Chapter 130: A Treasure Hidden in a Secret Place

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Chi Lian formed a hand seal, and a massive amount of spiritual energy rapidly gathered around him. The violent fluctuation of power kicked up a cloud of sand and dust, which swirled and condensed before him. Under the infusion of his spiritual energy, it rapidly expanded, forming a giant boulder.

Seeing this, Ye Yiming, whose own spiritual energy was still in turmoil, also formed a hand seal with a tense expression and began to rapidly chant. As he manipulated his spiritual energy, he shouted to Qin Haoxuan, “Go, quickly!”

But Qin Haoxuan did not move. One of his senior brothers was already dead; he could not let Ye Yiming die for him as well. Since his spiritual sense attack was useless, his only option was to use the Formless Sword again. Fortunately, the Blood Sacrifice Array had already replenished his spiritual energy.

He gripped the Formless Sword tightly in his right hand and skillfully channeled the full, torrential power of his body into the tiny, invisible blade. After a slight tremor, just as Chi Lian was about to hurl the giant boulder and crush them into meat patties, the Formless Sword shot out. he sensed a sharp, murderous aura rushing towards him, but it was too late to dodge. The sword pierced his brow, and he fell to the ground, dead.

Just like the last time he had used the Formless Sword, Qin Haoxuan felt his immortal seedling instantly wither to the brink of death. His dantian, which had been full of spiritual energy moments before, was once again left without a single drop. He suddenly felt weak and exhausted, collapsing to the ground, unable to stand.

In a lavish courtyard of the Ancient Cloud Hall in the Taichu Sect, a middle-aged man with slightly protruding cheekbones, a gaunt, pointed face, and sallow skin sat cross-legged before a formation. A gloomy and oppressive aura emanated from him. His face, covered in fine lines like the skin of a dried orange, was currently burning with rage.

His grim and furious gaze was fixed on the small formation before him, which was now in ruins, its talisman flags scattered on the floor. At the center of the array, a small human figure folded from yellow talisman paper was engulfed in flames. If anyone with broad knowledge were to see this, they would recognize with shock that this was a Soul-Transfer Array, a technique used only by evil cultivators. What was even more shocking was that it had been broken.

This man was the junior brother of the Ancient Cloud Hall’s master, Chi Lian.

“Damn it! A piece of trash from the Nature Hall and a new disciple actually broke my Soul-Transfer Array and stole my Spirit Liquid! One day, I will cut you into a thousand pieces and grind your bones to dust!” His rage flared again. He glared at the formation, and a wisp of green smoke rose from it, instantly burning it to ashes.

After destroying the evidence, he calmed down slightly. He muttered to himself, “To actually possess a treasure capable of killing the Twentieth-Leaf Wu Yi. When you get out of the Aqueous Manor, I’ll have to find a reason to capture you and force you to give it up. And my Spirit Liquid, I must get it back!”

A moment ago, he had been controlling Wu Yi’s body, about to kill Qin Haoxuan and Ye Yiming, only to be inexplicably killed by Qin Haoxuan instead. When the Soul-Transfer Array was destroyed, he had been completely dumbfounded. A new disciple at the First-Leaf of the Spirit Sprout Realm actually had the ability to break his formation?

This Qin Haoxuan had not only survived the Blood Sacrifice Array but had also managed to kill the Twentieth-Leaf Wu Yi. He must have a great treasure on him.

He plotted silently. Fortunately, they had no proof of his soul-transfer. Even if they knew the truth, it was useless. When they leave the Aqueous Manor, it would be a waste for such a treasure to remain in his hands, he thought. It would be much better if I took it. As for the Spirit Liquid, I must obtain it. My lifespan is running out, and the Five Celestial Decays are approaching. I must get that liquid before they arrive.

…

Back in the Aqueous Manor, after killing the puppet, dawn was breaking, and a dim morning light spilled into the otherworldly space.

Ye Yiming gazed excitedly at the ball of Spirit Liquid floating in the air, his eyes burning with desire. Only he and Qin Haoxuan remained. If they could figure out a reasonable way to get this liquid out, they could refine it into a pill and extend Master Xuanji’s life.

However, the sect’s rules were strict. Spirit Liquid was an extremely important resource, and privately hoarding it was a grave crime equivalent to betraying one’s master. After the liquid was collected, only the Sect Master, the ancestors, and a few elders from the Elder’s Council were qualified to use it. Even the masters of the four great halls did not have this privilege. The sect’s inspection of the disciples would be extremely thorough, and the one in charge was the unfathomably powerful Ninth Elder. Deceiving him would not be easy.

Ye Yiming took the special jade vial from Wu Yi’s body and carefully collected the Spirit Liquid. He then fell into a state of worry. “How can we get this Spirit Liquid out of the manor?” he wondered aloud, looking at Qin Haoxuan. “If we take it out openly, the sect will confiscate it. It would fetch a good price, but Master would not be able to use it. Only by smuggling it out can we save him. In the cultivation world, strength is everything. Without it, you can’t even hold on to the good things you find.”

