Chapter 78 – Top-Grade Artifact: Seven-Soul Nails

“Relics… You mentioned cursed artifacts, I know about those.”

Relics are unique products of this world.

Due to drastic changes in the world and the influence of anomalous rules, some magical artifacts, and even ordinary items, if left unattended in unknown places for extended periods, may undergo mutations.

After mutation, whether ordinary items or magical artifacts, they become stronger, and their abilities turn peculiar.

However, alongside this power, they also come with certain side effects, which is why such artifacts are called cursed artifacts.

As for the origin of the name “relics,” it stems from the fact that most cursed artifacts are excavated burial goods from tombs and ruins, especially ancestral heirlooms imbued with special influences, which are more susceptible to corruption by anomalous rules.

Consequently, many people refer to cursed artifacts as relics.

The Yin-Spirit Carriage before them is one such relic.

Originally, even Elder Qin was unaware of its abilities, but now, its capabilities are exceedingly peculiar.

As a carriage, it is incredibly fast; with sufficient mana, traveling three thousand miles in a day is not a dream.

But this is merely the basic function of a means of transportation. Another ability is the core of the Yin-Spirit Carriage—Etherealization.

Under the influence of an inexplicable power, this carriage can temporarily shift from solid to ethereal, and the people inside are also affected, becoming ethereal alongside it.

In its ethereal form, the Yin-Spirit Carriage can pass through solid objects, and many attacks cannot affect the carriage or its occupants while in this state.

However, despite such a powerful ability, it is classified as a high-grade magical artifact precisely because this carriage has significant flaws.

First, the duration of etherealization must not be too long. Once it exceeds seven seconds, the people inside the carriage may vanish into nothingness, disappearing completely.

Second, even if it does not exceed seven seconds, the ethereal state subjects the occupants to continuous erosion by Yin energy.

Regardless of their resistance, using the etherealization ability inevitably allows Yin energy to invade the body, randomly afflicting them with a curse or illness.

“…It’s truly powerful, but it’s also truly terrifying.”

Aside from the risk of complete disappearance after seven seconds, the mere act of etherealization can cause illness or curses, making few dare to use it.

The reason Mu Lin chose it is, first, because the etherealization ability is an absolute life-saving skill.

Deeply understanding that only by staying alive can one have a future, Mu Lin selected two of the three high-grade magical artifacts for their life-preserving qualities.

The Yin-Spirit Carriage can help Mu Lin escape, while the Yin-Gathering Coffin itself offers considerable defensive capabilities.

More importantly, besides gathering Yin energy, it can be buried underground to conceal Mu Lin’s presence.

…

The escape ability of the Yin-Spirit Carriage is highly valued by Mu Lin, and another reason he chose it is that he is unafraid of curses and illnesses.

Such unavoidable nuisances are indeed troublesome; if one were to acquire a harmful curse or a fatal illness, Mu Lin could perish on the spot.

For ordinary Qi Refiners using the Yin-Spirit Carriage, “try it and you might die” is no joke.

Fortunately, Mu Lin is no ordinary individual.

“Curses? Illnesses? Let me introduce you to the Substitute Paper Figure!”

Any curse or illness can be transferred to the Substitute Paper Figure, and by discarding it, the afflictions are expelled from the body.

With such capabilities, the Yin-Spirit Carriage only had one aspect for Mu Lin to be mindful of.

“As long as the Etherealization time does not exceed seven seconds, I can use it freely.”

Having confirmed this, it was only natural for Mu Lin to choose it.

……

Selecting the three high-grade magical artifacts took Mu Lin quite some time, but when it came to the top-grade artifact, he didn’t hesitate much.

At first glance, he was drawn to a set of coffin nails that exuded an ominous aura.

  It was a set of seven nails, known as the Seven-Soul Nails.

This was a combined-type magical artifact. The seven nails could Stabilize a person’s Seven Po.

