Chapter 473 - 465: Illusion
Mu Chen was certain this was just an ordinary dagger, yet a voice in his heart insisted it wasn’t as simple as it looked.
After pondering for a moment with no progress, Mu Chen reluctantly gave up. He transferred it into the golden ring from Dilaka and turned his attention to another, equally strange item. It was a tattered map fragment. At first glance, Mu Chen couldn’t remember where he had gotten it, but the memory came back to him after a moment of thought.
He had won the map fragment at an auction in the Xuanling Empire three years ago. He clearly remembered Xiaobai urging him to buy it, claiming it had something tasty on it. And sure enough, he had absorbed some golden Primordial Power from it, though Mu Chen still had no idea what it was.
He picked up the fragment and scanned it from top to bottom, finding nothing but a mess of chaotic lines. A real map would surely have additional information—symbols, or at least some kind of markings.
Shaking his head, Mu Chen sighed. "Another thing I can’t figure out. It seems I won’t be able to solve its mystery until I’ve collected all the pieces. Oh well, I’ll just keep it for now."
After quickly storing it in the golden ring, Mu Chen turned his attention to a Jade Pendant. Engraved on it was the character for ’Shang’. As he stared at it, he suddenly felt as if a heavy boulder was crushing his chest.
"Qin Shang... Qin Wu..."
Taking a deep breath, Mu Chen hung the Jade Pendant from his waist. Only one year remained of his three-year agreement with Qin Shang. (Why is it always three years!) ’In the year I have left, how much can I raise my Martial Artist Realm?’
He recalled their meeting in the Xuanling Empire two years ago. At the time, he was only a Four-Ring Martial Spirit, while Qin Shang had already reached the Emperor Realm Third Ring—a gap of three full Great Realms. As for the Turtle Spirit Sect Young Sect Master, Qin Shang had mentioned he was at the Emperor Realm First Ring.
In the past two years, although his own strength had improved immensely, with his Tier Jumping Ability allowing him to fight on par with an Emperor Realm Fifth Ring, the Turtle Spirit Sect’s Young Sect Master had also been cultivating and progressing. Besides, as the Young Sect Master of one of the nine great hidden powers, his Cultivation Resources were immeasurably vast. By Mu Chen’s estimation, his rival must have at least entered the Venerable Realm by now! A powerful Martial Emperor could already force him to use every trick up his sleeve; what chance would he stand against a Martial Venerable?!
"There’s no other way but to get stronger!"
Glancing to the side, Mu Chen’s eyes fell upon the Shattered Star Lock Chain on his right arm, which sealed his Nether Bone Arm. He froze for a second, then smiled. "I almost forgot about you, Little Spirit."
"Yaaawn... Master... are we undoing the Seal?"
A voice like silver bells, tinged with the grogginess of someone just waking, echoed in Mu Chen’s Sea of Souls. She only responded to his call after a yawn.
Ever since the Shattered Star Lock Chain had become the Seal, it had entered a state of dormancy. It would remain in slumber, constantly evolving along with Mu Chen’s growth, unless he needed to draw upon the power of the Nether Bone Arm.
To Mu Chen’s chagrin, as the Shattered Star Lock Chain grew, the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit’s voice seemed to be changing as well. It had matured from a childlike tone to that of a young girl, and Mu Chen was having a hard time accepting that the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit was, in fact, female.
"Er... well, I’m not asking you to undo the Seal. I was just wondering, can you transform into another weapon while you’re sealing my arm?"
"That? Of course I can," the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit said with a playful smile. "It wouldn’t have been possible before, but ever since my Fifth Transition, I’ve been able to take on other forms while maintaining the Seal. If Master wants to see, I can even take on a human form right now."
Without waiting for his answer, the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit unleashed a brilliant, five-colored light that blinded him. When his vision cleared, a girl of about eleven or twelve years old stood before him.
The little girl wore a silken, red-and-blue Ni Chang dress that seemed to shimmer with a faint glow. Above it was a lovely, rosy-cheeked face, her tender pink lips curved in a slight smile. But her most astonishing feature was her Abnormal Pupils: her left eye was as blue as the vast ocean, and her right was like a scorching red flame. A full head of red-and-blue hair was tied into two long ponytails framing her face, making her look utterly adorable. Even the ever-composed Mu Chen was dumbstruck. In his eyes, this little girl possessed the kind of beauty that could topple nations; she was simply too perfect.
"So, Master? Do I look pretty?" The little girl giggled when she saw him staring dumbfounded, then lifted the hem of her skirt and gave a little twirl.
Her voice startled Mu Chen, and he quickly snapped back to his senses. "Little Spirit, is this your human form?"
The Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit nodded. "Yes. I created it based on the images in Master’s mind of all the girls you have ever seen. But even though it’s a manifestation, it was a one-time thing. From now on, I can only continue to grow in this human form."
