Origin Divine Artifacts and Crafted Artifacts (2-in-1)

Before the Spirit Power Giant formed by the Ice Leech swarm could attack, Bai Xiaowen struck first with a Bewitching Curse Talisman.

The Bewitching Curse Talisman's target was naturally not the Spirit Power Giant. Bai Xiaowen knew his limits. Rather than competing with an unknown Domination System expert for control over the Spirit Power Manifestation, it was better to control an Ice Leech.

Spirit Power Manifestation was an exceedingly intricate Domination System technique, as precise as the screws of a space rocket. Besides requiring the Domination System Evolutionist to command the overall situation, every individual within the Battle Formation had to cooperate.

If even a single individual refused to cooperate or deliberately caused trouble, the Spirit Power Manifestation would collapse in minutes.

That was exactly what Bai Xiaowen had in mind when he fired the Bewitching Curse Talisman at one of the Ice Leeches.

Ding. The Bewitching Curse Talisman hit its target.

However, the Mysterious Controller would obviously not allow Bai Xiaowen to ruin his Spirit Power Manifestation so easily. He had split off a strand of Spiritual Power beforehand and injected it into that Ice Leech's body, helping it resist Bai Xiaowen's Spirit Sense intrusion.

The Bewitching Curse Talisman's judgment failed.

However, Bai Xiaowen had still achieved his goal—when their Spiritual Powers clashed head-on, the Mysterious Controller's location could no longer remain concealed. Bai Xiaowen traced the source and exposed him.

"So you were hiding there..."

Bai Xiaowen's eyes turned icy as Origin Thunder began to gather.

After their Spiritual Powers made contact, the other party clearly realized that his position had been exposed. He immediately mobilized that overwhelmingly powerful Spirit Power Manifestation and blasted over an utterly straightforward Energy Cannon.

The force of this Energy Cannon was several times greater than that of Yateli Lansuoer, the strongest Divine Descendant Creature Bai Xiaowen had ever seen. After all, it was the combined effort of several hundred Lord Grade Ice Leeches.

"True Yuan Power: Intimidation!"

A ring of visible Coercion rippled outward, and the surrounding air instantly froze solid.

This time, when Bai Xiaowen used Intimidation, he felt as though he could wield it as easily as an arm. He could now allocate the area affected by Intimidation, precisely pouring it over the enemy's location while avoiding his ally.

In other words, True Yuan Power Intimidation could now distinguish friend from foe, leaving Sigdrifa beside him unaffected.

It seemed the Secret Art of Spiritual Power from the Ancient Antahe Kingdom was indeed quite useful. Though it did not strengthen his energy level, it comprehensively improved Bai Xiaowen's combat strength and battle efficiency.

Under the disruption of True Yuan Power Intimidation, the massive Spirit Power Manifestation above the Ice Leech swarm immediately showed signs of dispersing. The terrifying Energy Shell fired at Bai Xiaowen also veered off course, breaking apart in midair.

Though True Yuan Power Intimidation could not restrain the Ice Leech swarm for long, that fleeting instant was already enough for Bai Xiaowen.

At the very least, for this short period, the other party could not use the Spirit Power Manifestation's energy to protect himself. The fragile body of a Domination System Evolutionist would be exposed before Bai Xiaowen.

Origin Thunder crashed down, striking with Precision!

Another unexpected situation appeared before Bai Xiaowen.

Origin Thunder did not produce the solid sensation of striking a physical body. The moment it touched the target, it was as though it had struck a mass of thick fog.

Under the Insight of Bai Xiaowen's Eye of Evolution, he could only see a gray-black cloak violently quivering. As the cloak fluttered, it revealed a body made entirely of mist.

This Mist Person had no organs or blood vessels. There were only energy conduits, serving as an imitation of meridians.

It was worth mentioning that Origin Thunder's Evil Breaking effect also came into play. While the Mist Person shook violently, the mist composing its body rapidly disintegrated inch by inch.

The Spirit Power Manifestation above the Ice Leech swarm immediately collapsed. Without the Mist Person's control, the Ice Leech swarm swiftly became scattered and chaotic, no longer maintaining its previous orderly Battle Formation.

A single strike of Origin Thunder had killed this Mysterious Controller!

Even Bai Xiaowen found it somewhat unbelievable. The victory had come too easily; none of the other methods he had prepared were even needed.

To put it simply, I hadn't even exerted myself, and you already fell?

Having lost their controller, the Ice Leech swarm immediately acted on instinct, attacking Bai Xiaowen and Sigdrifa amid the chaos.

Bai Xiaowen circulated his movement technique and slipped through the Ice Leech swarm like a slick loach, arriving at the spot where the cloaked Mist Person had disintegrated.

There, he could see only a tattered gray-black cloak.

