Chapter Twenty Eight: Skyfrost Nail

"Putting aside the 'Demon King Armament' for now, it did give Xianyu some ideas.

Can we make the Cryo Crystal Butterfly evolve into a 'Demon God'?

Then, I could use my own 'Armor' and immediately possess power comparable to a Demon God, right?

After all, it's far too distant in time to reach the 'Demon God' realm with my own spiritual power.

"This could work! It wouldn't be just the 'Demon King Armament' anymore... it would be... the 'Demon God Armament'!

The idea sounds great, but when it comes to the strength of elemental beings, they basically hit their peak at the Lord stage. Figuring out how to go further is a mystery for them.

This goes for other elemental Lords, and why not for Xianyu? Because he also doesn't know how to proceed to the next level.

After evolving, what would the strength be? That's all unknown.

Although he can still continue absorbing similar Cryo elemental Lords to deepen his strength, to achieve a qualitative change, he probably needs to go to the Land of Ice.

But Xianyu has absolutely no clue about the Land of Ice, he doesn't even know what beings exist there.

The unknown implies danger, so this aspect isn't being considered unless absolutely necessary.

Excluding the Land of Ice, Xianyu then thinks about Durin, Ruotuo, and Venti.

Initially, they were all elemental beings, except Venti lucked out and directly ascended to the God's seat.

The other two are artificial flesh bodies. Maybe, Xianyu thinks, he can try to imitate them.

"I don't seem to have those qualifications... I don't know alchemy like Albedo, and I don't have the divine power of Morax."

At this point, it seems like the evolution path is blocked again.

"No! Wait a minute! There seems to be another way to try.

"But... it's going to take some time."

"For now, let's go take a look at this 'Skyfrost Nail'."

...

What does flying feel like?

For others, Xianyu isn't sure, but his own experience is quite similar to being on an airplane. The only difference is that he's outside the "aircraft."

Perched on the back of the Cryo Crystal Butterfly, the howling winds and snowstorms don't affect him in the slightest.

Though the mountains are high, he's even higher.

The massive stone pillar embedded in the rock layers, shrouded in frost, appears quite ordinary. If one didn't know it fell from the "Celestia," they might mistake it for a remnant of an ancient civilization.

"Is this the 'punishment' that destroyed Sal Vindagnyr?"

As he speaks, Xianyu looks down at his feet and all around, as if this place was created by this pillar crashing into the ground.

Perhaps the original landscape here wasn't like this, but rather a towering peak, only to be destroyed when this "heavenly object" descended, much like a force of nature.

Contemplating the formation of this crater, Xianyu approaches the "pillar." Just looking at it won't reveal any answers; a closer examination is needed.

He reaches out and touches it.

The moment his hand makes contact with the pillar, even with Xianyu's unique constitution, he feels an icy cold that seems to penetrate his soul.

He withdraws his hand without touching it again.

"I used to think the environmental changes here were caused by the death of ancient trees, but I never imagined this pillar possessed such power!"

Sighing, Xianyu looks up at the sky, as if searching for something, but apart from daylight, there's nothing to see.

"Crystal Butterfly, do you like this pillar?"

Turning his head to the "Cryo Crystal Butterfly" chasing after other butterflies, Xianyu speaks.

Now, with his increased power, the Cryo Crystal Butterfly can understand some of Xianyu's intentions.

Hearing his voice, the butterfly reverts to its original size and flies over, but upon getting close, it immediately retreats.

Seeing this, Xianyu looks understanding.

Although he doesn't know why his Cryo Crystal Butterfly doesn't like the pillar, he doesn't press the matter further.

If the Cryo Crystal Butterfly doesn't like it, it means this thing isn't suitable for his use.

After all the effort to come up here, he's ultimately left disappointed, which makes Xianyu feel a bit frustrated.

"Since this pillar is a divine object, it can't be just extremely cold; the material it's made of must be extraordinary. So, can it be used as sword-making material?"

With this thought, Xianyu initially collects some nearby stones, but they aren't significantly different from other rocks, and even if they're harder, a little force from Xianyu would shatter them.

So, in the end, his focus returns to the pillar.

Seeing this, Xianyu's heart leaps with joy. A stone this tough, if forged into a sword alongside a dragon's fang, and with the extreme cold attribute of the pillar, might just complement the dragon's properties perfectly.

Of course, there's also a chance of conflict, potentially resulting in both being lost.

But this risk is worth taking!

Because he has two teeth, and after a failure, he can forge again.

But once successful, this sword will definitely be a divine weapon!

Finding an edge, Xianyu prepares to cut a piece. Although he'd like to cut more, the hardness is just too much, and the size makes it difficult to handle.

As a second choice, since tackling the whole thing is troublesome, he decides to go after the "low-hanging fruit."

"One Sword to Separate the World!"

"Bang!"

"SNAP!"

A crisp cracking sound is heard, but it's not the pillar breaking, it's the sword in Xianyu's hand snapping.

Looking at the pillar, undamaged, and then at his broken sword, Xianyu promptly tosses the broken piece away.

He retrieves another sword.

Xianyu's expression turns determined.

"I've never had a chance to try that move, and now's the perfect time to give it a shot."

He raises the sword, gathering energy.

The wind stills, the snow calms.

"Sword Art: New Heaven!"

A soft utterance, ringing out of thin air.

After the strike, everything falls silent, the wind and snow no more.

After the quiet, the earth trembles and the mountains shake, and even the clouds in the sky are sliced open, sunlight pouring through.

Watching the falling rocks, Xianyu gathers them up, then swiftly hops onto the enlarged crystal butterfly and departs.

His strike just now not only shattered a section of the pillar but also cut through the mountain behind it, followed by the sky's cloud cover.

Of course, the main reason for the commotion was that pillar.

It seems to be connected to the mountain, causing this situation.

That's precisely why Xianyu immediately made his exit.

At the tumultuous moment, the creatures on the snow-covered mountain all sense something and instinctively look up towards the summit.

"Who in the world is it? Who possesses such power!"

"To cleave through mountains and skies, this grand strength is akin to a god walking among us!"

The Abyss Mage in the depths of the cave, soaring out into the open, watches as the mountain continues to descend. He is thoroughly astonished.

"I wonder why such a figure would come to this ruin. Could there still be some secret here?" First, astonishment, then contemplation.

However, he clearly won't get an answer because the culprit has long since made their "swift getaway."

He doesn't even connect this to Xianyu. While in his eyes, Xianyu's strength is commendable, compared to this force, it's like comparing a firefly to the moon.

Leaving the range of the snowy mountain, high in the sky, Xianyu watches the creatures below surging on. He sighs softly.

"The Young Master's words are quite wise. The world will always belong to those who continue to grow stronger."