My Artifacts Can Upgrade Infinitely

Before the underground stone door, the two of them were having their Mana continuously absorbed.

The suction from the bronze rings had reached a stable pattern and was no longer intensifying.

Zhao Zuo guessed... the pull on his side was probably weaker than the one on Shen Yunjiao’s, which meant... he had been at a natural advantage from the very beginning.

The words on the stone door seemed to be forcing him to make a choice: endure... or let go and allow Shen Yunjiao to sever her arm to escape. But for a Cultivator, severing an arm would inevitably lead to the loss of some meridians. If it really came to that...

They would be unable to perform the great circulation to refine their Mana, and the speed at which they absorbed Spiritual Power would plummet. The final result could only be the loss of any hope of reaching Foundation Establishment. To reattach a severed limb without lasting consequences would require, at minimum, a relatively precious Second Grade Pill Medicine, costing over ten thousand Spirit Stones.

Zhao Zuo continuously took out Pill Medicines and tossed them into his mouth, even starting to actively inject his Mana into the bronze ring.

Time ticked by, second by second. Shen Yunjiao was also swallowing Pill Medicines to replenish her Mana. She couldn’t possibly choose to sever her arm; after all, her goal was Foundation Establishment, a goal she was willing to risk her life for.

The Pill Medicines in Zhao Zuo’s Storage Bag were starting to run out. He guessed this was a test, but he couldn’t figure out the reason why that Foundation Establishment senior would do this. But there was no turning back now. At this moment, he could only firmly believe in his choice.

’I won’t let go!’

In reality, not much time had passed. It was only because the two were so intensely focused that it created the illusion of a long time having gone by.

Finally, the suction from the bronze rings ceased. A crack appeared in the center of the stone door. As the door slid open to both sides, the gap widened, but the scene behind it was pitch black. Zhao Zuo instinctively sensed danger and immediately slapped a Light Body Talisman onto himself.

At the same time, his hands formed seals, putting fifteen Vajra Talismans in a semi-activated state, ready for an attack.

Shen Yunjiao, who was a step away, also retreated immediately, her hand tightly gripping her Red Longsword. Her face was a little pale from the loss of Mana.

She had been holding on very tightly... so naturally, she had expended more Mana than Zhao Zuo.

After what had just happened, Shen Yunjiao no longer trusted the records on the Scroll. It had only said that Mana needed to be injected to open the stone door, but it hadn’t mentioned a single word about the amount of Mana required.

"Be careful," Shen Yunjiao warned.

A RUSTLING sound arose—the sound of something hard scraping against the black stone surface, or perhaps the sound of countless objects falling in batches. It was chaotic and without any rhythm.

As the stone door opened, an aura carrying a chill spread out, like a bone-piercing wind, warning Zhao Zuo of the danger that might come next.

At that moment, the stone door opened completely. From within the pitch-black depths of the cave, a huge head suddenly emerged. It looked as if it were forged from some kind of metal and didn’t even have eyes. Its body was enormous, with dozens of thick segments forming a behemoth nearly ten meters long, coiled on the ground.

The centipede’s exoskeleton was a dark red color and gave off the smell of rotting wood. Each segment of its body had dark, ring-like patterns, and the twelve pairs of claws at the front were forged from a dark red metal. They were sharp and pointed, just like the deadliest of weapons.

It had no aura of a living being; it was a Puppet.

WHOOSH...

A gale carrying a damp scent swept over them. A terrifying fluctuation erupted from the Centipede Puppet, unleashing a horrific pressure that pulsed outwards. It was like the Spiritual Pressure of a Cultivator, only more violent, frenzied, and unstable.

The underground hall became extremely grim, and the ball of fire in Zhao Zuo’s palm had long since been extinguished.

Shen Yunjiao took out some cotton balls soaked in flammable oil from her Storage Bag, lit them, and threw them out. After tossing two of them, she finally managed to drive back the surrounding darkness, barely illuminating the Underground Space.

Immediately after, the Centipede Puppet charged toward Shen Yunjiao as if it had locked onto something, completely ignoring Zhao Zuo, who was closer. At this moment... Zhao Zuo had another choice to make.

Right now, Zhao Zuo could choose to abandon Shen Yunjiao and immediately investigate the spot where the Centipede Puppet had appeared. He might be able to obtain the inheritance within the Foundation Establishment Cave Mansion. Moreover, since he wouldn’t be actively attacking Shen Yunjiao, it wouldn’t be a violation of his Heavenly Dao oath.

Zhao Zuo took a deep breath, then decisively drew his Black Flame Saber and slammed his Hidden Blade Giant Sword into the ground.

BAM!

The smooth ground was pierced by the Hidden Blade Giant Sword, creating a crater about thirty centimeters deep. Zhao Zuo pushed off with his legs, planting himself firmly in the Centipede Puppet’s path. He brandished the saber burning with black flames, his Body Technique as swift as an agile cheetah.

’Even if it was just for the sake of the Black Flame Saber, he couldn’t abandon the weakened Shen Yunjiao at a time like this. Otherwise, a shadow would surely grow in his heart, his Tao Heart would be stained with dust, and he would find it difficult to attain the Great Path.’

Cultivating the path was also cultivating the heart.

Of course, Shen Yunjiao was not one to sit and wait for death. She immediately raised her longsword to coordinate with Zhao Zuo. The light from her blade was like a crescent moon in the sky, dispelling the darkness of the cave as it intertwined with the Centipede Puppet’s enormous body.

Zhao Zuo deftly dodged the centipede’s sharp leg-blades, realizing that its moves had no technique to speak of. If not for the advantage granted by its massive size, the Centipede Puppet’s strength would likely only be equivalent to a Late Period Qi Cultivation Cultivator.

Of course, the power the Centipede Puppet displayed might have also been diminished by the passage of time. In any case... for now, it couldn’t inflict any effective damage on Zhao Zuo and Shen Yunjiao.