Chapter 302: Chapter 182: Subduing the Divine Weapon

Apparently, it had suffered a fatal blow before finally dying here.

"That I don’t know."

Zuo Lingfeng shook his head. "Perhaps it was ambushed by several powerful enemies, or maybe it was stabbed in the back. After being dead for so many years, who could possibly know what happened during its life?"

"Anyway, let’s drop it. Gu, follow me."

Zuo Lingfeng turned and began walking. "This predecessor left behind an incredible Spiritual Soldier, far beyond high-grade. I’ve tried to claim it more than a dozen times but haven’t been able to. Gu, you should give it a try. You might just succeed."

"Is that so?" Gu Zheng’s curiosity was piqued as he followed.

He was already thinking to himself.

’Zuo Lingfeng clearly doesn’t know about the strange patterns on the skeleton that formed a map in my mind.’

’Normal eyes, even enhanced by the Divine Wondrous, wouldn’t be able to see those patterns.’

’Only Odd Pupils with an ability like Eyes of Golden Flame, or some kind of Pupil Technique, could perceive them.’

’And Zuo Lingfeng clearly doesn’t have that ability.’

...

They walked for a while through a silent cluster of palaces.

Zuo Lingfeng stepped into a palace whose dome was mostly shattered.

The floor of this palace was also split apart, covered in a web of cracks as if it had endured a great battle.

The moment Gu Zheng entered, his eyes were immediately drawn to a weapon on the left side of the palace. It was a slender, imposing polearm, thrust at an angle into the stone floor, ceaselessly radiating a sharp aura.

"A Fangtian Halberd?"

"’Fangtian Halberd’ is its shape. Its name is ’Heaven-piercing’," Zuo Lingfeng said as he walked, stopping three paces to the weapon’s right. He pointed at two ancient characters on its shaft. "I happen to recognize these two ancient characters. Slay! Heaven!"

"The Heaven-piercing Halberd?"

Gu Zheng raised a sharp eyebrow. "Judging by its aura, this Heaven-piercing Halberd possesses both Thunder Power and Flame Power."

"That’s right, the Thunderfire Heaven-Slaying Halberd." Zuo Lingfeng nodded. "It’s been stuck here for thousands, maybe even tens of thousands of years. The thunder and fire aura on its shaft is still tyrannical and terrifying. The most I can stand being near it is fifteen minutes before I’m forced to retreat, let alone try to refine and claim it."

"Gu, why don’t you give it a try?"

Zuo Lingfeng turned to Gu Zheng with a slight smile. "This Thunderfire Heaven-Slaying Halberd is definitely a Spiritual Soldier beyond high-grade! I suspect it’s a Pseudo-Divine Weapon!"

A Pseudo-Divine Weapon is not a true Divine Weapon, but a Spiritual Soldier that replicates one.

They are several times more powerful than high-grade Spiritual Soldiers, but they lack the myriad abilities of a true Divine Weapon.

"...I’ll try."

Gu Zheng stepped forward, slowly approaching the Heaven-piercing Halberd.

WHOOSH~

CRACKLE!

As soon as he got close, a crimson arc of electricity shot out from the Heaven-piercing Halberd, leaping and darting through the air.

ZAP! CRACKLE!

BUZZ!

The air hummed and vibrated. Gu Zheng activated two Demon Techniques, Thunder Manipulation and Fire Manipulation, to guide the crimson arc of electricity, making it circle around him instead of striking him.

Then, he walked step by step to the Heaven-piercing Halberd and reached out to grasp its shaft.

SZZZZT~

CRACKLE!

The instant his palm touched the halberd’s shaft, countless more crimson arcs of electricity erupted, lashing out at Gu Zheng.

But under the influence of his Thunder Manipulation and Fire Manipulation techniques, the scorching arcs were brought under control almost instantly. He redirected them to dissipate into the air, leaving himself completely unharmed.

And through his Shadow ability, Gu Zheng "saw" a peculiar space within the Heaven-piercing Halberd.

That’s right—there was actually a space inside the Heaven-piercing Halberd!

Most of it was a chaotic void, but one part contained two swirling vortexes of different colors, and a glittering, star-like object covered in cracks, unable to fully shine... a core?

The Divine Weapon Core!?

The term suddenly materialized in Gu Zheng’s mind.

In the next instant, a monstrous wave of shock surged in his heart. His hand gripping the Heaven-piercing Halberd trembled slightly, but he immediately forced himself to calm down.

’A Divine Weapon Core?’

’A Divine Weapon!!’

’This Heaven-piercing Halberd is actually a real Divine Weapon!’

’Not the Pseudo-Divine Weapon Zuo Lingfeng guessed, but the Divine Weapon itself!’

Only a true Divine Weapon would possess something as miraculous as a Divine Weapon Core.

The Divine Weapon Core is the very heart of a Divine Weapon.

Now that the core was shattered and covered in cracks, it naturally couldn’t display the might of a Divine Weapon.

Of course, there was also the Divine Weapon Spirit.

Commonly known as an Artifact Spirit, it was also gone, annihilated!

