Night of Despair

Chapter 300 - 300 298 Dao Artifacts Part 2 (Thanks to Alliance

?Chapter 300: 298 Dao Artifacts Part 2 (Thanks to Alliance Hierarch Elvin2016) Chapter 300: 298 Dao Artifacts Part 2 (Thanks to Alliance Hierarch Elvin2016) “Spiritual intent is the potential existence of a soul; to this day, no one can be sure, no one can truly observe the essence of a soul. The deities worshiped by our Taoist faith, and the wild gods spoken of in folk tales, most are spiritual intents. You can think of them as harmless resentful marks,” Yu Mo explained.

“Why not just say it’s a soul?” Yu Hong asked again.

This showed Yu Mo’s world had a fundamental understanding of souls and many other things, a rare chance to understand the mysterious system here. Naturally, he wouldn’t let it slip away.

“Because spiritual intent only possesses some of the characteristics of the souls found in legends. They follow certain fixed patterns of behavior, give feedback, but do not possess true, complete free consciousness. They are quite sensitive and flexible within their own domain, but quite rigid in other respects,” Yu Mo answered.

“Everything has a spirit. Modern scientific research has found that we humans are made up of countless cells working together. Since countless simple consciousnesses in cells can construct us humans, why can’t they construct other similar entities?” Master Yu Hen chuckled as he interjected his explanation.

His words completely overturned his usual image of foolishness and greed for wealth, making Yu Hong look at him with newfound respect.

“So, the Inheritance Dao Artifacts store the spiritual intents of generation after generation of our Qingchen Temple’s ancestral masters. They have become very powerful and can vaguely connect with Heaven, endowed with Divine Intent,” Yu Mo said. “If you can obtain one, facing resentful marks and the like, your strength could instantly skyrocket.”

Heaven???!

Yu Hong felt a chill in his heart.

Finally, he was hearing about the top power structures of this place.

“What is Heaven?” he asked, showing curiosity.

“We’re not sure; we only know that it is a special space that one can ascend to only after one’s spiritual intent becomes exceedingly strong. It’s full of all kinds of extremely powerful Divine Intents. Not all are friendly, most don’t distinguish between good and evil. Whoever can harness these forces will descend to our world and offer power. What people call Divine Intent is the terrifying power formed when spiritual intent is strengthened to its limit and sublimates. Such power can directly intervene in reality; this isn’t something you need to consider right now. For the moment, let’s stay grounded and focus on properly connecting with the Inheritance Hall,” Yu Mo said with a smile.

“Yes, Disciple understands,” Yu Hong said, uncertain if this Heaven was the same one he had heard of in his previous life, but feeling that what Yu Mo described was different.

He pushed aside these thoughts for now.

His gaze turned to the three Tai Chi Diagram doors.

‘It seems that this Inheritance Dao Artifact could be very helpful to me.’

Revising his previous lack of enthusiasm, he thought and took the initiative to walk towards the door marked with a golden turtle.

‘My speed is sufficient for now. Facing a Source Disaster, it’s impossible to claim a quick victory and solve the problem in a short time, so first I need to ensure my own invincibility. Therefore, defense first!’

Seeing him heading towards the golden turtle, Yu Mo and Yu Hen behind him both showed admiration.

“Prudent in thought, measured in action, a clear understanding of oneself, excellent,” Yu Hen nodded in satisfaction.

“It seems this time in the Taoist Sect competition, it might be Qingchen Temple’s turn to rise!” Yu Mo also nodded, stroking his beard.

Snap.

Yu Hong reached out and touched the stone surface of the golden turtle door.

Hiss.

The stone gate, following the seams of the Tai Chi Diagram, opened to both sides, revealing a small yellow-lit room inside.

Yu Hong entered the room, scanning all around.

The black racks against the walls were all made of black jade, each with a groove carved out, and within each groove, there lay all sorts of items.

Among these items were Emperor Bells, Daoist robes, Treasure Swords, Scimitars, as well as teapots, chairs, Shields, and more.

