Chapter 785: Masterless Artifact

"Divine blood!"

Lei En's eyes glowed, and while his heart was shocked, he also felt it was understandable. Only a deity's blood could possess such terrifying power!

Deities are the greatest beings of Ai Lun E Si.

Whether naturally born gods or those deified from mortals, they are the most powerful beings in the world. Their bodies, their blood, their language, their Willpower—all contain divine power of destruction, creation, and myriad wondrous uses.

In short, deities are the sum of all great power that mortals can imagine.

Even just four drops of divine blood are incalculable in value.

Lei En stepped forward, and after confirming the four drops of divine blood posed no danger, he calmly opened his Soul Eye to see through the amber, trying to view it more clearly.

Soon, he discovered some clues.

He had thought the egg‑shaped amber was merely a container for the divine blood, or a special shell, but careful observation revealed otherwise. This amber shell is fully fused with the divine blood; its material is indistinguishable, clearly altered by divine power, extremely tough, not only hard to destroy but also possessing incredible functions.

Even without testing it by hand, Lei En could tell from experience that, even with his own strength, he could not break the amber to extract the divine blood.

This is a man‑made—no, it should be a deity‑crafted magical item, and the divine blood is merely its core.

A deity‑crafted item—that is an artifact!

"Artifact!"

Lei En's eyes widened, and his breathing grew heavy.

Pure divine blood is at most an expensive alchemical material that disappears after use, but an artifact is countless times more precious than divine blood!

Only deities can forge artifacts, but they cannot do so casually; they must expend massive divine power, invest countless materials, time, and effort, far beyond mortal craftsmanship, to create an artifact of unmatched might.

Some deities with weaker divine power cannot even forge artifacts.

Even deities of moderate divine power usually possess only one artifact, and only the most powerful deities can wield multiple artifacts.

Artifacts are that precious to deities, let alone mortals.

Any artifact that falls into the mortal world will spark blood‑soaked turmoil; an artifact wields supreme terrifying power and also symbolizes both natural and man‑made calamities.

Even Lei En does not dare hope that he will ever obtain an artifact.

He heard his own heartbeat pounding like drums; even with true Willpower, he could only barely stay calm.

"Calm! Calm!"

Lei En took several deep breaths, finally calming himself and continuing his observation.

Weizelan's Great Library's classified tome "Path of Sealing the Gods" records information about artifacts; artifacts are usually divided into two grades, lower‑grade artifacts and higher‑grade artifacts. The vast majority of deities use lower‑grade artifacts, and the weakest lower‑grade artifact may have power inferior even to top‑tier Legend Grade magical items.

The number of higher‑grade artifacts can be counted on two hands.

Lower‑grade artifacts may be replicated; deities have forged many similar ones, whereas higher‑grade artifacts are unique—only one exists in the world.

Lei En could not determine the amber's grade, but guessed it was most likely a lower‑grade artifact; even so, its value is unimaginably high, several times more than all the treasure he looted today in Mosuobulai.

The "Path of Sealing the Gods" specifically notes that, by standards of power and function, Fu Kong Cheng is actually a lower‑grade artifact, the only artifact‑like item that mortals can forge.

In other words, he has obtained a Fu Kong Cheng for free!

"No, I haven't obtained it."

Lei En thought again: Banrimu has hidden the artifact in a secret chamber but does not use it, so there must be an insurmountable problem.

The most obvious reason is that it contains Holy Light power; dark elves are naturally averse to light, and Banrimu is the Divine Chosen of Spider Queen Ros, bestowed with a series of Shadow Divine Techniques. Holy Light and Shadow are naturally antagonistic and counter each other; Banrimu could not even carry it safely, let alone use it.

Moreover, Banrimu dares not let anyone know she possesses the artifact; her greatest guard is not other Zuo Er, but Spider Queen Ros.

Keeping the artifact secret and not surrendering it would, once discovered, inevitably invite Ros's cruel divine punishment.

"Fortunately…"

Lei En privately rejoiced; if Banrimu could use the artifact, he and Kuilu and the others would hardly be able to kill her, and it would pose a huge danger.

He was very curious which deity had forged this artifact.

The first deity that came to mind was the Sun God.

