228 - Mistress, I Was Wrong

### Chapter 228: The Spirit of the Artefact "Creak—creak—creak—" Dongfang Minghui thought she heard the sound of a lock being opened; a peculiar noise, akin to a machine jammed with tapes, coming intermittently. Yet, it only occurred a couple of times, and once it ceased, everything around became eerily silent again. "Am I dead?" Her eyelids drooped, her body felt heavy as though being tugged by something. After pondering this serious question, she gradually slipped into unconsciousness, missing the distant, ancient sigh that echoed by her ears. The surroundings were quiet. In a sea of fiery red, she lay unconscious on the magma, like a lone boat adrift. Should anyone see, they would notice a faint green glow enveloping her, like a beacon in the darkness, instilling a glimmer of hope in those who behold it. Not far behind her, a helmet drifted in the sea of fire. Its outdated patterns seemed to be cleansed anew, shimmering uniquely. The helmet spun in place, like a headless fly, searching for something it seemed, rolling automatically, up and down, its shell becoming spotlessly clean. The distance between the two continued to stretch, stretch... Yet every time it exceeded two meters, the helmet seemed to grow legs, marching towards the floating person ahead, while the surrounding red flames relentlessly lapped like waves, pushing the person further again. Thus, the cycle repeated. --- "You are of the dragon clan, not the beast clan, change those bad habits of yours." The person beside him lashed fiercely at the small beast, the whip covered in thorns, tearing its bound body wide open. A fiery, exquisite chain bound its limbs, leaving it nowhere to hide. "Owooo." The little beast seemed to protest, only to receive even harsher blows, its dark form hiding any trace of blood. Only its continuous wails could be heard. Those intermittent cries pierced through her eardrums, pulling Dongfang Minghui from sleep. She rose, following the sound to witness a heart-wrenching scene. She reached out to comfort the little beast but found her hand passing right through it. She strained to glimpse the person before her, noticing their high, protruding horns, though their face remained obscured. "Am I dead?" "Owooo." Utterly defeated, the little beast lay unmoving, allowing its blood-soaked, impressive fur to remain drenched. "If you persist stubbornly, you will be cast into the Hell's Sea Forest." The scene shifted, with chilling winds and overwhelming malevolence filling the air. The piercing cold wind made her ethereal form flicker. She floated strangely in midair; if she were dead, why did she see Toothless instead of her seventh sister? The little beast lay on the brink of death, motionless amidst the forest, bullied by creatures born of the sinister energy, its lantern-sized eyes gazing sorrowfully upward. Following its gaze, Dongfang Minghui saw there were no stars, only oppressive clouds, filling the sky with malice. "Toothless, be strong." "Owooo." Toothless howled, but did nothing. "Wow, what an odd-looking creature," the grotesque malevolent spirits, lacking any semblance of facial features, mocked upon seeing Toothless. Gathering their cronies, they began pummeling Toothless with stones and sticks, attempting to drive her away. Toothless remained unmoved, ignoring them entirely. "Stop it." She found herself helpless to intervene, reduced to a frustrated spectator. The creatures, emboldened by Toothless' repeated retreat, escalated their bullying, pulling her fur and poking at her wounds. This intensified harassment continued for several days. Whenever Dongfang Minghui felt overwhelmed, she'd drift away, trying to discern the nature of this place. But the forest was large, with the surrounding sinister energy possessing powerful offensive capabilities. Circling back to Toothless, Dongfang Minghui found her ethereal form flickering, close to dispersing entirely. "Toothless, I can't stay with you much longer." "Toothless." "Toothless, stand and fight back, don't let them bully you." ... Dongfang Minghui felt she had merely dozed off, awakening to find flames raging around her, with sharp, shrill sounds intermittently piercing her eardrums. Floating upright, she looked to see Toothless chasing after the malevolent creatures, swallowing them whole. Whether it was her imagination or not, with each creature Toothless