Swallowed Star: Primordial Artifact

Chapter 270 The Secret (Revised)
In that moment of utter terror, the Xuanhuang Pagoda Bead shone with boundless light, like a supernova exploding with a roar, instantly transforming from a phantom into a physical entity, releasing an unprecedented and immense power.

The ancient and mysterious patterns on the surface of the Xuanhuang Pagoda Bead shimmered with dazzling golden light, as if countless stars were twinkling and flowing on it. Then, it transformed into a golden pagoda, carrying a powerful and majestic counterforce, and fiercely suppressed the crystal bead.

The crystal bead seemed to have not expected that the Xuanhuang Tower Bead could unleash such an unimaginably powerful force. Its originally unstoppable devouring momentum suddenly faltered, and then, like a mouse seeing a cat, it stood still and trembled in fear.

However, the power unleashed by the Xuanhuang Pagoda Bead was like an ancient behemoth that had been dormant for a long time and had just awakened, crashing into the crystal bead with a world-destroying momentum.

Under the impact of this powerful force, the crystal bead swayed precariously like a small boat in a raging storm, retreating repeatedly, its originally bright light dimming slightly.

The crystal bead seemed to sense a deep fear and trembled slightly. The previously unrestrained aura of devouring instantly subsided, and it tried to escape from Jiang Ye's sea of ​​consciousness.

But how could the Xuanhuang Pagoda Bead let it go so easily? Its light surged again, like countless golden ropes, tightly locking the crystal bead and constantly emitting powerful shocks, trying to drag it into the pagoda.

"Hmph, you wanted to devour me, and now you're scared?" Jiang Ye sneered, feeling both angry and wary.

He knew very well that if it weren't for the Xuanhuang Pagoda Pearl's full protection, that devouring power would have completely annihilated him, leaving not even a trace.

Under the attack of the Xuanhuang Pagoda Pearl, the crystal bead's light dimmed more and more as it struggled. But the Xuanhuang Pagoda Pearl was like a towering mountain, firmly suppressing it and preventing it from breaking free.

Just then, the surrounding sealing power seemed to sense the abnormality and suddenly intensified, attempting to use Jiang Ye to help the crystal bead break free from the suppression of the Xuanhuang Tower Bead.

"No way! You can't take this!" Jiang Ye looked at the tens of thousands of sealed stars approaching from all around him with a solemn expression.

"Child..." A warm voice, like a spring breeze, gently rang out. Miraculously, as the voice rang out, the mountain-like suppressive force around them slowly dissipated, and the Xuanhuang Tower Bead, which was frantically expending power within Jiang Ye's body, also paused slightly, and that frenzied power eased a little.

Jiang Ye was startled, but amidst his panic, he also vaguely sensed that the voice meant no harm.

At this moment, the crystal bead suppressed by the Xuanhuang Pagoda Bead seemed to keenly sense this subtle change. Its originally dim light flickered a few more times, as if it had grasped the last straw and was trying to seize this brief opportunity to break free from the Xuanhuang Pagoda Bead's restraint.

As if sensing the crystal bead's intention, the Xuanhuang Tower Bead shone brightly once more, and mysterious golden patterns emerged from its surface, like indestructible chains that tightly bound the crystal bead, rendering its struggles utterly futile.

Jiang Ye immediately stood up and quickly turned to look.

Two figures suddenly appeared not far ahead.

A figure sat cross-legged in the distance of the main hall. He had a long, coiled serpentine body, but a human upper body. His purple beard hung down, and his eyelids drooped slightly. He seemed lazy, but an endless pressure emanated from his body like a tide.

Although this pressure was not violent or ostentatious, it possessed a chilling power that made people involuntarily want to submit.

"Judging from his appearance, this person should be human." Jiang Ye thought to himself, "Star Tower, snake people... could it be him..." The being with a snake-like body and a human upper body in front of him was one of the many branches of the "snake people" race among the beastmen.

People like apes, werewolves, and snake people belong to large racial categories, and each category can be further subdivided into many different races, but they all ultimately belong to the human category.

At the very front of the center of the entire hall stands a colossal figure, over 900 meters tall.

He wore seemingly simple, unadorned blue armor, yet the armor subtly radiated a restrained light, as if concealing boundless power. Two transparent horns sprouted from his forehead, resembling two sharp swords, exuding a mysterious aura.

