CHAPTER 62.2: MAKE ILLUSIONS REAL AND FALSEHOODS TRUE

"Agreed."

"Agreed."

"Agreed."

"Fine, whatever!" Fire Ancestor growled.

The five placed their hands upon Qi Yuan's shoulders. The forces of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth surged into him in a torrent. Stronger than even the Five Essences of Qi, it flooded his veins, painting his skin with radiant tattoos of five colors.

As the energy poured out of them, the Ancestors' forms began to fade. Four of them accepted it with peace, even relief.

Only Fire Ancestor shouted at the last moment, "Brat! I hated you but you forced me to remember the truth that I'm already dead!"

With his cry, he spent his last strength, dissolving into nothingness. The other four also vanished, leaving no trace at all.

Qi Yuan stood frozen. They were all gone. He lowered his gaze to his glowing tattoos. It’d take a day before they fully merge into his flesh.

He grasped Little Bride’s hand tighter than usual. "That's enough for today. Let's log out."

Afterward, he dug a pit in a secluded place. Wrapping an arm around Little Bride’s waist, he slipped in with her. As usual, he opened his friend list and saw only one name: Jin Li.

Qi Yuan: Damn... an Elder Killer is what I've become. Five geezers died before me, all to empower me. NPCs or not, it still feels weird.

He sent the message but got no reply. Jin Li was probably busy leading the Garment Forbidden Army in their rapid campaign.

Little Bride squeezed his hand tighter. A small wooden plaque with two figures sticking together slipped from her sleeve.

"Having a wife really isn't bad." Qi Yuan chuckled, but then his gaze grew distant. "The Five Ancestors, huh? One day, when I could recreate Earth, Water, Wind, Fire, and basically make illusions real and falsehoods true, I'd bring the Five Ancestors back to this world."

After his lofty declaration, he winced and laughed at himself. "Ha! Way too childish. I'm not the child of destiny. Why should anything I say come true? Why should an NPC trust a player so much?"

Qi Yuan muttered, "I'm so tired."

Exhaustion swept over him. Logging out, he collapsed onto his bed without even thinking.

Yet, within his body, the Five Elements Essence churned relentlessly, already replacing his former cultivation method. As Qi Yuan’s chamber brimmed with elemental aura, his entire house started to change. Even the knife tied in his courtyard quivered. As if sensing the influx of metallic essence, the knife groveled and trembled, yet greedily absorbed it.

The entire Seven-Colored Peak—no, the whole Divine Radiance Sect, stirred with bizarre changes.

***

Full of tension, Dong Xian stood before Lord Withered Tree. "Greetings, Sect Master."

The Artifact Master within him shrank its presence in terror. After all, the slightest exposure could mean annihilation, as his soul-memory was a priceless treasure coveted by any Nascent Soul realm cultivators. If discovered, he’d be destroyed without mercy.

Lord Withered Tree said mildly. "Dong Xian, not bad. Even with your cultivation abolished, you remain neither arrogant nor impetuous. How has life been on Myriad Arts Peak?"

Dong Xian was bewildered. Why was the sect master paying attention to him?

He could only answer stiffly, "Senior brothers and sisters have treated me well."

Lord Withered Tree nodded. "Good. In half a year, the Dragon-Seizing Contest begins. Have you thought about it?"

The Great Shang King was unwell and nearing the end of his lifespan. The throne was in a state of unrest. Since the queen was childless, the crown prince position remained empty. All the remaining princes were ambitious, vying for the throne. After discussing this matter, the Great Shang Royal Court came up with the Dragon-Seizing Contest. Each prince would lead their subordinates to compete in the Celestial Dragon Realm, and the victor would become the crown prince.

When they first announced this, several princes were unhappy. The Celestial Dragon Realm had a limitation: no cultivator past thirty could enter. In other words, only Foundation Establishment or below could compete, effectively cutting off the princes' strongest retainers. Though they resisted, the queen stood firm, and the three great sects supported her. In the end, they had no choice but to agree.

In fact, the Dragon-Seizing Contest was the reason Dong Xian’d been cast away, forced to join Divine Radiance Sect. If not, who knew if he’d even survive to see the contest.

Dong Xian said hurriedly, uneasy. "I dare not!"

Lord Withered Tree's eyes gleamed. "Now that you are a disciple of Divine Radiance Sect, whether you dare or not is irrelevant. You have to."

Dong Xian's heart leaped. Does this mean the sect would support me to claim the crown prince's seat?

For a boy once humiliated, cast out of the capital after his engagement was broken off, this was the opportunity to wash away his shame. He’d thought about using Artifact Master's help to rise to Nascent Soul realm before returning gloriously. However, that could take hundreds, or even thousands of years. When that time comes, would things still be the same?

Lord Withered Tree explained, "When the contest begins, the Divine Radiance Sect will send two Foundation Establishment realm disciples and one Core Formation realm elder to aid you."

Dong Xian's breath quickened. Their strength wasn't overwhelming, but their presence carried the weight of the sect's support. That was enough. He was moved when he heard of the sect master’s support, he couldn’t contain his excitement. "Many thanks, Sect Master!"

"You may choose the two disciples yourself. But you must persuade them with your own means. I won't interfere," said Lord Withered Tree.

Dong Xian readily agreed. "I’ll be sure to select and convince them!"

Though all the Foundation Establishment realm disciples of the sect were good, they probably weren’t the best. With the Artifact Master’s guidance, he believed he could discern hidden talents. Before, Artifact Master also mentioned that the Divine Radiance Sect wasn’t as simple as it seemed. Several ordinary-looking disciples were hiding many things.

Lord Withered Tree smiled. "Very well. By the way, I also heard that you’re dabbling in artifact refining and have achieved some success. Show me one of your works. I am no master, but I can offer an advice or two."

Now that they’d discussed what they had to do, Dong Xian understood that it was time to build rapport.

He proudly presented his proudest creation, made with Artifact Master's help. "This is Xuantian Ruler, forged with thirty-seven metals. It’s sturdy enough to withstand a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator’s weapon's strike."

However, one second later, he froze in shock. The sect master was also stunned. The straight ruler suddenly snapped into three pieces, reassembling into a stick figure. Then, it promptly bolted out of the hall on tiny legs.

Dong Xian was dumbstruck. "M-my artifact awakened a spirit?!"

Am I really that good?! Or has the old Artifact Master been hiding things from me?!