“A divine weapon? Is it that impressive?” Meng Lei exclaimed.
“Impressive?” Ol’ Amos was a little taken aback. He said, “A divine weapon is a weapon that only the deities high up above can use. It has incomparable might and divine power that reaches all the way to the heavens and is capable of destroying heaven and earth!
“Back then, I’d already achieved great mastery for my Fire Dragon body, and my physical body didn’t lose out to a pure-blooded Fire Dragon King in the slightest. I was only a step short of breaking through to the Dragon King realm.
“Even so, I was still killed by this spear that had come flying out of nowhere anyway. You can imagine just how sharp this spear is!”
Ol’ Amos sighed softly. “To slay a Saint Domain at their pinnacle as if they’re just slaughtering livestock, even if we survey the entire Heaven’s Vault Continent, only divine weapons are capable of possessing such might. Therefore, I named it the Gods-Slaying Spear.”
“So, it really is a divine weapon!”
Meng Lei stroked the black spear, excitement flashing across his eyes. Right after that, however, he became frustrated again. “So what even if it’s a divine weapon? I can’t use it anyway!”
Ol’ Amos stroked his beard and smiled. “Divine weapons are sentient, so you can’t use it when it hasn’t acknowledged your capabilities, of course! Try dripping a drop of blood on it and see if you can subdue it.”
“Dripping blood to claim ownership?”
Meng Lei looked at the old man. “This thing shouldn’t already belong to someone, right? What if it already has a master? I don’t want to die in my prime!”
“No, it doesn’t!”
Ol’ Amos shook his head with a smile. “If it had a master, it wouldn’t have been abandoned here for over 20,000 years. My guess is that its master has either already died or abandoned it.
“No matter what it is, you can rest assured and give it a go. Even if you fail to claim it as yours, there won’t be any negative consequences!”
“Is that so?!”
Meng Lei was dubious. He didn’t really believe the old man’s words that much. However, the divine weapon was simply too tempting and irresistible!
“If I die, the worst that can happen is that I’ll just lose my life. But if I survive, I’ll gain eternal repute! Riches are gained from danger! Let’s go all out!”
Meng Lei gritted his teeth and squeezed out a drop of blood.
Bzzz!
The blood dripped onto the black spear’s surface and was absorbed into the spear-like water that had dripped onto a sponge. As that happened, the black spear also suddenly began to shake.
Crackle, crackle!
A dazzling purple electric current surged out of the spear and shot toward Meng Lei. Before he could duck, the purple electric current had already engulfed him!
Crackle, crackle!
As if he had been struck by lightning, Meng Lei’s hair instantly frizzed up, and violent spasms began to go through him as though he had consumed five kilograms of Ecstasy pills.
“This... Why is this happening?!”
The old man’s countenance changed drastically. “I’d clearly sensed that the spiritual mark that the Gods-Slaying Spear’s master had left inside the spear had already dissipated 14,000 years ago. This shows that the spear had already become a masterless artifact a long time ago, so why is this happening?”
A divine weapon’s master was definitely a deity for sure!
There was no doubt about that!
Something that belonged to a deity...
How would a mere mortal... even dare to covet it?
If he hadn’t sensed that the spiritual mark in the Gods-Slaying Spear had already dissipated a long time ago, Ol’ Amos wouldn’t have dared to allow Meng Lei to attempt subduing the divine weapon at all.
If its master found out by any chance, not only would Meng Lei be a goner, but even he would also suffer a calamity along with him. He’d already died once and didn’t want to die a second time.
Therefore, this situation was something that Ol’ Amos had never expected. He didn’t know whether this was something that one must go through during the Gods-Slaying Spear’s ownership claim process or if Meng Lei had triggered some kind of restriction in the Gods-Slaying Spear and was just being unlucky right now.
The old man didn’t know any of these, so the only thing he could do now was to pray!
“Oh Dragon God, please watch over him!”
Crackle, crackle!
The purple electric current was still lashing at Meng Lei, while he was spasming nonstop. The only thing that slightly reassured the old man was that Meng Lei’s life force was still very strong...
