Artifact Chapter 73: Reunited with an Old Friend

 

Chapter 73: Reunited with an Old Friend

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

 

Everyone was completely stunned by the scene before them. The young master of the He family had concealed his true abilities from the very beginning! At less than thirty years old, being in the middle stage of Nascent Soul was already rare, but to their shock, he was actually at the late stage of Dividing Spirit! What did this mean? For thousands of years, the Cultivation World had never seen such an unbelievable occurrence. No wonder He Yuanqi was so desperate to possess his own son’s body—such a body must have been something everyone would envy and hate!

He Yuanqi’s face turned pale, his eyes filled with a mix of fear and excitement. He trembled, his gaze fervently fixed on Lu Ming, his voice shaking. “Late stage of Dividing Spirit… he’s already in the late stage!”

As soon as he finished speaking, He Yuanqi suddenly leapt into the air, extending his dark fingers like a hawk capturing prey. He aimed to grab Lu Ming forcefully. Lu Ming snorted coldly, drawing his long sword from his waist. A stream of white light poured out, enveloping the entire land in a blinding glow. Everyone reflexively shut their eyes, and when the light finally faded, they opened their eyes again. To their amazement, He Yuanqi’s son was surrounded by a terrifying murderous aura, with a long sword resembling a pillar of light pointed at He Yuanqi, who had collapsed on the ground.

Both of He Yuanqi’s hands were severed at the shoulders, with black blood pouring from the wounds. He Yuanqi let out a few sharp, eerie laughs, crawling up from the ground. Then, a strange scene occurred. His severed hands, as if responding to some unseen force, began to move on the ground. They suddenly flew back toward him. He Yuanqi muttered a chant under his breath, and the hands pressed themselves against the stumps of his shoulders. Miraculously, in just a few seconds, the wounds began to heal at an astonishing rate. After about a minute, his arms were fully restored, as though the severing had never happened.

Seeing this, Sang Wusheng immediately spoke in a low voice to Lu Ming, “It’s probably the Soul Sacrifice Curse of the demon clan.”

The Soul Sacrifice Curse, as the name suggested, was a divine technique that allowed one to regenerate by sacrificing part of their soul. If the body suffered serious damage, one could sacrifice any soul or spirit from the Three Souls and Seven Spirits to instantly heal the injury. In simple terms, apart from the soul that had already been swapped earlier, He Yuanqi still had at least eight lives to use. This secret spell had been lost for hundreds of years, and it was likely that He Yuanqi had obtained it by chance from the He family’s treasury, mastering this twisted skill.

Lu Ming’s face darkened. “Is there any way to counter it?”

Sang Wusheng shook his head. “This secret spell is too overpowered, and because there’s no known way to counter it, the founder of Zen Mountain, the Old Ancestor, secretly destroyed all knowledge of it. For hundreds of years, the demon clan and the He Ghost clan had been searching for its usage method, but to their surprise, it had been hidden in the He family’s treasury. No wonder so many people covet the He family’s treasure vault—it even holds such forbidden techniques.”

Daoist Zi Yang sighed lightly. “The Old Ancestor of Zen Mountain came from the He family.”

Someone suddenly cried out, “What! The Zen Mountain Old Ancestor was actually from the He family?”

Daoist Zi Yang replied calmly, “This matter is a secret of the Cultivation World. Only a few people know about it, and most are unaware.”

No wonder everyone was so shocked. The Old Ancestor of Zen Mountain was one of the most renowned Artifact Masters in the Cultivation World. He was proficient in the demon, ghost, and human clan’s secret spells and techniques, combining them to create countless extraordinary God Artifacts and curses. But then he mysteriously vanished from the public eye, and for hundreds of years, no one knew his whereabouts. Some speculated that he had ascended, while others believed he had self-destructed, but no one dared to say for certain.

After his disappearance, people gradually believed he had perished. Those with ulterior motives began coveting the Zen Mountain cave. This cave was said to contain numerous rare treasures, including Immortal-grade secret medicines. Anyone fortunate enough to enter and acquire some of these treasures would surpass centuries of cultivation. For this reason, many had spent centuries searching for this legendary cave, yet no trace had been found.

Upon hearing Daoist Zi Yang’s explanation, the various families realized that the He family’s treasure vault must be connected to the Zen Mountain cave. It was even possible that this treasure vault was the long-lost Zen Mountain cave itself!

Daoist Zi Yang, seeing how the situation had unfolded, sighed again and explained, “The Zen Mountain Old Ancestor disappeared without a trace, and the entire Zen Mountain cave was lost to history with him. For centuries, various families have used all their resources to search for the legendary secret treasure. Only about ten years ago, the forbidden spell of the Zen Mountain cave showed signs of weakening, and people could roughly pinpoint its location within a hundred miles of the He family. After a thorough investigation, they finally confirmed that the cave was hidden within the He family mansion.”

Daoist Zi Yang paused for a moment, then continued, “Just a few days ago, a spy infiltrated the He family and learned from the young master himself that the He family’s treasure vault was hidden right here. The Zen Mountain cave and the He family treasure vault were one and the same. After hundreds of years, the Zen Mountain cave has finally resurfaced.”