At this moment, he was looking down at Jiang Ye, his gaze seemingly able to penetrate Jiang Ye's body and reach the depths of his soul. To be precise, he was staring intently at the Xuanhuang Pagoda Bead that was suppressing the crystal bead deep within Jiang Ye's soul.

An endless aura, like a soft yet omnipresent veil, enveloped the entire hall.

Jiang Ye felt as if he were an ordinary human being basking in the warm sunlight. He felt not oppressed at all, but rather comfortable all over.

Jiang Ye instantly understood that this was not the suffocating pressure, but rather the life force naturally emanating from this super being.

This aura alone was powerful enough to surpass the snake-man clan experts beside him, and even his teacher, the Chaos City Lord, paled in comparison.

"The fundamental laws of the universe... I can no longer sense the fundamental laws of the universe." Jiang Ye was suddenly startled.

For the strong, the path of cultivation is to sense the fundamental laws of the universe; the clearer the sense, the faster the cultivation speed.

However, at this moment, neither Jiang Ye's true form nor the Ancestral Dragon clone within his inner world could sense the operation of the fundamental laws of the universe. It was as if... within the range of the life aura of this super being before them, even the fundamental laws of the universe had to retreat in awe.

"The laws yield?"

"The strongest in the universe..."

"Sitting on the mountain..."

Jiang Ye stared at the towering old man, who stood over 900 meters tall, and felt a chill run down his spine.

Few human beings possess such a tall stature.

However, the true height of this alien being's physical body reaches over 90,000 kilometers. As a unique and special life form, coupled with the strength of the strongest being in the universe, it has already reached the level of perfect genes, placing it on the same level as Jiang Ye's current Ancestral Dragon clone.

He shrunk his size to just over 900 meters just to get into this great hall.

"Greetings, seniors." Jiang Ye quickly bowed respectfully.

"I didn't expect him to be a mere Realm Lord level brat!" A smile appeared on the face of the imposing old man as he spoke gently.

"World Lord level?" The snake-man expert beside him raised an eyebrow in surprise, his eyes full of suspicion, as if he were examining a mystery.

Jiang Ye's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately realized that it must be the Starry Sky Cloak, a treasure of concealment he was wearing, that had successfully confused the snake-man's senses. After all, while most treasures could conceal one's aura and pressure, they could only deceive beings below the level of a Universe Lord. For a Universe Lord, they could be easily seen through.

However, the Starry Sky Cloak is no ordinary treasure. It belongs to a special type of treasure, and its greatest function is to conceal one's aura. Unless the Lord of the Universe uses his ability to control space and time to conduct a meticulous investigation, he may not be able to see through it.

Jiang Ye respectfully said, "Seniors, to be honest, I am only at the Realm Lord level. The reason I can display such an extraordinary aura is because of this hidden treasure on my body, which can conceal my true aura to a certain extent."

Jiang Ye knew that this trick wouldn't be able to hide from the super strong person in front of him, so he simply confessed, since it wasn't his most important secret.
The imposing old man looked Jiang Ye up and down with great interest, his smile widening as he said, "It is indeed rare for a treasure to have such miraculous effects."

"Little one, don't be nervous, sit down!" The imposing old man raised his hand and pointed to the ground beside him.

"Yes." Jiang Ye immediately sat cross-legged as instructed, quietly sitting to the side.

"Little fellow, how are you able to wear the King's Armor of the Yan God Clan!" The majestic old man's voice rang out again. His voice was gentle and soothing, as if it possessed a magical power that made Jiang Ye feel extremely comfortable. He couldn't help but answer, "This junior... has learned some techniques for refining magical artifacts. After this junior's modification, I successfully eliminated the limitations that existed in this King's Armor."

Upon hearing Jiang Ye's answer, a hint of shock flashed in the eyes of the imposing old man: "Modify it yourself? This King Armor of the Yan God Clan contains a unique refining technique. How do you plan to modify it?"

hum...

At this moment, the Xuanhuang Tower Bead, located deep within his soul, emitted a light that instantly cleared Jiang Ye's previously lost gaze.

Jiang Ye suddenly snapped out of his daze, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes. The voice of this imposing old man was so powerful that it almost made him reveal everything without reservation.

"Just a few words, and you've made me fall!" Jiang Ye was astonished that the powerful figure before him would use such methods against him, and he felt an even deeper fear of the old man's strength and abilities.

