Chapter 20: Everyone Fills In The Blanks

Back then, Chi Yixuan had scraped three magic artifacts from the two stewards: one seal and two whips. All of them were lower yellow-grade. Their grade was very low, but they were still magic artifacts. In the hands of that steward at the fourth level of Qi Refining, the seal could only become a thin little barrier blocking the mouth of the valley. But in the hands of Chi Yixuan, who had reached Foundation Establishment, it could swell into a huge bowl shape that protected the entire valley.

As for those two whips, in the hands of someone at Qi Refining, they could only be used to hit people. In his hands, they could extend without limit and coil away flying eagles in the sky, and they could even wind around his body to form a suit of armor.

From this, one could see that Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment were worlds apart not only in strength, but also that different methods of use could allow the same magic artifact to display different effects.

Unfortunately, the whips were already gone after blocking Song Dianlai’s spiritual power self-detonation. The seal barrier had blocked one of Song Dianlai’s talisman attacks, and he did not know how badly it had been damaged. He would have to take a careful look once he returned.

There was also the armor refined from the Black Armor King Beetle. It had cracked in the explosion too.

Chi Yixuan patted the armor. With a series of clacks, the shattered armor plates fell onto the sandy ground, smashing out one small pit after another.

“Sigh, this time really was a disastrous loss. This world is way too cruel to poor ghosts. Good thing I didn’t come away completely empty-handed.”

Chi Yixuan beckoned with his hand, and the three magic artifacts that had fallen to the ground flew into his grasp. He paused, threw the artifacts away, then summoned them back. Threw them away, summoned them back... He repeated this several times, having the time of his life.

He began to feel that although this world was inconvenient in every possible way, being able to cultivate was still amazing. How convenient it was to pick things up! It was practically a gospel for lazy ghosts!

These three magic artifacts were the ruyi scepter, pearl, and awl that Song Dianlai had just thrown out to attack him. After the shadow guard had wrapped them once in ghost qi, their power had vanished. Now their light was dim and gray, and even with the naked eye one could tell they had suffered some damage. Chi Yixuan had his life-bound artifact appraise them.

Appraisal complete!

Goldwood Awl: A magic artifact containing the five-element attributes of metal spirit and wood spirit. Extremely sharp. Upper yellow-grade. Currently middle yellow-grade.

Blood Ruyi: Can release highly toxic blood mist. Ineffective against Golden Core and above. Middle yellow-grade. Currently lower yellow-grade.

Thunderclap Pearl: Contains thunder and lightning. When used, it is thrown out and can summon at least one lightning strike to attack the enemy. Upper yellow-grade. Currently middle yellow-grade.

Chi Yixuan was a little disappointed. The highest was actually only upper yellow-grade. It looked like Song Dianlai really had been doing terribly!

“Fortunately, I have an Artifact Refining Workshop. If I throw them in and smelt them over again, they should recover their grade.”

And since the shadow guard had been able to damage these three magic artifacts badly enough to make them drop in grade, the damage he himself had suffered was not minor either. Chi Yixuan could sense that He Nianyuan, who was dwelling in his shadow, was very weak.

“I don’t know when he’ll recover, but with Song Dianlai gone, there shouldn’t be any need to worry about cultivators coming to our door again in the short term.”

Your Majesty, Song Dianlai’s corpse must be dealt with.

Chi Yixuan nodded. Of course he knew that. Even the merchant caravan had ways to track traces, so how could an immortal gate like the Tyrant Blade Sect possibly not have any? Although Song Dianlai was only a nobody in the Tyrant Blade Sect, and whether he went missing or died might not necessarily concern anyone, for safety’s sake, anything that could be used to track him still had to be wiped away. The most crucial thing was, of course, the corpse.

As for the ownership marks and aura on the magic artifacts, Chi Yixuan had already erased them the instant they entered his hands.

He grabbed through the air with one hand, and Song Dianlai’s corpse floated up. Then it turned into a tiny dot and disappeared.

All right. Now, in this world, aside from Chi Yixuan, no one would ever know that Song Dianlai was sleeping peacefully in the underground sewage treatment plant beneath Zhaoge.

This drainage system, which had been constructed but never used, immediately began working diligently the moment it detected a foreign object entering. Song Dianlai’s body was quickly discharged into the Purifying Cage. Before long, his body would be decomposed and discharged by the Purifying Cage.

