Chapter 559: Divine Artifact Beneath the Whirlpool
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Hexagonal Teleport Stone: Special item. A masterpiece crafted by an array master five thousand years ago. Once placed at a designated location and activated with the proper incantation, the stone expands into a small teleportation array known as the Hexagonal Teleport Array.
After the array is established, the user gains the skill Hexagonal Teleport, allowing them to instantly return to that location at any time.
The skill can also be shared with others. However, because the array is relatively small and powered by limited energy, it can only be used up to 500 times per day.
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’What an incredible treasure,’
Marcus thought. If he ever discovered an important location far from civilization, he could simply establish a Hexagonal Teleport Array there and travel back whenever he wished. He could even decide exactly who was allowed to use it, making it an invaluable tool for his party.
For example, if he placed one on Twin Wing Island, he and the girls could return there in an instant instead of spending three exhausting days sailing across the sea every time.
Unfortunately, the Storm Seal surrounding Twin Wing Island rendered all existing teleportation arrays useless. A small Hexagonal Teleport Array like this wasn’t powerful enough to bypass that restriction either.
There was no point wasting it there.
Marcus carefully stored both Hexagonal Teleport Stones before reaching into the compartment once more. This time he pulled out a heavy, cylindrical object resembling a thick black bamboo tube.
"Whoa!"
"It’s glowing purple!"
The item’s attributes appeared in brilliant purple text: a Divine Artifact. Marcus nearly lost his composure; his heart skipped a beat as he hurriedly examined its attributes. Fortunately, the item had already been identified.
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Rain of Thousand Needles: Purple Divine Artifact.
Requirement: 1000 Agility.
The legendary hidden weapon of Misty Moon Palace, one of Dominion’s Nine Great Schools. Elder Eagle obtained it by chance and treasured it ever since.
Pressing the activation button instantly unleashes a devastating storm of Shadow Needles, blanketing the target like a torrential downpour. With 98% accuracy, the needles pierce the victim’s body countless times.
Effect: Range: 50 meters. Width: 10 meters.
Against enemies at or below Mythic Beast rank:
Guaranteed to deal at least 13% of the target’s maximum HP as damage.
50% chance to inflict an additional 12% maximum HP damage.
20% chance to trigger an instant-kill effect.
If the instant-kill effect fails, the Shadow Needles release frigid dark energy that reduces movement speed by 40%, lowers attack speed by 20%, and inflicts 500 to 2,000 damage per second for ten minutes.
Limitation: Shadow Needles are consumed after use and cannot be recovered. Fresh Shadow Needles must be loaded before the weapon can be used again.
Remaining uses: 1.
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Marcus stared at the description in stunned silence. An item like this actually existed. Not only was its damage absurd, but it also carried a terrifying twenty percent chance of instantly killing any target up to Mythic Beast rank. His Agility had already surpassed one thousand, meaning he met the activation requirement perfectly.
For a brief moment, he seriously considered running back to the Storm Seal and testing it on the Twin-Winged Thunder Wyrm. The thought only lasted a second; this Divine Artifact only had a single use remaining. Using it on impulse would be a complete waste. There would inevitably come a more dangerous enemy, one worthy of such a priceless trump card.
Reluctantly, Marcus pushed the temptation aside and stored Rain of Thousand Needles inside his inventory. Thankfully, the Navy Captain had never obtained this weapon. Otherwise, with a Divine Artifact like this in his possession, he probably would have slain the Ghost Race’s naval commander long ago instead of hiding away to cultivate in secret. Of course, if that had happened, Marcus wouldn’t be the one profiting now.
After carefully checking the weapon’s activation mechanism and confirming every precaution listed in its description, he packed it away with extra care. Hopefully no Mythic Beast would choose today to pick a fight with him. If one did, Marcus couldn’t help smiling to himself; well, that creature would only have itself to blame.
With Elder Eagle Morta’s hidden cache completely emptied and the chamber thoroughly searched, Marcus and the girls returned to the edge of the swirling whirlpool. The treasures they had just received were Elder Eagle’s reward for helping his soul find peace, but there was still another treasure waiting.
The map titled A Rich Man’s Wish had yet to reveal its true reward. According to the markings on the map, the red circle indicating the treasure’s location pointed directly to the center of the swirling whirlpool.
The vortex revolved slowly, glowing with a brilliant azure radiance that made it resemble an enormous sapphire spinning beneath the water. Threads of golden spiritual energy drifted through the current like dancing ribbons, giving the entire whirlpool an almost otherworldly beauty.
"Marcus, hurry and use the treasure map!"
Jade bounced excitedly beside him, barely able to contain herself. Meanwhile, the others were already chatting about whether they should jump into the whirlpool afterward and follow the route to Lady Green Tide’s cultivation sanctuary.
Normally, a treasure site like this would be guarded by powerful monsters. Still, after remembering the horde of zombie sea creatures they had wiped out earlier, everyone couldn’t help wondering if those monsters had been the treasure’s guardians all along.
"Alright."
Marcus nodded, gesturing for everyone to step back before taking out the ancient treasure map.
The instant it touched the whirlpool’s blue light, the map burst into brilliant blue flames and tore itself free from his grasp. It floated above the center of the whirlpool like a blazing beacon, and then, with a sudden flash, a pillar of blue light shot downward, piercing straight into the swirling waters below.
"It’s opening."
Everyone instinctively held their breath. Marcus raised his Adamant Shield without hesitation, remaining fully alert in case the treasure’s appearance also awakened a guardian monster.
A few seconds later, the water where the beam had struck began to churn violently. A towering fountain erupted upward, surging into the air as powerful golden spiritual energy poured out with it, and the rising water gradually turned radiant gold beneath the dense concentration of spiritual power.
Then something slowly emerged from within the golden column: a perfectly round blue pet egg. Beneath it floated an elegantly curved blue jade bottle, as if the bottle itself were carrying the egg toward the surface.
As the jade bottle continued rising, the surrounding spiritual energy grew even denser, flooding the entire stone chamber with dazzling golden light. The sheer amount of spiritual energy left everyone speechless; it was as though every trace of spiritual energy within the whirlpool had gathered around these two treasures. Whatever they were, they had to be extraordinary.
Seeing that no guardian monsters had appeared, Marcus wasted no time. He immediately cast Insight on both the blue pet egg and the jade bottle that had just emerged from the heart of the whirlpool.