The Vermilion Bird Feather and Green Dragon Scale had been obtained, and now, only the White Tiger Claw was missing.
Mo Tianliao looked at the kitten in his arms and pulled out a pair of golden scissors from his storage bracelet. The tip of the scissors was not flat, but were curved into two small half-circles. The half-circles were just right to cut the cat’s claws. But… when Mo Tianliao held the furry paws between his hands, his hands began to tremble.
When Mo Xiaozhao was a child, Mo Tianliao had made this pair of scissors specifically to cut his claws. But when he cut his claws for the first time, it ended badly. He cut the claws too short and too close to the skin that there was bleeding. The tiny kitten had wailed in his arms and shivered with its paws shrunken, a scene that he could still remember vividly. So much so, that the scissors were stored away and never been used again.
“I’ll cut it,” Mingyan couldn’t bear to see any more. He took the scissors, raised the kitten’s paw, and after staring at them for a very long time, he asked, “How does this work?”
Mo Tianliao: “…….”
The snow-colored kitten twisted, jumped out of Mo Tianliao’s embrace, transformed into human form, and snatched the scissors: “I’ll cut it myself.”
The long, slender fingers stretched out, and the round and flat nails turned into five sharp claws. Qingtong took the small scissors and with a few click-clicks, cut out five transparent claw tips.
Mo Tianliao and Mingyan looked at each other awkwardly. How could they forget that it was easier to cut the nails if Qingtong became human………..?
After cutting the nails on his left hand, he couldn’t cut the nails on his right hand by himself. Qingtong shoved the scissors in Mo Tianliao’s hand and stretched out his right hand.
Originally, cats didn’t like to have their claws cut, but it was more awful to have only a set of nails cut.
Both hand’s claws were cut very short, and Qingtong felt very uncomfortable. He turned his head on Mo Tianliao’s arm and began to scrape.
Mo Tianliao stretched out an arm for him to scratch, and casually walked with Mingyan discussing their next steps.
The materials were now complete and Xuan Jian could be crafted, but there was no news about the Spiritual Wisdom of Heaven and Earth. Because he was afraid that time would not be enough, Mo Tianliao prepared to craft Xuan Jian’s main body first, and asked Mingyan to try his best to find the spiritual wisdom. When Xuan Jian was almost near completion, he could melt the spiritual wisdom into it and awaken it with the Duantian Heavenly Fire.
After going back to the Duantian Mo palace, Mo Tianliao told Meng Hu to close the Palace doors. Except for Mingyan’s subordinates, no one else would be allowed to enter, and even if the sky collapsed, it had nothing to do with them.
The popularity of Taixuan mountain’s Hidden Treasure Cave had not yet subsided when Mingyan sent out the news that it was necessary to find the Spiritual Wisdom of Heaven and Earth to open Taixuan mountain’s treasure. He listed various treasures in exchange for the Wisdom of Heaven and Earth. Because the conditions given by the Supreme Demon Lord were too tempting, the entire cultivation world began to actively search for the Spiritual Wisdom of Heaven and Earth.
In the past, when crafting Taishi, Mo Tianliao had spent so many years, mainly in figuring out the right crafting method. To craft a divine artifact, one either needed to practice slowly and spend a hundred years carefully polishing it; or not stop and work on it sleeplessly for 81 days.
Mo Tianliao threw the processed Sea Soul Stone into Taishi Burning Furnace, blinked to moisten his dry eyes, and took up the ice-cold spring water beside him and drank it. The cool spring water moistened his dry body. He closed his eyes slowly, and circulated the power of everlasting wood within himself, eliminating the exhaustion of not having rested for days.
If he didn’t have the body of a divine wood, even if his cultivation had been at the Half- Immortal stage, he would not have been able to sustain 81 days of endless crafting. Back then, when he was chased and killed, he had died of serious injury because he had used up his physical strength as he was without sleep for three months.
“If you’re tired, lean on me and rest for a while.” Qingtong put a hand on Mo Tianliao’s shoulder and whispered softly.
Mo Tianliao didn’t speak. He leaned back and lay on Qingtong. It was not uncommon for him to sleep on the cat as his pillow. Without saying anything, he slowly stroked the cat as he waited.
“Crackle, crackle!” Popping and crackling sounds came from the Taishi Burning Furnace. Mo Tianliao jolted up and immediately poked in his divine sense into the furnace. He wrapped the Sea Soul Stone that had turned into liquid with his spiritual power and took it out of the furnace.
