Outside the Divine Fire Hall.
Lan Qiyao, pale-faced, looked at the remaining disciples of the Shadow Assassination Hall. After enduring numerous traps and prohibitions along the way, the initial group of over eight hundred had dwindled to just over three hundred, many of whom were injured and nearly incapable of further combat.
From the moment she took on this mission, a foreboding feeling had surfaced in her heart, which she hadn’t taken seriously at the time. Now, looking back, it seemed that failure was an expected outcome.
The various prohibitions and dangers within the Divine Fire Hall were only going to increase. If they were to charge in now, how many would remain by the time they caught up with the female cultivators of the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace? Lan Qiyao had no confidence.
At this point, the Holy Maiden finally felt a twinge of regret. Had she known it would come to this, she would never have gotten involved.
Perhaps… withdrawing now would be the most appropriate choice?
Under normal circumstances, Lan Qiyao would have considered this option, but the overwhelming fortune that clouded her mind and confused the Heavenly Secrets had completely blinded her judgment, making it impossible for her to make a pragmatic decision.
“Let’s go in!”
After weighing her options, her unwillingness and competitiveness prevailed, and Lan Qiyao finally spoke up.
If she returned without any achievements, she wouldn’t have the face to meet the Sect Master, and the dissatisfaction and criticism within the sect would surely increase, even threatening her authority and position. From her personal standpoint, there really was no better choice.
The two remaining protectors by her side hesitated to speak and ultimately chose silence.
…
At the edge of the Treasure Tempering Pool.
Time quietly passed, and after more than ten hours, ripples danced across the thousand-mile expanse of the lake. Divine radiance and colorful lights flickered incessantly, with brilliant beams of light leaping from the water’s surface, tracing dazzling trajectories in mid-air before landing in the hands of many cultivators.
Occasionally, visions such as golden toads and gray wolves, the rise and fall of the sun and moon, the evolution of the galaxy, and the cycle of life and death would appear, accompanied by the thunderous sounds of the Dao. These were phenomena typically triggered by the emergence of high-grade treasures.
In the meantime, more than ten sects and powerful clans arrived, varying in number. The largest group belonged to the Ji family from the Great Void, numbering over seven hundred people of all ages and genders.
After these different forces arrived, although surprised, they made no further ado and each found a spot to showcase their divine abilities, attempting to resonate with the treasures deep within the lake.
Qing Muling, stealing a moment from his busyness, glanced over. The total number of cultivators gathered around the Treasure Tempering Pool had reached nearly ten thousand, with the female cultivators of the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace being the most numerous.
Despite the large numbers and everyone’s best efforts, only one in ten cultivators made any gains, and the treasures they obtained were mostly ordinary.
Most cultivators exhausted their divine consciousness and mana without any reward, forced to sit in meditation and recover with the help of pills, waiting to replenish their essence and spirit before trying again.
So, despite the frequent flashes of divine light and ripples on the lake, making the scene look lively, the majority were ordinary treasures. Spread among all the cultivators, there wasn’t much to go around.
The female cultivators of the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace were an exception. Each of their attempts had a noticeably higher success rate, and the treasures they obtained were of significantly higher grades, attracting envious glances.
Especially Xuebing Xuan and others, along with Yu Lingzhou, Ice Falcon, and Yueyi Heavenly Lord, the Supreme Elders, who obtained one good item after another, almost to the point of being overwhelmed by their fortunes.
As for Qing Muling himself, there was no need to say more. When his divine consciousness probed into the waters, constantly replenished by the Harmony Spirit Seed, he felt no fatigue and could leisurely search for the hidden heavyweight treasures at the bottom, attempting to resonate with them.
“Swish—!”
As a magnificent nebula phantom appeared in mid-air, an exceptionally dazzling beam of light leaped from the lake’s surface, gracefully flying towards Qing Muling.
“Damn it! Why is it him again?!”
Cultivators from near and far looked up in shock and anger, glaring at the beam of light. Those with keen senses had already identified it as a Heavenly Secret Art disc, crafted from snow-white turtle shells and adorned with stars and Dao Rhymes, emanating a profound and eternal aura.
Clearly, this was likely a high-grade treasure from the field of Heavenly Secret Arts, and its grade had surpassed that of a top-grade magical treasure, reaching the level of an initial-grade Postnatal Spirit Treasure.
