# Chapter 541: Obtaining Treasures
The four of them paused for a moment, waiting until Di Yuanfeng, who had his hand on his sword hilt, exchanged a glance with Huang Shi, before they all rushed toward that green mountain together.
At the landing point where they had been standing earlier, there was a large round cyan stone patterned like a caisson ceiling, which should have been located above the interior of a Daoist temple or Buddhist monastery. Unexpectedly, in this immortal's secret realm, it was simply stepped on underfoot.
At the center of this caisson ceiling was a lotus flower, the outer ring was two entwined flood dragons with their tails in their mouths, and beyond that were sixteen flying celestial maidens. There were many layers, dense, exquisite, and beautiful.
Di Yuanfeng struck it many times with his bamboo staff, producing a sound of metal and stone, indestructible.
But even if it could be moved, Di Yuanfeng dared not act recklessly, after all, they still needed to pass through this place to leave this immortal mansion ruin.
The reason he and Huang Shi had deliberately lingered earlier was, of course, to guard against unexpected trouble.
If someone had secretly followed them into this place, they would have to take a knife or a punch from the two of them.
Chen Ping'an, who was at the very back, secretly pinched out a Yang Qi Lantern-Lighting Talisman. Still, there was not the slightest sign of baleful aura. Compared to the outside world, the talisman burned even more slowly.
It must have been because of the abundance of spiritual qi here.
The other three only glanced at him and then paid no more attention.
Between the green mountains and clear waters, there was a white jade arched bridge.
Like a white rainbow lying across the water.
On each baluster head of the bridge railing, various strange beasts were carved, each different from the others, works of art that seemed to steal heaven's craftsmanship, as if they were living creatures in deep slumber.
Near the water surface below the bridge, there were large stone piers carved with a strange beast of one of the dragon species from legend. It had two horns on its head, its whole body covered in dragon scales, shaped in a crouching posture, with its head stretched out gazing at the water.
Chen Ping'an fell into deep thought.
This object under the bridge was not a particularly rare beast sculpture, but the name of this dragon species was very strange.
In the Haoran World, it was generally called Baxia or Bixia, but in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, when Chen Ping'an had read through all the river and bridge records of the Nanyuan Kingdom, he had also seen this creature. However, the style was slightly different from that of the Haoran World. And according to those books that State Preceptor Zhong Qiu had retrieved from the Ministry of Works, in the "Methods of Construction," which Chen Ping'an had read the most, it was recorded as Gongfu, a water-evading beast that could swallow river water. It was raised by the ancient Lord of Rivers and Lakes, and legend has it that the Fire God disliked it and used methods of boiling lakes and burning seas to refine and kill it.
But in the Haoran World, there was no such strange record. There was only the vague account of one of the nine sons of the dragon, largely similar but with minor differences, and absolutely no mention of a "Lord of Rivers and Lakes."
Chen Ping'an suppressed the thoughts in his mind, stopped pondering these matters, and pinched out another Sword Qi Bridge-Crossing Talisman. He hesitated for a moment, but did not hand it to Huang Shi or the others, and directly walked onto the arched bridge.
No wind, no waves, no danger, no peril.
Chen Ping'an walked across the white jade arched bridge just like that. He looked back, waved his hand, signaling that there were no traps and they could cross the bridge safely.
The other three had different thoughts. Daoist Sun felt that this Fellow Daoist Chen probably wanted to show off a little since they were about to enter a treasure mountain. It was futile. This Fellow Daoist would still have to die. Back at the stone cliff by the stream, he shouldn't have agreed to travel together, and even more, shouldn't have entered this immortal mansion ruin filled with treasures everywhere. But just as he thought this, before he could even feel pity for the rabbit's death or the fox's grief, the tall, gaunt Daoist was startled: couldn't it be that he himself would also meet with misfortune?
