51: Chapter 51 Tower Soul Awakening! A Battle of Consciousness Overwhelms the Artifact Spirit!

Darkness.

Boundless darkness.

Lin Feng's consciousness was like a stone sinking into the deep sea, descending further and further.

Surrounding him was a cold, viscous darkness that seemed capable of freezing the Soul.

He couldn't feel his body, couldn't feel time, and couldn't even feel the existence of 'himself'.

Only a faint wisp of consciousness remained, drifting in the darkness, liable to be extinguished at any moment.

"It's over..."

"Everything is over..."

This thought flashed through his consciousness.

Then, even this thought began to blur.

Like an ink stain in water, it gradually spread out and dissipated.

However—

At the very moment his consciousness was about to completely vanish.

A speck of golden light lit up in the depths of the darkness.

Faint.

Like the first star in the night sky.

But incomparably firm.

The golden light slowly expanded.

From a speck to a cluster.

From a cluster to a field.

Finally, it transformed into a golden pillar of light that pierced through the darkness!

"What?!"

The Artifact spirit's shocked and furious voice exploded in the darkness.

It had been putting all its effort into devouring Lin Feng's consciousness, preparing to take complete control of this body.

But this sudden golden light had disrupted its plans!

Wherever the golden light passed, the darkness receded like a tide.

The cold dissipated.

The viscous feeling vanished.

In its place was... a starry sky?

No, it wasn't a real starry sky.

It was Lin Feng's Sea of Consciousness.

At this moment, the Sea of Consciousness was split in two.

One half was the pitch-black area filled with malevolent energy controlled by the Artifact spirit.

The other half was shrouded in golden light.

In the center of the golden light floated... a tower?

A small tower, entirely golden, with nine floors in total, radiating endless majesty and an ancient Aura!

Mysterious runes flowed over the tower's surface, and each floor displayed a different phenomenon—the first floor showed shadows of mountains and rivers, the second floor saw the rotation of stars, the third floor featured circling Dragons and Phoenixes...

Though they were only phantom images, that Aura of suppressing the heavens and being the sole supreme made the entire Sea of Consciousness tremble!

【golden tower soul (Immortal Grade)】

【Status: Awakening】

【Description: An immortal creation formed from the lifelong essence of the Ancient King, the core that protects the host's Soul.】

"What... what is this thing?!"

The Artifact spirit's voice carried an unbelievable horror.

It could feel that the Aura radiating from that Small Golden Tower was countless times more terrifying than it, a holy artifact spirit that had accumulated energy for three thousand years!

It was a fundamental difference in essence!

Like an ant facing a giant Dragon!

"No... impossible!"

"How could there be such a thing... inside this body?!"

The Artifact spirit roared, manipulating the pitch-black energy to surge frantically toward the Small Golden Tower.

It didn't believe it!

It had accumulated for three thousand years and planned for three thousand years, finally waiting for this opportunity!

It absolutely could not lose to some inexplicable thing!

"Perish—for me!!!"

The pitch-black energy transformed into a giant hand that covered the sky, slamming down hard toward the Small Golden Tower!

Wherever the giant hand passed, the space of the Sea of Consciousness shook violently, and cracks appeared.

This strike contained three thousand years of the Artifact spirit's resentment and power!

It was enough to shatter mountains and crack the earth!

However—

The Small Golden Tower merely gave a light tremor.

Buzz—

A faint golden ripple spread out.

The moment the ripple touched the pitch-black giant hand—

Poof!

Like popping a bubble.

The sky-covering giant hand crumbled inch by inch!

It turned into black smoke that filled the air and dissipated within the Sea of Consciousness.

"What?!"

The Artifact spirit was so shocked its voice changed pitch.

Its full-power strike was actually neutralized by the opponent's light tremor?

Just what level of existence was this?!

"You... just what kind of thing are you?!"

The Artifact spirit's voice carried fear.

The Small Golden Tower did not answer.

It just slowly rotated.

With every rotation, the golden light on the tower became a bit richer.

The runes on the tower's surface also began to light up one by one.

The first rune lit up—Suppress!

The pitch-black energy in the Sea of Consciousness was instantly suppressed by thirty percent!

The second rune lit up—Purify!

The pitch-black energy began to evaporate and dissipate, like snow under the sun!

The third rune lit up—Devour!

A vortex appeared at the base of the Small Golden Tower.

The vortex erupted with a terrifying suction force, frantically pulling the surrounding pitch-black energy into the tower!

"No!!!"

The Artifact spirit let out a shrill scream.

It could feel its energy draining away at high speed!

It was being devoured, refined, and absorbed by that Small Golden Tower!

