Translator: Silavin
After that silhouette collapsed, the black energy seemed to lose its focal point and began to dissipate.
That figure never rose again.
Qin Yichen approached the fallen form.
After the black energy dispersed, only skeletal remains lay upon the ground.
“Eh?” Originally intending to glance once and move on, Qin Yichen noticed a glimmer of light flashing within the skull’s interior.
*Whoosh!* He reached out with his hand, and a crystalline, translucent orb appeared in his palm.
With a slight probing, Qin Yichen detected extremely concentrated Spiritual Energy fluctuations contained within this orb.
[What a treasure!] Joy flickered across his features. Without any hesitation, he directly refined the orb.
After refining it, he distinctly felt his Spiritual Energy undergo substantial enhancement. Moreover, Qin Yichen could clearly sense that his Spiritual Energy had reached the threshold. To advance further would require breaking through to the Earth Grade!
If he could breakthrough his Spiritual Energy cultivation to the Earth Grade, the dangers within the Legacy Realm would undoubtedly diminish considerably.
[But what exactly was that black energy? Not only could it erode my Spiritual Energy, but it could also control others, transforming them into puppets.] Qin Yichen’s expression remained grave, far from relaxed.
He harboured a persistent feeling that this black energy was the very reason Master Lu Ban had sealed that Divine Artifact within this place all those years ago.
[Well, I can only take things one step at a time.] Qin Yichen exhaled softly and continued forward. He possessed absolute confidence in his Spiritual Energy cultivation!
As long as those corroded by the black energy possessed inferior Spiritual Energy cultivation to his own, he would remain invincible.
As he ventured deeper, the grey currents approached true blackness, resembling a dark veil shrouding the entire world.
During this journey, Qin Yichen encountered five or six attacks, resolving each one decisively.
After refining those orbs, his Spiritual Energy had reached its bottleneck. He needed only one final step to breakthrough to the Earth Grade!
Gazing at the black energy before him, dark as night itself, Qin Yichen resolutely stepped forward.
*Whoosh!*
However, after taking merely half a step, he rapidly retreated.
Qin Yichen stared ahead, his eyes filled with astonishment.
Upon entering that space, he felt the black energy beginning to corrode him, seeping through his nostrils, eyes, ears, and every pore across his body, then launching a direct assault upon his Knowledge Sea.
In that moment, Qin Yichen finally understood how those Mo Clan Ancestors had perished within this realm.
This black energy was simply too sinister. It penetrated everywhere! Moreover, it directly corroded the Soul.
Martial Artists who did not cultivate Spiritual Energy likely would not even qualify to reach this location.
[With such concentrated black energy, that Divine Artifact should be located a little deeper.] Sensing the resonance emanating from the Master Craftsman’s Hammer in his grasp, Qin Yichen concluded.
He could barely resist the black energy’s corrosion, but he could not determine the distance to the Divine Artifact’s location.
After all, he remained only at Spiritual Rupture Realm, with finite Spiritual Energy.
Just as Qin Yichen hesitated, the Master Craftsman’s Hammer, upon contact with that pitch-black energy, trembled slightly. Mystical patterns illuminated across the hammer’s surface, immediately dispersing the surrounding black energy.
This represented merely a minute change.
After dispelling the black energy, the Master Craftsman’s Hammer returned to its original state.
Yet Qin Yichen captured that instantaneous transformation.
[Could it be…]
He experimentally brought the Master Craftsman’s Hammer toward the pitch-black energy. Immediately, the previous scene repeated – the black energy retreated like spring snow encountering blazing sunlight.
After several more attempts, Qin Yichen’s eyes brightened with understanding.
This Master Craftsman’s Hammer belonged to Master Lu Ban. It was, in essence, a Divine Artifact.
However, until now, Qin Yichen had never discovered its practical applications.
Yet Master Lu Ban had chosen the Master Craftsman’s Hammer as his weapon, using it as the Lu Ban Sect’s mark of Inheritance for successive Sect Masters. This certainly held profound significance.
Like now, those mystical patterns appearing upon the Master Craftsman’s Hammer were entirely unprecedented to Qin Yichen.
[This is worth a try!] Qin Yichen began channelling his Spiritual Energy into the Master Craftsman’s Hammer.
This marked his first time infusing Spiritual Energy into the Master Craftsman’s Hammer.
The scene within the Master Craftsman’s Hammer left him astounded once again.
Inside, countless points of starlight existed, resembling a vast starry sky. It was too numerous to count.
Qin Yichen stood transfixed.
He could not determine how to activate those mystical Array Patterns from before.
Then he again inserted the Master Craftsman’s Hammer into the pitch-black energy.
The internal starlight immediately underwent transformation.
Previously disconnected points of light suddenly manifested connecting rays, linking them together to form mystical patterns.
[So that’s how it works.] Qin Yichen began memorising those light ray trajectories, then attempted to substitute his own Spiritual Energy for those connecting lines.
Despite his exceptional Spiritual Energy cultivation, completely memorising those light patterns consumed nearly an entire day!
By now, two full days had passed since he entered the Legacy Realm.
His remaining time was limited.
Qin Yichen recognised this reality.
If he could not return by the third day, everyone would likely assume he had perished within this realm.
As long as the Mo Clan did not activate the Transport Array, he would remain permanently trapped within this ancient ruin.
Black energy pervaded every corner of this place. Even if he fortunately broke through to Earth Grade, even with his remarkable Spiritual Energy cultivation, eventual complete depletion remained inevitable.
*Hum!* Without excessive hesitation, Qin Yichen activated his Spiritual Energy. The mystical patterns across the Master Craftsman’s Hammer immediately illuminated. Enhanced by his Spiritual Energy, it radiated substantial white light, completely dispersing the surrounding black energy.
Under the Master Craftsman’s Hammer’s protection, Qin Yichen stepped into this pitch-black domain.
*Siii!* After mere steps, a palm wreathed in black energy lunged toward his chest.
Qin Yichen initially prepared to employ his Spiritual Energy, but the attacking hand dissolved instantly upon contact with the Master Craftsman’s Hammer’s white light.
*Bang!* Qin Yichen pursued, delivering a hammer blow to the puppet’s skull. The puppet immediately collapsed, and he seized a crystalline orb.
[What a valuable treasure!] Qin Yichen clicked his tongue appreciatively. If time weren’t so pressing, he truly wished to hunt down all the puppets within the Legacy Realm.