Chapter 103: Peerless Spiritual Artifact

Amidst the sound, those from Yuanling Island were enveloped in a warm radiance. By the time they opened their eyes, the scene had shifted entirely.

In the Juesha Sea, a Kun-Toad crushed the island beneath its foot. It bulged its two giant eyes, staring blankly at its surroundings, unable to comprehend what had occurred. Its long tongue lashed out, swallowing two giant whale-sharks in one go, before it let out a few croaks and, seemingly satisfied, sank into the depths of the ocean.

"We survived! We survived!" Yuan Qianzi shouted, dancing with joy. Noticing no one was watching him, he hurriedly smoothed his disheveled hair and straightened his robes.

Having teetered on the brink of life and death, the sudden turn of events left everyone with the exhilaration of rebirth. As they steadied themselves and looked around, they realized they were in a grey, hazy space. There was no sunlight, no vegetation, and even the ground beneath their feet did not feel like stone. Was this the Yinque Palace?

"You host is truly vicious! If you are giving away treasures, just put them together for people to choose from. Why set all these traps?" Che Ba roared aggressively.

"Is there such a thing as a free lunch in this world? If you cannot even find the key, you have no right to possess the treasures of me, Gongshu! Foolish people are a waste of food while alive; they are better off dead!" The voice was cold and ruthless, echoing in their ears.

Che Ba snorted angrily and fell silent. Lin Feng spoke aloud, "Senior, have you not considered that if none of us had Yuanling stones, we would have been trapped to death on that island?"

At these words, the group grew indignant and began to protest in unison. The voice, however, remained indifferent. "Without Yuanling stones, you would have had to accept your fate. In all things, aside from seven parts of strength, one must rely on three parts of luck. Ten miles ahead lies the Tianyi Pavilion of the Yinque Palace. There are over a hundred types of treasures within, the worst of which are top-grade spirit artifacts. As a welcoming gift, each of you is limited to taking one. Take note: this concerns whether you can make it out alive!"

Upon hearing the words "top-grade spirit artifact," everyone became immensely excited. If the worst were top-grade, wouldn't the better ones be supreme-grade spirit artifacts? In the cultivation world, spirit artifacts were roughly divided into four levels of power: supreme, top, middle, and low. Lin Feng's Moyan Sword was only a middle-grade spirit artifact, and for a typical disciple, obtaining a top-grade artifact was nearly impossible. In the Baihua Sect, only elders who had made significant contributions or the heads of the four peaks were qualified to wield top or supreme-grade artifacts; others could only hope for rare opportunities or pay exorbitant contribution points, making the prospect extremely slim.

With a supreme-grade spirit artifact in hand, one could easily kill an opponent of a higher cultivation level who wielded only a middle or even a top-grade artifact.

Few paid attention to the last sentence from the master of the Yinque Palace. Che Ba and others, their minds clouded by the prospect of supreme-grade artifacts, rushed ahead on their Dharma treasures.

There were many treasures, but each could only take one. Lin Feng was not in a hurry; he carefully pondered the meaning of the last sentence: "It concerns whether we can make it out alive—what kind of treasure should I choose?"

As others brushed past him, Lin Feng suddenly felt a chill. He looked up sharply and saw a snowy-white figure already flying into the distance.

"Junior Brother Lin, aren't you going to be quick?" Chen Yuxi smiled faintly and flew away on her Jingluan Sword.

"Understood, Senior Sister!" A warmth stirred in his heart, and the Moyan Sword carried him in pursuit.

"Hahaha! Senior Gongshu did not lie to us! Ah, so many Dharma treasures!" From far away, Yuan Qianzi’s manic cheers could be heard, sounding somewhat eerie in this hazy space.

A wooden pavilion stood before them, simple and upright. Though only thirty feet high, it exuded an unusual aura. The wooden plaque above the door bore the words "Tianyi Pavilion" in scribbled handwriting.

"That staff is mine! Whoever tries to snatch it, I’ll smash them to death with one blow!" Che Ba’s roar emanated clearly from within.

Lin Feng smiled slightly and flew his sword into the pavilion.

Inside the single-story building, which lacked any stairs, the group looked around. Various treasures floated silently in mid-air, each encased in a halo of light—gold, green, red, yellow, blue, and white. It was difficult to judge the grade of an artifact by its appearance alone.

"I’ll take that flying sword!" Duan Chen, whose Bailin Sword had been destroyed, reached out toward the blade shimmering with golden light.

Shui Yu giggled and said, "Senior Brother Duan, what’s the rush? We haven't figured out the meaning of these six-colored lights yet. If you grab one blindly, be careful you don't lose your life."

Yuan Qianzi sneered, "Indeed. Don't forget, life and death hang by a thread. Heh, this Taoist is not in a hurry. I’ll wait until you have all taken yours."

The expressions of everyone present shifted.

After a moment of silence, Chen Yuxi said, "I have heard that most top-grade spirit artifacts contain the five elemental attributes of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, and can add attacks of flame, ice, lightning, and so on. Could these lights represent the power of the five elements?"

Huang Yan added, "Correct! The power of the five elements corresponds perfectly to these five colors: gold, green, blue, red, and yellow. But this white—could it be a middle-grade spirit artifact?"

"It could also be a supreme-grade spirit artifact," Lin Feng laughed.

The eyes of the group immediately burned with desire as they gazed at the treasures gleaming with white light, their hearts filled with excitement.

"Old Taoist, you go and test it!" Che Ba pointed at Yuan Qianzi and barked.

"Why should I test it? If you want to kill me, heh, don't forget the three-point agreement we made upon entering!" Yuan Qianzi retorted coldly.

"You mangy old priest!" Having lost face in front of the others, Che Ba was furious and raised his staff to strike.