He Yuanqi smiled lightly upon hearing this. “That’s correct. At first, I didn’t know that the He family treasure vault was actually the Zen Mountain cave. It wasn’t until I entered it and saw the family history murals that I realized that this cave has always been buried deep within my own home.”

Everyone present had already been numbed by the overwhelming and incredible information. If the He family’s treasure vault truly was the legendary Zen Mountain Cave, why was it that only five people from each family were allowed to search for treasure? The Zen Mountain Cave was something they had all sought their entire lives, and now that it was right in front of them, how could they not take it?

After only a few seconds of thought, someone coldly spoke up, “Who can prove that the Zen Mountain Ancestor is really a member of the He family? As far as I know, the Ancestor has never mentioned being part of the He family. I suspect his identity is something you made up. We don’t have the right to enter the He family’s treasure vault, but the Zen Mountain Ancestor’s possessions? The He family has no right to interfere. In that case, why can’t we enter?”

Daoist Zi Yang, shaking with anger, snapped, “Foolish! If everyone enters the Zen Mountain Ancestor’s cave to search for treasure, wouldn’t that cause chaos in the entire Cultivation World? We’re already facing invasions from the Demon Clan and threats from the Ghost Clan. If you don’t understand your place, do you want to see the Cultivation World completely destroyed?”

Someone immediately snorted, “What does it have to do with us?”

The crowd quickly joined in with similar remarks. Their eyes sparkled with greed as they stared motionlessly at the giant gate ahead. Soon, they realized that the poison from the floral scent had somehow dissipated. Unable to contain themselves, they began flying toward the giant gate. Daoist Zi Yang was furious and immediately released a surge of spiritual energy, setting up eighteen barriers in front of the giant gate to stop everyone from entering.

The people present immediately objected, shouting angrily, “Daoist Zi Yang, don’t think that just because you’re more senior, you can do as you please. Take down that useless barrier! Why are you blocking our way?”

Daoist Zi Yang, instead of getting angry, chuckled, “Oh, since it’s a useless barrier, then break it and go inside. I doubt you have the ability to do so!”

The crowd, furious, immediately rushed forward and began fighting with him, causing chaos at the scene. Lu Ming, however, watched coldly as He Yuanqi stood nearby, wearing a strange smile. He thought to himself that He Yuanqi must have anticipated that once the group learned the truth, they would find a way to enter the Zen Mountain Ancestor’s cave. That’s why he had quietly neutralized the poison on them. The more chaotic things became, the more advantageous it was for him. His true goal was never the magical treasures or spiritual artifacts, but the rare cultivator body he possessed.

At that moment, Lu Ming suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. His body felt like it was being pierced by needles, the pain unbearable. Unable to resist, he fell to one knee, groaning in agony, and blood began to trickle from the corner of his mouth. Despite the excruciating pain, Lu Ming hastily sealed his divine sense, taking deep breaths.

Sang Wusheng, greatly alarmed, rushed to him and caught him, unable to hide his anxiety. He continuously poured spiritual energy into Lu Ming and quickly asked, “Brother, what happened?!”

Lu Ming, barely able to hold on, grabbed Sang Wusheng’s arm and said weakly, “Someone… took advantage of the chaos and sealed an evil spirit inside me.”

Sang Wusheng trembled with anger. The evil spirit curse involved trapping a malevolent spirit inside the body to devour the soul. It was one of the Ghost Clan’s most powerful dark arts. The person possessed by an evil spirit had to endure excruciating pain, and their soul would gradually be consumed. If the evil spirit stayed inside for too long, the person would face the fate of their soul flying away and scattering.

Lu Ming weakly pushed Sang Wusheng’s arm away, his face pale as he said, “I have a way. Let me go.”

Sang Wusheng reluctantly released him, his hand still trembling. Lu Ming crossed his legs and closed his eyes tightly, sweat streaming down his forehead. He infused spiritual energy throughout his body until it felt as though thousands of ants were gnawing at him. Only then did Lu Ming suddenly withdraw the spiritual energy. With a loud roar, the immense pressure blasted outward, scattering the evil spirit as it screamed and burst into a pool of blood.

Lu Ming collapsed to the ground. Sang Wusheng hurriedly picked him up, fed him a recovery pill, and softly asked, “Brother, how do you feel?”

Lu Ming weakly nodded and replied, “It’s fine now.”

Just as the words left his mouth, a deep, familiar voice suddenly echoed.

“Did you see that? It’s this group of people—selfish, greedy, disgusting to the core.” The voice sounded in his mind, hoarse and unsettling.

Lu Ming’s heart skipped a beat. Ignoring his physical discomfort, he quickly stood up and looked around. He saw a man in a light gray robe standing not far away, calmly watching him. He looked almost unchanged from years ago—his figure and appearance exactly as Lu Ming remembered.

However, his once beautiful and clean eyes had turned black, with the whites now darkened, blending with the black pupils to form a deep, ominous gaze. It was as though an endless abyss filled with hatred and loathing lay within.

Lu Ming stared silently for a moment, then sighed softly and spoke, “Ming Duo, you’ve finally appeared.”

 

 

 

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