Chapter 309 : Artifact
Chapter 309: Artifact
A half-meter-tall miniature version of Chen Ming floated above his body. To the naked eye, it looked no different from a physical body. This was his Yang Spirit.
After passing through the lightning tribulation, the Yang Spirit had transformed into pure yang. From this moment on, it could leave the physical body and soar freely. In theory, even traveling ten thousand li away would not be a problem.
However, if the Yang Spirit remained separated from the physical body for too long, problems could easily arise. Therefore, it was generally not allowed to remain out of the body for extended periods.
“I’m ridiculously powerful right now.”
The miniature Chen Ming clenched his fists and raised his head, gazing at the dark clouds in the sky as they gradually dispersed, letting out this sigh.
After achieving the Yang Spirit, the power of his Spiritual Awareness had undergone a qualitative leap. Within a radius of ten li, nothing could escape his perception.
He tried expanding his Spiritual Awareness outward.
Twenty li.
Thirty li…
Only when it reached fifty li did he begin to feel some strain, and he decisively stopped.
Continuing further was not impossible, but doing so would consume some of his origin essence, ultimately shortening his lifespan.
“Two hundred years!”
Chen Ming had a vague intuition—this was the lifespan of his Yang Spirit.
Not his physical body, but the limit of how long his Yang Spirit could exist in this world.
“So this is what it means to know one’s destiny?”
The feeling was rather strange. Knowing one’s lifespan in advance was actually not a pleasant thing. From now on, every action would carry a measure of restraint.
Chen Ming shook his head, dispelling the thought, and opened the panel for a look.
His level had successfully reached Level 100.
Meanwhile, his Experience Points had dropped to only a few million.
Next, he would need to accumulate another hundred million points to raise the 《Five Elements True Art》 to the tenth layer, then enter a Secret Realm to search for Heaven and Earth Treasures and open his Divine Repository.
Now that he had broken through to the Yang Spirit, his realm was equivalent to the Divine Repository Realm. In the entire mortal world, he could already be considered a Peak Expert.
“No… still lacking somewhat.”
Chen Ming had entered the path of cultivation midway, and it was only a secondary practice for him. Many spells remained unmastered, and he also lacked sufficient Experience Points.
At present, he only possessed one technique—the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder—and its mastery had not yet reached the Yang Spirit level. It posed no threat to Divine Repository Realm martial artists.
The God-Smiting Thorn also counted, but it was only at the fourth layer. It was effective only against Yin Spirits or Yin Souls, likewise posing no threat to martial artists.
If he truly fought one, he would most likely not be a match for a Divine Repository Realm martial artist.
After all, realm was merely realm. Without methods to fight enemies, one could only bully the weak.
Thinking of this, Chen Ming looked at the Emperor Moon Sword in his hand and said,
“Looks like I’ll have to rely on you.”
Within the Purple Mansion Secret Volume, there was an extremely special method. It allowed one to refine a Peerless Divine Weapon into one’s own Life-Bound Artifact. A crucial step was to erase the weapon spirit of the divine weapon and replace it with one’s own Yang Spirit, thereby controlling the weapon and unleashing its maximum power.
Ordinarily, erasing the weapon spirit of a Peerless Divine Weapon without damaging its origin was extremely difficult, often requiring many years of effort.
Coincidentally, this Emperor Moon Sword did not possess a sword spirit at all, allowing it to be directly refined into an artifact.
It was simply perfect.
Once the Emperor Moon Sword was refined into an artifact, he would finally possess the means to deal with Divine Repository Realm martial artists.
Chen Ming was about to begin refining the artifact when his Yang Spirit suddenly changed expression. Opening his mouth, he spat out a massive fruit.
The dark-shelled fruit trembled slightly, as if something inside was about to break out.
“So it’s finally reacting.”
He thought to himself.
Previously, he had tried countless methods, yet the fruit had never responded—communication failed, and even divine weapons could not forcibly break it open.
However, he was certain the fruit was extraordinary, so he had kept it stored within his Yin Spirit.
Unexpectedly, after breaking through to the Yang Spirit, the fruit finally changed.
Chen Ming felt a trace of anticipation.
With a crisp crack, the fruit split open.
A tender sprout emerged from the shell. The broken fruit fell to the ground, and countless roots wriggled as they burrowed into the soil.
The moment it took root, the sprout began to grow wildly.
It grew taller and taller. Its leaves expanded larger and larger. Branches extended outward continuously.
In the blink of an eye, it had grown into a large tree three to four meters tall, with a trunk as thick as a washbasin.
“Could this tree be the child of that one on Elysium Island?”
Chen Ming speculated.
He faintly sensed a subtle connection between himself and the tree.
As he was thinking, a flower bud rapidly formed on the tree and bloomed into an extraordinarily gorgeous flower.
Suddenly, Chen Ming felt his Spiritual Awareness begin to dissipate for no reason.
