Stealing The Heavens
chapter-978-30041322

Chapter 978: An Evocation Artifact

As Emperor Haozun was traveling in the southern region, Wu Qi, along with Princess Zhang Le and Qixia, had effortlessly stolen the Pangu’s Map from the secret vault situated in the deepest area of Great Yu’s imperial palace. They had also robbed the oracles who guarded the artifact—it was actually Qixia’s weird quirk. Although Wu Qi could prevent her from turning these men into dead bodies, he could not stop her from turning them into paupers.

After bidding Princess Zhang Le and Qixia to return to Dong Hai so that they could guard against any possible retaliation by King Yang Shan and other kings, Wu Qi took the map to Greathorns’s lair. It happened that Yao Ling was visiting him, so they opened the map together and admired what was said to be an extraordinary treasure made from Pangu’s cornea.

Wu Qi thought that was a pretty credible claim. After all, if it were not made of organs in Pangu’s eyes, why was it able to easily monitor everything that was going on in Pangu Continent? Even the slightest change in the energy veins buried deep beneath the earth could be detected in this artifact.

The map had no fixed shape; it was actually a mass of shifting colorful light. One could shrink it to the size of a palm or expand it to tens of thousands, or even millions of miles around. In fact, it could expand almost indefinitely if one needed it.

Once the map was expanded, a curtain of light would emerge in the middle to show the landscape of the Pangu Continent, and one would be able to see what was happening anywhere on the continent by simply communicating using divine sense. Wu Qi was now communicating with it, focusing on Liangzhu. Soon, the image of Liangzhu appeared in the light curtain that had expanded to about a mile around.

Nearly a hundred Supreme Towers could be seen floating above the city. The palace was crowded with soldiers, and numerous civil officials and military officers were running about like ants on a hot pot. The whole Liangzhu was in a mess. There were Supreme Oracles who had set up altars on the surrounding mountains, trying to activate some restriction formations to cover the city. But, nothing they did could keep what was happening there from the Pangu’s Map.

After all, Liangzhu was built right in the middle of You Xiong Plain, which, according to the legends, was transformed from Pangu’s heart. Therefore, all its defenses were constructed based on the endless energy beneath the surface. The unique geography determined that Liangzhu was defenseless against Pangu’s Map. It was like a few tiny bacteria could never stop a giant from looking at his own palm print.

Greathorns was happily drinking from a jar of wine that his disciple, the lion man, had extorted from a demon monkey dwelling nearby, the same wine he served Wu Qi last time, which was called the ‘Hundred Fruits’. While enjoying the fine wine, he laughed and said, “What an amazing artifact…! I can’t believe we can see everything in and out of Liangzhu through this map! Aye, it is indeed an amazing artifact!”

Then he looked at Wu Qi, puzzled, and asked, “But, what are you going to do with it? This artifact was given to the Human Emperor by Empress Wa to monitor the entire Pangu Continent. Now that you’ve stolen it, you better watch out as she will certainly come after you!”

Wu Qi smiled indifferently. Empress Wa was now confined to her home by seven old monks, and by the time she came to settle accounts with him, the storm would have long been over, and he should have fused with the Dao. So, he was not afraid of her being rude to him. Besides, the reason he took this artifact was to counter the seven Buddhist Patriarchs and the nine Dao Patriarchs, so why would Empress Wa give him trouble?

He touched the map lightly with his finger, causing colorful ripples to spread across the light curtain. Then, he told Greathorns and Yao Ling what he was going to do with this artifact—he wanted to craft an instrument that could be used to keep an eye on all living things on Pangu’s Map, which would take away their souls by force as soon as they died. There would be a path to the Six Paths of Reincarnation built in it, so any soul that was sucked in it would be sent straight into transmigration, no longer having the chance of being invested as deities.

Greathorns’s eyes lit up as soon as he heard Wu Qi’s explanation, while Yao Ling twisted her waist excitedly, causing her hundred-miles-long skirt to flutter merrily.

What the Buddhist Patriarchs and the Dao Patriarchs used to prepare for the investiture of deities was nothing more than an artifact they had crafted that could absorb the right souls. Similar to Wu Qi’s idea, the artifact could monitor the entire Pangu Continent; as soon as the right people died, their souls would be sucked away and stored in it, waiting to be promoted as deities.

It was to be expected that the souls would be strictly screened, and only those leaning toward Heaven and Buddhist League, and the ones with some special bloodlines would be absorbed. The first group needed no further explanation, for it was in the best interests of the two superpowers to make them celestial lords. As for why they wanted people with special bloodlines, it was because only such people could better integrate the natal star power of certain ancient stars. Ordinary bloodlines simply could not harness these stars’ full power.

It would be a great victory for the Saint League if they could take half of the people Heaven and Buddhist League planned to promote as celestial lords.

Greathorns rubbed his palms in excitement, then threw his head back and roared a few times. He turned to Wu Qi and asked, “How are you going to make this thing?”

