The entrance lay beneath the earth. Four Level Three Heavenly Immortal sentries flanked a black gate whose mere hum promised lethal force. A frontal assault would surely alert the Level Six Heavenly Immortal guardian.
Jared paused, a spark flashing behind his calm eyes. He slipped back into deeper shadow and drew a Blastfire Charm from his ring, its surface crawling with molten runes.
A gentle flick sent the talisman streaking toward the distant ground-fire furnace already roaring like a volcano. The valley detonated with a thunderous boom that split the night. Flames and jagged stone spewed skyward, and the entire gorge quaked under the sudden eruption.
“Enemy attack!”
“Guard the forge!” Alarms clanged at once, throwing the valley into howling chaos. Every sentry spun toward the blazing furnace. Even the Level Six Heavenly Immortal guarding the distant palace snapped his eyes open, consciousness sweeping outward like a storm front.
Now! Riding the momentary disorder, Jared flashed toward the vault entrance, faster than torchlight could track.
The four stupefied guards saw only a blur of azure before fingers tapped their chests, ending the beat of their hearts. Four sharp thuds split the night.
The gate guards jerked, armor clanging, then dropped face-first onto the stone. Jared did not flinch before the shimmering black barrier. The Dragonslayer Sword flashed into his palm. He hissed, “Break!”
A razor-thin lance of Prismatic Sword Aura, forged from pure chaotic will, slammed into the light gate. The membrane parted like wet silk, revealing a slab of black-iron doors.
Jared lunged, fist ablaze with chaotic energy, and the iron doors burst inward.
Inside the treasury, colorful light cascaded across every surface. Racks stretched wall to wall, each cradling blades, whips, hammers, banners—finished demon weapons whose cold shine dripped malice. Even the weakest piece ranked Divine-Grade, and several pulsed with true Spirit-Relic power.
Jared’s eyes gleamed. With one sweeping gesture, he emptied the room into his ring as though a gale had blown through.
“Thief! How dare you!” The roar thundered from the palace.
A storm of Level Six Heavenly Immortal pressure crashed outward like a tidal wave. The elder’s fury hardened into a vast black claw that shredded the air and hurtled toward the treasury.
Jared had anticipated this. As the final weapon vanished, he hurled himself backward, smashing through the rear wall while slashing in the same breath.
“Five-Element Cycle, Spatial Fold!”
Space behind him wrinkled, collapsing into itself; the demon claw plunged in and slowed like a hand thrust into tar. Seizing the heartbeat of respite, Jared blurred into a beam of light and streaked for the valley’s edge.
He pushed speed to its limit, weaving it with spatial escape arts, and after three flickers burst beyond Blackflame Valley into the moonless night.
The elder gave chase, but soon saw only a vanishing streak. Fearing he might fall into a trap, he dared not pursue further and stomped in futile rage.
Several days later, Jared slipped back into the headquarters of the Myriad Beast Sect. Inside the council meeting room, he upended his storage ring; mountains of demon weapons and raw materials thundered onto the floor.
Every elder present froze, jaws hanging slack. Paxton’s eyes glittered like twin suns, and even the elders forgot to breathe.
“Are… Are these all from Blackflame Gorge?” Bartram’s voice shook so hard the last syllable cracked.
“Sir, your power is unrivaled!” Gavin and Yvette were exhilarated.