"Uh..."
Mu Chen was speechless. ’No wonder the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit looks so perfect,’ he thought. ’She’s a manifestation based on the images in my mind.’ After all, nearly every woman he had ever met possessed beauty far beyond the ordinary.
"Alright, but I asked you to turn into a weapon," Mu Chen said with a smile. "Oh well. If you can manage a human form, a weapon should be no problem." He reached out to pat the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit’s head, but as he did, his right hand passed straight through her.
"You’re..."
Sensing Mu Chen’s surprise, the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit stuck out her tongue playfully. "Master, even though my manifested human form looks solid, I’m ultimately just a Spirit Body—an Artifact Spirit. Physical beings can’t touch an Artifact Spirit’s true form."
Mu Chen froze. ’He suddenly remembered the first time he laid eyes on the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit in the Sun and Moon Pool. Back then, she had been so innocent and terrified. If he hadn’t disturbed her, perhaps she would still exist in this world as a physical entity, not the Spirit Body she was now. She might have suffered imprisonment for a long time, but one day, she would have had a chance to evolve, to break free from the shackles his Master had set using her own power. Her future would have been limitless, and she would never again have been bound by another.’
"Master, are you thinking..."
Before the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit could finish, Mu Chen moved to pull her into his arms. His strong chest and long arms passed through her incorporeal form in a phantom embrace. Though he couldn’t touch her, he could still feel her unwavering, selfless devotion and loyalty.
"Master..."
Her beautiful, mismatched eyes shimmered with tears. With their very souls bound together, how could she not have sensed Mu Chen’s thoughts and emotions? That was precisely why she had tried to steer the conversation toward weapons—to distract him.
But in this moment, she didn’t want to say a thing. She just wanted to stay nestled in Mu Chen’s embrace. In her heart, her affection for him had already reached its zenith. It wasn’t romantic love, nor was it the love between friends; it was the love one has for family. She desperately wanted to call him ’Big Brother’... but she kept the thought buried deep inside.
"Thank you, Little Spirit. And I’m sorry." After a long moment, Mu Chen finally lowered his arms, his face filled with apology and guilt.
"Mm..." The Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit shook her head, her eyes curving into smiling crescents. "Master, you mustn’t blame yourself. A hundred thousand years ago, I made a vow: if someone could show me what the vast world looked like, I would willingly let them devour me and become a part of their power. Luckily, the one I met was you, Master. You didn’t devour me; instead, you’ve shown me scenery from all over the world. That’s more than enough. Little Spirit is very content. So please, Master, don’t think such thoughts again, or Little Spirit will be very sad."
Nothing in this world is more moving than a display of true emotion. Every word from the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit tugged at Mu Chen’s heartstrings, leaving him speechless.
Seeing Mu Chen fall silent, the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit suddenly asked, a curious tilt to her head, "Master, can you not use the Profound Jade Fan anymore?"
Mu Chen glanced at the Profound Jade Fan resting in the corner and shook his head. "Master said I am not to use the Profound Jade Fan during my time at Holy Tomb Mountain. That’s why I was asking you."
"Hee hee, so that’s why!" the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit giggled. "In that case, have you decided what kind of weapon you want to use, Master?"
"Hmm... Little Spirit, don’t call me Master anymore."
"Huh? Not call you Master? Then..." The Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit looked taken aback.
Mu Chen said, "If you don’t mind, call me ’Brother’. I don’t like being called ’Master.’ ’Brother’ feels more like what we are to each other. Look, at least half of our hair and eye colors match now, haha..."
"Brother..." Her heart trembled. The Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit’s expression shifted from stunned to overjoyed. Forcing back the tears welling in her eyes, she beamed. "Yes, Brother!"
Mu Chen chuckled. ’Besides Little Tiger, it seems I’ve inexplicably gained another little sister,’ he thought. ’This feeling... isn’t half bad...’
"Master—no, Brother. Since you’ve used the Profound Jade Fan for so long and are skilled with two-handed weapons, how about you let Little Spirit choose the most suitable weapon for you?" she said, quickly wiping the corner of her eye.
Mu Chen paused, then nodded instinctively. In truth, he wasn’t sure what weapon suited him best, either. The Profound Jade Fan’s attack techniques were derived from the stances of the Nine Waves Technique, and mastering its nine forms had made him proficient with nearly any weapon. Therefore, he would be able to accept whatever the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit chose to manifest.
"This is it! It’s perfect!" Giggling, the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit began to spin as she floated high into the air. Countless crystalline streams of light swirled around her, and in the blink of an eye, the radiance completely engulfed her form.
Immediately after, two soft, humming reverberations echoed from within the ball of light. Then, the light exploded in a shower of starlight. Where the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit had just been, two sword-like weapons—one large, one small—now hovered in the air. Shimmering with crimson and azure light, each radiated a distinctly different aura...