Yang Jing stared at the young man before him. The moment the youth appeared, a notification had already popped up on his Guardian Beast panel.
[Name]: Nine Marvels (Nine Marvels Creation Tripod Spirit)
[Species Level]: Myth
[Power]: Tier Six Artifact Spirit
[Talent]: XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
[Affinity]: XXX
This was the first time he had ever encountered such a situation. In the Talent and Affinity columns, there was only a string of X's, obscuring the specific details.
This was likely because the difference in their power was too great. A Tier Six Spirit Treasure's power surpassed even that of a Divinity Transformation Cultivator. They were the very Heaven-Supporting White Jade Pillars and Jiahai Purple Gold Beams of the Central Continent.
These treasures were the source of the Central Continent's various sects' confidence when facing the Demon Cultivators of the Northern Continent, the Demons of the Western Continent, the natives of the Southern Continent, and the unorthodox sects of the Eastern Continent. Even if the situation became as precarious as a stack of eggs, they could easily suppress any threat simply by bringing out a Tier Six Spirit Treasure.
Yang Jing had consulted the records of the Thousand Islands Alliance and learned that ten thousand years ago, a Celestial Ghost worshiped by the natives of the Southern Continent had coveted the pure blood-food of the Central Continent's Cultivators. It had infiltrated the Central Continent, killing over ten Nascent Soul Cultivators and more than a thousand Golden Core Cultivators, and had even tried to frame the Outer Celestial Demons for its crimes.
After its true nature was discovered by a Divinity Transformation Cultivator from the Central Continent, that Cultivator took their sect's guardian Tier Six Spirit Treasure to the Southern Continent. There, they slaughtered tens of millions of natives and seven Celestial Ghosts, erecting a Copper Pillar as a warning.
This caused the remaining Celestial Ghosts in the Southern Continent to be utterly terrified, and their power waned significantly.
Even Yang Jing couldn't help but feel his heart tense up when facing such a being.
"My two Magical Treasures have only a rudimentary ability to identify Spiritual Materials, yet the materials they found were of the absolute highest quality. Such materials can only be located deep within ore veins by old masters skilled in mining, who can divine their locations. Therefore, I guessed at the time that someone was helping me in secret. Within this Nine Marvels Small Realm, I'm afraid only you, Senior, could have done such a thing."
Yang Jing said, offering an explanation.
He had been pressed for time and hadn't examined them closely, but thinking back now, the Spiritual Materials were indeed all of the Uppermost Grade. Some of them, Yang Jing had only ever read about in ancient records.
A flash of understanding appeared in the young man's eyes.
"I didn't expect that even at such a critical moment, you could instantly spot my oversight. You truly are a rare, world-transcending talent. Your innate aptitude is likely even greater than your sect's founder."
Back when he and his many allies had attacked this Nine Marvels Small Realm, he had fought alongside the founder of the Five Elements True Spirit Sect. He was naturally intimately familiar with the power of the Great Five Elements Divine Light Prohibition.
For Yang Jing to possess such combat strength at the Golden Core Realm meant he wasn't far off from the legendary figures of the Upper Realm.
"Senior, you flatter me."
Yang Jing hastily deflected.
"Why be so modest? In the 578,000 years since my consciousness awakened, I have seen talents as numerous as crucian carp crossing a river. If the Central Continent hadn't fallen from the Upper Realm due to a great war, your founder would have been talented enough to secure an official post in the Celestial Court. It's a pity that in the Nine Heavens World, he ended up trapped at the Divinity Transformation Realm, his lifespan eventually exhausted."
Nine Marvels sighed. For the past tens of thousands of years, watching the elite disciples of the Central Continent compete for the Nine Marvels Qi had become one of his rare pastimes. Disciples from the Five Elements True Spirit Sect came from time to time, so he had some understanding of their founder's experiences in the Western Continent.