devoured, her wounds healed a bit. By the end, the malevolent beings behaved like mice at the sight of a cat, terrified of Toothless. Yet the flames had engulfed the entire forest. Dongfang Minghui followed Toothless, feeling somewhat relieved and yet concerned as she noticed a sinister aura coiling around Toothless, lingering near her wounds. "Roar—" Toothless' draconic roar quickly drowned out the horrid shrieks. Surprisingly, Dongfang Minghui saw another version of herself, like looking into a mirror. The person was identical to her. But, upon closer inspection, she noticed a heavy sinister aura surrounding the figure, leading her to speculate it was a manifestation of the sinister energy, taking her form to deceive Toothless. Checking Toothless again, she saw the little beast poised, baring her fangs, clearly aware it was not really her. "Did I miss something?" To her surprise, the sinister form of herself proved quite "valiant," vile and deceitful. Because of that face, Toothless was tricked multiple times, infuriating her. "Toothless, don't hold back, bite it." "Roar—" The flames thoroughly ravaged the sinister forest, the draconic roar seemingly meant to paralyze those planning to attack from the shadows, while Toothless charged bravely ahead. Watching herself being attacked by Toothless, Dongfang Minghui found it hard to watch. Especially when Toothless snapped its jaws... the scene was too vivid for her, prompting her to cover her eyes. She only covered them momentarily, and the scene changed dramatically once more. Flames surged skyward, the fire on Toothless glaringly intense, to the point of being unavoidable. Dongfang Minghui only stayed briefly, yet felt like she herself might catch fire. "Toothless, where are you going?" Toothless moved forward, stepping onto the volcano, her blood dripping onto the flames, hissing as it was consumed. Dongfang Minghui followed, her ethereal form growing weaker, flickering, close to dissipating any moment. "Toothless, are you about to transform into human form?" Previously, she'd been too anxious to realize that Toothless had already transformed, and now seeing that small form, she realized she had returned to the time when Toothless left her. Yet, she couldn't understand why she was shown all this. "Toothless, make sure to take care of Sister Seven for me." Though clashes between them were frequent, they had been reliant on each other. Dongfang Minghui watched her increasingly transparent hand. "Sometimes what Sister Seven says may be hard to accept, but she means well, and you'll understand one day, Toothless—" Before she completely dissipated, she witnessed Toothless take a great leap towards the mysterious material of the volcano. --- "Why isn't she waking yet?" Pig Fairy Grass's voice. "Perhaps she bled too much before, far too weak." Little Color’s voice also seemed low and weak. "There’s spirit liquid here." Dongfang Minghui vaguely felt a splash of liquid flowing into her mouth, which, upon entering her body, generated a faint spiritual energy. "Wasn't I dead?" If dead, where would one go? Before she could contemplate the question she'd pondered previously, Little Color’s robust voice resonated, "What dead, think of a way quickly, otherwise we'll all perish here." Dongfang Minghui suddenly opened her eyes, finding herself amidst a sea of flames. Little Color and Pig Fairy Grass were muttering within her soul sea. "Was it really not a dream?" "What dream?" She recounted the vision of what Toothless had endured. Little Color and Pig Fairy Grass murmured to each other, displaying a rare camaraderie, possibly prompted by the imminent danger, Pig Fairy Grass finally said, "It's likely because the flame originated from Toothless, allowing you to witness what she went through." "I see." Quickly regaining her composure, she touched the waistband's spiritual binding. Seeing the inside of the space, she murmured, Sister Seven's triple seal couldn't withstand the dragon's true fire. Just by being unconscious for a while, all three seals were undone. Pig Fairy Grass extended its tail, curling around her finger, "No worries, within this Longevity Cauldron, survival is paramount." Gurgle gurgle— "What is that noise?" "It's the flowerpot of Little Sprout." Little Color gestured with a nod behind her. Dongfang Minghui turned to see the Tianyin helmet flipping over and over in the sea of