Chapter 1520: Divine Artifact

The Elucidating Jade Marrow was not a piece of jade, but a crystal-clear, viscous liquid, similar to honey but thicker. It was stored in a bottle made of elemental stone, adorned with various rune arrays to prevent its medicinal properties from dissipating.

As the lid was opened, an intensely rich surge of primal qi emanated from within. Zu An had only experienced a comparable level of qi recently in the Summer Secret Realm, but the concentration at this moment far exceeded it.

Besides its potent energy, it exuded an ancient and profound aura, seemingly embodying the great Dao of Heaven and Earth and inscribed with cosmic laws. Even a brief contact with it yielded immense benefits, subtly making one's cultivation realm feel on the verge of a breakthrough.

The Golden Crow Prince achieved such a high level of cultivation at a young age, becoming the foremost of the Five Prodigies who overshadowed their peers. This was not only due to his exceptional talent and the Demon Emperor's occasional guidance but also largely thanks to the Elucidating Jade Marrow, which made it easier for cultivators to comprehend the Dao and achieve breakthroughs.

Yet, even someone of the Golden Crow Prince's noble status could only receive one drop of Elucidating Jade Marrow annually, underscoring its immense rarity and value.

This time, Zu An had simply taken the entire bottle. Of course, to be considerate of the Little Demon Empress, he left a small amount for the young prince's future cultivation.

However, if this Elucidating Jade Marrow proved insufficient, he would probably take the remaining portion and simply compensate the mother and son with other treasures.

Zu An activated his forging system, and a phantom image of a large cauldron materialized in the room.

Zu An injected a wisp of White Lotus True Fire into the cauldron, which immediately burst into a raging inferno. Fortunately, the rooms in the Little Demon Empress's palace were enhanced with special magic formations; otherwise, an ordinary house would surely not withstand such a large cauldron and intense flames.

Zu An added the Heaven-grade ore, which was the most fundamental material needed for the repair. It would both aid combustion and melt into Heaven-grade metal essence to infuse into the sword body, repairing and nourishing the Tai'a Sword.

Just as Zu An was about to place the Tai'a Sword into the cauldron, he suddenly remembered something and swiftly pulled it back.

"Beautiful Master, wake up!" he repeatedly called out to Mi Li in his mind. He had just forgotten that her spirit body still resided within the Tai'a Sword, nearly roasting her.

"What is it?" After a long while of calling, a lazy voice finally responded, its tone betraying a hint of annoyance at being woken from a peaceful dream.

A graceful and lithe figure lay reclined on a nearby couch. Today, she wasn't clad in her usual luxurious palace attire, but was casually dressed in a soft, light-colored robe, resembling a homemaker who had just been roused to answer the door.

Her beautiful hair was simply tied up at her neck, a common hairstyle for women in the pre-Qin era. With one hand propping her chin, soft strands of hair cascaded carelessly over her snow-white skin, swaying gently in the breeze. This lent her, usually so spirited and heroic, an uncharacteristically gentle and alluring charm.

The firelight from the large cauldron in the center illuminated her, tracing breathtaking curves across her body like a winding, milky-white river.

Zu An wondered if this woman was truly not a reincarnated temptress.

Yet, having spent a passionate night, he was now as pure as a saint and quickly composed himself. "Beautiful Master, how have you been lately?" he asked.

"It would be better if you hadn't woken me up," Mi Li said, rolling her beautiful eyes.

"Master, you actually managed to sleep soundly," Zu An complained, "While I was in that Unknown Land Secret Realm, I faced near-death situations."

"Well, you didn't die, did you?" Mi Li yawned, covering her red lips with a delicate hand, her movements remaining elegant and noble.

Zu An was speechless.

"Master, do you know that in the Unknown Land, I acted as the ancient great god Yi and shot down all the suns from the sky? Afterwards, I even killed the Demon Emperor, and last night, I instantly slew several Grandmasters..." He composed himself and began excitedly recounting his recent experiences. Although he didn't say it directly, his expression clearly screamed, "Be shocked! Praise me quickly!"

"I know," Mi Li said, her expression calm, as if she had just heard something utterly commonplace. "Since the puppet curse mark on you was removed, the Demon Emperor naturally died."

This left Zu An at a loss. Was his performance not impressive enough, or did this woman simply not care about him at all?

Seeing his expression, Mi Li's lips curved slightly upward. "Alright, I actually saw everything you did in the secret realm."

"You saw it?"

"Of course. In such dangerous circumstances, how could I possibly sleep soundly? I was observing secretly the whole time. I must say, you're quite capable, kid."

