Chapter 110: The Artifact Spirit of Lingtian Pavilion

Ji Yao felt that whenever people started speaking in such tones, it was a sure sign that a melodramatic plot was about to unfold. She had already prepared herself to be nothing more than a pair of ears, or perhaps to be excluded from the conversation entirely.

After all, she could not afford to provoke either of these two!

There was no need to dwell on Situ Jing. As for the other—this humanoid entity that looked like a small child—the fact that it was so familiar with Situ Jing spoke for itself. If she guessed correctly, this was the legendary artifact spirit of the Lingtian Pavilion, whose true form was a Mysterious Earth Turtle.

To her surprise, the entity merely frowned, ignoring Situ Jing’s comment. "I thought you had successfully ascended fifty thousand years ago."

Situ Jing rubbed her nose and offered a bitter smile. "There were some complications. I have only just recovered. Returning now, I fear I still need your help. I hadn't thought I would need these things before, which is why I didn't reach out to you."

Although the conversation was taking a different turn than she had anticipated, Ji Yao caught a vital piece of information: they had known each other fifty thousand years ago, and it was highly likely that Situ Jing’s previous attempt at cultivation had taken place at the Lingyun Sect.

It was said that those who attained immortality were bound by causality; if they retained their memories during reincarnation, they would avoid forming too many entanglements.

If Situ Jing had chosen the Lingyun Sect for her reincarnation, there must have been something there to help her quickly recover her past. If that were the case, she would have reached the level of ascension, and even if she kept a low profile, someone should have noticed.

Records of sect members ascending fifty thousand years ago should have existed within the Lingyun Sect. Why had no one ever mentioned it? Was there something being hidden?

Ascension was a monumental event in the cultivation world; it would be nearly impossible to hide. One could say the entire world watched whenever someone ascended, yet Ji Yao had never heard any rumors regarding Situ Jing. Unless, of course, her ascension had gone completely unnoticed, which would imply something of great significance.

Despite her burning curiosity, Ji Yao fulfilled her role as a listener. It was best to just listen; otherwise, if she spoke up and drew attention to herself, she might lose even the privilege of being a bystander and be cast aside.

The red-aproned, doll-like artifact spirit let out a yawn, sat down cross-legged, and half-opened its eyelids. "What is it that you want?"

Now that it was her turn to make a request, Situ Jing was blunt. "I don't know the specifics myself, only a rough guess. All I can do is seek a solution based on the variables surrounding me."

"You don't mean this little doll, do you?" The artifact spirit, Xiao Wu, finally spared a glance for Ji Yao. Resting a hand on its knee and propping its cheek, it squinted at her, looking as if it might fall asleep at any moment.

Situ Jing sat down as well, mimicking Xiao Wu’s posture, and tilted her head to look at Ji Yao.

"It is her. A-Heng divined this before I descended, and I have observed her for several years. That feeling has only grown stronger, so her decisions and thoughts will likely be the catalyst."

"Don't you think it's unreliable to pin your hopes on a little doll like this?" Xiao Wu continued to call her a "little doll" as if she weren't even there, making Ji Yao cringe with secondhand embarrassment.

She simply could not get used to being called a child by an artifact spirit that looked like a toddler, even if the spirit was likely older than Situ Jing herself.

Situ Jing spread her hands. "Is there a better way? A turning point is often found in a single thought. If this issue isn't resolved beforehand, I fear that if I try again, I truly won't be able to return."

Xiao Wu seemed to have fallen back asleep, remaining silent for a long time with its eyes half-closed. Finally, it spoke, but the question was directed at Ji Yao.

"Then, little doll, tell me what you want."

Huh? Why did it feel like she was making a wish to Aladdin’s lamp? More importantly, how was she supposed to know what the entity possessed or what it was capable of?

Ji Yao looked to Situ Jing for guidance, but the woman didn't seem to receive the signal and began to introduce them instead. "This is Xuan Wu, a friend of mine and my master’s. He is the guardian and artifact spirit of the Lingtian Pavilion."

Very well. It seemed their cryptic conversation wasn't meant for her ears yet, or perhaps it was something she needed to discover on her own. Ji Yao thought about why she had come to the Lingtian Pavilion and carefully considered her words.

"Senior Xuan Wu, I saw the layout of Profound Sword City, which led me to think of the formation map in Senior Situ’s possession, and I wanted to verify a few things. I later realized that Senior Situ’s map was incomplete, so I came to the Lingtian Pavilion on her advice."

Before Ji Yao could finish, the artifact spirit, Xuan Wu, opened his small hand, and a scroll appeared in his palm.

"So, you came here looking for this complete formation map?"

Seeing the map, Ji Yao felt a surge of excitement as if a mystery was about to be solved. She bowed deeply. "Exactly, Senior Xuan Wu!"

Situ Jing smiled and chimed in, "I knew it. After I attained the Dao and ascended, A-Heng must have left all the contingency plans for this place with you. Even after he ascended, my master never mentioned the details to me."

At this, Xuan Wu’s expression was no longer lazy; it was somewhat subtle. "He truly didn't tell you anything? Not even when you went down to reincarnate?"

Situ Jing looked surprised. "He only told me to come to the Lingyun Sect and said you had things here that would be useful for my reincarnation. Do you know something else?"

Realizing he had spoken out of turn, Xuan Wu blinked and reverted to his lazy demeanor. "Don't ask me about that. You and your master have always been difficult. If you have questions, go ask him yourself when you ascend; don't use me as a pawn."

Upon hearing this, Ji Yao keenly sensed a flicker of awkwardness in Situ Jing. The woman did not pursue the topic further, but instead lowered her head in thought.

Today’s Situ Jing was vastly different from the person Ji Yao usually knew. She was momentarily stunned, forgetting that she had been staring at the scroll in Xuan Wu’s hand.

It was Xuan Wu who broke the silence. "Little girl, didn't you want the map? Why aren't you taking it?"

Ji Yao snapped out of her daze and apologized repeatedly. Because the entity was short and still sitting on the ground, she had to bend down quickly, taking the scroll with both hands, about to unfold it.

The entity spoke again. "What is your name? In the future, when you come to the Lingtian Pavilion to find me, you can just call my name in this space."

"My name is Ji Yao. Thank you for your guidance, Senior!" Ji Yao replied hastily.

Xuan Wu glanced at Situ Jing beside him and said sternly to Ji Yao, "Given her current situation, keep her out of sight as much as possible. Rely on yourself for everything. You have surely taken a master at the Lingyun Sect; with your cultivation level, that should be enough to answer your questions."

He paused before continuing, "If you truly don't understand, you can come ask me. This girl has always relied on others to clean up her messes. Without A-Heng around, even her own affairs have gone awry. How can one be at ease?"

Without waiting for Ji Yao to respond, he made the decision himself. "That’s it then! I’m going back. Take the map and study it yourselves!"

In the blink of an eye, Ji Yao realized that Xuan Wu and Situ Jing were gone. She stood before the bookshelf, holding the miscellaneous notes she had taken from the shelf in one hand and the scroll in the other.

If it weren't for the scroll in her hand, she would have thought she had just had a dream.

She returned the notes and unfolded the scroll. She took one look, then another, feeling utterly shocked. The completed formation patterns hinted at a single, chilling fact.

The so-called protective formation of Profound Sword City concealed something else: a "Demon-Suppressing Space." And the giant stone in the center of the plaza, inscribed with the characters for "Profound Sword," was actually a massive piece of Blazing Sun Stone.

Blazing Sun Stone—it purified negative energy and suppressed all dark, demonic, and evil entities in the world.