High-grade treasures from the Heavenly Secret Arts were extremely rare, especially those of the Postnatal Spirit Treasure level, which were virtually priceless in the Great Void.
It was easy to imagine the tremendous boost this treasure would give to the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace if it fell into their hands.
“…This item… should belong to our Buddhist sect… Never mind, since it’s Qing Muling, then it’s his fate, and no one can take it away!”
Miao Xin sighed softly from afar. The Great Brahma Temple, with its profound heritage, was not lacking in treasures of this level. To snatch it would be beneath her dignity, so she let it be.
Her goal was Qing Muling. As long as she captured the heart of this beautiful young man, wouldn’t his fortunes become those of the Buddhist sect?
“Come to me!”
A roar came from a distance as the Supreme Elder of the Azure Fall Divine Sect, Li Qingtian, could no longer restrain himself. On the opposite side of the Treasure Tempering Pool, he threw out a net-like Postnatal Spirit Treasure, which transformed into a massive cloud of darkness, enveloping the Heavenly Secret Art disc in an attempt to snatch the treasure.
He was unwilling to let the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace gain too many benefits, so he decided to use his divine abilities to forcefully take it. After all, treasures that emerged from the water were still unclaimed, and whoever seized them would own them.
“Li Qingtian! Are you seeking death?”
Ice Falcon was furious, and Yu Lingzhou, Yueyi Heavenly Lord, and the other Supreme Elders all stood up with angry faces. The old dog of the Azure Fall Divine Sect had gone too far, daring to steal the Junior Brother’s fortune. Did they really think the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace was an easy target?
“This human is going to suffer a great loss!”
Before Qing Muling could speak, Fengxia whispered beside him.
As expected, with the mysterious and profound sounds of the Dao resonating, several blood-colored chains appeared above Li Qingtian’s head, bringing down an oppressive force that bound him firmly.
“No! This can’t be…”
Li Qingtian seemed to witness a terrifying sight, screaming in horror as he struggled desperately, even unlocking his cultivation seal and using power beyond the Feather Transformation Realm in an attempt to break free from the chains of the Dao’s laws.
Little did he know that this would lead to even worse consequences, as more chains appeared, wrapping around him layer by layer, and then slowly tightening, dragging him towards a blood-colored vortex that appeared in the sky.
“Save me! Save me quickly!”
Li Qingtian’s eyes were filled with fear as he roared desperately at the disciples of the Azure Fall Divine Sect, promising all kinds of benefits.
But the disciples of the Azure Fall Divine Sect, already scared out of their wits, dared not make a move. They all kept their distance, avoiding him as if he were the plague.
Within a few breaths, Li Qingtian disappeared into the blood-colored vortex, leaving only his desperate screams echoing in the air.
In the end, the Postnatal Spirit Treasure known as the “Cloud Luo Star Command Disc” smoothly fell into Qing Muling’s hands.
“Indeed a fine item, let’s keep it!”
Yu Lingzhou took it and examined it for a while, nodding with satisfaction. With this treasure, the accuracy of divining the Heavenly Secrets could be increased by at least forty percent, the inevitable loss of vitality reduced by more than twenty percent, and the backlash from the Heavenly Secrets against the owner diminished. It also doubled the effectiveness of cultivating the Heavenly Secret Arts, with too many benefits to list at once.
Qing Muling secured the Cloud Luo Star Command Disc and turned to ask Fengxia, “Will that guy die?”
Fengxia shook her head, “Not likely, but a drop of one or two major realms in his cultivation is inevitable, and he will never be able to recover.”
Using force within the Divine Fire Hall was a challenge to the authority of the Mysterious Dao Venerable. No matter who it was, they would have to pay a heavy price, unless their cultivation had reached the Quasi Holy Emperor Realm, which might allow them to resist the laws of the Dao here.
“That’s good to hear!”
Qing Muling felt a surge of satisfaction. That old man had always been at odds with the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace and had repeatedly plotted against his Senior Sisters. Now he had gotten his just deserts.
However, this was not the end. Once his and his Senior Sisters’ cultivation were sufficient, they would surely destroy the main altar of the Azure Fall Divine Sect, erasing this Supreme Dao Lineage from the annals of time.
“What a pity…”
Mei Qingfeng watched from a distance, sighing with a melancholic expression. No one understood the value of that Heavenly Secret treasure better than she did. If she could have claimed it for herself, her strength would have more than doubled.
