Elder Xuan’s Primordial Power spread out, enveloping Mu Chen in a sky-blue protective barrier. It completely blocked the shockwave from Morin’s self-detonation. Mu Chen could clearly see waves of white energy erupting from Morin’s position, slamming into the sky-blue barrier with a deafening BOOM and sending out rumbling echoes.
At the same time, a massive tornado-like vortex formed instantly where Morin had been. Every living thing within a hundred-mile radius—plants, animals, and even the remaining members of the Morin Mercenary Corps—was torn to shreds and swept into the sky. Some of the debris pelted the barrier, making a CLINGING and CLANGING sound. The scene was utterly spectacular.
"So this is a Martial Artist’s self-detonation..."
Gazing at the massive tornado before him, Mu Chen couldn’t help but sigh in awe. ’The power is immense, and this was just the self-detonation of a First-Ring Martial King. I’ve heard that the higher the level, the more powerful the explosion. That’s why when dealing with people like this, you either have to kill them as quickly as possible or possess some formidable life-saving techniques or a Defensive Treasure.’
Just then, Mu Chen suddenly felt the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit in his arms vanish. He wondered if it was just his imagination, but just as he was about to panic, its presence returned. Puzzled, Mu Chen took the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit out from his robes. But when he did, what he saw was a sight that broke his heart.
The Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit’s large eyes were narrowed to slits. The red and blue colors of its body would recede one moment and reappear the next, but no matter how he looked at it, the colors seemed exceptionally dim.
"Master, what’s happening to it?"
Mu Chen panicked. His hands, cupping the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit, trembled uncontrollably, for he felt as if it could disappear from his grasp at any moment.
Elder Xuan sighed regretfully. "Its life is coming to an end. After suffering such heavy injuries, it used its Talent Secret Technique, and that technique unleashed all of its remaining energy. You could say that the essence it had preserved for over a hundred thousand years has completely dissipated. It won’t be able to sustain its body for much longer."
"You mean...?"
"Sigh... It will vanish completely from this world..."
Hearing this, Mu Chen was suddenly overcome with weakness and collapsed to the ground. He stared at the flickering Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit in his hands as tears streamed silently down his cheeks.
"How could this happen? How? It’s all my fault! If I hadn’t left on my own, Little Spirit wouldn’t be in this state. It’s all my fault... It’s all my fault..."
Seeing Mu Chen’s choked sobs, Elder Xuan’s eyes filled with affection. This resilient young man never seemed to shed a single tear for himself. No matter how grievous his own injuries or how great his own suffering, he never seemed to care. But he placed great importance on the bonds of sentiment...
’To think that I, who had been so cold-blooded and ruthless in my time, had found a disciple with such a caring heart after sleeping for over a hundred thousand years.’ In a daze, the image of a graceful woman appeared in his mind. The figure was very blurry, yet seemed ethereal. He remembered she was a woman who had cherished him with her entire life, but back then, he had been single-mindedly pursuing the peak of the Martial Dao and had utterly cast aside all sentiment, along with the woman who loved him so deeply...
Shaking his head, Elder Xuan’s expression turned resolute. "Brat, it’s not like there’s no way to save it."
"Huh?"
Mu Chen, who was still choking back sobs, suddenly heard Elder Xuan’s words, and his expression immediately lit up with excitement. "Master, you’re saying Little Spirit can be saved?"
"Yes. If I use that Secret Technique, it should be possible," Elder Xuan said gravely.
’That Secret Technique... I really don’t want to use it unless it’s the absolute last resort. It will consume a third of my Soul Power. If I were to use it three times, my soul would be completely annihilated from this world, without even a chance at reincarnation. Of course, I would never tell Mu Chen any of this.’
"Then..." Mu Chen got to his feet, wiped away his tears, and looked at Elder Xuan with hopeful eyes, hesitating to speak.
Elder Xuan flicked Mu Chen’s forehead good-naturedly and scolded with a laugh, "I know, I know, you rascal. It won’t be kicking the bucket anytime soon."
With that, Elder Xuan extended a finger and tapped on Mu Chen’s Storage Ring. A Black Iron Lock Chain, covered in nicks and scars, emerged. At its front was a manacle for locking a wrist, and its tail was connected to four black iron blocks of varying sizes.
Staring at the all-too-familiar Black Iron Lock Chain, Mu Chen had no idea what his Master was planning. Without offering an explanation, Elder Xuan waved his hand, severing both the front and tail ends of the chain, leaving only a three-meter-long section as thick as an arm.
Next, Elder Xuan turned his gaze to the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit. "I won’t force you to do anything. I know you still hate me, but for my disciple’s sake, and for your own, you must do as I say next. Are you willing?"
The incredibly weak Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit slowly opened its eyes. It glanced at Elder Xuan, then at Mu Chen, and finally gave a difficult nod.
"Heh, don’t be nervous. I’m not going to do anything to you. Are you willing to follow my disciple? Until the very end of his life."
"WUU... WUU... WUU..."
The response he received, however, was a series of joyous cries from the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit. Seeing its expression, Elder Xuan’s eyes softened, and he said with a smile, "Brat, cut your finger and let out a drop of blood."
Upon hearing this, Mu Chen unhesitatingly held out his finger. A dagger flashed, leaving a small cut. A drop of crimson blood welled up, and before Elder Xuan could say anything, the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit directly sucked the droplet into its mouth. Suddenly, streaks of red light flashed all over its body, and a thin red thread appeared in its eyes. A feeling of being connected by flesh and blood welled up in Mu Chen’s heart.
