1519 The Use of Cosmic Iron
Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha were startled. This person who possessed seemingly god-like powers had probably reached a level beyond transcendence. He was seemingly everywhere when Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha were caught by him when they were at Four Kings City, and now he had also appeared here, on this planet? Furthermore, he was not just using his mental strength right now, they could even clearly hear his voice!
It was simply unimaginable. Where was he? And just what kind of person was he?
“What if I have to kill him, no matter what?” Hidden Wind replied coldly. He did not seem to be in the least bit afraid of the person with the god-like powers.
“Then let me rephrase what I said. With me around, there’s no way you can kill him,” the voice echoed.
A cold glimmer shone from Hidden Wind’s eyes. It looked like hearing that voice disallowing him from killing Moon Wanhe only aroused his intense desire to rebel!
They watched as Hidden Wind slightly raised his hand and swung his arm outward, as if he was releasing some formless blade.
But something strange suddenly happened!
Hidden Wind’s arm was stopped in mid-air, as if some formless strength was keeping it from moving.
Traveling Buddha and Xia Fan knew very well what that was. That god-like power was the very same power that had snared the two of them in mid-air the last time. Measured across the galaxy-spanning Federations, Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha were by no means weak, and while they might not be a match for the legendary old monsters, they were surely the best among the younger generation, where no one would dare claim first if they claimed to be second.
Despite that, Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha had nevertheless been rendered helpless when facing that god-like power. It was a strength that came from unknown origins, which existed out of thin air. It was so great a strength that it defied logic and imagination.
Hidden Wind seemed to be fighting against that god-like power. He used all his strength, trying to release his arm, but the god-like power firmly resisted his attempts.
After several more back and forths between the two, Hidden Wind finally stopped. Sweat was rolling down his forehead as he said, his expression as somber as ever, “You may be able to protect them for now, but you won’t be able to protect them their whole lives. I’ll kill these two men sooner or later.”
That mysterious voice let out a bitter chuckle. “Hidden Wind, oh Hidden Wind. Sure enough, you’re the same as ever. The Hidden Clan has plenty of amazing individuals, yet you’re definitely the strangest.
“If you want to kill them, so be it. But you must first get past me. Hahahahaha!…”
The loud laugh rang out as brightly as a bell. It had an aura of a primordial being, as if it had crossed time and space to reach here.
Moon Wanhe and Tariq flew up into the air as the god-like power whisked them away from the cave. Moon Wanhe’s face revealed the elation of having been given a second life. Neither could have imagined that they would survive Hidden Wind’s hand!
—
Even after such a shocking interruption, Hidden Wind was still expressionless. He looked at Hidden Water and softly asked, “Do you wish to go home now?”
Hidden Water mulled that over slightly. “In a moment.”
Hidden Wind slightly nodded, “Okay. I’ll be waiting for you at home.”
With that, Hidden Wind left. He actually left without even turning back again!
Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha were dumbfounded, their mouths agape. They could not imagine just how strange a person he was. Any other parent or grandparent would already be in tears, maybe even fainting from joy?
Nevertheless, after saving Hidden Water, Hidden Wind had left just like that, allowing the girl to return home if she desired, or to continue staying outside if she did not. Was he not being a bit too liberal?
But Xia Fan soon understood why. The reason why Hidden Water had decided to stay was for Traveling Buddha: she wanted to accompany Traveling Buddha back!
After they exited the cave, they discovered it was already evening, and two frigates had landed by the cave entrance, with plenty of warriors onboard.
That god-like person must have already told them the reason, as none of them asked any questions. They simply went and brought the corpses of Moon Dongsheng and his two pals away on one of the frigates, while Xia Fan and the others were sent back to God Metropolis on the other one.
Dragon Dou had been frightened to his core after everything that happened. He invited Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha to his home; Xia Fan felt there were no downsides to the offer, so he agreed.
Moon Wanhe would more or less be sure to retaliate, and this foolish son of the local tyrant was ultimately the backing Xia Fan had here on God Metropolis. If anything were to happen to him, Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha would surely not benefit, either!
Thus, the four of them left for Dragon Dou’s residence. His servants welcomed them with delicious food and wine, and all of them were soon seated in his yard. Later, when Hidden Water mentioned she wanted to head home, Xia Fan smiled and said, “Traveling Buddha, you should send her off.”
Hidden Water blushed and flashed a grateful smile to Xia Fan. She must have sensed that Xia Fan was helping her.
