Spirit Artifact: Void-Return Sword Tower

The Total Perception Divine Chamber like glass falling to the ground, fragment by fragment.

That ancient verse echoed deep within his consciousness in those broken gaps.

"Stealing the spiritual essence of heaven and earth, and drawing inspiration from the past and present."

"Pagoda..."

Chen Lingxi suddenly opened her eyes.

The deep cave, the rugged stone walls, the howling night wind outside, and in the palm of my hand, the three-story glazed pagoda that still exudes a warm glow.

The Total Perception has crumbled, but the pagoda remains.

The Thorough Awakening Divine Ability, which "Turning the Unreal into Reality," lies precisely in this.

Chen Lingxi exhaled a long breath, the excruciating pain from his ribs being shattered by the giant whale's bones still lingering.

He looked down at his chest; his ribs were intact, and the protective lightning was calmly swirling around him.

"The skeleton of a giant whale on the seabed of the North Sea..."

He muttered to himself, a hint of relief flashing in his eyes.

"Luckily, I took advantage of a moment of Total Perception to go to the bottom of the North Sea." He felt a lingering fear in his heart.

"Otherwise, if one were to go to retrieve that sword in the present world, one would probably die without even knowing how."

Although I have now cultivated to the Dao Platform, the power of that giant whale is truly terrifying. I wonder if Zhao Duanxuan or Ying Xian... could withstand such an attack and survive?"

Chen Lingxi secretly pondered this.

"This giant whale must have been a powerful overlord who dominated the deep sea in its lifetime. Even if only its skeleton remains, that sudden attack would be enough to severely injure me."

But... where did this strange beast come from in this Qi-Less Grotto-Heaven?

While Chen Lingxi her guesses, she felt a sense of relief.

"Total Perception investigation saved me from a fatal disaster... As for that precious sword, I'm afraid I can't retrieve it now."

He shook his head, suppressing his relief and lingering fear, and his gaze returned to the three-tiered glazed pagoda in his palm.

"The most urgent task is to refine this pagoda as soon as possible."

He had a premonition that the power of this mysterious Spirit Artifact from ancient times would surely exceed his imagination.

If he can gain complete control, his combat power will undoubtedly experience a qualitative leap.

Without further delay, Chen Lingxi immediately sat cross-legged and held the glass pagoda to her chest with both hands.

With a slight thought, the majestic Dragon-Stripping Dao Platform began to slowly rotate.

Strands of extremely pure azure spiritual energy rose from the Dao Platform, flowing along his meridians and slowly into the pagoda in his palm.

"Buzz..."

The glazed pagoda trembled slightly, and the already warm, jade-colored luster on its surface seemed to be infused with new vitality, suddenly becoming brighter.

Chen Lingxi's Divine Sense and spiritual energy permeated the layers of magic arrays like mercury spilling onto the ground.

The magic array inside this pagoda is more complex than any Law Artifact he has ever refined.

It possesses a grand and majestic air, yet it is also complex and mysterious.

"Truly a precious treasure."

Chen Lingxi concentrated intently, carefully spreading her Divine Sense and spiritual energy along the veins of the magic array.

Time slipped away quietly amidst this tedious yet focused refining process.

Time flies in the mountains; more than a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, Chen Lingxi, who had been sitting cross-legged like a stone statue, finally slowly opened her eyes.

The moment he opened his eyes, the three-tiered glazed pagoda in his palm suddenly shone brightly!

A vast, ancient, and majestic aura awakened, accompanied by faint, persistent humming of the Great Dao, and it spread out with a roar, instantly filling the entire cave!

At this moment, he finally established a clear mental connection with the pagoda.

"[The Void-Return Sword Tower]..."

He whispered the name of the Spirit Artifact.

As if in response to his call, three beams of spiritual light suddenly shone like the sun rising into the sky above the "Void-Return Sword Tower," and then manifested three illusory images on the tower.

The first level is a desolate Sword Mound resembling an ancient battlefield.

The second level is a sword-forging furnace burning with raging flames;

The third layer is a dark Void that devours all light.

At the same time, information about the power of this magical Spirit Artifact flooded into his Consciousness Sea like a tidal wave.

After a long while, Chen Lingxi let out a long breath, her eyes sparkling with barely suppressed joy.

"This tower is actually a purely lethal Spirit Artifact!"

The Void-Return Sword Tower has three levels, each with its own mysterious effect.

The first level is called [Sword Mound].

It can collect and devour unclaimed or damaged swords and sword intents; cultivators can also nourish them with their own Sword Qi.

The tower will automatically grind away and decompose it, extracting the purest "True Intention of the sword".

The second level is called the [Sword Furnace].

Using the extracted "True Intention of the sword" as fuel, a phantom sword shadow was condensed within the glazed tower.

