NOVPUBChapter 740 -687 Divine Artifact
That was a landscaped pool located at the center of the palace. The pool no longer contained water; its dried-up bottom was overgrown with weeds. The surrounding buildings were in ruins, and the flowerbeds around it had been reduced to dead branches and withered plants.
Lin Rui spotted a thumb-sized tiny figure sitting in a decrepit pavilion beside the pool.
The appearance of the tiny figure was strikingly similar to Lin Tianchen’s true form, so Lin Rui recognized it instantly—it was undoubtedly Lin Tianchen’s True Spirit spiritual body.
This figure was enhancing Soul Power intensity by condensing and contracting its Soul Body to defend against the Divine Power erosion of Li He Venerate.
The two sides were fiercely combating, and powerful Primordial Spirit fluctuations surged outward in all directions, with their Conceptual Powers clashing around the decrepit pavilion.
Lin Rui observed carefully and thought to himself, “What formidable Soul Power Lin Tianchen has! What formidable Conceptual Power!”
He sensed that Lin Tianchen specialized in cultivating four concepts: ‘Water Element,’ ‘Soft and Hard,’ ‘Aggregation and Separation,’ and ‘Cutting.’ Each concept had reached at least 75% mastery!
The concept of ‘Aggregation and Separation’ was derived from the power of Water Element, but it could only aggregate and not merge, differing slightly from the Separation and Reunion Technique.
Lin Tianchen’s Divine Soul was also extraordinarily strong, reminiscent of the impression Invincible Dharma King had left on Lin Rui before.
Yet it was inconceivable that the second General could be this powerful!
A Martial Cultivator’s Conceptual Power reaching 70% is already at the Immortal Level, and most Ninth Realm Martial Cultivators can only achieve this degree of mastery.
Unless their Essential Martial Intent manifests and elevates their Conceptual Power further, it is nigh impossible to surpass this threshold—even at the risk of Abyss Pollution taking over.
Unless one possesses inherent power derived from the ‘Abyss,’ like Invincible or Lin Rui.
Lin Rui soon realized this must be related to the Divine Artifact obtained by the second General.
What emboldened Lin Tianchen to explore this Ancient God’s Divine Country was precisely that Divine Artifact, combined with the method offered by the East Asia Republic’s soul Academician. It was said to temporarily enhance his Soul Body intensity to the Immortal Level.
To Lin Rui’s surprise, not only had Lin Tianchen’s Soul Body strength reached the Immortal Level, but his Conceptual Strength had also ascended to that level.
This proved that the East Asia Republic’s Academician Peng did have some prowess, and Lin General was not the reckless fool Li Xianglong claimed him to be.
“King Ming!”
At this moment, Lin Tianchen also sensed the arrival of ‘King Ming’ outside and was elated in his soul, emitting Divine Soul waves: “He resides within my True Spirit. I entrust this matter to King Ming.”
The eyes of Lin Rui’s spiritual body transformed into a fiery golden hue as he began to examine Lin Tianchen’s Soul Body.
Indeed, the Residual Spirit of Li He Venerate was nestled within Lin Tianchen’s True Spirit, corrupting and eroding his spiritual body.
Lin Tianchen was striving desperately to defend himself, repelling Li He Venerate’s Residual Spirit. Man and god were locked in a fierce contest of entangled Soul Bodies and Spiritual Senses.
Lin Rui felt a sense of relief in his heart.
Earlier, when he battled Li He Venerate, the Residual Spirit of this Venerate had placed at least half of its strength on Lin Tianchen, repressing the General.
Had Li He Venerate’s Residual Spirit focused entirely on Lin Rui, his Soul Body might have been damaged beyond repair.
Moments later, Lin Rui squinted his eyes and said, “Sir, I am about to act. Please be careful.”
And in the blink of an eye, Lin Tianchen’s entire being ignited with Holy White Flames, accompanied by flashes of Thunder that surged into the depths of Lin Tianchen’s Soul Body.
Lin Rui manipulated these forces with surgical precision, striking and dismantling Li He Venerate’s Residual Spirit piece by piece, searing it into oblivion.
Lin Tianchen, however, dared not refine the scattered Essence Soul of Li He Venerate, choosing instead to expel it immediately.
