Apotheosis

The Su Clan was alarmed by Zen's actions.

Cailen stood on the wall, watching the surrounding area with narrowed eyes. Several others flew out from the house of the Su Clan, heightening the tension among the members of the clan.

"Who are they? Why are they hiding outside our house?" Cailen asked.

Zen shook his head. "I don't know. It could be that they are spying on me. But it's equally likely that they're spying on the Su Clan, or on some specific person in the clan."

Zen couldn't be sure. All he knew for certain was that the Su Clan's house was being spied on, as discovered by No. 9527.

"It takes a lot of nerve to spy on a clan like ours,"

Cailen said, a serious expression on his face.

The Su Clan had amassed a lot of power throughout the years. As the rulers of the Su City, they had enemies within and outside the city, so news of spying definitely warranted a thorough investigation.

Cailen looked up to address a man on the roof. "Listen up. The guards have to patrol more frequently this month. You will report any suspicious activity to me as soon as possible," he ordered.

"It will be done,"

the man answered promptly, hurrying off to disseminate Cailen's orders.

Cailen turned back to Zen and grinned at him wryly. "We are grateful for your warning, Zen. You should get some rest in your room. Rest assured, we will look closely into this threat, although I'm quite certain no one would dare to harm my clan in our own city."

Zen nodded, looking thoughtful. He bid goodbye to Cailen and flew back to his courtyard.

The next day, under Cailen's lead, the group left the Su Clan's house together. They headed for the refining place within the heart of the Su City.

The site of the Su City was not an accident. The Su Clan had chosen to build their city in this location for several important reasons.

The water of the Clear Lake was generally ice-cold. But there was an area in the western region of the lake where the water temperature was much higher. Even during winter, a person who dipped his hand into the lake would instantly feel the warmth of the water. Regardless of how long winter lasted or how cold it got, the lake never froze over.

The Su Clan's ancestors were intrigued by this phenomenon and decided to explore why the lake was warm in that area. They discovered that a broad, powerful channel of the underground fire vein ran under that section of the lake.

The underground fire vein was deep. It was also long and large, running under the lake all the way to a different province. The Su Clan saw its potential immediately. With great joy, they decided to settle right there.

They spent years digging near the lake. Eventually, they struck gold—they

help of the Other Shore Token.

"Hey, No. 9527, do you hear that?" Zen shouted inwardly. "That's the ability of the head of the Origin Mountain. Maybe the Blood Upgrading Pill could work!"

"No way," No. 9527 replied curtly.

No. 9527 clearly thought it was impossible, but Zen was still excited.

The head of the Origin Mountain was second only to Eastern Emperor Taiyi. The Other Shore Token she had must be extraordinary. Maybe she really could make a true Blood Upgrading Pill.

Zen decided that the first opportunity he got, he would ask Dorothy about it.

Zen followed Cailen and the others as they walked, going deeper and deeper into the refining place. The temperature became burning hot, stinging his skin. From time to time, rays of multicolored light burst out from the black ground around him.

After they moved forward, they saw several iron fences in front of them.

The Nine Edges Weapon Refining Array of the Su Clan was set up within the fences.

Cailen walked through the fences and gestured for everyone to follow. Once they were all in, he turned to Zen and said solemnly, "Please put the two weapons in the center of the array."

Zen took out the Shade Phoenix Sword and the hammer, placing them where Cailen had directed.

The Shade Phoenix Sword was a top-grade weapon, but Zen had never used it. It was a huge waste to melt it directly. However, in order to strengthen his body, he had no choice.

Gant's uncles spread out, each taking a position in the array.

Beams of glowing green light rose from the array. As the beams lengthened, they began to intersect with each other, forming a massive column of green light that encompassed the two weapons in the center. The Shade Phoenix Sword and the hammer slowly rose up as they were lifted into the air by the light column.