"Stop! Quickly stop!!"

"I am willing to withdraw! I am willing to leave this body!"

"Spare me! Spare me!!!"

The Artifact spirit pleaded.

But the Small Golden Tower remained completely unmoved.

It continued to rotate, continued to devour.

Like an indifferent emperor disposing of an ant that had offended him.

"Bastard!!!"

Seeing that pleading was useless, the Artifact spirit went completely mad.

"Since you won't let me live—"

"Then I'll take this kid's consciousness down with me!!!"

It manipulated the remaining pitch-black energy, no longer resisting the Small Golden Tower's devouring.

Instead, it retracted, condensed, and compressed everything!

Finally, it transformed into a spear as black as ink, radiating a destructive Aura!

The tip of the spear was aimed at the depths of the Sea of Consciousness—at Lin Feng's faint wisp of consciousness!

"Let's die—together!!!"

The Artifact spirit roared and hurled the spear!

The spear tore through the space of the Sea of Consciousness, heading toward Lin Feng's consciousness with the determination to perish together!

This strike was one where the Artifact spirit burned its Origin!

No matter how strong the Small Golden Tower was, it wouldn't be in time to stop it!

Because the distance was too short!

Lin Feng's consciousness was right at the edge of the pitch-black area!

If it hit, Lin Feng's consciousness would be completely annihilated!

At that point, even if the Small Golden Tower won, it would only have gained an empty shell!

"Hahahaha! Die together! Die together!!!"

The Artifact spirit laughed maniacally.

However—

Its laughter came to an abrupt halt.

Because a speck of golden light suddenly lit up at the tip of the Small Golden Tower.

That golden light was more dazzling than the sun!

More brilliant than the stars!

Then, the golden light transformed into a thin thread.

The thin thread struck later but arrived first, instantly crossing the space of the Sea of Consciousness and blocking the path of the pitch-black spear.

It didn't just block it.

It... entwined it.

The thin golden thread, as if alive, wrapped around the pitch-black spear.

And then—

A gentle twist.

Crack!

The pitch-black spear snapped into two pieces.

At the break, the golden light spread.

In the blink of an eye, the entire spear was devoured, purified, and absorbed by the golden light.

Not even a speck of residue remained.

"No... impossible..."

The Artifact spirit's voice trembled, filled with despair.

A strike that burned its Origin was... easily neutralized like that?

Just what kind of monster was this Small Golden Tower?!

"You... what exactly are you?!"

The Artifact spirit roared one last time.

This time, the Small Golden Tower finally gave a response.

It wasn't a voice.

It was a thought.

A cold, majestic, and high-above thought, as if it came from the primordial chaos of ancient times.

"An ant is also worthy of asking my name?"

The thought swept through the Sea of Consciousness.

The Artifact spirit felt like it had been stripped naked and thrown into an icy world.

The fear surging from the depths of its Soul made it unable to even produce a thought of resistance.

That was a crushing blow at the level of life itself!

It was the despair of an ant facing the wrath of heaven!

"I... I was wrong..."

"Please... please spare me..."

"I am willing to submit... willing to acknowledge you as my master..."

The Artifact spirit completely collapsed and began to beg.

But the Small Golden Tower's thought was only cold.

"Those who offend my master, die."

As the words fell.

The Small Golden Tower erupted with an unprecedented light!

The entire Sea of Consciousness was dyed a pure gold!

The pitch-black energy, like snow meeting a scorching sun, frantically melted away!

The Artifact spirit's screams echoed through the Sea of Consciousness.

"No—!!!"

"I am not reconciled! Not reconciled!!!"

"Three thousand years... I waited for three thousand years... how could it be like this..."

The voice grew weaker and weaker.

Finally, it disappeared completely.

The pitch-black energy was purified into nothingness by the golden light.

The Sea of Consciousness returned to clarity.

The Small Golden Tower floated in the center, slowly rotating.

On the tower's surface, a hint of... dark golden patterns had appeared?

That was a change produced after devouring the Artifact spirit's energy.

The tower soul seemed to have... become a tiny bit stronger?

However, very quickly, the tower soul withdrew its golden light.

It slowly sank, descending into the depths of the Sea of Consciousness.

It transformed back into a speck of golden light and vanished from sight.

It was as if that earth-shaking battle just now had never happened.

Only those cracks in the space of the Sea of Consciousness that had not yet fully healed proved the intensity of what had just occurred.

...

Who knew how much time had passed.

It could have been a second.

It could have been a year.

Lin Feng's consciousness slowly woke up.

"I'm... still alive?"

He felt that he once again had the sensation of a "body."

Although it was within the Sea of Consciousness and he was a conscious entity.