A young registered immortal master on a down-the-mountain experience, both to seek treasures and to cultivate the Dao. As long as they didn't encounter someone from a hostile sect, they were always amiable. Even if they met by chance, once they revealed their identities, it was a kind of Dao affinity and incense-fellowship. They wouldn't make things too ugly.
But as for mountain marsh loose cultivators who banded together, most formed groups of three or four. Fewer than that couldn't accomplish anything, more than that easily led to disputes. At the slightest sign of trouble, they might not even make it to the stage of uneven spoils before internal strife broke out. Competing with registered immortal masters for opportunities was as difficult as ascending to heaven. So during the competition, they were often more willing to risk their lives than the former. Once trapped in a desperate situation, loose cultivators might even be especially united against a common enemy, sparing no expense. But after dividing the spoils, what was so hard about turning on each other? As a mountain marsh loose cultivator, once the general situation was settled, if they didn't have the thought of taking all the benefits for themselves, then why bother being a loose cultivator at all?
Di Yuanfeng noticed Daoist Sun's wandering gaze and laughed: "What, worried that Huang Shi and I will harm you? Such a rare and vast blessed land, the three of us, how much can we carry away in the end? Since we can't carry it all anyway, why would we need to kill each other?"
Hearing this, Daoist Sun felt it made sense, and couldn't help stroking his beard and squinting with a smile.
The three crossed the white jade arched bridge. When no one was paying attention, Daoist Sun crouched down and touched the white jade bridge surface. It wasn't the common mutton-fat fine jade of the secular world. Damn it, wasn't this another pile of immortal money lying here unmoved?
Daoist Sun bent his finger and tapped lightly, the sound crisp. Truly quite pleasant to the ear.
Like the first time in his life he heard the soft clink of two Minor Heat coins. It was intoxicating, never tiring of hearing it.
Di Yuanfeng, after approaching the mountain gate, looked up at a staircase that led straight to the mountain peak, and laughed: "Let's take a slight detour, take in the scenery, make sure no one else is around, then we'll go straight to the summit."
The other three had no objections.
At the mountain gate there was a large, simply styled memorial archway, horizontally embedded with the vigorous characters "Cave Heaven and Blessed Land."
The couplet on both sides was also stone-carved.
"Serene and unmoving, communication is spirit."
"On earth, those who obtain its essence are the most intelligent."
Chen Ping'an stared at the couplet for a long time.
In fact, it wasn't at all balanced or parallel.
But the tone was grand, the meaning was grand.
Huang Shi was the first to stop looking at the horizontal plaque and couplet, his gaze moving early to the distance and the heights.
Di Yuanfeng looked behind the memorial archway. On both sides, ascending in order, stood thirty-six stone steles of varying heights. But for some unknown reason, the inscribed characters had all been worn smooth.
It seemed that the only thing this ruin could tell later generations about its origin was those four characters "Cave Heaven and Blessed Land," which were as good as unwritten. As for the two couplets, they were even more nonsensical.
Daoist Sun looked up at the ancient seal-script horizontal plaque and clicked his tongue: "What kind of nonsense is this? No wonder it was destroyed."
Throughout history, Cave Heavens and Blessed Lands had often changed, not remaining fixed. Either they were shattered by great cultivators, or they mysteriously disappeared, or a Cave Heaven descended and degraded into a Blessed Land. But Daoist Sun believed there absolutely was no such thing as a "Cave Heaven of the World." Moreover, although the spiritual qi here was abundant, it was still somewhat lacking compared to the legendary Cave Heavens. There were also many records in the mountains, similar to unofficial histories, that when mentioning Cave Heavens, they often linked them to "spiritual qi condensed as thick as water." The water fortune here was rich, but it was still far from that description.
Compared to the three people beside him, Chen Ping'an knew more about Cave Heavens and Blessed Lands. But he also had not heard of a "Cave Heaven of the World." As for inferring the age of the mansion from the architectural style, it was also futile, after all, Chen Ping'an's understanding of Beiju Continent was still very shallow. Whenever such times came, Chen Ping'an would feel a deeper appreciation for registered immortal masters who came from sects. The heritage of a mountain was indeed something that needed to be accumulated by generations of ancestral hall disciples.
