Mingiyn stared at Magman, his face blank, the confusion in his expression almost tangible.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Mingiyn's eyes began to widen, slowly at first, as if the realization itself needed time to settle.
"It… it seems familiar," he murmured, almost to himself. "I saw this… in my regression. A Sin Artifact. It's… like the Death and Life Artifacts I use. But… the user's mind… the body… it vanishes, replaced by a jade bean wrapped around it. And… if the user is already on the edge of death, the artifact… it can explode an entire continent. It's… dangerous. Deadly. Only a Sage Artifact has this power."
The air around him seemed to thicken, charged with some invisible electricity.
Mingiyn's eyes deepened, glowing red like embers in the dark.
Around him, countless artifacts began to drift into the air. Stolen from Bronze Holders. Stolen from Magman.
Amid the artifacts floated the lifeless bodies of the carp fish, and the other immortals, their forms eerily still.
Mingiyn's gaze swept across the scene, and for a moment, he simply observed.
There were… five hundred artifacts, hovering in the air, each one slowly descending toward him, as if drawn by some magnetic force.
"It seems…" he said, his voice low and deliberate, "when I kill Magman, the Sin Artifact… it claimed his body to serve me. So that I could… set it free."
A thin, chilling smile crept across Mingiyn's face, his lips barely moving.
"The Sin Artifact… it's a soul bound to a root. It cannot escape. But it can serve me… if I set it free."
He waved his hand casually, as if dismissing the swirling artifacts. Then, with a slow, deliberate motion, he placed his other hand in his pocket, leaning back slightly.
"We don't need to talk," he said softly. "I will help you."
The root pulsed with light, a soft, ethereal glow beginning to dance along its surface.
Magman's body turned toward it, his own lips curling into a smile.
"Yes… the second Sin Artifact is awakening," he murmured.
Mingiyn's brow furrowed, confusion mixing with cold calculation.
"What do you mean… second Sin Artifact?" he asked, voice low.
Magman's body tilted its head, tapping a finger against its chin.
"Aren't you… a Sin Artifact too? You wield it… and you are its master," it said.
Mingiyn simply nodded, refusing to speak further.
His eyes flicked sharply around, analyzing, calculating.
"I can use him to protect me," he thought. "It would do anything to set its soul free. That means… I can gather all the artifacts here."
He raised his finger slowly, pointing deliberately.
"Bring all the artifacts here… into your Spirit Realm."
Magman's body obeyed, closing its eyes and stretching a hand forward.
Tiny droplets of blue essence appeared, coalescing like rain in the air, curling and wrapping around each artifact. Slowly, deliberately, they began to vanish, drawn into the Spirit Realm.
Mingiyn's eyes followed each one, widening imperceptibly as the last artifact disappeared inside.
Magman's body let out a quiet, almost triumphant exclamation.
"Yeah…"
For a moment, Mingiyn hesitated, glancing behind him. His eyes, momentarily numb, lingered on the floating remnants of the artifacts' energy.
Then, slowly, he turned his gaze toward the distant mountain.
"Time… to enter the mountain."
The ruler of Region Gontiekn, Sap Saop Continen, had died today, along with several of the immortals who had served him.
A middle-aged man, his beard meticulously groomed, his eyes sharp beneath a defined brow, dressed in thick silk robes, stood holding a small scroll. His gaze rose to a jade throne, cables stretching beneath it down a long staircase.
The leader of the Zhou Lian Sect looked up, confusion etched across his face. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, he felt his teeth loosen and fall.
"What…!" he managed to gasp.
The middle-aged man bowed, voice steady but tinged with tension.
"Yes, sir. The daughter of Region Continen vanished, along with several immortals. We are searching, but…"
A chilling sound cut through the air. A blood skull floated above the sea, its hollow eyes burning. Words etched themselves across its surface:
"I am here."
The leader of Zhou Lian Sect's knees buckled. His fists trembled violently.
"The entire region has come to my continent," he muttered, voice tight. "Leveling everything in its path. And… to think the leader is dead… the people's spirits… they will break."
He lowered his gaze, whispering almost to himself,
"Mortal Ruler… when will you return?"
The middle-aged man's eyes darkened, barely able to tolerate the words.
"Mortal Ruler… when… will you come?"
Bam. Bam. Bam.
A vast plain of grass unfolded before them. Two black pagodas emerged, architectural marvels of marble and intricate design.
A young man fell forward onto the grass, his pale face almost unnaturally white. His messy curls framed it as he closed his eyes, yawned, and pulled his hair back. His orange-ginger tunic fluttered as rings on his wrists shimmered in the faint light.
