The Elven Cultivator

Over a month passed in the blink of an eye.

Artifact Refining Chamber.

A blazing red light slowly rose from the furnace, hovering in midair and rotating gently.

Within the red light, nine Fire Dragons could be faintly seen coiling and weaving, chasing one another in various forms.

Some roared with their heads held high, some coiled as if gathering power, and others dove down to strike.

Each Fire Dragon was so lifelike it seemed ready to break free from the red light and lunge at an enemy at any moment.

As the red light gradually receded, the true form of the object within was finally revealed.

It was a shield-like cover, reddish-gold all over.

It was about the size of an adult’s palm, hovering quietly in midair, its reddish-gold surface shimmering like ripples on water.

The body of the cover was translucent, its fiery light contained within.

On its surface, nine divine dragons were coiled in bas-relief. Their heads all pointed toward a fist-sized fire pearl at the apex, while their tails extended to the base.

At the bottom was a lotus-petal-shaped base. The petals were layered, resembling a budding Fire Lotus when closed, its beauty veiled.

Anton raised his hand and beckoned. The Nine Dragon Divine Fire Shield slowly drifted down from the air and hovered above his palm.

Feeling the immense Fire Element power contained within the Magical Treasure, as well as the faint, hazy sense of self-awareness it possessed, Anton’s face broke into a satisfied smile.

’Although it’s not as good as the Sword Pill, this Magical Treasure has reached the level of a mid-grade Profound Artifact.’

’It’s a small rank higher than the Heaven-Overturning Seal I refined the first time.’

The power of the Nine Dragon Divine Fire Shield lay not in the overwhelming suppressive force of the Heaven-Overturning Seal, nor in the incomparably sharp killing edge of the Sword Pill, but in its ability to trap and kill.

Once deployed, the Nine Dragon Divine Fire Shield would expand rapidly, descending from the sky to envelop the enemy.

The nine Fire Dragons on its surface would animate from their bas-relief state, transforming into nine true, fiery giant dragons. They would circle and soar within the shield’s space, spewing a divine fire capable of incinerating all things.

Trapped inside, the enemy would face the siege of nine Fire Dragons while enduring the constant burning of the divine fire, as if trapped in a furnace with nowhere to run.

Unless the enemy could escape the instant before the shield fully descended, or forcefully break out from within using power far exceeding Anton’s Cultivation Level, once trapped, they could only struggle in this fiery cage until reduced to ash.

’With this offensive Magical Treasure, my combat prowess has increased significantly.’

Storing the Nine Dragon Divine Fire Shield in his Qiankun Bag, Anton stood up and stretched.

’I’ve been sitting for over a month. My bones are getting stiff.’

He pushed open the door of the Artifact Refining Chamber and walked out onto the deck.

The Taichu City disciples on duty on the deck saw Anton and hurriedly bowed in salute.

Anton gave a slight nod in acknowledgment, then sent a transmission to Laine, who was in the Control Chamber.

Before long, Laine walked briskly onto the deck.

”Teacher,” he said, bowing.

Anton said calmly, ”Have everyone prepare. We’re departing now. Take the Cloud-Surging Flying Ship back to Taichu City.”

Laine was momentarily stunned, a flash of surprise in his eyes. But he didn’t ask for a reason and nodded without hesitation.

”Yes, Teacher.”

With that, he turned and headed for the Control Chamber, quickly disappearing through the cabin entrance.

A short while later, the sound of hurried yet orderly footsteps echoed across the deck as the Taichu City disciples returned to their posts and began preparing for departure.

Anton, however, leaped off the Flying Ship and returned to Darkness Fortress.

’We’ll be staying in Darkness Fortress for at least several more decades. There’s no need to keep the Cloud-Surging Flying Ship here, wasting manpower and resources.’

’It would also delay the cultivation of the Taichu City disciples.’

’It’s better to let them return.’

Back in the stone tower, the Great Elder, Third Elder, and Romance happened to be there.

Seeing Anton, all three lit up with joy.

”Clan Leader, you’ve come out of seclusion,” the Third Elder said with a chuckle. ”Did the refining go smoothly?”

Anton nodded slightly and asked casually, ”During this time, have the allied forces destroyed any new spatial nodes?”

The Great Elder shook his head. ”No. We did find spatial nodes twice, but unfortunately, we failed to capture them and lost quite a few people in the process.”

Anton wasn’t surprised to hear this.

’So, the spatial nodes aren’t that easy to destroy after all.’

’If not for an unexpected variable like me last time, Valin and the others probably wouldn’t have been able to take the spatial node either.’

’In the original history, the war for Subspace lasted for a full forty years.’

’It’ll probably be a while before the allied forces can make any real gains.’

”Get ready. We’re entering Subspace in a bit.”

Anton decided on the spot.

The other three naturally had no objections and immediately got up to prepare supplies.

...

「Subspace.」

A dark red sky hung low like a canopy, bathing the entire land in a crimson, twilight-like glow.

The moment their vision cleared, that familiar sense of suppression washed over them like a tide.

Anton’s expression remained unchanged as he naturally extended his Divine Sense, taking in the entire surrounding area.

The Great Elder, Third Elder, and Romance appeared beside him a moment later.

”Let’s go.”

Anton took the lead and started walking forward.

The four of them advanced across the grayish-white plains at a steady, unhurried pace.

The surrounding scenery was still monotonous, with the hill-like skeletal remains of Giant Dragons visible everywhere.

The only difference this time was that after they had walked for less than half an hour, a disturbance appeared in the sky ahead.

A dark red vortex materialized out of thin air. Countless specks of light poured out from it, converging and coalescing in the air like fireflies.

Three Dragon Souls formed almost simultaneously, then immediately dove down, lunging at Anton with chilling killing intent.

Anton raised an eyebrow and summoned a sword light to meet them.

There was no suspense. In just a few exchanges, the three Dragon Souls were slain, shattering into countless fine specks of light that drifted in the void.