History's Strongest Senior Brother

Yan Zhaoge’s skill at creating trouble was not inferior to his talent in the martial dao in the least.

Having collected information on Yan Zhaoge, Wang Pu had gained a deep understanding of him.

He knew how Yan Zhaoge had wrecked the plans of the Heaven Emperor in the Royal Reed Sea initially and how he had made a trip to the south and wrecked half of Phoenix Ritual Mountain afterwards.

Even less had to be said about how he had mightily resisted the Heaven Emperor at Broad Creed Mountain’s opening ceremony in the Royal Reed Sea only recently.

Yan Zhaoge’s name of Fallen Deity was already publicly recognised throughout the entire World beyond Worlds by now.

Still, his reputation for creating trouble was similarly resplendent.

It was just that he was mostly able to take care of the trouble that he himself had provoked and created.

Yet, a warning bell tolled loudly in Wang Pu’s heart now as he felt his head growing slightly numb.

“Why are you so nervous, senior apprentice-brother Wang?” Yan Zhaoge chuckled, “This is a good thing, a good thing of course.”

He gazed over in the direction of Dragon Butterfly Valley, “When passing by there earlier, I noticed some special characteristics in the spiritual qi flow there.”

“I would like to excavate a space in that area. It should be extremely suitable for refining pills and artifacts.”

Wang Pu was slightly taken aback, “Oh?”

While he was not all that familiar with Dragon Butterfly Valley, he was surely more familiar with it than Yan Zhaoge was.

Yet, he had not detected such advantages which were to be found in this area.

Yan Zhaoge smiled, flipping his palm. A massive pill cauldron flew out from his Shadow Shrinking Pouch, growing within the air as it appeared before Wang Pu.

Wang Pu gazed carefully at it, a quizzical look appearing on his face.

He was clearly able to tell that the pill cauldron was unordinary. He carefully observed it again to confirm it before looking at Yan Zhaoge, “This is an Internal Crystal Furnace?”

“That’s right, it is the Internal Crystal Furnace,” Yan Zhaoge nodded, “When I was still in a lower world that year, I inadvertently gained a diagram of this treasure, though it was fragmented and incomplete. Through analysing and developing it over the years, I have made it how it is like now.”

Wang Pu fingered the surface of the pill cauldron, “It is no wonder then.”

Unlike lower worlds like the Eight Extremities World and the Vast Ocean World, the various legacies and relic sites of pre-Great Calamity times in the World beyond Worlds were comparatively better preserved and complete.

It had been rumoured since long ago that there were fortunate survivors of pre-Great Calamity times.

Because of these survivors, while their legacies and culture were incomplete, they were unlike that within the lower worlds like the Eight Extremities World where all had been severely discontinued.

Before the Great Calamity, Internal Crystal Furnaces had been widespread.

Other varieties of the Internal Crystal Furnace had been developed by many people. Therefore, there were many differences in their specific features.

In the World beyond Worlds, there was a lineage where the Internal Crystal Furnace’s construction method was preserved in its entirety.

Still, due to the scarcity of its materials, this Internal Crystal Furnace could not be mass produced.

As the disciple of the Sword Sovereign, Wang Pu was naturally no stranger to the Internal Crystal Furnace. There was more than a single such Internal Crystal Furnace on the Northern High Peak’s Jade Capital Crag.

The Internal Crystal Furnace that Yan Zhaoge was currently displaying was different in several aspects from the one that had been successfully reproduced within the World beyond Worlds.

Therefore, Wang Pu had to confirm it a couple of times before he could be certain enough of it.

“If it is the Internal Crystal Furnace, you can use it at Jade Capital Crag too. The spiritual qi there is even more abundant,” Wang Pu said, “Also, this is just an Internal Crystal Furnace. There is no need to be overly serious about this, right?”

The Internal Crystal Furnace was immensely beneficial when forging artifacts.

With Yan Zhaoge’s Internal Crystal Furnace, he was completely able to casually mass produce ones below the Sacred Artifact level.