He could only make a note of it. If there was an opportunity, he would sketch the main buildings and later hand the drawing to Cui Dongshan for a look.
Di Yuanfeng withdrew his gaze and nodded with a smile: "Truly strange."
After that, the four moved on, their pace not slow. They passed by great halls and ornate buildings, pavilions and towers, covered corridors and crimson railings. Every now and then, the four could see skeletons of corpses lying on the ground. Judging by the positions where the bones had fallen, they had all died suddenly and violently.
No one pushed open any doors.
They still wanted to go to the Daoist temple at the mountain summit to investigate first.
Generally speaking, the most important treasures of a mountain gate would be at the highest point.
This unknown immortal mansion had fine scratch marks everywhere, but none of them were deep.
It was as if a rainstorm of majestic sword qi had fallen without warning, suddenly, catching everyone off guard.
This sword strike was undoubtedly the work of a Sword Immortal. It was unknown whether it was a Jade Purity realm or an Immortal realm sword cultivator.
As for why there would be such a strange sword strike, with sword qi covering the sky and earth, and seemingly able to accurately find people as the target of the sword...
Chen Ping'an looked up.
Heaven only knows.
In any case, a whole large immortal sect had instantly collapsed and dissipated.
Walking all the way, gradually ascending higher, it was dead silent.
Daoist Sun walked this road with trepidation, as if a basin of cold water had been poured over his head. He kept unconsciously reaching out to touch the Pagoda Bell.
If evil spirits and demons were hiding here, what then?
Or if among these skeletons, some had condensed their souls into fierce ghosts after death and occupied this immortal mansion for who knows how many centuries, even if they were dullards in life, by now they should have cultivated into a terrestrial immortal ghostly entity, right?
So Daoist Sun had to touch the Pagoda Bell more often to feel at ease.
In fact, this bell had a special use. The closer a low-level filthy existence came, the faster and denser the bell's sound would be. The higher the realm, up to the Dragon Gate realm, it would be so noisy as to irritate the wearer to distraction. But once a Golden Core demonic creature was nearby, the Pagoda Bell would not shake violently. To an outsider, it would appear completely still and silent, but in reality, on the mind-lake of its refined owner, a single *ding-dong* sound would ring.
It was that one-time silent reminder from the Pagoda Bell that had allowed Daoist Sun to escape disaster.
Daoist Sun only hoped that this time, the bell sound would never ring on his mind-lake.
The three allies had calculated together that dealing with a Dragon Gate realm cultivator, even a registered immortal master with a magic treasure by their side, wasn't too big a problem.
So Daoist Sun wished that the Pagoda Bell at his waist would shake as violently as possible, even if it sounded like thunder, it didn't matter.
As the four passed by those skeletons along the way, Di Yuanfeng would wave his sleeve. The clothes the skeletons wore would be shaken by his gang qi and turn to ash. Not only that, many cultivator accessories that should have contained spiritual qi would also be reduced to ashes.
Only the bones themselves, after the fist gang swept over, remained unharmed.
Another strange event.
After more than a dozen such attempts, Di Yuanfeng had gained nothing. The tall, gaunt old man began to act first, imitating the same action, but his luck was poor, and he still didn't encounter a single dharma robe.
Di Yuanfeng turned to look at Huang Shi, "Brother Huang, want to try your luck?"
Perhaps it really was a change of fortune. After Huang Shi acted, on the climbing steps, the clothes on a skeleton remained. Daoist Sun immediately ran over to strip the clothes.
To hell with the dignified demeanor of a Thunder God's abode!
I am just a mountain marsh loose cultivator who has never touched half a Grain Rain coin in my life!
But after succeeding, Daoist Sun still painfully handed it over to Huang Shi.
Such were the rules of mountain marsh loose cultivators.
Of course, there were bigger rules waiting for the four later, but for now, it seemed they were only waiting for this Fellow Daoist Chen.