The shock was immense.
Soon he realized that his Spiritual Awareness was being absorbed by that flower. The flower grew larger and larger before eventually withering, forming a tiny fruit.
Only then did the suction cease.
Nearly half of Chen Ming’s Spiritual Awareness had been absorbed.
At the same time, he could clearly sense a bloodline-like connection between himself and the newly formed fruit.
“What does this mean?”
He felt uncertain.
Had he just… been used for breeding?
When that fruit matured, would a baby jump out and call him father?
An otherworld version of the gourd brothers?
…
Five days later, Chen Ming returned to the Sea-Calming King’s Mansion.
He summoned Xiao Yu and asked whether anything had happened in the capital these past few days.
Xiao Yu replied, “A few days ago, another celestial phenomenon appeared in Qingwei Heaven. It alarmed the entire capital.”
Chen Ming hadn’t expected his lightning tribulation to cause such a huge disturbance.
Fortunately, he had not undergone the tribulation in the mortal world. Otherwise, the fact that he had achieved the Yang Spirit would have been impossible to conceal.
Xiao Yu continued, “Also, the Celestial Master has already undergone dissolution.”
So the Celestial Master Residence had finally made the news public. It seemed their internal struggle had ended, and a new Celestial Master had been selected.
Chen Ming thought to himself.
Xiao Yu added, “One more thing. Early this morning, the envoys of the Northern Frontier nations entered the capital.”
Chen Ming frowned.
This was not good news.
The Great Jin Dynasty had just suffered a defeat. If the Northern Frontier nations were sending envoys now, it was undoubtedly to show off their power.
Just as he was thinking about it, someone outside reported,
“Your Highness, His Majesty requests your immediate presence at the palace.”
It had come.
Most likely because of the Northern Frontier envoys.
…
As expected, when Chen Ming arrived at the imperial study, he saw the emperor along with several high ministers of the Grand Secretariat. Even the Hall Master of Reincarnation Hall from the Six Doors Authority was present.
These people formed the highest decision-making core of the Great Jin Dynasty. The matters they discussed were those capable of determining the fate of the empire.
Chen Ming’s current position was merely an awkward one—a training instructor of the Imperial Guards. In such a setting, he naturally had no qualification to speak and could only stand aside and listen.
Of course, he also held the position of Red-Robed Officer in the Six Doors Authority. However, that role likewise did not grant him the right to speak, since the Hall Master of Reincarnation Hall was present.
After listening for a while, he realized the situation was extremely thorny.
The envoys from the Northern Frontier nations had come for two matters.
First, to redraw the national borders.
Second, the rulers of those nations demanded to marry the Princess Royal.
The border issue aside, their demand to marry the Princess Royal was nothing less than a humiliation for the Great Jin Dynasty.
At that moment, the emperor’s face was naturally livid. The ministers remained silent, except for one old man who kept persuading the emperor to prioritize the greater good.
With every sentence he spoke, the emperor’s expression grew uglier.
The Princess Royal was the emperor’s closest and most cherished sister. How could he bear to marry her off to the Northern Frontier nations?
Yet if he refused, the Northern Frontier nations would certainly launch another southern invasion this year, reigniting war.
A dilemma.
Chen Ming understood the emperor’s predicament, but it had nothing to do with him. Whether she married or not was not his decision, and he had no interest in worrying about it.
He still did not understand why the emperor had summoned him here.
Thus the informal meeting in the imperial study lasted until nightfall, yet the emperor still could not reach a decision.
Finally, he dismissed everyone and said they would discuss it again tomorrow.
Chen Ming had nearly started yawning from standing there so long.
After everyone left, the emperor kept him behind alone and said gloomily,
“Loyal Subject, what do you think I should do?”
Chen Ming replied, “Your Majesty likely already has an idea in mind. You simply cannot make up your mind.”
The emperor sighed bitterly.
“The Princess Royal is my sister. How could I bear to ruin her entire life by sending her to those northern barbarians? Moreover, if I truly did such a thing, how would the historians judge me?”
As emperor, claiming not to care about historical reputation would be false. If possible, who would not wish to leave behind a glorious legacy?
Chen Ming said, “For such a major matter, why not consult the Empress Dowager?”
The emperor sighed.
“What Minister Wang said earlier—that was the Empress Dowager’s opinion.”
So that old man was her representative.
Chen Ming finally understood.
The emperor then said, “I wonder how anxious Zhaoyu must be after hearing this news. Go and comfort her on my behalf.”
Zhaoyu was the title of the Princess Royal.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
…
After receiving the emperor’s order, Chen Ming went to the Princess Royal’s residence.
However, he was turned away.
The Princess Royal refused to see him.
It was Nie Hongyi who came out to inform him.
“After so many years, I never expected Brother Gu to have already broken through to First Grade.”
After finishing official matters, Nie Hongyi chatted with him.
