Chapter 1248: The World Has Changed Again
Having settled on the terms, Qi Xuansu and Qi Jiaoyao bypassed the stele erected by the Heavenly Sect and headed deeper into the fern forest.
Qi Xuansu now knew that Wu Zhen had effectively split into two parts. One part was her consciousness and soul, trapped by the Ancestral Heavenly Preceptor’s son through special means, sinking endlessly into a looping illusion of her final battle in life. The other part was her remains, fused with a semi-immortal object she carried, gradually transforming into a true immortal artifact.
Their goal now was to avoid the influence of Wu Zhen’s soul, locate the remains, and take the immortal object.
In truth, Qi Xuansu was not optimistic about this plan.
First of all, most immortal objects did not exist in isolation. For example, the Heavenly Preceptor’s Twin Swords was closely tied to the Punishment Pillar; the Three Treasures Scepter served as the key to the Kunlun Paradise; the Imperial Succession Seal was deeply connected to dragon veins, and so on. Such artifacts demanded extremely high requirements because it was not only about wielding the artifact itself but also control over the corresponding domain.
Secondly, even those immortal objects that existed independently were often extremely dangerous. The Seven Feather Five Fires Fan, which had developed its own spirit, could act autonomously. Without being an Immortal, one could never hope to control such an artifact. Even Immortals would suffer severe harm if unprepared, while ordinary people might die on the spot just by reading it.
There were also immortal objects like Moral Sovereign, which could not even be seen or lifted without sufficient cultivation. Forcing their use would only lead to self-inflicted harm.
Furthermore, the Yao family—from Elder Yao to successive Earthly Preceptors—was not to be underestimated. Who knew what precautions they might have set? Even if they left Wu Zhen’s remains untouched, setting up protective formations around them would be effortless.
Leaving aside whether such formations could be broken, would breaking them alert the one who set them up?
Even assuming everything went smoothly, that they broke the formations without alerting anyone and successfully obtained the immortal object, would the Earthly Preceptor let it slide after discovering it was missing? He would surely search everywhere with a fine-tooth comb. The Heavenly Preceptor’s Guizang Lantern allowed Qi Xuansu to see past events. The Earthly Preceptor could very well have similar methods.
Qi Xuansu did not believe that immortal objects could be taken so easily. However, Qi Jiaoyao seemed extremely confident, so he did not mind giving it a try. After all, fortune favored the bold. Now that he was at the Zaohua stage, he had sufficient means of self-preservation.
Even if they truly obtained the immortal object, Qi Xuansu had no intention of keeping it. He planned to give it to Qi Jiaoyao. Whoever wanted the immortal object could deal with the Earthly Preceptor’s wrath.