Naturally, Wu Yu didn't want the two ghostly cultivators to discover his true objective.
At the very least, he was trying to buy as much time as he could.
As such, while forging his Nanwu Blazing Sun Golden Vajra Body, he kept aside some attention and energy to argue and insult the two ghostly cultivators. One party wanted to lure the two ghostly cultivators in, while the other party wanted to lure Wu Yu out.
As no one was making a move, time was being exhausted.
This lasted for two full days!
From the difficulty and misery he faced at the very beginning, Wu Yu had gradually become numb to the feeling as he acclimatized. Relying on his unmoveable will, he gritted his teeth and persisted.
As his physical body improved, it was finally getting a little easier for him. However, he was trying to accelerate the process. After getting acclimated, he accelerated his pace even further.
Therefore, the burning and torching sensation didn't stop from the very beginning. Instead, it got worse as time passed. When the two ghostly cultivators heard his screams, they even suspected that Wu Yu was a fool.
At this point, Wu Yu's skin had been dyed into a dull shade of gold. It was as though he was made of gold, and one could clearly see that endless dull golden lava being absorbed into his body through the pores throughout his body. As his body was being torched, his physical body toughened and condensed. Every molecule in him was engulfed by dull golden lava which gradually embedded itself. If any one molecule was released on to land, it would set an entire forest ablaze.
He had devoured one-third of the Subterranean Blazing Sun Furnace.
However, Wu Yu was still smart in his actions. He wasn't devouring the outermost layer. As such, in the eyes of the two ghostly cultivators, no change had taken place below them. Ghostly cultivators were exceptionally careful, and Wu Yu knew about this. Considering the circumstances, there was no way they would dive in.
"Wu Yu, don't bother putting up a last ditch struggle. What's the point of it?" Dissatisfaction was starting to build up for the Black Fiend.
Towards the end, Wu Yu was fully concentrated. He felt that he had said all he wanted and would give away himself if he said more. Therefore, he stopped answering the Black Fiend.
No matter how the two ghostly cultivators insulted or threatened him, he was solely focused on honing his physical body. With the Subterranean Blazing Sun Furnace shrinking in size, the toughness of his body was experiencing astonishing changes, and Wu Yu felt more agitated and excited.
While immersing in incomparable excitement, even the intense pain from the torching didn't seem as unbearable.
"Invincible Vajra Body! Through the Heavens and Earth, there's nothing you can't do. You will not be killed or vanquished! How far am I from that stage?"
Recalling the time when he first encountered the Ruyi Jingu Bang, Wu Yu started having lots of dreams about it.
The Heavenly Sword Sect, Shushan, the Endless Demon Seas, Yan Huang Imperial City, the East Sea....
Those people and those experiences.
They were clear in his mind.
Among which, the one that left the strongest impression was naturally the experience on the Mortal Arena in Shushan. On that day, he was condemned by thousands and thousands of people.
Despite that, he was still pursuing his Great Dao!
"The path of the Great Dao is limitless and my heart is eternally determined!"
With the Great Dao in mind, one's resolve strengthened. The pain of the physical body wouldn't be much after Wu Yu became completely desensitized to it.
Wu Yu felt as though his soul had left his body and was watching himself devouring the lava. The giant furnace was being devoured like food and completely digested eventually!
Another four days passed. As he accelerated his pace, the Blazing Sun Furnace had almost been completely devoured by him. At this point, great mastery was in sight.
Although the Black Fiend and Cangxue Qingfeng had been waiting outside for a few days and had lost their patience, the two ghostly cultivators weren't dumb. Suddenly, the Black Fiend remarked, "Wu Yu, could it be that you are using this furnace to forge your body while holding the two of us here to buy time for Huangfu Pojun?"
He got it right.
However, not completely.
After all, Wu Yu wasn't relying on the furnace to forge his body. Instead, he was devouring the furnace. The truth was that the upper layer of the Blazing Sun Furnace had almost dried out. If they were to dive deeper, they would be able to sense it immediately. In that case, Wu Yu's process of forging his body would definitely be disrupted. He wouldn't reach great mastery of the third tier and wouldn't be able to attain his Nanwu Blazing Sun Golden Vajra Body.
Luckily, the Black Fiend had not expected him to suck the furnace dry.
Naturally, any typical person wouldn't have such exaggerated thoughts.
At this juncture, it wasn't appropriate for him to continue speaking. Previously, he was afraid of them leaving. However, Wu Yu was more worried about them suddenly diving down. If that happened, he would have to be engaged in a major life and death battle just before he achieved perfect mastery. For Wu Yu, this wouldn't be the best idea.
Cangxue Qingfeng was also enlightened suddenly as she snorted, "Alright then. We shall go after the Yan Huang Warship and grab it before returning to finish him off."
The Black Fiend said, "This kid must be waiting for us to leave so he can escape immediately."
"We can't possibly guard this spot forever and watch him forge his body! If he refines himself for a few years, are we going to wait a few years for him?"
With their experiences, they estimated it would take Wu Yu at least that much time.
After discussing between themselves, they came to the conclusion that they couldn't do anything to Wu Yu. After all, they didn't dare to dive into the Blazing Sun Furnace where Wu Yu was. As such, taking down the Yan Huang Warship would be the more appropriate choice. The Yan Huang Warship would be greatly useful to them. After some modifications, they would possess a mobile fortress which would reap them substantial benefits!
If they knew the truth that Wu Yu would at most need another day, they would probably be frustrated and overwhelmed with anger.
