Chapter 54: A Magical Artifact Capable of Self-Transformation

Whoosh—

Inside the cave dwelling, Shen Lian lay on his back, the meditation mat long since kicked into a corner, one hand gripping the Five Elements Mountain, his chest rising and falling with labored breaths.

The Five Elements Mountain had truly exhausted him.

After the initial refining, he had his suspicions—this Five Elements Mountain was completely unlike other second-tier artifacts. It must be a prototype capable of evolving on its own.

As long as it was continuously nourished with the Primordial Qi of the Five Elements, spiritual restrictions would naturally form inside the Five Elements Mountain.

But that raised a question.

Did the Flowing Fire artificer of the Ninefold Immortal City, who forged this artifact, know of the mountain’s extraordinary qualities?

In the cultivation world, the vast majority of artifacts, once crafted, were nearly impossible to upgrade in quality. Only when an artifact reached the level of a treasure, and was nurtured by the essence of a Golden Core ancestor, could it possibly ascend further.

An artifact with the potential to grow was worth far more than ordinary ones.

If Flowing Fire had known of the Five Elements Mountain’s wonders, there was no way it would have been put up for auction at the price of two thousand spirit stones—why not send it to the Celestial Pavilion?

Though the Celestial Pavilion rarely accepted items from the outside world, that only applied to ordinary objects. With their resources, a grade-ascending artifact could easily be sold in another immortal city.

If there were no Foundation Establishment cultivators with all five elements in Chu, then what about the Wastelands, or the entire Sea of Ten Thousand Stars?

It would surely fetch a sky-high price.

It made no sense for an artificer to be ignorant of the properties of their own creation.

And yet, the Five Elements Mountain had been sold at auction with such ease.

Turning the artifact in his hand, Shen Lian could be sure it was meant for a cultivator with all five elements, and likely for someone cultivating a specific five-element technique capable of producing a similar Primordial Qi.

Of all the five-element arts he practiced, only the Art of Gathering the Five Primordial Qis could condense this energy, which just so happened to be what nourished the Five Elements Mountain.

He had stumbled upon a tremendous treasure.

It seemed the cultivator who commissioned Flowing Fire to craft the Five Elements Mountain had withheld some information from the artificer.

The overall sturdiness of the Five Elements Mountain surpassed that of ordinary second-tier lower-grade artifacts, and it currently housed a single spiritual restriction.

The power bestowed by that restriction resembled imprisonment—it could suppress an opponent’s spellcasting or movements when unleashed.

If the opponent was weak, they would simply be crushed to death.

If strong, the power of the imprisonment would vary, and Shen Lian could seize the moment—piercing them with his sword or blasting them with talismans, as the situation demanded.

As for the manner of death, there was always an option suited to any fellow cultivator.

Shen Lian estimated that with careful nurturing using the Primordial Qi of the Five Elements, as the number of restrictions within the Five Elements Mountain increased, the might of its divine abilities would continue to grow, and perhaps new spiritual restrictions would even emerge.

That nameless Foundation Establishment cultivator had toiled for ages, only to have crafted the perfect artifact for him.

He now felt quite certain the original owner was cultivating a five-element technique of the Golden Core stage.

...

Half a month later.

Shen Lian ceased his cultivation.

The Primordial Qi of the Five Elements once again filled his viscera, intertwining with his elemental spiritual power.

To wield the Five Elements Mountain required more than just spiritual power; only by merging the two energies could he use it.

Half a day later.

On a deserted nearby isle, by the water’s edge, Shen Lian stood atop the waves, the Five-Colored Divine Light blooming in his hand. In midair, a field of radiant color blossomed, descending upon the surging water before him.

Within the glowing field, seawater within a hundred-zhang radius was instantly forced aside, revealing a sunken crater in the sandy seabed.

After repeating the technique several times, Shen Lian gained a clear understanding.

He had merely summoned the Five Elements Mountain and had not yet poured all his elemental Qi and spiritual power into it. With his current reserves, he could only unleash the Five Elements Mountain at full power twice.

The efficiency with which five-element spiritual items converted into Primordial Qi was slow—unlike refining spirit stones, he could not quickly replenish his reserves.

This was a crucial point. In future duels, he must not allow himself to reach a desperate state.

With the Soul-Seizing Seal for spiritual attacks, the Five Elements Mountain for spells, and the Hundred Spirits Venom for hidden assaults, Shen Lian now felt much more secure.

Next, it was time to return to his cave and cultivate in peace.

...

On the island, little had changed with the passing of a year and a half.

“Hiss—hiss—”

A black-horned demon ant, bearing a rotting leaf atop its head, gazed into the distance as a fishing boat sailed away from shore, while sparse raindrops pattered down.

Having journeyed from the deep forests to this salty, damp island, the black-horned demon ants had, after a year of adaptation, firmly established themselves, burrowing holes everywhere.

Many of the smaller ones had even developed a fondness for bathing in the sea.

In this part of the White Sand Archipelago, demonized fish were scarce, making the black-horned demon ants the undisputed rulers of these waters—burrowing in the earth, soaking in the sea, and feasting on seafood at their leisure.

“Glug—glug—”

To the north of Peaceful Isle, on Watchpoint One as it was named, a large black ant emerged from the mud and sand, baring its fangs, its small limbs digging rapidly as it plunged into the waves.

Over the past year, it had required little attention from Shen Lian; apart from the occasional tussle with the queen, it spent its days devouring spirit stones to enhance its strength, having already advanced to the fifth layer of Qi Refinement, soon to touch the sixth.

Its army of demon ants now spanned a dozen or so neighboring isles, each day tasked with perching under withered grass—watching the sky, the sea, the islands, and the people.

Per Shen Lian’s instructions, the demon ants were never to make contact with humans; they were simply to remain quietly on the islands, or slip into the sea to fish in secret.

Beneath the surface, the big black ant used its self-invented “ant-paddle” stroke to swim swiftly toward its master’s island.

It dared not swim openly above water, for that would violate its master’s orders.

According to the Black-Horned Demon Ant Code, whenever crossing between islands, one should do so near dusk and travel underwater.

If encountering fishing folk, it would detour in advance.

Upon returning to Peaceful Isle, the big black ant first disciplined a few subordinates with aspirations of usurpation, then, gripping a fish it had caught earlier, burrowed into the earth toward Shen Lian’s secluded chamber.

Following its master’s routine, it reported the situation on the surrounding islands every ten days.

The main task was to observe any cultivators passing through the nearby seas.

But over the past year, the demon ants had spotted fewer than twenty human cultivators in total.

Every one of them either flashed by overhead or skirted the surrounding seas, not even sparing the islands a second glance.

Within the cave dwelling.

Shen Lian sat cross-legged on his meditation mat, surrounded by a circle of spirit stone dust left from spent stones, his aura fluctuating slightly.

A flash of divine light in his eyes—his formidable spiritual sense swept out of the cave, spreading in all directions, only beginning to slow as it reached a hundred and thirty-eight zhang.

Plop.

Just as it neared the cave, the big black ant tumbled to the ground, the fish it had brought as tribute dropping from its jaws.

Its master’s seclusion had ended!

“Hiss—hiss—”