fire. Each time it bobbed up, it emitted a gurgling sound, staying just within a two-meter range. She tentatively reached out to the fiery sea below, nearly having her fingers consumed by the flames. Her nails were almost completely gone, and her finger was left charred. "Trying to die again?" Little Color snapped sternly. "Little Fatty." Little Color and Pig Fairy Grass fell into a synchronized silence until Pig Fairy Grass couldn't bear her sorrowful expression any longer. "After the seal was lifted, I saw you with this flowerpot." It had been unaware of the previous events because it was sealed in the space. It hadn't expected to wake up to such a life-threatening situation, leaving Pig Fairy Grass utterly dejected. "Little Fatty," Dongfang Minghui muttered absentmindedly, "If I'm okay, then Little Fatty must be fine as well." Little Color didn't want to shatter her illusion and just urged, "We must have been pulled into the realm of the Longevity Cauldron. If we don't want to die, we need to find a way to break this place." Dongfang Minghui immediately sat up straight. She checked her space and found several spirit herbs intact. Surprisingly, her spiritual power felt abundant even though she had been bleeding previously and should have been weak. To ensure she wasn't dreaming, she pinched herself hard, grimacing through the pain, "Any findings?" "No, it's magma everywhere." "Well, I heard from Xiu Qi that ancient artefacts often have their own spirits. I suppose we need to first capture this artefact spirit." Pig Fairy Grass played with its tail in the soul sea, expressing disdain when mentioning 'Xiu Qi.' Little Color in the soul sea cast a suspicious glance at it, putting aside its doubts for now. "Having developed intelligence, it must be extremely cunning and surely hiding somewhere. How do we lure out this artefact spirit?" An artefact spirit that wanted to swallow them alive wasn't likely anything good. Little Color had a very poor impression of the Longevity Cauldron, and feeling incredibly weak at the moment, the surrounding red flames agitated her even more. Listening to their discussion about the artefact spirit, Dongfang Minghui fell into deep thought. The Longevity Cauldron should be a metallic substance, so its artefact spirit must be formed through the condensation of metal attributes. Metal, by nature, cannot endure in magma for long, so it most likely hid where there was little or no fire. She looked around, seeing only fiery red everywhere, with the Tianyin helmet conspicuously bouncing back and forth in the magma. "Little Color, can you pull the Tianyin helmet over to us?" Little Color's main body shivered several times in the soul sea; retrieving a helmet from the magma was like walking on a razor's edge. Pig Fairy Grass couldn't resist adding fuel to the fire. "Are you scared by these flames? If you can't do it, I can." During their brief quarrel, the Tianyin helmet sank into the flames again, gurgling fire bubbles, yet inching closer to them. Watching the bubbles, she wondered, "Could Little Fatty actually be down there?" "What?" "How could it be?" Just as Dongfang Minghui intended to reason with them, the previously calm magma suddenly churned, and a wave of fire pushed her forward slightly. Gazing at the endless expanse of the fiery sea ahead, she wondered aloud, "Why does the tip of the flame appear merely as a small tuft from the outside, no bigger than a sun? Inside, it's a world of magma. Could our perception have shrunk, thus enlarging everything we see infinitely?" "It's possible." "Hey, look, a fire person." Pig Fairy Grass's voice was full of vigor, with an undertone of excitement. Dongfang Minghui couldn't help but rub her forehead. Turning to look, she was stunned. Where the Tianyin helmet initially floated stood a person, entirely enveloped in the same fiery red as the magma. The fire figure stood about 1.75 meters tall, with a slim build. Due to the dazzling flames, she couldn't make out the features clearly, except for the pair of crimson eyes that seemed vaguely familiar. "He's approaching us, be cautious." Dongfang Minghui couldn't move; she was carried along with the magma flow. When it stopped, she could only stay put. Fortunately, as the figure walked, it stirred the magma around. She locked eyes with the figure, testingly calling out, "Little Fatty?" "Ah—" A familiar cry, but not from