He immediately dismissed it; the divine aura he sensed just now felt warm and gentle, like a spring breeze, completely different from the Sun God Ge Weng's domineering ferocity. Although both are fundamentally Holy Light power, their manifestations are worlds apart.

Moreover, if the Sun God had forged the artifact, He would never let it stray.

Deities have a close link with the artifacts they forge; they can always know an artifact's status and location and retrieve it easily. This is why artifacts rarely fall to the mortal realm, unless the deity permits it or the deity itself has already fallen.

Sun God Ge Weng shines at his zenith and is currently one of the strongest deities.

The isolation formation Banrimu set up could not evade the Sun God's sensing; therefore, this artifact has nothing to do with the Sun God.

However, aside from the Sun God, there is no other deity in the world who holds a divine office related to Holy Light power.

Lei En felt a stir; there is none now, but there was in the past.

Sun God Ge Weng holds multiple divine offices; the most important "Sun" office actually comprises three sub‑level offices: "Dawn", "Scorching Sun", and "Dusk", which once belonged to three separate deities before Ge Weng absorbed them.

It is rumored that Ge Weng was originally the Flame God, sealed as a deity in the early Second Epoch.

Soon after, the Scorching Sun God and the Dusk God fell in succession.

At the end of the Third Epoch, when the Abyss invaded Ai Lun E Si, the Dawn Lord "Luosenda" fell, and the Dawn office fell into Ge Weng's hands.

Thus, the trinity merged into the "Sun".

Lei En has visited the tomb of the Scorching Sun God Anse, obtaining His divine fire, and is very familiar with Anse's aura; therefore he can be certain this artifact was not forged by Anse. The power emanating from the divine blood in the amber also does not match the recorded power of the Dusk God, showing a great difference.

After eliminating impossible factors, there is only one correct answer.

This artifact belongs to Dawn Lord Luosenda, and contains Luosenda's divine blood.

Luosenda is a benevolent deity symbolizing hope; His doctrine is uplifting, teaching followers to stay optimistic about all things, uphold ideals, and remain ever vibrant. Even in the darkest valleys and dire predicaments, one must keep hope, like the darkness before dawn that will pass, and when the first ray of dawn light illuminates the world, people are reborn.

His Holy Light power aligns with His doctrine, like bathing in sunrise, soothing the spirit, yet still possessing great lethal force against evil and darkness.

Just now, Lei En felt precisely that Holy Light power.

Dawn Lord Luosenda fell nearly four thousand years ago, so His artifact drifted into the mortal realm, and it is unknown when Banrimu obtained it and preserved it to this day.

In other words, this is a masterless artifact!

Lei En naturally will not let it go.

He took a deep breath, reached out and gently grasped the egg‑shaped amber. The moment his fingers touched the amber, light burst forth, a dazzling glare made him shut his eyes, and a scorching sensation rose in his hand, yet he did not let go and kept holding it.

Lei En's resistance and defense far exceed Lei Silin's true Mirror Image.

Even if it were a genuine branding iron, he could easily hold it in his hand without injury.

However, the amber's temperature surged dramatically, multiplying several times within seconds, hotter than the branding iron; Lei En's palm instantly turned red‑hot, the palm blackened and began to smoke.

"Um…"

Lei En let out a low grunt; his titanium‑golden body had already fully activated, and his palm turned a dark gold.

At the same time, he applied a Rainbow Light Cloak to himself, boosting magical resistance. Although the power of Holy Light is not magic, its high temperature can also be partially resisted by the Rainbow Light Cloak.

The amber grew ever brighter, its temperature ever higher.

Lei En's palm quickly reddened, the heat spreading up his arm; the inner clothing sleeves turned to ash, and the outer mithril light‑armor gauntlet melted swiftly, some turning into silver liquid that dripped, while some evaporated outright from the heat.

Ten seconds later, his entire arm turned red, transparent inside and out, golden flames ignited on his skin, yet he still did not release his grip.

Lei En had already activated "Ignore Pain", and stared expressionlessly at the artifact.

He endured for half a minute; the brightness in the secret chamber peaked, his vision filled with endless light, nothing could be seen, only a blinding white. However, he felt the amber's temperature had reached its limit and would not rise further.

His phone's energy was draining rapidly, repairing the burned arm.