The sea blue crystalline liquid was like a handful of ocean. It was very beautiful. Qingtong curiously came over and reached out a finger to touch it. Immediately, Mo Tianliao bit his sleeve: “Be careful, it’s very hot.”
Since both of his hands were holding the Sea Soul Stone liquid, Mo Tianliao couldn’t point with his fingers. Instead, using his chin, he pointed to the foot of the black mirror: “Baby, pick up the mirror.”
The mirror was pitch-black, round and flawless, without any superfluous carvings, but the mirror surface was uneven, unable to illuminate a human figure.
Qingtong wrapped the mirror with spiritual power, and without using his hands to touch it, held the mirror in the air. The powerful and stable power of his true Qi held the mirror without the slightest wobble.
Mo Tianliao’s lips curled up into a smile. His baby could now work with him to craft weapons. He was even better than Mao Dan. When he ascends in the future, he must remember to show-off in front of the old bastard.
Mo Tianliao used a very complicated method to slowly pour the clear crystal liquid on the mirror. The liquid was poured on the rough mirror, in such a way that the stream of liquid flowing was only as thick as a silver needle.
This was the most difficult type of array. The Sea Soul Stone was wrapped in Green Dragon Scales, Vermillion Bird Feather and White Tiger Claws. All of them together were used to draw a complete Time Array. There should be no interruptions during the array creation, and the crystalline liquid added should just fill the surface to form a smooth mirror. The level of refinement was very finicky and was complex enough to drive an ordinary craftsman crazy. However, Mo Tianliao was very patient with the process of crafting artifacts. It was almost as if he was drawing a delicate artwork full of beauty. Each stroke of the brush was executed with meticulousness.
Qingtong was originally watching him draw the complex array. But after a while, he got bored of watching. So he just looked at Mo Tianliao’s face and slowly counted the hairs in his eyebrows. One, two, three… Twenty-one, ah, no, it seemed that he just counted to nineteen just now. After nineteen, it’s twenty…….
This exquisite pouring lasted three days and three nights. And when Mo Tianliao finished his last stroke, Qingtong still had not counted the hairs on Mo Tianliao’s eyebrows clearly.
The crystal clear Sea Soul Stone formed a complete mirror, slightly curved, just like a cup full of water. The bulging water surface was smooth and round, giving it a very lovely appearance.
Mo Tianliao took a long breath and fell to the ground with a poof.
Qingtong threw the Xuan Jian aside, shook off his sore wrists, plopped down on Mo Tianliao, and continued to obsessively count the hairs on his eyebrows.
“Baby, are you exhausted?” Mo Tianliao embraced the slender body.
“Well…” at this moment, Qingtong again forgot which hair he had just counted. He reached out and touched Mo Tianliao’s eyebrows, grunted angrily, buried his face in Mo Tianliao’s chest, not counting!
Mo Tianliao smiled, wrapped his arms around the person in his arms and closed his eyes.
After sleeping for three days and three nights, Mo Tianliao felt that he had come back to life. He took a leisurely bath with Qingtong in his arms and had a good time.
“It’s time for us to go and give the mirror to Shizun.” Qingtong was nestled softly under the quilt, when he suddenly remembered the matter.
“Er…” Mo Tianliao slapped his head, when he remembered that after the semi-finished artifact was crafted, they threw it on the floor of the crafting room, covered with ashes and cat furs, devoid of the dignity of a divine artifact.
Mingyan looked at the round and flawless Xuan Jian in his hand, stretched out a slender finger and slowly rubbed it: “This.. is the Xuan Jian ……”
“Not quite, without the spiritual wisdom, Xuan Jian could only be an ordinary mirror.” Mo Tianliao scratched on the mirror surface, because the mirage stone had been melted in, now even a brief flashback to the past could not be seen.
“Go and look at the things handed over by all parties and see if any of them has any spiritual wisdom.” Mingyan pointed to the long table beside him, which was full of all kinds of strange and bizarre things.
Echo beads that could remember sounds, spiritual grass that could run by itself, piles of crystal stones and spiritual herbs, and even a parrot that could speak human words……….
Mo Tianliao searched for a long time, but did not find anything that had the Wisdom of Heaven and Earth.
It has been nearly eight months since Taixuan mountain was opened. It could close at any time. If the spiritual wisdom could not be found, then Mingyan would have to use his own spiritual power to keep the cave open. Such defiance of the natural order would rapidly consume his soul force. When Taixuan mountain would finally close in the end, the green dragon’s soul would also disappear at the same time.
