Blue Stone Hall.
A dead silence filled the air.
All the high-ranking Cursed Weapon Masters stood up, eyes wide, watching the young man now seated in the main seat.
"Alright. You may be seated."
Lin Yuan waved his sleeve, instantly dispelling the force that had compelled the Cursed Weapon Masters to stand.
The entire Blue Stone Hall returned to its former state, and if not for the change of the person on the main seat, some Cursed Weapon Masters might have thought everything that just happened was an illusion.
"This..."
The Cursed Weapon Masters looked at each other, cold sweat beading on their foreheads.
They were caught in a dilemma, unable to decide whether to sit, stand, or flee.
"Not sitting?" Lin Yuan's lips curled into a smile as he looked at the Cursed Weapon Masters.
In an instant, it felt as if a mountain was pressing down on them.
All the Cursed Weapon Masters felt an immense weight on their shoulders, their faces turning pale, and they collapsed back into their stone seats, legs trembling.
"That's more like it," Lin Yuan showed a look of satisfaction.
The other Cursed Weapon Masters, however, felt waves of shock within.
From the moment Lin Yuan entered the Blue Stone Hall, only a few breaths had passed, yet in that time, he had managed to suppress all the Cursed Weapon Masters, rendering them incapable of resisting.
It wasn't that they hadn't tried to resist; they did, but it was utterly ineffective.
How could this be possible? Moreover, unbelievably, none of them sensed any aura of divine weapon from Lin Yuan.
This meant that Lin Yuan was not a Weapon Master, yet he possessed power far beyond them.
This scene that defied logic made the Cursed Weapon Masters tremble with fear.
"Who exactly... what are you?"
From the floor where Lin Yuan had thrown him, 'Qing Wu,' slowly got up, his gaze towards Lin Yuan filled with terror.
That throw just now almost shattered his bones and organs.
If not for the Cursed Weapon's power protecting him, he would be dead by now.
"If I didn't ask you, then why are you speaking?" Lin Yuan looked at 'Qing Wu.'
Boom! A tremendous force fell upon him, and Qing Wu's face turned blood red as he knelt on the ground with a thud.
Such a pitiful scene made the other Cursed Weapon Masters shudder.
Compared to Qing Wu, they were at least seated, albeit 'forced,' but it still looked more dignified.
"Answer when I ask, and if you have something to add, feel free to speak."
Lin Yuan casually adjusted his sleeve.
Then, without caring for what these Cursed Weapon Masters thought, he directly asked, "Why are you planning to start a decisive battle?" Though Lin Yuan had his suspicions, he wanted to hear what the Cursed Weapon Masters had to say.
"It's like this..."
Under pressure, one Cursed Weapon Master finally spoke up.
It was no joke; though they all remained alive, Lin Yuan's overwhelming power made them certain he could kill them at any moment.
In such a situation, no one would choose to die rather than comply.
Additionally, some Cursed Weapon Masters had tried to summon their Cursed Weapons to fight back.
Yet, aside from their initial efforts, the Cursed Weapons inside them seemed to vanish, ignoring their pleas.
"This is the intention of the honored Cursed Weapons. The honored Cursed Weapons told us that within a hundred years, the Thirty-Six Divine Weapons will take that step and reach the realm of the Father God. So, no matter the cost, we must stop this from happening, or there will be no place for us in the heavens or on earth."
The Cursed Weapon Masters spoke one after another, revealing what they knew, which matched Lin Yuan's predictions.
After eight thousand years, the thirty-six Nation-Guarding Divine Weapons were indeed close to reaching the fourth stage, which showed the difficulty in making the leap from the third to the fourth stage.
Even though the Thirty-Six Divine Weapons embodied the essence of this world's laws, achieving the fourth stage was still incredibly tough.
How much more so for ordinary beings?
"Ancient divine being..."
Lin Yuan contemplated.
The 'Father God' referred to by the Cursed Weapon Masters was the ancient divine being.
Ten thousand years ago, an ancient divine being sacrificed mountains, smelted four seas, and forged a hundred Divine Weapons.
This is the origin of all divine and cursed weapons today.
Therefore, whether intact or broken, all divine weapons acknowledge that ancient divine being as the 'Father God.'
For years, Lin Yuan had been trying to learn more about the ancient divine being but with little success.
Attempting to extract memories, owing to their broken state, at best provided glimpses post ten thousand years.
As for memories related to the ancient divine being or how the Divine Weapons were crafted, those were obscure.
The Cursed Weapons only knew the 'Father God' was great but lacked specific details.
Lin Yuan was deeply intrigued by the ancient divine being, believing this being was at least a fourth-stage powerhouse and possibly advanced within that tier.
