199|Breaking the Copper Furnace of the Gods and Men of Heaven and Earth

Xie Ren was lying on the cold ground, his face covered with that half-crying, half-laughing face of sadness and joy, and Bai Wuxiang was at the side, seemingly admiring this look of his that was just like his own.

That Sadness and Joy Face fit tightly onto Xie Ren’s face with a weird force, and he couldn’t pull it off. Bai Wu Xiang said, “Wear it. Don’t struggle in vain. Do you want to go out? As long as you do what I go say, you’ll be able to break through the copper furnace soon.”

Xie Ren just pretended he didn’t exist.

Bai Wuxiang was always a pain in the ass to him, but always refused to give up, sighing, “We could have been the strongest master and disciple and the best of friends, why must you be so rebellious?”

Xie Ren finally stopped moving, and said disgustedly, “You don’t have to teach me in a tone of voice that has seen the world through the ages, I really don’t want to have a teacher and friend like you at all.”

His dislike had already been revealed, Bai Wuxiang sneered, “I know, in your mind, the person who can teach you, one is the State Master, the other is Jun Wu, is that right?”

His tone was strange, as if he was somewhat disdainful and amused. Xie Ren did not intend to dwell on this with him, and asked about something else: “Lang Ying, is the first prince of Yongan Kingdom?”

Lang Ying was from Yongan and suffered from the human face epidemic, that little prince was the only candidate Xie Ren could think of. Bai Wu Xiang said, “Not bad, it’s the prince that you sent Lang Ying’s body to death by a thousand cuts, then knocked him out and threw him in the Yongan palace, and set a fire to send him off.”

The Prince of Yongan was originally a nephew of Lang Ying, and it was only at that time that he was infected by the remaining human face epidemic virus on Lang Ying’s corpse. Xie Ren added: “Why didn’t he infect others with the human face epidemic?”

Bai Wuxiang said, “Because the people of Yongan Palace found out that he had contracted a disease. In order to prevent him from infecting others, someone was sent with the intention of silently smothering him with a quilt, only to be countered and killed in his struggle and escape.”

While Yongan externally claimed that the Lord of Yongan and the Crown Prince had died of a serious illness, internally they somehow managed to make another nephew of Lang Ying the Crown Prince in a flurry of fighting. This was Lang Qianqiu’s ancestor.

Xie Ren said, “How did you trick him?”

Bai Wu Xiang said, “I didn’t lie to him. I just told him the truth about who was responsible for turning him into this monster. As long as he lends me a little something, I will avenge him.”

Xie Ren said, “You call this lending you a little something? You swallowed him whole as sustenance.”

Bai Wuxiang faintly said, “With this appearance, he is inhuman, no one treats him sincerely, and it is a sin to stay in the world.”

Suddenly, Xie Ren said, “Your Highness the Crown Prince?”

“……”

For a moment, Xie Ren felt that the thing was trying to respond. However, he held back.

Thus, Xie Ren tentatively asked again, “You, are Prince Wuyong, right?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt the stifling air inside the copper furnace instantly freeze.

He had been thinking about this from the moment Xie Ren fell in.

The reason he was able to understand the human language spewing from the mouth of the ghoul rat must be because one of the three, Jun Wu, the State Master, and Bai Wu Xiang, had planted a certain memory and emotion into him. In other words, at least one of the three was a Wuyong. Jun Wu came into existence later than the destruction of Wou Yong’s country, and the State Master and Bai Wu Xiang were the most suspicious.

Why would Flower City be rejected by the Copper Furnace? It wouldn’t be because he was an Jedi, because Xie Ren had confirmed to him that a Ghost King who had become an Jedi was also able to enter the Copper Furnace again, just as a Magus who had already ascended could be subjected to the Heavenly Tribulation again. But he still disappeared halfway through. The most direct reason that Xie Ren could think of was that this copper furnace, at the behest of Bai Wu Xiang!

So, what would be the most likely identity of Bai Wu Xiang?

In the middle of the day, there was dead silence in the darkness as Xie Ren repeated with certainty, “You are Prince Wuyong.”

