Chapter 1114 - Heaven-Spirit Artifact

The treasure had surfaced only recently. Cultivators rushed in from every direction, but no one could claim such a powerful artifact easily.

Artifacts brimmed with spirituality, and earning their recognition required far more than brute force.

Ten days later, Liu Wuxie stepped into an unusual place. The sight before him made him pause. It wasn't a mountain range or a canyon, but a quiet village nestled beside a distant river, inhabited by simple natives who lived off the land.

Something felt off.

Every time Liu Wuxie encountered an ancient tribe, the same three elements always appeared—forests, profound beasts, and water sources. Each of them existed to support life, especially the lives of those who provided faith energy.

Everything here seemed deliberately crafted, operating with eerie precision, as though guided by an invisible hand.

But the villagers had no idea a storm was about to engulf them.

At the center of the village stood a house that resembled a shrine, although it didn't entirely fit the description. A glowing red light radiated from within, and the villagers knelt outside it every day, whispering prayers without pause.

Scanning the area with Ghost Eye, Liu Wuxie quickly spotted several figures already hiding in the shadows, waiting. One of them had even snuck into the village, clearly attempting to steal whatever was inside.

More cultivators were scattered around, all powerful, all hidden. Liu Wuxie detected them one by one, but chose not to expose anyone.

"How odd," he muttered. "They got here before me, so why aren't they making a move?"

The treasure was right in front of them. Typically, the moment a treasure appeared, it would spark a wild scramble. Their restraint didn't make sense unless something was keeping them at bay.

He quietly positioned himself behind a tree and observed.

Several cultivators had already inched to within a hundred meters of the shrine. The red glow continued to pulse, intensifying further. The kneeling natives chanted in a strange tongue that even Liu Wuxie couldn't decipher.

Suddenly, a terrifying aura erupted from the shrine, followed by a blinding flash of blade light that tore outward.

Those nearby cultivators tried to retreat, but they were too late. The blade light shredded their bodies into pieces, blood spraying across the ground.

Yet the natives remained unmoved. Still kneeling and praying as though nothing had happened.

"So that's why no one dared to move,” Liu Wuxie muttered. He finally understood the hesitation. They hadn’t just guarded the shrine—they had turned it into a death trap.

"What terrifying blade aura," whispered two cultivators positioned just ten meters from Liu Wuxie. "There must be a heaven-spirit artifact inside."

They had noticed him, but like the others, they dismissed him. At the second-level Earth Profound Realm, Liu Wuxie was nothing more than prey in their eyes—weak and unworthy of concern.

Heaven-spirit artifacts possessed immense spirituality. They could act on their own, much like the Divine Sun Sword.

Liu Wuxie activated Ghost Eye. The scenery distorted again, revealing deeper layers of energy around him. Distant trees emitted a concentration of wood-attribute energy, while the shrine came into sharper focus.

His gaze pierced the shrine's interior—and there it was.

A massive war blade lay atop a ceremonial altar, its presence oppressive and primal. It was the source of the blade aura that had eviscerated the others.

Someone had broken the blade, lost its hilt, and left only half of it behind. It had once seen battle, fierce enough to leave it in this state.

"What a terrifying aura," Liu Wuxie murmured, deactivating Ghost Eye.

Even damaged, the blade radiated laws of the Heaven Profound Realm. It had undoubtedly been a heaven-spirit artifact at its peak.

If he could refine and merge those laws into the Heretic Blade, he could push his weapon to the pinnacle of an earth-spirit artifact, aligning it perfectly with the peak of the Earth Profound Realm.

Heaven-spirit artifacts, however, were still beyond him. Refining one would require vast amounts of Heaven Profound Realm laws, something he didn't yet possess.

Since he wasn't even in the Heaven Profound Realm, how could he hope to forge such an artifact?

The blade's severed form and absence of an owner suggested that something had severely damaged its artifact spirit. That likely explained why the owner of the heavenly coffin had left it here.

"Faith energy,” Liu Wuxie whispered.

He could feel it surging from the blade—massive reservoirs of it. His soul sea responded immediately, the faith pool within it trembling and surging with hunger.

Refining the war blade’s faith energy could vastly enhance his Conversion Art.

More and more cultivators gathered around the village, forming concentric circles as they surrounded the shrine. Still, no one dared to approach.

Half a day later, the natives finally rose and returned to their homes. The chanting ceased, and the red glow faded. The aura from the war blade retreated with it.

"Now's the chance!" someone shouted.

Several cultivators darted forward like streaks of light, racing toward the shrine.

"Get lost!" bellowed one cultivator at the pinnacle of the Earth Profound Realm. With a casual wave of his arm, he sent several lower-realm cultivators flying backward.

Shockwaves tore buildings apart. Fire devoured the peaceful village, reducing it to ash. The natives, despite their strong physiques, possessed no cultivation. Flames incinerated them before they could scream.