His Divine Soul Power was vastly inferior to Li He Venerate’s, and even though the Essence Soul fragments had been broken, burned, and purified by King Ming’s power, he dared not keep them within his Soul Body.
Li He Venerate’s consciousness would inevitably recover, especially since he possessed the ‘Aggregation’ technique, allowing him to reassemble the scattered Essence Soul fragments.
Moreover, the Divine Artifact Lin Tianchen was utilizing was nearing its expiration, and his True Soul Body was about to regress from Immortal Level to Divine Illumination.
Forcing himself to refine Li He Venerate’s Essence Soul now would be suicidal.
While this could provide a temporary boost in strength, it would eventually become a source of contamination for his Soul Body.
Lin Rui, witnessing this scene, couldn’t help but feel regret—what a pity he couldn’t absorb and refine these Essence Soul fragments into his own body.
In truth, he could have Ji Xueying and the others continue helping him harvest soul power points from the lower zone. Plenty of insane gangsters infused with Armament Project technology could be scavenged there.
With a thorough search, gathering two million soul power points wouldn’t be hard.
But Lin Rui’s ‘surgery’ was far from over. Li He Venerate’s Residual Spirit recoiled like a tide from Lin Tianchen’s body, retreating deep into the palace before vanishing without a trace before Lin Rui’s eyes.
Lin Rui let out a soft “hmm” and gazed deeper into the palace.
Li He Venerate’s Residual Spirit was indeed quite cunning, understanding the situation was irreparable and opting to cut its losses in time.
That wasn’t entirely bad—Lin Rui’s current strength couldn’t truly deal with such beings anyway.
Now he could reserve more energy to investigate the Knowledge Barrier.
Lin Tianchen’s True Spirit, meanwhile, ascended decisively into the air, swiftly retreating from the massive dilapidated palace.
After exiting the Divine Country, Lin Tianchen finally exhaled deeply, his soul brimming with exhilaration and joy.
Lin Tianchen was a deeply shrewd person who prided himself on maintaining composure in all circumstances.
Yet at this moment, he couldn’t contain the surging torrent of emotions in his heart.
What had seemed like a fatal predicament when he first fell into this ancient Divine Country had filled him with despair. Yet, with the help of Li Xianglong, Lin Rui, and others, he had clawed his way back from the brink of death.
Lin Tianchen eventually managed to suppress his emotions, sealing away most of his Spiritual Senses. He bowed deeply toward Lin Rui and said, “Lin Tianchen offers his thanks to King Ming! Your great act of salvation is engraved in my soul!”
Although he had paid a substantial price, including tens of trillions in top-tier serums and war machines to enlist King Ming’s aid, Lin Tianchen was still deeply grateful.
Without this intervention, he would have been doomed.
This moment came at a time when Lin Tianchen was being humiliated and driven to despair by the Longevity Association, making the warmth of human kindness acutely felt.
“No need for such words,” Lin Rui replied with a soft chuckle, his eyes gleaming oddly, “You and I signed a Divine Contract under the witness of the Three Gods. How could I dare to slack off? If you truly wish to thank me, then in the future, I ask that you provide me with more Heavenly Demon artifacts.”
Lin Rui then looked toward the depths of the palace, his tone filled with caution: “Although Li He Venerate has been injured, his essence remains intact and continues to watch you. For now, I urge you to leave. In the future, stay vigilant, as the spiritual connection between you and him subjects you to the risk of continuous contamination.”
Lin Tianchen heard this and felt an indescribable sensation in his heart.
He felt this figure before him seemed familiar, as if they had encountered each other before.
However, King Ming had donned the ‘Holy Thunder Tribulation Fire,’ a status nearly divine, and gods were not something one could gaze upon directly.
His entire being emanated Infinite Bright Light, akin to a miniature sun. Lin Tianchen’s Soul Body felt deeply uncomfortable, forcing him to retract most of his Spiritual Senses to avoid provocation, making it impossible to discern his essence.
Lin Tianchen’s spirit grew tense as he chuckled bitterly, saying, “I understand. Thank you, Your Highness, for the warning.”
In truth, he knew his entanglement with Li He Venerate was far from resolved.
Lin Tianchen dared not linger any longer and controlled his True Spirit to fly far away from the dark void, distancing himself from the ruined palace.