"Che Ba, how can you go back on your oath!" Chen Yuxin scolded. After all, Yuan Qianzi was considered part of the righteous path, and in this dangerous immortal mansion, one more person meant one more layer of security.

"Heh, I didn't say I was going to kill him. Breaking his two legs to teach him a lesson is fine, right?" Che Ba’s face was full of cunning as he winked at Chen Yuxi.

Yuan Qianzi’s expression changed instantly.

Lin Feng hurriedly interjected, "Brother Che, calm your anger. Time is tight; it is better to unravel the mystery here first. If the treasure you have your eye on is taken by someone else first, wouldn't that be a regret?"

"Who dares!" Che Ba rolled his eyes, put away his staff, and cast a glare at everyone present.

"Zang You, you take one first." Duan Chen spoke with a calm demeanor, as if his command were only natural.

Leng Linglan frowned but said nothing. Shui Yu giggled, seemingly interested in the red gourd-shaped treasure above her head, staring at it intently.

Zang You sneered, leapt into the air, and reached out to grab a piece of treasure armor surrounded by a white halo.

Nothing unusual happened. The amber-colored Thousand-Leaf Armor fell into his hands. Zang You was stunned for a moment, and then a look of wild joy flashed in his eyes. No matter how he tried to suppress it, his expression made it clear to everyone what he had found.

Che Ba and the others almost had their eyes pop out. Could this armor be a supreme-grade spirit artifact?

Just then, the various treasures floating in the air suddenly changed colors, spinning automatically. The chaotic, seven-colored display was dazzling.

"Oh no!" Yuan Qianzi shouted in anger, trying to grab one, but he found no way to act.

Soon, the treasures slowly came to a halt, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"This is wrong! It’s changed! It’s changed!" Che Ba yelled, pointing to the spot where the golden staff had been. Now, a treasure-blue sword hovered there, encased in a green halo.

"Terrible, the order of the treasures that appeared just now has been shuffled. It’s impossible to tell which is real and which is fake!" Huang Yan said.

As he said, Lin Feng clearly remembered the vase he had been eyeing; now it had been replaced by a banner. It wasn't just the positions that had changed; all the treasures that had appeared the first time were nowhere to be found. Whether they had been entirely replaced or if it was an illusion, there was no way to verify.

Gazing up at the treasures, everyone felt a sense of oppression. Duan Chen regretted not acting sooner, his venomous gaze sweeping between Shui Yu and Zang You.

"Everyone, staring blankly like this is no solution. How about we rely on luck and take turns choosing treasures?" After a long while, Lin Feng proposed.

"That is all we can do," Chen Yuxi nodded. "I will go first!"

"Senior Sister, let me have this opportunity," Lin Feng smiled, looking confident.

Everyone looked at him with curiosity. The first lucky person had already obtained a supreme-grade spirit artifact, and now it was all guesswork. Everyone hoped to go later, hoping that if a pattern could be discerned, that would be for the best.

"Junior Brother Lin, you?" Chen Yuxi was surprised, not understanding Lin Feng's intention.

"I will blaze a trail for everyone. If my deduction is correct, it will be luck. If I am wrong, you will at least have a method to follow. Everyone, remember the color of the halo around the treasure in front of you—that is the key." Lin Feng smiled.

"The color of the halo?" Che Ba was puzzled, and his two brothers shook their heads as well.

The others, however, wore contemplative expressions. They studied the treasures of various colors above their heads for a few moments, then turned their focus to Lin Feng.

They saw him leap up effortlessly and pluck a treasure fan shimmering with golden light. His face was full of joy as he bowed to Chen Yuxi, "Thank you, Senior Sister, for yielding. This is indeed a supreme-grade spirit artifact."

"What is going on? Tell us quickly, how did you choose?" Che Ba asked urgently.

"Heh, Brother Che, don't be impatient. When we first came in, the white halo represented a supreme-grade spirit artifact. After the transformation, it is possible that any color could represent a supreme-grade spirit artifact, though white is unlikely. Based on my observations, in the original positions, gold changed to green, and blue changed to red; following this sequence, the supreme-grade spirit artifact should now be gold. It turns out these colors do not represent the five elemental attributes, but the order of the transformation." Lin Feng laughed.

"Ah, so that’s how it is! And now?" After Lin Feng's selection, the spirit artifacts changed again, shuffling their order and forms once more.

"Hmm, this time the supreme-grade spirit artifact should be at the position of the green halo." Before Lin Feng finished speaking, Duan Chen had already snatched a sword, his face lighting up with joy as he stepped aside to examine it.

"This time it should be blue," Lin Feng said again.

Che Ba successfully plucked a Dragon-Subduing Staff. Although it wasn't the one he had been eyeing earlier, it made him grin like a fool—this was a genuine supreme-grade spirit artifact.

"Red." Lin Feng called out the color that the supreme-grade spirit artifact should have each time. The others took turns picking, all of them jubilant, playing with their treasures for a moment before tucking them away.

"Haha, congratulations to you all. Now that you have taken your treasures, it is time for some training; otherwise, how will you complete the task I have assigned? Turn right after leaving the pavilion, and someone will be waiting for you there. Whether you live or die depends entirely on your own fortune. After passing this trial, those who survive can leave safely, or choose to continue searching for even more precious treasures—and the one-of-a-kind treasure of the entire Yinque Palace." The voice of the immortal mansion's master rang out again, and with that, the many spirit artifacts in the Tianyi Pavilion vanished like bubbles before their eyes.

A scorching light flashed in everyone's eyes. A treasure even more precious than a supreme-grade spirit artifact—that was enough to drive anyone mad! But what could the treasure that Gongshu spoke of be? A legendary immortal artifact?

Each person secretly made a vow in their hearts: they were determined to possess it!