Translator: AnubisTL
Thump! Thump!
As Li Qing attempted to activate the drum, he frowned.
The drumbeats he had just produced were still affecting his mind!
"How is this possible? Why is it an indiscriminate attack? When Crimson Hair Immortal used it, it was clearly targeted!"
Forcing down the agitation stirred by the drumbeats, Li Qing stared intently at the drum in his hands, his brow furrowed.
During his battle with Crimson Hair Immortal, the drum's sonic attacks had clearly only affected him, leaving the Crimson Hair Immortal completely unscathed.
"Could I be activating it incorrectly?"
Clutching the drum, Li Qing began to study it. He tried channeling his true essence into it, attempting to nourish the instrument.
But even this proved futile. Once activated, the drum inevitably affected everyone, including the user.
Li Qing's frown deepened. If this was the case, the drum was utterly worthless.
Inflicting a thousand wounds on the enemy while suffering a thousand yourself!
Such a spirit treasure was utterly useless, rendering it completely impractical in combat.
Activating it would likely cause his own mind to collapse from the sonic waves before the enemy even felt its effects.
"No, I need to figure out why the Crimson Hair Immortal isn't affected. It can't be that he's simply grown accustomed to the Soul-Suppressing Drum's sound, right?"
Li Qing had just named the drum the Soul-Suppressing Drum, reasoning that as a magical artifact, it deserved a proper name.
The sound waves emitted by the drum vibrated the divine soul, shattering one's mental defenses. The name "Soul-Suppressing Drum" seemed perfectly fitting.
As Li Qing pondered the drum's mysteries, a sudden thought struck him.
"Legend has it that activating powerful heaven-piercing spirit treasures requires first cultivating a specialized technique called the Universal Treasure Manual!"
"The Universal Treasure Manual..." Li Qing murmured to himself, feeling as though he had finally grasped the key to the drum's secrets.
He set down the Soul-Suppressing Drum and began rummaging through the second storage pouch, searching for the jade slips stored within.
Soon, he retrieved a pristine jade slip.
After scanning it with his divine sense, he discovered a concise incantation recorded within—the Soul-Suppressing Drum's Universal Treasure Manual!
Unlike heaven-piercing spirit treasures, the Soul-Suppressing Drum's manual was remarkably simple, consisting of only a short passage that could be easily memorized.
After committing the incantation to memory, Li Qing mentally recited it as he reactivated the Soul-Suppressing Drum.
Thump! Thump!
This time, the sound waves emanating from the Soul-Suppressing Drum had no effect on him. Instead, the drumbeats resonated in his ears as a surging, exhilarating rhythm, no longer disturbing his mind.
So that's it! Once you've memorized the incantation, activating the drum not only nullifies the mind-disturbing effects of the sound waves but also enhances your vital energy.
Li Qing's eyes gleamed slightly. When the drumbeats struck his ears, he felt a surge of heat in his blood, and his vital energy seemed to surge with renewed vigor.
The Crimson Hair Immortal, who refined this Soul-Suppressing Drum, was undoubtedly an ingenious artifact refiner.
To conceive of combining musical principles with a magical artifact and using an incantation to alter the drumbeats' effects, creating two entirely distinct functions, was truly remarkable.
When used skillfully, this drum could undoubtedly produce extraordinary results.
The Crimson Hair Immortal's ambition is truly boundless! He began experimenting with incorporating the Universal Treasure Manual into his magical artifacts as early as the core formation realm!
Is he preparing in advance for refining heaven-piercing spirit treasures in the future?
As he pondered this, Li Qing's eyes began to flicker with thought. He wondered if he should also start making preparations for such endeavors.
For him now, refining magical artifacts was no longer particularly difficult, provided he had the necessary spiritual materials.
To continue advancing in the path of artifact refinement, Li Qing knew he needed to consider refining even more powerful heaven-piercing spirit treasures.
"Alas, refining a heaven-piercing spirit treasure is no easy task," he sighed, temporarily suppressing these thoughts.
He had many pressing matters to attend to, and dwelling on heaven-piercing spirit treasures at this stage would be overly ambitious.
Still, the unique properties of the Soul-Suppressing Drum had sparked some inspiration.
Perhaps combining a simple incantation with the refining process could yield unexpected results.
As Li Qing pondered this, a string of characters suddenly appeared before his eyes, indicating an increase in his lifespan:
[Successfully assisted in refining a forbidden artifact: Four Symbols Heaven-Suppressing Cauldron (Pseudo). Lifespan reward: 12 years!]
Li Qing froze, realizing Gui Li must have finally refined the Four Symbols Heaven-Suppressing Cauldron.
But why was the notification so strange?
"Wait, shouldn't the Four Symbols Heaven-Suppressing Cauldron be a spirit treasure? Why does it say 'forbidden artifact'?"
"And what does 'Pseudo' mean? Besides, this lifespan reward is ridiculously low—only twelve years!"
To be honest, Li Qing was stunned. Hu Sanniang and the True Bone Immortal had previously described the Four Symbols Heaven-Suppressing Cauldron as something utterly mystical and extraordinary.
The claims about slaying Endless Extraterrestrial Demons and the treasure's power being nearly comparable to a heaven-piercing spirit treasure now seemed exaggerated. A mere twelve years of lifespan as a reward felt disappointingly meager.
"What exactly went wrong?" Li Qing murmured, stroking his chin, still puzzled. "Could the Refining Blueprint Gui Li obtained be fake?"
The scene shifted back to the Ghost Sword Sect's territory, specifically the Forbidden Area of the Back Mountain in Sword Valley.
At the heart of Sword Valley's spiritual vein, vast quantities of spiritual energy surged violently, instantly forming a massive vortex that converged upon the giant cauldron within the mountain.
