txolops Chapter 172 The Hermit of the Heavenly Mirror
Chapter 172 The Hermit of the Heavenly Mirror
"Tianjing Sanren? That mad cultivator from the Chaotic Star Sea who was once hailed as the number one person below the Nascent Soul stage?"
Upon hearing the other party's words, Luo Ming felt a little uneasy. How could that person still be alive after so many years? But when he thought of the Great Evolution True Monarch, who had also survived for so long through some means, he was no longer surprised.
But this personality doesn't match the rumors, does it? He remembers that the Heavenly Mirror Hermit was arrogant, domineering, decisive, and unruly.
The difference between him and the person in front of him is quite significant. Could it be that the other person has experienced too much, leading to a drastic change in temperament?
Seemingly sensing Luo Ming's wariness and the suspicion in his tone, Tianjing Sanren's soul paused slightly, then slowly said, "Young friend, there's no need to doubt me. Everything I've said is true. I never expected that after all these years, someone would still remember my name."
Luo Ming observed the other party with his divine sense and saw that the other party's primordial spirit was actually a faint golden color, as if it were wearing a layer of mirror, reflecting the terrifying temperature around it.
Regardless of whether this person is the Heavenly Mirror Hermit or not, the fact that he could withstand such a terrifying temperature with his primordial spirit body suggests that he may have cultivated some kind of fire-based secret technique with his primordial spirit in the past.
Luo Ming couldn't help but think that, after all, the primordial spirit of human cultivators is generally very afraid of being scorched by flames. Only the primordial spirit of creatures like the Zhiyang Bird, which are born in flames, is not afraid of being burned by flames.
"How did you get devoured by that demon, senior?" Luo Ming asked while pondering what to do next.
If the other party's primordial spirit can be refined by this cauldron, then he wouldn't mind refining the other party directly, regardless of who they are.
However, things are now in a bit of a dilemma. Releasing the other party is impossible. Although the other party is currently very weak, he is still a late-stage Nascent Soul expert. Who knows what powerful methods he might have? What's more, the other party obviously already knows some of the details about his small cauldron, which Luo Mingjue cannot allow.
The Heavenly Mirror Hermit was originally observing the situation inside the cauldron. This cauldron was able to withstand the self-destruction of that demonic artifact and remain intact. It must be at least an extremely powerful spiritual treasure. Could this cauldron be the Void Heaven Cauldron, the number one treasure of the Chaotic Star Sea? This made him somewhat curious about Luo Ming's identity as a Core Formation cultivator.
Upon hearing Luo Ming's question, Tianjing Sanren remained silent for a moment before calmly speaking.
"I wonder how you intend to handle my matter, young friend?" Luo Ming was taken aback. Was it really that direct?
He had originally planned to try and get some information out of the other party, but he didn't expect the other party to ask this question directly. So he wasn't going to drag it out any longer. After all, the sooner he resolved the issue, the better he could deal with his Golden Core.
"Senior's strength is too great. Releasing you directly would make this junior feel unsafe. Does Senior have any way to find a solution that satisfies both sides?"
Luo Ming threw the question back at Luo Ming.
"Hehe, young friend's worries are actually a bit unnecessary. Due to a fortuitous encounter back then, my primordial spirit merged with a golden spirit, making it impossible for me to enter the cycle of reincarnation. In addition, I was almost refined by that demon, so it is actually difficult for me to live in the outside world. I can only survive by possessing a magical artifact."
The old man paused for a moment, then said with a bitter tone, "In other words, I can only exist as a spirit of the artifact."
"A spirit weapon?"
Luo Ming's heart stirred. If he could refine this into a weapon spirit, then he wouldn't have to worry about it rebelling. After all, the master had complete control over the weapon spirit's life.
However, when Luo Ming noticed that the other person's eyes were constantly scrutinizing the Spirit Gathering Cauldron, he immediately understood the other person's thoughts: he wanted to become the spirit of the Spirit Gathering Cauldron.
