Soul-Slaying Maiden: Master Of Ancient Divine Weapons

The special artifact trapping Li Shutong was called [Five Heavenly Locks].

Just by its name, one could tell how powerful it was.

An artifact capable of sealing a ninth-rank powerhouse couldn't possibly be weak.

The name "Five Heavenly Locks" meant that once all five locks were activated, even the heavens themselves could be sealed.

Now, on Li Shutong's body, the first lock had already appeared, leaving four remaining.

"[Five Heavenly Locks] requires emotional manipulation to activate. For someone like me, a ninth-rank Insect Emperor adept at illusions, this should have been the easiest task. Yet, an hour has passed, and only the first lock has been activated."

Across from him, Nightmare stopped laughing, his expression sobering as he looked at Li Shutong.

Li Shutong's emotions had only been stirred once, after which they returned to complete stillness, silent and tranquil.

The [Five Heavenly Locks] was undoubtedly powerful, but it came with extremely harsh conditions.

To activate this artifact and seal the target, a sacrificial offering of another person was required, and their rank had to match the target's rank.

Both individuals, once sealed into the [Five Heavenly Locks], would enter a "Amber State"—unable to attack each other, unable to move—until the sealing process was complete.

Li Shutong was ninth-rank. To seal him, another ninth-rank individual was needed.

This was why the ninth-rank Insect Emperor Nightmare was here.

Ignoring Nightmare's attempts to disturb his mental state, Li Shutong fell silent and began to consider a critical question.

Who wanted to kill him?

Nightmare had collaborated with Li Fengchun, a direct descendant of the Li family and the son of his eldest brother, Li Guangming.

This was evident on the surface, but it didn't prove the truth. Over the years, the Five Great Companies had been operating both overtly and covertly, something Li Shutong was well aware of.

The Five Great Companies were the dominant forces of today, namely Da Xia, CanShang Technology, Changsheng Pharmaceuticals, The Empire, and Old Covenant.

Among them, Da Xia and The Empire guarded the last two remaining human territories on the Blue Planet, the only two entities functioning as nations.

CanShang Technology and Changsheng Pharmaceuticals operated as corporations.

The Old Covenant was a low-profile organization that rarely surfaced. The last time they appeared on the Blue Planet was twelve years ago, during a catastrophic insect plague. Two of the Twelve Apostles from the Old Covenant intervened to stop the disaster.

"The Five Companies have coexisted for hundreds of years, jointly resisting the insect invasion. They have always been at peace."

"Since the discovery of ancient relics, the truth behind the insect race's origin has remained a mystery. The more discoveries we make, the greater the irreconcilable rift between the companies."

"Who is plotting against an old man like me?"

Unable to find an answer, Li Shutong decided to shift his focus.

He suddenly raised his head, looking at Nightmare. "Both of these artifacts of yours were found in the ancient relics, weren't they? What connection do the ancient relics have with your insect race?"

Nightmare was stunned at first by the question, then smirked coldly.

"What makes you think I'd answer that?"

"You don't have to. Your reaction already answers the question."

Hearing this, Nightmare's expression darkened even further.

The insect race was undoubtedly connected to the ancient relics. They could utilize the artifacts found within, dominating larger territories and exploring relics at a scale tens of times greater than humanity.

Li Shutong was certain of this, but he sighed.

Another question lingered in his mind: Why couldn't humans?

Yes, as humans, they were incapable of utilizing these artifacts.

Artifacts like [Five Heavenly Locks], like [Samsara World], all these powerful tools were under the control of the insect race, used against humanity with devastating effects.

Why couldn't humans?

As this thought emerged, the lake beneath Li Shutong began to ripple again.

From its deep, dark depths, a second invisible, translucent chain surfaced.

Seeing this chain, Nightmare's eyes lit up.

"Li Shutong, I didn't expect even the Great War God of Da Xia to have such lingering attachments."

Nightmare pondered briefly and decided to press further.

"You're right; the ancient relics and the insect race are indeed connected. The artifacts found within can be used by the insect race, but your kind—humans—cannot."

"This only proves one thing: the insect race is the true ruler of this world. No matter how much humans struggle, they are destined for extinction."

"Do you want to know why? No, I won't tell you. Hahaha!"

Nightmare laughed maliciously before falling silent.

The divisions among the Five Companies also stemmed from this.

The ancient relics were first discovered decades ago. Back then, humanity had also acquired many artifacts, but these artifacts were unusable, mere antiques and relics.

When they saw the insect race effortlessly wielding the same artifacts, humanity wavered.

From that moment, only Da Xia persisted with the so-called awakening of spirit contract masters and spiritual beings.

The other four companies had diverged, each carving out entirely different paths based on their centuries-old foundations.

CanShang Technology pursued ultra-high-end technological advancements, researching science, spiritual energy, and all forms of knowledge to create powerful killing machines and devastatingly destructive energy weapons.

Changsheng Pharmaceuticals took the path of mutation. They killed various insect species, extracted their DNA fragments, recombined them, and infused them into biochemical warriors through mutation serums.

As for The Empire and Old Covenant, Li Shutong had limited contact with them, but one thing was certain—they too had abandoned the path of spirit contract masters and spiritual beings.

Yet, regardless of the path chosen, humanity was still incapable of utilizing the artifacts discovered in ancient relics.

Li Shutong frowned deeply.

A third invisible, translucent chain coiled around him.

He ceased his thoughts entirely, retreating into complete stillness.

Seeing this, Nightmare couldn't help but mock again.

"Li Shutong, what are you struggling for? Surely you don't believe that those mere fourth-rank ants can escape the [Samsara World], do you?"

"Just surrender and let me complete the seal. That way, you'll suffer less."

"There are only so many ninth-rank powerhouses. How many do you think could come to save you?"

Nightmare continued his relentless verbal assault, hoping to provoke the final two chains to manifest and complete the [Five Heavenly Locks], fully sealing Li Shutong.

But no matter what he said, Li Shutong kept his eyes shut, unmoving, like a meditating monk.

Half an hour later, Nightmare, seeing no results, finally fell silent.

By his calculations, the red moon's black mist should have finished absorbing and started its explosion by now. The fabricated transformations of the [Samsara World] should also have commenced.

'In another half hour, once the [Samsara World] completed its devouring process, the entire Deep Blue City would vanish from Da Xia's territory.', Nightmare thought smugly.

Half an hour passed—nothing happened. Nightmare remained confident and steady.

Another half hour—still silence. For the first time, unease crept into Nightmare's heart.

At that moment, the entire [Five Heavenly Locks] formation suddenly began to tremble violently, as if it were about to be breached from the outside.

'What's happening? What's going on?'

Nightmare could no longer stay calm.

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