My Artifacts Can Upgrade Infinitely

Under the pitch-black night, Zhou Wushuang lay on the ground.

The powerhouse that Zhao Zuo had once been utterly powerless against had died so easily at the hands of Chen Xiaorong. The Suwen Sword was drawn from the fallen body, its blade unstained by blood. Zhou Wushuang’s face was twisted into a mask of indescribable hatred and resentment.

"She is a member of the Zhou Family, after all. I need to take her remains." Zhou Qingning waved a hand, dispelling the ice wall before her. She took a few steps forward and looked Chen Xiaorong in the eye as she spoke.

"Fine."

"Leave this to me. The rest of you, return." Chen Xiaorong sheathed her Suwen Sword, walked over to Zhao Zuo, and addressed the members of the Night Patrol.

"As you command." Without another word, the members of the Night Patrol turned and left.

Zhao Zuo stood in the wind, realizing that Elder Li had already quietly departed. In the distance, Zhou Qingning collected Zhou Wushuang’s remains before flying away on her sword.

The recently bustling area was suddenly quiet, leaving only the two of them.

"Sorry I’m late," Chen Xiaorong said apologetically.

"No, no, no, I should be thanking you for saving my life." Zhao Zuo immediately shook his head. He took out a Healing Elixir and swallowed it. For some reason, he no longer felt nervous standing next to Chen Xiaorong; he was remarkably calm and at ease.

Zhao Zuo walked forward a few steps to retrieve the Black Flame Saber and Golden Light Mirror from the ground, along with the inconspicuous Soul-Shaking Bell. He stuffed the Magical Artifacts back into his Storage Bag.

He returned to his previous spot, standing about a meter away from Chen Xiaorong.

"Do you believe the strong should be above the rules?" Chen Xiaorong suddenly asked.

"That’s..."

Zhao Zuo fell silent for a moment. It was a complicated question, and he didn’t know how to answer.

"Is it that hard to answer?"

"I believe the strong should not be above the rules," Zhao Zuo finally answered.

"Exactly. This world lacks fairness, and I don’t like it," Chen Xiaorong stated. But Zhao Zuo couldn’t understand why she was telling him this. He was still living under the protection of the rules; he didn’t have the power to place himself above them.

Zhao Zuo was astonished to realize that Chen Xiaorong’s philosophy was to change the world.

"Is there something else I should say?" Zhao Zuo asked.

"Tell me what you think of my philosophy. You’ve been in the Moyun Sect for a few months; you should know the kinds of things I’ve done," Chen Xiaorong asked casually, her gaze fixed on a spot several hundred meters away where Shen Yunjiao was hiding.

She didn’t dare approach, because the concealing effect of the Taotie Secret Technique was useless against a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"Of course, I’m grateful. You created a fair environment, which has spared me from a great deal of oppression within the Moyun Sect and allowed me to focus more of my time on Cultivation," Zhao Zuo said with sincere gratitude.

"Good." A flicker of joy passed through Chen Xiaorong’s eyes, and she nodded. She could sense that Zhao Zuo wasn’t lying; his gratitude was genuine.

Although she hadn’t done those things for the sake of being thanked, receiving his gratitude still brought her a bit of happiness. The two weren’t contradictory.

"However, changing the world is difficult. I’ll be leaving the Yunlan Mountain Range for a while."

Her meaning was simple: for a while, she wouldn’t be able to come to his rescue in time.

"It seems she’s not coming over. Give her a message for me," Chen Xiaorong said.

"Tread carefully."

With that, she rose into the air on her sword and was gone.

"I owe her a big one," Zhao Zuo said softly. A life-saving debt had to be repaid. Although he wasn’t in any position to help Chen Xiaorong now, that didn’t mean he never would be.

Not long after Chen Xiaorong had left, Shen Yunjiao cautiously approached from a distance.

"The fluctuations from the Taotie Secret Technique can’t fool a Foundation Establishment Divine Thought. I was afraid she’d realize I was a Demon Cultivator and kill me on the spot, so I didn’t come over right away," Shen Yunjiao explained, her voice full of apology.

"It’s fine. But... she knew. And she asked me to tell you... to tread carefully."

A distance of several hundred meters was still within the range of Chen Xiaorong’s Divine Thought, so Shen Yunjiao’s identity as a Demon Cultivator had long been exposed. It was simply... that Chen Xiaorong had chosen not to act.

"I understand." Shen Yunjiao nodded. Those words were a warning: if she ever crossed the line and started killing the innocent, Chen Xiaorong would cut her down without the slightest hesitation.

"You shouldn’t have come back," Zhao Zuo said. "If we had split up to try our luck, no matter which of us Zhou Wushuang chased, the other would have had a chance to live. By choosing to return, you willingly gave up your own."

"This is your Magical Artifact." Shen Yunjiao took the Sky-Breaking Saber from her Storage Bag. She offered no explanation for why she had returned. In truth... she didn’t know how to explain it herself.

"Thank you." Zhao Zuo accepted the Sky-Breaking Saber. As his first Magical Artifact, he was naturally attached to it. But in that life-or-death struggle, he’d had to trade it for a sliver of a chance to live. Thankfully, Shen Yunjiao had picked it up for him.

Just then, Zhao Zuo lowered his head and spat out a mouthful of dark, clotted blood. A sharp pain still lanced through his lungs with every breath, but the Healing Elixir and the Source Water Pearl were already beginning to work.

"You only ended up in such danger because of me. Let’s consider the favor you owed me repaid."

𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Previously, Shen Yunjiao had found the Soul-Forging Technique in Fang Qingshan’s Storage Bag. She had given it to Zhao Zuo without asking for any Spirit Stones in return, leaving him in her debt.