Chapter 213

Chapter 213: Such a Large Magical Artifact

The sun slanted toward the west, and the sky gradually darkened.

The military camp ceased its attacks, punctuated by the intermittent ringing of metal and flashes of light illuminating the sky, though it remained unclear what they were doing.

Li Hui proceeded cautiously, crawling along the edge of the camp. Each time spiritual sense approached, a faint golden light would rise from his left arm, nudging the awareness away.

After acquiring the Jade Heart of the Earth Court, he had already subdued the Buddha Fruit. It was relatively easy to shield against spiritual sense detection.

“Goodness! These demon cultivators have connected their vitality into a pool of mercury, unleashing immense fortune as if a toad is swallowing the essence of Wan Nest Island. If they gather a few more camps, they might just be able to break through the island.” Having experienced much, Li Hui’s vision expanded. Combined with the Fortune Ascending Talisman integrated into the Heavenly Arrays as a middle-grade treasure talisman, he became acutely sensitive to fortune and opportunities, with a keen eye for observation.

Putting aside his cultivation level, in terms of vision and battle experience, after his encounter with Qian Qiu Yue and Hongmo Zheng at the Ghost Gate and facing weaker opponents with cunning, he was already on par with the true disciples of the Jade Symbol Sect.

The demon cultivators employed ever-changing methods, even utilizing ghostly creatures for patrols. He barely avoided exposure while hastening his pace.

After encountering danger once, Li Hui became particularly cautious, spending nearly the first half of the night crawling. During the latter half, he dared to rise and move swiftly once he circled around the camp. Feeling a bit anxious, he needed to cross the demon army’s attack zone quickly; come dawn, it would spell trouble. Once the assault began, his life would be in jeopardy.

Li Hui remained unaware that he had gained significant advantages in this area.

Dozens of figures cast their gaze toward the demon army camp, one asking, “Elder Liu Yao, your Innate Techniques point to this location, but who is so bold as to venture from the Anchor Mountain battle zone?”

“Do not be surprised. This child possesses another treasure aiding his concealment. The moment the Jade Heart of the Earth Court emerged, I sensed an opportunity to leave the island. However, it was hindered by some inexplicable factors; only two hours ago did I confirm his position.” A lean old man stood in the midst of the group, with six copper coins strung together by a red thread tightly bound to his forehead. His left eye glimmered a golden-red hue, with a needle-like figure rotating within.

“What should we do now? If we are captured by the military, the consequences would be unimaginable,” the leader asked.

“Simple. We will take more time to detour. Hopefully, he does not perish at Anchor Mountain; otherwise, we must risk retrieving the Jade Heart of the Earth Court.”

As a hint of dawn appeared in the sky, Li Hui had just crossed a swamp, entering the attack range of the military camp. He observed the ground, riddled with holes from which wisps of green smoke rose.

The further he advanced, the more numerous and larger the holes became. A glance sent chills down his spine, as if he might be swallowed by the countless openings at any moment.

The green smoke rising from the holes was toxic, but with the Jade Heart of the Earth Court protecting him from poison, he could walk unharmed! Before the sun fully rose, he arrived at the foot of a mountain. Looking up, he felt as if struck by lightning, standing there in a daze.

After a while, he regained his senses.

“Oh my goodness! Embedded within the mountain is a massive ship anchor. Such an enormous object exists in this world! It must be at least a thousand feet high. I feel…”

Li Hui took a deep breath, staring at the anchor, which was unimaginably colossal. He thought, “This mountain must be the pit created when the anchor fell; over time, it has transformed into a circle of peaks. How enormous could the ship that dropped this anchor be? Tens of thousands of feet?”

It was beyond comprehension, far surpassing his knowledge!

Wan Nest Island held many mysteries that even the Hongmo Sect could not unravel. What could he, a small cultivator in the Spirit Motion stage, possibly achieve? The priority was to keep moving for his life. From the traces on the mountain, it appeared that the military’s attack target was this gigantic anchor.

Li Hui used the Sky Peeping Talismans to scout the terrain, discovering a winding path created by some unknown spiritual beast that could be traversed.

He had no time to think further as dawn approached, and with a graceful movement, he ascended along the path, drawing closer to the massive anchor.

At that moment, a silver light burst from his hands.

“What’s happening?”

“Zzzz…” The silver snake bracelet began to absorb the light.

“Is this anchor a magical artifact?” Li Hui felt a bit dizzy. Was there truly such an enormous artifact in the world? But he could not see any artifact patterns! Wait, could it be a treasure instead?

With a vibrating hum, waves of luminous energy surged from the anchor, intertwining into unique patterns, confirming that it indeed was a treasure.

“Oh my goodness!” Li Hui felt parched, torn between whether to absorb this treasure or not. He repeatedly reminded himself, “No, I must leave this place quickly; it’s too dangerous. A cultivator must learn restraint, or else I would have nowhere to be buried upon death.”

He wanted to leave, but powerful forces pulled at his hands, dragging his body step by step toward the anchor.

“Vroom…” The anchor trembled, radiating its mystical glow, instinctively resisting.

“It’s over, I can’t escape!” Li Hui grew pale and steeled his resolve, thinking, “Goodness! The silver snake bracelet hasn’t been the first to put me in a terrible predicament. If it wants to eat, let it have its fill! I’ll see the limit of the Heavenly Arrays. Let’s see if it can be painted with many colors. Come, Cloud-Brush Dragon Claw Technique, break for me!”

Over two hundred dragon claw phantoms shot out, and the Cloud-Brush Dragon Claw Technique was easy to learn but hard to master. Few utilized it with such ferocity in the Spirit Motion stage, sweeping down like the force of mountains to capture the light.

The silver snake bracelet spun rapidly around his wrist, surprising Li Hui as he felt his hands swelling, transforming the dragon claw phantoms into massive sizes, clawing upward at the anchor.

“Bang! Bang! Bang…” Massive amounts of dirt and debris splashed down from above as the giant claw grasped the brilliant glow, while the Heavenly Arrays expanded rapidly, augmenting the absorption field.

In mere moments, the spiritual energy in the vicinity grew dense, turning into a misty form.

“I’ve struck gold! The energy collection range spans seventy miles, eighty miles, ninety miles…”

The enormous anchor emitted a mournful cry, while the silver snake bracelet acted like a tyrant, rendering its struggles useless.

The anchor, which the demon army had unsuccessfully attacked for so long, began to collapse downward, and Li Hui seized the scraps alongside it, casually placing them into the Bamboo Box for storage.

Soon, the surrounding mountains collapsed like a stampede, rapidly cascading down, and a dust storm surged, creating chaos all around.

Li Hui dodged flying stones, continuing to absorb the massive anchor as the Heavenly Arrays crazily expanded their absorbing range, reaching a terrifying scale of a thousand-mile circumference.

A thousand miles is too far, merely a rough estimate based on prior feelings; even if off slightly, it should be close enough. The energy collection range continued to expand, and all middle-grade treasure talismans within the Heavenly Arrays displayed signs of ascending, as the silver snake bracelet seemed to understand reciprocity, no longer only demanding.

“Vroom…” The three pieces of High Dragon Miao Jade within the Bamboo Box collapsed completely, causing the Heavenly Arrays to tremble, emanating a unique charm…