Artifact Chapter 60: Soul

Chapter 60: Soul

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

 

Lu Ming spoke coldly, “You were the one who brought me to this world?”

Ze Yu nodded, his gaze distant and calm. He quietly looked at Lu Ming for a moment before extending his hand and gently tracing a circle in the air. The circle immediately emitted a faint golden glow, and then a shocking image appeared in the air.

The image clearly showed Lu Ming’s past life—an image of a young and handsome man, dressed in a well-tailored black shirt, with the top two buttons undone, revealing his slim, pale skin and attractive collarbones. He appeared casual and unrestrained yet exuded elegance. His gaze was cold and his face expressionless, standing before a large floor-to-ceiling window, lost in thought as he gazed at the flickering neon lights, seemingly unaware of anything else.

At that moment, a beautiful young man sneaked up beside the man, a mischievous smile on his face. He reached out and slapped the man’s shoulder with a grin, then laughed heartily. The man turned his head, reaching out to tousle the young man’s soft black hair, wearing an expression of helpless amusement.

“You’re already this old, and still so mischievous, Lu Yu,” the man scolded lightly, though his tone was full of indulgence.

Lu Ming couldn’t help but slowly clench his fists, a wave of sadness and pain rising from deep within him. The scenes that he had deliberately buried in his memories suddenly surged up, catching him off guard.

He had been in this world for nearly thirteen years, yet he still felt like a rootless reed, unable to find a sense of belonging. He had thought that once he found Fu Shu and Jing Mo, he could settle here, create a warm home with his younger siblings. But now, it seemed all of that had been wishful thinking. He had caused Fu Shu to become the crazed, broken version of herself, and had done something deeply wrong with his beloved younger brother. In such a vast world of cultivation, there was no place where he could feel at peace. On the other hand, his original world—at least, that had been his world.

He had always held onto a fantasy that Lu Yu’s appearance before his death had been a mere coincidence. He had kept telling himself that perhaps Lu Yu had been coerced, that it was all just out of necessity. But that excuse, one he himself couldn’t even believe, became increasingly ridiculous and laughable when Sang Wusheng had completely betrayed him. The person he trusted most had ended up deceiving him the deepest. Lu Ming felt his soul slowly being consumed by darkness, a darkness that would only deepen until it engulfed him completely, dragging him into an abyss from which he could never escape.

His once-black eyes began to turn a dark red, full of endless hatred, an alarming and terrifying sight. The murderous intent, as fierce as a raging wave, surged around him. His long black hair swirled with the force of the energy, the dark green ribbon falling to the ground as his hair flowed freely, making him appear like a terrifying demon.

Ze Yu’s expression changed slightly, but he kept his composure, watching Lu Ming from a distance. 233, sensing the strange atmosphere, hurriedly jumped out of the space and shouted urgently to Ze Yu, “You need to save him!”

Ze Yu shook his head gently and said, “This is the sign of entering the demonic state. Others cannot intervene; he must control it himself. If the inner demon is not eliminated, becoming a demon is inevitable.”

233 was frantic, scratching its head, pacing back and forth on the ground, nearly in tears. “What should we do?!”

Ze Yu glanced at 233 and said indifferently, “Thousands of years have passed, and you are still as noisy as ever.”

233 froze, no longer daring to speak out against him. It could only helplessly circle around Lu Ming, who was nearly consumed by the demon, its eyes reddening with worry, until it finally couldn’t hold back and started crying.

Just as Lu Ming was about to lose all sense of control, he suddenly heard the sound of crying. His dark red eyes flickered with confusion—why did this sound feel so familiar? He furrowed his brow and thought for a long time before suddenly realizing that it was his silly pet crying.

Upon realizing this, Lu Ming’s eyes slowly regained clarity, and the murderous energy he had released gradually subsided. After a long while, Lu Ming finally broke free from the control of the inner demon, regaining his consciousness.

He looked at the small fat dragon sitting on the ground, sighed lightly, and walked over to pick it up. He gently patted its head and whispered, “I’m sorry.”

After being comforted for a while, the small fat dragon reluctantly stopped crying. Its eyes red, it hiccupped and sobbed, “Master, you almost fell into the demonic state.”

Lu Ming sighed, his gaze filled with guilt. “I was thinking about some past things, and my mind became unstable… I won’t let it happen again, don’t worry.”

Ze Yu, seeing that Lu Ming had regained his normal state, nodded in satisfaction. “You were able to control your inner demon, but it was dangerous. You need to practice the Cleansing Heart Technique more in the future.”

Lu Ming glanced at him, taking a deep breath and choosing not to address what had just happened. He asked Ze Yu, “I came to this world because of a car accident. Was all of this… your doing?”

Zé Yù had shaken his head and then sighed lightly. “You had already reached the end of your natural life in that world. If not for my intervention, you would have gone to the underworld. But because you were helped by Hé Qingci in your past life, and you made a vow to repay him with everything you had, you couldn’t pass on. That’s why you’re still bound by the karma of your past life. Now, in this life, you’re here to repay the debt you owe.”

