My Artifacts Can Upgrade Infinitely

The valley was tall, majestic, and perilous. The cliffs on either side, like straight Sword Blades, thrust toward the sky, their surfaces blanketed in snow. The river, over twenty feet wide, was frozen solid.

Further in, a dense fog hung in the air, so thick one could not see their own hand. Faint strains of Immortal Sound drifted from within. In truth, this was the effect of two Arrays, powerful enough to threaten even a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Within them lay the ancestral lands of two Foundation Establishment families.

At the mouth of the valley, Chen Xiaorong stood, still dressed in simple, plain-colored robes and holding a longsword as pure and white as jade.

With her arrival, Loose Cultivators began to emerge from the woods behind her, sacks in hand. Most carried sharp tools for dismembering Demon Beast corpses. Their gazes, fixed on Chen Xiaorong, were filled with apprehension, fear, and greed—but not a hint of respect.

For the first few days, they might have been grateful. Now, however, only greed remained.

The Sun dipped in the west, setting the distant sky ablaze in crimson. As the last sliver of light vanished from the horizon, the temperature plummeted, reaching the point where breath turned to frost in the air.

Chen Xiaorong, who had been standing still and regulating her breath with closed eyes, now opened them. Her gaze swept over the surrounding Loose Cultivators, their eyes blinded by avarice. Shaking her head softly, she refocused her attention on the distant forest.

An aura emanated from that direction, one that struck terror in her heart. She and the beast had been in a standoff for days. Chen Xiaorong could sense the killing intent within its aura; she knew it intended to strike today.

’Unfortunately, I’m still injured.’

"Come on, then," Chen Xiaorong said softly. The Second Tier Demon Beast was stronger than she was, but fleeing without a fight simply wasn’t in her vocabulary. Even knowing she was outmatched, she would still dare to raise her sword... even against an unbeatable foe.

As the last trace of sunlight vanished, a deafening roar erupted from the forest. There was no grand stampede of beasts today; in the face of this creature, all the One Tier Demon Beasts had already fled. Its aura formed a Domain nearly a kilometer in diameter, and within this space, not a single other Demon Beast remained.

It was a Second Tier, Lower Grade Demon Beast: a Wind-Winged Cloud Tiger.

Among Demon Beasts of the same tier, tigers were one of the most powerful. It was for this reason they were called kings of the forest.

The giant tiger before her had wings sprouting from its back, with a wingspan of nearly fifty meters. Its fur was pure snow-white, without a single blemish of color, and its body stretched fifteen meters long. It seemed to have descended upon a gale of wind and snow, its golden eyes gazing down at Chen Xiaorong with disdain.

In the next instant, the giant tiger flapped its wings and lunged. It moved so fast it left only a white afterimage. Inside its cavernous maw, four fangs, each nearly as long as a human forearm, glinted with a cold light like sharpened daggers.

The surrounding Loose Cultivators were scared witless at the sight of the giant tiger. A few who were farther away managed to flee, but the rest were frozen in place. A powerful pressure radiated from the Wind-Winged Cloud Tiger—a pressure born of its Divine Thought—pinning the remaining Loose Cultivators to the spot.

Watching the giant tiger approach, Chen Xiaorong tightened her grip on her sword. ’I only have enough strength for a single strike. Even if I was unrivaled in the Nourishing Body realm... Nourishing Body is still just Nourishing Body.’

"I have a sword technique, comprehended from watching the winter snows. It is called Ten Thousand Cold!"

A silvery light shone like the moon, and her Sword Qi was like frost. Her figure moved with the grace of a startled swan, ephemeral as a night-blooming cereus. A silver flame seemed to flow within the attack, yet this flame was intensely cold, illuminating the surrounding darkness.

By now, Chen Xiaorong had already crossed nearly a hundred meters to the far end of the valley. The clash between the tiger and the Sword Blade lasted less than a second. A shockwave from the impact sent snow swirling into the air, obscuring the vision of the onlookers.

The two collided like a pair of speeding comets, then recoiled at an even faster pace to face each other once more.