’With its Artifact Spirit gone and its core shattered, of course it would resemble a Pseudo-Divine Weapon.’

Gu Zheng was shaken to his core, but he showed nothing on the surface.

He merely circulated his Divine Seed, drew upon the Power of Heaven and Earth, and, enhanced by the Divine Wondrous, focused his will to refine the Heaven-piercing Halberd!

If it were a true Divine Weapon, refining it would naturally not be so simple.

First of all, subduing the Artifact Spirit alone would take an unknown amount of time.

The Divine Weapon Spirit itself is a weapon, a peerless killing machine that directly launches a Spiritual Attack against the Divine Soul.

If it fully unleashed its power, even someone at the King’s Body realm might not be able to withstand it.

But without the Artifact Spirit, it was much easier.

The Divine Seed he had condensed using his Fire Demon Techniques also happened to be a perfect match for the Heaven-piercing Halberd’s attributes. After a few tries, Gu Zheng successfully linked himself with the halberd’s shaft.

Afterward, the Divine Wondrous surged as he condensed his will into an imprint and left it on the Heaven-piercing Halberd.

During this process, the Heaven-piercing Halberd trembled continuously, shooting out clusters of scorching flames or arcs of electricity that battered Gu Zheng.

All of it was suppressed by Gu Zheng’s Demon Techniques in an instant, redirected into the void to quickly dissipate.

Splitting his focus three ways!

Refining the Divine Weapon, guiding the thunder and fire, and guarding against Zuo Lingfeng.

It wasn’t that Gu Zheng was being overly cautious.

It was just that the Heaven-piercing Halberd being a true Divine Weapon was too shocking.

If Zuo Lingfeng found out, he would be absolutely certain to regret it!

Regret bringing Gu Zheng here to claim the Heaven-piercing Halberd.

And when a person is filled with regret, who knows what other thoughts might cross their mind?

What other intentions might arise?

So, splitting his focus three ways was unavoidable.

Zuo Lingfeng, watching from the side, was indeed shocked at this moment.

Gu Zheng was actually controlling the thunder and fire erupting from the Heaven-piercing Halberd!

Zuo Lingfeng had personally experienced the power of this thunder and fire, so he knew it very well.

With his strength, he could withstand it for five minutes at most. As for guiding and controlling it, he had tried a few times but couldn’t budge it at all.

Of course, this was Gu Zheng’s special True Skill. After his astonishment, Zuo Lingfeng calmed down.

However, as time went on, the endless torrent of the Divine Wondrous pouring from Gu Zheng’s body shocked him once again.

’Is this still Heroic Body·Harmonious Yuan?’

’No, it’s definitely more than that!’

...

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

A scorching aura, accompanied by crisp crackling sounds, as arcs of electricity and fierce flames constantly erupted into the air.

Gu Zheng gripped the Heaven-piercing Halberd, sweat dripping from his body. His stamina, Divine Wondrous, and Spirit were all pushed to their limits, but after swallowing three Treasure Pills in one go, he continued the refining process.

Gu Zheng’s own imprint was branded onto the Heaven-piercing Halberd, bit by bit.

This imprint wasn’t just a mark; it was a fusion with the halberd’s shaft, a way to gain complete mastery over it.

Any Divine Weapon possessed the ability to change its size at will and be stored within one’s body.

The Heaven-piercing Halberd was no different.

Even without its Artifact Spirit and with a shattered core, it could still grow or shrink and release its Thunder and Fire Power.

If he couldn’t achieve complete mastery, he wouldn’t be able to move it at all.

Let alone store it inside his body!

CRACKLE!

WHOOSH! BOOM! BOOM!

Thunder and fire erupted, sweeping through the area.

Gu Zheng was at the center of it all, enduring the rebellious force of the Heaven-piercing Halberd while frantically outputting his Divine Wondrous.

Finally, following a violent tremor from the halberd’s shaft, all the thunder and fire suddenly grew calm, floating gently in the air around Gu Zheng.

Success!

He had successfully claimed this Divine Weapon, which had lost its Artifact Spirit and had a shattered core!

...

"Excellent!"

Zuo Lingfeng clapped his hands, elated. "Gu, amazing, truly amazing! You actually managed to claim the Heaven-piercing Halberd!"

Gu Zheng exhaled sharply. Gripping the Heaven-piercing Halberd, he lifted it with ease.

The shaft, which weighed tens of thousands of pounds, could now be wielded with ease after being thoroughly refined. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"I was just lucky."

Gu Zheng smiled at Zuo Lingfeng. "I still have to thank you, Zuo. If it weren’t for you, I never would have been able to obtain this Ancient Spiritual Soldier."

"No need to thank me."

Zuo Lingfeng waved his hand dismissively. "I only brought you here, Gu. Your success in claiming the Spiritual Soldier is entirely due to your own skill."

After a pause, Zuo Lingfeng asked quietly, "By the way, Gu, what is your Cultivation level now? If you’d rather not say..."

"It’s not inconvenient at all."

Gu Zheng smiled. "I’ve already reached the third stage of Heroic Body, Heroic Body·Divine Seed!"

Zuo Lingfeng was speechless.