Chapter 2506: Crafting A New Stairway to Heaven |
"You’ll... make another treasure... to replace me...?" Tian’er muttered in a dazed voice after hearing Yuan’s words.
"You... are going to replace me...?"
Tian’er’s eyes trembled slightly, looking as though she were on the verge of tears.
Seeing her reaction, Yuan quickly waved his hands and said, "I’m not replacing you! It’s only temporary!"
He then continued in a reassuring voice, "Once I deal with whoever attacked you, you can return to the Nine Heavens."
"You promise?"
"Of course," Yuan said, feeling surprised, as this was the first time he’d seen such a reaction from her.
"Okay." Tian’er nodded her head, quickly calming down.
’To think she’s capable of crying now... she’s really grown,’ Yuan smiled inwardly.
In fact, this was the reason why Tian Qiyuan allowed her to manage the Stairway to Heaven by herself—to bear such massive responsibilities.
After talking with Tian’er for a little longer, as well as reassuring her that he’d never replace her, Yuan left the Stairway to Heaven and returned to the island.
"How was it?" Zi Xuan asked Yuan after his return.
"Everything is fine... for now," he replied. "Unfortunately, she won’t be able to return to the Nine Heavens for a little longer."
Yuan proceeded to explain the entire situation to her.
"An Eternal targeting the Stairway to Heaven? That’s definitely a first..." Zi Xuan muttered with a thoughtful expression.
However, just like Yuan, she could not come up with any reasonable explanation for such strange behavior.
"So, what are you planning to do now?" Zi Xuan then asked.
"I’m going to craft a new Stairway to Heaven," Yuan replied. "This is the only place that has enough materials and a proper blacksmithing environment, so since I’m already here, I might as well make it now."
"A new Stairway to Heaven?" Zi Xuan’s eyes widened with surprise. "What about Tian’er? And if I recall correctly, it took you several thousand years to craft her."
"I’m only going to use it temporarily. Once I resolve the issue with the Eternal, Tian’er will be able to return to the Nine Heavens," Yuan explained again.
"Besides, this time I’m only crafting it with the traveling function, so it won’t take nearly as long."
Compared to Tian’er, this new Stairway to Heaven would be extremely bare-bones. It would not possess storage capabilities or the numerous world-class defensive mechanisms integrated into Tian’er, which was precisely why it would require far less time to craft.
"Anyway, since it’s been a while, I’ll craft the new Stairway to Heaven first as a warm-up," Yuan said as he approached the nearby wooden house.
The interior of the building was just as humble and simple as its exterior. Aside from a single bed spacious enough to comfortably fit two people, the only other furnishings were basic necessities such as a table and a few chairs.
Yuan walked to the closet beside the bed and retrieved a set of blacksmithing attire, then changed out of his current clothes and into it. Unsurprisingly, it fitted him perfectly.
The moment Zi Xuan saw Yuan wearing Tian Qiyuan’s blacksmithing attire, a chill ran down her spine, causing her body to tremble uncontrollably with excitement.
"What are you doing now?" Mu Xuelian suddenly returned and asked him.
"Crafting treasures."
"Oh? What kind?"
"The Stairway to Heaven... something like that."
Mu Xuelian raised her eyebrows and asked, "Could it be... are you trying to replace the one that disappeared?"
"That’s right."
"Why bother? It’s none of your business. Seems like a waste of time and effort. Or are you really that generous?"
Yuan smiled and said, "Actually, it is my business, since I was the one who created the original one."
"What?" Mu Xuelian’s eyes widened in disbelief after hearing his words.
However, Yuan did not bother elaborating further and simply turned around and walked away.
Some time later, he arrived at a cave located at the foot of the multicolored crystal mountain before calmly stepping inside.
Although the cave appeared pitch-black from the outside, the moment Yuan stepped inside, the walls began emitting a faint glow that steadily grew brighter until the entire interior was fully illuminated.
The light revealed a long tunnel that stretched deeper into the mountain, leading toward a spacious chamber further within.
At the center of the chamber stood a massive anvil that appeared brand new, with not even a single scratch.
Meanwhile, hanging on a nearby wall was a black hammer radiating an overwhelming aura. Its presence was so immense that the gravity surrounding it had become several times heavier simply because it existed there.
Hanging beside the hammer was another object—a golden wheel that naturally emitted an overwhelming amount of heat.
The temperature surrounding it was so intense that anyone without strong fire immunity would likely combust simply by standing too close to it.
After taking a moment to reminisce about this place and the countless treasures he had forged in the past, Yuan walked toward the wall and grabbed the black hammer.
"Oh!" Yuan let out a startled sound when his entire arm suddenly dropped unnaturally, as though he had just picked up something far heavier than he anticipated.
However, he’d managed to adjust his strength right before the hammer touched the floor.
"I forgot how heavy you were..." Yuan muttered with a smile as he lifted it back up.
Meanwhile, Zi Xuan and Mu Xuelian had followed Yuan into the mountain, but the two of them stopped at the entrance of the chamber instead of entering it.
"You do not want to be inside once he starts working," Zi Xuan said as she suddenly raised her arm to stop Mu Xuelian, who had nearly stepped into the chamber.
"Especially not someone like you, who already struggles with heat," she added.
Some time later, Yuan spoke, "I’m going to do some mental training first."
He then took a seat on the ground and closed his eyes.
Comments 3