He sent punches streaking behind him with lightning speed, muttering lazily,
"Boring… where's the culprit of Fate Building?"
A tall, broad man, massive and armored in bronze pauldrons, was struck and slammed into a mountain. He became a bloody heap. His eyes, his mouth… everything betrayed the violence of the blow.
The young man glanced back casually, blood covering his eyes, yet pride and amusement danced across his expression.
From a table, another young man leaned back, his cool blue eyes calm but sharp.
"Kong Tian… you're no match. Whatever time you waste on this… some Stage Five Sage Artist… pointless," he called.
Kong Tian stood slowly, hand resting on his shoulder, a faint, relaxed smile.
"Ah, brother… I was just playing. Enjoying a fight with a Sage Artist. Someone weak like you… shouldn't speak."
"Pristine Rian!"
Pristine shook his brother's hand away, his mind working methodically.
"The culprit… must be Stage Four or Stage Three Peak Artist. Even lower-level, we must remain alert. Fighting inside a building is not normal for a Stage Five Peak Artist. And… my brother… he could die. I can't let that happen."
He stepped forward, determination in his posture.
"Come. Let's go. Placing Sage Eis Heaven nearby… maybe it will attract the culprit. The artifacts are close to Fate Building, but weak. They pale in comparison."
Pristine paused, touching his chin.
"Isn't that… Monzui?"
Kong Tian's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Oh… yes. Didn't father say he's important?"
Bam.
The twins froze, then relaxed, realization dawning.
"Oh… you're Monzui."
King Rian spoke quietly.
Pristine's eyes widened, disbelief etched across his face.
"What!"
Monzui appeared, his broad shoulders shrinking as his form settled into a more familiar, chubby shape. His face, once imposing, was now puffed and round, almost comical in its softness. Yet his eyes blazed with fury, veins pulsating on his forehead.
"What the hell! You attack me? I was minding my own business, trying to find the daughter of Region Continen!" His voice boomed across the field, echoing against the distant mountains.
He paled as the weight of the situation settled in, clenching his fists tightly.
"I wanted to fight… to train you," he said, voice tight with anger, "but you took it lightly. You even threatened a Peak Artist… like me!"
"Bullshit!"
The fat man staggered, his composure cracking. The sheer audacity of their words nearly sent him to the ground.
"You all wanted to kill me… for my artifact?" he demanded, disbelief coloring every syllable.
Pristine thought quietly, almost to himself, Yes… we did want your artifact. But I thought… I thought you wanted to kill us first.
Monzui straightened, gripping his left leg as if bracing for another blow.
"If this… spreads," he said carefully, "the Supreme Elder of Region Continen wouldn't touch you. But your father… your father would teach you a lesson."
Pristine nodded subtly, absorbing the weight of his words.
King Rian yawned, exuding calm indifference.
"I don't want your artifact anymore," he said casually. "You're too weak… for a Stage Five Sage Artist."
Monzui's blood ran cold. His ears bled slightly from the sheer force of disbelief. No one had ever dared speak to him this way.
And then… movement.
Pristine stiffened. Something shifted in the air behind them. Slowly, impossibly, a massive pagoda emerged. Light erupted from its crown, scattering brilliant blue flowers across the sky. Each blossom shimmered in the faint wind, petals trembling like tiny waves of power.
Pristine stepped closer to Kong Tian, both staring upward with their expressions hardening, determination etched deep into their features.
So… this is Fate Building, Pristine thought.
Kong Tian's eyes widened. He scanned the structure, searching for signs of life—or death.
"Who… who could be the culprit?" he muttered.
He glanced behind him, a low warning in his voice.
"Him… hide. This guy… he's not a joke. But… maybe not a threat… yet."
Then four words ripped through his mind like a blade:
"World Tribulation is Fate Building."
The ground trembled. The sky shivered as though reacting to some cosmic force. Two massive shadowed hands materialized behind the pagoda, their presence crushing the air itself. The earth quaked violently beneath their weight.
Pristine and King Rian were thrown back by the shockwave, skidding across the grass with difficulty. Dust and flower petals whirled around them like a storm.
Pristine fell to his knees, catching a handful of petals—but his hand was changing. The skin blackened, cracked, and began to decay, rotting almost before his eyes.
He lifted it, examining the corruption with a cold, calculating glare.
Bam.
Monzui, still standing at a distance, was blasted backward by an unseen force. Explosions erupted around him, scattering debris and petals alike.
"What… what is happening?" he shouted, panic threading his voice. "The culprit…!"
Pristine's lips were cracked and dry, bloodied from the violent air pressure. He muttered through them, his voice barely audible,
"The culprit of Fate Building… is no human.