When he determined Li He Venerate could no longer sense the position of his True Spirit, Lin Tianchen withdrew his consciousness from the Heavenly Curtain, returning it to his Alien body.
Lin Tianchen’s Alien body was located within underwater ruins, atop a pyramid-shaped altar in the depths of the sea.
Surrounding the altar was a vast mixture of seabed sludge and decayed structures, marked by massive beams, surviving totems, and fragments of carved stonework—glimpses of magnificent grandeur and faded splendor from a bygone era.
As Lin Tianchen surveyed this magnificent and sorrowful scene, he exhaled heavily, overcome by the profound feeling of narrowly evading death.
Finally, his consciousness had returned to his Alien body, enabling him to escape these ancient ruins.
Lin Tianchen’s gaze shifted to the altar’s center, where two objects about a meter in length resembling machetes floated.
These were the Abyss Divine Artifact known as the ‘Separation and Union Scissors’ left behind by Li He Venerate. When separated, they served as blades; when united, they became scissors, possessing both the Separation and Union technique and the ability to sever anything.
This artifact bore residual traces of Li He Venerate’s Divine Power, with the altar beneath harboring potent forbidden techniques. Anyone attempting to seize or touch the artifact would trigger an attack from the Scissors or be forcibly pulled into Li He Venerate’s Divine Country.
A year ago, this was the very artifact that dragged Lin Tianchen into that forsaken Divine Country.
Contrary to what Li Xianglong believed—that he had been incited by Academician Peng to explore the path to Longevity and the Abyss—Lin Tianchen had been compelled by the pursuit of this Abyss Divine Artifact.
With a surge of Divine Sense, the artifact moved into Lin Tianchen’s grasp.
This was partly because the forbidden techniques on the Scissors had disappeared, and partly because Lin Tianchen had gained fragments of Li He Venerate’s Divine Power during his forced contamination.
Lin Tianchen gently caressed the pair of divine scissors, a fierce light gleaming in his eyes.
—The Longevity Association!
His molars clenched tightly, and his hands audibly cracked. The overwhelming killing intent and murderous aura caused the underwater currents to rage violently, churning with dark tides.
Having emerged alive, it was time for certain individuals to pay the price—their monumental price!
Meanwhile, Lin Rui was taking a final glance at the towering palace before him.
He had been covering Lin Tianchen’s retreat, steadfastly stationed there, observing the Ancient God’s every move within the palace.
Lin Rui waited for half an hour, estimating that Lin Tianchen’s True Spirit had fled far enough to sever its psychic connection with the Ancient God. Only then did Lin Rui withdraw from the void.
He retreated cautiously to a considerable distance, monitoring the surroundings closely—not only to evade the Ancient God’s pursuit but also to ensure no other powerful entities in the Heavenly Curtain were tailing him.
After all, Lin Rui had yet to anchor his True Spirit within the Heavenly Curtain. Should the feeble Sky Curtain Spirit be targeted by dominant entities prowling within, it could spell trouble.
Simultaneously, Lin Rui needed to avoid the eight enormous vortexes and nine colossal Heaven Pillars looming in the dark void.
These vortexes and pillars were strikingly conspicuous in the Heavenly Curtain, exerting immense pulling forces upon approach. Lin Rui had no choice but to steer clear to avoid being noticed by the entities within the vortexes.
After roughly half an hour, Lin Rui halted and began to study the crimson Light Trace surrounding him, focusing on the barrier concealing his trace of destiny and causal connections.
Lin Rui squinted his eyes, ruminating on what lay behind the Knowledge Barrier.
He formed a Dharma Seal with his hands, and three layers of fire lotuses from the ‘Holy Thunder Tribulation Fire’ bloomed beneath him in an instant.
At the same time, a Thunder Spear wreathed in Holy Fire began forming at his side.
With a single thought, Lin Rui sent the Thunder Spear hurling toward the crimson light barrier.
At the exact moment when the Thunder Spear struck the crimson barrier, blood spurted from the mouth and nose of Ge Xianshan, who was hiding in a backup cavern in Purgatory.
His pupils shrank drastically. “Is this King Ming? No, it’s that New God!”
—The one who recently mastered the Pure Method!
