Chương 40: Seizing Treasures (Part 1)

"Roar!" The Broken Path served as the absolute nexus of the Three-Path Triple-Yin Immortal-Exterminating Array. For any outsider, even a Golden Core cultivator, stepping into this spatial distortion would usually result in being pulverized into stardust by the overwhelming restrictions within a heartbeat.

Yet, at this moment, a skeletal figure—his eyes flickering with a malevolent, spectral red and green light—traversed the treacherous terrain as if he were walking on level ground, his form a blurred streak of shadow as he surged forward.

"Hehe, little one, why such a frantic pace? Why not stay a while and converse with your elder sister?" A ripple distorted the air, and the mysterious woman materialized from a shimmer of water-like light, her graceful figure blocking his path with a playful yet chilling smile.

"Roar!" This creature was the Ghost-Corpse Sovereign, his physical vessel now usurped by an unknown, ancient entity. However, as the monster gazed upon the woman, a flicker of genuine dread ignited within his hollow sockets. His rigid, greyish face even contorted into a mask of visible panic. Suddenly, as if sensing a shift in the atmospheric pressure, he let out a frenzied, guttural howl. A series of afterimages trailed behind him as he lunged toward the woman with predatory speed.

"Hehe, having two souls and six po-spirits wiped away has truly rendered you a mindless fool. Did you think I would waste words on a lowly existence like you if not to buy time to trigger the array?" The woman's expression instantly shifted from playful to a mask of glacial indifference. She cast a final, cold glance at the Ghost-Corpse Sovereign, who was already becoming entangled in the newly awakened restrictions, before her silhouette dissolved into the ether.

"Roar!"

"BOOM!" Within the confines of the Broken Path, nothing remained but the Sovereign's enraged bellows and the thunderous, crushing might of the activated killing array.

"Seven-Leaf Red Flower Grass... and a Ten-Thousand-Year Clear-Water Lotus!" Reyn's pupils contracted sharply as a wave of pure ecstasy washed over his features. He approached the small medicinal garden—barely a dozen paces wide—with the utmost caution. Even with Reyn's hardened temperament, he found himself momentarily dazed by the sheer value of the flora before him. Red Flower Grass was a rarity in the cultivation world; it grew a single leaf every thousand years.

Below three leaves, its efficacy was mediocre, barely surpassing common herbs. But once it crossed the ten-thousand-year threshold, its nature underwent a divine transformation. It became a supreme treasure of the wood element. For a cultivator, no matter how grievous the injury, as long as the soul had not yet entered the cycle of reincarnation, this grass could literally snatch a life back from the gates of the underworld. Beside it sat the Clear-Water Lotus, a celestial anomaly.

For half the day, it remained a solid, translucent flower; for the other half, it dissolved into a misty, ethereal vapor. It produced a leaf every two thousand years. At ten leaves, it was known as the Clear-Water Treasure Lotus. An eleventh leaf took another five thousand years to sprout. At twelve leaves, it attained the legendary status of the Twelve-Petal Lotus Throne.

Its primary function was to cleanse the marrow and temper the bones, fundamentally altering one's constitution and upgrading the grade of one's spirit roots. Theoretically, even a person born with the lowliest 'Mortal Fate' could become a peerless genius of the millennium if they consumed this lotus whole. Reyn's eyes flickered with a brief, bitter disappointment.

If he possessed even the most wretched of spirit roots, this lotus could have catapulted his talent to staggering heights, making Foundation Establishment as easy as breathing. He wouldn't have had to resort to such convoluted schemes. Shaking his head to dispel these idle thoughts, Reyn licked his lips. Such treasures were not to be ignored. He extended his Divine Sense, meticulously scanning the spiritual energy shield protecting the garden. A look of relief crossed his face.

The mysterious woman was likely overconfident in the array's outer defenses; this specific shield was merely designed to prevent the medicinal potency from leaking and to gather ambient spiritual energy. It possessed no offensive capabilities. Even so, Reyn remained vigilant. He pressed his palm against the barrier, exhaling a precise burst of True Essence. Crack! The spiritual shield shattered like glass. The two ten-thousand-year herbs remained pristine.

As the concentrated fragrance hit him, Reyn felt his vitality surge, his body returning to its absolute peak with a single breath. The potency of such ancient treasures was truly terrifying. He carefully retrieved two jade boxes from his storage bag. With a series of rapid mudras, he harvested the herbs and sealed the boxes with seven or eight layers of talismans to lock in the medicinal essence. Only then did he allow a satisfied smirk to touch his lips before venturing deeper into the mountain interior.

Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

"Damnable brat! What kind of artifact is he hiding to escape my restriction?" Within the jade platter, the mysterious woman's eyes snapped open, flashing with cold fury.

"Stealing my treasures... Little brother, it seems the debt between us is becoming far too complicated to settle easily."

"Fellow Daoist Honghua, strike now! This Ghost King is too powerful—I can barely hold the line!" The stout Daoist's face was deathly pale, a thin trail of blood leaking from the corner of his mouth. His eyes were wide with terror. The Foundation-Stabilizing Spirit-Restoring Gourd was losing its luster, the protective black mist surrounding them thinning to a translucent veil that threatened to tear at any moment. Outside the mist, three towering Ghost Kings, their faces ghastly and pale, roared in fury.

