Ninety-One: The Magical Treasures Assigned, the Zither’s Notes Repel the Enemy

The iron-gray great cauldron towered inside the stone chamber. When the three of them had first entered, none of them had imagined that this thing was a magical treasure; they had assumed it was merely an ordinary vessel used by immortals for burning incense.

Now the cauldron was circling around Wood, and they all understood at once that it, too, was a heaven-born treasure.

Wood gave a wry smile. “My magical treasure is far too bulky. If I released it in the middle of a fight, I’m afraid it would make a laughingstock of me. Sigh. Yours are much better, light and convenient. So, what can they do?”

Graceheart said, “Mine is the Jade Purifying Vase. It contains three drops of Heavenly Fragrance Nectar, and its main power is to bring natural spiritual roots back from the brink of death.”

“Natural spiritual roots? What is that?” Wood asked in surprise.

Graceheart fell silent and did not answer.

Cypress Sword said, “This treasure of mine is called the Divine Dragon Wish-Granting Rod. Its exterior looks like refined steel, but it was not made from steel. It is a treasure naturally formed in ancient times, unearthed from deep underground after millions of years. It takes the shape of a dragon; it can bend around a finger, yet it is harder than refined steel. Driven by true essence, it can break any body-protecting aura. Its mysteries are too profound to fathom; only by devoting oneself fully to study can one hope to master it.”

Wood nodded. “This is an offensive treasure, and it suits your Azure Cloud Dao art very well. With it, your attack power has climbed to an even higher level.”

Cypress Sword nodded as well, then turned his eyes to Wood.

Wood understood what they meant and said with another bitter smile, “This is the Shennong Cauldron, used to refine immortal medicines. In ancient times it was called the World-Creating Cauldron. In the age of antiquity, the Divine Farmer tasted hundreds of herbs for the sake of all living beings. This is the ancient cauldron he once used to refine countless elixirs. Because it has absorbed the spiritual essence of countless herbs over thousands of years, it is said to be able to forge peerless divine medicines that even the gods of the heavens would find hard to obtain, and it also hides other mysterious powers.”

It turned out that whenever one obtained a magical treasure, its name and functions would automatically appear in the mind’s sea. That was how all three of them knew exactly what they had acquired.

At the same time, Wood glanced at the Plane Exchange System. It had already assigned the Shennong Cauldron an SS-grade evaluation, which left him somewhat puzzled. By his experience, an S-grade item in the system’s assessment was already an immortal artifact, while an SS-grade item was a divine artifact one rank above that. Yet, judging by the cauldron’s unremarkable appearance, he had never imagined that its rating in the system would be so high.

Moreover, the Plane Exchange System included another hint about the Shennong Cauldron: one of the ancient Nine Cauldrons, once used to suppress the spiritual energy of the Nine Provinces. For a great power, this cauldron could be used to draw upon the spiritual energy of a whole province.

Graceheart said in surprise, “From the sound of it, your Shennong Cauldron is very impressive. Why do you look so helpless? Do you wish you had an offensive treasure instead?”

Wood shook his head. He already possessed an SS-grade item, the Demon Refining Vase. One of its functions allowed two items of different natures to be placed inside for fusion, with a chance of producing a higher-grade item or a special item. That included medicines, and for that reason he felt that the Divine Farmer’s Cauldron seemed somewhat pointless.

What he had failed to notice was that the Demon Refining Vase could only merge medicinal pills into different types of pills or higher-grade pills, whereas the Shennong Cauldron was a true furnace for refining divine medicines.

Just as the three of them were studying the uses of the treasures they had obtained, they suddenly heard a clamor of voices rising from outside. All three were startled. Then one of the walls inside the chamber flashed with light, and a vast image appeared, projecting the scene from the main hall.

It seemed this was the place where the immortal had once sat in meditation, laid out with strange arts that allowed every movement within the cave dwelling to be observed.

What appeared in the image was the very hall through which Wood and the others had first entered. By then, the hall was already in utter uproar. There were about a dozen people inside, all eyeing one another warily, including Autumn Ruthless, who had just fought a fierce battle earlier. King Golden River, however, was nowhere to be seen. Every pair of eyes was fixed on the treasure on the wooden stand, where golden light flowed.

Yet none of them dared make a move. It was not only because the so-called fellow cultivators around them were all watching each other like hawks; it was also because a mysterious formation talisman array stood before the wooden stand, flickering with crystal brilliance, a silent warning to all: if they wanted the treasure, they would need the strength to cross it first.

Still, it was likely that some of these people had companions waiting outside. After seeing the treasures, they began sending out transmission talismans one after another. Unfortunately, this was an immortal cave dwelling—how could it allow anyone to unleash spells so casually? Before the talismans could even fly out of the dwelling, the crystal dome above flashed, and the cloudlike energy within the hall surged, slamming every one of those talismans to the ground as though swept down by a gale.

Someone shouted, “Everyone, calm down! This is an immortal treasure vault. Don’t use spells recklessly!”

Another cursed, “Idiot! Do you want to trigger the cave’s restrictions and get us all expelled? Then all the effort we spent before will be wasted!”

A third snapped back, “And are you so clever? If you’re capable, go fetch a treasure and let us have a look!”

Yet another said, “You can’t pick cherries without planting the tree first. If you want the treasure, deal with the restrictions before you talk.” The problem was that this was the cave dwelling of an immortal, and the restrictions had naturally been set by an immortal. Which ordinary cultivator would dare claim they could break them?