the figure ahead; it came from behind her. Turning expectantly, she found a fire figure identical to the one before her, the same height, build, even the face was identical. She looked back and forth, bewildered. Instead of none, two identical Little Fatty appeared. "Ah." The person behind eagerly called out to her, gesturing for her to come closer. "Two?" In this magma pool, both figures carried the same fiery aura. Little Color sniffed out some other scent but regrettably, both identical figures even shared the scent. "It's strange; they both have the scent of cold metal." "Hui." The one ahead paused, smiling at Dongfang Minghui. "Ah." "Hui." The two seemed to be in a contest, calling out alternately with one word each time, thoroughly confusing them. Dongfang Minghui frowned and stretched her hands to ward off the two identical Little Fatty as they approached her simultaneously. "Stop, just stand there, don't move." "One of these Little Fatty must be the artefact spirit. Artefact spirits are metal-based, carrying the scent of cold steel. But I don't get why the other one does too. Unless both are fakes?" Even Dongfang Minghui was puzzled, but she leaned toward believing the one behind was the real Little Fatty. Little Fatty couldn't speak, only making sounds. "The flowerpot has disappeared." Pig Fairy Grass pondered, noting the flowerpot still bobbing in the magma, occasionally bubbling, "The one ahead might well be Little Fatty." "Right, just like the scent of the Tianyin helmet." Little Color finally understood why both figures carried a metallic scent—it was because one was infused with the Tianyin helmet, and the other was the Longevity Cauldron's artefact, "Yet, this makes distinguishing them even harder." Dongfang Minghui lightly bit her lip, contemplating the peculiarities of Little Fatty. "Do either of you have the Tianyin helmet? Whoever has it, I'll believe is Little Fatty." The Little Fatty before them grew anxious, repeatedly chanting her name, stepping forward but being knocked back by the magma and dared not advance any further. "Ah." The Little Fatty behind crouched, searching the magma, and soon jubilantly retrieved a Tianyin helmet. Its vibrant colors looked like it had just been forged. Little Color wavered, "Artefact spirits are inherently cunning, knowing every detail of Little Fatty, fake and real are indistinguishable, making it hard to tell." "Knowing every detail of Little Fatty?" Dongfang Minghui murmured over and over, "This is tricky. If one is the artefact spirit, how do we capture her?" Pig Fairy Grass volunteered, "We should bind her." Little Color suddenly suggested, "Got it; the white silk from the man-eating grass is nearly unbreakable, we can use it to bind her." "You mentioned it's a metal-based artefact spirit, what if it breaks free?" Dongfang Minghui found it unreliable to depend solely on the man-eating grass; if it did break free, finding an artefact spirit in this endless magma would be impossible. Though unsure why the artefact spirit would impersonate Little Fatty, she wouldn't let this opportunity pass. "Sister Seven's celestial binding rope isn't here, what a shame." "Using the power of our three spirit plants, we can certainly restrain it." "Three—" Dongfang Minghui understood Pig Fairy Grass's implication—it alongside Little Color and the man-eating grass, "But the opponent is engulfed in flames. If used against you, you might get hurt." "That seems likely." "Then you'll need to accurately identify the fake one." Little Color hinted, "If we identify the fake, Little Fatty can absorb the flames from them, then it won't be a problem for us." "Mm, good plan." Feigning deep thought, she actually conferred with the spirit plants on how to catch the artefact spirit in the soul sea, "Why would this artefact spirit disguise as Little Fatty?" Neither Pig Fairy Grass nor Little Color had any answers to such bizarre thoughts. "Little Fatty." Dongfang Minghui chose the person behind her, attempting to stretch out her hand. The magma began flowing and soon delivered her before Little Fatty, "Little Fatty, how did you grow so big?" The figure smiled at her, extending the Tianyin helmet. Dongfang Minghui maintained a steady expression, hesitantly reaching out to accept the Tianyin helmet. The Little Fatty in front kept paddling through the magma, repeatedly calling out "Hui Hui," and heading