[A few minutes earlier.]
["Old Wan, it's your time to shine."]
[In a hidden grove, you spoke to the Myriad Souls Banner in your hand, which glowed with golden light and exhaled misty spiritual vapor.]
[The Myriad Souls Banner pointed its banner surface at the Dragon Person army in the distance.]
["Man, you think way too highly of me. You want me to take all of them on alone? I'm a Super Immortal Artifact, not some super sucker!"]
["No. I mean you can finally fulfill the true goal you've kept hidden in your heart all this time. Use me to find the Earth Spirit—the so-called Earth Vein in your words—awaken the intelligence of all Spiritual Artifacts under heaven, establish the Spirit Artifact Kingdom, and become its king!"]
["Awakening all the Spiritual Artifacts under heaven, that much is true...
Oh! Th-th-this! Th-th-that! I-I-I...
There's no such thing!
Man! My loyalty to you is like the surging Yangtze, flowing on without end; like the Yellow River bursting its banks, utterly unstoppable!
How could I possibly harbor any petty thoughts? No such thing, none at all! Hahaha! Hic—"]
[When people were embarrassed, they really did laugh.]
[The Demon Refining Pot drove the knife in deeper.]
["Yo! I wonder who it was that last time tried to egg those nine little crows on, telling them to find a chance to fly off with you? Luckily, those nine Yayas couldn't understand human speech and only took you for a lap around the Cauldron World."]
[When people felt guilty, they used raised voices and anger to conceal it.]
["Dead Night Pot!! Stop spreading rumors! Chen Yi, my good brother, this Dead Night Pot is slandering me! He's slandering me!"]
[You smiled kindly.]
["It doesn't matter what you're thinking now. What I need is for you to