Chapter 179: Artifact Spirit – You're Not Here for the Legacy?

Chapter 179: Artifact Spirit – You're Not Here for the Legacy?

Before the main tomb of the Yellow Spring Palace, six figures clad in black robes stood beneath a massive bronze gate, their forms obscuring the tomb's interior. Rolling waves of demonic qi coiled around them, occasionally taking shape as tigers, leopards, jackals, and wolves, or forming weapons like battle-axes, halberds, hooks, and forks.

More than a dozen cultivators lay sprawled on the ground, all who had attempted to breach the tomb. Whether solitary cultivators or sect disciples, whether Spirit Origin Sect's Demon-Slaying Guards or Qingxiao Sect's direct disciples, all had fallen before the gate without exception.

Seventy foundation-building cultivators surrounded the area, yet no one dared advance further. With their numerical advantage, they could have overwhelmed the six demonic cultivators through sheer force. But the six had taken refuge behind the bronze gate, protected by their demonic qi. Ranged attacks lacked sufficient penetration to threaten them.

The narrow gate allowed passage for only five at once, while the six demonic cultivators wielded demonic weapons. Even peak foundation-building cultivators found themselves outmatched under these circumstances. One misstep meant instant death.

Attempts to organize rotating attacks had stalled due to disputes over who should bear the initial burden. Others tried grouping five elite cultivators for a coordinated charge, but lacked sufficient manpower.

The Divine Flame Cult had planned meticulously. They hadn't intercepted the top foundation-building cultivators arriving the first two days. Instead, they sealed the tomb entrance on the third day when prodigies arrived. This left the orthodox Dao cultivators arriving later numerically superior but individually weaker.

Some cultivators discovered magical artifacts or cultivation manuals in the side halls and abandoned the main tomb to seek treasures there. Nearly half the cultivators had already left, including two peak foundation-building cultivators who lost patience and joined the side hall search, further weakening the orthodox Dao forces.

Thus, the stalemate had lasted two full days. Yet the main tomb's gate remained firmly under the Divine Flame Cult's control.

More cultivators began questioning whether to abandon the main tomb and seek other treasures. Time had passed, and no new arrivals seemed forthcoming.

Just as more cultivators considered leaving, a large group approached from the rear – nearly a hundred strong. Leading them was a young man in his twenties: Xiao Chen.

"Cultivator Xiao?" Yao Dehai almost doubted his eyes. "It's really you! Fellow Cultivator Yang is here too – this is wonderful!"

"I thought you'd already entered the tomb", he added. Yao had delayed two days tending to fellow cultivators in the maze, missing the initial opportunity. He'd been stuck here since, trying in vain to organize cooperation. The Wan Hua Valley and Qingxiao Sect cultivators had refused to follow his leadership.

As Xiao Chen approached, a group of female cultivators from Wan Hua Valley watched. Their leader, a late-arriving Qingxiao Sect direct disciple, had refused to join assaults after witnessing a true disciple's defeat. She preferred waiting for opportunities.

Yao had grown anxious earlier – most powerful cultivators had already entered. Delay meant missing out on treasures. Seeing Xiao Chen arrive so late surprised him. If Xiao Chen had come on day one, he'd surely be inside already.

But it didn't matter. Collecting malevolent qi took time. Early arrival wouldn't have helped – the process required patience.

After brief greetings, Yao summarized the situation. "Rest a moment, Cultivator Xiao. We'll coordinate with Fellow Cultivators Hu and Xu to breach together."

Hu and Xu were two peak foundation-building solitary cultivators from Li Zhou and Wan Hua Valley. With Yao, they'd form a five-man team.

"No need to rest – I'm not tired", Xiao Chen declined. "Are those six hiding behind demonic qi really all that stands in the way? Leave them to me."

Yao almost protested, but saw Yang Huaian standing unmoved. Strange – what was their plan?

"I'm..." the Wan Hua Valley true disciple began introducing herself, but Xiao Chen strode past without glancing back, entering the swirling demonic qi.

The six cultivators inside heard his words clearly. As Xiao Chen approached, they activated secret techniques, directing demonic qi to suppress him. Unlike maze cultivators, these experts manipulated demonic qi with superior skill. The energy condensed into solid masses, cocooning Xiao Chen completely.

Such conditions reduced spell potency to less than 30%. Distance halved it further. Meanwhile, the demonic cultivators retained 70-80% of their power – a decisive advantage. Under normal circumstances, one could easily overwhelm ten peers.

But demonic qi only affected external mana, not physical strength. Xiao Chen traced the nearest enemy's position through qi currents, then lunged forward with a punch.

"He's a body cultivator!" the target shouted, retreating while activating a special talisman. They'd prepared for body cultivators – each carried restriction talismans like Soul Binding Talisman and Ice Sealing Talisman.

Yet their Soul Binding Talisman dimmed instantly upon striking Xiao Chen, falling useless to the ground. Other talismans fared no better.

"Crack!"

A sound like a watermelon bursting echoed. The headless cultivator collapsed. Xiao Chen charged the remaining five like a tiger among sheep.