their way. Without turning around, Dongfang Minghui shouted in her soul sea, “Now!!!” The white silk of the man-eating grass shot out swiftly, wrapping tightly around the imposter Little Fatty's extended claws. In an instant, it transformed into a white cocoon, and the so-called Tianyin helmet turned into a puddle of magma. The white silk burned and severed into pieces. The bound artefact spirit was using its shrinking technique, attempting to wriggle out of the silk. "It's trying to escape." "Little Fatty, quickly, help us out." "Hui." Somehow, Little Fatty managed to close the two-meter distance in a flash, arriving right in front of her. The man-eating grass tightened its silk fiercely; as the spirit shrank an inch, it constricted an inch and a half more, binding the spirit tightly. Yet, they underestimated the artefact spirit. The magma began to churn. Dongfang Minghui was tossed up and down, nearly kissing the magma. The risk level was comparable to walking through a blade-filled inferno. "Li-little Fatty, absorb the flames from the artefact spirit; don’t let it escape." Their exit depended on capturing this artefact spirit, which meant life or death for Sister Seven and the others. Determined, they put everything on the line to catch it. Little Fatty said nothing, simply waving a hand to calm the turbulent magma. The overwhelming fiery aura was intimidating; the closer Dongfang Minghui got, the more dangerous it felt, that natural enemy attribute making her shiver. Both spirits in the soul sea were on edge. "Little Fatty, you—" Dongfang Minghui never imagined that one day Little Fatty would become a fire person. How was this different from Little Miao, the child of flame? "Hui." Little Fatty pinched the artefact spirit as if holding a bug. The person who had been the same height and build as Little Fatty was now pinched to the size of a palm. The man-eating grass was clever, constantly drawing in the white silk, fashioning a perfectly sized cocoon for the spirit. A fresh mummy was born. "Do we need to reinforce it?" "Yes." Dongfang Minghui, not completely trusting, recalled Little Color’s assessment of the artefact spirit and thought additional layers of defense were prudent. It ultimately resulted in a vine-covered mummy. She gripped it tightly, saying, "Artefact spirit, I know you are one. I command you to open this Longevity Cauldron." The mummified spirit: "Ah." Another Little Fatty lookalike. Little Fatty constantly slapped away the rolling magma, its flow reminiscent of fiery dragons endlessly on patrol. Little Color watched, spellbound. "Could it be this Little Fatty is the fake?" It remembered Little Fatty as being tiny, smaller than itself, and within months, the height had surged, surpassing it and almost rivaling Qianwanyu’s stature. The terrifying part was the destructive power. The way Little Fatty effortlessly calmed the magma made Little Color suspect they had tied up the wrong one. In the Longevity Cauldron, only Toothless or the artefact spirit should manipulate the magma so freely. "It developed from a simple sprout into a bud, how twisted is this?" "Uh, it bit you before, let it bite you again and you can tell by the aura." Plant senses are never wrong, but Little Color thought Pig Fairy Grass's suggestion was a trap. Why should it sacrifice itself to be bitten by that fatty again!!! "Are you sure you didn't mistake the person?" "Positive." Dongfang Minghui was quite certain, "Little Fatty has a special bond with the Tianyin helmet; she wouldn’t hand it over to me. Besides, didn’t you see earlier? There was no helmet, just a trick from the artefact spirit." Pig Fairy Grass pondered, "What’s the artefact spirit’s game?" Reflecting on the spirit's extra limb reaching from the helmet, she speculated, "It probably wanted to refine me, and seeing no success, decided to drag me down personally for a try." In hindsight, it was indeed precarious. While they plotted against the spirit, it had its sights set on the unique material she represented. Little Color couldn’t fully convince itself, so while Little Fatty was busy smoothing out another fire dragon, it launched a surprise attack from behind, only to be caught by a delicate, jade-like hand. That hand was slender and white, unlike the previous fiery red, captivating, and tempting one to touch it. Little Fatty examined the vine, recognizing Little Color's