Chapter Thirty-Seven: Huang Shan Refines the Artifact

Hearing Commander Shrimp’s words, the Golden-scaled King at last realized how fortunate he truly was—he’d only had to endure two tortures and was already considered lucky. That Bull Boss beside him, however, wouldn’t be able to die even if he wished for it before withstanding all three rounds of sixfold punishment.

Yang Nan returned to his cabin, paying no heed to the harrowing screams echoing outside. These beings—whether monsters or river bandits—were all stained with the innocent blood of countless common folk. Even if they died ten thousand times, he wouldn’t so much as frown. These so-called punishments were merely tortures he’d invented on a whim, drawing on the cruel methods devised over millennia in his past life. Such torment would be inhumane if inflicted upon humans, but for breaking the pride of unruly demons, it proved remarkably effective.

As long as their powers were sealed, and this array of punishments was applied, even the fiercest monsters would be reduced to terror and submission, obedient and docile. And should any of them think to rebel one day, they would be forced to recall today’s lesson.

Yang Nan waited a long while before Chi Yang and Old Crab returned with the others. Old Crab, grinning from ear to ear, called out, “Young Master, we’ve struck it rich again! So many weapons—and all thanks to Huang Shan for guiding us!”

“Oh?” Yang Nan looked up at the sly, yellow-faced bandit. Huang Shan wouldn't dare claim credit—he’d witnessed the gruesome fate of his companions from outside the cabin and now feared this ruthless young master might turn on him next. Sweating profusely, he forced a smile and replied, “General Crab flatters me. I only did a little to help, nothing worth mentioning.”

With Old Crab leading the charge, the water bandits’ accumulated treasures from over a decade were swept clean—thousands of weapons, not to mention the untold gold and jewels. Yang Nan, however, was unimpressed. Born to a duke’s household, he’d seen every kind of rare treasure; what use had he for mortal riches? Still, with three cultivators now in charge, the bandit’s cache had yielded some lesser-grade spiritual iron and similar materials, which Chi Yang dutifully stored in the Rivers and Mountains Ring.

After casting his eyes over the silks and jewels, Yang Nan sighed in mild disappointment. Yet, having obtained the Heavenly Primordial Clear Void Divine Talisman—a true artifact of the immortals—he could hardly ask for more.

“Ah Nan, we’ve cleared the water bandits out of their lair, but as for the aquatic demon soldiers, I’m afraid we can’t deal with them all at once…” Chi Yang hinted meaningfully.

Cleared out? Yang Nan immediately grasped the implication: with the Dragon-Tiger Mountain’s warding treasure now in his possession, the sect would eventually trace it here. The bandits had to die to prevent leaks, but with hundreds or thousands of aquatic demons lurking below, if even one escaped and word reached Dragon-Tiger Mountain—

His thoughts raced, and he made his decision. “Old Crab! Take the Goldfish Spirit to Star Lake and summon every last aquatic demon there. Not a single one is to be missing—do you understand?”

Though fierce, Old Crab was no fool. He heard the gravity in his master’s tone and straightened with resolve. “Rest assured, Young Master. If a single demon escapes, I’ll answer with my life!”

Since entering Yang Nan’s service, Old Crab had grown ever more obedient. Pleased, Yang Nan nodded. “If you handle this well, there will be great rewards for you in the future.”

Old Crab broke into a wide smile—he knew Yang Nan never made empty promises. As long as one did their job, the master always rewarded generously.

Old Crab, together with the Goldfish Spirit—who hadn’t yet endured all three punishments—set out to gather the demon soldiers. The Goldfish Spirit, thrilled to be spared further torment and given a task, practically itched to sprout wings and fly to Star Lake. The two whipped up wind and waves and hurried off together.

Yang Nan sighed inwardly. This incident at Star Lake had stirred up far too much commotion. Even if he killed every bandit and gathered every demon, it was no guarantee that Dragon-Tiger Mountain wouldn’t eventually learn the truth. At the very least, the thousands of people on the Wang family’s fleet hadn’t died in vain.

