Chapter 395 - 257: The Seven Divine Woods, More Spiritual Artifacts
Chapter 395: Chapter 257: The Seven Divine Woods, More Spiritual Artifacts
To avoid any potential onlookers while traveling, Lin Changheng used the Earth Escape Demon Technique to travel for about ten li. He then altered his appearance once more before rising into the sky and flying away on his Escape Light.
He could have flown directly back to Jade Belt Lake, leaving the Bixiao Sect’s territory.
However, he had made a promise to the Wu Jiu Taoist, and there were also things he genuinely needed here. ’I’ll just stay a few more days.’
Slightly adjusting his direction, he headed straight back to the Marketplace.
Inside the Immortal Inn, Lin Changheng didn’t immediately recover his Magical Power. Instead, he took out two Storage Bags and began to inspect them.
’Even though they were just two Tribulation Cultivators, there’s no guarantee they didn’t have a gang or a patron behind them.’
’It’s just like last time with the remnants of the Chen Family, the Xu Family’s mortal enemies. They were formed and strengthened with the support of the Qiu Family.’
’Later, the Qiu Family even sponsored a group of Tribulation Cultivators to run rampant, seizing profits to enrich their own family.’
’So, that same possibility existed now, bringing with it potential risks.’
Lin Changheng brute-forced the seals on the Storage Bags and began inspecting the contents one by one.
Anything that seemed even slightly off was immediately incinerated.
...
「Fifteen minutes later.」
Lin Changheng stared at the pile of Spiritual Artifacts laid out before him.
There were five in total!
Two of them were Upper Grade Spiritual Artifacts.
A Ghost Head Saber and a Skull.
He had already confirmed that the latter, the Skull, was an Evil Spiritual Artifact.
Evil and Demonic were often lumped together. The Evil Dao still had room to survive in the Song Territory, but the Demonic Dao was different—everyone wanted them hunted down and eliminated without a second thought.
Holding the Ghost Head Saber and the Skull, Lin Changheng contemplated which one to refine.
His current Divine Sense and Magical Power were both considerably stronger than that of an ordinary Middle Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator, allowing him to barely wield a Tier Two Upper Grade Spiritual Artifact.
However, the power consumption would be immense, requiring careful control over when and for how long he used it.
He had to use it where it would matter most.
After some thought, Lin Changheng chose the Evil Spiritual Artifact. He decided to call it the Ten Thousand Poison Skull.
’After all, he had plenty of direct Attacking Spiritual Artifacts and no shortage of techniques. Adding another one wouldn’t provide a significant boost in Utility.’
’The Ghost Head Saber was a case in point.’
’But an Evil Spiritual Artifact was different.’
’From what he knew so far, it could release Poisonous Smoke, providing a degree of restraint and battlefield control. If an opponent were hit, their Magical Combat strength would be drastically reduced.’
’Moreover, if he hadn’t had the Red Sky Profound Flame to counter it, he would have had a truly difficult time breaking free.’
With his mind made up, Lin Changheng began to refine the Ten Thousand Poison Skull.
...
As for Tier Two Middle and Lower Grade Spiritual Artifacts, Lin Changheng had obtained three.
A grayish-black, palm-sized Shield; a short blade, pitch-black all over, as thin as a cicada’s wing and almost non-reflective; and a Jade Bracelet that shimmered with turquoise light.
Lin Changheng first picked up the small, grayish-black Shield he had taken from the Tiger-Faced Cultivator.
The Shield was only the size of his palm, yet it was exceptionally heavy. Its surface was engraved with intricate Turtle Shell patterns, its Spiritual Light contained within, and it felt cool and tough to the touch. With just a slight activation, it would instantly fly into a rapid orbit around his body, moving with extraordinary agility to defend him automatically. Its defensive power far surpassed the copper bowl and cloth and silk he had used before.
It was a Masterpiece among Middle Grade Spiritual Artifacts.
It could finally replace his previous Defensive Spiritual Artifacts.
"A good Shield!" Lin Changheng nodded in satisfaction. This item perfectly made up for his lack of a strong Defensive Spiritual Artifact.
Afterward, he turned to the two items from the rat-faced cultivator.
First was the pitch-black short blade.
It was named the Hidden Void Blade.
The blade leaked no aura whatsoever. Even holding it produced a peculiar sense of "nothingness," as if it could absorb both light and Divine Sense probes. The blade’s edge was extremely thin and incomparably sharp. With a light slash, it silently split a piece of Tier One Ore in two, the cut surface as smooth as a mirror.
"A Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact specializing in concealment and assassination!" A trace of surprise flashed in Lin Changheng’s eyes.
Although the short blade was only Tier Two Middle Grade and not of Masterpiece Quality, its special materials and refining method made it even more valuable than some Upper Grade spiritual artifacts in certain situations.
It was a perfect match for his Shadow Escape Technique.
Now that his cultivation of the Shadow Escape Technique had reached the Mastery Realm, if he were to encounter a situation like the ambush outside Jade Belt Lake again, he wouldn’t even need to use so many techniques at once. He could get extremely close and kill that Cultivator silently.
Finally, his gaze fell upon the Jade Bracelet shimmering with turquoise light.
This bracelet was a Tier Two Lower Grade Defensive Spiritual Artifact that also had some enemy-trapping capabilities.
It seemed the most unremarkable, but Lin Changheng knew it possessed considerable defensive power. Once Yan Mingyi broke through to Foundation Establishment, he could give it to her for protection.
Besides these, there was also a considerable amount of other Spiritual Materials, Spirit Medicines, Talismans, and the like.
The number of Spirit Stones also exceeded thirty thousand.
Of course, the value of the Spiritual Artifacts was not included in this count.
’But considering the immense resource consumption of Foundation Establishment Cultivators, this amount was quite good.’
"Huh...?"
Lin Changheng was casually sifting through the pile of Spiritual Materials he had gathered when he suddenly let out a soft cry of surprise.
His gaze then sharpened, locking onto a particular item.
The first thing he saw was a black, grimy-looking object. It was about the size of his palm, irregularly shaped, and had an extremely rough surface. It looked just like a piece of "charcoal" picked up from some random corner, looking completely out of place and unremarkable amidst a pile of gleaming Spiritual Materials.
He couldn’t even sense the slightest fluctuation of Spiritual Qi from it.
When he was taking inventory of his spoils earlier, his attention had been drawn to the Spiritual Artifacts and Spirit Stones, and he had almost overlooked it.
But the moment he touched it, he discovered its peculiarity.
Heavy! Exceptionally heavy!
Carefully levitating the infant-arm-length strip of "charcoal" into his hand, he was instantly struck by an indescribable weight. It felt as if he wasn’t holding a piece of wood, but a massive boulder!