Now that Qing Muling had obtained the treasure, wouldn’t it be even more difficult to calculate any information about him?
Collecting her thoughts, Qing Muling continued to work. His luck was as defiant as ever, with various rare materials, embryos, talismans, and magical and spirit treasures continuously flying out of the water and into his hands.
Of course, with Li Qingtian’s example before them, even though the surrounding cultivators were filled with envy and jealousy, no one dared to intercept the treasures.
“Hm? Another wine jar?”
With Cheng Yulan’s surprised voice, an ancient-looking bronze wine jar enveloped in a halo appeared in Qing Muling’s hands. Its shape resembled a divine fern flower, with intricate and beautiful patterns on its surface, and the subtle aura of the Dao Rhyme spreading out.
Qing Muling immediately took out the previously obtained jar for comparison. The two bronze jars looked identical, indeed belonging to a set of magical treasures.
“Let’s continue and see what it looks like when we complete the set.”
Qing Muling smiled, glancing at the phantom of the Blue Lotus leaf’s inner space. After more than ten hours, the various gains had piled up into a small mountain, which even in the eyes of True Immortals and Profound Immortals, were considered very good treasures.
To be honest, for Qing Muling at this stage, top-grade and supreme-grade magical treasures were the most suitable for him, as Postnatal Spirit Treasures usually required reaching the True Immortal level to unleash their full power.
Soon, with a pleasant humming sound, a bright red and a cold frosty beam of light fell into the hands of Xuebing Xuan and Yu Lingzhou, respectively. They were two ancient yet exquisite jade boxes.
“Dao scriptures?”
Qing Muling furrowed his brows. This was the first time a treasure related to cultivation techniques had appeared, indicating that the contents of the jade boxes were not simple.
Xuebing Xuan, suppressing the excitement in her heart, was about to open it immediately but then thought better of it and handed the hard-won jade box to Qing Muling.
“Junior Brother, you open it!”
She said with a smile, with Qing Muling’s terrifying fate and fortune, perhaps he could reveal something different.
“Good idea.”
Yu Lingzhou, catching on, immediately did the same, handing over her jade box to Qing Muling and urging him to open it quickly.
So, under the watchful eyes of many hopeful beauties, Qing Muling carefully opened the first red jade box. As pure and soft red light spilled out like ripples, two jade slips appeared before the ladies on a red feather backdrop.
“This is a manual on artifact refinement personally written by the Mysterious Dao Venerable, belonging to the highest secrets of the artifact path. We’ve hit the jackpot.”
Yu Lingzhou flipped through it briefly and came to a conclusion. Her beautiful face was filled with excitement. Such ancient scrolls, containing the insights of an Emperor, were almost as precious as the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace’s sect-defining scriptures.
In other words, with these two secret scrolls, her mastery of the artifact path could reach a new level. With some luck, even her own cultivation could break through to the next major realm.
The Lolita Elder was already envisioning a brighter future, and with Qing Muling’s help, perhaps she could even achieve the Quasi Holy Emperor fruit?
“Let’s see what’s in the second jade box!”
Xuebing Xuan, slightly nervous, urged on. With Yu Lingzhou gaining such an amazing benefit, the Senior Sister naturally had her own thoughts.
Qing Muling nodded and opened the second jade box in the same manner. Inside was a dark gold beast skin scroll, with a rich fragrance of herbs wafting out.
After receiving permission, Qing Muling slowly unrolled the scroll and found it contained twelve pill recipes, all of which were long-lost ancient formulas, ranging from genuine spirit pills to heavenly spirit pills, each with miraculous effects beneficial to cultivators.
Especially the last one, which detailed a pill called “Nine Changes Primordial Pill” and its refinement method. It was a genuine immortal-grade pill, specifically for repairing damaged divine souls, and even golden immortals found it irresistible.
“Perfect, just what you need, Senior Sister.”
Qing Muling breathed a sigh of relief. Xuebing Xuan would soon step into the True Immortal realm, and with her cultivation, she could attempt to refine the first few pills, gaining endless benefits whether for personal use or for offering to the sect.
The two women joyfully stored the jade boxes, their Junior Brother’s fortune was indeed no joke. If it weren’t for the public setting, they would have been tempted to hug Qing Muling tightly and kiss him fervently.
Of course, expressing gratitude after returning was the same. As for how to thank him, it would naturally be in the way the Junior Brother liked best. In short, it was not something to be discussed with outsiders.