"Your Soul Power is already extremely weak. I will separate a third of my own Soul Power and fuse it into your body to make your soul strong enough to sustain you. Then... you will merge with this chain..."
"Huh? Merge with the chain?" Mu Chen froze, letting out a gasp before quickly shutting his mouth.
Elder Xuan explained, "This is the only way to save it. If it were unharmed, it could have transformed into a power within your body, fusing with you and becoming part of your own strength. It could have even restored your right arm. But now, it is far too weak to become a part of you, so we must resort to this plan: fusing it with an external object to become an Immortal Soldier."
"An Immortal Soldier?"
"Yes. When measuring a Martial Artist’s strength, besides their Cultivation Technique and Combat Skills, their weapon is also an indispensable part. For example, if a First-Ring Martial King possessed an Immortal Soldier, they could face a First-Ring Martial Sect and remain undefeated. In other words, you could challenge those above your level."
Speaking of weapons, a wealth of information surfaced in Mu Chen’s mind. The Extreme Martial Continent also divided weapons into several tiers. The lowest were ordinary weapons used by common people; aside from being useful in a fight, they had no special properties and were called White Soldiers. Above them were Yellow Soldiers, Profound Soldiers, Earth Soldiers, and Celestial Soldiers. Each of these tiers was divided into upper, middle, and lower grades, with each grade providing a different power boost. However, this was the extent of his knowledge about weapons. He had never even heard of something like an Immortal Soldier.
Elder Xuan smiled faintly. "It’s understandable that you don’t know. After all, living in that small clan, the information you could get about the outside world was naturally scarce. Celestial, Earth, Profound, and Yellow are four extremely common types of passive weapons. So-called passive weapons can only unleash their power when you actively channel your Primordial Power into them. They are also known as Dead Soldiers."
"Above these four types are four kinds of active weapons that possess consciousness: Spiritual Treasure Soldiers, King’s Sacred Weapons, Nine-Turn Immortal Soldiers, and Emperor’s Weapons. These four are not divided into upper, middle, and lower grades. Based on their individual properties, they possess different functions, whether for attack, defense, or enhancement. But they all share a common characteristic: they have their own spirituality, or consciousness. They can actively channel the owner’s Primordial Power to maximize a Combat Skill’s Attack Power, and can even attack and defend on their own to a certain extent. These are called Living Soldiers."
"However, the spirituality of a Spiritual Treasure Soldier is the weakest. It can only recognize its master, and once it has one, it can be easily taken by anyone who kills the master. A King’s Sacred Weapon, on the other hand, is a weapon with higher spirituality. They are typically weapons that have developed intelligence after being used by a Saint for many years. Unless such a weapon is inherited, it can only be used by someone new after it has weathered the passage of time and the intelligence within it has gradually faded. Of course, its effects will be greatly diminished."
"The last two are the rarest of all weapons. A Nine-Turn Immortal Soldier is created by using an Immortal Treasure as an Artifact Spirit, sealing it within a weapon, and allowing it to resonate with the weapon, thus transforming it into an Immortal Soldier. The power of an Immortal Soldier is terrifying. In its Late Stage, a Ninth Transition Immortal Soldier can attack in concert with its master on its own initiative. It also comes with a variety of different effects, placing it above all other weapons. Most importantly, once an Immortal Soldier acknowledges a master, it will never betray them. If you die, it dies; if you live, it lives."
"The reason it’s called ’Nine-Turn’ is because it’s the only type of weapon that can continuously evolve. Only after the Ninth Transition can it rival an Emperor’s Weapon and become a Nine-Turn Immortal Soldier in its complete state. Therefore, the lower the grade of the material used to seal it, the higher its growth potential."
At this point, Elder Xuan paused, glanced at the attentively listening Mu Chen, and smiled. "The last type is the Emperor’s Weapon. As the name suggests, it is a weapon used by a Martial Emperor. Moreover, it must be the weapon that the Martial Emperor has used since they were a mere Martial Artist, one that evolved by drinking the blood of countless experts on the path to becoming an Emperor. The restrictions on using this type of weapon aren’t as high as an Immortal Soldier’s. As long as you are a descendant of that Martial Emperor and possess their bloodline, you can use it. As for the effects you can bring out, heh... even a Martial Saint could only unleash fifty percent of its power. Understand?"
Hearing this, Mu Chen nodded repeatedly. "You mean Little Spirit will become a Nine-Turn Immortal Treasure?"
"Correct," Elder Xuan said with certainty. "However, the Seal cannot be performed by an outsider; the Immortal Treasure must be willing. This is why there are many Immortal Treasures, but very few people who can use them."
With a sigh, Mu Chen looked at the weak Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit in his hands, momentarily at a loss for words. Now connected to Mu Chen by blood, how could the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit not sense his thoughts? It gave Mu Chen a faint smile, then with great difficulty, it floated up and drifted toward Elder Xuan, its expression quite complex.
This man had once sealed it, but now he was saving it. For a moment, it felt utterly confused about how to view him.
"Trust me. You’ve made the absolute right decision."
As his words fell, Elder Xuan’s hands began to constantly shift through a series of bizarre hand seals. His movements seemed extremely slow, yet each change left behind afterimages. He continued these motions for several breaths before stopping. There was no powerful fluctuation of Primordial Power, no strange worldly phenomena, not even the slightest breeze stirred.