The Lord of Void and Real-Chapter 1703 - 1699: Spatial Marking

Deep within the space of the Free and Easy Mirror.

The Netherworld Furnace roared and rumbled, its base wrapped in a blazing white flame—none other than the Six Ding Divine Fire from the Qiankun Xuanhuo Tower. After Shen Luo obtained the Xuanhuo Tower in Tianyan Palace, he extracted half of its Six Ding Divine Fire.

This flame is said to be the best for artifact refining. Legend has it that Taishang Laojun’s Eight Trigrams Furnace used this very flame to forge countless divine weapons and treasures.

After discovering that Shen Luo possessed the Six Ding Divine Fire, Fire Spirit Child immediately requested a portion to use for refining treasures.

The spirit patterns on the Netherworld Furnace flickered quickly, radiating brilliant rays of light that bathed the surrounding space within a radius of a dozen zhang in a crimson hue.

Fire Spirit Child hovered above the furnace. A trace of weariness crossed his face, but there was even more excitement there.

"Finished refining the treasure? Why did it take so long this time?" Shen Luo’s figure appeared beside the Netherworld Furnace. Glancing at it, he asked.

Fire Spirit Child glared at Shen Luo irritably and cast a spell, pointing at the furnace.

The furnace lid floated upward, and twin rays of brilliance, one purple and one green, shot out, swirling and dancing within the Free and Easy Mirror’s space. They emitted bursts of cheerful, clear cries.

Shen Luo’s eyes lit up. He raised his hand, releasing a suction force, pulling the two rays of brilliance toward him. As they drew closer, their true forms were revealed—one was a purple banner, and the other, a green short ruler.

The purple banner was none other than the Blood Essence Banner. On it, an embroidered white skull design could be seen. Even though it hadn’t yet been fully consecrated, a purple radiance emanated faintly from within.

Bathed in this purple glow, Shen Luo’s body instantly warmed. The surrounding Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Qi converged toward him, pouring into his meridians, accelerating both his mana and the flow of his blood and Qi.

"What divine ability is this?" he asked, surprise showing on his face.

Fire Spirit Child had long told him of the abilities of the Blood Essence Banner. In terms of attributes, the banner was classified as a water-attributed magical treasure. Its defensive capabilities were extraordinarily strong, far surpassing those of the Bloodthirsty Flag and even the Thousand Cup Golden Goblet he currently owned.

The banner could also be used offensively. As a supreme treasure of the blood path, the Blood Essence Banner could unleash the ultimate power of blood-source energy, dissolving all things.

However, this ability to draw Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Qi into one’s body, accelerating mana and blood flow, was something Fire Spirit Child hadn’t mentioned before.

"The Six Ding Divine Fire truly lives up to its reputation as the most suitable spiritual flame for artifact refining. This treasure refinement is the most successful one in all the years I’ve been practicing. Not only does this Blood Essence Banner carry sixty-four layers of prohibition, but these prohibitions have already begun to merge into one, laying a solid foundation for a future upgrade to an immortal artifact," Fire Spirit Child said, his face flickering with irrepressible excitement. His comment seemed off-topic at first, but it answered Shen Luo’s unspoken question.

"So, a top-tier magical treasure reaching perfection with sixty-four layers of prohibition must merge those prohibitions into one before advancing to an immortal artifact?" Shen Luo’s brow arched as he asked.

"Precisely. Achieving this is no small feat, requiring immense time and painstaking effort for gradual refinement. For any other artifact refiner, even under optimal conditions, it would take at least several years," Fire Spirit Child said with no small measure of pride.

"Thank you for your effort, Fire Daoist friend." Only then did Shen Luo understand why this treasure refinement had taken so long. He expressed his sincere gratitude.

"After the prohibitions of the Blood Essence Banner merged, it gave rise to a new divine ability that I’ve named ’Blood God Possession.’ It enables the absorption of Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Qi into the body, significantly boosting one’s strength for a short period. The effects of Blood God Possession are closely tied to the cultivation level of the banner’s user. With your current cultivation, your strength can increase by thirty percent," Fire Spirit Child continued.