With such prowess, even if one couldn’t live forever, surely some information would remain?
Closing off these thoughts, Lin Yuan turned his gaze back to the Cursed Weapon Masters.
"There's something I need your help with," he said lightly, smiling.
This puzzled the Cursed Weapon Masters.
Knowing Lin Yuan's displayed power, almost rivaling a true Divine Weapon, what could he possibly need from them?
"Please, do tell," cautiously responded the Cursed Weapon Master who first answered Lin Yuan.
"I wish to observe the Cursed Weapons within you," Lin Yuan calmly stated, stunning the group into silence again.
"Bold!"
"Presumptuous!"
"Mortal, are you seeking death?"
Terrifying mental waves erupted from each Cursed Weapon Master, as shadowy images of their Cursed Weapons appeared.
Notably, the image from 'Qing Wu' was that of a nearly complete 'Giant Axe.' The 'Heaven-Splitting Axe' was one of the Divine Weapons.
Lin Yuan’s gaze lingered over the axe.
In the battle of a hundred divine weapons eight thousand years ago, this 'Heaven-Splitting Axe' was only second to the Thirty-Six Supreme Divine Weapons, retaining most of its form despite defeat.
Initially, upon recognizing Lin Yuan's strength, these Cursed Weapons considered retreat to bide their time, which is why earlier their Cursed Weapon Masters' calls were ignored.
However, none of the Cursed Weapons anticipated Lin Yuan's bold intent to observe them.
"Not bad, not bad," Lin Yuan's eyes shone with a hint of heat.
He had come not just to verify his guesses but to gather more and more complete Cursed Weapons.
Lin Yuan’s path to advancing to the fourth stage by understanding the essence of rules required comprehending a multitude of Cursed Weapons, and even true Divine Weapons.
Hence, the stronger these Cursed Weapons were, the better.
Outside the Blue Stone Hall, Sikong Lun paced nervously, worry etched on his face.
"Sir, the Honored Sovereign has been too impetuous," Sikong Lun fretted.
He and Lin Yuan had come following the Cursed Weapon Masters' directions.
Although Sikong Lun intended to enter with Lin Yuan, as he had experience dealing with these Cursed Weapon Masters, Lin Yuan insisted he wait outside.
This left Sikong Lun increasingly anxious.
He knew Lin Yuan's strength, and that subduing a Cursed Weapon was easy for him.
But the Cursed Weapon Masters inside the Blue Stone Hall were not easily dealt with either.
All those gathered there had Cursed Weapons with more than fifty percent completion, far beyond that of an ordinary Sacred Heart Fragment, even one almost fully restored akin to a Divine Weapon.
Despite acknowledging Lin Yuan's power, Sikong Lun doubted Lin Yuan could gain an advantage over so many formidable Cursed Weapon Masters.
"At least they didn't start fighting," Sikong Lun sighed with relief.
Should a true battle break out, the entire place would be in chaos.
The current quiet provided him slight comfort, albeit just a little.
This comfort did not last long, as Lin Yuan’s delay in coming out kept doubt alive.
There was still a chance for a battle to occur.
Just when Sikong Lun was growing more anxious, a figure slowly emerged from the entrance.
"Sir!" Sikong Lun cried out in relief.
At least the worst case didn't happen.
"Yes," Lin Yuan nodded slightly, smiling.
He seemed in good spirits.
"Take care of the ones inside," he instructed before leaving.
"Take care of what?" Sikong Lun blinked.
What was he supposed to handle? Lin Yuan went in alone, after all.
Apart from Lin Yuan and the powerful Cursed Weapon Masters, there were no others inside.
But as Sikong Lun puzzled over Lin Yuan's words, a group of Cursed Weapon Masters, led by ‘Qing Wu,’ shuffled out, faces pale and bodies trembling.
Having their Cursed Weapons forcibly pulled out was essentially ripping out their own vital parts; without Lin Yuan seeing future potential in their innate spiritual resilience, they would not have survived.
"You all?"
Linking the state of the Cursed Weapon Masters to what Lin Yuan said, Sikong Lun realized these were the ones he needed to take care of.
"This..."
Swallowing hard, Sikong Lun understood that 'taking care of' meant that these once proud Cursed Weapon Masters were now subdued.
Assuming they had agreed and submitted, for otherwise, they would have outright refused.
Sikong Lun was left awestruck.
Moments ago, he had worried over Lin Yuan's safety and whether he might suffer loss at the hands of the Cursed Weapon Masters.
But now...
Looking at the eighteen defeated faces of the once mighty Cursed Weapon Masters, Sikong Lun raised his eyes to Lin Yuan's receding form.
It felt like looking up at a god.
(Chapter end)