But at least, he could think.

"What... happened just now?"

Lin Feng struggled to remember.

He only remembered being possessed by the Artifact spirit and his consciousness sinking into darkness.

Just as he was about to vanish, he saw a speck of golden light.

And then... he didn't know.

"Where is the Artifact spirit?"

Lin Feng looked around the Sea of Consciousness warily.

There was no pitch-black energy.

There was no roar from the artifact spirit.

Only a calm Sea of Consciousness space remained, glowing with a faint golden light.

"Could it be... the artifact spirit failed?"

Hope welled up in Lin Feng's heart.

He tried to sense his body.

Buzz—

Perception returned!

He could feel it!

Control over his body was back!

His fingers could move!

His toes could move!

His eyes... could open!

Lin Feng snapped his eyes open.

What met his gaze was the ceiling of the Legacy Hall.

He was lying on the hall floor, the cold white jade slabs beneath him.

"I... I'm really still alive..."

Lin Feng struggled to sit up.

He looked down at his body.

The dark golden patterns on the surface of his skin had disappeared.

In their place was a faint, healthy rosy glow.

He moved his arms and legs.

Everything was normal.

In fact... did he feel even stronger?

Lin Feng pulled up his attribute panel.

[Name: Lin Feng]

[Rank: 16]

[Physique: Glory Corona (Prodigy Grade)]

[Talent: F-Rank Fusion]

[Strength: 51]

[Agility: 53]

[spirit: 658 (+50 scepter of sand)]

[Physique: 155]

[Intelligence: 49]

[HP: 1,550 (Base) + 100,000 (tower soul bonus) = 101,550]

[mana: 6,580 (Base) + 93,420 (tower soul bonus) = 100,000]

[attack power: 102 (Physical), 3,290 (Spell)]

[Defense: 155]

[Element Affinity: Light 99%, Earth 94%, Fire 10%, Water 10%, Wind 10%, Lightning 10%, Ice 10%, Dark 10%]

[Status: Healthy]

"My spirit rose to 658? Physique to 155?"

Lin Feng was stunned.

He remembered that before entering the Legacy Hall, his spirit was 635 and his Physique was 145.

How did it increase so much?

"Could it be... the energy from the artifact spirit?"

Lin Feng recalled that when the artifact spirit attempted Possession, surges of black energy had flooded into his body.

While most of it was devoured by the golden tower soul, perhaps a small portion was absorbed by his body?

"And my Earth Element Affinity... it's still 94%, but it feels... more stable?"

Lin Feng could feel that his control over the Earth Element was even more effortless than before.

It was as if... that 94% affinity had completely fused into his body's Origin and was no longer in a 'disguised' state.

"The golden tower soul..."

Lin Feng looked deep into his Sea of Consciousness.

There, a speck of golden light floated quietly.

He could feel that the tower soul was a little bit stronger than before.

Though it was still very faint, it was indeed growing.

"Did you save me?"

Lin Feng asked in his mind.

The tower soul did not respond.

It was like a silent guardian that only acted at critical moments.

"Thank you."

Lin Feng thanked it sincerely.

Though he didn't know if the tower soul could understand him.

But he was truly grateful.

Without the tower soul, he would currently be a walking corpse controlled by the artifact spirit.

"Right, the artifact spirit's original body... the holy artifact of the sha clan!"

Lin Feng suddenly remembered.

The artifact spirit belonged to the Sha Clan holy artifact, the 'heart of the earth'.

Now that the artifact spirit had been devoured by the tower soul, what about the holy artifact itself?

He looked around the hall.

In the center of the hall, the cluster of rainbow light had disappeared.

In its place was an... earthy yellow crystal?

It was the size of a fist, perfectly round, with patterns like the veins of the earth flowing across its surface.

The crystal floated in mid-air, rotating slowly, emitting a gentle yet powerful Earth Element Aura.

[heart of the earth (Holy Artifact)]

[Quality: Gold (Damaged)]

[Status: Masterless, Artifact spirit has perished]

[Effect 1: Wearer's Earth Element Affinity +50% (Cap 95%)]

[Effect 2: Can mobilize the power of the earth to form an Absolute Defense (Once per day)]

[Effect 3: Can perceive the distribution of Earth Elements within a hundred-mile radius]

[Effect 4: ??? (Needs to be bound to a master to unlock)]

[Binding Condition: Earth Element Affinity above 90%, pass the Holy Artifact's trial]

"The holy artifact... heart of the earth..."

Lin Feng swallowed hard.

This was a Gold-quality holy artifact!

It was two whole major grades higher than the scepter of sand!

Even though it was damaged, its effects were still terrifying!

