411: Mysterious artifact spirit

True Person Yuan Ling witnessed the situation before him. After pondering for a moment, he finally spoke. "Though the current situation has temporarily stabilized, we should still return to our base in the Yuan Ling Universe first. Although we have successfully resolved the direct threat posed by these two Seven-System Saint Kings, subsequent challenges and troubles will undoubtedly follow one after another. It is currently unknown how the Cosmic Chamber of Commerce Alliance will react to this incident. To deal with the various complex situations that may arise, it is necessary for us to return immediately and discuss a corresponding strategy together."

Upon hearing this, the seven Saint Kings present had no objections, and they all nodded in agreement almost at the same time.

Immediately afterward, the seven figures instantly transformed into streaks of light and disappeared into the vast and boundless Void Realm.

Shortly after, True Person Yuan Ling was the first to step into the Artifact Spirit Hall, and the other seven people took their seats in order, each finding their place.

Surprisingly, this time, without waiting for True Person Yuan Ling to speak first, the Artifact Spirit actually took the initiative to break the silence and spoke first.

"You're back?"

When these three words came from the Artifact Spirit's mouth, its voice surprisingly lacked the cold, mechanical feel of the past, instead faintly exuding an indescribable touch of humanity.

This subtle change had never appeared in Xun Xiuyuan's many previous interactions, and he couldn't help but feel somewhat surprised.

However, looking at the other senior Saint Kings, they seemed long accustomed to this; no unusual expressions appeared on their faces, and they maintained a calm and composed attitude.

Only Huan You and Xun Xiuyuan, who had joined later, exchanged a glance in the face of this sudden change, a hint of imperceptible doubt flashing in their eyes.

True Person Yuan Ling's face was filled with a gentle smile as he spoke slowly, "I just returned. It was thanks to Xun Xiuyuan that I was rescued from my predicament."

His words revealed a hint of gratitude.

Immediately following, the Artifact Spirit's unique voice rang out with a playful tone, "I guessed it would be him. After all, those others are just a bunch of useless fools who can't be relied upon."

These seemingly casual words were like sharp arrows that accurately pierced the hearts of the four Saint Kings, including Mortal World, causing each of them to look embarrassed, their expressions becoming extremely unsightly.

The Artifact Spirit's voice did not stop there but continued, "At the moment you stepped onto the base, I also happened to have just awakened from my slumber. However, my Clone has already informed me in detail about everything that has happened over these years, so I have a general understanding of the situation."

True Person Yuan Ling nodded slightly and then asked with concern, "I see. So, how is the recovery of your memory progressing? Are you now able to sense the specific locations of your Original Bodies scattered in various places?"

"I can! But let's talk about those details later."

The Artifact Spirit spoke to this point and suddenly interrupted True Person Yuan Ling's topic, seemingly intending to avoid certain sensitive content.

Everyone else present heard this, and deep confusion appeared on their faces. They were all secretly guessing: what exactly was the Artifact Spirit's original form? Why was it so mysterious?

Seeing this, True Person Yuan Ling nodded gently and changed the subject, "The Cosmic Chamber of Commerce Alliance—do you have any impression of this organization?"

The Artifact Spirit answered without hesitation, "That is a chamber of commerce personally established by the Second Alliance Leader of the Cosmic Alliance. Its primary purpose is to gather intelligence and earn wealth, though intelligence gathering is the main focus, with money being secondary."

True Person Yuan Ling nodded upon hearing this and then recounted everything that had happened between Kong Ling and General Wu in full detail, silently waiting for the Artifact Spirit's reaction.

As expected, the Artifact Spirit pondered for a moment after listening and analyzed, "The death of a Seven-System Saint King is no small matter. It will certainly attract the attention of the higher-ups, who will send people down to investigate. Even if a powerhouse of the Guiyi Realm does not personally appear, an eight-system Saint King will likely show up. With your current strength, it will be difficult to deal with an opponent of that level."

True Person Yuan Ling wanted to continue pressing for more details, but the Artifact Spirit's voice rang out again, interrupting his line of thought, "What was the true purpose of Kong Ling and General Wu coming here? This point is very crucial; we must find out."

True Person Yuan Ling deeply agreed and nodded. He then reached out and gently swept a hand, a gentle force passing over Kong Ling, who was unconscious on the ground. Kong Ling then slowly woke up.

Kong Ling slowly opened his eyes and looked around. Finding himself in an unfamiliar environment, he was momentarily stunned, and a sense of unease welled up in his heart.

He looked around, searching for General Wu's figure, and couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Where is General Wu? Where is he now?"

True Person Yuan Ling clearly had no extra leisure time to leave for Kong Ling to daze off. He wasted no time and directly posed his question.

"What was the true intention hidden behind your descent upon our Yuan Ling Universe together with that General Wu?"

Kong Ling's gaze fell upon True Person Yuan Ling, whose expression remained calm and composed. He did not rush to give an answer but instead asked a question in return, "Then, where is General Wu now?"

True Person Yuan Ling pondered briefly and then calmly uttered three words: "He self-detonated!"

Upon hearing this news, a look of sudden realization flashed across Kong Ling's face.

He knew well the consistent style of the members of the Combat Department; once they fell into a desperate situation, they would choose to self-detonate without hesitation.

Now that General Wu had fallen, Kong Ling understood in his heart that his own fate was likely already sealed.

In the eyes of the Cosmic Chamber of Commerce Alliance, whether they lost one Seven-System Saint King or two made no substantial difference.

Thinking of this, Kong Ling still held a faint glimmer of hope in the depths of his heart and asked tentatively, "Do I... still have a chance of survival?"

True Person Yuan Ling shook his head gently, his tone devoid of any emotional fluctuation. "If you are willing, I can grant you a relatively easy way to die."

Hearing this, a bitter smile tugged at the corners of Kong Ling's mouth. "Actually, all of this was arranged by Grand Elder Bai Chen of the Cosmic Alliance. He dispatched me to investigate the cause of death of that messenger. After some investigation, I discovered that Xun Xiuyuan had appeared near the Silver Sea Secret Realm. Coupled with the mysterious disappearance of the Silver Sea Secret Realm, I tracked it here to the Yuan Ling Universe. The sequence of events really is that simple."

As soon as Kong Ling finished speaking, True Person Yuan Ling said no more and took direct action.

He imprisoned Kong Ling within his Internal World. In this internal Universe controlled by True Person Yuan Ling, he was the supreme Dominator; Kong Ling's life and death were within a single thought of his.