The more and stronger the swords used, the more solid and sharp the sword shadows become!

The third level is called [Void-Return Sword Shadow].

When activated, it can release the sword shadows contained within the tower to defend against enemies!

"Devouring ten thousand swords, condensing sword shadows, one sword shatters all laws!"

A glint of light flashed in Chen Lingxi's eyes.

"What a magnificent Void-Return Sword Tower! With this tower, we have an additional trump card that can grow continuously and has virtually no upper limit!"

He suddenly stood up, and the aura around him, which had become somewhat dormant due to days of refining, once again became proud and magnificent.

Their confidence also increased significantly.

"With the help of this pagoda, plus my own Dragon-Stripping Dao Platform, I can achieve great success."

Within this Weiji Grotto-Heaven, aside from those who have reached the Dao Foundation Realm stage, I fear there is no one else who can rival me.

Even those near -Dao Foundation Realm cultivators who have attained great supernatural Divine Ability but have not yet fully established their Profound Root are the same!

He was full of vigor and was pondering whether he should set off immediately to go to the Storm Immortal Pivot again, and use the power of the Immortal Pivot to speed up the process of refining the Thunder-Prison Spirit Branch.

However, the instant the thought crossed his mind, a sudden, indescribable palpitation gripped his heart!

"Um?"

His brows furrowed sharply, and his eyes instantly sharpened.

This feeling came without warning, yet it was so intense, as if a deadly sword was hanging over his head, ready to strike at any the Unseen.

"Why did I suddenly feel a sense of foreboding?" Chen Lingxi suppressed her unease and forced herself to calm down.

Having cultivated himself to this day and experienced the trials of life and death, he has always had unwavering faith in this kind of sudden, dangerous intuition.

He frowned and pondered for a moment, then suddenly an idea struck him. With a flick of his wrist, an ancient-looking mirror appeared in his hand.

It was precisely that [Three-Mystery Mirror].

On the Three-Mystery Mirror, the black Mystic Light representing Zhao Duanxuan was steadily hovering in the direction of the Heaven Gate Sea, far away from him.

Meanwhile, the blazing Mystic Light representing Bai Lingze was flashing and moving rapidly at an extremely fast speed!

However, the direction he moved was not from the desolate mountain where he was currently hiding.

"They weren't coming for me?" Chen Lingxi was taken aback.

If neither of his two major enemies is targeting him, then where does this strong sense of foreboding come from?

He pondered for a moment, then carefully examined the Three-Mystery Mirror.

Then he discovered...

But then they saw the white, Mystic Light symbolizing Bai Lingze moving rapidly.

"This..." Chen Lingxi frowned even more deeply. After observing for a moment, an absurd thought suddenly surged into his mind, "Judging from this trajectory, it seems to be related to the place I'm going to?"

It's like... Bai Lingze is going to my inevitable path?

The thought made his heart skip a beat.

He quickly put away the Three-Mystery Mirror and shook his head slightly.

"I guess I was overthinking it."

Perhaps it's just a coincidence; Bai Lingze just happened to be planning something in the vicinity.

He comforted himself in this way, took a deep breath, suppressed the unease in his heart, and prepared to take off on a cloud to the Storm Immortal Pivot.

However, the moment he activated the Cloud-Riding Method, he suddenly stopped.

His expression changed slightly, and he took out the Three-Mystery Mirror again, a look of solemnity flashing in his eyes.

Because just a moment ago, he suddenly realized...

"If I were to travel on the clouds now, the route to the Storm Immortal Pivot would seem to intersect with the moving Bai Lingze for a certain period of time!"

"Could it be... that they really came for me?" Chen Lingxi was shocked. "How did Bai Lingze pinpoint my location?"

He was filled with doubt and uncertainty, and pondered for a long time.

Ultimately, Chen Lingxi made her decision.

"It is not advisable to take such a risk."

I will hold my position for now, lie in wait, and observe the situation."

Bai Lingze possessed powerful cultivation, and although he had already reached the Dao Platform, he was also protected by treasures and Cauldron Artifact Fragment.

However, if one were to confront such a noble cultivator with great Divine Ability head-on, the chances of victory would be slim, and rashly engaging in combat would be unwise.

Chen Lingxi's mind raced, and finally she slowly sat down cross-legged, her aura receding, as if she had completely merged with the cave and the rocks.

He decided to wait there for a few days and observe how things unfolded.

Three days passed in a flash.

For the next three days, Chen Lingxi remained motionless, like an old monk in deep meditation, only taking out the Three-Mystery Mirror to observe every few hours.

The blazing Mystic Light symbolizing Bai Lingze, after its initial high-speed movement, actually stopped at a certain location as he had expected, and remained motionless.

Chen Lingxi was shocked to discover that the place was the only way he could get to the Storm Immortal Pivot.