Finally, Bai Wu Xiang was no longer silent.

He fiercely tackled Xie Ren, his palm winds were incomparable, this time, it was Xie Ren’s turn to dodge. He leapt up and said as he dodged, “Your Royal Highness, let me ask you a question, why do you never show your true colors?”

Bai Wuxiang said in a deep voice, “Your Highness the Crown Prince, I’m warning you not to call me that.”

Xie Ren said, ”You can call me Your Highness the Crown Prince, why can’t I call you that? If you don’t answer, I’ll guess for myself. There are only two reasons for not being willing to let others see your true colors. Either, you are someone I know, or I don’t know you, but I can easily find out who you are once I see your real face; or, it’s that your true appearance is ugly to the core, so ugly that you can’t stand it yourself! For example ……”

“Two clicks, a sharp pain came from his arm, Bai Wuxiang twisted him fiercely and said, “Crown Prince, Crown Prince, is it that if I’m a little bit kinder to you, you don’t think you need to be afraid of me anymore?”

The voice was chilling, and amidst the intense pain, Xie Ren remained conscious. Bai Wuxiang seemed to be really angry, he held the black sword in one hand and approached Xie Ren, saying, “You named this sword Fang Xin?”

Watching the morose sword blade getting closer and closer to her throat, Xie Ren’s expression remained unchanged as she said, “Can’t you?”

Bai Wu Xiang hummed, “You don’t know how to name it at all. Listen carefully, the original name of this sword was called ‘Punishing Heart’.”

Suddenly, Xie Ren’s eyes widened and he said, “What people?!”

Bai Wuxiang, however, did not turn his head back and said, “Against me do you still want to use this kind of trick against a child?”

“…… “Xie Ren was surprised, said, “You …… didn’t realize?”

Bai Wuxiang said in a cold voice, “There’s nothing, what am I going to find?”

He didn’t notice, but Xie Renke did.

Fang, Fang Xin’s sword blade reflected the firelight on the ground, which flickered on the stone wall above the two of them. It was in this instant that Xie Ren saw a face.

Xie Ren dared to guarantee that he was absolutely not mistaken, what he saw was definitely a human face, a huge human face!

Bai Wuxiang’s cultivation was only higher and not lower than Xie Ren’s, so how could he not notice?

Unless …… that is something even more frightening than the white no phase!

He saw that face for too short a period of time, but the vision has a residual in the memory, the face has all five senses, and …… it is also somewhat familiar. Xie Ren slightly feel creepy, said, “There is something else in the copper furnace!”

Instead, Bai Wuxiang said, “In the copper furnace, besides you and me, there are only rocks and lava.”

Xie Ren was about to say more, but suddenly thought, “Wait …… stone? Face? Look familiar?”

A flash of light dawned on him and he realized what it was he was seeing.

So it is!

Once he understood, Xie Ren’s hands immediately flew behind his back to form seals. Bai Wuxiang noticed his movement and said, “It’s useless, you even if ……”

Who knows, the words did not fall, two people behind the upper convenience came a rolling loud noise. At the same time, falling rocks and soil like a torrential downpour!

Bai Wuxiang sensed that something was coming towards him, and dodged rapidly. He did dodge fast enough, there would be no one else who could move faster than him, and should have avoided it perfectly, but unfortunately, the thing that attacked him was too huge.

It was a giant hand, five fingers formed into a fist, and it smashed down heavily – hitting Bai Wuxiang squarely!

The hand, a rocky giant hand.

It was so large, a fist alone, that it rivaled a large house, and the firelight on the ground only illuminated that part of it, while all of it above the wrist was submerged in darkness.

In the sound of rolling stones, it turned its hand toward Xie Ren, palm up. Although it was huge, it had long fingers and slender knuckles, so it could flick a flower or hold a sword. Xie Ren seized the sword, rose from the ground in a roll, and leapt onto the palm. The hand was just about to support him up, Xie Ren suddenly remembered that he forgot something, busy saying, “Wait!” Jumping down again, he grabbed the bucket hat and jumped up again. The giant hand then rose, getting farther and farther away from the firelight, and Xie Ren also felt it rising higher and higher, and his hands formed a seal again, saying, “Charge out!”