"If water is not deep, it lacks the strength to carry a great boat. Pour a cup of water into a hollow on the floor, and a mustard seed can be its boat. But place a cup there, and it will be stuck, for the water is shallow and the boat is large."
How was his current situation any better than that of the Five Elements True Spirit Sect's founder? He was trapped in a cramped Small Realm, like a giant crammed into a single room.
Even with his special existence as a Tier Six Artifact Spirit, which granted him near-immortality, he was merely wasting away time.
"Senior, why did you seek me out?"
Yang Jing braced himself and asked. As far as he knew, during the first few competitions for the Nine Marvels Qi, Nine Marvels would occasionally appear to guide the disciples. But afterward, such appearances became increasingly rare.
Until 30,000 years ago, there were no more records of Nine Marvels appearing. Everyone at the time speculated that Nine Marvels had fallen into a deep slumber, only to awaken when absolutely necessary.
Now that he had suddenly appeared, Yang Jing instinctively guessed it was because of Ah Guoshami.
"A clever person like you, why play dumb in front of me? I came out for these little trinkets, of course."
As Nine Marvels finished speaking, he made a casual gesture. The Five-Colored giant hand that Yang Jing was still channeling suddenly broke down into streams of pure Spiritual Qi and disintegrated with a BOOM, revealing Xiang Dingtian, who had already been half-refined.
Xiang Dingtian was still alive, but he was in a miserable state. Two-thirds of his body had completely vanished, leaving only his head and half his chest.
He had been suppressed by the Innate Five Elements Qi Grand Capture, sealed off from the outside world, so he had no idea what had happened after he was trapped. Suddenly freed, he was overcome with a mixture of immense grief and joy, letting out an incoherent cry.
The next moment, his expression froze. Before he could even let out a scream, his body scattered with the wind, turning completely to ash and leaving behind only a single Alien Gemstone.
The Alien Gemstone shot out like a pellet and landed in Nine Marvels' hand. He toyed with it for a moment before casually tossing it to Yang Jing.
Yang Jing stopped the Alien Gemstone in mid-air.
"With your power, Senior, do you even need these stones?"
'Although the Authority of these Evil Gods is powerful, compared to the Tier Six Nine Marvels Creation Tripod, it should be no different from a toy.'
"What I want isn't this junk, of course. I discovered their abnormality the moment they entered the Small Realm. The disciples of the Central Continent are truly getting worse with each generation, to actually fall for the tricks of these Barbaric Gods."
Nine Marvels spoke condescendingly. 'That little whelp Huang Yan on the outside is also useless. He actually failed to see the abnormality in these Primordial Seeds.'
"What I have my eye on is, naturally, that Divine Body. If I had waited for it to completely devour all the Barbaric Gods and the Golden Core juniors, the Divine Body would have matured and been sufficient to bear my Primordial Spirit. I just didn't expect this piece of trash, who clearly inherited a Divine Body meticulously crafted by a Divinity Transformation Level Barbaric God, to lose to a freak like you. The absolute worst of the worst."
A chill ran down Yang Jing's spine. He had never expected a classic case of the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Ah Guoshami had seemed like the hunter, but he had long since been targeted as prey by Nine Marvels. The lives of all the Golden Core Cultivators meant absolutely nothing in his eyes.
The moral compass of a being that had lived for hundreds of thousands of years was already completely different from that of an ordinary Cultivator.
Just as a Cultivator wouldn't concern themselves with the lives of mortals, who are born in the morning and die by dusk.
"Senior, since you didn't stop me from sealing this Evil God, you must have something you wish for me to do."
Yang Jing said, neither servile nor overbearing.
In front of a Tier Six Artifact Spirit, he was just like Xiang Dingtian—utterly powerless to resist. Rather than groveling, it was better to maintain some dignity.
Nine Marvels didn't beat around the bush any longer.
"In terms of Magical Combat ability, I have seen many at your Realm who can match you. But in terms of Artifact Refining ability, I have never seen anyone who is your equal. I want you to help me modify the Divine Body."
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