"Talismans useless! Switch to magic artifacts for defense!"

"Activate secret techniques!"

"Stop him!"

Xiao Chen shattered a shield and its wielder in one blow. The leader roared, "Nine Secrets of Yellow Spring – Boiling Blood Curse!" A blood-red talisman materialized, three meters long, inscribed with glowing runes like molten lava. The air grew scorching.

Three nearby demonic cultivators hastily retreated. Even outside cultivators felt heat waves and blood burning within. This secret technique had been developed specifically to counter body cultivators. Once activated, it ignited blood like boiling water – the stronger one's vitality, the more excruciating the pain.

"Die!" The curse struck Xiao Chen, erupting in flames. Surrounding cultivators felt their body temperatures double. Many retreated, suppressing blood with mana. Yao Dehai slapped two talismans on himself, shouting, "Cultivator Xiao! Withdraw! I have Spirit Calming Talismans!"

Blocked by demonic qi, he couldn't see inside or deliver talismans. "No need", Xiao Chen replied, retrieving a storage bag first. "I can handle this."

Though the curse appeared dangerous, it was merely a spell – completely neutralized by Divine Veil.

He charged the leader. "He's coming again!"

"Curse ineffective! Stop him!"

"Ah Qiang! What are you waiting for? Use the Soul Shaking Bell!"

Ah Qiang reluctantly retrieved a small bell from his storage bag. Using demonic weapons required great cost – he'd already used it once. But seeing Xiao Chen's unstoppable advance, he struck his chest hard.

Spitting a mouthful of vital blood, he activated the demonic weapon. A pleasant bell chime rang – then a true resonance struck. Inaudible to normal ears, it directly attacked cultivators' souls. Weaker souls would become catatonic.

Even a Foundation Building Peak cultivator would be left trembling, limbs numb and powerless, standing dazed for a moment.

However, the surrounding demonic cultivators had already braced themselves, simultaneously activating specific secret techniques to shield against the effects.

After all, such a wide-range spell couldn’t distinguish between allies and enemies.

Even Xiao Chen was momentarily shaken this time.

This direct assault on the soul level fell outside the protection of his Divine Veil.

Fortunately, as a Heavenly Path Foundation Building cultivator, his spiritual sense was naturally stronger than ordinary cultivators. Combined with consuming sixty-four Spirit Nourishing Pills later, which significantly enhanced his spiritual sense intensity, he only hesitated for an instant—less than half a breath—before recovering.

Planting his right foot firmly on the ground, he dashed toward Qiang and snatched the Soul Shaking Bell from his grasp.

“This is impossible!”

Qiang’s face turned ashen, his entire worldview shattered by the scene before him. His trembling lips spat out, “My Soul Shaking Bell cannot be blocked by any magic artifact! How could you remain unaffected?!”

Xiao Chen smirked. “Want to know?”

“But I won’t tell you.”

With that, he executed the Black Tiger Heart-Excavation technique, swiftly finishing off Qiang.

As he bent down to retrieve the storage bag, Xiao Chen examined the Soul Shaking Bell in his hand.

Though Qiang had been dealt with, the earlier attack served as a warning.

To survive long in the Cultivation World, one must attend to every aspect. Especially those seemingly trivial details—never overlook them.

Since Foundation Building, Xiao Chen had rarely encountered obstacles related to spiritual sense. Across the entire Southern Domain, there were almost no recorded cases of soul-targeting attacks.

Yet today, had his spiritual sense not been exceptionally strong, he might have fallen victim to the demonic cultivator’s scheme.

In the future, he would need to actively bolster his soul strength and cultivate a defensive technique specifically for spiritual sense attacks.

Of course, these concerns could wait. First, he needed to secure the remaining three storage bags.

The demonic cultivator leader was in despair.

The restriction talisman had failed, the Yellow Spring secret technique had failed, and even the blood-ritual demonic weapon had failed.

He watched helplessly as Xiao Chen eliminated another underling and charged toward him.

In a panic, he turned to flee, abandoning the sect’s mission entirely.

Yet he wasn’t fast enough—certainly not faster than the Zongdi Jinguang technique.

Before he could reach the inner tomb, Xiao Chen seized him and ended his life.

With the six demonic cultivators dealt with, Xiao Chen returned to the entrance, signaling his safety. “Fellow Cultivators Yao and Yang, the tomb entrance is secured. I’ll venture inside to investigate further.”

“However, deeper within may lie unpredictable dangers. For safety, I suggest entering separately or waiting a while before following.”

Without lingering, he turned and stepped into the main tomb.

Passing through the bronze gates, he traversed a corridor thick with demonic qi.

Beyond lay a square underground palace stretching 3,330 meters in length.

Everywhere gleamed golden light technique—gold bricks paved the floor, gold foil adorned the walls, and golden statues stood in rows.

At the center, atop a platform built from gold ingots, rested a massive golden coffin.

The entire chamber was illuminated by 999 ever-burning lamps of pure gold, their spirit flames casting daylight-like brightness.

