Protoganist's Sidekick Fights Back-Chapter 4: The Mysterious Artifact

Su Kang was heading toward the Qingyun Sect, which lay just a hundred kilometers from Qingyun City.

As he passed through the bustling marketplace, a strange sensation washed over him.

He halted mid-step, his spiritual consciousness surging outward, scanning his surroundings with sharp vigilance.

A subtle pull, a resonant hum deep within his soul, guided him through the crowded streets.

His eyes swept across the vibrant market, where countless cultivators bartered for treasures.

Stalls overflowed with gleaming jade talismans, ancient scrolls wrapped in faded silk, and vials of elixirs shimmering with spiritual light.

The air buzzed with excitement—a chaotic blend of voices haggling over prices and exchanging cultivation insights.

This was the monthly trade fair, a haven where rogue cultivators and merchants gathered under the Qingyun Sect's watchful eye.

Across the crowded square, a glint of gold caught his eye. A middle-aged man stood at a stall, turning an object over in his hands.

His blood ran cold. The bustling market seemed to fade into the background, muffled and distant, as his gaze locked onto the triangular shard of golden metal.

It pulsed faintly, emitting a barely perceptible energy that resonated with the strange feeling in his soul.

He struggled to maintain a neutral expression, his composure barely masking the shock rippling through him.

It couldn't be...

The middle-aged man carefully examined the golden-colored fragment. Though seemingly ordinary at first glance, the object bore an undeniable presence.

The edges suggested it was once part of a larger artifact—perhaps a rectangular or square-shaped plate. Intricate carvings adorned its surface, inexplicable yet mesmerizing.

Su Kang knew this fragment.

In his previous life, he had obtained a piece exactly like this—but not here, not in this marketplace. It had been buried deep inside a newly discovered secret realm.

Before he could dwell on it further, the shopkeeper and the middle-aged man turned their attention to him.

The merchant looked uneasy, while the man's gaze sharpened in vigilance. They had noticed his interest.

Su Kang exhaled softly, steadying himself. He pointed at the fragment and said calmly,

"I want this."

The middle-aged man frowned. "I've already purchased it," he replied, his tone guarded.

The shopkeeper remained silent, hesitant. The transaction had indeed been completed, and the fragment was no longer his to sell.

Yet Su Kang's presence unnerved him. After all, the young man wore a Qingyun Sect robe—a sign of considerable status.

The tension in the air thickened.

Su Kang's eyes narrowed slightly, and the next moment, an invisible force surged outward.

The middle-aged man stiffened, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

Spiritual pressure.

It wasn't overwhelming, but it was targeted—focused solely on him.

Others in the market remained oblivious, but the man felt as though a mountain had suddenly pressed against his chest.

His heart pounded.

A Core/Pill Formation expert...!

The realization sent a wave of panic through him. He had assumed Su Kang was merely a talented disciple of the Qingyun Sect, someone he could reason with.

But a Core Formation expert was already a top figure in the Qingyun Region.

If someone of this level was personally interested in the fragment, then its value was far greater than he had imagined.

His thoughts flickered between greed and fear, but in the end, he dared not gamble his life.

"I... I'll sell it," he stammered.

Su Kang withdrew his pressure as if it had never existed. He retrieved a storage pouch and tossed it forward.

"One hundred thousand spiritual stones."

The man's eyes widened. He had purchased the fragment for fifty thousand. Now, in an instant, he had doubled his profit.

Without hesitation, he handed over the golden fragment. Su Kang took it, his fingers tightening around the cold metal.

Without another word, he turned on his heels and left.

But before stepping out of the market, his gaze flickered back to the blue ring on the man's finger.

A memory surfaced in his mind.

His steps changed direction towards the Su Manor.

He needed to return to the Su family and study this fragment.

...

Su Kang sat in his chamber, the golden fragment resting before him on the table. He stared at it in silence.

In his past life, he had stumbled upon this fragment two months after the secret realm's discovery. By then, many had already explored its depths.

The dead Foundation-Building cultivator he had found... was that man.

He must have entered the secret realm long before him—and died there.

He focused on the fragment. Even with his spiritual consciousness, he could sense nothing unusual. Yet the resonance in his soul persisted.

"Should I use my blood?"

A hint of hesitation flickered across his face. Then, taking a deep breath, he steeled himself.

He pricked his finger, letting a drop of blood fall onto the metal. Immediately, he retreated toward the room's entrance, staying alert.

The moment his blood touched the fragment, a golden light burst forth.

Strange runes flickered in and out of existence, their meanings beyond comprehension. The artifact vibrated, and the resonance in his soul intensified.

Su Kang remained on guard. But after a few breaths, everything settled. The light faded. The runes vanished. The fragment lay still once more.

Frowning, Su Kang sent another drop of blood.

The same reaction.

Just as he was about to continue, a voice echoed in the room.

"You are wasting your destiny by doing this."

Su Kang's pupils contracted. His body tensed as his gaze darted around, scanning every corner of the chamber. But there was no one.

Visit freёnovelkiss.com for the 𝑏est n𝘰vel reading experience.

His spiritual consciousness expanded rapidly, searching for any foreign presence—nothing.

His breath slowed. His focus sharpened.

His eyes lowered to the fragment.

Was it... speaking?

A terrifying thought took root in his mind. A deep chill crept down Su Kang's spine.

"It must be someone whose cultivation is many realms higher than mine," Su Kang thought.

He steadied his voice. "Who is speaking?"

"I am speaking to you."

The voice was strange—unnatural, cold, and metallic. It was neither male nor female, neither distant nor close.

It was a horrible, unsettling sound.

"It was my power that allowed you to see your most probable future and ending."

Su Kang's mind went blank for a split second.

"Not time travel... but a vision of what was most likely to happen?" he murmured.

Taking a steady breath, he asked, "Why would Senior show me that?"

The voice answered without hesitation.

"To compensate you for killing you."

Su Kang's heart lurched. The air in the chamber grew heavy, pressing down on him like an invisible weight.

Killing me?

His mind worked at an unprecedented speed, sifting through every possibility.

Was this a deception? A test? Or... a truth he had never considered?

And then, as if sensing his doubt, the voice spoke again.

"I was gathering enough energy to leave that previous world, but I was lacking some energy."

"As the world's spiritual energy waned, I went into slumber."

"Then, by instinct, I absorbed your destiny. It was not a conscious act. That missing energy was enough for me to escape through a space crack."

"Absorbing destiny... Can this power reveal future events? What kind of cultivation technique grants such abilities?" Su Kang's thoughts spun.

He had too many questions. But first, he needed to confirm something.

"So it was Senior who brought me to this world," he said, his voice steady despite the storm in his mind.

But even with this answer, unease lingered. The voice itself was strange—its metallic quality unlike anything he had encountered.

After a moment, he said respectfully, "Since Senior has shown me such great kindness, why not reveal yourself? Allow me to properly express my gratitude."

The response made his blood run cold.

"I am already before you. Such formalities are unnecessary."

The voice, cold and resonant, emanated not from some hidden entity, but from the fragment itself.

Su Kang's breath hitched.

His mind went blank for a brief moment.

The golden shard, seemingly inanimate moments before, now pulsed with an unnerving sentience.

Its voice, metallic and resonant, sent shivers down his spine.