Artifact spirits can actually cultivate. As the power of the magical artifact increases and its spirituality grows, the artifact spirit within it naturally becomes stronger as well. (This is echoed in the classic quotes from "A Mortal's Journey to Immortality: Starting at Spirit Beast Mountain," which resonate with many readers.) Eventually, it may even take on a physical form independently, or even exist independently of the magical artifact.
"Senior Tianjing, is it because you have taken a fancy to my little cauldron? Unfortunately, I have never been able to refine it. If you want to become a spirit of this cauldron, I'm afraid you can only possess that ball of Xuan Water."
At this moment, Luo Ming had already stopped the burning of the spiritual fire, and the Xuan Yuan Pearl returned to its original state, transforming into twelve Xuan Yuan Pearls.
However, the Xuan Yuan Pearl was different from before, its color had become much darker. This was because after the Bloodthirsty Blade self-destructed, its materials turned into countless black particles, which filled the Xuan Yuan Pearl and were difficult to remove for a while.
"This little cauldron of yours looks quite extraordinary. Could it be the legendary Void Heaven Cauldron?"
In his understanding, among the cauldron-shaped magical treasures, only the Void Heaven Cauldron, the number one treasure of the Chaotic Star Sea, could withstand the self-destruction of a sacred artifact from the Demon Realm and remain intact.
"The Void Heaven Cauldron is still intact in the Void Heaven Palace. I don't have the strength to bring it out. In fact, I don't know the origin of this cauldron either," Luo Ming said.
After the old man finished speaking, he transformed into a golden light and entered one of the Xuan Yuan Pearls, leaving Luo Ming utterly astonished.
As soon as the golden light entered the Xuan Yuan Pearl, the pearl shone brightly and began to slowly rotate. After a while, the other party's divine sense came from inside, indicating that the possession was complete and that he could refine it again with his divine sense.
"This junior is a little puzzled. Senior was once a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, dominating the entire Chaotic Star Sea. How could you willingly become this junior's artifact spirit?"
Seeing how readily the other party agreed and how quickly they integrated, Luo Ming became somewhat suspicious. Could it be that they were deceiving him, waiting for him to open the Spirit Gathering Cauldron before suddenly attacking and eliminating him?
"Hmph! Do I have a choice? Besides, I see that you have great potential. You might be able to rely on that mysterious little cauldron to cultivate to the Nascent Soul realm. That way, I can also ascend to the legendary Spirit Realm and take a look. I'm helping you and myself at the same time."
Upon hearing the other party's words, Luo Ming was immediately startled and became wary.
"Senior should have woken up long ago, otherwise he wouldn't know about some things concerning this cauldron."
"Hehe, actually I regain consciousness once every few years. My primordial spirit is special, and that demon cannot completely refine it. It can only control my actions. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to refine it with such a level of spiritual flame."
Luo Ming believed this, because the other party's primordial spirit could ignore the high temperature inside the cauldron and the trace of cleansing fire intent in the spirit fire of the Zhiyang Bird. If that demon really refined the primordial spirit of the Heavenly Mirror Hermit, Luo Ming probably wouldn't be able to do anything to him.
"Alright, some things can be discussed later. You'll understand completely then. Now you should seriously consider your golden core issue. It's been corrupted by the true demonic energy. Will you choose to completely switch to demonic cultivation techniques, or prepare to dissipate your cultivation and start over?"
Just as Luo Ming was still pondering what other secrets the other party knew about him, the other party's next words made Luo Ming's heart sink completely.
He had some illusions about the Golden Core, thinking it was just being eroded by ordinary demonic energy and that he could slowly refine it himself. But when he heard the other party mention True Demonic Energy, he immediately knew he was in big trouble.
If Luo Ming had cultivated orthodox demonic arts, this situation would actually be a good thing, as he could directly refine them and reap numerous benefits. However, he currently does not possess any top-tier demonic arts.
Moreover, demonic cultivation techniques are not easy to master. Take the Six Extremes True Demon Art for example; although it looks very powerful, it cannot escape the fate of becoming a potential incarnation for those high-level cultivators.