High above the Western Regions, over a thousand flying ark warships, carrying a total of fifty thousand Demon Sect Cultivators, soared in a single direction.
Inside the central flying ark, a man clutched a blood-red pearl, using his own Blood Evil Qi to suppress whatever was inside.
This pearl was an ancestral treasure of the Wandao Sect. Sealed within it were the souls of several hundred Upper Three Realms Cultivators, including the Sect Leaders of the Nine Great Demon Sects.
But an hour later, Xiao Mo slowly opened his eyes and looked at the long blade, Dyed Ink, which lay on the table.
Something was wrong with Dyed Ink. It was trembling nonstop, wreathed in thick black smoke.
A strange sensation also began to spread through Xiao Mo’s heart, as if something were trying to establish a connection with him.
In less than three breaths’ time, the black smoke emanating from Dyed Ink coalesced, finally forming a petite, human-like figure.
When the black smoke dispersed, a young girl floated before Xiao Mo.
The girl wore a black dress, its hemline falling just short of her knees.
In the Central Plains, a short skirt that exposed the knees and calves would be considered utterly scandalous.
But in the Western Regions, such a dress was actually considered conservative.
The black of the skirt created a sharp contrast with the girl’s fair skin.
She looked to be eighteen or nineteen years old, but she was no more than a foot tall, about the size of a common doll.
She simply stared at Xiao Mo, her black eyes as clear as onyx. The corners of her lips curved slightly upward, hinting at a mischievous charm and a playful nature.
"Dyed Ink?" Xiao Mo asked with a frown.
"That’s right," Dyed Ink said with a smile and a nod. With a light tap of her fair toes in mid-air, she settled onto Xiao Mo’s shoulder.
Xiao Mo turned his head to look at the miniature girl sitting on his shoulder.
He realized this must be the Dyed Ink Blade Spirit.
He had thought it would take at least a hundred years for the Blade Spirit to truly manifest—a day he never expected to see.
Yet he had never imagined that Dyed Ink would awaken its spirit only a few years after being forged. Such a thing was not unheard of, but it was exceedingly rare.
"There’s no need to be so surprised, Master."
Seeing the surprise on Xiao Mo’s face, Dyed Ink said with a smile as she toyed with a lock of his hair.
"I actually woke up during your great battle against the nine Ascension Realm Cultivators at the Wandao Sect, Master.
Originally, it would have taken hundreds, or even thousands, of years for me to condense into a Spirit Body.
However, over these years, you’ve campaigned far and wide, Master, killing countless cultivators. I absorbed the Blood Qi from many of them, including quite a few from the Upper Three Realms.
For me, Blood Qi is the best nourishment.
So, naturally, I woke up."
"Mm, it’s good that you’re awake."
Xiao Mo nodded.
For the vast majority of cultivators in the world, the awakening of an Artifact Spirit was a cause for great celebration, no less significant than achieving a Realm Breakthrough.
But in his heart, Xiao Mo didn’t particularly care.
With his current strength, he was more than capable of handling anything in the Western Regions.
He had, after all, already reached Immortal Realm Perfection.
It wouldn’t be long before he could break through to the Tribulation Crossing Ascension Realm.
Dyed Ink’s awakening, therefore, was merely an extra bit of insurance for his power.
Xiao Mo paid no more attention to the Artifact Spirit, Dyed Ink, and instead continued to use his Blood Evil Qi to suppress the Treasure Pearl.
The Artifact Spirit, Dyed Ink, looked at the red Treasure Pearl on the table, tilted her head, and asked,
"For the past few years, every time you’ve killed an Upper Three Realms Cultivator, you’ve placed their soul inside this red pearl.
And there’s also been a constant stream of mortal Life Origin sent to you.
I’m very curious, Master. What exactly are you planning to do?"
"Have you heard of the Heaven-Stabilizing Pearl?"
Xiao Mo asked Dyed Ink.
"The Heaven-Stabilizing Pearl?" Dyed Ink tilted her head, clearly unfamiliar with the name.
"When I was a child, around the time I was thirteen, Blood Demon told me about something.
It’s one of the ultimate treasures of the Wandao Sect.
It is the Heaven-Stabilizing Pearl."
’There’s no need to hide anything from my own Artifact Spirit,’ Xiao Mo thought. ’I refined Dyed Ink into my Lifebound Magical Artifact long ago. Betrayal is impossible.’
"Legend says the Heaven-Stabilizing Pearl appeared in Ancient Times. By collecting enough Divine Souls from Upper Three Realms Cultivators, gathering twenty percent of the Life Origin from seventy percent of the people in the Western Regions, and using it all for a blood sacrifice, one can establish a new Law for this land."
"Anything at all?" the Artifact Spirit, Dyed Ink, asked curiously, tilting her head.
"Not exactly."