"Hmm, this little guy..." The imposing old man looked at Jiang Ye, whose eyes had regained their clarity, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. He seemed to be surprised that Jiang Ye could break free from his control in such a short time.

Jiang Ye composed himself and said, "Senior, the story of the modification of the Flame God Clan King Armor is a long one. By chance, I obtained some ancient inheritances about the crafting of magical artifacts, including the crafting techniques for the Flame God Clan King Armor. After a long period of research and experimentation, I finally succeeded in eliminating the limitations in the King Armor."

Jiang Ye knew in his heart that his lie could not fool the towering old man in front of him, but the secrets of the system and the Primordial Treasure were too astonishing, and he would never reveal them to anyone.

hum!
The imposing old man raised his hand and waved it lightly, and an invisible force surged toward Jiang Ye like a raging tide.

Jiang Ye felt a sudden stiffness throughout his body as the Flame God Clan King Armor uncontrollably detached from his body, transforming into a stream of light that hovered steadily in the palm of the towering old man.

Dark patterns flowed across the surface of the armor, with flames flickering and emanating from the gaps in the armor.

"Hmm." The towering old man's withered fingers gently brushed across the surface of the armor. When his fingertips touched the parts that Jiang Ye had modified, countless golden points of light gathered on the royal armor like starlight.

At this moment, fine blue patterns appeared on the surface of the towering old man's nine-hundred-meter-tall body, like a galaxy in the vast universe slowly flowing under his skin, exuding a mysterious and powerful aura.

He flicked his finger, and the armor shattered into countless fragments. However, instead of scattering, the fragments floated in the air and formed mysterious patterns—the secret runes carved into the weapon, which were now clearly visible.

"Having broken through the triple restrictions, and even recombined the secret runes into a completely new array, and made it even more exquisite..." The majestic old man's voice became deep and dignified, each word seemingly carrying immense power. "Little fellow, the 'inheritance' you speak of is no simple matter."

Jiang Ye felt a cold sweat instantly break out on his back, and he inwardly cried out in alarm, but he still forced himself to remain calm and said, "This junior was just lucky...!"

Before he finished speaking, the fragment of the King Armor suddenly emitted a roar like a dragon's cry. Under the control of the towering old man, it transformed into a golden chain that wrapped around Jiang Ye's wrist like lightning.

The moment the chains touched his skin, the Xuanhuang Pagoda Bead in Jiang Ye's sea of ​​consciousness trembled violently, and the Creation Jade Disc also emitted bursts of blue light, as if resisting the invasion of some powerful force.

"What 'luck'!" A beam of emerald green light shot out from the eyes of the towering old man, like two green lightning bolts piercing the darkness.

A powerful will bypassed the Xuanhuang Pagoda Bead that protected Jiang Ye's soul, enveloping him like an invisible net that tightly bound him.

"This is... a shock of will..." In his sea of ​​consciousness, Jiang Ye's mind trembled. He felt an unparalleled will descending, as majestic and irresistible as a cosmic monarch!

This will seemed to want to crush his soul, devour his will, and turn him into a mindless puppet.

"He's trying to manipulate me?"

Jiang Ye was shocked. Clearly, the imposing old man before him knew that soul attacks would not work on him, so he used a will attack in an attempt to control him from the root.

Will, soul, and body—these three parts are possessed by the vast majority of living beings.

Willpower is the guiding force, and the soul is the medium. The will of a living being uses the power of the soul to control its own body. This is a common characteristic of most living beings.

Of the three, willpower is the most important and indispensable.

For example, some life forms, such as Luo Feng's Demon Slayer Clan clone, are energy life forms and have no soul.

Such life forms are not uncommon in the universe; for example, the machine race is also soulless.

Their bodies consist solely of will and form, with the will directly overriding the power of the soul to control the body.

These beings possess an innate advantage: they are immune to soul attacks, like an impenetrable fortress, making them impenetrable to such attacks. Similarly, they are also incapable of launching soul attacks.

Of course, there are also beings that have no physical body, only will and soul, like a semi-illusory being. Such beings are not afraid of divine attacks and move through the world like ghosts, making it impossible for divine attacks to succeed.

Similarly, they can only use soul attacks and cannot use divine power attacks. They are like wild beasts trapped in a cage, possessing great power but unable to use it. For example, intelligent life forms.

But no matter what kind of living being it is, it may be without a soul or a body, but it absolutely cannot be without a will!
Once the will dissipates, then that being has truly and completely perished!
(End of this chapter)