Translator: AnubisTL
"So that's it! It's an ancient teleportation Grand Formation, capable of cross-domain teleportation," Li Qing exclaimed in True Lord Fu Xuan's cave abode.
In the days following the apprenticeship ceremony, Li Qing remained as a guest in True Lord Fu Xuan's cave abode, showing no urgency to depart.
During this time, True Lord Fu Xuan didn't instruct Chu Lingyi in talisman art. Instead, he focused on crafting the Restriction-Breaking Talismans Li Qing needed.
A total of seven third-tier Restriction-Breaking Talismans were required—a significant quantity. If sold externally, they could easily fetch tens of thousands of spirit stones.
Even for True Lord Fu Xuan, whose talisman-crafting skills were exceptional, crafting talismans of this caliber required considerable time. Completing them within a few days was impossible.
However, this period allowed Li Qing and Chu Lingyi to catch up properly.
Chu Lingyi, resting her chin in her hands, remarked, "Indeed. If I hadn't accidentally activated that ancient teleportation array, I'd still be drifting alone in that desolate great domain!"
It turned out that after arriving in a great domain beyond the Azure Ridge Domain aboard a spirit warship with other Lingyun Sect members, Chu Lingyi had encountered an unforeseen incident and become separated from the group.
In the years that followed, she wandered alone through that sinister great domain.
Just recently, she inadvertently activated a hidden ancient teleportation array!
By sheer coincidence, she happened to be carrying a Great Shift Token at the time, which protected her during the perilous domain crossing and successfully transported her to the Great Wilderness Domain.
Daoist Jin Bao witnessed this event and, mistaking it for the emergence of a rare treasure, immediately rushed over.
Alas, he found no treasure, only Chu Lingyi, who had been teleported to the Great Wilderness.
Due to the inter-domain teleportation, even with the Great Shift Token's protection, Chu Lingyi fell unconscious.
Daoist Jin Bao rescued her, and in return for his kindness, Chu Lingyi specially crafted numerous talismans for him to sell in the secret market.
Here, it must be acknowledged that Chu Lingyi possessed extraordinary talent in talisman crafting. Without any formal training, she had successfully created Second-Tier High-Grade talismans!
Moreover, she had even invented several entirely new types of talismans.
It was precisely these novel talismans that captured the attention of True Lord Fu Xuan, a true lord utterly devoted to the art of talisman crafting!
And so, Chu Lingyi naturally gained a core formation true lord as her master. Daoist Jin Bao's introduction led to Li Qing and Shen Ningbing meeting her here.
"Life is truly unpredictable," Shen Ningbing murmured softly. "I never imagined your experiences these past few years would be so extraordinary, Junior Sister Chu."
Chu Lingyi nodded vigorously, then turned to Li Qing and Shen Ningbing, immediately puffing out her cheeks:
"But compared to you two, my experiences are nothing!"
"Senior Brother Li, Senior Sister Shen, we entered the Lingyun Sect together, yet you've already achieved core formation!"
Hearing this, Shen Ningbing shook her head dismissively:
"You've devoted yourself to the art of talismans, pouring immense energy into it. Naturally, your cultivation progress would be slower."
This was the plain truth. A person's time is finite; attempting to balance cultivation with other pursuits is nearly impossible.
One either needs exceptional talent or vast resources.
Li Qing fell into the latter category.
He ignored Chu Lingyi's question, falling into deep thought.
"The eastern great domain is shrouded in sinister energy... Could my fellow disciples have been lost there?" Li Qing murmured, his eyes flickering with concern.
In recent years, he had been immersed in cultivation and other pursuits, paying little attention to the affairs of great domains beyond the Azure Ridge and Great Wilderness Domains.
Daoist Jin Bao hesitated before speaking, "The sinister great domain east of the Great Wilderness Domain... that must be the Nether Domain, right?"
"I've heard that corpse refinement and puppet techniques flourish there, and that many Ghost Cultivators dwell within."
"Moreover, legend has it that the Yin Puppet Sect migrated from the Nether Domain to our Great Wilderness Domain long ago. But whether that's true or not, I couldn't say for sure!"