"What a useful ability! But after using Blood God Possession, are there any hidden risks?" Shen Luo asked, delighted but cautious.

"There are no risks. Blood God Possession consumes only Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Qi and has no adverse effects on the person using it," Fire Spirit Child assured him.

If Shen Luo had been merely pleased earlier, now he was thrilled.

A thirty-percent increase in strength could tip the scales of almost any battle. Moreover, since the technique posed no risks, as long as one’s mana reserves remained adequate, Blood God Possession could theoretically be used endlessly.

"Your artifact refining truly reaches divine levels, Daoist friend. I’m impressed," Shen Luo said, full of admiration.

"Heh, just a small matter. I also refined the Shrinking Earth Ruler once more—it’s now nothing like it was before," Fire Spirit Child said, a hint of pride in his expression.

Shen Luo took the Shrinking Earth Ruler and began consecrating it. Before long, an exclamation of surprise escaped his lips.

When Shen Luo first obtained the Shrinking Earth Ruler at Tianyan Palace, he had attempted to consecrate it, but the process was quite challenging and had taken him a long time to barely refine one layer of prohibition.

Now, as he consecrated the Shrinking Earth Ruler, the task proved much easier. Without exerting much effort, the first and second layers of prohibition already showed signs of loosening.

"Pure spatial treasures are exceedingly rare—there are only a handful across the Three Realms. Most spatial treasures are formed by merging other attributes with spatial spiritual materials. The Shrinking Earth Ruler you previously had was no exception, forged by incorporating Earth Mysterious Crystal. Since you haven’t cultivated any earth-related divine abilities or skills, refining the Shrinking Earth Ruler was naturally difficult for you. However, I’ve now integrated the Soul of Ink Brush and Azure Sky Ink Stone into the Shrinking Earth Ruler, replacing the Earth Mysterious Crystal with Profound Wood. With your mastery of Yimu Immortal Escape, refining the Shrinking Earth Ruler has become much easier," Fire Spirit Child explained, sensing Shen Luo’s confusion.

"I see. Much appreciated, Fire Daoist friend." Shen Luo nodded in realization, also understanding why the Shrinking Earth Ruler’s appearance had changed so significantly.

He poured all his energy into refining the artifact. Before long, he had already refined four to five layers of prohibition, gaining preliminary control over the Shrinking Earth Ruler. He channeled his mana into it.

A green glow enveloped his body, and he vanished into thin air, reappearing in the room outside the Free and Easy Mirror.

The Shrinking Earth Ruler possessed the ability to traverse space, rendering spatial treasures like the Free and Easy Mirror incapable of containing him.

"Not bad," Shen Luo remarked with a pleased expression. He cast another spell, activating the treasure again.

Green light flickered around him as he disappeared once more.

At a mountain pit dozens of li away from Morning Sun Valley, the void rippled with a green shadow, and Shen Luo’s figure emerged out of thin air. Clenching his fist, he muttered to himself:

"Even with only a preliminary refinement of the Shrinking Earth Ruler, I can teleport forty to fifty li in one jump. Once it’s fully refined, teleporting a hundred li might not be out of reach!"

Moreover, unlike the Yimu Immortal Escape technique, which could be blocked by many prohibitions, there were very few methods in existence that could prevent such a spatial treasure as the Shrinking Earth Ruler from functioning.

In other words, with the Shrinking Earth Ruler, most places within the Three Realms would no longer be able to obstruct him. He could come and go as he pleased.

The thought sent a surge of excitement through Shen Luo’s heart.

"By fusing the Soul of Ink Brush and Azure Sky Ink Stone into the Shrinking Earth Ruler, its spatial power has greatly increased. I’ve also added a spatial marking ability, inspired by your Yimu Immortal Escape formation," Fire Spirit Child continued.

"Spatial marking? Like this?" Shen Luo’s expression shifted slightly as he activated the green glow of the Shrinking Earth Ruler, pointing forward into the void.

A green pattern materialized in front of him, swiftly merging into the void and vanishing from sight.

The green pattern seamlessly melded with the space, leaving almost no trace of its presence. Without the Shrinking Earth Ruler, even with his current divine sense power, Shen Luo would have been unable to detect it.