Each item had a label underneath indicating which ancestral masters had used them before.

Some had a long list of names, while others only a few.

Yu Hong slowly walked along the jade racks, and before long, stopped in front of a dark red Horse-cutting Saber, two and a half meters long.

‘The bigger it is, the heavier, the stronger. I need to fully leverage my advantage of having great physical strength. This suits me.’

Yu Hong glanced at the Horse-cutting Saber; this item was the biggest and heaviest here. Below it, there were only two names recorded, showing that not many ancestral masters were able to use this weapon freely.

The label on the Horse-cutting Saber also had a detailed description of its function.

‘Time-sharing Blade: Can amplify Daoist Skills by one layer, Techniques by two layers. Those recognized can briefly connect with Heaven’s Four Seasons realm Divine Intent and gain the assistance of the Four Seasons Saber Spirit in combat. The connection time depends on the individual’s Daoist cultivation level; the higher the cultivation, the stronger the Fear Shadow as the carrier, the longer the Four Seasons Saber Spirit will manifest.’

Four Seasons Saber Spirit…

It sounded very formidable.

Yu Hong did not immediately choose this item because here, it was not he who chose the Dao Artifact, but the Dao Artifact that chose him.

After making a round, he also found a Meteor Hammer quite fitting – it also amplified Daoist Skills, Techniques, and was able to connect with the Divine Intent descending from Heaven.

The Dao Artifacts here were obviously much stronger than the plain bell he had before which, besides being made of sturdy material and aiding in practicing Daoist Skills, had no other functions.

There was also a headpiece, a Dao Crown, with a very simple design like leaping flames. The label on this Dao Artifact indicated it only amplified Techniques, but the amplification was significant, directly strengthening the power by more than fifty percent. For those with weaker Daoist Skills and unable to perfectly control the Fear Shadow, it could become an immediate death omen.

‘This suits disciples who aren’t skilled in Techniques but have high Daoist cultivation.’

Yu Hong had his eyes opened this time.

After carefully examining each Dao Artifact, he finally returned to the front of the door. As the Temple Master had said, he closed his eyes and slowly started his Daoist practice.

Cool breaths began to circulate back and forth between his temples.

Oddly, as he began to practice his Daoist Skills, all the Dao Artifacts in the room seemed to be activated, releasing a similar breath.

In Yu Hong’s perception, originally everything was dark and hazy.

But as each Dao Artifact released its own breath, the shapes and forms of the Dao Artifacts began to illuminate within the darkness he perceived.

Around them swirled many chain-like runes glowing with a faint white light in the dark.

Vaguely, silhouettes began to emerge within the white light, overlapping.

The blurred faces of Taoists appeared one by one in the white glow, looking towards Yu Hong.

Countless cool breaths mixed together, forming imposing and terrifying pressures that bore down on Yu Hong.

Yu Hong’s previously relaxed attitude gradually became solemn.

He had thought that even if the Inheritance Dao Artifacts here were powerful, they wouldn’t be too strong. But now it seemed… the system here entirely focused on the spiritual aspect.

If the presence of his current Fifth Layer Daoist cultivation was to be defined as a numerical value of 1,

Then the presence of each Dao Artifact before him was erupting with a strength of at least 10. This was a force stronger than his own being, capable of generating a unique sense of spiritual threat.

He could sense that the presence of these Dao Artifacts was like living beings, tentatively touching him, observing him.

They carried with them a hazy sense of doubt, hesitation, and… shock.

‘Are you worried that I harbor ill intentions?’ Yu Hong found this point and showed a slight smile on his face.

He spread his arms and said confidently,

‘Everything I wish to do has never meant to harm anyone.’

He covered his heart with one hand.

‘Do you feel it? The goodwill in my heart.’

*

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Outside the door.

Yu Mo and Master Yu Hen of Qingchen Temple stood in silence, somewhat expectant yet also worried.