“Enough already. I’m going, okay.” Traveling Buddha was of course no match for Xia Fan. The former would get annoyed after saying a few words, so he helplessly left the yard with a frown, while Hidden Water followed behind him, abashed.
…
Only Dragon Dou and Xia Fan were left in the yard. That was when a servant came to give his master a report, stating that Dragon Dou’s mom was looking for him. He shook his head, and with a look of helplessness, told the servant to arrange for Xia Fan’s accommodations, while he left for the back garden to see his mother.
Xia Fan had already heard that although Dragon Dou’s father was also a coward like him, it seemed his mother was quite the character. But Xia Fan was not too certain about the general situation, and looking at the fearful expression on Dou’s face the moment he heard that his mother was looking for him, it seemed the rumors were true.
Dragon Dou’s residence was rather large, with plenty of different courtyards. His servants had brought Xia Fan to a side courtyard that, while it was nothing big, was well-kept, and was in much better condition than the dormitory where Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha were currently staying.
Xia Fan chose a room and asked the servants to leave. After he closed the door behind him, Xia Fan took out the lump of Cosmic Iron and examined it again. Though it was not huge, it was very heavy, and it had the unique effect of soothing his nerves. Now that Xia Fan had gained it, he wondered how he could best put it to use.
With that question in mind, Xia Fan specifically consulted Bright Pearl.
“What else aside from forging weapons with it and carrying it around wherever you go? What other uses could there be?” Pearl scoffed.
“Comparing Styx metal to Cosmic Iron, which is more suited to be made into a weapon?” Xia Fan asked her.
Pearl answered, “Of course it would be Styx metal. Styx metal has a high hardiness rating, and is difficult to damage. Cosmic Iron’s main purpose is to calm nerves, and having something like that ensures the wearer will remain composed. When faced with a major battle, keeping calm is very important, and on top of that, it has quite a good effect when worn during training.”
Xia Fan nodded. He took out the Styx metal blades that Dragon Dou had gifted him. He had given them a set; the bigger blade was given to Traveling Buddha,while Xia Fan kept the dagger.
Cutting into the Cosmic Iron with the dagger, Xia Fan easily carved a small piece off. Indeed, it was as Pearl said: in terms of sharpness and hardness, Styx metal had the advantage.
Next, Xia Fan took out his tools from his spatial ring, preparing to use the Cosmic Iron to make himself two personal accessories, one for himself and one for Traveling Buddha.
He was quick, and in no time he carved out a dog and a monkey amulet. He then found two high-strength fiber ropes and made them into pendants.
“I’m pretty good at this!” Xia Fan admired the two pendants he had in his hand. His craftsmanship had been taught by Golden Stone Grandpa. He was an old man who excelled in creating carvings and painting, and was a renowned master forger of his generation.
Placing the two pendants on the table, XIa Fan cleaned up his mess.
All of a sudden, Xia Fan froze up. When taking out all his tools, he had accidentally taken out a yellow crystal, which he had placed near the Cosmic Iron.
In just this short while, this yellow crystal had dimmed quite a lot, turning from a deep yellow to a pale yellow.
Xia Fan found this strange. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the spot where the black Cosmic Iron had come into contact with had turned yellow, almost as if the Cosmic Iron ore had absorbed away a portion of the crystal’s color!
“Cosmic Iron has the power of absorption?” Xia Fan scratched his chin thoughtfully.
The crystal had been retrieved from beasts, and definitely contained some measure of poisonous effect, causing users to grow horns and even lose their senses in extreme cases. Xia Fan suspected that this poison was probably something that had accumulated in the bodies of the beasts, and if they could find a way to neutralize it, then these crystals might become an abnormally strong source of energy.
The crystals inside the beasts’ bodies were decidedly different from the energy crystals one might find in nature. The former were much more powerful and violent in nature. If the Cosmic Iron could absorb the toxin, then wouldn’t these crystals become usable, and not have any side effects?
Xia Fan decided to do an experiment after considering the possibility.
—
Traveling Buddha returned at around the same time. He looked all gloomy as he sat down on the sofa, taking out his favorite tea set.
Xia Fan was curious, so he asked, “What’s up with you?”
Traveling Buddha knitted his eyebrows, “I saw Hidden Wind.”
Xia Fan chuckled, “So I see. Did Hidden Wind say something to you?”
Traveling Buddha replied, “Not really. He just demonstrated a strange power to me. According to him, it’s a power called Law.”