Earth Element Affinity +50%!

His Earth Element Affinity was currently 94%; with this 50%, he could break the cap and reach over 95%!

Furthermore, it had functions like Absolute Defense and sensing the distribution of Earth Elements!

"I'm rich... I've really struck it rich this time..."

Lin Feng's heart pounded wildly.

He walked up to the heart of the earth and reached out to touch it.

The moment his fingertips touched the crystal—

Buzz!

The crystal erupted with a brilliant earthy yellow light!

The light enveloped Lin Feng entirely.

A vast, heavy stream of information, as if carrying the vicissitudes of the entire earth, flooded into his mind.

Those were the memory fragments of the heart of the earth from the past three thousand years.

The rise and fall of the Sha Clan.

The Legacy of the holy artifact.

The birth and resentment of the artifact spirit.

And... the secrets guarded by the Sha Clan.

The information stream was too massive; Lin Feng only had time to catch a few fragments.

[The Sha Clan... descendants of the ancient Earth People...]

[The heart of the earth... the holy artifact of the Earth People... containing a trace of the earth's Origin...]

[Three thousand years ago... internal strife within the Sha Clan... the holy artifact was damaged... the artifact spirit birthed resentment...]

[The Sha Clan Priests sacrificed their lives... to Seal the holy artifact here... waiting for a destined person...]

[Only one who passes the trial, harbors kindness, and meets the Earth Element Affinity requirement... can obtain the holy artifact's recognition...]

The information stream slowly subsided.

Lin Feng opened his eyes, a flash of realization passing through them.

"So that's how it is..."

"The Sha Clan Priests sealed the holy artifact not because they didn't want to use it, but because they feared the artifact spirit would harm people."

"They were waiting for someone who could purify the artifact spirit and truly control the holy artifact."

"And I... through a series of coincidences, passed the trial."

Lin Feng looked at the heart of the earth.

At this moment, the crystal had already recognized him as its master.

It slowly drifted down and landed in Lin Feng's palm.

Warm and heavy, it felt like holding a small piece of the earth.

"From today on, you are mine."

Lin Feng grinned.

He tucked the heart of the earth close to his body—this thing couldn't be put into storage space and had to be carried on his person.

Then, he looked around the hall.

"It's time to leave this place."

"Outside... there are still people waiting for me."

Lin Feng stepped toward the hall doors.

This time, there was no obstruction.

He crossed the threshold and stepped into the light portal.

His figure vanished into the light.

...

Desert Golden Sea, Low-lying Area.

Beside the ruins of the collapsed building.

The air suddenly distorted.

A figure appeared out of thin air.

It was Lin Feng.

He stood on the sand and looked around.

The scorching sun hung in the sky, with yellow sand stretching for ten thousand miles.

In the distance, the entrance to the scorpion nest was still there, but scorpions were no longer swarming out.

The surroundings were quiet, with only the sound of the wind.

"I'm back..."

Lin Feng took a deep breath of the dry, hot air.

Even though he had only been gone for a short while, it felt like a lifetime ago.

"Right, let's check the time."

He pulled out the timer specifically for Explorers.

[Time spent in Secret Realm: 3 days, 17 hours]

[Remaining stay time: 26 days, 7 hours]

"Good, only a little over three days have passed."

Lin Feng breathed a sigh of relief.

He had been afraid that the time flow in the Legacy Hall might be different and that months had already passed outside.

"Now... it's time to head out."

"Zhao Tianhai is still waiting for my report."

"And Pan Jingjing and the others, the shop should reopen."

"Chen Lin..."

Lin Feng thought of that girl, and a surge of warmth filled his heart.

Once he got out, he had to send her a message to let her know he was safe.

"But before that..."

Lin Feng felt the heart of the earth in his chest and then sensed the golden tower soul in his Sea of Consciousness.

"I need to find a safe place first to digest the gains from this trip."

"The 94% Earth Element Affinity needs to be consolidated."

"I need to familiarize myself with the functions of the heart of the earth."

"And that S-Rank pet egg... I also need to find a way to hatch it."

He looked into the distance.

In that direction was the exit of the Secret Realm.

"Let's go."

Lin Feng started walking, leaving a trail of footprints on the yellow sand.

Under the scorching sun, the youth's figure gradually receded into the distance.

And deep within his Sea of Consciousness.

The golden tower soul was slowly rotating.

On the surface of the pagoda, that trace of dark golden pattern glowed slightly.

It was as if it were digesting the artifact spirit essence it had just devoured...

As well as a portion of the Origin from that Sha Clan holy artifact—the heart of the earth.

The growth of the tower soul had only just begun.