Bai Xiaowen picked up the cloak and found its material strange, as though it were made from the skin membrane of some creature. Wrapped inside it was a gray sphere.

Even the Eye of Evolution could not reveal detailed information about either item. It only gave the names "Mysterious Leather" and "Mysterious Core," along with a simple note that their uses were unknown.

"Young human, it seems you have already dealt with the source of the Ice Leech swarm. Do you need me to take you back to the Resting Place?" The aged voice of the Antahe Caretaker rang in Bai Xiaowen's mind. He had been watching the battle all along.

"...Yes." If he did not return to the Resting Place, he could only brawl with the Ice Leech swarm here. Pointlessly wasting Spiritual Power was foolish.

The Antahe Caretaker's illusory body appeared beside Bai Xiaowen once more and teleported Bai Xiaowen and Sigdrifa back to the Resting Place one after the other.

Now that there were no Behind-the-Scenes Manipulators, the Ice Leech swarm's low intelligence made it utterly impossible for them to pass through the Spirit Channel.

"Did you find out what was causing trouble?" The Antahe Caretaker wore a highly fake expression of curiosity.

"Do you recognize this thing?" Bai Xiaowen took out the Mysterious Leather and Mysterious Core sphere left behind after the Mist Person's "death" and showed them to the Antahe Caretaker.

The Antahe Caretaker's illusory hand brushed across the two items.

"I have never seen them before."

After a pause, the Antahe Caretaker asked Bai Xiaowen about the other party's physical characteristics and revealed a highly fake look of confusion. "It is indeed strange. This thing does not seem to belong to any of the Six Great Races. Could it be a subspecies I have never encountered? A Creation of a God?"

Bai Xiaowen voiced his own speculation. "I think there are two likely possibilities. First, this Mist Person was not its true body, but an Avatar remotely controlled by a powerful expert... If so, that expert's strength is undoubtedly terrifying. The second possibility is as you said: the Mist Person is a new Subspecies Creature. Then the question is, which Chosen of a God would suddenly control a swarm of Ice Leeches to attack this place?"

"I estimate it was aimed at you." The Antahe Caretaker decisively shifted the blame. "The Ancient Antahe Kingdom has been sealed away for countless ages and was forgotten long ago. This place has remained peaceful all these years."

"You're right." Bai Xiaowen nodded and accepted the blame. "Then I'll be leaving first. This place probably won't draw any more enemy attacks after that."

"You are leaving Hailan Star... Oh, no, it should be called Profound Ice Star now. Hailan Star has become history." The Antahe Caretaker revealed a highly fake expression of sorrow, then took out a pile of fragmented objects and handed them to Bai Xiaowen.

"These are..."

"Fragments of Poseidon's Staff, and also the final legacy of the Ancient Antahe Kingdom." The Antahe Caretaker sighed. "I hope you can restore it to its complete form and return its former glory."

Bai Xiaowen accepted the pile of fragments.

You obtained Divine Artifact Fragment: Poseidon's Staff Part 1.

You obtained Divine Artifact Fragment: Poseidon's Staff Part 2.

You obtained Divine Artifact Fragment: Poseidon's Staff Part 4.

You obtained Divine Artifact Fragment: Poseidon's Staff Part 6.

You obtained Divine Artifact Fragment: Poseidon's Staff Part 7.

A total of Five Fragments of Poseidon's Staff.

"Poseidon's Staff was Lord Neptune's weapon in the final battle, an Origin Divine Artifact," the Antahe Caretaker said.

"What does Origin Divine Artifact mean? Artifacts have ranks too?" Bai Xiaowen asked.

"Of course. Origin Divine Artifacts are Artifacts that accompany Deities when they are created by the Supreme God, based on their divine authority. They often possess Law Power and are incomparably Overbearing. In contrast, Artifacts crafted by Deities are divided into High-Rank, Mid-Rank, and Low-Rank according to their power... But even High-Rank Artifacts are far inferior to Origin Divine Artifacts."

"What about this Divine Artifact Fragment?" Bai Xiaowen handed [Divine Artifact Fragment: Sword of Divine Punishment Part 6] to the Antahe Caretaker and explained, "I obtained it after killing an Angel."

The Antahe Caretaker said, "This is one of the many Artifacts crafted by the God of Light. It is a Low-Rank Artifact."

Then the Antahe Caretaker sighed again. "The War of the Gods was too brutal. These Artifacts all became fragments. Even Poseidon's Staff, the Origin Divine Artifact said to be indestructible, could not escape destruction... It is truly shocking."

Bai Xiaowen put away the Five Fragments of Poseidon's Staff and asked, "Where should I go to obtain the other fragments of Poseidon's Staff?"

"Divine Artifact Fragments are generally possessed by some powerful creatures in the Land of Origin, though many are also scattered in the corners of Ruins on various planets. Like the Angel you killed, for example. You can trade with these powerful creatures, exchanging Divine Artifact Fragments you do not need for those you do."