tendril, and plainly stated, "Color." "Let me go, you rascal." Little Fatty obliged, but finding the vine persistent, tied it into a knot and handed it to Dongfang Minghui. Seeing Little Color in a furious state within the soul sea, Dongfang Minghui said, "Little Color, stop testing; she really is Little Fatty." Little Fatty and Little Sprout shared the same origin, a plant she had nurtured with her own blood, carrying bits of her aura. As a member of the Longevity Clan, she had an affinity for plants, leading her to instinctively trust that this was Little Fatty in front of her. Little Color, although certain as well, was simply a bit unwilling. That pesky Little Fatty had transformed yet again, becoming a tall young woman—an unfathomable transformation. Dongfang Minghui curiously studied Little Fatty while pinching the artefact spirit like rubber, "Little Fatty, where's the Tianyin helmet?" Little Fatty blinked innocently, feigning ignorance. "You lost the Tianyin helmet. If Little Sprout finds out, she'll be mad." Dongfang Minghui spoke from experience; the helmet, being metal, would most likely have melted in the fire, which was unfortunate yet expected. "Me." Little Fatty, still speechless, pointed to herself. Dongfang Minghui was puzzled, what does "me" mean? "Me." Dongfang Minghui watched Little Fatty intently; seeing her seriousness, she scratched her head and laughed, "Little Fatty, you've learned more words now; that's great." Frustrated at failing to express herself, Little Fatty was at a loss for words. "Let's set your issue aside, Little Fatty. For now, we should interrogate this artefact spirit." Dongfang Minghui held a vibrant green braid—woven from the tendrils of three spirit plants—with one end tied to her wrist and the other to the artefact spirit. The spirit tried playing dumb, "Ah—" "Enough with the 'Ah,' that word doesn’t suit you. You've been in this Longevity Cauldron for centuries; are you very lonely?" Dongfang Minghui spoke gently, "Do you know the greatest difference between you and Little Fatty?" The artefact spirit fell silent, pretending ignorance, but it perked up at her sudden change in topic. "What is it?" "A cunning spirit," Little Color grumbled in the soul sea. "Little Fatty grew up nurtured by my blood; though she's fire-based, our auras blend well." Dongfang Minghui murmured, "She has feelings for me; her gaze is very focused when she looks at me, which is unlike yours." The artefact spirit was confused—it had mimicked Little Fatty's every movement, yet something was still off. "Naturally you don’t understand. You were born within the Longevity Cauldron; presumably, no one has ventured here." Dongfang Minghui speculated, otherwise this cauldron wouldn’t be open, waiting for them to enter. The artefact spirit remained silent. It had been asleep for ages and was only awakened by this group. Dongfang Minghui murmured a lot to it, mostly her speaking, while the spirit occasionally responded or fell silent. "Why talk so much; just threaten it to let us out." "How would one threaten it?" Dongfang Minghui couldn’t imagine doing so, "The Longevity Cauldron is its true form; if it resists, even if we destroy the spirit, we can’t leave." The key lay in discovering the artefact spirit's desires. After chatting endlessly, Dongfang Minghui discerned that the artefact spirit enjoyed hearing tales of their adventures. “Sigh.” She sighed heavily. The artefact spirit waited but she didn’t continue, hearing only her deep sighs, it curiously asked, "Why are you sighing?" "Sigh." "Sigh." Little Fatty imitated her, adding to the alternating size, misleading someone unaware to think they had insurmountable woes. In the soul sea, the sighing grated on Little Color's nerves, making its skin crawl, "Stop sighing, speak properly." "No more, I'm exhausted." Dongfang Minghui pouted, thinking to herself, her mouth so dry from speaking, and yet they all acted like little lords, unmoved. "Sigh." The green vine mummy sighed following them, "Why do humans love to sigh so much?" Dongfang Minghui suddenly chuckled, "Little Artefact Spirit, take a look at our Little Fatty—hmm, Little Fatty has grown up, unafraid and rather beautiful. Should we find a new name for her?" "No." Little Fatty shook her head; she liked her name. "Alright." Dongfang Minghui decided to respect her choice and continued, "Little Artefact Spirit, you've been