Prime Originator

'My spirit heart is hidden within the damaged core, but to get there, you will have to find a way to reach the main city that has been buried deep underground, Master.'

"I see," Leon uttered.

According to what he knew, everyone in the Divine Realm regarded the artifact's heart and core as one and the same thing.

This is due to the fact that the core comprises the main runic circuits, while the heart is just one component of the core.

Nevertheless, the heart isn't always formed within the core.

The heart of artifact spirits is the essence of their existence, usually formed through the crystallization of energy near the power source, which can be within or outside of the core.

And to make an artifact spirit reveal its heart's location is akin to asking it to offer up its life.

"So? Where is this main city located?" Leon asked anyway.

If the crystal heart shatters, the Realm Spirit will die, but since it was ownerless, he needed to drip his blood essence on it to bind it to him.

'The main city is buried in the western side, but to reach it quicker, Master will have to enter the Bone Sea and start digging through the earth from around a depth of 20,000fts.'

The Realm Spirit answered truthfully, nonetheless, as it kept its divine sense locked on Leon's wisp of True Grandmist Energy.

"On the western side of the Bone Sea, huh? Guess I'll worry about it later," Leon muttered.

It was quite some distance away; he would need to resolve other things before he was free to make his way over there.

'Then… Hehe, Master… Can I?'

The omnipresent Realm Spirit began to gather its divine sense before forming its spirit form in front of Leon and clasping its hands together with a servile attitude.

Surprisingly, Leon could not determine the Realm Spirit's gender at a glance, even though he had already assumed it was a male spirit.

However, Realm Spirit had the appearance of a beautiful young woman with blondish-black hair and no evident male features other than its voice, at least from a first impression.

It was probably what people usually regard as a trap.

Nevertheless, Leon could not help but ask, "You… are you a male or female spirit?"

'Huh?'

The Realm Spirit appeared taken aback by the question.

'Master asks such a weird question when you seem so knowledgeable. Don't you know that artifact spirits don't have genders? We only take on a form that naturally makes us feel close to our creators and owners.'

It replied shortly after.

"Are you saying that your creator or your previous owner had such weird kinks? Actually, no, never mind. I don't want to know."

Shortly after saying that, Leon flicked the wisp of True Grandmist Energy away before the Realm Spirit flew after it with bright eyes like an excited dog fetching its bone.

Not long after it swallowed the wisp of True Grandmist Energy, the Realm Spirit immediately went to patch up the spatial tears created by Leon.

Alas, the wisp of the True Grandmist Energy was not enough to patch up all the spatial tears.

Even so, the Realm Spirit was satisfied with the little bit of repair before it eagerly returned to Leon's side to accommodate his demands in hopes of earning more wisps of True Grandmist Energy.

"Anyway, you mentioned that this Radiant Heaven Realmship was once used as a transportation tool, implying that it's no longer is," Leon mentioned before asking, "What's that about? Recount the events that took place in this secret realm to me."

'Understood, Master.'

The Realm Spirit nodded in compliance.

'You may or may not know this, but my creator, the Radiant Heaven God-Emperor, was an extremist of the Light Faction who cannot tolerate the creatures of the Darkness Faction, just like how fire and water always clashes, but more extreme.'

"The Radiant Heaven God-Emperor was still alive during the battle that occurred in this secret realm?" Leon raised an eyebrow in doubt.

However, the Realm Spirit quickly replies to correct his misunderstanding.

'Not at all, Master. My creator fell during the great primordial war between the gods and devils. However, my last owner adopted the Radiant Heaven God-Emperor's values and tried to eradicate the demons by any means necessary, including despicable ones.'

'The great war from that primordial age destroyed both the gods and devils, but it never ended and continued onto the future generations; denizens of the Light and Darkness Factions are always at war.'

'In the last battle between Light and Darkness Faction, both sides suffered disastrous losses before my previous owner, the Radiant Sword Celestial Emperor, offered to negotiate a truce with the Eternal Night Demon Empress, but…'

"But the truce was a scheme, and the Radiant Sword Celestial Emperor trapped the Eternal Night Demon Empress's faction in this Radiant Heaven Realmship and borrowed your powers to eliminate them, right?"

Leon speculated.

Considering the Realm Spirit mentioned that the Radiant Heaven God-Emperor was an extremist of the Light Faction, he found it hard to believe the Radiant Sword Celestial Emperor would take the initiative in suggesting the truce without any ulterior motives.

'Well, yes, but not exactly, Master. Things didn't go according to the Radiant Heaven God-Emperor's scheme,' the Realm Spirit stated.

'The Eternal Night Demon Empress was stronger than what the Radiant Sword Celestial Emperor expected, and many among the Light Faction, who genuinely sought the truce, was disappointed in the Radiant Sword Celestial Emperor's despicable act, including a Black Turtle Divine Beast and—'

"Hold it right there for a moment," Leon suddenly interrupted the Realm Spirit before asking with sheer interest, "Did you just say a Black Turtle God Beast?"

'Yes, Master, but the Black Turtle wasn't really a God Beast. At most, the Black Turtle was an Emperor-level Divine Beast with some inherited blood essence of its ancestor, making it as tough as Half-step True Divinities.'

"Half-step True Divinity… Something like that couldn't have been easy to kill. Is it still around?" Leon asked expectantly.

'Actually, the Black Turtle God Beast is still alive, Master.'