He had no qualms about executing evil demons—but how could he slaughter a boatload of innocent mortals?

“All I can do is take things one step at a time. No matter what, I will never relinquish the Heavenly Primordial Clear Void Divine Talisman before reaching the rank of Venerable!” Gazing at the river’s spring waters, Yang Nan murmured to himself. The importance of this divine talisman rivaled any artifact in his possession—even the Rivers and Mountains Ring paled before its wonders. Yet, having lost this talisman, Dragon-Tiger Mountain would surely come searching, and as the Daoist and Martial sects had long been at odds, there was no way Yang Nan would return it for nothing.

The Wang fleet suffered many casualties, but their core strength remained intact. Chi Yang also instructed Captain Wang not to reveal their identities. Having survived such peril, Captain Wang revered Chi Yang as a savior and solemnly promised secrecy. After a brief stop, the Wang fleet set sail once more, continuing down the turbulent river.

When Yang Nan returned to his room, Bu Xu had already unraveled the restrictions on the Heavenly Primordial Clear Void Divine Talisman. At last, the Daoist treasure revealed its true, extraordinary form. With a gentle activation, the Dao character transformed into a tiny gateway—pushing it open led into a secluded immortal valley of cascading waterfalls and tranquil springs. Within the valley stood elegant pavilions, drifting auspicious clouds, and a convergence of spiritual energy and radiant light. Even Yang Nan, still a novice cultivator, could sense the boundless, inexhaustible power within. No wonder it was one of Dragon-Tiger Mountain’s three greatest treasures!

Now aided by the talisman, Yang Nan’s foremost task was to heal Bu Xu’s wounds. He ordered Bai Yi and Die Yi to guard the entrance and set Commander Shrimp and a host of lesser demons as sentries outside. Unless an enemy of grandmaster caliber appeared, their cultivation would not be disturbed.

With everything in place, Yang Nan and Bu Xu entered the talisman’s transformed sanctuary to resume their practice of the Immortal Yin-Yang Wheel.

Within the cave-dwelling conjured by the divine talisman, cultivation progress was doubled with half the effort. On a white jade platform in the valley, the two summoned the Immortal Yin-Yang Wheel. Black and gold lights shot from their brows, intimately entwining as before. With practice, Yang Nan now wielded the Yin Wheel with greater ease, and with the valley’s spiritual energy condensed into tangible form, the Yin Wheel thrived, joining with the Yang Wheel to dive into the Xuanyan Sword.

Inside the Xuanyan Sword was a world like a hell of demonic flames—an endless ocean of fire. Only after entering with the Yin Wheel did Yang Nan understand why this sword was worthy to be called an immortal weapon. Its forging must have cost Master Qingfeng, the former head of Kunlun, untold effort and rarest materials, and after countless years, it was finally perfected. The sword’s power was truly earth-shattering.

Without spiritual resources, Bu Xu’s recovery would have taken ages. But with the inexhaustible energy of the Xuanyan Sword, she only needed to keep absorbing spiritual power to regain her strength—though without Yang Nan’s Yin Wheel, she could only gaze at the sword in vain.

Together, they skillfully guided the black serpent Yin Wheel to swallow flames and the golden dragon Yang Wheel to refine the energy. In the sword’s raging inferno, any lapse in concentration meant being consumed by fire. With Bu Xu’s support, Yang Nan finally pushed his Yin Wheel’s capacity to its limits before guiding the Immortal Yin-Yang Wheel back out of the sword.

Returning to Bu Xu’s dantian, he found her spiritual energy and meridians much improved from before. In the sea of unruly yang energy, the Yin-Yang Wheel swam like twin fish, harmonizing the chaotic forces, reviving the meridians, calming the energy, and restoring balance.