Hearing this, Li Qing immediately pressed for more information about the Nether Domain:
"Tell me everything you know about this Nether Domain. Don't hold back!"
Daoist Jin Bao wore a bitter expression as he replied, "Senior, you overestimate me. I'm just a humble Foundation Establishment cultivator. My knowledge of matters beyond the Great Wilderness Domain is woefully limited!"
"I've only heard fleeting mentions of this so-called Nether Domain in ancient texts and scrolls," Daoist Jin Bao replied. "Beyond that, I know nothing more."
Greatly disappointed, Li Qing sighed and decided not to press further. He resolved to investigate the Nether Domain himself when the opportunity arose.
If necessary, he might even consider using the ancient teleportation array to travel there personally.
After all, most of the fellow disciples sent away by the Ancestor Devourer of Heaven had likely been lost in the Nether Domain.
Of course, the Nether Domain's ominous yin energy made it clear this was no benevolent place.
Any expedition there would require careful consideration and planning, not reckless haste.
Ah, the path to rebuilding the Lingyun Sect remains fraught with obstacles and thorns! Li Qing lamented inwardly.
With a sigh, he slowly rose to his feet and addressed Daoist Jin Bao:
"Daoist Jin Bao, please retrieve the magic treasure you wish to repair. I'll see if I can fix it for you while we have this time."
Daoist Jin Bao's eyes lit up with excitement at these words.
Hadn't he toiled tirelessly for so long precisely for this moment?
Without hesitation, he immediately retrieved a palm-sized, pure gold dart from his storage pouch.
The dart appeared to be cast from solid gold, radiating a dazzling, eye-searing brilliance the moment it was drawn.
Indeed, this was a magical artifact!
However, the Golden Light Dart's surface was riddled with cracks, clearly indicating damage sustained after its creation.
Daoist Jin Bao handled the dart with utmost care, reverently passing it to Li Qing with an expectant expression.
The moment Li Qing took hold of the dart, his eyebrows shot up, and he let out a startled, uncertain sound:
"Hmm?"
It wasn't the artifact's power that surprised him, but rather the peculiar energy signature emanating from it.
This energy signature resembled that of a spirit body!
Sensing this, Li Qing extended his divine sense, probing directly into the Golden Light Dart.
In the next moment, Li Qing narrowed his eyes and slowly murmured:
"This magical artifact... has a spirit?"
Indeed, this was a magical artifact with an Artifact Spirit!
Artifact Spirits were exceedingly rare in the cultivation world. Most cultivators never considered nurturing such spirits within their magic artifacts or treasures.
Yet Li Qing himself possessed a wind spear with an Artifact Spirit!
Long ago, using the Treasure Artifact Spirit Fusion Method, he had successfully fused the Demon Spirit of a wind-attribute demonic beast into his magic artifact, creating its Artifact Spirit.
As Li Qing's cultivation advanced, he rarely used the wind spear anymore.
Regarding the magic treasures he later acquired, whether his natal magic treasure, the Primordial Chaos Peerless Hammer, or others, he never considered nurturing an Artifact Spirit within them. The cost was simply too high, and failure would be a devastating loss.
He never imagined that Daoist Jin Bao would present him with a magic treasure containing an Artifact Spirit for repair!
"Senior has a discerning eye," Daoist Jin Bao said, clasping his hands in a respectful bow. "This Golden Light Dart indeed possesses its own Artifact Spirit, but the spirit body is severely damaged, likely from the same incident that harmed the dart itself."
"No wonder you, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, would attempt to repair a magic treasure," Li Qing remarked, suddenly understanding. "If you were preparing for your future Core Formation breakthrough, it seemed premature. But with an Artifact Spirit involved, it makes perfect sense."
Normally, a Foundation Establishment cultivator couldn't activate a magic treasure. However, exceptions existed, such as magic treasures with Artifact Spirits. These spiritual entities could be wielded even by Qi Refining cultivators, let alone those in the Foundation Establishment realm.
Because the treasure possessed sentience, it could engage in combat autonomously, requiring no mana from the cultivator's body. It only consumed a small amount of divine sense.
In essence, a magic treasure with an autonomous Artifact Spirit could wield combat power comparable to a Core Formation realm cultivator.
(End of the Chapter)
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