Cypress Sword said, “This is bad. If they attack the restrictions indiscriminately, the dwelling may close ahead of time. My master specifically told me to bring back several treasures for our fellow disciples!”

Graceheart looked worried as well. “Why have so many people come in? Could our masters be in danger?”

Wood observed for a while and said in surprise, “These people are far beneath the cultivation of the three sect masters. Even compared with us, they are much weaker. How did they get past the masters’ guard?”

Graceheart said anxiously, “Let’s go out at once. I’m afraid Master and the others have met a worthy opponent!”

At the thought that their master might be in danger, Cypress Sword no longer cared about returning to the hall to fight the others for treasures. He leapt up and rushed out of the cave. Wood and Graceheart hurried after him.

Thus, when the people in the main hall saw one person flying straight toward them, they all shouted in anger, “Are you trying to die? If you trigger the restrictions and get us thrown out, I’ll smash you to pieces!”

As soon as the words left their mouths, they saw a man and a woman charge out behind him. They were just about to curse again when they suddenly remembered that the three had come from the inner chamber. At once someone cried, “Stop them! They’re probably disciples of one of the three sects. They may already have the immortal treasures!”

At that cry, several people drove their flying swords forward to block Wood and the others.

But those few were immediately denounced by their own companions. “Fools! Don’t trigger the restrictions!”

It was a pity the warning came too late. Their flying swords had already been drawn out, and as their true essence stirred, the cave’s restrictions were activated. In the blink of an eye, everyone felt the world blur before them, and without a sound the restriction swept them all outside.

“Damn it!” someone roared in fury, all of that resentment focused on Wood and the other two.

But Wood and the others paid no attention. They hurriedly looked down toward the foot of the mountain and saw several people already in a standoff with the three sect masters; among them was King Golden River. Yet it seemed as though no one had made a move yet, and only then did they finally relax.

Seeing that everyone had been expelled, the people at the foot of the mountain were stunned. The three sect masters were the first to react. “You triggered the restrictions?”

King Golden River flew into a rage. “Who was it? Step forward! Let me see whether I don’t skin you alive!”

King Golden River’s name for ferocity was well known. At his bellow, the noisy crowd fell silent at once. Their gazes shifted between Wood and the others, then back to the few who had released their flying swords.

Autumn Ruthless was the first to fly out, arriving beside the old man with triangular eyes who stood in opposition to the three sect masters. She cooed, “Master, this trip was for nothing. We didn’t get a single treasure!” Then she pointed at Wood and the others. “They came out from the inner chamber of the dwelling. They probably obtained the treasures!”

The old man with triangular eyes gave a cold snort and looked toward the three of them. His eyes were exceedingly sinister. He seemed to have no pupils at all; they were black and deep, as if able to drag a person’s soul into their depths.

The Heavenly Heart Daoist suddenly said, “Demonic Eye Old Monster, why are you staring at my disciple like that? It’s been years since we last met—why don’t we spar first and talk after?”

So this triangular-eyed old man was Autumn Ruthless’s master, the notorious evil-path fiend known as Demonic Eye. It was said that all his cultivation lay in his eyes. As long as you met his gaze, your mind would inevitably grow dazed and your reactions would slow. In severe cases, even your spirit could split apart.

Even more terrifying was his ultimate skill, the Heavenly Demon Eye, which could enslave anyone whose cultivation was lower than his. That was the most fearsome of all demonic arts, and one that righteous cultivators despised. Imagine it: if one of your disciples were controlled by this devil and stabbed you in the back when you least expected it, how could anyone ever guard against that?

While the Heavenly Heart Daoist kept Demonic Eye occupied, Master Upright One quietly asked Wood, who had come to his side, “Did you get it?”

Wood nodded. Master Upright One was delighted, but then said with some concern, “This time we miscalculated. We did not expect the demonic path to have people who could also calculate the approximate hour and location. Those old demons held us back while their disciples entered the cave to take the treasures. Luckily, it did not affect you, or else we would have had to wait another hundred years!”

Wood said, “They have the advantage in numbers. If things look wrong, let’s retreat first.”

Master Upright One smiled proudly. “A pack of jumping clowns. Aside from King Golden River and Demonic Eye, the three of you can handle the rest without difficulty.”

He had only just finished speaking when Demonic Eye laughed heartily. “Heavenly Heart, look at you—there are only a few of you, while we outnumber you by far. Do you really think we fear you?”

Then his expression darkened. “Heh. It is rare indeed to encounter the masters of major cultivation sects when they are isolated. Perhaps today, I shall have no choice but to engage in the pleasant business of killing and robbing.”

By this he was reminding the others of the same path: the masters of Azure Cloud, Great Void, and Water Moon had all come with only one disciple each. With the balance of forces tilted so heavily in their favor, this was the perfect opportunity to strike and seize the treasures.

At his words, the crowd immediately came to their senses, and every one of them began to bristle with eagerness.

Wood gave a cold snort and was just about to act when a clear, lingering sound of a zither rang out: ding-dong, ding-dong. Turning his head, he saw that the seven-stringed zither in Graceheart’s hands had already risen into the air. Her fingers left the strings, and she plucked at the empty space with her bare hands. The notes continued to sound, each accompanied by a faint silver radiance. Clearly, she had already struck with full force.

As her zither music rose, the people of the demonic path still did not understand what was happening, but then they saw Demonic Eye’s expression change dramatically as he stepped back several paces. Graceheart plucked twice more. Demonic Eye’s face grew grave; his brows furrowed and his eyes closed, plainly resisting the power of the music. But only a moment later he stood up, said nothing, summoned a magical treasure, and fled through the sky.

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