NOVPUBVol 4 Chapter 63: Belonging 𝖓𝔬𝖛𝔭𝔲𝖇.𝔠𝔬𝖒
The time limit for the Divine Control Technique ended.
Lin Jing no longer had the strength to support the Artifact Ghost.
The Artifact Ghost floated dazedly out of the Four Saints Diagram, but before it could react, the Demon Emperor swept in like a gust of wind and snatched it into her hand while simultaneously retrieving the Celestial Artifact...
“So the source of your ability to control the Celestial Artifact is this jellyfish? I see.” The Demon Emperor drooled slightly.
“Only at the Void Mystical Stage, and you’re already able to control a Celestial Artifact—this thing is somewhat like the ultimate Artifact Spirit created by the Ancient Immortal Palace... Could it be?” The Demon Emperor, well-versed and worldly, probably didn’t slack on her homework under the last Demon Emperor’s watch.
After stuffing himself with a large pile of supplements, Lin Jing’s aura remained unstable as he replied, “That’s right.”
“Excellent. Welcome to the Demon Court.” The Demon Emperor extended her arm, locking eyes with the Artifact Ghost in her hand.
“From now on, our Demon Court has gained another Dao-Seeking combat force!”
Artifact Ghost: ???
It struggled furiously.
Lin Jing hesitated to speak.
Alright then, looks like no one else should even think about coveting the Artifact Ghost anymore.
“Speaking of which, Your Majesty the Demon Emperor, shouldn't we now proceed to claim the Gu God Sect’s inheritance?” Lin Jing looked toward the vast Cloud Sea Mountains.
In the Cloud Sea Mountains, there seemed to be many bases belonging to the Gu God Sect.
Now that the Gu God had been driven off and the Sect Leader of the Gu God Sect had been slain, all of that was now unclaimed property.
.............
A few days later.
Lin Jing returned to the Western Desert and reunited with Sky-Splitting Sword Ancestor, Cold Moon Sword Immortal, and the Ghost Bride.
“You’re finally back.” The Ghost Bride let out a sigh of relief upon seeing Lin Jing return.
“Mm. But the thing I promised you might still take a while.” Lin Jing nodded.
“That’s fine. After all, I wasn’t much help.” The Ghost Bride was speechless. Heaven knew she only went out to search for the Artifact Ghost, not expecting everything that followed.
First the Mechanical Turtle brought the Artifact Ghost to Lin Jing, then Lin Jing controlled the Celestial Sword and roamed the continent.
When she first sensed the Celestial Sword’s activity in the Western Desert, she never imagined Lin Jing was behind it.
Lin Jing then looked toward the Sky-Splitting Sword Ancestor and Cold Moon Sword Immortal.
“No need to say more, Your Highness the Holy Son. Since it was you who found the Artifact Ghost and you can command it, this old woman naturally won’t fight you over it.” The Sky-Splitting Sword Ancestor waved her hand and promptly recalled the Celestial Sword from Lin Jing’s hand.
Being able to reclaim the Celestial Sword—she was already satisfied.
And she understood that Lin Jing had no real say in the matter. The Demon Emperor of the Demon Court would never let go of something as valuable as the Artifact Ghost.
At least the Demon Court hadn’t confiscated the Celestial Sword, so that wasn’t greedy.
Cold Moon Sword Immortal also gave Lin Jing a nod. Although Gao Sheng had originally intended for the Heavenly Sword Gate to gain the Artifact Ghost, given all the unexpected developments, the Artifact Ghost had become almost impossible to claim for the sect.
“Now that the Celestial Sword is recovered, this old woman won’t stay longer. Your Highness the Holy Son, you’re always welcome to visit the Heavenly Sword Gate. Since you’ve had experience commanding a Celestial Sword, your talent in the Sword Dao must’ve awakened. It wouldn’t hurt to delve into sword cultivation in the future!”
With that, the Sky-Splitting Sword Ancestor sliced open space and departed.
As for Cold Moon Sword Immortal, after bidding farewell to her master, she asked, “Are you doing okay?”
“I’m fine, no big deal.” Lin Jing smiled.
“Then we’ll wait for you in Martial Emperor City. Once your pet beast masters the Divine Scripture, we’ll summon the Feng Family Ancestor together.” Feng Ning spoke up.
