"Besides, if its master dared to let his artifact spirit run around here with his magic treasure, he clearly had some confidence in its strength."
"But even some high-level cultivators would covet a spirit treasure of such quality, wouldn't they?" At least, he felt certain he would have coveted it when he was alive.
The new ghost smiled faintly. "Unless whoever steals the spirit treasure is confident they can kill its master, having it would be useless. After all, one glance tells you it's a life-bound treasure."
"But what if the artifact spirit couldn't resist temptation and forcibly severed its contract with its master first?"
The ghost gave the old ghost who had asked a strange look, then said with a smile, "You've never used a spirit treasure, have you?"
The old ghost flushed, then shouted, "There aren't many people in this whole world who've used a spirit treasure!"
The newcomer did not mock him. "The artifact spirit of a spirit treasure is different from that of a spirit artifact.
"A spirit artifact's artifact spirit is nowhere near as loyal as a spirit treasure's. Many spirit treasures were once spirit artifacts. They survived heavenly tribulation after heavenly tribulation alongside their masters before gaining that sliver of opportunity for advancement.
"If one forcibly severed its contract with its master, its artifact spirit would not merely regress. More likely, it would be annihilated in both spirit and form, and even that tiny opportunity it originally gained would be lost forever.
"Of course, even if someone tried to kill the master and seize the treasure, the artifact spirit would still be damaged, and the spirit treasure itself might retain less than a tenth of its strength. It could recover after hundreds or even a thousand years of nurturing, but you could forget about