"I did not expect this brat to be capable of this. Even if he escapes, he definitely won't be as lucky next time. No matter what, I'll have to make him accountable for White Fiend's death," said the Black Fiend plainly. After exchanging glances with Cangxue Qingfeng, they knew they had to leave after spending four days within the lava.
The truth was that they couldn't last too much longer.
Naturally, they might not be really leaving. Perhaps they would remain behind to intercept Wu Yu.
Nonetheless, Wu Yu had reached the final juncture and did not have additional attention to care about what they were doing. He was fully focused on devouring the Blazing Sun Furnace. His current body resembled a giant golden vortex which grew larger constantly, letting out a humming sound. After the two ghostly cultivators left, he became even more brazen as he devoured frantically to forge his body. Every single molecule of his body was strengthened to the limit!
Wu Yu could clearly feel his strength, speed, defense, recovery, and various aspects increasing steadily!
When piling the effects together, it could be said that Wu Yu was undergoing a major metamorphosis! Every advancement in the Invincible Vajra Body was just like a rebirth through the flames!
Bang, bang, bang!
Hundreds of millions of metal forging sounds reverberated from his body at every instant. They were dull and heavy but also filled with explosiveness.
That golden vortex had sucked the Blazing Sun Furnace dry in just half a day with tremendous speed.
He had successfully integrated the entire Blazing Sun Furnace into his body!
However, it still wasn't enough! That golden vortex started circulating once again. As he moved up, he swept in the eight Treasured Moon Furnaces within an exceptionally short period. In another half a day, not only had he devoured all the Treasured Moon Furnaces, but he had also devoured an entire Ravaging Ghost Volcano completely. This sea region that spanned several thousand miles had enabled Wu Yu's successful advancement!
When the raging sea region dimmed, that explosive golden vortex finally stop circulating and devouring. It contracted gradually until the figure of a human finally appeared in the middle. That was none other than Wu Yu!
All of a sudden, the vortex contracted fully, leaving Wu Yu standing alone in the vastless sea. However, his body was still burning with golden flames. His body was gold and exceptionally tough and explosive! Within a radius of three miles, not a single drop of seawater could approach. When it did, it was vaporized instantly!
One would expect it, considering that Wu Yu had devoured the entire Ravaging Ghost Volcano!
The moment he opened his eyes, the sea region several miles before his eyes was instantly vaporized, leaving nothing behind.
......
The Yan Huang Warship was hovering above the blue spirit ore mine.
After Huangfu Pojun returned, he spent half a day to take over the blue spirit ore mine once again after chasing out the ghostly cultivators that had barged in.
Before he settled the matter, Huangfu Pojun received a core-tail talisman from Wu Yu.
He was dumbfounded when he saw the core-tail talisman, but he had not informed anyone of it.
After re-occupying the area, he finally gathered the centurions and Gong Shuming to his side to explain the situation. After which, he said, "I believe that Wu Yu can hold them back temporarily, meaning they won't be here any time soon. Moreover, I believe Wu Yu has the ability to keep himself alive. My view is to remain on the Yan Huang Warship and guard the place. Members of the Inner Sea Dao Sect, please continue your excavation. If we notice the two ghostly cultivators returning, we can put up a resistance and see how the circumstances develop. If we really can't hold on, we will just leave on the Yan Huang Warship and give up on the mission. What do you guys think?"
After experiencing the incident of Chen Cangsong, the centurions wouldn't want to give up. As for Gong Shuming, he wouldn't give up easily, as there was still a substantial amount of ore left to be mined.
"In that case, we shall station ourselves here for now. However, it would be better for ordinary Yan Huang Immortal Soldiers to not head out."
As there were fewer stray ghostly cultivators at the moment and the danger level had increased, one could say that the ordinary Yan Huang Immortal Soldiers had already been taken out of the mission.
"The few of us shall head out and watch over the vicinity."
They kept their defensive line close as they were mainly guarding against Cangxue Qingfeng and the Black Fiend.
Huangfu Pojun and the rest were exceptionally solemn.
They were in a constant state of anxiety. After a few days, the Black Fiend and Cangxue Qingfeng appeared before them!
Huangfu Pojun immediately ordered the people of Inner Sea Dao Sect to return to the Yan Huang Warship. As for him, he stood before the two ghostly cultivators. Although he was facing two of them, he wasn't afraid. It was just that he was worried after not seeing Wu Yu and not getting a reply from Wu Yu through the core-tail talisman.
"You must be anxious to learn about where Wu Yu is, right?" After his arrival, the Black Fiend gave a creepy smile.
Huangfu Pojun stared at him coldly.
The Black Fiend waved his hand and said, "That young man is indeed incredible. However, he is still lacking in experience. Cangxue Qingfeng and I have decapitated and consumed him. Who would have expected this young man to be in possession of a great amount of treasures!"
"You are saying he's dead?" Huangfu Pojun could feel his heart skip a beat.
"Rubbish! If he wasn't dead, why would we be here today? Our objectives are really simple this time. All you have to do is present the Yan Huang Warship to us and we might consider letting all of you off. Remember! What we want is just the Yan Huang Warship."
Cangxue Qingfeng remarked plainly.
Huangfu Pojun knew that his side wouldn't be a match for them even if all the centurions fought with him. If they were to engage in battle, the casualties would be grave. Therefore, he retreated back into the Yan Huang Warship. With this fortress, he felt more confident.
However, many Yan Huang Immortal Soldiers were flustered. It was especially so for Heaven's Equal Camp.
They couldn't accept the fact that Wu Yu had died in battle.