There were three ancient characters inscribed on the pitch-black rod, strange and archaic—Yang Kai couldn't read them at all. But now, hearing Yang Yan mention the Heaven Shaking Pillar, the connection immediately clicked in his mind.
Yang Yan glanced at him and let out a light snort through her elegant nose, saying dismissively, "What's so surprising about knowing them? By that logic, the Formation Plate you refined earlier was also brought out from the Emperor's Garden?"
"Mm." Yang Kai nodded instinctively, his gaze continuously sweeping over Yang Yan.
Sensing the oddity in his stare, Yang Yan chuckled softly. "What, were you expecting me to have changed somehow?"
"Not exactly. It's just that while I knew you were well-learned and knew a great deal, I didn't expect you to be familiar with ancient script like this as well."
"Well, this isn't really ancient script—it's only a few tens of thousands of years old. It's just that the Dark Star underwent a great upheaval, and these characters were lost to time. This Heaven Shaking Pillar is quite the treasure. To think it's forged entirely from Celestial Crystal Dark Iron—what extravagant craftsmanship."
"Celestial Crystal Dark Iron?" Yang Kai raised an eyebrow, his face a picture of disbelief.
Though he wasn't skilled in Artifact Refining, he'd heard enough about precious refining materials to know that Celestial Crystal Dark Iron was one of the rarest and most valuable substances in existence—a peak Void King Grade material. Rumor had it that the stuff was impossibly heavy on its own; a palm-sized piece weighed ten thousand jin, and it was extraordinarily durable. Very few things in the world could damage it.
Adding even a small amount during Artifact Refining would significantly enhance the Artifact's durability—a massive advantage in combat.
And Yang Yan was saying that the entire Heaven Shaking Pillar was crafted from Celestial Crystal Dark Iron! That was simply unbelievable.
But if that was the case, it explained its absurd weight perfectly.
"It must have been quite dangerous to obtain?" Yang Yan asked with genuine concern.
Yang Kai chuckled and gave her a brief account of his battle with the puppet. After listening, Yang Yan nodded gently. "That was a good choice on your part. The puppet may be precious, but it pales in comparison to the Heaven Shaking Pillar. You got the better deal—only a puppet like that could wield an Artifact of this magnitude."
"Do you want it? It's yours. I have no use for it. Melt it down and you could probably forge quite a few Artifacts from the material." An idea had occurred to him—he'd originally chosen the massive black rod precisely because of the material it was made from.
"Melt it down?" Yang Yan curled her lip. "Why would I melt it? I couldn't craft something like this even now. It has countless astonishing Formations inscribed within it—melting it down would be an utter waste. If we could find a suitable person to wield it, then…"
"Who could possibly wield it?" Yang Kai laughed heartily. "Unless you forge another puppet like that one, it's hopeless."
"Someone *can* wield it!" Yang Yan said with a mysterious smile.
"Who?" Yang Kai's face twitched. He simply couldn't believe that anyone on the Dark Star possessed the strength to swing the Heaven Shaking Pillar. That would be something beyond human. He doubted even a third-stage Return Void Realm powerhouse could keep the Artifact in motion for long before their Saint Qi was completely drained.
"Him!" Yang Yan pointed a finger. Yang Kai followed her gesture and was surprised to discover the Stone Dwelling Spirit peeking around a corner at them, furtive as could be.
When both Yang Kai and Yang Yan fixed their gazes on it, the Stone Dwelling Spirit gave up hiding altogether. Using all four limbs, it scampered toward them like a stone monkey and skidded to a stop in front of Yang Kai, its round eyes bulging as it stared up at him.
"The Stone Dwelling Spirit can wield it?" Yang Kai furrowed his brow.
"The only way to know is to try." Yang Yan pursed her lips in a smile, then pointed at the Heaven Shaking Pillar and called out sweetly, "Xiao Xiao!"
Hearing the call, the Stone Dwelling Spirit glanced at Yang Yan, then at Yang Kai. Only after receiving his nod did it approach the foot-long Heaven Shaking Pillar and begin circling it.
Before long, a look of delight and excitement appeared in the creature's eyes. Its hunched back straightened, and it thumped its chest several times with both hands before snatching up the Heaven Shaking Pillar in one grab.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, watching without blinking.
He could see it clearly—even the Heaven Shaking Pillar, which had been utterly beyond his own ability to manage, was now held in the Stone Dwelling Spirit's grip as though it weighed nothing at all. The foot-long rod appeared to have lost every ounce of its weight. The Stone Dwelling Spirit seemed to have found a fascinating new toy, its eyes brimming with joy and its wide mouth split into a grin. It gripped the pillar at its midpoint with both hands and gave it a swing, the Heaven Shaking Pillar sweeping through the air and leaving behind a curtain of afterimages.
Whoosh…
A piercing whistle cut through the air. The spiritual energy inside the entire Stone Dwelling went chaotic in an instant. Where the Stone Dwelling Spirit stood, a tornado materialized within the blink of an eye. The next moment, protective formations on every side flickered to life, their shimmering light forming barriers that seemed to be blocking an invisible onslaught.
At the same time, Yang Kai felt wave after wave of invisible wind blades slicing across his body, producing faint hissing sounds against his skin.
This…
Yang Kai stood there, completely dumbfounded!
Even when that puppet had been swinging the giant rod back in the Emperor's Garden, it hadn't been nearly as fluid as this. The fact that the tiny Stone Dwelling Spirit harbored such immense power within its body was almost impossible to believe.