Daoist Sun felt a rare moment of reluctance.
Could it be that he was about to have a rare moment of bodhisattva compassion and persuade Di Yuanfeng and Huang Shi?
If everyone really returned with full loads and still couldn't empty the place's storehouses, then wouldn't it be unnecessary to kill and rob?
But Daoist Sun was hesitant. He felt there was no hurry; first, see the gains, then talk about other things.
Otherwise, if in the end they couldn't even fill a single travel bag, his indecisiveness and womanly benevolence would only make those two feel disgusted, and they might just decide to kill him along with the others.
Chen Ping'an always followed behind the three.
After walking the last step, on the white jade square in front of the Daoist temple, there were two smaller skeletons on the ground. When Di Yuanfeng waved his sleeve, their clothes vanished, but each left behind a relic.
However, these two mountain-grade heavy artifacts had many cracks, greatly damaging their quality.
Di Yuanfeng crouched down, picked them up, and carefully tucked them into his sleeve.
Huang Shi said: "It seems the quality of spiritual tools and magic treasures here won't be very good."
Di Yuanfeng nodded and laughed: "Then we'll win by quantity."
Daoist Sun was overjoyed.
Huang Shi also revealed a rare trace of a smile.
Chen Ping'an still didn't get involved. He was used to thinking of an escape route first before talking about seeking treasures and wealth.
Standing at the mountain peak, looking out, as far as the eye could see, beyond the green mountains and clear waters, the scene within a hundred li radius was visible. The only difference was distance, with the view gradually becoming blurred. But farther away, there seemed to exist an extremely clear boundary line. Beyond that line, the scene abruptly changed, becoming a misty expanse. It gave Chen Ping'an a heavy feeling of the end of the road and the emptiness of heaven and earth.
This was both a good thing and a bad thing.
The good thing was that this immortal's cave mansion was a so-called rootless place, similar to a broken ancient Cave Heaven or Blessed Land, not built within real mountains and waters.
This indicated that this immortal's ruin must have a long history and deep origins. Perhaps there really were celestial materials and earthly treasures worth a fortune, and maybe one or two immortal cultivation secret manuals pointing directly to the terrestrial immortal realm could appear.
But the bad thing was that entering was easy, leaving was hard, unless someone could break the restrictions of this small world.
Chen Ping'an had a Sword Immortal at his back within its sheath, so of course he could do it. It must be that even the most solid sky-canopy was no match for the Skeletal Beach Ghost Realm Valley.
But then he would become the target of all the various mountain factions, which went against his original intention of "secretly picking up scraps to earn small money, quietly leaving without bothering anyone."
Chen Ping'an did not wish to become a second Jiang Shangzhen, reduced to a rat crossing the street in the eyes of Beiju Continent cultivators, everyone shouting to beat and kill him.
The reason Huang Shi and the other two were so at ease was probably that they hadn't yet detected the peculiarities of the distant landscape. This showed that Huang Shi, a Golden Body realm martial artist, was not made of paper, but neither was he too strong.
The existence of that boundary line was, for Chen Ping'an's current situation, of little significance.
But once the worst outcome appeared, he would be the only one who could see and walk out of this small world.
The other three were still kept in the dark. Perhaps at this moment they were secretly communicating about how to betray and kill this Fellow Daoist of theirs.
The Daoist temple before them was not large, and the plaque was gone. Before the four entered the Daoist temple, they couldn't help but glance at the green glazed tiles on the roof ridge. Among the many buildings on the mountain, only this one had such tiles.
The years were long, yet the tiles still shimmered with precious light. Obviously, they were not ordinary glazed tiles from secular dynasty palaces or princely residences, but genuine mountain treasures, items used by immortal households.
In short, every single tile was immortal money.
This sight made Daoist Sun tremble all over. He estimated that they were worth at least seven or eight Minor Heat coins! If they were truly high-grade glazed tiles fired by immortal secret methods, it might even be possible to exchange Minor Heat coins for Grain Rain coins!
