"Crystal Jade?!" At the sight of the array densely inlaid with Crystal Jade before them, all three except Nie Wushang exclaimed.
Nie Wushang, unaware that each of them possessed a fair amount of Crystal Jade, assumed their surprise was due to seeing a treasure. "It's precisely because Crystal Jade was used that the protective array here hasn't failed."
The protective array before them contained over a thousand pieces of Crystal Jade—an immense fortune even in ancient times. Unfortunately, the array was exceedingly profound; it couldn't be deciphered or removed.
The three quickly reined in their astonishment. Jing Xingzhi asked, "What's next?"
"What's the hurry?" Nie Wushang stepped forward.
At the center of the protective array was a small indentation. Nie Wushang took out the Black Gold Fragment and gently placed it inside.
"Boom!" The originally hazy light shield suddenly brightened. The transparent light walls dispersed, transforming into countless specks of dust that coalesced into a shimmering white curtain of light.
"Let's go in." Nie Wushang took the lead, stepping toward the light curtain.
The light curtain seemed intangible; Nie Wushang passed through it without any hindrance.
Seeing this, the other three followed.
Upon entering the cave, Mo Tiange couldn't help but squint. The surroundings were filled with the radiance of spiritual treasures, nearly blinding all four of them.
"Top-grade Haoying Stone!" Once his eyes adjusted to the light inside the cave, Jing Xingzhi swept his gaze around and gleefully rushed forward.
Although Haoying Stone wasn't excessively rare, it was an excellent material for nurturing swords and highly sought after among Sword Cultivators. A small piece was worth over a thousand spirit stones. Yet, in this unremarkable repository, top-quality Haoying Stones were casually piled in a corner.
Seeing his reaction, the corner of Nie Wushang's mouth lifted slightly, but she said nothing.
The next moment, a "hum" sounded as a white light flashed. Jing Xingzhi abruptly halted his advance.
"What is this?" he cried out.
Nie Wushang gloated, "If there were no restrictions at all, my master would have cleared the place out long ago. Why would it still be here waiting for us?"
"..."
Jing Xingzhi's face darkened, but he couldn't retort. Nie Wushang felt immensely pleased and magnanimously said, "This restriction isn't special; just break it with force."
Watching Jing Xingzhi silently attack the restriction with a stifled expression, Mo Tiange and Qin Xi exchanged a smile. They then moved off to search for what they wanted. This secret repository didn't contain particularly powerful Magical Treasures; it mostly held materials and pills. Even spirit talismans above the Human Transformation level had been used to preserve the spiritual energy.
Mo Tiange quickly understood. The purpose of a secret repository was to preserve a spark of hope for a sect's revival after suffering a near-extinction level blow. Materials and pills were the foundation for nurturing disciples; with sufficient materials and pills, a sect could rapidly grow strong. Magical Treasures, however, were different. Without sufficient cultivation, one couldn't unleash a Magical Treasure's power. Having only Magical Treasures without cultivation was like a tree without roots or water without a source—it couldn't last.
The likelihood of them finding powerful Magical Treasures in this repository was very small. But the materials here were all top-grade rarities seldom seen in the present world. This trip was absolutely a huge gain.
Unfortunately, all these materials were surrounded by restrictions; they could only choose one or two to take.
Before long, Qin Xi set his sights on a piece of Dazzling Fire Jade Essence. This jade essence was a full two feet tall, fiery red throughout, and crystal clear. Even through half a foot of the jade essence, one could clearly see the scene on the other side.
Dazzling Fire Jade Essence was a top-tier material for refining fire-attribute Magical Treasures. Back when a piece was produced in the Immortal Ruins, it nearly sparked a scramble among numerous Nascent Soul cultivators, and even Venerable Songfeng had intervened. This showed its preciousness.
The quality of this piece was comparable to the one from the Immortal Ruins, but its size was several times larger.
Qin Xi summoned the Three Yang True Fire Sword and said to Mo Tiange, "You go look first. If you find something you like, come call me."
Mo Tiange nodded and walked off alone.
Although there were many materials in the repository, none were particularly what she wanted. For offensive Magical Treasures, she had already decided not to refine any more. She had the Heaven and Earth Fan and the Fusheng Sword, supplemented by the Heavenly Thunder Great Method. For auxiliary Magical Treasures, although they were damaged during the Heavenly Tribulation, they could all be repaired; there was no need to refine new ones. As for pills, she was least lacking in those.
A moment later, she stopped before an item.
It was a crystal, about the size of a fist, transparent throughout like crystal. At first glance, it seemed solid. Staring closely, it appeared to have rippling water waves. Looking a while longer, mist seemed to swirl within. Strangest of all, this thing actually had no spiritual energy!
"Could it be a mundane object?" Mo Tiange muttered, looking left and right before shaking her head.
This thing absolutely couldn't be mundane. The restriction surrounding it was even more advanced than those protecting the rare materials. How could it be mundane?
After looking around for a while without finding anything she particularly wanted, Qin Xi, having already taken the Dazzling Fire Jade Essence, came over. "How is it?"
Mo Tiange pointed at the crystal. "Do you recognize this thing?"
Qin Xi examined it for a moment, baffled. "What is this? Why is it so strange? It doesn't look like any material from the cultivation world at all."
Mo Tiange thought for a moment and said, "Let's take this. If even we can't recognize it, it must be incredibly precious."
Qin Xi had no objections. He summoned the Three Yang True Fire Sword again and attacked the restriction.