“For now, I’ll be cultivating in Martial Emperor City for a while, digesting the Sword Dao inheritance from my master. Senior Tang Ling is also planning to guide my Sword Spirit a bit.”
“I’ll aim to reach Nascent Soul Transformation within ten years and try for a spot in the top ten of the Fortune Gold List.” She looked up toward the sky.
If it had been before, she’d have never dared think it.
But after experiencing her master’s Dao-Seeking Sword Realm, Feng Ning understood her master’s deep intentions.
Lin Jing nodded. “I may need to return to the Ancient Kingdom for a bit. If all goes well, I should be back at Martial Emperor City soon to find you all.”
Ancient Kingdom, Spirit Dao Sect, Rare Beast, Insight Fish...
With so many enlightenment bonuses, Lin Jing believed he could quickly improve and perfect the Beast Taming Art.
...........
“It’s all over now, right?”
After bidding farewell to the Ghost Bride and the others, the Demon Emperor was already waiting to escort Lin Jing to the Ancient Kingdom for enlightenment.
“Mm.”
“Good. The Ancient Emperor has agreed to our terms.”
“Besides that, I also casually asked the Dragon Emperor and Whale Emperor—they’re both willing to pay a heavy price to protect their own prodigies’ rankings. This time, we really hit the jackpot.”
The Demon Emperor licked her lips.
First, Second, and Third on the Gold List had been locked down by the Ancient Kingdom.
Fourth and Fifth were held by the Crown Prince of Poseidon Palace and the Dragon Emperor’s disciple and companion.
Now that Lin Jing wouldn’t be contesting the top three spots, the Demon Emperor figured—thanks to the Insight Fish’s enlightenment bonus—rankings four and five also didn’t matter that much.
So why not make deals with Poseidon Palace and the Misty Forest, just like she had with the Ancient Kingdom?
And the results greatly exceeded her expectations.
“That Dragon Emperor was willing to offer a quasi-immortal-grade spiritual herb.”
“As for the Whale Emperor, they were willing to hand over an ancient relic.”
“The spiritual herb is called Immortal Water Lotus. In the lower realm, it’s a top-tier material for refining an external incarnation. Incarnations made from Immortal Water Lotus don’t resonate with natural world power—they don’t help with Nascent Soul breakthroughs, nor are they attuned to space power, so they don’t assist with Void Mystical progress...”
“But such incarnations are uniquely attuned to Immortal Realm energy, much like demonic beasts with rare bloodlines—they absorb immortal power with incredible efficiency!”
“In the Tianyuan Realm, the incarnation would be of little use. But in the Origin Realm, if there’s a chance to obtain Immortal Source, then this incarnation would be the ideal body.”
“Additionally, incarnations refined from Immortal Water Lotus naturally possess a Flawless Divine Body...”
“As for the Whale Emperor’s treasure—it’s Dragon Saliva Wine, a relic from the Ancient Dragon Palace, capable of restoring lifespan. It doesn’t increase or extend lifespan, but can repair lifespan lost due to injury or secret techniques. The effect varies by individual, but it can at least restore a thousand years.”
“What do you think?” The Demon Emperor finished, and Lin Jing was stunned.
“Then I’ll just settle at sixth place.” Lin Jing was extremely tempted—especially by that Dragon Saliva Wine.
That was a real treasure.
His whole purpose in fighting for a higher rank had been to compensate for the lifespan he’d burned.
Now, if he could restore some of it, plus all these extra resources—he felt it was completely worth it.
“But the Dragon Emperor and Whale Emperor being so generous—surely it’s not just about protecting their prodigies’ rankings?” Lin Jing asked.
“Of course not. They’re also eyeing the Transformation Technique! Given the current state of the cultivation world and the Demon Court’s strength, they’ve lost any hope of acquiring it by force. That leaves only one path—allying with the Demon Court.”
“These things... actually, they’re all negotiable.” She once again pulled out the Artifact Ghost.
“The real headache is this thing. Why is its intelligence lower than a three-year-old tiger cub? It only reacts on instinct—no way to hold a proper conversation. It’s driving me crazy.”
The Ghost Mother twisted into various forms in her hand. Seeing this, Lin Jing was speechless.
This Artifact Ghost was a war weapon. What use did it have for intelligence? As long as it could occupy and devour Magical Artifacts, that was enough.
What mattered was the one controlling it.
This way, the Celestial Palace could ensure that even if this war weapon were lost, few would be able to use it.