The Wang fleet sailed eastward without further attacks from major bandit gangs. Chi Yang, with General Crab, Commander Shrimp, and the demon soldiers, guarded the flagship so tightly that even the Golden-scaled King’s eight hundred aquatic troops joined the defense. After enduring threefold punishments, both Huang Shan and the Golden-scaled King were utterly loyal to Yang Nan, and Chi Yang was content to let them serve.

In the battle at Star Lake, the red-faced Third Elder was slain by Chi Yang, and the small flag he wielded fell into Yang Nan’s hands. This Thundercloud Banner was made of extraordinary material, with thunderclouds sealed inside it—when spiritual power was channeled, bolts of lightning would strike out at foes. Seeing Yang Nan’s cultivation was still shallow, Chi Yang gifted him the flag.

Having come from the Talisman Sect of Dragon-Tiger Mountain, Bull Boss’s talisman spirits were all seized by Old Crab after his death. Most were low-grade paper soldiers, but even his special Divine General Talisman fell into Yang Nan’s possession. Though unfamiliar with such talismanic arts, Yang Nan, impressed by their subtlety, tucked them into the Rivers and Mountains Ring.

Huang Shan, once of the Hundred Refinements Sect of the Tool School, was specifically assigned by Yang Nan to refining work. His skills surpassed all others present, so Yang Nan gave him the flood-dragon’s corpse and other slain monsters’ remains to craft magical weapons.

Since the master had spoken, Huang Shan dared not refuse—besides, weapon refining would only aid his own cultivation. He occupied the flagship’s second level, recruited a few lesser demons as assistants, and obediently set to work.

The materials he received—from the flood-dragon’s remains to the seasoned monsters and the Golden-scaled King’s scales, as well as spiritual iron and stones—were all of high quality, dazzling even Huang Shan.

Yang Nan was generous, allowing a variety of weapons to be crafted for his subordinates; whatever suited their use became theirs. After Huang Shan’s diligent efforts, General Crab received a Flood-dragon Hook, forged from the dragon’s two nascent claws combined with other materials into a weapon of magical grade. It gleamed with a steely luster, lethal enough to rend metal and stone, and could even transform into a giant claw to seize enemies at a distance. General Crab, overjoyed with his new treasure, thanked Yang Nan profusely.

Though Commander Shrimp’s abilities were modest, Huang Shan dared not neglect the ruthless fellow. The flood-dragon’s hide was made into a refined gold armor, impervious to blades and arrows, and could transform into a blue arc to escape through water. Paired with a Fishbone Blade forged from the bones of a deep-water cold fish, Commander Shrimp’s strength leapt from the first to the third rank, making him beam with delight.

The most exceptional material was the Golden-scaled King’s thousand-year-old golden scales, gleaming with rainbow hues and infused with a trace of Buddhist aura. Forged into the Golden Thread Buddhist Armor, it could suppress demonic energy and, in dire straits, unleash 1,080 golden scales capable of shattering protective spells—a fearsome defense indeed.

Originally, Huang Shan intended this armor as a tribute for Yang Nan, but seeing the Golden-scaled King’s bare, unprotected form, Yang Nan waved him off and bestowed it instead. Having lost his scales and much of his power, the king had no idea how long it would take to regrow them. Now, seeing his master’s generosity, he was all the more loyal.

With the Golden Thread Buddhist Armor and the twin Lotus Hammers forged from two millennia-old lotus flowers, the Golden-scaled King’s strength was undiminished, if not enhanced. Along the river, he single-handedly dispatched all manner of bandits and monsters, his reputation resounding throughout the region.

In the battle at Star Lake, ten minor demons who had aided Yang Nan were gravely wounded. He did not neglect them—besides imparting them water arts, he had Huang Shan forge ten sets of fine weaponry and armor as gifts. Their status now ranked just below Commander Shrimp, rousing both awe and envy among the lesser demons. Thus, his elite guards, essential for the Supreme Demon Body technique, became Yang Nan’s personal retinue. Witnessing this, the other demons trained all the harder, desperate to join the ranks of the elite.

Through a balance of reward and discipline, Yang Nan finally established his initial authority over his demon soldiers and generals.