Wu Qi narrowed his eyes and smiled. “Don’t forget what I’m known for among Chaos Fiend Gods,” he said confidently. “I may not be as good as you in other fields, but in both artifact refinement and alchemy…Heh, perhaps the only way to surpass me is when those few old guys work together…”

He might still be inferior in other fields, but Wu Qi was confident that he could beat the seven Buddhist Patriarchs and the nine Dao Patriarchs in artifact refinement, even after all these years. They had founded their sects, and they had worked very hard to expand the power and influence of their sects. In other words, they did not have much time to study additional knowledge. Also, they all had the cultivation base of the Dao Fusing realm, which was to say, they had spent all these years in studying the Heavenly Dao and cultivating their roots. So, they did not have extra time to study a trifle art like artifact refinement.

Therefore, Wu Qi was confident that he could turn the Pangu’s Map into an artifact more powerful than theirs. He had even deduced what they had used to craft their artifact—a spirit artifact owned by Heaven called the ‘Universal Landscape Mirror’, which could also see anything across the entire Pangu Continent. They must have used it as the base for their artifact.

But, the mirror was, after all, a foreign artifact, so it was certainly not as effective as Pangu’s Map in monitoring Pangu Continent. Moreover, Wu Qi’s attainment in artifact refinement was already superior to that of the seven Buddhist Patriarchs and the nine Dao Patriarchs. With the help of powerful figures, he had enough confidence to make those patriarchs vomit blood with anger.

Greathorns and Yao Ling’s eyes lit up with excitement at Wu Qi’s explanation. Immediately they tore open the void and roared into it. Soon, Wu Divinity, Lord Changmu, and Lord Wuling arrived.

Then Lord Light, whose body was made up of countless red blobs that gathered and scattered like fireflies, arrived. Lady Green, the beautiful woman who rode a hundred-legged beetle Wu Qi had met previously, arrived a quarter of an hour later. After her came Old Cloud, whose body was surrounded by rising clouds—his true form was actually the first cloud in the universe. And the last one to come was Lord Mountain, an almighty expert with a bull’s head and the body of a man, with a sharp horn growing out of each vertebra, from the neck to the tail-bone.

Despite their strange appearances, these people were all almighty experts who had stepped into the realm of Dao Fusing, who were free-spirited and loved nothing more than freedom. Because other members of the Saint League were preparing plans against Heaven and Buddhist League elsewhere, they were the only ones who could come.

As the reincarnation of Lord Yuan Ling, the number one master of artifact and pill refinement among Chaos Fiend Gods, Wu Qi told everyone about his plan. After listening to him, the group of experts applauded and cheered, all agreeing that this was the best way to deal with those patriarchs. Since they wanted to choose the right souls to be promoted as celestial lords to strengthen Heaven and Buddhist League, it would be best to destroy their plan from the root.

Lady Green, who rode a hundred-legged beetle, promised Wu Qi that if he could really turn the Pangu’s Map into a powerful artifact, she would explain it to Empress Wa afterward and not let her bother him.

Yao Ling made the same promise. After all, as the rare few women among Dao Fusing experts, they were on good terms with Empress Wa, so they could go to her and ask for such a favor.

After receiving their assurances, Wu Qi finally laid aside his little worry and began to make the necessary arrangements.

The Pangu’s Map alone was not enough to make the artifact in Wu Qi’s mind; he also needed countless other supporting materials, all of which were extremely precious and rare innate-grade items. It took him three days and three nights to make a list of all the materials he might and would need.

To Wu Qi’s surprise, though Greathorns and others knew nothing about artifact refinement or pill refinement, as Dao Fusing experts who stood at the pinnacle of the Pangu Continent, they had collected countless materials over the years and carried them with themselves.

He was worried that he would not be able to get all the materials, but he was able to get everything he needed from just the private collections of Greathorns, Yao Ling, and Lord Wuling. Since these guys were so rich, Wu Qi did not stand on ceremony with them—he immediately asked them for a lot of precious materials which they did not need but were of great use to him. They actually agreed and gave him everything he requested.

After all, they knew that these things were just beautiful ornaments in their hands. But, if they gave them to Wu Qi, he could turn them into more useful things. In the future, they were likely to have a direct clash with the seven Buddhist Patriarchs and the nine Dao Patriarchs, and any extra innate spirit artifact would increase their chance of winning.

With the materials ready, Wu Qi asked them to unleash their natal true flames while he put Pangu’s Map into the Heaven Refining Cauldron. Using Yuan Ling True Flame, he melted their flames into one glob of crystal-like, purple flame, which he carefully sent into the cauldron as well.

The Dark Yin Celestial Tower flew out from the top of his head, accelerating the time around him by ten thousand times.

Each of the Dao Fusing experts, including Greathorns, threw a beam of light at the tower, causing the flow of time to soar by a million-folds. For a moment, Wu Qi could hardly get used to the suddenly accelerated flow of time.

After a while, he finally got used to it and focused all his mind into the cauldron.