"That was close!" Chen Lingxi gasped inwardly.

"If I didn't have this Three-Mystery Mirror, and had followed the original plan to travel to the Immortal Pivot, I would have inevitably passed by Bai Lingze's current location and run into him!"

He was almost certain that Bai Lingze had used some mysterious means, great Divine Ability, or special Spirit Artifact to roughly determine the area around his whereabouts, but was unable to pinpoint his exact location.

So he simply stood guard at that crucial pass, like a spider weaving its web, waiting for his prey to come to him of its own accord!

"Such a strange method must be either a great Divine Ability or Cauldron Artifact Fragment!"

"Bai Lingze went to great lengths to kill me, first using the great Divine Ability to Fortune-Burying Mystery, and then this scheming... He really went to great lengths."

"I'm so proud of myself."

Chen Lingxi felt even more wary of the methods employed by the Yutai Bai Family.

He looked down at the Three-Mystery Mirror in his hand.

Without this mirror, he would likely have been in grave danger this time.

"Since you've set up your trap here, I'll just go around you," Chen Lingxi sneered, having made up her mind.

This Weiji Grotto-Heaven is vast and boundless; he refused to believe that he couldn't reach the Storm Immortal Pivot by bypassing this pass.

After waiting another day and confirming that Bai Lingze's Mystic Light was still in the same place without any sign of moving, Chen Lingxi no longer hesitated.

He quietly got up and left the long-hidden, desolate mountain without a sound, choosing instead an extremely remote path that took thousands of miles around.

He activated the Concealed Edge Method, locking all his aura firmly within his body. He then silently merged into the surging sea of clouds, like a shimmering jewel, and set off once more towards the Storm Immortal Pivot.

This detour adds more than a thousand miles to the journey.

Chen Lingxi traveled at a leisurely pace, calming his mind and focusing his energy. He passed many great rivers and streams, and crossed several remote and inaccessible mountain ranges.

On this day, he was halfway there when he saw a low hill covered in clouds and mist ahead.

As usual, he scanned the area with his Divine Sense and observed it using the method of Qi Observation, but found nothing unusual. He was about to ride the cloud through it.

Suddenly, his gaze sharpened slightly.

He saw that on a distant hill, atop a prominent, jagged rock, stood a person, proudly.

The man was dressed in a spotless blue robe, his figure upright as a pine tree.

On his forehead grew a pair of forked antlers like coral, which shimmered in the mist, adding to his eerie and ancient aura.

At his waist, like a swordsman in the secular world, hung an ancient longsword.

He was originally sitting cross-legged in the Void, with his eyes closed.

His aura completely subsided, and he merged perfectly with the rock, the hills, and the world around him.

So much so that Chen Lingxi's previous Divine Sense probe had failed to detect his presence.

He only opened his eyes when Chen Lingxi arrived on a cloud and stepped into the area dozens of miles in front of him.

The instant he opened his eyes, a terrifying aura, as imposing as a mountain, suddenly erupted from his body!

A stream of Dao Origin energy soared into the sky.

The clouds and mist that stretched for dozens of miles around vanished in an instant under his gaze!

"Dao Foundation Realm!" Chen Lingxi's pupils constricted slightly!

He clearly sensed that the terrifying power flowing through this person—a power so profound, vast, and far surpassing even his own spiritual energy—was none other than Dao Origin!

This is a genuine Dao Foundation Early Stage cultivator!

Just then, the Three-Mystery Mirror in his Hongdong Bag also trembled violently.

Chen Lingxi probed a wisp of her Divine Sense into the mirror, and her heart sank immediately.

Then, the blazing Mystic Light symbolizing Bai Lingze on the mirror suddenly moved at that moment, rushing toward his current location at an unbelievable speed!

"This person... has a connection with Bai Lingze." Chen Lingxi's mind raced.

At that moment, the man in blue robes with deer antlers on the mountain rock also revealed a smile of interest on his fair and eerie face.

His eyes were calm, a smile playing on his lips, and even from a great distance, his gaze was fixed on Chen Lingxi as if it were a tangible presence.

"So you are Chen Lingxi?" he asked, his tone tinged with curiosity.

Then, he shook his head slightly, a hint of undisguised disappointment and contempt flashing in his eyes, as if lamenting something rather uninteresting.

"A mere Dao Platform Master, who hasn't even condensed his Profound Root, is actually worth Bai Lingze going to such lengths for? Truly..."

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Lingxi asked in a deep voice, "Who are you, fellow Daoist? Why are you stopping me here?"

The man raised his head, his smile unchanged, and leisurely began to explain his origins.

"I am Liu Chengfeng of the Dragon-Offering Sect."

Having received some favors from Bai Lingze, I came here only to trap you.