The disciples and elders of the Ghost Sword Sect were all alarmed by the overwhelming display.
Several figures soared into the sky, their auras exceptionally refined—these were the supreme elders of the Ghost Sword Sect, all at the core formation realm.
"Congratulations, Sect Leader, on refining this rare treasure! From this day forward, none shall stand against us in the Great Wilderness Domain!"
"May the Sect Leader reign for ten thousand generations and unite the great wilderness!"
"Congratulations, Sect Leader..."
Within Sword Valley, Gui Li's expression was far from celebratory. His brow furrowed as he stared intently at the giant cauldron, which continued to absorb heaven and earth spiritual energy.
This was clearly the commotion of a magical artifact being forged, yet it didn't quite match Gui Li's expectations.
After a long while, when the spiritual energy between heaven and earth finally settled, the giant cauldron also calmed down.
With a flick of his wrist, Gui Li sent the massive Four Symbols Heaven-Suppressing Cauldron soaring into the air. It spun endlessly, radiating overwhelming power.
The Four Symbols True Spirits, originally imprinted on the cauldron's surface, had come to life. The four True Spirits, each exuding immense power, materialized around the cauldron's rim, their presence awe-inspiring.
At first, everything seemed perfect. Gui Li decided to test the cauldron's capabilities with a small demonstration.
He channeled a jet-black stream of true essence into the giant cauldron, then prepared to target a mountain peak outside the mountain gate to gauge its destructive potential.
Boom!
The Four Symbols Heaven-Suppressing Cauldron unleashed a terrifying aura, as if capable of crushing the very fabric of heaven and earth.
The Ghost Sword Sect's supreme elders, who had gathered to observe, held their breath, not daring to even gasp.
Such overwhelming pressure!
Bang!
Like a meteor crashing to earth, the entire ground shuddered violently, as if struck by a massive earthquake!
A massive crater had formed where the Four Symbols Heaven-Suppressing Cauldron had struck, the surrounding ground cracked like parched farmland.
"Such power! With this rare treasure, Sect Leader, no one in the Great Wilderness Domain can stand against you!"
"Congratulations, Sect Leader!"
Just as the supreme elders were about to continue their flattery, Gui Li summoned the Four Symbols Heaven-Suppressing Cauldron back and held it in his palm.
But the next moment, his brows snapped into a fierce frown.
"What's this?"
His gaze narrowed on the shrunken cauldron. A faint, hairline crack had appeared on its surface, seemingly out of nowhere.
Instantly, Gui Li's expression darkened, fury surging in his eyes.
The Four Symbols Heaven-Suppressing Cauldron—a supreme treasure that had once resounded throughout the Great Wilderness Domain—had cracked after merely being used to strike the ground once?
"Sect Leader, what's wrong?" True Lord Ji Sha flew forward, his voice filled with curiosity.
Gui Li spat out the words, his tone grim: "The cauldron has cracked."
Ji Sha's face twisted in horror, his expression one of utter disbelief.
"How is this possible? Did those artifact refiners sabotage it? Should I send men to bring them back for questioning?"
Hearing the supreme elder's words, Gui Li slowly shook his head.
"It wasn't the four refiners who sabotaged it. If they had, the cauldron wouldn't have been completed at all."
Ji Sha breathed a sigh of relief. Two of the four refiners had been invited through his connections, and he would have borne undeniable responsibility if they had been involved.
"Then why did this happen? A supreme treasure of this caliber shouldn't be so fragile!"
Gui Li remained silent for a long moment, then narrowed his eyes and gazed at the distant sky.
"The problem isn't with the refining process itself. The cauldron simply couldn't withstand the Dao patterns inscribed upon it."
"The Dao itself rejects this cauldron's existence!"
"If that's the case, then there's only one possibility."
As he spoke, True Lord Ji Sha seemed to recall an ancient legend, his eyes widening with shock.
"Could it be...?"
Gui Li finished his thought: "Exactly. The original Four Symbols Heaven-Suppressing Cauldron from the Ancient Era didn't shatter. Instead, it evolved into a heaven-piercing spirit treasure."
A heaven-piercing spirit treasure—unique in all the world!
If a heaven-piercing spirit treasure already existed, even the most skilled artifact refiner could never create an exact replica.
A spirit treasure bearing the title "heaven-piercing" had naturally been baptized by the Great Dao, earning the recognition of heaven and earth. Any subsequent attempt to refine an identical copy would inevitably fail, as the Great Dao would not bestow its blessing, thus denying the replica the approval of heaven and earth.
At best, one could create a mere imitation, but such a counterfeit could scarcely be called a true magical artifact, its uses severely limited. Once the usage limit was exceeded, the imitation would crumble into dust.
Having grasped the underlying reason for this outcome, a rare flicker of resentment appeared in Gui Li's eyes.
"The Lord of the Four Symbols from the ancient era was truly extraordinary," he mused. "After enduring such a cataclysmic battle, he not only survived but also refined the Four Symbols Heaven-Suppressing Cauldron into a heaven-piercing spirit treasure."
Clutching the flawed imitation cauldron, Gui Li felt a bitter disappointment. He had invested heavily in this endeavor, depleting his years-long accumulation of rare and precious materials and hiring four exceptionally skilled artifact refiners at great expense. Yet the result was merely a crude imitation!
Though its power far surpassed that of ordinary magical artifacts, its uses were severely limited. Each use would add another crack to the cauldron's surface. Once the limit was reached, the imitation Four Symbols Heaven-Suppressing Cauldron would shatter completely, vanishing into nothingness.
Such an outcome would frustrate anyone, even someone as formidable as Gui Li found it difficult to accept.
(End of the Chapter)
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