Even low-grade Sacred Artifacts could be easily created by Merging Avatar Martial Saints when the materials were sufficient. There was no need to be worried about their probability of success at all.

As long as there were sufficient, suitable materials, Seeing Divinity Martial Saints would similarly be able to easily forge mid-grade Sacred Artifacts.

If not for the Internal Crystal Furnace, first not speaking of the probability of success and the quality of the produced artifact, just the time that would be depleted alone would mean many long years.

In some cases, decades or even centuries could still be considered short.

Still, the Internal Crystal Furnace was not omnipotent.

The effects that it could exert already seemed meagre when forging high-grade Sacred Artifacts.

There was no need to even think about Immortal Artifacts.

Even though Yan Zhaoge had already ascended the Immortal Bridge now, it would be the same when he ascended the Human Exalt stage or even pushed open the door to Immortality in the future.

This item was limited in its capabilities in terms of its structure.

If there was no revolutionary change, there would naturally be no heaven-roiling, earth-overturning changes to it.

This was just like how the use of the External Crystal Furnace was also limited as it fell behind that of the Internal Crystal Furnace greatly.

Before the Great Calamity, the various Internal Crystal Furnaces of various types had all had upper limits which could be greatly different.

This was indisputably a supreme treasure for the Eight Extremities World and the other lower worlds.

It was similarly a treasure whose worth rivalled a city’s for some minor sects of the World beyond Worlds and even the likes of the Dim Darkness Sect and North Sea Sword Pavilion.

Still, this appeared unimportant for the likes of the current Yan Zhaoge and Wang Pu.

“The artifacts that I want to forge now do not depend on the Immortal Crystal Furnace. Of course there is no need to be overly concerned about this matter,” Yan Zhaoge snapped his fingers, “Still, there is a chance of this Internal Crystal Furnace being upgraded further. What do you think, senior apprentice-brother Wang?”

“It is not that its strength will be able to rise for sure. It could also be improved in other aspects. For instance…”

Yan Zhaoge chuckled, “…For example, mass production.”

Wang Pu was shocked, “To what extent can it be mass produced?”

Yan Zhaoge spread his arms apart in an embracing motion, “It would not be able to encompass the entire World beyond Worlds, of course. Still, it could definitely become widespread in some major sects.”

“Even that itself would be shocking,” Wang Pu calmed down and thought about it.

If the Internal Crystal Furnace became widespread in the World beyond Worlds, it would result in the abundance of spirit artifacts and normal artifacts.

Still, Sacred Artifacts would not erupt greatly in terms of quantity.

This was because the materials required were limited.

This was especially so when the materials required for high-grade Sacred Artifacts and mid-grade Sacred Artifacts had always been scarce.

While Yan Zhaoge seemed like a wealthy guy, the Exalts generally all possessed more than a single high-grade Sacred Artifact too.

Still, from the perspective of the entire World beyond Worlds, considering all their Immortal Bridge Martial Saints, they did not possess even a single high-grade Sacred Artifact on average.

Many Immortal Bridge Martial Saints, especially early Immortal Bridge Martial Saints, had to make do with mid-grade Sacred Artifacts.

Therefore, the widespread use of Internal Crystal Furnaces would not lead to a massive increase in the quantity of Sacred Artifacts.

Simply put, even a skilful housewife would be hard pressed to cook a meal without rice.

However, the mass production of Internal Crystal Furnaces would still lead to many changes in the World beyond Worlds.

On the whole, the strength of the World beyond Worlds’ martial practitioners would be increased greatly.

Because of the Internal Crystal Furnace, the speed at which martial practitioners forged artifacts would rise greatly.

While those without the required materials would still lack them, the time required to forge the Sacred Artifacts for those with materials would be reduced drastically.

Several years, even decades or longer, would have been required otherwise. Yet, success would be seen very quickly with the Internal Crystal Furnace.

Wang Pu was naturally able to understand the significance therein.

“The geography of Dragon Butterfly Valley can aid you in this?” Looking at Yan Zhaoge, he asked curiously.

Yan Zhaoge smiled, “To be honest, it is not just the Internal Crystal Furnace that will benefit.”