Yet no one was in sight.

“Strange… where did everyone go?”

Xiao Chen strode through the tomb. With demonic qi absent, his spiritual sense swept the area, revealing nothing but golden artifacts.

The silence was unnerving.

Yang Huaian followed him inside but, eerily, did not glance around.

Instead, he walked in a daze toward the unguarded platform.

Then, with a leap, he landed on the golden coffin’s lid.

As if stepping on water, he sank into it.

Hmm? What did this mean?

Approaching the coffin—99 meters long and 36 meters wide—Xiao Chen saw a miniature city carved into its surface.

Tiny figures occupied various positions: some seemed to search for treasures at the city center, others explored corners, and some chased each other in combat.

The carvings were lifelike, as if real people.

At the city’s heart, Xiao Chen spotted Ye Fei clutching Miao Yuqing in flight, with Han Ziyan close behind.

Five tiny figures pursued them, while another attempted to flank them from the left front.

In a thatched hut at the city’s lower right corner, a decree talisman’s glow flickered.

Lin Ping An crouched inside, studying a cultivation manual and sipping tea.

Strangely, Xiao Chen could clearly see six differently colored formation flags around him—indicating six distinct formations.

Outside the hut, three talisman-based traps were visible, though they should have been invisible.

Yet this spot was the most remote corner of the city, utterly deserted.

Who was this over-prepared defense meant for?

Other early arrivals, like Zhu Hui the Nine-Foot Staff, Solo Sword Liu Feng, Song Jingyi, Qi Xingwen, and Spirit Origin Sect’s chief disciple Ning Haochen, were also present.

Many unfamiliar faces suggested some female cultivators might hail from the Wan Hua Valley.

Now Qiu Qichen and Yao Dehai entered, their eyes vacant as if affected by an illusion formation. They leapt into the city, becoming two new tiny figures in separate houses.

Xiao Chen warily drew his Flying Sword, scanning the surroundings.

“Well, even allies aren’t spared?”

He noted numerous demonic cultivators trapped within the city.

“They’re no allies. Anyone who enters this palace without the legacy secret technique is just a tomb raider.”

A voice echoed from all directions.

“Who’s there?” Xiao Chen spun, his spiritual sense sweeping again.

Yet no one appeared.

“Looking for me?”

A golden light sphere descended, coalescing into an unfamiliar figure. “You weren’t affected by the illusion formation. Could you be the true inheritor of the Yellow Spring Path?”

Xiao Chen blinked. “Correct. I am the current inheritor of the Yellow Spring Path, here to seek my sect’s legacy.”

“And you are?”

His counter-question stunned the Artifact Spirit.

What? I’ve manifested this form, and you don’t recognize me?

What kind of inheritor are you?

These outsiders truly lack integrity, even deceiving an Artifact Spirit.

The speaker was no living being but the golden coffin’s Artifact Spirit.

It had no consciousness until absorbing a fragment of a shattered divine thought from the Yellow Spring Palace.

That broken thought allowed its birth.

It had taken the form of the Yellow Spring Path’s third Dao Lord.

Xiao Chen claimed to be the inheritor yet failed to recognize this face—clearly a fraud.

If not for its lack of offensive capabilities, the Spirit would have attacked immediately.

Xiao Chen’s question left it flustered.

How could it respond?

How could it trick him into becoming a sacrificial offering now?

The Spirit inwardly cursed: Tomb raiders these days are so unprofessional! Couldn’t you prepare even basic knowledge before coming here?

Its original plan was to pose as the third Dao Lord, ordering Xiao Chen to lie in the coffin for the “legacy.”

In truth, there was no legacy—only a chance for the Spirit to perform soul transference via the coffin.

But continuing this charade would expose it.

Yet Xiao Chen’s skeptical gaze forced action.

No choice but to improvise.

“I am the Artifact Spirit left by my master,” it declared. “I guide true inheritors of the Yellow Spring Path to obtain legacy secret techniques.”

“You seek the secret technique, yes? Follow my guidance—it’s simple.”

The coffin’s interior was inscribed with many runes—soul transference truly wasn’t complex.

“Oh, I see,” Xiao Chen replied, shaking his head. “But I’m not here for the secret technique. Skip the guidance.”

What?

If the Spirit had a physical body, it would be tearing its hair out.

You came to the Yellow Spring Palace and say you’re not here for the legacy?

Are you here for tourism?

Absorbing memories from countless dead cultivators, it knew everyone came for treasure and legacy.

“Oh, I understand—you want my master’s treasure.”

“That’s simple too. The best treasures and true secret techniques are inside the golden coffin.”

“Follow my guidance, and it’s all yours.”

Yours in the sense that I would take your body and claim it.

“Uh, not the treasure either.”

Xiao Chen shook his head again.

Stay focused on the main goal—never be tempted by distractions.

His priority was malevolent qi. “Let’s delay the guidance. Is this the only area? Anywhere else?”

The Spirit finally despaired.

You’ve reached the core chamber—why seek elsewhere?

Are you really here for tourism?

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end