Are you done yet? (2)

Back to the fight between Shui and the three supreme elders, Shui narrowed his eyes while watching the three put their hands over the small cauldron. He had tried to stop them from charging it but then they threatened to do the one thing he was worried about.

"If you try to stop us from fuelling the artifact, we'll order an attack on the citizens." said the oldest supreme elder.

"Hmph, have you forgotten that I still have your disciples hostage?"

"...It's for the greater good."

"Master?!" Cino shouted in panic.

He couldn't believe that the one who had always doted on him would truly throw him away, but when he looked up while still stuck to the ground, he saw a firm resolve on his wrinkled face.

"No... You, wouldn't..."

Cino still couldn't believe it while Rizer and the one who tried to assassinate Shui wore ugly expressions. As they had been paying close attention to the situation, they knew that their lives would be a cheap price to pay to defeat the masked expert.

Shui estimated his full power to be around early True Master Realm, so even an archaic-rank artifact would find it hard to wound him. However, if he was suppressed enough to be refined by the cauldron then he could end up in danger.

'It'll depend on their understanding of fire laws.'

Shui didn't like the idea that he had to take a risk, but he trusted his analysis of the supreme elders so he waited for them to pour their energy into the cauldron. As it was meant to be used by a Master or True Master, even the three of them together took ten minutes to barely activate the artifact.

Once it was activated, the artifact released a stifling heat that made everyone frown. It had nothing to do with the actual temperature of the cauldron, it simply gave the illusion of heat to anyone who saw it.

'So this is an archaic-rank artifact?'

As this illusion attacked the soul, Shui was able to resist it but he was still surprised by this illusion as it wasn't one of the functions of the artifact, but merely a side-effect caused by its high quality. The Sky Realm was where cultivators started studying the laws of the world while the Master Realm was where they proved their understanding. Due to the nature of this realm, archaic-rank artifacts normally produced phenomena based on the laws that were incorporated in their creation.

As a blacksmith, Shui felt his heart bursting with excitement, but in his current situation he couldn't help feeling more worried.

With their trump card ready, the supreme elders aimed it at him and chuckled with smug faces.

"It's not too late to surrender. If you give up the source of that strange flame of yours and allow one of us to imprint a soul brand-"

"You should stop talking if you don't want to be embarrassed any more than you have been."

Considering his position, Shui knew that if he didn't take this attack head-on it would chase after him and wreak havoc on the city and its people in the process. Additionally, the only reason why he thought he could handle this attack was because of his familiarity with the natural laws of fire. He knew this would be dangerous, but he didn't even flinch as a threatening amount of energy was about to burst from the cauldron.

"Fine then, we'll just refine your corpse and use it instead. Fire!"

At the eldest's command, a column of colourful fire shot straight towards Shui. To confront it, Shui placed his bare palms in front of him. Since there was no barrier around him some wondered if he had accepted his fate, but those who had watched from the start until now knew that he would surprise them once more.

Even when the fire was about to make contact with his hands, Shui stayed still. In fact, he pushed out his palms to touch it, but then the column of fire engulfed his figure.

"Is he dead?"

There were no screams, but he didn't seem to have escaped either. The supreme elders also couldn't be sure of his status because they couldn't imagine him being burnt to death in an instant without putting up any resistance. Furthermore, they needed his body to survive so that they could investigate his secrets and which would hopefully help make up for the losses he had caused them.

'He better not be dead.'

The supreme elders wanted to check his status, but they couldn't stop the cauldron once it was activated, they could only wait until it ran out of power. A few minutes after it started blasting fire, the column started shortening and the flames began to drop in power. This was what normally happened when it ran out of power, but the next scene was surprising. Instead of slowly fading, the column of flames burst apart from the inside and floating in its former path was the unscathed Shui.

"Impossible!"

None of the three supreme elders wanted him to turn to ash, but they couldn't believe that he had endured the power of the Thousand Flames Cauldron without a single wound to show for it. Forget a wound, Shui didn't even feel hot despite that powerful attack.

'Good thing they couldn't control it properly.'

If a spell of the same level of power attacked him, Shui would have to either dodge or use his divine energy to protect his body, but the pure flames that the cauldron spat were ineffective because of his insight into the laws of fire. Due to these insights he was able to slightly manipulate the motion and power of the flames so that they weren't able to harm him.

Shui snorted, "To have such a good artifact and yet not being able to use it properly, don't you feel ashamed?"

Although the supreme elders had began studying the laws of the world, all three of them focused on earth laws rather than fire laws so it was true that this artifact was wasted on them.

"Damn you! It's impossible for you to have escaped unharmed, impossible!"

Both because of disbelief and helplessness, the supreme elders panicked.

"Fine, if you want to die believing that I won't stop you."

As Shui clenched his fist with a sliver of divine energy added and approached, the youngest of the three hastily created a tall wall which barely made it in time to block Shui's fist. Unfortunately, it shattered instantly and the rest of that force slammed that supreme elder into the ground.

The second oldest who liked to stay silent tried to be the one to stop him, but before he could even finish his spell Shui's hand had pierced through his chest. Then, with a simple flex of his muscle, the elder's body burst into pieces.

"Ah, ahhh!"

The last and eldest supreme elder flinched at the sight of two of his comrades being beaten so easily, but then he roared with a suicidal resolve.

Shui raised his bloody hand for one last strike, but with a jolt, he froze in mid-air and then started falling. However, the last supreme elder also fell with him.

"Huh? What happened?"

"Who cares, get him while he's unconscious!"

While both Shui and the eldest supreme elders were in ambiguous positions, they weren't dead and falling to the ground could only dirty their clothes. If Shui was awake then they wouldn't dare even suggest attacking him, but in his defenceless state the remaining former elders and disciples of the Lava Stream Sect rushed to attack.

"Stop right there!"

Suddenly, Henry appeared and created a barrier to repel the attackers.

"What?! Why isn't he in his cell?"

"It doesn't matter. He can't stop us for long."

It would be one thing if they were weaker than him, but though in a much lower number than before, many elders were still possessed higher cultivations than Henry so it would be a matter of time before his barrier was broken. Therefore, Lily who had hidden behind him draped a cloak over Shui and secretly carried him away from the battlefield.

Meanwhile, in a white expanse, the eldest supreme elder looked around with a confused expression. At the last moment, he had gone all-out with a mental attack and should have entered inside Shui's soul to destroy it.

"This isn't what it should look like."

"Of course not, you fool."

"!"

The supreme elder quickly looked up at the young man who looked down on him from a seated position despite having no chair to sit on. The supreme elder couldn't believe how young he looked, but more than that, he was surprised by the fact that he was able to confront him here.

"You, managed to respond to my mental attack?"

"Obviously. Though my physique is my strongest point right now, I'm most confident in my soul. Honestly, coming here is the worst choice you could have made."

"I'll have to be the judge of that. Haa!"

The supreme elder charged at Shui with unparalleled resolve, but that only inspired a sigh from him.

"Weren't you listening to me?"

Midway on his charge, the supreme elder's legs were abruptly severed.

"Ahh!"

In this world, there was no way someone with a weaker soul would be able to harm him, but Shui was also aware that while he was in here his body would be defenceless. He may be tougher than a supreme tesora-rank artifact even without being conscious, but he didn't like the idea of giving the leftovers free reign over his body.

"Now then, how shall I break you?"