Bai Xiaowen nodded, then realized a problem. "Then how do I determine the rank corresponding to a Divine Artifact Fragment? If I trade fragments of a High-Rank Artifact, or even an Origin Divine Artifact, for fragments of a Low-Rank Artifact, wouldn't that be a huge loss?"

"Before an Artifact is assembled, it is very difficult to determine its rank. My Knowledge Base contains the names and information of many Artifacts. I can share them with you."

After obtaining Bai Xiaowen's consent, the Antahe Caretaker once again used a Spirit Imprint on him, injecting another body of knowledge into his sea of consciousness.

"Infinite Hourglass, Heart of the Swarm, Book of Death, Skull of Martyrdom..." Bai Xiaowen processed the names, ranks, and functional information of these Artifacts.

For many Origin Divine Artifacts, the Antahe Caretaker knew only their names and nothing about their functions. The ones whose functions he knew were usually those Artifacts crafted later.

"If you wish to leave, you can use the Planet Teleportation Gate here. The other end of this gate leads to the Prophecy Temple... The Prophecy Temple is also the temple closest to Profound Ice Star." The Antahe Caretaker spoke after waiting for Bai Xiaowen to absorb the information.

Bai Xiaowen suddenly recalled the Temple Building that had appeared indistinctly in the sky when he first arrived on Profound Ice Star. No matter how he flew at the time, he could not approach it. It turned out he needed Profound Ice Star's Teleportation Gate to reach it.

"Oh, right, there were also two extraterrestrial... hm, Humanoid Subspecies. They entered these tunnels too, but they took another route." Bai Xiaowen casually asked, "How are those two doing now?"

"Based on their behavior, they should not be your companions, correct?" the Antahe Caretaker asked.

"We merely met by chance," Bai Xiaowen said.

"After encountering the Ice Leech Larva Tide, they chose another route and therefore did not arrive here," the Antahe Caretaker said. "However, they still successfully found the Planet Teleportation Gate and have already gone ahead to the Prophecy Temple."

"All right... One last question." Bai Xiaowen looked at him. "Which Deity's temple is the Prophecy Temple, and what should I be careful about inside?"

"Of course, it is the temple of the God of Prophecy. As for what is inside, I do not know either. But there is certainly one thing you must remember: do not blaspheme against a Deity." The Antahe Caretaker said, "Though the divine bodies of the Deities have already fallen, their Spiritual Will is incomparably powerful and may endure in this world."

"I understand. Thank you. What is the situation outside?"

The Antahe Caretaker sensed for a moment. "The Ice Leeches in the hall have mostly dispersed."

"Then farewell. If I achieve something in the future, I will do everything I can to help the Ancient Antahe Kingdom revive." Bai Xiaowen gave his promise. After all, he could not simply take the Secret Art of Spiritual Power for free.

"I look forward to that day arriving soon." The Antahe Caretaker showed a highly fake expression of anticipation, then sent Bai Xiaowen and Sigdrifa out of the Resting Place. They passed through the Spirit Channel and entered the Underground Hall once more.

Only two or three Ice Leeches remained in the hall, having yet to return to their nest. They appeared to think the scenery here was nice and planned to settle down for a long stay.

Bai Xiaowen and Sigdrifa quickly killed the few Ice Leeches.

"Sigdrifa, create a Ghost. The template does not matter," Bai Xiaowen said.

"Yes, Master." Sigdrifa activated the Pack Leader Skill, and a Leader Grade Ghost emerged above the corpses of the Ice Leeches.

Bai Xiaowen then skinned and dismantled several Ice Leeches, obtaining some Ice Attribute Materials and several Divinity Cores.

Afterward, Bai Xiaowen followed the tunnel he had used to arrive and headed back. This time, he summoned Butcher again and bulldozed his way through with Rotten Poison Mist, causing large numbers of Ice Leech Larvae to die miserable deaths.

This time, Bai Xiaowen chose another fork in the road and successfully found the Planet Teleportation Gate hidden underground.

Before the Teleportation Gate, Bai Xiaowen left behind the freshly created Leader Grade Ghost. He placed another Spirit Power Imprint above its head, telling it to dig a hole and bury itself.

"What profound meaning does Master's action hold?" Sigdrifa found it strange. Bai Xiaowen had made her expend Spiritual Power to create a Ghost just so it could bury itself?

"Setting a ward," Bai Xiaowen said simply.

However, Sigdrifa still felt it could not be that simple.

After doing all this, Bai Xiaowen temporarily recalled Sigdrifa. Then, after paying a Divinity Core to activate the Planet Teleportation Gate, he stepped inside.

Light flashed, and Bai Xiaowen's figure vanished.