun had traded over three sixth-tier Tree Hearts.

The silver component had come from Song Chi’s raid on the God of the Hunt’s private stash. It was meant to be traded for Star Tower Mall points, but swapping it for three Tree Hearts was even better.

Still, that wasn’t nearly enough. Four sixth-tier Star Plant Tree Hearts wouldn’t take the Silver Apple Mother Tree to seventh tier, so more would be needed.

This time, neither of them headed for Silverplate Bazaar but headed straight out of the Floating-land.

Song Chi’s third-place showing in the Sacred Fire festival had drawn plenty of attention. If he and his companion vanished right inside Silverplate City, it would likely attract unwanted eyes.

So after several warp jumps, they finally picked an empty debris field to return to the Dragon-Spine Continent.

…

At Azure Moon Estate, Song Chi and Song Wujian appeared in the courtyard. Before leaving, Song Wujian gave one more reminder:

“Within the next few years, the family will be taking action against the Black Devourer King Beast. Don’t stray too far—Morningstar territory’s nearby, and if they spot the beast, we have to act fast!”

“Understood, Ancestor!”

With Song Chi’s reply, Song Wujian summoned Calm-Sea Dragon-Xiang and shot up into the sky.

…

Omniverse Market, Full-Attribute Cultivation Chamber.

Song Chi started another round of Guiding Technique cultivation. Between pondering the Martial Heaven’s Eye secret art and pure training, he still chose the latter.

To him, Guiding Technique was the key to longevity. Combat strength only served to secure more years, and it was obvious which mattered more.

This time, he spent three months inside the Full-Attribute Chamber, using up his last two ten-thousand-year Deepwater Pearls. But his luck was rough—either that, or breaking through at higher levels was just that much harder. In the end, he only rose from lv51 to lv52.

After getting used to the changes in his strength, he was just about to use the Eye Essence of the Multi-Eyed Race to study Martial Heaven’s Eye when his Voidform Avatar outside got a message from the family.

Bzzz! Bzzz! Bzzz!

Over Qingyue Lake, space warped and in a flash, the Heavenly Ruin was gone.

Dragon Spine Sacred Mountain, Family Ancestral Hall.

By the time Song Chi arrived, the hall was shrouded in thick chaotic mist. Looking up, a projected figure had already appeared on the golden starry throne above—none other than Song Shiyuan, far away at Storm Calamity Floating-Land.

And in front of the main hall stood five more figures.

Besides Song Wujian and Song Xingru, there was Song Dingbang and Song Tianhao. As for the last, Song Chi had never met them before, but with such strong sixth-tier life energy, he could easily tell—that had to be the newly promoted Dreadnought captain from the hidden branch.

Seeing all this, Song Chi realized: aside from Song Xuancang, who was tied up at Calamity Star Floating-Land, this was everybody among the top family ranks.

Song Tianshu’s flagship had just become a battleship, but he himself was still beating at the gate for fifth-tier Guiding Technique. Being over nineteen hundred now, he didn’t have long left, so the ancestors left him to focus.

Soon, Song Wujian introduced Song Chi to the unfamiliar elder.

“Chi, this is Ancestral Elder Shixing from the hidden branch. Go on, pay your respects.”

Shixing? Wasn’t he of the same generation as the Prime Ancestor?

A swirl of thoughts flashed by, but Song Chi quickly stepped forward, bowing low:

“Song Chi, Tenth Direct Line—greetings, Elder Shixing!”

“Good!”

Elder Shixing’s pleased laughter rang out, clearly delighted. He continued:

“I’ve heard a lot about the dazzling talents from the Torch Seed branch. Now that I see you in person, you really do live up to your name.”

“Besides, I owe you, kid! It’s thanks to you that I broke through and became a Dreadnought captain. Here—a little meeting gift.”

Song Chi knew he was referring to the two fifth-tier Timeworld Fruits—Elder Shixing had benefited from a second promotion thanks to the fruit, which let his own ship make the leap.

As for the gift offered: a familiar crystal, palm-sized, but pulsing with light energy instead of space. Song Chi could tell this was a Light Divine Crystal.

His own comprehension of the Law of Light hadn’t even reached 50%. Song Chi’s eyes burned with eagerness.

Still, out of respect, he looked over to Song Wujian, silently seeking the ancestor’s opinion.

But before Song Wujian could say a word, Elder Shixing just chuckled:

“No need to stand on ceremony! The hidden branch may have thrived abroad, but the Song family’s roots and hidden branch have always been one. You’ll be coming to stay with us for a while soon enough!”

With that, Song Chi didn’t hesitate any longer and accepted the Light Divine Crystal.

Because of the Vermilion Divine Bird, the Vermilion Blood Pact was already well known among the family’s core. Song Chi’s cultivation of the Law of Light was no secret, so Elder Shixing had clearly picked a custom gift.

Introductions done, everyone turned to business.

Song Wujian was first to speak to Song Shiyuan and Song Tianhao:

“Shiyuan, Tianhao, this operation is huge for the family. We can’t hold back our top forces. So I’m putting you two in charge of Dragon-Spine Continent and Storm Calamity Floating-Land!”

He tossed each of them a projection component.

“These are subcomponents of the Silver Projection Module. If trouble hits, just trigger them!”

Once he’d finished with Song Dingbang and Song Tianhao, Song Wujian turned back to Song Chi’s group.

“As for us, we move out tomorrow. But to minimize detection risk, everyone will enter Chi’s spatial oddity, then the Heavenly Ruin will fly out solo!”

Originally, Song Wujian had planned to use Calm-Sea Dragon-Xiang, but Song Chi volunteered his own Mirage Dragon Metamorphosis Pearl out of trust for its power.

“Aside from that, Shiyuan, stay alert. There are plenty of eyes on Storm Calamity Floating-Land right now.”

Up above, Song Shiyuan’s projection nodded slightly.

“Don’t worry, Ancestor. My flagship’s High-Dimensional Portal has been upgraded to lv70—it can vanish without a trace.”

“The real challenge is this: if all of us vanish together, it might be fine for a bit, but keep that up too long and the outside world will get suspicious!”

Everyone frowned at that.

Then Song Chi spoke up:

“How about this: I’ll take the Heavenly Ruin ahead to the Chaos Sector. Once I’ve reached the Black Hole, I’ll double back to pick everyone up. Meanwhile, you elders can deliberately show yourselves so others know you’re still around!”

Everyone exchanged glances—it was a solid plan, especially in Song Wujian’s eyes, knowing how quickly Song Chi could move them. It’d save plenty of time.

“Sounds good. Let’s do it!”

…

The next day, Song Chi activated the ‘Mirage’ effect of the Mirage Dragon Metamorphosis Pearl, and stealthily sped away from Dragon-Spine Continent. He shot through the Red River Sector, heading for the heart of the Chaos Sector.

To guarantee nobody noticed, he only moved while ‘Mirage’ was active. It slowed him down, but kept him totally hidden.

And with the elders and Prime Ancestor still being watched, there was no hurry.

It took more than half a month before Song Chi finally reached the core of the Chaos Sector.

Now under Morningstar Family control, this region was full of patrol fleets. Luckily, with the ‘Mirage’ effect and the Void Shroud’s high-authority prowess, nobody could spot the Heavenly Ruin weaving its way through the darkness.