My Perfect Immortal Cultivation Life

The illusory voice fell into his ears, carrying the weight of time, as if it had traveled through hundreds of years, slowly echoing in the empty trial ground. Li Yu stood with his hands at his sides, his expression still calm. He showed neither pride at the other party's praise nor the slightest hesitation due to the heavy pressure. He simply said, "Senior is too kind. This junior has merely followed his own path and done what he should do."

Upon hearing this, the illusory figure slowly nodded, the oppressive aura around him quietly dissipating, leaving only a gentle, ancient aura, like a spring in spring, warm and unapproachable. "It is easy to uphold the Dao, but difficult to uphold the heart." He paused, his gaze falling on the pale blue token in Li Yu's hand, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes, "Although this artifact has no sharp edge, it contains your true heart. The unity of artifact and heart is the ultimate of the Dao of All Weapons, more suitable for the secret realm than those ancient divine weapons with their sharp edges."

Li Yu's fingers tightened slightly as he gripped the token, the warmth emanating from it growing stronger, intimately connected to his mind. He looked up at the illusory figure and softly asked, "Senior, you are the master of the eighth level. You must know the origin of this Myriad Artifacts Secret Realm, and also what trials await me on the seventh level, which I am about to visit?"

The phantom slowly raised its hand, its fingertips tracing across the void, and a faint spiritual light appeared, transforming into a blurry phantom image—a hall covered with artifact patterns, with an ancient longsword floating in the center of the hall, its blade entwined with dense spiritual energy, while the surrounding area was filled with eerie black mist, from which one could vaguely see shadowy figures surging.

"I am the ancient Artifact Master of Ten Thousand Artifacts Peak, named Mo Yuan. A hundred years ago, to protect the core of the secret realm, I burned away my own cultivation, leaving only a wisp of my soul here to guard the eighth level and select a true successor who understands artifacts and guards the heart." Mo Yuan's voice carried a hint of hoarse melancholy. "This Ten Thousand Artifacts Secret Realm was originally the inheritance ground of Ten Thousand Artifacts Peak, containing the essence of the ancient artifact path. However, a thousand years ago, the core of the secret realm was damaged, and the artifact aura became disordered. The seventh level and below were trapped by disordered artifact spirits and malevolent energy, turning into a dangerous place."

Li Yu's heart skipped a beat. Although he knew the Myriad Artifacts Realm had a long history, he had never imagined that it held such secrets. And the illusory figure before him was actually the remnant soul of an ancient artifact master. "Senior, do you mean that the trial on the seventh level is related to the chaotic artifact spirits and malevolent energy?"

"Exactly." Mo Yuan nodded, the illusory image at his fingertips slowly dissipating. "The seventh level is called 'The Chaotic Realm of Artifact Spirits.' The artifact spirits there have all been corrupted by malevolent energy, losing their original nature and becoming violent and bloodthirsty. Moreover, their strength far surpasses all the weapons you encountered on the eighth level. More importantly, the seventh level contains the first spirit seal for repairing the core of the secret realm. Only by collecting all three spirit seals can the chaotic artifact energy of the secret realm be calmed, and the glory of Ten Thousand Weapons Peak be restored."

"A spirit seal?" Li Yu frowned slightly. "Does Senior know the exact location of the spirit seal, and how to obtain it?"

Mo Yuan shook his head, his figure becoming slightly more transparent, clearly indicating that his remnant soul power was nearing its end. "The spirit seal is hidden in the deepest part of the seventh level, guarded by a raging artifact spirit leader. Whether you can obtain it depends entirely on your luck and strength. This is all I can do to help you." He raised his hand and waved, a stream of pure artifact energy transforming into a beam of light that flowed into the token in Li Yu's hand.

Instantly, the pale blue token's spiritual light surged, and a layer of fine artifact patterns faintly appeared on its surface. The originally restrained spiritual energy became even more mellow, and its protective power increased accordingly. "This is the artifact essence I have refined throughout my life. Infusing it into your token can help you resist the erosion of malevolent energy and communicate with the artifact spirit. Perhaps it can help you turn danger into safety in times of crisis."