They existed solely to offer faith energy to the war blade.

More cultivators arrived. Liu Wuxie, however, remained still. He continued to watch from a distance, unmoved by the slaughter.

The chaos escalated into a full-blown battle. Dozens became hundreds, all fighting to seize the treasure. The battle had turned the once-quiet village into a field soaked in blood.

Someone finally reached the shrine, but before they could touch it, a violent burst of energy erupted, sending them crashing backward.

"Heaven Profound Realm!" a voice cried out.

An expert descended from the sky, his overwhelming pressure shrouding him. The surroundings fell silent in an instant.

In the face of a Heaven Profound Realm cultivator, who would dare make another move?

"Bai Wensheng? He broke through to the Heaven Profound Realm?" someone shouted in horror, recognizing the newcomer.

The speaker held a personal grudge against Bai Wensheng. Now that Bai had ascended to the Heaven Profound Realm while he remained stuck at the peak of the Earth Profound Realm, the gap between them had become insurmountable.

"You dare call my name so casually?" Bai Wensheng shot a cold glance at the middle-aged man. Murderous intent surged from his eyes. He flicked his finger, and a strand of Heaven Profound Realm's laws descended like divine punishment.

"Argh!" The man screamed as the law crushed his body in an instant.

"The war blade belongs to me. Any objections?" Bai Wensheng's ruthless declaration froze the crowd.

No one dared to step forward. Though their eyes burned with fury, none had the strength to challenge him.

With his cultivation at the Heaven Profound Realm, Bai Wensheng could act without restraint. The fear in everyone's eyes pleased him.

Seeing no resistance, he moved slowly toward the shrine. A suppressive aura of Heaven Profound Realm's laws surrounded the war blade atop the altar.

"What a treasure," Bai Wensheng muttered, grinning. "Just what I need—a heaven-spirit artifact."

Fresh off his breakthrough, Bai's strength would rise further with such a weapon in hand. With it, even seasoned veterans in the same realm might fall before him.

Just as his hand reached for the war blade, a blinding sword ray descended from the sky.

In that moment, Bai Wensheng faced two choices: take the sword strike head-on or retreat and give up the blade.

Anyone in his position would have chosen the latter. The sword ray's power was unknown, and risking an arm wasn't worth it. Even if he could regenerate it, the damage would severely hinder his cultivation.

He stepped back. The sword ray missed by an inch and slammed into the earth, ripping apart rock and space alike. The ground split open, and even the fabric of reality trembled, struggling to heal.

"Another expert at the Heaven Profound Realm!" several cultivators near Liu Wuxie exclaimed, gazing toward the horizon.

In the distance, a white-robed youth approached, sword in hand.

"Ji Yuzhen, what is the meaning of this? I found the war blade first," Bai Wensheng growled, frowning at the sight of the youth.

Though they both stood at the Heaven Profound Realm, Bai knew Ji Yuzhen possessed superior combat power.

Still, he wasn't afraid. At their level, a battle would drag on endlessly, with no clear winner for some time.

"So you're saying the first to arrive deserves the war blade?" Ji Yuzhen replied coolly, gesturing at the cultivators around them. "By that logic, shouldn't it belong to them?"

Bai Wensheng's expression darkened. Ji's words left him speechless. If the treasure was decided by who arrived first, he had no rightful claim.

However, if strength dictated ownership, Ji Yuzhen held the upper hand.

At first, the onlookers assumed Ji Yuzhen had come to protect them. They quickly realized he was only here for the war blade himself.

Liu Wuxie glanced at Ji Yuzhen. The youth had eyes only for Bai Wensheng and paid Liu no mind.

"Ji Yuzhen, don't twist words. The treasure should belong to whoever has the power to take it," Bai Wensheng retorted coldly, seeing through his opponent's ploy.

Only the two of them had a real chance at the war blade. Strength would decide everything.

"In that case," Ji Yuzhen said, "how about I offer one million supreme-grade spirit stones for the war blade? What do you think?"

He didn't want to clash with Bai Wensheng only to let someone else take advantage of him.

People expected such sharp thinking from the top legacy disciple of the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy.

The crowd secretly hoped the two would fight to the death, leaving the war blade up for grabs.

Despite his youth, Ji Yuzhen saw through their thoughts at a glance.

His offer of one million supreme-grade spirit stones proved just how wealthy he truly was.

Even after securing a complete supreme-grade spirit vein, most cultivators only gained a few million stones and spent most of them immediately.

Yet Ji Yuzhen spoke as if a million meant nothing. His offer made Bai Wensheng hesitate.

The deal was tempting. However, compared to a heaven-spirit artifact, spirit stones were lacking in value.

After all, no number of spirit stones could match the value of such a weapon.

On the True Martial Continent, years had passed since anyone last saw a heaven-spirit artifact. Even Heaven Profound Realm experts no longer had the means to forge such a weapon.