They unleashed a barrage of ghost-path techniques, slamming into the barrier and causing the stout Daoist to stagger under the feedback. The old woman's expression was grim. Her withered skin, resembling a dried orange peel, was now wreathed in ghostly vapors. Dark Yin-qi pulsed beneath her flesh, spreading like ink to form grotesque, shifting patterns. As a ghost-path cultivator, she was now invoking a forbidden technique.

Pain etched itself onto her face as a pitch-black, hideous ghost-face began to manifest on her forehead. The face writhed as if alive, emitting low, haunting growls.

"Condense!" she shrieked. The ghost-face vanished from her brow, and a mass of oily black smoke coalesced in front of her, forming the physical manifestation of that same hideous visage. With a dark scowl, she bit her finger hard and thrust the bleeding digit into the ghost-face's mouth. The entity reacted with greedy delight, latching onto her finger and sucking ravenously. In an instant, the old woman's essence blood and spiritual energy drained away like a collapsing dam. Her aura withered visibly.

After three long, agonizing pulses, the ghost-face let out a series of piercing, ear-splitting croaks—"Gua! Gua!" —and released her, looking somewhat unsatisfied. However, having gorged on her essence, the black smoke was now streaked with crimson, radiating a crushing, oppressive pressure. She withdrew her hand and quickly swallowed a pill that reeked of a pungent, spicy odor.

Her withered aura exploded upward, returning her to her peak state, though the unnatural flush on her cheeks betrayed the heavy price of the forbidden medicine.

"Go!" she commanded, pointing forward. The ghost-face let out a series of cackling laughs and tore through the black mist, charging directly at the three Ghost Kings. The Ghost Kings let out low growls of apprehension, their forms scattering. The ghostly fires in their eyes fixed warily on the blood-streaked visage as they roared in warning.

"Daoist Liu, these Ghost King entities are equivalent to cultivators of our rank," the old woman gasped, her face slightly clearer now.

"But I noticed these three, while powerful, seem to have had their intelligence forcibly wiped long ago. Otherwise, they never would have given me the time to manifest this secret art." The stout Daoist nodded, swallowing several recovery pills before speaking with lingering fear.

"Earlier, I sensed the auras of at least seven Ghost Kings. I don't know why only three appeared, but we have survived this trial. Your ghost-path techniques are indeed formidable, Fellow Daoist Honghua; this single ghost-face is enough to repel three kings." As he spoke, however, a glint of wariness flickered in his eyes. The old woman shook her head with a bitter smile.

"Do not think this is easy, Daoist Liu. That ghost-face is the soul of a heavily injured Ghost King I captured years ago. Even with my refinements, each use requires a massive sacrifice of blood and energy. I can only summon it once a month; any more, and the soul would devour me instead." The stout Daoist didn't entirely believe her, but seeing her weakened state, his guard lowered slightly.

"Since your technique has driven them back, we should seize this chance to break through the cavern."

"Agreed!" The two vanished into streaks of light, heading deeper into the cave. The three Ghost Kings roared in frustration, but chased by the blood-red ghost-face, they could only retreat, watching helplessly as the intruders escaped.

In another part of the mountain, Reyn stared cautiously at a small tree, barely three feet tall. Hanging from its branches was a fruit shaped like a curled infant, emerald green and emitting a faint, heavenly aroma.

"A Ginseng Fruit!" The Ginseng Fruit was a legendary treasure. For a mortal, eating one meant immortality from the cycle of the Yellow Springs, preserving memories through three reincarnations. For a cultivator, it offered an explosive increase in Divine Sense, saving centuries of arduous meditation. Recalling the records from the Library of Scriptures, Reyn's eyes burned with desire. However, he did not rush forward. Instead, he channeled spiritual energy into his eyes, sharpening his vision.

Sure enough, on the third branch, he spotted a tiny green snake, no longer than an inch and as thin as a needle, perfectly camouflaged against the bark. A Guardian Snake. It shared a symbiotic bond with the Ginseng Fruit tree. Despite its minuscule size, it was lethally venomous; anything below the Nascent Soul realm would perish instantly upon contact. Reyn's expression turned grave. A treasure was only valuable if one lived to use it. He layered a spiritual shield around himself and retrieved a jade box.

After a moment's hesitation, he flicked his wrist, sending a small fireball crashing into the ground ten meters away from the tree. Instantly, the seemingly dormant Guardian Snake snapped its eyes open. Its needle-point pupils, cold and devoid of emotion, locked onto Reyn. The moment he was targeted, a violent sense of impending doom seized Reyn's heart. Cold sweat drenched his forehead. Before he could even react, the snake's tiny body arched like a bow.

A flash of green light blurred across his vision; the snake had bypassed the distance and pierced through his spiritual shield in a fraction of a second. Reyn felt a sharp, needle-like prick on his hand. His face turned a ghastly white as his entire body seized up, turning rigid. He collapsed slowly to the ground. The Guardian Snake landed nearby, rearing its tiny head, its cold eyes seemingly filled with a flicker of mockery.