“Oh Dragon God, please watch over him!
“That kid is a descendant of mine, please don’t let him die...”
It seemed fated that the Dragon God would hear the old man’s prayers. As time slowly passed, the purple electric current surging out of the black spear finally weakened.
Gradually, like a swallow returning to its nest, the purple electric current enveloping Meng Lei shrank back into the black spear, and his spasms and convulsions also stopped.
Burp~
As Meng Lei gave a belch, a wisp of black smoke emerged from his mouth. He was honestly sporting a very pathetic appearance at the moment. Every strand of his hair stood vertically on end, and he was charred charcoal-black all over, just like a black version of Ne Zha, the demon child[1].
“Little fellow, how are you feeling?” asked Ol’ Amos anxiously, his countenance nervous.
Meng Lei turned to look at him. As his body was still numb, his movements appeared very mechanical. He grinned and revealed a mouthful of pearly-white teeth. “It seems like... I’ve succeeded!”
“Seems like? Succeeded?”
The old man was dumbfounded. “So did you succeed or not, exactly?”
Meng Lei didn’t answer. Instead, he looked at the black spear and hooked his finger slightly. Then, something strange happened...
The black spear that Meng Lei hadn’t been able to budge even a millimeter even after he exerted every ounce of strength he had... moved. It pulled itself out of the dragon carcass’ head, rose into the air, and flew right up to Meng Lei.
“Go!”
As Meng Lei took in the sensation of the mysterious connection between him and the black spear, he pointed in the air and gave an order.
Whoosh!
At once, the black spear turned into a purple lightning bolt and instantly shot toward the rock wall. With a crisp and clear crack, a hole formed immediately in the rock wall that even the boiling lava couldn’t melt, and the spear sank deep into it.
“Come!”
Meng Lei waved, and the black spear flew back again. It stayed quiet and still as it floated in front of Meng Lei, incredibly obedient.
“A divine weapon! That’s exactly what a divine weapon is!”
The old man’s eyes lit up brightly, and he burst into carefree laughter. “This old man has forged countless weapons and was once known as the empire’s greatest artifact-refining master. However, I’ve never forged a magic device that’s controllable by will and moves according to one’s will like that before!
“It certainly lives up to the two words ‘divine weapon’!”
“It’s a great treasure, indeed!” Meng Lei stroked the black shaft as if he was stroking the woman he loved. “And it’s even a thunder-elemental weapon, so it just so happens to match my elemental affinity. What a great treasure!”
Meng Lei was truly elated. Among all the thunder-elemental spells available, the one he loved using the most was Thunderbolt Spear. This particular spell was very domineering and was the most astounding in terms of single-target offensive power.
A strike from the spear could stab the enemy dead!
How domineering was that?
Thus, the Gods-Slaying Spear was very much to Meng Lei’s liking. It could be said to be perfect!
“There are so many great existences that couldn’t obtain even a single divine weapon after risking their lives and desperately fighting each other for their whole lives!”
With a chuckle, Ol’ Amos went on and said, “Whereas you’re only 20 years old, yet you’ve gotten one without even working for it. An opportunity like that is truly enviable! However, you must remember to use it appropriately and not show it to others easily.”
“The idea that one does not openly show their wealth... is something I understand!”
Meng Lei nodded repeatedly and continued to stroke his beloved spear.
“I’m glad you understand that.”
As Ol’ Amos stroked his beard, a look of gratification appeared on his face. However, what Meng Lei said next caused his expression to darken completely. Meng Lei wondered aloud, “I wonder if the Gods-Slaying Spear is capable of taking apart this dragon carcass?
“Tsk, tsk, this is a Saint Domain Colossal Dragon carcass, you know! If I can gouge out its dragon core, I can definitely sell that for a crazy sum of money!”
The veins at the old man’s forehead bulged from his skin, and his expression was as dark and sullen as the bottom of a charred pot. He glared viciously at Meng Lei and broke into a huge scolding. “You unfilial descendant!”
[1] Refers to the 2019 animation film Ne Zha