Chen Ming looked her over and said,
“The same to you. Miss Nie has also reached First Grade. Truly unexpected.”
Not only had she reached First Grade, she had also entered the Six Doors Authority and now held the rank of Third Grade Inspector. With the Princess Royal as her patron, it would not take long before she reached First Grade.
That was, of course, assuming the Princess Royal was not sent away in a political marriage.
The current situation was that the emperor did not want his sister married off, yet he also did not want to bear the blame for starting a war. All he could do was delay.
Some of the Empress Dowager’s faction urged acceptance; others remained silent.
If no powerful official stood firmly against it, the Princess Royal’s fate was already predictable.
Nie Hongyi said, “Thanks to Brother Gu helping me escape death before, I was able to gain the opportunities I have today.”
Chen Ming asked about the main matter.
“The princess is alright, I hope?”
“Just a mild cold. She took medicine and is resting. Thank you for your concern, Your Highness.”
Nie Hongyi also changed the form of address.
“Then I won’t disturb her.”
As Chen Ming left, he suddenly thought about the Xingyue Sect.
This obscure sect was most likely a front for the Heaven-Mending Sect, which was why it possessed the Heaven-Mending Sect’s legacy.
Yet Nie Hongyi carried the Way of All Beings and still dared to come to the capital.
Was she not afraid of being discovered by the Heaven’s Path Alliance and killed on the spot?
…
Chen Ming had little interest in court politics.
After returning to the mansion, he shut himself in again and instructed Xiao Yu not to disturb him.
He then took out the Purple Mansion Secret Volume. His Yang Spirit left his body, and with a thought, he used the power of the Purple Mansion Secret Volume to enter the location of the Heaven’s Punishment Hall.
Since he had already achieved the Yang Spirit, it was naturally time to enter the Heaven’s Punishment Hall and take control of this ancient divine hall that had existed since primordial times.
After more than two months, Chen Ming arrived again.
This time, everything felt completely different.
It was as though he had returned home.
The environment here felt incomparably familiar.
He could even clearly sense that if he remained here without leaving, the lifespan of his Yang Spirit would increase by fifty percent, reaching a limit of three hundred years.
As if sensing his arrival, the Power of Thunder throughout heaven and earth became active.
The towering hall lit up with streaks of lightning, the eerie purple glow especially striking.
Boom!
The gates of the Heaven’s Punishment Hall opened once more.
A Daoist carrying a sword on his back appeared. A strange purple glow shone in his eyes. When he opened his mouth, his voice thundered like lightning.
“Yang Spirit!”
Chen Ming smiled.
“We meet again.”
The Celestial Master said in a deep voice,
“In just two months, you actually achieved the Yang Spirit!”
“Should I call you Celestial Master, or should I address you as the Undying Demon Venerable?”
“You know quite a lot, brat.”
The purple glow in the Celestial Master’s eyes deepened, almost solidifying.
Hand over the Purple Mansion Secret Volume. My True Self may spare your life.”
“I’ve already destroyed two Divine Soul Fragments of the Undying Demon Venerable. One more doesn’t make a difference.”
As Chen Ming spoke, he produced two items.
In his left hand was the Purple Mansion Secret Volume.
In his right hand was the Emperor Moon Sword.
The Celestial Master’s pupils contracted slightly as he stared at the sword.
“An artifact?”
“Die!”
Chen Ming wasted no more words.
Lightning flashed from the Purple Mansion Secret Volume in his left hand. Instantly, countless streaks of lightning illuminated the Heaven’s Punishment Hall, transforming into chains of lightning serpents that wrapped around the Celestial Master’s body.
Shock and fury filled the Celestial Master’s face.
“How can you possibly control the Heaven’s Punishment Hall?!”
Perhaps he should learn the Controlling Artifact Art.
Naturally, Chen Ming would not explain. Villains died from talking too much—this was the perfect time to take his life.
The Emperor Moon Sword in his hand transformed into a golden streak of light, slashing toward the Celestial Master bound by lightning chains.
With one strike, his body was cut in half.
During those days in Qingwei Heaven, Chen Ming had successfully refined the Emperor Moon Sword into an artifact, allowing the vast power of his Yang Spirit to transform into the sword’s sharp edge.
The artifact sword could break the magical power of Divine Repository Realm martial artists and was specially designed to sever the primordial spirit.
Combined with the assistance of the Heaven’s Punishment Hall, the Celestial Master—controlled by the Undying Demon Venerable—could not even evade.
With a thought from Chen Ming, the Emperor Moon Sword trembled with sword light, slicing the Celestial Master’s body into dozens of pieces.
Finally, he followed up with a God-Smiting Thorn.
“Ah—!”
A shrill scream echoed.
The Celestial Master’s body completely dissipated.
【You killed a LV120 enemy and gained 10,000,000 Experience Points.】