“Song Dianlai lived for so long. Who knows how many adorable animals and plants he ate? Now that he’s being broken down into nutrients and returned to nature, it can count as helping him accumulate merit.”

You truly possess farsighted vision and universal love for all living beings.

Chi Yixuan was smiling as he listened to his life-bound artifact flatter him extravagantly, when he heard it continue, You insisted on constructing the drainage system before. Had you already considered today?

Chi Yixuan blinked. “Guess.”

Just then, several familiar calls came from the distance.

“Boss!”

“Boss...”

Chi Yixuan did not need to turn his head. The sight of the odd-job workers running over naturally surfaced before his eyes. This was the reaction of his divine sense being triggered. When he used his life-bound artifact to observe the outside world, it was like using a machine to project a screen only he could see. But divine sense was completely different. There was no screen. Instead, images appeared directly in his mind, like memories.

This feeling really was a little magical.

Chi Yixuan looked at the odd-job workers. There was no expression on his face, because he was still immersed in the marvelous experience of becoming a cultivator. No matter what the odd-job workers said, it went in one ear and out the other. Of course, his gaze was also unfocused, because he was concentrating on using divine sense to observe his surroundings. His eyes were not actually looking at anything at all. He had truly drifted off into the heavens in both name and reality.

If he had been able to look properly at the odd-job workers right then, he definitely would not have been able to stop his toes from curling into the ground.

Because the odd-job workers were looking at him with complicated gazes filled with both respect and awe, both emotion and shame.

After that bowl-shaped barrier covered the entire valley, the people in the valley froze for a moment before they finally reacted. They had been protected.

The immortal master had not abandoned them. He would rather make an enemy of a cultivator than protect them. Even when he began fighting that cultivator, he still did not forget to use a barrier to protect them.

Protect them!

The Longevity Realm had fourteen continents, and the mortals of the fourteen continents were as lowly as dust. Any cultivator could trample and crush them, and no one would think there was anything wrong with that. After all, dust was meant to be stepped underfoot. Even if they felt unwillingness, even if they felt resentment, what could that change?

The only thing they could do was become cultivators themselves, or support and raise a cultivator. If they could never become cultivators, then they could only be stepped on by cultivators for the rest of their lives. There was no helping it. Who told them they were mortals? As mortals, they ought to accept their fate.

They had never imagined that there would be a cultivator, neither kin nor friend, who would be willing to take risks to protect them.

After they reacted, and then thought back on their lives in the valley these past few days, then thought back on their previous doubts and fears, they only felt that they themselves had been laughable and pitiful. The immortal master had clearly done so much for them: sealed the Sea of Suffering Path, saved their lives, opened his residence gates, given them the water of life, built the Artifact Refining Workshop and the Medical Workshop, made it so that every one of them had work to do and grain to eat...

But when other cultivators invaded, they had actually believed that the immortal master would definitely abandon them and leave! Even if some among them had thought of giving up their lives to repay the immortal master, that was absolutely something they should not have done!

The immortal master’s character was noble and pure, like a piece of jade from Kunshan. Such thoughts from them were undoubtedly an insult to the immortal master!

After the immortal master chased that cultivator into the distance, the people gradually thought things through. Some wept bitterly, some laughed loudly, some shouted, some ran... Everyone’s emotions were churning silently and invisibly. Their chests were filled to overflowing with indescribable excitement and pain. Only long afterward would they understand that this was the feeling of being truly respected, of truly standing upright.

But at this moment, they still could not understand the excitement churning in their chests. They only subconsciously wanted to run out, to chase after him, to keep up with the immortal master’s steps. Even if they could never catch up, that could not stop them from following him, just like the awakened people of ancient times chasing the sun...

However, they were unable to chase out. The odd-job workers led by Guo Qianshan soothed Your Majesty’s subjects. Only the ten people who had already entered the Dao and believed they could be of help chased after you.

Chi Yixuan casually hmm-hmmed in his heart. In truth, he had not heard clearly what his life-bound artifact was saying at all. When he finally grew tired of playing with his divine sense and his vision returned to normal, he discovered that the odd-job workers were looking at him very strangely.

“Why are they looking at me like that?”

The life-bound artifact gave a soft laugh, but did not speak.

Chi Yixuan made a bold guess. “Could it be that they’ve finally discovered I’ve been freeloading off their labor for ages, so they’ve come to demand justice?”

The life-bound artifact said, Whatever you say is what it is!

Chi Yixuan: ...

Huh? His life-bound artifact had learned how to be sarcastic?

...

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