around for hundreds of years; can you tell me what type of spirit my Little Fatty is?" The artefact spirit looked confused, responding bluntly, "She's like me." Dongfang Minghui was so taken aback by this answer that her jaw almost dropped. After a moment, she repeated, "Artefact—spirit?" An artefact spirit!!! Was Little Fatty an artefact spirit? "Ridiculous!!!" Little Color was the first to protest. "Wasn't she the bud that split from the sprout? How could she become an artefact spirit? Impossible." Pig Fairy Grass seemed to be in deep thought. Dongfang Minghui looked at Little Fatty in shock and saw her looking back with some unease, simply saying, "Yes." The mummy-like artefact spirit seemed bewildered, its perfectly mimicked eyes darting between Dongfang Minghui and Little Fatty, busy assessing them both. Seeing Dongfang Minghui's very shocked expression, Little Fatty anxiously called out, "Hui, Hui, Hui," in front of her. Dongfang Minghui's mind, muddled like paste, quickly regained clarity. "Artefact Spirit, Artefact Spirit, are you the spirit from the Tianyin helmet?" Little Fatty worriedly watched her expression but nodded affirmatively. Dongfang Minghui found this hard to accept. She had treated Little Fatty as a plant to be nurtured, but it turned out she was the artefact spirit from the Tianyin helmet, born from another bud of Little Sprout. "Let me have a moment." "Okay." Little Fatty was considerate, decisively jumping back into the magma, unfazed by it, leaving the artefact spirit staring intently. Dongfang Minghui rubbed her forehead, suddenly recalling the incident in the metal-loving rat's lair, where the Tianyin helmet had been placed on the Soul Refining Furnace for days. It might have been then that the artefact spirit became conscious. Yet, many things remained unclear. She wanted to ask, but given Little Fatty's limited way of communicating, there likely would be no answers. She glanced quietly at Little Fatty, finding it hard to believe that her idle act of planting Little Sprout in the Tianyin helmet years ago had led to the Little Fatty of today. "Artefact spirit, artefact spirit." Little Color, deeply disappointed, had hoped to compete with her only to find out they weren't even the same kind. "Why is everyone reacting so intensely? An artefact spirit could be beneficial; if it could consume the spirit of this Longevity Cauldron and take its place, we could leave," Pig Fairy Grass suggested, leaving all three stunned. Especially Dongfang Minghui, who had never considered allowing the mummy-like artefact spirit to fade. An artefact spirit requires a long time to gather, especially one seemingly sentient. Nor had she considered having Little Fatty swallow it whole. Little Color hesitated before admitting, "Not a bad idea. But if the memory can't be shared, it's pointless." "Let's try." Dongfang Minghui hesitantly looked at the artefact spirit, "Little Artefact Spirit, would you be willing to let us out?" The artefact spirit, genuinely perplexed, asked, "Isn't it good to stay here with me?" "No." "Why not?" Patiently, Dongfang Minghui explained, "Toothless's true fire awakened you from the Longevity Cauldron, but this magma, we can't endure it. If we stay too long, we'll all eventually dissipate, and you will be alone." The artefact spirit retorted, "That's unacceptable. You must remain here with me." "Quite stubborn," Pig Fairy Grass murmured. "Without a good alternative, consuming the artefact spirit is the best plan." “Let me think a bit more.” Given Little Fatty's prior uninhibited consumption habits, she feared if told to consume the artefact spirit, she would do so without hesitation. Boom— The magma erupted violently, and Dongfang Minghui was thrown far by the turbulent magma, "Little Fatty, what’s happening?" Striding through the magma with large steps, Little Fatty was soon beside her, one hand sweeping away fiery dragons, the other pressing down the roiling magma. "Little Artefact Spirit, is this your doing—" "Not related to me," the mummy-like artefact spirit said earnestly, "they are causing it." The whole Longevity Cauldron vibrated again, causing dizziness and nausea. The magma ebbed and flowed like ocean waves, with Dongfang Minghui adrift like a small boat, weakly struggling within the magma. Luckily, Little Fatty was behind managing the situation; otherwise, she felt she would surely sink.