“If his mind is impure and his nature vile, solely relying on deceit to fool us, then the Inheritance Dao Artifacts would have retaliated instantly upon entry. But there’s been no fluster so far, which clearly means Ding Rou is fine,” Master Yu Hen said gravely.

“I’m not worried about that. I’m worried about whether he can bring out an Inheritance Dao Artifact,” Yu Mo frowned and said.

“Alas… my Qingchen Temple is now weak in disciples, with only Zheng Ming and Zheng Ying successfully bringing out two each, but both belong to the most basic Yellow Level Dao Artifacts in the hierarchy of Heaven and Earth’s mysteries, with minimal enhancement and not very strong summons, at most capable of invoking Divine Intent one level stronger than oneself,” Master Yu Hen nodded, “Ding Rou could be the most talented disciple in my temple in a hundred years, reaching the Fifth Layer of Daoist cultivation in mere months, mastering the Qi Condensation and Shadow Transformation Technique completely. With such talent, surely our ancestors would care to favor him somewhat?”

“Hopefully…” Yu Mo sighed.

In the hierarchy of Heaven and Earth’s mysteries, each level’s power could be differentiated with numerical values: for Yellow it’s 1, then Profound is at 100, Earth at 10,000, and Heaven at a million!

The gap in between is as wide as the heavens and the earth.

“With Ding Rou’s talent, if he could be guarded by a fine Dao Artifact, his path ahead will be much safer,” Yu Mo said solemnly.

Behind the two of them, Zheng Xia also had a complicated expression on her face, not stating what was on her mind. Although initially defeated by Yu Hong with a single strike, humiliating her and causing deep resentment towards him, hoping he wouldn’t obtain a good Dao Artifact, best if he couldn’t get any Inheritance Dao Artifact at all,

Yet, as a disciple of Qingchen Temple, she hoped that he would get an excellent one.

While their thoughts fluctuated,

Buzz.

The Stone Gate of the golden tortoise slowly parted, and a burly figure walked out slowly.

It was Yu Hong.

He held nothing in his hands, simply walking out in his gray-white Daoist robe.

Had he failed?

Just as this speculation crossed their minds,

Suddenly, their gaze landed on a blue-purple crescent moon jade pendant on Yu Hong’s chest.

The pendant was shaped like a crescent moon, surrounded by cloud patterns with hidden faces and even some mysterious twisted monstrous figures within.

As Yu Hong moved, the patterns refracted from different angles on the pendant also showed different images.

“Is this… did he get a Dao Artifact? Or… is this something he brought in with him?” Master Yu Hen tentatively asked.

“Ding Rou.” Yu Mo was more direct, asking aloud, “Did you… get an Inheritance Dao Artifact?”

A deep sense of anticipation showed on his face.

Not just him, Master Yu Hen and Zheng Xia also had the same look in their eyes.

A good Inheritance Dao Artifact, if it has powerful innate Divine Intent, could instantly add a practical expert to the Sect.

In the current declining state of Qingchen Temple, with no strong experts to rely on, and only these old-timers arranging formations to barely defend themselves, everyone, all the disciples who witnessed the Sect’s grand competition, hoped for a true powerhouse to emerge.

And the Inheritance Dao Artifact was the only shortcut to becoming a powerful expert in haste.

Yu Hong stepped out of the Stone Gate, looked up at the three, and revealed a composed smile.

“Mission accomplished,” he declared, pinching the blue-purple crescent pendant on his chest, lifting it up.

“This is the Dao Artifact that has acknowledged and accepted me.”

“Guang Han.”

Guang Han?

Master Yu Hen and Yu Mo closely observed the pendant.

“What level of Dao Artifact is it?”

“It’s Profound Level. It enhances Daoist Skills by two levels, increases the power of Techniques by thirty percent, and can summon a Divine Intent named Chang’e that devours all things,” Yu Hong explained the Dao Artifact, his own eyes twitching slightly.

Did he not know the story of Chang’e flying to the moon? After coming to this place, it turned into Chang’e… always hungry, huh?