Working together, they thought they would break the restriction quickly. Unexpectedly, its strength exceeded imagination. It took a full hour just to crack a fissure.
By the time they obtained the item, Nie Wushang suddenly alerted them, "Someone's coming."
Hearing this, Mo Tiange, Qin Xi, and Jing Xingzhi simultaneously stopped and turned their heads.
Nie Wushang explained, "I laid down demonic energy along the way. I can sense someone passing through."
"It's them," Jing Xingzhi said, retracting his flying sword. "Can your demonic energy sense their cultivation level?"
Nie Wushang shook her head. "No, but I can sense there are three of them."
Hearing this, the four exchanged glances. Finally, Qin Xi said, "It seems your guess has come true."
"So what do we do now?" Nie Wushang looked at them. "To be honest, I haven't been a Nascent Soul cultivator for long. Facing a Late-Nascent Soul cultivator, I have no confidence at all."
Mo Tiange pondered for a moment and asked, "Should we avoid them then?"
Jing Xingzhi nodded, looking at Nie Wushang. "We came to seek treasure, not to clash with them."
Qin Xi also nodded. Although there were many treasures here, they weren't worth risking their lives for. If those three were willing to coexist peacefully, that would be fine. The fear was that they, thinking they had a Late-Nascent Soul cultivator, might try to eliminate them all.
Seeing the three of them in agreement, Nie Wushang didn't hesitate either. "Then let's go." With that, she turned and headed for the entrance.
"What about your technique?" Mo Tiange sent a voice transmission before leaving. "Did you get it just now?"
Nie Wushang turned her head. Her gaze seemed to hold both emotion and gratitude as she looked at Mo Tiange. She said, "You'll know in a moment."
The four exited the repository. Nie Wushang used the Black Gold Fragment to close the protective array and led them through twists and turns in the cavern, quickly leaving the area. Not long after, Demon Lord Yeshuang arrived before the repository with Tian Xuan and Hong Xiao. After some study, they opened the protective array and entered the repository interior.
"We're so close. Won't we be discovered?" Jing Xingzhi couldn't help but ask as they walked through the cavern.
"It's fine," Nie Wushang said. "The repository has an array that blocks divine sense. Outside the repository, the rock layers of this cavern are also peculiar. Even a Late-Nascent Soul cultivator can't detect us unless they get very close."
The four traversed the cavern, going deeper and deeper. Gradually, an aura of killing intent seemed to permeate the air.
"Where is this?" Qin Xi asked.
Nie Wushang paused before answering, "I'm going to find my technique. You can stay here if you wish."
Generally, a cultivation technique was one of a cultivator's secrets, never to be disclosed to others. Hearing Nie Wushang say she was going to find her technique, Qin Xi hesitated, thinking of saying they wouldn't follow. But Nie Wushang's words seemed to indicate she didn't mind them coming along. If he hadn't asked, she might not have even mentioned it.
He glanced at Mo Tiange and saw her lost in thought. He sent a voice transmission, "What's wrong?"
Mo Tiange looked up at him and replied via voice transmission, "I suspect the place she's going to find her technique is also a Five Spirits Sacrificial Temple."
Qin Xi showed confusion. "Why?"
"She cultivates the Origin Demon Great Art," Mo Tiange said simply.
Hearing this, Qin Xi immediately understood.
Mo Tiange had told him about the relationship between the sacrificial temples and the Origin Demon Great Art. He also had a stele obtained from Mei Feng, which was likely related to the Origin Demon Great Art. Since Nie Wushang cultivated the Origin Demon Great Art, her technique likely came from a sacrificial temple, so naturally she would head there to find it. But...
"Her technique came from Venerable Songfeng?"
Mo Tiange nodded. "Correct."
Hearing the answer, Qin Xi shook his head. "I'm afraid she'll find nothing there."
Mo Tiange paused but didn't voice disagreement. When she heard Nie Wushang say she was seeking her technique, this thought had crossed her mind. Since Venerable Songfeng obtained his technique from there, the stele should have been taken away by him. Nie Wushang wouldn't find it no matter how hard she looked.
But explaining this was troublesome. After some thought, she decided not to mention it for now, waiting until Nie Wushang had checked the place herself.
The four proceeded in silence along the dark passage.
The aura of killing intent in the air grew increasingly intense. Eventually, the Zhishui Sword on Jing Xingzhi's back began to hum and vibrate, as if it might leap from its scabbard at any moment. Jing Xingzhi finally couldn't hold back and asked Nie Wushang, "What's going on? Where exactly are you taking us?"
Nie Wushang glanced at him. "It will benefit you." With that, she ignored his further questions and continued forward. Jing Xingzhi had no choice but to suppress his impatience and follow.
Killing intent... benefiting Jing Xingzhi... A thought flashed through Mo Tiange's mind.
The Western White Tiger, Dui Metal, governs slaughter and is a fierce deity. Could this be the White Tiger Sacrificial Temple? Whether it was the Azure Dragon Temple or the Vermilion Bird Temple, the auras within matched the respective divine beasts. This severe, violent killing intent was precisely the aura the White Tiger should possess.
Sword Cultivators cultivated the sword. The sword belonged to metal, so what Sword Cultivators needed to master was precisely the metal element of the Five Elements. The Ancient Sword Sect prioritized recruiting disciples with metal spiritual roots because, without a metal spiritual root, one could only grasp the skin, not the bones, of sword cultivation.
The White Tiger was the essence of metal. If Jing Xingzhi could absorb even a trace of the White Tiger's aura, it could purify his sword energy, bringing him endless benefits.