Elder Cold Crane let out a piercing screech.

Li Mo exerted himself to the limit.

Good news—he did manage to move the Pangu Starfall Hammer.

Bad news—he could only shift it by a hair’s breadth.

And that was only because the Pangu Starfall Hammer "condescended" to cooperate with him.

That tiny movement was likely the divine weapon borrowing his strength to move on its own.

"This hammer isn’t even that big, but it’s terrifyingly heavy."

"Right now, I can easily lift a spiny-backed tortoise, and my strength probably exceeds ten thousand jin."

Li Mo relaxed his grip and sighed ruefully.

Fortunately, he never planned to rely on his own strength to lift this thing.

If he could move it,

this divine weapon wouldn’t have been left at the bottom of the Divine Edge Cave, untouched for centuries.

No matter.

He still had his cheat.

"World Seed."

"Right now, I can channel a fraction of its power into myself."

"The duration is short, so I’ll have to act fast..."

Li Mo didn’t come alone.

Behind him stood an entire world.

Though this world was still nascent, fragile, and chaotic.

Still.

It was a world.

Crack—

The moment he channeled the World Seed’s power,

his bones erupted with a sound like frying beans, his blood and qi roared like a tempest, and his thirteen main meridians surged like furious dragons.

An overwhelming, inexhaustible force coursed through him.

Li Mo even had the illusion that if this divine mountain had a handle, he could lift the entire thing.

"Up!"

Boom—

A hammer’s resonance, a hundred times louder than before, exploded.

The Pangu Starfall Hammer.

For the first time in centuries, it was held in someone’s palm.

Only for an instant.

Li Mo swiftly stored it in his miniature world.

Then, utterly drained, he collapsed to the ground, too exhausted to even lift a finger, sweat pooling beneath him.

"Thank goodness... thank goodness divine weapons don’t count as living beings."

"Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to store it in my miniature world."

"I actually lifted a divine weapon just now!"

Young Li Mo’s chest heaved like a bellows, stars dancing before his eyes.

A chaotic whirl of thoughts flooded his mind.

Using power that wasn’t his own had an overwhelming backlash—just one more breath, and his body might have started crumbling.

But in the end, he succeeded...

Li Mo’s consciousness wavered, drowsiness pressing in.

Just before he drifted off,

he heard a hoarse, shrill shriek.

Sounded familiar...

Elder Hanhe?

———

Nightfall.

Divine Edge Peak, Elder’s Residence.

The surroundings were cluttered with raw ores, half-forged weapons—less a residence, more an armory.

"Where’s the hammer?!"

"Where’s the ancestral divine weapon of our Divine Edge Peak?!"

Elder Hanhe paced frantically, staring at the unconscious Li Mo snoring away.

The usually composed elder was utterly distraught.

"Stop muttering already."

"You’re driving me insane."

Shang Wu sat with one leg crossed over the other, a glimpse of thigh visible through her palace robes, chin resting on her palm:

"Tch, this brat of a disciple, sleeping so soundly... promised me roast lamb today..."

"Food?! Is this the time for food?!"

Elder Hanhe trembled with rage, veins bulging:

"That’s a divine weapon! Our peak is named after it! If it’s gone, I’ll have no face to meet our ancestors in the afterlife!"

If not for Shang Wu’s presence, he would’ve shaken Li Mo awake already.

"It was just gathering dust anyway, since no one could use it."

Shang Wu narrowed her eyes, annoyed:

"And lower your voice. You think I’m deaf?"

Elder Hanhe: "..."

What sins did I commit in my past life

to be cursed with this master-disciple pair?

"Mmm... huh?"

Just then,

Li Mo, who had been asleep for most of the day, yawned and stirred.

Blinking groggily,

the first thing he saw was Elder Hanhe’s wrinkled face inches from his own, eyes bloodshot.

Li Mo nearly punched him in reflex.

"Elder Hanhe, what’re you doing so close? Scared me half to death!"

"I scared you?! You nearly scared my soul out of my body!"

Elder Hanhe laughed bitterly, demanding:

"Speak! Where’s the hammer? Our ancestor’s hammer?!"

"Ahem!"

Shang Wu clenched her fist, clearing her throat pointedly.

A reminder to watch his tone when speaking to her disciple.

Elder Hanhe wanted to curse.

What, you steal my peak’s treasure, and I have to be polite about it?!

But he knew losing his temper wouldn’t help.

Suppressing his fury, he forced a gentler tone:

"True Disciple Li, when you went to the Divine Edge Cave’s depths... did you see a hammer?"

He gestured with his hands:

"About this big..."

"I did."

Li Mo nodded cooperatively.

"Where is it now?!"

Elder Hanhe’s voice sharpened.

"Gone."

Li Mo spread his hands.

"Gone?!"

Elder Hanhe’s vision darkened.

Li Mo nodded again:

"When I reached the cave’s bottom, I saw the hammer you mentioned."

"Curious, I touched it... and then it vanished."

"Seems like... it got stored in my spatial treasure."

Li Mo omitted some details,

replacing "miniature world" with "spatial treasure."

Indeed, this world had storage artifacts—collectively called spatial treasures.

For example, Shang Wu’s wine gourd was one such item.

Of course, they weren’t as common as in some stories.

Involving the profound mysteries of spatial laws,

only supreme experts could forge them from rare materials.

Thus, spatial treasures were exceedingly rare.

Apart from Shang Wu, none of the peak elders owned one—only the Qingyuan Sect’s leader possessed one.

"Disciple, your inheritance’s quite impressive."

Shang Wu’s almond-shaped eyes gleamed.

"Spatial treasure?!"

Elder Hanhe stood frozen.

His confusion only grew.

How did Li Mo even approach the Pangu Starfall Hammer?

How did he store it?

No spatial treasure could store something its owner couldn’t lift.

"Case closed, then."

Shang Wu rubbed her chin, reasoning:

"The hammer must’ve acknowledged him as its master."

"Divine weapons—maybe they’re weightless to their owners but immovable to others, right?"

Li Mo: "??"

It sounded plausible.

But the Pangu Starfall Hammer didn’t have that trait.

Suddenly, Li Mo noticed Shang Wu subtly winking at him.

Understanding dawned:

"Yeah, it didn’t feel heavy to me at all."

"Can you take it out now?"

"As you can see,"

Li Mo smiled wryly, shaking his head, "storing it drained me completely. I nearly blacked out—I won’t be able to retrieve it anytime soon."

Shang Wu said with a playful smile, "So, my disciple needs proper rest. If his spirit is harmed, hmph, who knows—he might never be able to retrieve it again."

The master and disciple played off each other perfectly.

"Recognizing a master..."

Elder Hanhe's vague suspicion was confirmed, yet he couldn't help feeling his Dao heart tremble slightly.

The divine weapon of their Divine Edge Peak, untouched since the founding ancestor's time, had been claimed by someone from another peak.

And by a mere Blood Qi Realm cultivator, no less!

His emotions were a tangled mess, but there was nothing he could do.

The founding ancestor had indeed left no records about this, and Shang Wu's explanation did sound plausible.

After all, the hammer was no longer at the bottom of the cave.

Her reasoning was just coherent enough to pass.

Plausible or not, who could verify the truth? It all came down to her word alone!

After a moment of thought, Elder Hanhe spoke again:

"In that case, until he retrieves the divine weapon, he shall remain on Divine Edge Peak."