Li Yu could clearly feel that the power emanating from the token was growing stronger and the connection with him was becoming closer. Even the circulation of spiritual energy around his body was becoming smoother. He bowed deeply to Mo Yuan and said respectfully, "This junior thanks you for your help, senior. I will certainly live up to your expectations and do my best to gather the spiritual seals and restore the aura of the secret realm."

Mo Yuan looked at him, his eyes filled with expectation. His figure gradually became ethereal, like a candle flickering in the wind, ready to vanish at any moment. "Remember, in the Way of All Weapons, the heart is paramount. No matter what dangers you encounter, never lose your Dao heart. The spirit of the seventh level is strong, but not invincible. With your weapon heart, you will surely overcome the difficulties."

As his words fell, Mo Yuan's figure transformed into a shower of spiritual light, slowly dissipating into the air, leaving behind only a faint admonition that echoed throughout the trial grounds: "The road ahead is perilous, take care..."

Li Yu stood silently in place, holding the token imbued with the spirit of the artifact in his hand, his expression solemn. Mo Yuan's words echoed in his heart like a warning bell. He knew that from the moment he stepped into the seventh level, what awaited him was a test far more dangerous than the previous two levels: a raging artifact spirit, a dense aura of malevolence, and an unknown spiritual imprint.

After a moment, he took a deep breath, suppressed his thoughts, and raised his hand to store the token in his dantian. The token stood steadily, emitting a soft spiritual light, constantly protecting his core vitals. He looked up at the staircase leading to the seventh floor. The staircase was paved with black iron, its surface engraved with dense artifact patterns. As the patterns flowed, they exuded a strong sense of malevolence and violent spiritual energy, and he could faintly hear the roar of the artifact spirit coming from below the staircase.

Without the slightest hesitation, Li Yu lifted his foot and slowly stepped onto the stairs. As his foot landed on the black iron, a bone-chilling cold surged into his body, accompanied by a dense malevolent aura, attempting to erode his meridians. However, the token in his dantian instantly lit up, and a gentle spiritual light spread out, blocking all the coldness and malevolent aura from his body.

The stairs were long, and the deeper one went, the stronger the malevolent aura became. The roars of the artifact spirit grew clearer, as if they were right next to one's ears, filled with endless rage and bloodlust. The surrounding light gradually dimmed, leaving only the faint glow emanating from the black iron artifact patterns, casting his shadow long and thin.

After descending for an unknown amount of time, a black portal finally appeared at the end of the stairs. Twisted artifact spirit patterns were carved on the portal, which was covered with black malevolent energy. Faint black mist, carrying a pungent, fishy smell, wafted from the portal. Inside the portal, it was pitch black, with only the incessant roars of artifact spirits and the sounds of violently circulating spiritual energy.

Li Yu stopped before the portal, his spiritual energy circulating to its maximum, the token's light shining again to protect him. He knew that beyond this portal lay the seventh level, the "Chaotic Realm of Artifact Spirits," the beginning of his new trial.

He took a deep breath, his gaze hardening, and pushed open the black portal. A violent aura instantly rushed towards him, accompanied by a deafening roar from the weapon spirits. Countless black figures emerged from the darkness, lunging at him—these were weapon spirits corrupted by the aura, each with a different shape, some resembling swords, some cauldrons, some bells, their bodies shrouded in thick black mist, their eyes cold and devoid of any intelligence, only a bloodthirsty desire remaining.

Li Yu's expression hardened, but he remained calm and composed. With a thought, the token in his dantian instantly flew out, hovering in front of him. A soft spiritual light spread out, forming a sturdy defensive barrier. At the same time, he formed hand seals, let out a low shout, and gathered spiritual energy around him, preparing to meet the first wave of attacks from the seventh level.

The trial of the chaotic realm of artifact spirits had officially begun. He knew in his heart that this was merely the beginning; a longer and more perilous road lay ahead to gather all the spirit seals and quell the artifact's aura within the secret realm. But he was fearless, gripping the token tightly in his hand, guarding his Dao heart, and step by step, resolutely advancing deeper into the secret realm.