Just at this time, Shi Di, who had not been seen for a long time, suddenly barged in: “Duantian, I have found the Wisdom of Heaven and Earth!”
All the people turned around, and saw the eight foot man with a golden egg in his hands, running over with a big black lion behind him. The lion quickly ran around to the front, trying to slow down his master. However, he was too big and couldn’t turn around in time and his tail was stepped on by Shi Di.
“Roarr–!!!” the big lion shrieked and bounced up so hard that he tripped over Shi Di.
The tall man and the lion rolled together, and the golden egg in his hand flew out instantly.
Mo Tianliao immediately rushed over and caught the crystal clear golden egg.
“Damn it, what are you doing?!” Shi Di kicked the big lion and signaled him to get up quickly.
“Roarr –” the lion’s two hind legs were crushed by Shi Di. He couldn’t move and was even kicked. He immediately hooked his head and bit his ass.
Mo Tianliao stared at the golden egg in his hand and his eyes glowed, “This is …… mineral essence!”
Usually spiritual gems, according to the purity of spiritual qi contained in them, were divided into three kinds of spiritual gems: inferior, medium and superior, and finally, a rare kind of top-grade spiritual gem. Even in a good spiritual mine, not many top-grade spiritual gems could be found. So it was generally understood, top-grade spiritual gems were the best spiritual gems.
In fact, there existed a legend about spiritual gems, a kind of spiritual gem that existed only in an excellent spiritual mine. It had the spiritual Qi of the whole vein. In a finger-sized piece of mineral essence, the purity of spiritual energy was comparable to a basket full of top-grade spiritual gems.
A small, very weak spot of light was floating in the golden egg at the moment.
“Unfortunately,” Taishi’s big mouth drifted over and looked at the tender little thing inside. “This is a germ of spiritual wisdom and it will take an estimated ten thousand years for it to be enlightened.”
The hope that was just born was immediately doused by a basin of cold water.
In the past, when looking for Taishi, Mo Tianliao doubted whether there was such a thing as Wisdom of Heaven and Earth that could be even found between heaven and earth. It was by rare chance that he could find Taishi. It must have been very difficult for Shi Di to find this tiny germ of spiritual wisdom……..
A desperate, dead silence fell in the great hall of the Mingyan Demon Palace.
Ten thousand years was too long. Mingyan couldn’t wait, Qingtong couldn’t wait, Hei Yanshi couldn’t wait.
Mingyan touched the golden mineral essence and said slowly, “Draw out my soul and use that as Wisdom of Heaven and Earth.”
He was an ancient divine beast, originally created by heaven and earth. He had lived for nearly ten thousand years. He was more than enough to be a Wisdom of Heaven and Earth.
“Shizun!” Qingtong looked up in surprise.
“Awooooo!” The little wolf bit the hem of Mingyan’s clothes and cried out pitifully.
Mingyan lowered his head, stroked the little wolf’s furry head, and smiled faintly: “This way, at least I can still see Dan Xi once.”
The spiritual wisdom sealed in a divine artifact, just like Taishi, could still see, hear and exist for a long time. But Xuan Jian was different from Taishi. It was a mirror that couldn’t change its shape and couldn’t speak. Even if the Vermillion Bird would carry around Xuan Jian everyday, they would still be separated by the Sea Soul stone……….
Qingtong pursed his lips and slowly buried his face in Mo Tianliao’s arms. Mo Tianliao wrapped his arms around Qingtong, unable to say anything.
“Wuwuwuwu…” Taishi’s big mouth suddenly began to make a noise as if it was crying, but the artifact had no tears, so the tortoise-shell colored knife fell down like tears.
“What’s with all the noise!” Mo Tianliao was upset and lost patience with Taishi’s drama.
Taishi cried so hard that the small knife that fell on the ground bounced back when it touched the ground, returned to Taishi, and then continued to fall: “Master, I.. I can give up my Didi!”
—————–
The author has something to say:
Mini Theater:
《Brotherhood of the Yesteryears》
Taishi: Woah! woah! There are bad people about to catch us.
Didi: Oh!
Taishi: I will block them. Didi, run!
Didi: Oh!
Carpenter: Huh? This spiritual wisdom actually jumped out on its own, so eager to be crafted into a divine weapon by me?
Didi: (waving goodbye) You can do this!
Taishi: (╥﹏╥) Why aren’t you sad even when we are to be parted forever??