Humans possess Three Hun and Seven Po. The Three Hun belong to the spirit, while the Seven Po belong to the body.

The first Po is called Corpse Dog, the second is Ambush Arrow, the third is Sparrow Yin, the fourth is Devouring Thief, the fifth is Non-Poison, the sixth is Filth Removal, and the seventh is Stinking Lung.

The Seven Po govern every aspect of the human body. After death, the Seven Po dissipate.

Correspondingly, if the Seven Po are nailed down, the human body will be greatly affected. If all seven nails strike their targets, even the physical body of a Mortal Shedding Adept will perish.

However, although these seven coffin nails are quite powerful, it is not easy to Stabilize the specific Seven Po on an enemy’s body.

But Mu Lin had another method.

“Directly controlling the Seven-Soul Nails to attack an opponent—even against someone of the same level, I might not hit the target. But what about a curse? This artifact and the Paper Figure Curse will be a perfect match!”

……

After selecting the artifacts, Mu Lin’s daily cultivation routine gained another task.

Every day, he would set aside some time to activate and observe these four artifacts, striving to construct them in his mind.

What Mu Lin found fortunate was that visualization involves a certain degree of imagination. As a result, he didn’t need to fully understand all the knowledge about the artifacts to successfully visualize them.

Just as many visualization methods require humans to visualize deities to gain a trace of their divine power—it can’t be said that everyone has a thorough understanding of deities, can it?

Another unexpected situation for Mu Lin was that his visualization proceeded remarkably smoothly.

Mu Lin had originally thought that, even with the element of imagination, the artifacts Elder Qin lent him were too powerful, and visualizing and solidifying them would not be an easy task.

To his surprise, however, Paper Folding and Painting actually enhanced his visualization efficiency.

As is well known, the first step of visualization is to purely rely on imagination to sketch and construct an object in the mind.

This step alone is extremely difficult. For some people, when it comes to more complex structures, relying solely on imagination might require ten days to half a month to succeed.

However, aside from Mu Lin’s powerful Divine Soul, one particular aspect made his visualization exceptionally smooth.

Master-grade Painting ability allowed Mu Lin to easily deconstruct the structure of an object. In fact, at the first glance of an item, Mu Lin could already imagine its composition, outline, texture, light source, sense of volume, sense of space… everything in his mind.

In short, Master-grade Painting ability enabled Mu Lin to know exactly how to draw an object upon seeing it, and how to render it with beauty and texture.

With some imagination, the rough sketches Mu Lin constructed in his mind even possessed more imposing presence and aesthetic appeal than the original objects.

With such an ability, it was only natural for Mu Lin to visualize objects exceptionally quickly.

As for magical artifacts not being ordinary items, possessing mysterious and unpredictable abilities, Mu Lin’s visualization could not merely copy their form; it also had to imbue them with spirit and essence?

Coincidentally, the highest realm of painting is not about achieving likeness, but rather the artist expressing inner emotions, thoughts, and observations of the world through unique creativity and skill, to reach a state where the viewer resonates spiritually.

Master-grade painting techniques endowed Mu Lin with certain qualities.

At this moment, his exquisite paintings could already evoke a hint of spiritual awe in people.

The prerequisite for creating a master’s work is possessing an eye that discovers beauty. Consequently, when high-grade or top-grade artifacts displayed their power, Mu Lin could easily resonate spiritually with their might and mentally sketch them.

He even had an illusion: if his painting skills advanced further, he might even be able to use brushstrokes to depict the visualized objects in his mind and the spiritual awe he felt, all rendered with a brush!

Because in this world, the mind truly holds power. The resulting artwork would not only be appreciated by himself—others viewing the painting would also, through spiritual resonance, sense the spirit and essence conveyed within…

“Wait, allowing others to perceive the spirit and essence in the painting—isn’t that the True Intent Diagram?”

“Could it be that my Demon-Subduing Warrior Painting was created this way?”

(End of Chapter)