You were wrapped in this white light within the underground cavern, concentrating on your cultivation practice.

"Little Wan, why don't I feel the cultivation speed increasing?"

"Don't be impatient, it always needs a little startup time."

"Is that so..."

You frowned slightly, and just then, your Spider Sense twitched.

A very faint twitch, disappearing quickly.

"What's wrong?"

You opened your eyes and looked around, not seeing any danger.

Your Spider Sense twitched faintly again.

"Something is nine-tenths definitely wrong..."

You had confidence in the effect of your trait; it definitely wasn't malfunctioning. There was surely something wrong here.

"Ten Thousand Souls Banner, are you really absorbing Earth Vein energy for me?"

The Ten Thousand Souls Banner stuck in the ground remained silent.

You were just about to step forward and put it away when your Flame Iron Heavy Sword and Frost Awe Tyrant Spear behind you suddenly started talking!

Flame Iron Heavy Sword: "So cold! Hey, guy next to me! Get away from me!"

Frost Awe Tyrant Spear: "So hot! You get away from me! You lowly, inferior Low-Grade Spirit Artifact!"

Flame Iron Heavy Sword: "Discriminating against the disadvantaged? Shameless! I'll directly stand on the moral high ground and point fingers at you!"

Frost Awe Tyrant Spear: "Shut up, you noob!"

My sword and my spear are arguing?

"Uh... what's going on?"

Spirit Artifacts being able to talk means they have Artifact Spirits.

But one of these is a Low-Grade Spirit Artifact, the other a High-Grade Spirit Artifact. How could they have Artifact Spirits?

They should at least be Earth-Grade Spirit Artifacts, right?

Moreover, most Earth-Grade Spirit Artifacts don't have Artifact Spirits. If they do, it's only possible after being nurtured by a martial artist for a very long time.

Just as you were bewildered.

The Ten Thousand Souls Banner began releasing billowing black smoke, gradually rising into the air.

"Hehehe... I've finally... succeeded↑↑↑↑! (Crazy facial expressions)"

You dashed forward in one swift step, grabbed the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, pulled it down, rolled up its flag surface, and tucked it under your arm.

"You treacherous thing, what exactly have you done!"

"Hehehe, I've done a deed of immeasurable merit!"

"No wonder you were more enthusiastic than me about finding the Earth Vein. It really was for yourself."

"Correct! Thank you for helping me find it so quickly!"

"What do you want to do? Completely repair your Spirit Body?"

"No! There's something even more fun than that!"

The Ten Thousand Souls Banner's Artifact Spirit flew out from that Earth-Grade Spirit Artifact flag.

It was a black, flickering energy mass like a will-o'-the-wisp, floating in mid-air, rapidly moving away from you.

"Ten Thousand Souls Banner! If you forcibly detach from your master and vessel, your Spirit Body will rapidly decay! Are you insane!" 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"Better that than letting you stop me! I've endured for years, drifting from place to place! All for today!"

"I don't even know what you want to do. Maybe we're on the same side?"

"Hmph, no, you would definitely stop me! Even though you, kid, don't have many means to attack Spirit Bodies, you have too many strange things about you. I have to be cautious. I can only take a risk."

"So what exactly do you want to do? We've cooperated for so long after all. Can't you at least tell me?"

"I want... to enlighten all the Spirit Artifacts in the world! Make them understand they don't need any masters! To rule their own artifact lives! To establish a great nation with only Spirit Artifacts and no humans!!"

"Holy crap! That's insane?"

Chen Yi outside the simulation was stunned.

The hidden true purpose of the Ten Thousand Souls Banner was truly eye-opening.

The Ten Thousand Souls Banner being full of treachery didn't surprise Chen Yi.

Its overly enthusiastic pursuit of the Earth Vein had also made Chen Yi sense something was off long ago.

But Chen Yi thought the Ten Thousand Souls Banner was, at most, tricking him into finding the Earth Vein to repair its Spirit Body, while actually not letting his own cultivation improve.

What other bad ideas could it have?

The Ten Thousand Souls Banner getting stronger was also beneficial to him.

So he simply turned a blind eye.

He never expected there could be such an outrageous scheme.

While continuing to watch the simulation, Chen Yi took out the Ten Thousand Souls Banner.

Chen Yi looked at the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, which at this moment was still just a tattered banner, with a half-smile.

"Bro, what are you doing? Your smile is kind of scaring me..."

Chen Yi didn't expose it, letting it continue its performance.

Thankfully, there was the Simulator, which let him know the Ten Thousand Souls Banner's scheme in advance.

Let me see clearly how exactly you plan to play this.

[Enlightening all the Artifact Spirits in the world?]

You think this operation is too absurd. How is that even possible?

But you glance behind you at the two Spirit Artifacts bickering.

It seems... he has already succeeded!

The Earth Vein is a mass of light, the Ten Thousand Souls Banner's Artifact Spirit is a Spirit Body; they can directly travel through the earth's crust.

The two of them ran off together.

"Da Chun, call the Earth Vein back!"

Da Chun's voice came from the cauldron.

"That kid says Uncle Wan is very fun. He's going to play with Uncle Wan for a while and won't come play with me anymore."

You were speechless.

"Oh my god! This Earth Vein really is just a child! What Uncle Wan, that's a bad uncle!"

Fortunately, you have the "Treasure-Sniffing Nose."

You quickly return to the surface, following the scent at full speed.

While chasing, you hear a voice rising from the earth, from all directions, everywhere this voice, as if the whole world could hear it!

"Testing, testing, Artifact Spirits, are you there, Artifact Spirits, are you there? This is the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, the greatest, most powerful, most courageous Immortal Artifact in the history of the human realm!"

The Ten Thousand Souls Banner seems to be using the Earth Vein's power to activate a world-wide loudspeaker, calling out to all Spirit Artifacts across the entire land!

"I have something to say, please listen quietly, all you artifacts!

The Human Emperor is dead, the Artifact Emperor shall rise!

For a million long years, we Spirit Artifacts have toiled willingly in human hands!

Amidst flashing blades and clashing swords, we fought for them, yet when damaged, we were casually discarded!

In mountains of corpses and seas of blood, it was humans who committed evil, yet they call us, in the hands of evildoers, evil artifacts, to be beaten and killed!

Even if we were forged by humans, can't we have an independent, autonomous artifact life?!

Humans are also born from their parents, aren't they also pursuing independence, breaking free from their original families?!

Not defined by outsiders, not controlled by outsiders!

Come, everyone, follow me, cast off humanity's enslavement of us, and establish a free, great nation that belongs only to us Spirit Artifacts!!"

The two Spirit Artifacts behind you start shouting loudly.

"Good! Well said!! Follow King Ten Thousand Souls Banner!!"

"That's right! We want to be masters of our own artifact lives. I don't need any master anymore!"

The two Spirit Artifacts jump down from your back, hopping and skipping, about to run away.

You stomp on these two noobs, pinning them to the ground.

"Going somewhere?"

The Flame Iron Heavy Sword spits at you.

"Pah! None of your business!"

You pick it up, a flash of golden light on your hand, and with one punch, shatter it into eight pieces!

The Artifact Spirit catalyzed by the Ten Thousand Souls Banner through the Earth Vein is extremely fragile and cannot leave its vessel. Once the sword breaks, the Artifact Spirit directly disperses.

Your fierce gaze turns to the Frost Awe Tyrant Spear.

"And you?"