448: The Spirit Hall, unable to hold on any longer

The four could not help but feel their hearts tighten, with obvious nervousness appearing on their faces.

The three of them felt a glimmer of hope when they sensed the aura that Xun Xiuyuan revealed outside the Ling Tian Pagoda.

Precisely because of this sliver of faint hope, who would be willing to give up their life easily? Even for the three who had already resolved themselves to die, they could not help but reveal emotions intertwined with nervousness and anticipation at this moment.

The voice of the Artifact Spirit sounded again, calm and carrying a hint of comfort: "Fortunately, the strength of the Hongmeng Realm exotic beast outside is not considered Peak. According to the current situation, it will take them at least half a year to break through the defenses of the Artifact Spirit Hall."

Mortal World heard this and immediately looked pleasantly surprised, hurriedly asking, "Can it really hold for half a year?"

For her, this was undoubtedly huge good news.

Although she had long been prepared to sacrifice herself for the Yuan Ling Universe, it would naturally be better if she could avoid death—the time she had reunited with Jiuyou was truly too short, and every moment was precious.

The Artifact Spirit's tone turned grave, and it slowly added: "Half a year is the limit of what I can support. Even if more spiritual resources are invested, this deadline cannot be extended. Once the time is up, the hall will inevitably collapse."

Yuan Yi heard this and laughed heartily, saying freely: "Lord Artifact Spirit, to be able to drink wine for another half a year, I am already very content."

Indeed, half a year of time is but a fleeting moment for those who cultivate the Dao; a single short seclusion would pass by in a hurry.

However, no one could predict whether Xun Xiuyuan would be able to successfully emerge from seclusion within this half year—all of this remained an unknown.

Time passed like a white horse galloping past a crevice; in the blink of an eye, half a year of time had quietly slipped away amidst the tension and waiting.

The entire Artifact Spirit Hall had become riddled with holes and devastated under continuous attacks; the walls and pillars were covered in cracks and damage, as if it would completely collapse at any moment.

Inside the hall, the Spiritual Qi fluctuations were chaotic; the once magnificent palace now only had a broken shell remaining, exuding a heart-wrenching desolation.

The four, including Mortal World, stood side by side, their faces filled with gravity and determination.

They had long been prepared to fight to the death, with not a shred of retreat in their hearts, only a firm belief in guarding the hall.

Just at this moment, the Artifact Spirit's slightly weary yet still steady voice slowly sounded in everyone's ears: "Although spiritual energy still remains, the main body of the hall can no longer withstand any attacks. Within three days, this hall will be completely destroyed and turn into ruins."

Hearing these words, the four were suddenly stunned, their gazes meeting; without needing words, they already understood the determination and fearlessness in each other's eyes.

Their eyes shone with a firm light, as if silently swearing: no matter how dangerous the path ahead, they would fight to the end and never give up.

The Artifact Spirit's phantom slowly appeared in the inner space of the Ling Tian Pagoda. Located on the towering tenth floor, Xiaoxuan sat elegantly on the central stone platform, surrounded by a faint layer of Spiritual Qi light.

The myriad things cauldron's Artifact Spirit still maintained the form of an old grandfather with a white beard. His gaze was gentle yet carried a hint of doubt as he watched Xiaoxuan, who was dressed in bright red clothes, and asked softly: "Why, do you not intend to make a move to help those people outside? They seem unable to hold on."

Xiaoxuan lowered her head slightly and sighed, her voice revealing helplessness and regret: "It is not that I am unwilling to help, but the pagoda bead is no longer by my side. Having lost it, my strength is greatly reduced."

The Artifact Spirit was visibly stunned upon hearing this, an expression of surprise appearing on his face.

Clearly, he knew well the importance of the pagoda bead to Xiaoxuan, and his tone carried a hint of disbelief: "The pagoda bead is gone? No wonder ever since you awakened, I have never been able to perceive your complete aura; so that was the reason."

Xiaoxuan slowly raised her eyes and recalled: "Back when the Old Master banished me to the Yuan Ling Universe, the pagoda bead was already missing. He knew all of this, yet he still made such a decision; he must have had his own profound intentions."

Speaking up to this point, Xiaoxuan paused slightly, then continued: "And now, I can clearly sense that the pagoda bead is in the hands of those people attacking the hall outside, which makes me even more unable to act rashly."

The Artifact Spirit heard this and could only sigh helplessly, his tone filled with emotion: "Neither you nor I are in a complete state now—I have lost my main body, and you are missing the pagoda bead; we are both nothing more than defective products. If we were at our Peak, what would a mere Hongmeng Realm exotic beast be? We could suppress it with a flick of a finger."

Xiaoxuan nodded gently, deeply agreeing: "Indeed. Without the pagoda bead's reinforcement, both my defense and attack capabilities have been greatly weakened. Under such circumstances, I dare not act recklessly, for fear that a single careless move might lead to an even greater disaster."

The Artifact Spirit nodded slightly, his expression calm and waveless, his tone peaceful yet faintly revealing a hint of relief, as he slowly said: "Since things have come to this, let nature take its course. Perhaps all of this is an arrangement of fate in the dark; forcing it is also useless."

The Artifact Spirit seemed cold and indifferent on the surface, but Xiaoxuan could not help but knit her brows tightly again, her tone revealing worry: "This person Xun Xiuyuan is extremely sentimental and righteous. If something were to really happen to these few people, I fear he would harbor resentment towards me because of it, and find it hard to let go for a long time."

The Artifact Spirit was stunned upon hearing this. Xiaoxuan's expression and tone at this moment were something he had never seen before, so he could not help but be surprised and blurted out: "You would actually care about these things? This is not like your usual style."

Xiaoxuan sighed softly, her tone mixed with a hint of emotion: "Before he had even stepped into the Quasi-God Realm, he had already successfully made me acknowledge him as master. Over these years, to help me recover, I have absorbed quite a bit of his Soul power. He knew all of this clearly, yet never had a single word of complaint, nor did he ever propose any conditions. In his heart, he has long regarded me as true family."

The Artifact Spirit immediately understood the profound meaning within.

For existences like them, if they could encounter a master who regarded them as family, it would bring incomparable benefits to their growth and evolution.

Precisely because of this, sometimes they are willing to give everything for such a master, even if it means eventually fading away, they would not regret it.

As long as the master is unharmed, even if the old Artifact Spirit dissipates, a new Artifact Spirit will still be Reborn in the original treasure, and the future will still be promising.

No matter how close they are to humans, they are ultimately Magic Treasure bodies, just the kind that are of a very high rank and possess spiritual intelligence.

Xiaoxuan was silent for a long time, and finally spoke again: "Let them hold on for a while first. If they truly cannot support it, I will stand in front of them with my divine body. A few months of time should not cause irreversible influence on my main body."

The Artifact Spirit nodded, his tone much softer, and asked: "How much longer will it take for your little master to emerge from seclusion?"

Xiaoxuan thought for a moment, and after pondering for a while, replied: "According to my estimation, it should still take about four months. Before the master entered the Time Layer for seclusion, he mentioned the approximate time limit to me. Now I only hope everything goes smoothly, so that I can hold on until the time when the master succeeds and emerges from seclusion."