As Ye Yiming wrestled with his dilemma, the weakened Qin Haoxuan took the small snake from his robes. “Senior Brother,” he said, “I have a way. Place the vial on the ground.”

Qin Haoxuan lay down, and his soul entered the small snake’s body.

Ye Yiming was astonished to see the previously motionless snake suddenly stir, while Qin Haoxuan’s own body became as still and breathless as a corpse.

The small snake slithered to the jade vial and opened its mouth. In an instant, its tiny mouth expanded until it was larger than the vial itself, and it swallowed the entire container in one gulp before shrinking back to its original size.

The snake’s body was unchanged, showing no sign that it had just swallowed a jade vial as thick as a wrist.

It crawled back to Qin Haoxuan’s side. A moment later, Qin Haoxuan’s eyes opened. He sat up, placed the snake back in his robes, and said with a smile, “Senior Brother Ye, this is my secret. I hope you can keep it for me.”

Ye Yiming was so shocked he was speechless. When Qin Haoxuan spoke to him, he could only nod repeatedly. “Junior Brother Qin, I didn’t see anything just now. Do you have a secret? Don’t tell me, I don’t want to know.”

As he watched Qin Haoxuan put the snake away, he suppressed his curiosity and thought to himself, Where did he get such a magical snake? And what other treasures does he have? It seems this junior brother is a man of profound destiny. He must have had a great fortuitous encounter before even entering the manor.

Qin Haoxuan gently touched the snake in his robes and sighed. “Alas, the path of immortality is merciless. If Senior Brother Pu had lived just three more days, this Spirit Liquid could have extended his life. He would not have had to…”

At the mention of Pu Hanzhong, Ye Yiming’s heart also grew heavy. “The Heavenly Dao is unfeeling, and fate is unpredictable. No one knows what tomorrow will bring. All we can do is seize the present to grasp the future. As Hanzhong often told you, lifespan is the foundation for a cultivator. You must strive to raise your realm to obtain it.”

Qin Haoxuan nodded solemnly, the decadent look on his face swept away. “With this Spirit Liquid, Master’s life can be extended. Senior Brother Pu’s spirit in heaven will surely be gratified. Senior Brother Ye, I exhausted my spiritual energy just now. I will meditate for a while.”

Ye Yiming nodded, a dazed look on his face as he watched Qin Haoxuan. In the few days they had been together, he had become numb to his junior brother’s endless, shocking feats. After all, easily solving the thorny problem of smuggling the Spirit Liquid was just the latest in a long line of miracles.

Master… finally has hope, he thought, an excited light shining in his eyes.

After retrieving the Formless Sword, Qin Haoxuan took out another pack of Qi-Circulating Powder and began to rapidly replenish his energy.

It took Qin Haoxuan a full three hours to recover. During that time, a few stray Nether-Souls appeared, but Ye Yiming dealt with them easily. When Qin Haoxuan finally opened his eyes, he saw Ye Yiming examining a mirror he had found beneath where the Spirit Liquid had been floating.

“Senior Brother, what is that?” Qin Haoxuan asked, taking the bronze mirror, which was pulsing with spiritual energy.

“This is no ordinary mirror. It’s a Thousand-Mile Mirror, a type of magical artifact,” Ye Yiming explained, his eyes glinting. “Magical artifacts, pills, and flying swords are all extremely precious resources. It is said that the cost to refine an artifact is immense, often tens of thousands, or even millions, of spirit stones.”

Qin Haoxuan was shocked. “Can this mirror carry people? Can it fly a thousand miles?”

Ye Yiming smiled and shook his head. “I’ve read about it in some books. Although it’s only a low-level support artifact, the method of its creation was lost during the immortal-demon war thousands of years ago. Very few exist now. It’s not used for combat, but for surveillance and scouting. For example, in an unknown area, you can use it to see where there is danger, or where there might be heavenly treasures.”

Qin Haoxuan nodded thoughtfully. “There was a man-made ward on the Spirit Liquid, and now this artifact. It seems someone discovered this liquid long ago but didn’t take it for some reason.”

Ye Yiming pondered for a moment, then laughed freely. “Don’t be overly anxious! Cultivators fight against heaven itself for their lives. If we don’t fear heaven, why should we fear other men?”

“By the way, Senior Brother,” Qin Haoxuan asked, “do you know how to use this?”

“Infuse it with a stream of spiritual energy, and you will see the nearby situation. To see farther, you must infuse it with more energy.”

Qin Haoxuan tried, but had to steadily increase the flow of energy before the mirror finally flashed with a white light. An image appeared on its surface. It was the courtyard where they had met Wu Yi. He continued to infuse it with energy, and the image shifted. He saw a group of people fighting. He stopped, curious. It was a dozen people ganging up on a single person.

The one being attacked was Zhang Kuang.