At the sound of a command, he felt a slight sensation of falling, as if the giant holding him up had slightly bent its knees in preparation. The next moment, he felt his entire body slam down again, and the giant shot up into the sky, slamming into the crater closed by the copper furnace!

Boom! Rumble! Rumble!

Along with the violent vibration, Xie Ren heard an extremely obvious “click” cracking sound.

It was the sound of rock that could not support the ferocious impact and was about to shatter!

With that, a streak of white light cascaded down from above.

Punch out!

The roof of the copper furnace was broken open, a large amount of blinding white light poured out like a waterfall, and a fierce wind swept in, whistling and whining.

Xie Ren stood on the giant’s palm, pressing the bucket hat on his head with one hand and covering the oncoming blizzard with the other. The stifling air was swept away, and taking a deep breath of the cold, fresh air, he exclaimed, “Sanlang-!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

The echoes of the first sound were still reverberating when he was instantly pulled into an embrace behind him by a pair of hands. Xie Ren first stiffened, and once he looked down, what was encircling his waist was a section of crimson sleeves and silver wrist guards, which relaxed him. A deep voice said above his ear, “…… I’m going crazy!”

Upon hearing this, Xie Ren hurriedly turned around and cupped his cheeks with both hands to comfort him, “Don’t be crazy, don’t be crazy, I’m already out!”

It is Hua Cheng. Hua Cheng’s black hair was disheveled, his eyes were still a bit disoriented, and the sad and happy face that Xie Ren couldn’t take off in any way, he took it off and threw it away as soon as he could. Xie Ren didn’t know why she held his cheeks with both hands, she just did it subconsciously, probably because she wanted to comfort, or maybe she was afraid that his face would be frozen by the wind and snow. After all, how long Xie Ren stayed inside this copper furnace, Hua Cheng was bound to guard this crater for as long as possible.

It’s not crazy to go in there in one piece and have one of them suddenly thrown out with no idea what’s going on in there?

Hua Cheng hugged Xie Ren tightly and said in a deep voice, “How can …… I not get into the copper furnace, I actually have to let you break out by yourself! I’m so fucking ……”

Xie Ren was busy saying, “Sanlang is fine, really fine! Besides, I didn’t break out on my own!”

Hua Cheng finally calmed down a little and said, “What? Brother, how did you get out?”

Xie Ren, however, said, “You’re the one who helped me break out. Look.”

With that, he pointed upwards, and Flower City looked in the direction he was pointing.

Only to see that in the midst of the wind and snow, a giant statue of a man chiseled from mountain rocks was filled with frost, and vaguely, it seemed as if it was standing on top of the sky. At this moment, the two of them were standing on top of the palm of this giant stone statue.

That stone statue face contour soft, long eyebrows, beautiful eyes, lip line pretty, the corner of the mouth slightly raised, like a smile. Said amorous but not frivolous, Dao ruthless but not indifferent, is a compassionate and handsome face.

— It was exactly Xie Ren’s face!

Xie Ren looked up at its face and said softly, “This is what you said, one of the best idols you’ve ever carved, right?”

“……”

Hua Cheng also looked up at it for a long time before his gaze fell back to Xie Ren beside him and said, “Hmm.”

This gigantic rock idol must have been carved inside the bronze furnace when Hua Cheng was trapped in it, hammered and refined in a thousand pains.

For centuries it has been hidden in a dark place deep within the Copper Hearth, partly still covered in green vines. Copper Hearth is its natural and sinister grotto, and it is the only god in this most spectacular of grottoes.

It and the copper furnace were one and the same material. Otherwise, if it was just an idol chiseled out of ordinary rock, it wouldn’t be able to break through the copper furnace at all, and would only be pulverized; and if it wasn’t Xie Ren himself, or, if Hua Cheng hadn’t given Xie Ren a wave of sufficiently strong mana before they jumped, it wouldn’t have been able to summon this idol either.

Xie Ren turned to Hua Cheng and said, “So, Sanlang, I came out. You’re the one who broke out with me.”