Using his Spiritual Sense for analysis, Xia Yu quickly stripped the baitai bare in his Mental World; now, replicating a baitai would be simple.
It was just that the Power of Death contained within the baitai was difficult to handle, but he wasn't planning on truly replicating the immortal severance; he wanted the Cursed Death Slash.
Of course, completely learning the Forging Method of the immortal severance wasn't what he wanted either, because his forging material was the entire Death Prince's Face Skin beneath his feet.
Thinking this, Xia Yu put away the immortal severance, which he had finished analyzing. A sinister grin appeared on his face, and the heavy hammer he had been holding suddenly ignited with a fierce Pyromancy Flame.
This was the Demon Great Hammer from dark souls i, a Demonic Weapon crafted from processed rock great tree, possessing excellent conductivity for fire.
After igniting the head of the heavy hammer, Xia Yu gripped it with both hands, raised it high, and then—
BANG!!!
He violently smashed it down onto the Cthulhu-flavored skin beneath his feet, and the flames on the hammerhead merged into the skin upon impact.
The entire tunnel seemed to shake with that single blow, but it wasn't over. Xia Yu used the rebounding force to lift the hammer again and smash it down fiercely.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Continuous pounding sounds rang out. Xia Yu didn't look like he was forging a weapon; rather, he looked like he was pounding rice cakes.
The Death Prince's Face Skin being struck rippled under the heavy blows, and dark red blood plasma splattered from the layered skin.
This violent scene made the eyelids of the three people at the entrance twitch. Then, they recalled Xia Yu's initial claim: forging a weapon.
Is this seriously forging a weapon?
In any case, none of the three believed it, especially Rogier. Seeing Xia Yu violently destroying the Death Prince's Face Skin, his face turned pale, and his body swayed precariously.
He felt he had been deceived, but looking at Xia Yu, who was wearing a sinister grin and covered in splattered blood plasma, he didn't know whether he should step forward to stop him.
He had a feeling that if he dared to step forward, he might also be included in the range of things being hammered.
The sound of pounding echoed in the small space. After ringing out for an unknown duration, the rhythmic noise finally subsided.
Xia Yu, who had just delivered the final blow, let out a breath and shook his sore wrist. After pounding for so long, he was a little tired.
The previous hammering wasn't random; it was one of the necessary steps in forging: heating the forging material with high temperature, and then pounding it rhythmically with a hammer. This step is called Hot Forging.
Although his forging material was a living creature, the steps were no different: first, smash the tendons to tenderize the flesh, and then roast it with a small fire, making it easier to cook... forge.
After completing this step, Xia Yu took some precious Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures from the Material Red Envelope. This Red Envelope was jointly managed by all the Xia Yus; any precious materials found could be placed inside.
Of course, while it was called joint management, only a few people actually had the need to forge weapons; most Xia Yus had no use for weapons at all.
After taking out all sorts of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, Xia Yu sprinkled them onto the Death Prince's Face Skin, which had already undergone one round of smelting, as if seasoning it.
Following that, the Second Smelting began!
After an unknown amount of time, the three people who had been watching Xia Yu forge at the entrance were now asleep leaning against the wall.
However, the next second, a sudden sword cry echoed through the empty tunnel, instantly startling the three awake.
Blaidd, who reacted first, suddenly gripped his sword hilt reverse-handed, his wolf eyes scanning the surroundings, but the next moment, he widened his eyes in astonishment.
The remaining two who woke up showed the same expression once they reacted.
Because the enormous Death Prince's Face Skin had vanished, replaced by a Pitch-Black Longsword floating in mid-air.
"Forging successful!"
Xia Yu reached out and summoned the longsword. Its body was enveloped in golden-black Death Qi, and anyone struck by it would be afflicted with the Curse of Cursed Death.
Although Xia Yu really wanted to forge the Cursed Death Slash into an Instant-Death Weapon—one that guaranteed death upon inflicting a wound—it was a pity that he couldn't forge it using only the Death Prince's Face Skin.
If he used the Death Prince's remaining flesh to strengthen the Cursed Death Slash, then maybe he could turn it into a true Instant-Death Weapon.
If that's the case, does he still need to search for the Death Prince's remaining corpse?
Since he needs to find the Death Prince's remaining corpse, he might as well take the death rune that originated from the Death Prince, too, as the Death Prince's rune contains the Law of Death.
Looking at it this way, he still needs to find Fia. Whatever, it's just mutual utilization anyway.
Just as Xia Yu's thoughts began to drift, the three people at the entrance walked over. Seeing the pitch-black longsword in Xia Yu's hand, emanating black and gold mist, Rogier's expression changed.
"You actually succeeded in forging it?"
"Huh?" Hearing this, Xia Yu snapped back to attention. "So you never thought I'd succeed?"
"Well..."
"With your forging method, it would be strange if you did succeed," Darryl couldn't help but interject.
Blaidd also nodded seriously: "A marvelous forging method. Perhaps you and Old Man Iji share a common language."
"Indeed, Old Man Iji also likes forging strange weapons," Darryl said thoughtfully. "I remember the Freezing Needle the old man once forged. It was a Rapier made directly from a piece of Unmelting Ice. I really don't know how he did it."
"In that case, I must find time to visit this Old Man Iji you speak of," Xia Yu laughed.
Although he already knew who Iji was—the Blacksmith of the Carian Royal Family and Ranni's Strategist.
"There will be a chance," Blaidd replied from the side. "So, is it time to go find Godrick and seize the shard of the elden ring?"
"Of course." Xia Yu nodded, then looked at Rogier, whose face was somewhat pale. "Rogier, what about you?"
Rogier didn't reply. He raised a trembling hand and pointed toward the very top of the entrance wall.
Seeing Rogier's horrified expression, Xia Yu was puzzled. He remembered there was a Rope Ladder leading to the exit above. Had the Rope Ladder broken?
Or perhaps... Xia Yu looked in the direction Rogier was pointing. Blaidd and Darryl also followed suit. In everyone's line of sight, there was a blurry figure at the Rope Ladder's exit.
That figure was hidden in the shadows, resembling a spider with multiple arms. None of those present were ordinary people, so everyone clearly saw that the figure was the Sovereign of Stormveil Castle.
Godrick the Grafted King!
How did he get here?
Looking at Godrick's old and ugly face, Xia Yu couldn't help but ponder, but the next moment, he received the answer.
"You bunch of thieves, where did you hide my father's corpse!"
Godrick looked at the empty underground area, his eyes filled with madness. His father, Godwyn's corpse, was gone!
Godwyn the Golden Prince was the person Godrick respected the most, but because of the Night of Black Knives Conspiracy, his father, the Golden Prince, became the Death Prince.
When he fled from the Royal Capital Leyndell, he didn't bring out many Secret Treasures, and he even escaped himself by cross-dressing.
But only a portion of his father Godwyn's corpse was escorted by heavy troops he dispatched, eventually hidden beneath Stormveil Castle.
The guessed plot points are not necessarily correct. After all, there is no specific textual explanation for why the Death Prince's Face Skin is beneath Stormveil Castle, so it can only be speculation and conjecture from various Ring Scholars.