Forging Immortality: The Undying Blacksmith

Chapter 92: Giant Rock City

Outside the gates of Obsidian City, a man and a tiger vanished into the dust, leaving only the sprawling dark behind them.

Back in the courtyard, it took a long time for Tianlong and the others to process what they had just witnessed. It defied all logic. Zhao Kou, a newly advanced Outer Force martial artist, had been swatted aside like a helpless toddler.

Most of the onlookers hadn’t even caught Li Qing’s movement. They only saw Zhao Kou’s long blade knocked free, spinning through the air in a perfect parabola before burying half its length firmly into the hard-packed earth.

“Is that… Inner Force?” Zhao Kou muttered, slumping to the ground in a daze.

Someone urged him to explain how he lost so quickly. Zhao Kou shook his head. “I don’t know. It was too fast. The moment I swung, an immense, unstoppable force transferred through the hilt. It just ripped the weapon out of my grip.”

He yanked the blade from the dirt. As he wiped the grit from the steel, he sucked in a sharp breath. Pressed into the flat of the metal was a perfect, distinct fingerprint. The terrifying force of that single touch had warped the steel, bulging it outward on the opposite side.

And this was undeniably just a fraction of Li Qing’s strength. He had done it as casually as taking a sip of water. Staring at the deformed blade, a wild urge surged in Zhao Kou’s chest to chase the man down and beg to become his disciple. But Li Qing was already gone.

Tianlong stepped forward, eyeing the ruined blade. He threw his head back and laughed. “Hah! Brother Li is a true monster on the martial path. It’s no wonder he’s so obsessed with it. Or perhaps, it’s that very obsession that forged him into what he is. Truly admirable!”

A profound reverence settled over the Righteousness Gang members. In a starving, desperate era, this man had thrown away guaranteed status and comfort to chase the fading ghosts of martial arts. Six years ago, he left. He returned as an Inner Force expert. Given enough time, what heights could he reach?

A Transformation Force Grandmaster?

Tianlong cut that thought short. In this pitch-black, suffocating world, a Grandmaster was nothing short of a myth. If only Li Qing had been born in the Age of Sunlight…

“Hoo…” Tianlong exhaled a long breath, venting the heavy awe in his chest. A hero born at the end of the world. It was a pity Tianlong wouldn’t live long enough to see the legend Li Qing would inevitably become.

“Disperse,” Tianlong ordered the crowd. “And remember this: as long as the Righteousness Gang draws breath, Li Qing is our second leader!”

Miles away, Li Qing marched steadily westward. The landscape offered nothing but an endless, barren darkness.

Once he reached the deep wilderness and confirmed there were no eyes to spot him, he crossed back to his original world, Shengtian. After safely stashing his newly acquired hoard of gold and jewels in his blacksmith shop, he cycled through several burner identities to stockpile massive quantities of meat and dry rations.

Fully supplied, he materialized back in the Extreme Night World and resumed his trek toward Giant Rock City.

The distance between the two cities was substantial. Even if he sprinted without sleep, it would take two or three days. But Li Qing was in no rush. He paced himself, treating the bleak journey almost like a scenic stroll. As he walked, he fluidly practiced his new lightness skill footwork, seamlessly cycling his internal energy to cultivate the Golden Body Art and the Turtle Breath Technique.

Judging by how often his stomach demanded food, the journey took roughly five days.

Finally, beneath the blood-red wash of the moonlight, a massive silhouette broke the horizon. A towering, majestic wall carved out of stone dominated the barren plains, dotted with the faint, spectral glow of luminous mushrooms.

Giant Rock City.

Unlike the lawless slums of Obsidian City, this metropolis reeked of order, firmly held under the iron grip of the city lord’s mansion.

“On paper, Giant Rock City only has two Inner Force experts,” Li Qing murmured to himself, analyzing the colossal gates. “But the shadows always hide more. Better to keep my head down until I map out the local power dynamics.”

The Righteousness Gang maintained a small outpost here to facilitate trade, which worked perfectly for his needs. He intended to slip in completely unnoticed. The Red Fish Chamber of Commerce was currently throwing around serious weight to acquire beasts from the Age of Sunlight; strutting through the front gates with Fantong would paint a massive target on his back. Until he measured the true depths of the city lord’s mansion and the Red Fish Chamber of Commerce, he refused to show his hand.

Though, if their peak fighters truly capped at the Inner Force realm, he knew he had nothing to fear.

He camped outside the city for another day until his ride arrived. A merchant caravan flying the Righteousness Gang’s colors slowly rumbled down the main thoroughfare.

Spotting the emblem, Li Qing melded into the shadows and reappeared seamlessly at the head of the convoy.

“Brother Li,” a shrewd-looking man greeted him, dropping his voice. Tianlong had clearly prepped the logistics in advance. “This grain cart is empty. Have your… beast, hide inside.”

Li Qing didn’t waste words. He guided a very reluctant Fantong into the reinforced wooden cart and lashed the tarp down tight. Rather than hitching a horse, Li Qing grabbed the pulling shafts himself. Dragging a cart loaded with a five-hundred-pound tiger was utterly effortless to him, no more taxing than pulling a sled of Black Wheat Mushrooms.

The caravan rolled toward the gates. The armored guards merely glanced at the gang’s emblem and waved them through, though Li Qing sharply noted the toll: the caravan leader handed over a handful of small, black, diamond-shaped chips.

Shielded by the convoy, Li Qing infiltrated Giant Rock City without a hitch.

The sheer scale of the place immediately set it apart from Obsidian City. Everything was gargantuan. The buildings loomed like stone monoliths, and the main avenues were so absurdly wide that eight carriages could drive abreast without scraping hubs.

Once they were safely inside the district, the contact approached Li Qing and pressed a heavy cloth pouch into his palm. “Brother Li, the gang leader asked me to pass this to you.”

Li Qing weighed the dense pouch in his hand. “What is this?”

“Money crystals,” the man explained, his eyes crinkling into a permanent, calculating squint. “It’s the hard currency here in Giant Rock City. What’s in that bag is enough to buy two prime Armored Pigs.”

Li Qing gave a curt nod and slipped the crystals into his robes. “Understood. What’s your name?”

The man flashed a wide, ingratiating smile. “Brother Li, you can call me Miao Qi.”