Both Huang Shi and Di Yuanfeng were pure martial artists by background. They had no connection with the large mountain sects, and like Daoist Sun, they couldn't accurately assess the value of these glazed tiles. However, the mountain mansion and immortal sects they had dealings with had never laid such glazed tiles on their own rooftops. Down in the secular world, they were not uncommon.
Chen Ping'an finally looked back to where they had come from. Still no movement.
There was a question he wanted to ask the next group of people, if he had the chance.
Roughly what time had they entered this small world?
In fact, Chen Ping'an had been mentally timing.
Once the flow rate of the river of time here deviated significantly from that of the Haoran World, then Chen Ping'an would have both his best and worst plans.
---
Zhan Qing, the young marquis of Beiting Kingdom, and his group arrived at the entrance of the cave mansion.
The Golden Body realm martial artist, who was a family retainer, was examining the footprints on the ground.
Gao Ling, a military officer from the Furong Kingdom, said in a deep voice: "Young Marquis, there are quite a few people hiding near the mountain."
Zhan Qing laughed: "Let them eat our dust behind us. Since they have the guts to enter the cave mansion, they should have the guts to be reborn."
He had no particular fondness for either mountain marsh loose cultivators or registered immortal masters.
Even though he himself was a serious Dao cultivator, perhaps deep down he was still a child of a wealthy and powerful clan. Accustomed to seeing emperors, generals, ministers, and noble mansions, he was used to careful planning and leveraging situations, rather than relying on a pair of fists or a few treasures to kill back and forth. So Zhan Qing was thoroughly disgusted with those lofty fellow cultivators. But when it truly came to needing spells to kill, Zhan Qing naturally wouldn't drag things out.
Bai Bi teased: "Really not the least bit anxious? Not afraid those two groups will get there first?"
Zhan Qing laughed: "If they can refine an immortal's supreme treasure and eat some secret manual in the blink of an eye, then I'll just accept my bad luck and admit defeat. Otherwise, where can the people and the treasures escape to?"
Gao Ling began to regard this person with increasing respect.
Earlier, he had only thought of the young marquis of Beiting Kingdom as a good-for-nothing born with a silver spoon.
Now it seemed that in the future, anyone who dared to underestimate this man and start a so-called great Dao struggle on the path of cultivation would surely find themselves capsized in a ditch.
Two Golden Body realm martial artists led the way, holding candles as they entered the dark cave.
Bai Bi's mood was leisurely. As long as there were no major surprises, this mountain visit to seek treasures wouldn't require her to personally intervene.
Even if Sun Qing from Colorful Sparrow Manor and Shen Zhenze from Cloudy City came in person, it would only be a minor surprise.
The two seventh-realm martial artists in her team were enough to give them a hard time.
The group arrived at the chamber with the four-color frescoes of Heavenly Kings on the walls.
Zhan Qing frowned. Breaking formations was not his specialty. His Nascent Soul master, being a mountain marsh loose cultivator with a broad range of learning, should be familiar with the ropes. But he never taught Zhan Qing anything about the methods of seeking secret realm opportunities, always saying that those heterodox mechanisms would hinder cultivation, and that he could talk about other things once Zhan Qing reached the Dragon Gate realm.
Since the first group of loose cultivators and the Cloudy City cultivators had all vanished, they must have entered the immortal mansion ruin one after another.
Bai Bi smiled slightly: "What do we do now? Stand here staring at each other?"
Zhan Qing said helplessly: "If we knew the location of the exit, we could just wait by the tree stump for the rabbit. But I'm afraid the distance is over a hundred li, and we won't be able to detect them."
Bai Bi put her hands behind her back and looked around: "Let's first look for clues. If that really doesn't work, you'll owe me a huge favor."
Zhan Qing asked: "Is the price high?"
Bai Bi nodded: "Not small. It will cost me about ten years of Dao cultivation."
