Zhang Chen was simply taking precautions in advance. As for whether any mysterious phenomena would emerge, he couldn't say for sure.
Xie Lingyun smiled upon hearing this, "It's simple. Later, I'll dispatch three hundred Martial Dao experts who have cultivated Qi and Blood here to assist you. With these three hundred experts igniting their Qi Blood, as long as no Yang God experts appear, you should be able to manage, right?"
The Yang God experts in the Northern Land had basically all been crippled by Dugu Qiu, so where would they find the energy to meddle in Zhang Chen's treasure refining matters?
Previously, when the Twelfth Tier burst forth mysteriously, even though Demon King Zhao Lie was the first to bear the brunt, the other powerful figures couldn't avoid being affected either and suffered significant injuries.
"Thank you, Elder Sister." Zhang Chen didn't stand on ceremony with Xie Lingyun.
The two came to the Eight Trigrams Furnace, and Zhang Chen, in an irritated tone, called to Zhong Xiang inside the furnace, "Young Master Zhong, have you seen enough? If you're done, come out quickly. I have serious work to do."
Upon hearing Zhang Chen's words, Zhong Xiang, full of joy, flew out from inside the furnace. His eyes gleamed with delight: "A great harvest! My application of fire can be improved by at least one-tenth."
Then Zhong Xiang saw Xie Lingyun, and his face changed slightly. However, Mr. Wu from the Zhong Family had, after all, been allies with Xie Xuan, so their relations were relatively harmonious: "So it's Commander Xie. I am Zhong Xiang, at your service."
"No need for formalities, Young Master Zhong. Thank you for helping my younger brother," Xie Lingyun said with a smile.
"Younger brother?" Zhong Xiang was stunned upon hearing this. Seeing Zhang Chen and Xie Lingyun, his face immediately turned gloomy. An unnamed discomfort arose in him as he saw the pair seemingly acting like siblings, and a nameless anger slowly built within him.
This anger came inexplicably, making Zhong Xiang wish he could tear apart Xie Lingyun's beautiful face.
Especially seeing Zhang Chen standing by Xie Lingyun's side with a fawning smile, an unprovoked agitation welled up in his heart.
"How should I ignite the furnace?" Zhong Xiang asked sullenly.
"Young Master Zhong just needs to drop a wisp of flame into the center of the Eight Trigrams Furnace. It will naturally ignite the Creation Qi gathered by the furnace and simultaneously activate the Innate Rune on it, guiding out its Innate Power," Zhang Chen answered.
Zhong Xiang didn't delay, and with a flick of his finger, a flame shot forth, landing in the Eight Trigrams Furnace.
Strangely, it seemed that there was some nameless substance inside the Eight Trigrams Furnace; when the wisp of flame fell in, it was like a spark falling into gasoline. Instantly, the spark turned into a raging fire and ignited the entire furnace.
Zhong Xiang's Qilin Flame was originally a red flame, but after passing through the mysterious runes on the furnace, it transformed into a golden flame, filling the entire furnace.
The key was that, although the flame burned within the furnace, not a single bit of heat leaked out; all the scorching power was confined within the furnace.
Zhang Chen, seeing the roaring flames burning in the Eight Trigrams Furnace, showed a trace of joy in his eyes, and then he activated the Five-Colored Divine Light. The next moment, a ball of multicolored light flickered from within his sleeve, suspended before his eyes.
"That's Mr. Wuliu's flying sword!" Xie Lingyun, a person who recognized valuable items, was well acquainted with all the notable figures of the Northern Land: "How did his flying sword end up with you? These nine flying swords are essentially extensions of Mr. Wuliu himself. Losing these flying swords is akin to losing half his life, and he will have no hope of becoming a Yang God in the future."
Zhang Chen smiled upon hearing this, "That Mr. Wuliu saw some benefits with me, and actually tried to use his nine flying swords to attack me. Coincidentally, I obtained a technique specifically to counter flying swords, and managed to capture them."
"You can even seize Mr. Wuliu's flying sword? Incredible! You know, even a Yang God True Man would avoid confrontation with his flying sword. How did you manage to capture his flying sword?" Zhong Xiang couldn't help but exclaim in surprise from the side, his gaze towards Zhang Chen full of wariness.
However, Zhang Chen didn't reply, he simply shook his hand, tossing the flying sword into the Eight Trigrams Furnace.
"How can you throw such a peerless flying sword into the furnace to be refined!!!" Xie Lingyun couldn't help but exclaim, seeing Zhang Chen unhesitatingly toss the flying sword into the furnace, and dashed forward to retrieve it, but the flying sword had already plunged into the sea of fire within the furnace, disappearing without a trace.
"Each of these nine flying swords is worth its weight in gold. You wouldn't trade them even for a high official position, so why throw them into the Eight Trigrams Furnace to be refined?" Xie Lingyun was somewhat anxious: "These nine flying swords were sacrificially refined from Taiyi Essence Gold by Ancient Divine Demons. Not to mention the Taiyi Geng Metal itself is indestructible and immune to all laws, the refinement and blessings of the Ancient Divine Demons are also an irreplaceable creation. Why would you refine them? Once the furnace fire refines them back into iron lumps, their value will be nearly halved."
Zhong Xiang couldn't help but curse: "What a waste of heaven's gifts! Any one of these flying swords would make Yang God True Men fight to the death, let alone nine of them? And now you've thrown them all into the furnace to melt down, it's such a squandering of good things. No matter how good the treasure you refine, can it be better than what was refined by the Ancient Divine Demons?"
Listening to Xie Lingyun's words and seeing Zhong Xiang's face full of heartache, Zhang Chen smiled: "These flying swords were sacrificially refined and nurtured by Mr. Wuliu for decades and have long merged with his mind and spirit. The imprint of his Essence, Qi, and Spirit has permeated these swords. Unless he withdraws the mental imprint from the swords himself, even if I have them in my possession, I can't use them. He could call them back with just a thought. Even if a Yang God True Man wants to cleanse the swords of the Essence, Qi, and Spirit imprint, it would probably take sixty years. I don't have that long to wait, so it's better to throw them into the furnace and melt them down. No matter what treasure gets refined in the end, at least I can use it without concerns."