Upon hearing Zé Yù’s words, Lù Míng’s heart suddenly stirred. He immediately recalled the vision he had seen over ten years ago when he entered the Water Swamp Secret Realm. In the vision, he was the emperor of the Dà Shāng Kingdom. The kingdom had faced a great disaster, but thanks to the help of Hé Qingci, the people were saved. To show his gratitude, the Dà Shāng emperor made a heavy vow that if Hé Qingci ever faced danger again, he would help him, even at the cost of his own life.

From what Zé Yù had just said, it seemed that he was the Dà Shāng emperor in his past life. The karmic debt he owed was most likely the reason for his rebirth—perhaps to resolve his past and clear the way for himself to ascend.

Lù Míng sighed softly. If that were true, he didn’t know how to make sense of it. His path in this life had been completely different from Hé Qingci’s, and he wondered whether any of it would truly be helpful to him.

Zé Yù saw Lù Míng’s expression shift, as if he understood something, but was still filled with doubt. He spoke again, softly, “All things are unique; no one can live someone else’s life. You both chose different ways to face your challenges, and now you must live according to your own decisions. Hé Qingci faced many trials in the Hé family, suffered humiliation in Kunlai, but when he gained power, he quickly fell into the demonic path. He killed without mercy, becoming cold and heartless. You, on the other hand, were betrayed by your younger brother and hurt by your closest friend. Yet, when you almost lost yourself to the darkness, you managed to suppress your demons. This is the difference in your choices. Don’t worry about whether you can help Hé Qingci overcome his demons. Just trust that you are the one who can help him be reborn, and that’s the only way you can move forward in your own life. As long as you follow your heart, the clouds will part and you’ll see the moon.”

Lù Míng lowered his head in silence. Zé Yù’s words did give him some clarity. As he said, everyone is an individual, with different ways of thinking and different paths in life. Whether he was here to repay a debt or to solve his own inner demons, this might be the opportunity he needed. And according to Zé Yù, Hé Qingci hadn’t died yet, so he would need to honor the vow he made and help him.

When Zé Yù saw that the doubt in Lù Míng’s eyes had faded, he smiled slightly and said, “When you were reincarnated, your soul was incomplete for certain reasons. I had a spirit attendant follow you, to help collect the missing pieces of your soul and assist you when needed. It seems you two have gotten along quite well.”

“Spirit attendant?” Lù Míng asked in confusion.

“That’s me.” A small, blue dragon suddenly appeared on Lù Míng’s shoulder. It rubbed its paw on its horn awkwardly and then playfully swatted Lù Míng’s cheek with its tail, smiling sweetly.

Lù Míng raised an eyebrow at 233 and said, “I’ve never heard of you being a spirit attendant. And you never mentioned anything about collecting souls.”

233 looked at Lù Míng, feeling a bit intimidated by the sharpness in his gaze. It swallowed nervously and stammered, “M-Master, this isn’t my fault! He told me to keep it a secret. Besides, even though I am a spirit attendant, I was severely wounded in a battle with an enemy tens of thousands of years ago. My original body was damaged, and I fell into a deep sleep. Fortunately, the Immortal Emperor found me and separated my soul from my body, sending me to another world where I was given a new form.”

“Another world?” Lù Míng asked.

233 nodded and then continued, “Millions of years ago, the Celestial God created countless great and small worlds. Each world began in the same way, but because the future is uncertain, each world developed its own history and trajectory. The world the Immortal Emperor sent me to has now entered the era of super technology. It was no problem to create this new body for me.”

Lù Míng understood now, but seeing how silly and cute 233 looked, he couldn’t help but tease it. “Are you sure you’re a super-intelligent being?”

233, now quite annoyed, slapped Lù Míng’s hand with its tail and shouted, “Why wouldn’t I be?!”

Lù Míng watched 233’s angry little display and couldn’t help but burst into laughter. The gloom that had hung over him for so long began to lift. He gently patted the little dragon’s head in comfort and said, “So, has my missing soul been found now?”

233 lowered its head, looking guilty. “Though your soul is in this world, even after so many years, I still haven’t been able to find it. Occasionally, I sense a faint trace of it, but it quickly disappears. I think it must be attached to some object.”

Lù Míng thought for a moment and asked, “Has this incomplete soul caused me any significant problems?”

233 shook its head. “Your soul was always fragmented, like a soul possession. Though it’s incomplete now, it only hinders your ability to advance in cultivation. It doesn’t affect anything else.”

Lù Míng nodded. “Since that’s the case, there are more important matters to deal with right now. I’ll worry about finding my soul later, once I find Fú Shū and the others.”

With that, Lù Míng looked up at Zé Yù and asked, “Earlier, you said you could help me escape. Is that true?”

 

 

 

 

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