When attacking Mosuobulai, Lei En dared not absorb the souls of its followers under Luo Si's watchful eye; he only took a few non‑Zor souls of slaves, converting them into energy. Moreover, the Thundercast Celestial Soldier continuously cleared undead in the Aibolaken region, bringing in energy daily; he usually kept a few hundred energy units in reserve, and now his spirit power pool held over a thousand energy units.

Grasping the amber each second consumes about ten energy units; even a Saint Rank transcendent could not sustain it for long.

But Lei En can, and he does so with ease.

He held the amber while pondering how to control it.

Just after a minute passed, Lei En had not yet found a method, and the brightness noticeably began to decline, which made him both delighted and a little surprised.

"Energy depleted?"

He instantly realized that an unclaimed artifact has no power source; perhaps it can accumulate some energy over a long time, but it is certainly limited.

The light faded quickly, and the scorching feeling in his hand subsided.

After a few breaths, the secret chamber's brightness dropped to a visible level, the amber returned to normal; once as heavy as a mountain and seemingly fixed in space, it became as light as nothing.

Lei En's arm also quickly recovered to its original condition.

He lightly plucked it and it was in his hand.

The amber he obtained was only mildly warm; holding it before his eyes, he looked into its interior—the divine blood volume unchanged, but its luster was noticeably dimmer.

"Sure enough, it has no energy."

"I don't know how to use this artifact or what effect it has."

Lei En suppressed the urge to study the artifact; the Extreme Warrior and the Holy Spear Knight Corps were still waiting outside, Yizite was leading a raid on the Storuoze family, its progress unknown, and the rescue of the benevolent Zor target remained incomplete.

"Back to research later."

He casually tried to place the amber into the Nebula Ring, but found no response.

After several attempts, he realized the artifact could not be placed into dimensional space; he suddenly understood why Banrimu could only hide it in this secret chamber rather than carry it.

Carrying such a precious item on his person would be too conspicuous.

Any transcendent with keen perception could sense the artifact's existence, attracting countless troubles.

Lei En thought it over, swapped places with Lei Silin while holding the amber, appearing on the ninth floor of the Obsidian Tower; the artifact teleported with him, still in his hand, letting him breathe a sigh of relief. If Castling also could not take the artifact away, that would be more troublesome.

He set the amber down and returned to the secret chamber.

As soon as Lei Silin appeared, he reached out and caught the falling artifact, beginning to study it.

"Retreat."

Lei En teleported out of the secret chamber, waved his hand in the sky, immediately ordered the Extreme Warriors and Holy Lance Knights guarding the courtyard to stand down, and rode his mount upward.

When he left the Banrimu family, Lei En looked around, found no sign of Daknalun, but paid it no mind.

A moment later, Lei En led his men to rendezvous with the Fourth Company.

Yizite, Kestajin, and the Holy Lance Knights had just emerged from the Storuoze family. The Extreme Warrior's fire dragon, along with a hundred bronze warhorses, each bore large crates filled with gold and jewels; their flight speed had slowed.

Storuoze is an emerging family; its accumulated wealth is far less than the ancient Banrimu family, and its ruling influence lags several tiers behind.

Yizite's group lacked Nebula Rings, relying on mounts for transport, so their efficiency was much lower.

"Boss."

"Lord."

Everyone's faces were full of excitement, like bandits returning from a raid, especially Kestajin, whose delighted expression blossomed like a flower.

Lei En checked the time, still had plenty, and then ordered:

"Next house."

Kestajin grew impatient and shouted, "Run, run, run, don't let those black‑skinned guys escape!"

Yizite nodded and immediately led the way.

Within an hour, the top eight Zor families in Mosuobulai had been completely looted.

No matter how hidden the treasury was built or how concealed the goods, they could not escape Lei En's eyes; he could spot them at a glance, greatly improving the raid's efficiency.

With so much treasure impossible to carry away, Lei En used two Nebula Rings and Castling between Mosuobulai and the Obsidian Tower, shuttling back and forth, piling the loot on the ninth floor of the Obsidian Tower; the several‑hundred‑square‑meter hall was filled to capacity.

"Retreat!"

Seeing a good opportunity, Lei En ordered the still‑eager legion to withdraw from Mosuobulai, leaving behind a chaotic city.

After they left, the sounds of battle in the city not only did not cease but grew fiercer. The surviving Zor nobles, fighting for power, began an even bloodier slaughter.

(End of chapter)