The direct disciple of the Water Dragon Sect's founder carefully sacrificed a natal object. It was an extremely rare cyan talisman, with a pattern of flowing water, both simple and strange. The flowing water drawn on the talisman paper flowed slowly, and one could even faintly hear the sound of water.
A Golden Core cultivator from a sect willing to refine a talisman as a natal object meant that the rank of this talisman was at least a magic treasure.
Bai Bi said: "This is an ancient talisman. My master came across it by chance in her early years, from the ruins of one of the three ancient ancestral temples of the Ji River. It is called the Cun Jin Talisman. It has many wonderful uses. Cultivating water methods becomes twice the result with half the effort. The dispute over the ownership of this talisman within the sect was rather unpleasant. Let's not dwell on it. In any case, one of its uses is to help us enter the secret realm."
The Cun Jin Talisman was also known as the Time Talisman.
Profound and mysterious.
Although Zhan Qing didn't know the origins of this talisman, he still shook his head: "Forget it."
Bai Bi sighed: "I am already a Golden Core terrestrial immortal. Ten years of cultivation, which is equivalent to a Dragon Gate realm qi refiner's former ten years of cultivation, what does it count for? The further you go, the more one realm difference becomes like clouds and mud. For qi refiners it's like this, for martial artists even more so."
Zhan Qing smiled bitterly: "Sister Bai."
Bai Bi smiled: "One 'Sister Bai' is enough."
Even Zhan Qing, a young noble with such a cold and indifferent temperament, couldn't help but be moved, wanting to reach out and take her hand.
But Bai Bi shook her head with a calm mind: "Those vulgar beauties you keep hidden in your golden house, many of those women are willing to die for you. Why aren't you moved? Just because I am a Golden Core terrestrial immortal and am willing to lose a few years of Dao cultivation, you are touched? This kind of romantic attachment, I think, is better left alone. If in the future, on the path of cultivation, it were a Nascent Soul female cultivator who paid such a price for you, would you then be fickle? True immortal Dao partners on the mountain are far from being this shallow."
Zhan Qing felt as if struck by lightning, speechless.
Bai Bi suddenly said: "Before using the Cun Jin Talisman, let's first deduce the clues, then try a forceful entry. The fists of the two Golden Body realm martial artists shouldn't be wasted. If both methods fail, then I'll step in."
Zhan Qing felt a little better.
Looking at this beautiful Sister Bai again, she seemed somewhat unfamiliar.
---
After appearing at this immortal cave mansion, Huan Yun immediately stuck a unique talisman on each of the three people beside him to conceal their forms and auras.
As for the ripples of qi caused by their movement, he, Huan Yun, was merely a Golden Core terrestrial immortal from the Talisman Sect, not a Daoist Heavenly Lord with transcendent spells. He couldn't achieve perfection.
The old retainer from Cloudy City's Dragon Gate realm breathed a sigh of relief. No ambush was ultimately a good thing.
Huan Yun suddenly said: "From now on, you three can wander on your own. Except for life-and-death battles, I won't interfere with you. Gains and losses, fortune and misfortune, other than life and death, are up to each of you."
Then Huan Yun laughed: "Rest assured, I won't compete with you. At most, I'll pick up the leftovers you leave behind or the things you fail to discover."
Huan Yun's figure dissipated like clouds and mist, leaving not a trace of ripples.
The old retainer said to the two juniors with a smile: "Real Person Huan always keeps his word. Let's go. Dealing with that group of loose cultivators next is what the two of you need to worry about."
Hearing the implication of their protector, the woman asked worriedly: "Uncle-Master, you...?"
The old retainer said helplessly: "Do you expect me to pick up things for you and carry your bags? Are you here on a sightseeing trip? Am I your porter?"
The old retainer rose on the wind, wanting to see how high the sky canopy of this cave mansion was. Also, looking down at the earth from a high vantage point made it easier to see more hidden mechanisms.
However, to be cautious, the old man sacrificed a spiritual tool that was not a natal object and let it rise and circle first, to avoid crashing headlong into a mountain-and-water formation.