Zu An's expression immediately brightened. It seemed his Beautiful Master still cared for him.

"As for those Grandmasters last night, they were nothing special," she continued. "Your other gains from the Unknown Land this time are secondary. What's truly precious is the 'will of invincibility' you unintentionally nurtured. As long as you keep winning, you will grow stronger and stronger." If Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue had been present, they would have been deeply impressed, having deduced the reason for Zu An's significant increase in combat power with just a glance.

"What if I lose?" Zu An asked with a frown.

"If you entertain that thought," Mi Li said calmly, "you will lose your belief in invincibility."

Zu An's heart tightened, and he felt a profound realization.

Just then, Zu An suddenly recalled something. "Master, since you saw it, what was the deal with the Heavenly Emperor? Are there really immortals in this world?"

"Of course there are," Mi Li replied, rising from the couch and walking to the window, gazing at the sky with a distant, hazy look in her eyes. "In the past, when I read ancient texts, I thought those records were just myths, but I never expected them to actually exist. As for the Unknown Land you visited, it's also different from ordinary secret realms; it might even be a truly existing world."

"Really exists?" Zu An was startled. "Doesn't that mean the Heavenly Emperor, the Sun Goddess, the Ten Witches of Spirit Mountain, the Witch Mountain Goddess... they all actually exist?"

Mi Li nodded. "That world is a bit strange. If my guess is correct, someone intercepted a small segment from the river of history and projected it there."

Zu An's expression changed. "What kind of powerful being must that be?"

To be honest, such methods were beyond his comprehension.

"You don't need to worry about that now," Mi Li said slowly. "It contains too many laws of time and space, which even I can't fully comprehend. However, I do have a vague suspicion..."

Zu An waited for a moment, and seeing that she offered no further explanation, he thought she was waiting for him to prompt her, so he quickly asked for more details. Unfortunately, she still wouldn't say. "Knowing these things won't benefit you now," she stated. "When the time is right in the future, you will naturally know."

Zu An was speechless.

He hated riddle-givers.

Mi Li seemed unwilling for him to press further and directly changed the topic. "You didn't just call me out to show off and reminisce, did you?"

Only then did Zu An remember his true purpose. He handed over the bottle in his hand. "Beautiful Master, look what this is."

Mi Li opened the lid and glanced inside. Her previously calm demeanor was instantly replaced by surprise. "Elucidating Jade Marrow!"

Seeing her finally display the delighted surprise of a young girl, Zu An immediately felt pleased. He thought to himself that her usual unfathomable appearance was a bit too detached from the mortal world.

"Of the four items you mentioned before – the Evergreen Five-Colored Flower, the Elucidating Jade Marrow, and the Heavenly Origin Water – I've already found two," Zu An asked curiously. "There's still one more item you haven't told me about. Can you tell me now? That way, I can keep an eye out for it. Otherwise, like this trip to the Demon Royal Palace treasury, I might have missed the Elucidating Jade Marrow if I hadn't known its name."

"When you find the Heavenly Origin Water," Mi Li said, a blush of shyness suddenly flashing across her pale cheeks, "I will naturally tell you what the fourth item is. There's no point in telling you now."

Zu An thought he had imagined it. Just as he was about to ask again, Mi Li pointed at the large cauldron in the center of the room. "What are you doing?"

Zu An's attention was indeed diverted. "The Tai'a Sword was damaged earlier, wasn't it? I'm taking this opportunity to repair it."

Mi Li sensed that the Heaven-grade ores in the cauldron had begun to melt and nodded slightly. "That cultivation method you obtained in the secret realm is really good. Combined with these Heaven-grade ores, it should be successfully repaired."

"And this," Zu An said, taking out a piece of golden metal and showing it. "I plan to put this in too. I even specifically found a Fiery Meteor Pill to melt it."

"Primordial Calamity Gold!" With Mi Li's knowledge, she naturally recognized it, and her expression became somewhat complex. "This can be used to forge true divine artifacts. Don't you think it's a waste to use this on the Tai'a Sword?"

Zu An shook his head. "How could it be a waste? The Tai'a Sword is a supreme treasure of your Chu and Qin states, and now it's even the dwelling of your spirit body. It's not like an ordinary Heaven-grade weapon."

Hearing him speak so naturally, a strange glint flashed in Mi Li's eyes, though she quickly concealed it. "It's rare to see such devotion from you. But you needn't be disappointed, because the Tai'a Sword was originally a divine artifact."