Chapter 283 “Combination of Women and Villain”
The sound came from the wood elemental fragment.
“Who are you?”
“I am the artifact spirit inside the cauldron fragment. With your measly strength, how dare you connive after my powers? Soon you shall be absorbed by me and become my next servant,” the voice sounded greedy and cruel.
Ever since the wood spirit took on its current host, it’s been over a millennium since it’s managed to taste the fresh taste of blood.
This little alchemist, although he can’t be compared to the former body, but at least its fresh and flavorful.
“Artifact spirit? There’s something like that in this world? Can it be, you are the real reason for the Tai Yi School’s destruction back then?” Ling Yue was losing strength rapidly. If this continues, it won’t be long until she completely transforms into the same undead creature as the former sect leader.
“Ignorant youngster, of course there are artifact spirits in this world. Aside my kind, there are also Dan spirits and sword spirits, but they must all be at the sky grade level before manifestation begins. That fool you call the Tai Yi School sect leader, he’s such a coward. A simple plague created by a traitor was enough to make him lose his senses. To put an end to the crisis, he came to me and offered his life as the cost,” the voice clearly despised its former host.
In ancient times, there were many spirits of various forms capable of transforming into human beings to safeguard a sect or major school. But in modern days, forget about taking on human form, there’s hardly any spirits left in the world at all.
Take this wood fragment for example, it used to be a Sky class artifact. Through eons of continuous improvement and cultivation of its own self-awareness, the item was able to gradually gain a sense of mind and eventually became what it was today, an artifact spirit.
Like living beings, spirits also have good and evil variations.
As the founder, the first sect leader of the Tai Yi School was a wise and good man. He may had been fortunate enough to come across this wood elemental fragment on one of his trips, but he knew the risks involved if he were to bring it back with him. As such, the Bhuddism Cauldron was created, an object of holy origin and goodwill. Using this artifact as a container for the wood spirit, all should’ve been well with no possible contamination of the evil in this world. Sadly, as good as the preventive measures were, the founder seems to have forgotten a crucial fact – the greatest source of evil was the human’s heart.
All spirits are neutral upon birth, but through years of accumulation – even if it’s a tiny spec at a time – the cauldron fragment would gradually became warped and twisted inside due to its human handlers. That’s how the evil wood spirit came to be, it’s thanks to the contamination of human greed.
Then came the crisis with the rampaging stone beasts. Using the urgency inside the last sect leader of the Tai Yi School, the evil wood spirit incited the man into sacrificing his own body and became an undead.
Though the crisis was averted in the end, but the man himself realized he’s done a terrible mistake at the last minute. Not willing to plunge the world into chaos and death, he used his final remaining powers to create the seal with the eight swords. Thanks to that, a thousand years had gone by with the evil spirit suppressed inside the Bhuddism cauldron.
Sadly, the world was full of ignorant people, mistaking the terrible evil spirit as a sacred treasure and thus creating the situation where six different powers would gather here on this day.
After awakening from its slumber, the first order of business for the evil spirit would of course be to find new blood. Originally the wood spirit intended to suck Ling Yue and Wu Chong into the cauldron so it could restore its strength. Yet, the unexpected occurred and things didn’t go as planned.
“Che, your accomplice sure is annoying. He’s so injured already yet he’s still going at it,” the wood spirit curses after a series of chopping sound came from the other side.
Drenched in blood, Wu Chong was frantic in his swings as he desperately sliced apart the vines one after the other. It’s unsure how he could still move in his condition, but no one can deny his ferocity.
Now the spirit was truly regretting his decision from before. If he had known the man would be so strong, he would never suck him into the cauldron because at this rate, those vines created by its powers wouldn’t last very long.
“Annoying? The worse is yet to come.” Ling Yue suddenly blurts this out from out of nowhere.
Realizing the oddity in the girl’s voice, the wood spirit was on full alert, “What are you planning to do?!”
No longer trying to pry the fragment piece out of her left hand, Ling Yue instead did the unthinkable and smashed her right hand exactly on top of it!
Following the gush of spraying blood from the newfound wound, the fluid instantly dyed the girl’s face with a crazy amount of red.
Zi~Zi~Zi~
At the same moment when this occurred, the black cauldron mark activated itself and re-emerged into reality.
“That is!” The spirit’s voice shuddered at the sight. Though it’s black and tiny, like any ordinary cauldron, but the sensation it gave off was an endless void.
Then at Ling Yue’s command, scores of pluming smoke spewed out of the lid. Converging into a single mass, the smoke’s shape becomes a giant snake and takes a bite right at the fragment piece.
Just like a prey being ensnared by the throat, the spirit’s voice was frantic with pain. But no matter how it struggled, that terrifying force from the snake refuses to relent and only got worse with every second.
How can this be! Why does this little alchemist have a True Cauldron that can only be found in a senior alchemist? Impossible!
If this had occurred during the wood spirit’s prime, it could still compete with the other party. But after being sealed for a millennium, its powers are nothing but a remnant of its former self.
“I beg you, please let me go, I don’t want to die.” Finding there’s no hope left, the wood spirit begins to pitifully plead for mercy.
“Let you go? Wouldn’t I be returning the tiger to the mountain? Then again, if you can tell me how to create an artifact spirit then I will tell you.” After learning the existence of the various spirits out there, she too started to get ideas. The notion of being able to infuse her creations with various spirits were too tempting to pass up.
Perhaps I too can start creating artifact spirits with my cauldron.
Hesitant at first, the wood spirit didn’t answer right away.
“Say it! Otherwise I’ll consume you this instant!” Ling Yue emphasizes her threat by partially pulling the spirit into her cauldron.
“Wait! Fine, I’ll tell you the method of creating an artifact spirit. But before then, you must promise me you will let me go.” The wood spirit meekly agrees to the demand.
“Alright, I agree.” After the agreement with Ling Yue, the wood spirit then went ahead to divulge everything that it knew about the methods of creating a spirit.
After pondering over the newfound knowledge and asking a few questions, she finally determines there’s no other problem left.
“You should fulfill your promise now and let me… you, what are you doing!” Exclaiming with fright, the wood spirit didn’t get another chance to scream before being swallowed into the cauldron.
“There are two kinds of people in this world that you absolutely mustn’t trust, they are women and villains. Very sorry, but I just so happens to be both at the same time.” This was the very last thing the wood spirit could hear before disintegrating into nothingness.