Chapter 4059 — Half a Block of Star Ink Stone

"Then... who are you? Why did you bring me here?" Yu Jiang's relief lasted only a moment before wariness seized him again. Was this the pattern of escaping the wolf's den only to fall into the tiger's lair?

This dank, gloomy chamber looked even more impregnable than Nan Tianxiong's, even more impossible to flee. If this mysterious man truly meant to save him, why would he bring him to a place like this?

"Quite alert. It seems my rescue wasn't wasted." The mysterious man paused, then smiled with sudden meaning: "Frankly, I admire you. A man who can defy all moral bounds and kill his own master with his own hands—such people are rare in this world nowadays. Judged purely by disposition, you suit my requirements perfectly!"

"What do you mean?" Yu Jiang grew only more cautious, shifting back without a trace, trying to put as much distance between himself and this mysterious man as possible.

He had indeed killed Nan Tianyong with his own hands, yet deep down he still felt a heavy guilt over it, and ordinarily dared not and would not let himself dwell on it. But judging by the mysterious man's attitude, the fellow actually praised the deed—was he not a madman?

Seeing the guarded look on Yu Jiang's face, the mysterious man said lightly, unbothered: "Nothing much. I saved you because I admire you; otherwise you'd already have been carved into slices before the crowd by Nan Tianxiong. But now that you're here, don't think of running—that's unrealistic, and I trust you're not so foolish as to go out and seek death."

At these words, the near-substantial killing intent around the mysterious man flickered and vanished. Brief as that instant was, the shock it gave Yu Jiang was branded into his bones: this mysterious man before him was no existence Nan Tianxiong could ever match.

Yu Jiang drew a deep breath and finally accepted his situation. His earlier thought had been right—he had indeed just escaped the wolf's den, only to fall straight into a far more perilous tiger's lair.

"What exactly do you want me to do?" Yu Jiang asked, eyes fixed on the figure in the darkness.

The mysterious man said nothing, but reached out and tossed something over. It landed before Yu Jiang with a clatter.

Yu Jiang started, thinking it a lethal hidden weapon—but the next instant his eyes flew wide, riveted to the stone before him, unable to look away.

For a long while Yu Jiang swallowed hard several times before he stammered in disbelief, "This... this is a Star... Star Ink Stone?!"

"Good eye. Correct, this is a Star Ink Stone—though half of it has already been used." The mysterious man nodded faintly.

"Half used?" Yu Jiang was taken aback. Peering closely in the dim light, he realized this was not the same Star Ink Stone he had seen before at the Hong Merchant Guild—not only was its shape different, but its luster and essence were clearly weaker.

Even so, this was the supreme treasure Yu Jiang had dreamed of. A Star Ink Stone could carry a person flawlessly through to the pinnacle Golden Core stage, and even a half-used one must retain no small measure of that aiding power.

Watching Yu Jiang eye the Star Ink Stone as though he wished to swallow it whole, the mysterious man laughed: "So long as you follow my orders in the days to come, not only will you keep your miserable life, but this half block of Star Ink Stone will be yours. What say you?"

"This..." Yu Jiang's head was nearly turned by the Star Ink Stone, but he had not entirely lost his reason, and at the offer he hesitated, torn.

"Rest easy, you won't lose out. This Star Ink Stone is merely a small advance payment, nothing more." The mysterious man paused, then his tone shifted: "Of course, if you refuse, that's fine too. I won't kill you—I'll simply return what belongs to its owner and send you back into Nan Tianxiong's hands."

Yu Jiang shuddered as it dawned on him that in his present straits he dared not step outside at all. Without this mysterious man's protection, his fate would be instant death by a thousand cuts.

At that thought, Yu Jiang had no more hesitation. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Fine, I accept. So what do you want me to do now?"

The mysterious man was unsurprised. "Nothing for now. You need only cultivate diligently here and raise your strength as quickly as you can. When the time comes that I need you, I will summon you."

"I understand. In any case, thank you for saving my life, sir. Should you ever have a command in the future, I will brave fire and water, scatter my brains and smear my liver—whatever it takes!" Yu Jiang vowed fervently on the spot.

Unexpectedly, the mysterious man sneered: "Spare me the act. A man who can kill his own master without blinking—do you think I'd believe such cheap oaths? Remember: never play tricks before me again. Do it once more, and I'll make you regret you didn't die at Nan Tianxiong's hands."

With that, the mysterious man's form flickered—how he left, Yu Jiang could not tell—and he vanished clean from before Yu Jiang's very eyes.

One simple sentence, that feeling of being seen through to the core, left Yu Jiang more shaken and fearful than even the tangible killing intent of moments before.

Yet Yu Jiang's attention soon swung back to the Star Ink Stone. His experiences had already taught him deeply that only one's own strength was fundamental; all else was passing cloud. And this block of Star Ink Stone was precisely the golden key that could set him on the road to becoming a powerhouse!

Yu Jiang's disappearance had thrown the Threefold Pavilion into an uproar, yet Wei Zhao knew nothing of it. These past days he had stayed with the Tattered King throughout, wholly absorbed in his great undertaking of forging.

Seven days had passed since the troublemaking visits of Kang Jingming and Nan Tianxiong and their like. Three days ago the most basic preheating stage had ended, and now came the most critical phase: the forging itself.

The more powerful the divine weapon, the higher the demands upon the forger; not the slightest error could be permitted in the process. Let the deviation be no more than half a fen, even half a li, and the final result might diverge wildly from what was intended.

Ten-thousand-year tree crystal, ancient pure land soil, and other such ultra-rare materials would then go up in smoke, becoming a heap of utter waste—a sight to make one sigh and lament.

Such a disastrous outcome was something neither Wei Zhao nor the Tattered King—who regarded forging as his very life—was willing to see.

For months, for the sake of this forging, the Tattered King had poured more painstaking effort into it than even Wei Zhao, who had supplied so many ultra-rare materials.

Countless times he had wracked his brains revising the forging plan, along with all manner of other intricate and arduous preparations. Wei Zhao had not witnessed the Tattered King doing these things with his own eyes, but one minute on stage is ten years of labor off it—he could feel the Tattered King's devotion.