The fur on the giant tiger’s right paw had been sliced open by the Sword Peak, and scalding blood dripped down, instantly melting the snow below. On the other side, the sleeve on Chen Xiaorong’s sword arm had been blown to shreds. Her fair, jade-like arm was covered in cracks, like fine porcelain on the verge of shattering. Blood ran down her wrist, dyeing the pure white Sword Peak crimson.

Chen Xiaorong’s expression remained unchanged as she turned and fled without hesitation.

’I can’t win...’

The Wind-Winged Cloud Tiger watched her retreating figure, unwilling to let her go. But it could feel another aura, one far stronger than itself, lock onto it. ’If I keep chasing her, I’ll die.’

All it could do was flash about, venting its rage on the surrounding Loose Cultivators.

That night, Chen Xiaorong retreated with heavy injuries, and a tide of Demon Beasts crashed against the four major districts.

「The next day.」 Zhao Zuo was still in seclusion, forging away, completely unaware that the outside world had descended into chaos. The lucky soul who had found the rare Demon Beast corpse had unfortunately died in the valley the night before. Along with him died many... many other Loose Cultivators who had recently struck it rich. They were all dead.

These individuals had been wealthy, a fact that stirred the greed of the remaining Loose Cultivators. Death, it seemed, was not a lesson easily learned. At the crack of dawn, some went to the valley to scavenge the bodies, only to run into still-hungry Demon Beasts and lose their own lives. The first signs of chaos had appeared in the Moyun Market.

When the Demon Beasts finally retreated at dawn, the Loose Cultivators immediately began fighting amongst themselves over Storage Bags. When they realized that Chen Xiaorong, the one who had maintained order, was nowhere to be seen, the situation escalated. The half-month of stability shattered in a heartbeat.

With the rules shattered, a severe backlash erupted. The malice suppressed in people’s hearts was unleashed. Tribulation Cultivators began popping up like weeds after a rainstorm. Every night, dozens of people across the four major districts died at their hands.

Meanwhile, Shen Yunjiao was heartbroken over losing a hundred Spirit Stones. She deeply regretted not following Zhao Zuo’s advice to quit while she was ahead. The world had one more person who now viewed gambling as a sworn enemy.

The turmoil outside had no effect on Zhao Zuo, who remained in seclusion in his Earth Fire Chamber. He had grown accustomed to this sunless life. The most important reason, however, was simply that it was safe.

「A few days later.」 All the Demon Beast meat Zhao Zuo had bought was consumed, converted into progress in his Body Refining. He decided to venture out to purchase more, intending to return to his seclusion immediately after.

Zhao Zuo made his way to the street stall area. He discovered that in the few days he’d been in seclusion, both the atmosphere and the people had changed dramatically. The Loose Cultivators on the road seemed incredibly tense. Several of them carried the distinct stench of blood, clearly nursing injuries.

When paths crossed, people were extremely guarded, their eyes filled with hostility.

The heavy, oppressive, and tense atmosphere began to affect even Zhao Zuo. Almost subconsciously, he infused a bit of Mana into the Sky-Breaking Saber hidden in its clasp at his waist, ready to defend and counterattack at a moment’s notice. But he quickly gave a self-deprecating laugh. ’No one would dare to rob and kill someone in the core district, right?’

’After all, the Guard Team is still here, and the rules established by the Moyun Sect should still hold.’

After walking for about ten more minutes, Zhao Zuo finally spotted Shen Yunjiao at her stall. Displayed on it was the carcass of a Tier One Middle Grade Giant Horned Fighting Sheep. This type of Demon Beast was known for its gentle temperament and delicious meat, making it very popular within the Moyun Market.

Shen Yunjiao was skillfully carving up the Demon Beast with a short blade while several Loose Cultivators squatted nearby, waiting to buy some meat. With Chen Xiaorong’s continued absence these past few days, acquiring Demon Beast meat had become much more difficult. It seemed Shen Yunjiao had made a considerable profit; her luck had finally turned.

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