Chapter 1199: Upholding Divinity

Pigeons cooed as they flew past the window, and He Lingchuan woke up.

A ray of morning light streamed through the window, illuminating dust motes that slowly danced in the golden beam. He Lingchuan blinked, then slowly sat up.

To his regret, he still hadn't entered Hidden Dragon City last night.

The Soul-Snatching Mirror exclaimed, "You're finally awake, thank goodness! I called you several times and got no response; I thought something had happened to you!"

"What's wrong?" He Lingchuan asked, slightly alarmed.

He always set up a barrier before sleeping, with the Soul-Snatching Mirror acting as an alarm. If an outsider invaded, the mirror would immediately wake him. But last night seemed to be an exception.

"There's something next to you; turn your head and look!"

He Lingchuan turned his head and was startled—

Through the bed curtains, he saw a warrior sitting upright on the chair beside his bed!

He instinctively sprang up, his Ephemeral Blade almost flashing out.

But the next instant, he realized:

No, it wasn't a person; it was a suit of black armor.

"When did this thing appear?" He Lingchuan scrambled to his feet and leaned in to examine it.

Was it the Rakshasa Armor?

It looked similar, yet not quite.

It was indeed black, but the partial reflections on the plates made the entire suit appear to have varying shades, not as exaggerated as "colorful black," but certainly layered.

This unique hue was first seen on the Rakshasa Armor, then on the black dragon in his dream. Especially when the black dragon soared into the sky, the play of light and shadow on its black scales was truly astonishing. He had dealt with both for most of the night, so he wouldn't mistake them.

However, its form was somewhat different from before; at the very least, the shoulder plate design was no longer the old, rigid style.

"I... I can't say for sure," the Soul-Snatching Mirror coughed. "It just appeared suddenly."

"When?"

"Just before dawn," the mirror added. "You were sleeping very soundly then."

He Lingchuan pulled the Divine Bone Necklace from inside his collar and glanced at it, asking, "Are you playing tricks?"

The necklace, of course, ignored him. But the Rakshasa Armor had clearly been dismantled and absorbed by it, yet now it appeared whole. What reason could there be other than the Great Square Cauldron playing tricks? He Lingchuan also noticed that the hole in the Rakshasa Armor's chest was gone, replaced by a large, new plate that blended seamlessly with the original, fitting perfectly.

Even the best craftsmen couldn't have repaired it with such artistry, could they?

He drew his Ephemeral Blade and gently tapped the new armor plate.

Two metallic clicks, remarkably familiar.

Wasn't this... wasn't this the Heart Scale he had taken from the White Bear King's remains?

From his dream last night, he learned that the Heart Scale had mysteriously gone missing not long after the Rakshasa Armor was forged in ancient times. He never expected it would have a chance to be made whole again after a thousand years.

This opportunity was provided by the Great Square Cauldron.

The Rakshasa Armor in the morning light was exceptionally quiet. Each plate was imbued with a golden sheen, making it "black to the point of shining." Not only was all its malevolence gone, but it also exuded a faint aura of majesty.

It sat there remarkably upright, as if it had always been alive, or as if it had something to tell He Lingchuan.

Aside from the Dragon Punishment Pillar, this precious armor was the only item the Divine Bone Necklace had consumed and then released.

It must possess unique qualities.

The Soul-Snatching Mirror was asking him, "Did the Ghost City give it to you?"

It had witnessed its master take the Rakshasa Armor yesterday. Compared to Dong Rui and other bystanders, it knew more of the inside story.

He Lingchuan hummed, hesitating whether to reach out and touch it.

In the Hidden Dragon World last night, He Lingchuan had personally witnessed the obsessions and karmic power within the Rakshasa Armor being completely purged in the Misty Valley.

Logically, the curses attached to the Rakshasa Armor should also have vanished along with the obsessions. Furthermore, the fact that the Great Square Cauldron released it suggested it no longer posed a significant threat to He Lingchuan.

He and the Great Square Cauldron had developed this level of mutual trust over several years of working together.

But what if...

Just then, footsteps sounded outside, followed by a knock on the door, and Dong Rui's voice came in:

"Are you up? Time to go!"

"Coming."

"I'll wait for you in the hall." Dong Rui said, then left.

He Lingchuan raised his storage ring and lightly touched the Rakshasa Armor, intending to put it away.

Even before the ring touched it, the Rakshasa Armor transformed into a stream of black mercury, wrapping itself directly around He Lingchuan's wrist and then covering his entire body!

He was startled, and the Soul-Snatching Mirror let out an "Oh!"

In just one second, he was wearing the infamous formidable armor!

Each plate subtly lifted, then settled into place one by one, adhering from shoulders to chest, from waist to legs, constantly making minute adjustments.

Once the entire suit of armor had finished adjusting, it fit him as if custom-made. His movements were fluid and natural; he felt no extra weight whatsoever.

The armor was like an exoskeleton.

Furthermore, no matter what movements he made, the plates remained silent, without the slightest sound of friction.

The waist buckle featured a prominent dragon head design, with beautiful ruby eyes.

This dragon seemed oddly familiar to him.

He Lingchuan closed his eyes, experiencing the new armor. Like the Ephemeral Blade, it felt connected to his very blood. Yet, there were no voices enticing him or attempting to test him.

This suit of armor was quiet and formidable.

Like the Ephemeral Blade, it also possessed properties, but currently, they were very simple:1. The more fearful the enemy, the stronger the wearer.2. Inherits the black dragon's divinity, gathering the power of faith.3. Absorbs karmic power.Only these three.

He had guessed the first property previously, and Ah Xun had also explained it; the new armor still retained it.

He had never heard of the second property before.

It wasn't that he hadn't heard of the power of faith; deities building temples and Daoist sects establishing their gates all claimed to gather faith. However, to He Lingchuan's knowledge, the celestial gods' demands for incense and their efforts to cultivate followers in the mortal realm were merely pretexts. Their ultimate goal had nothing to do with faith itself, because both demons and immortals clearly understood that so-called "faith" was unlike spirit energy or nightmare energy; it wasn't a truly existing power.

Yet, the Rakshasa Armor explicitly stated it could gather the power of faith—what an extraordinary claim.

The property description also stated that it inherited the black dragon's divinity.

The black dragon he had seen in his dream possessed power superior to all immortals, almost shattering the Sky Net Star. It was "the world's only divine being, comprehending the ultimate truths of heaven and earth."

It was almost "one with heaven and earth," transcending the biological realm. He Lingchuan could understand how its grasped rules would be uniquely profound and on a deeper level.

Perhaps for the black dragon, the power of faith was not an ethereal illusion. He Lingchuan remembered the look in its eyes as it gazed upon all beings before its sacrifice, a look filled with all-seeing compassion.

Had it perhaps foreseen its own demise and the fate of all beings in the world for the next three thousand years?

Did the Rakshasa Armor possess such a property before? Ah Xun and the second dream never mentioned it, so He Lingchuan reasonably concluded it did not.

Was it because the Heart Scale had returned?

This scale seemed to have guarded the oasis barrier for countless years, providing protection to billions of living beings. He had also seen how the oasis inhabitants worshipped the black dragon, their devotion truly paramount.