Entering such an unowned immortal mansion ruin, everywhere was money to be picked up.
And everywhere, murderous intent awaited those who picked up money.
In fact, the old man had mixed feelings. The good thing was that the opportunity here was certainly great, beyond imagination. It was by no means the cultivation mansion of a Dragon Gate realm cultivator, but an entire sect. Just from the scale of the architecture, it was already no less than Cloudy City or Colorful Sparrow Manor.
So for City Lord Shen Zhenze to take out that square-inch object and give it to him was absolutely right.
The worry was that this immortal mansion could not be taken away. Once it was truly the cultivation ground of a Nascent Soul terrestrial immortal, or even an Upper Five Realm great cultivator, after they returned to Cloudy City, if even a little news leaked out, then the next time someone came to visit the mountain to seek treasures, they probably wouldn't even get a single scrap of leftovers. It would only be moved away by the nearest sect using the legendary mountain-moving divine ability. The sects closest to Beiting Kingdom, one to the west and one to the north, were at similar distances from this place. The slight difference was negligible for sect cultivators who owned their own ferry boats.
The old retainer only hoped that the previous owner of this place was just an obscure terrestrial immortal, and that his realm was not any higher.
Golden Core was best. Nascent Soul would be somewhat troublesome, and it would be difficult to clean up afterwards.
There was a chance that a registered immortal master from a sect would come to Cloudy City to pay a visit. Without even opening his mouth to speak, the city lord would have to spit out most of the fat meat and obediently hand it over, and still worry that the other party wasn't satisfied.
If it was the site of a mountain sect presided over by an Upper Five Realm cultivator, there was no need to even think about it. It was highly likely that fortune and misfortune were interdependent; a great blessing would be followed by a great calamity.
Unless their Cloudy City could immediately shatter this small world and destroy all traces in one go.
Unfortunately, Cloudy City absolutely could not do that.
Unless Shen Zhenze made a prompt decision. After the three of them and Huan Yun returned to Cloudy City, he would take the initiative to find one of those sects and negotiate a fair split.
As for this treasure land with abundant water fortune, plus so many ready-made spectacular buildings, it would naturally become a future summer resort for that sect.
The spiritual tool used for reconnaissance flew around everywhere without any obstruction.
So the old retainer confidently rose on the wind.
Just when the old retainer was already several hundred zhang above the ground, that spiritual tool suddenly shattered with a bang. Sensing something was wrong, the old retainer was suddenly pulled and fell toward the ground.
His heart trembled, then he breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out that the old Real Person Huan had pressed on his shoulder and brought him down to the ground together.
Then the old retainer sensed a wisp of fine qi above his head, flashing past and disappearing in an instant.
Huan Yun said in a deep voice: "I advise you not to go any higher. Even a Golden Core terrestrial immortal who is a military strategist cultivator can't withstand that wisp of sword qi that patrols the four directions."
Earlier, the old Real Person had thrown out several Travel Talismans into the four directions of heaven and earth. He found that whenever a talisman went to a high place, it would instantly turn to powder.
The old retainer looked up. That wisp of aura was nowhere to be found.
This Dragon Gate realm cultivator from Cloudy City was shocked: "Could it be that this ruin still has a Sword Immortal in residence?!"
Huan Yun, who had already quietly circled the green mountain, shook his head: "Everyone is dead. No living people, no ghostly entities. Only this strand of sword qi continues to exist within this small world."
Huan Yun's expression was grave: "Let me tell you another piece of news, both good and bad. This place is a mysterious area left behind after an ancient Cave Heaven or Blessed Land shattered for some reason. The size of the territory is roughly a hundred li in radius. As for the age of this small world, it's hard to say. It could be a thousand years, or even more. But when this mountain mansion sect quietly perished, I've roughly calculated it to be about seven or eight hundred years ago. But that's also abnormal. In the history of Beiting Kingdom, there simply is no such immortal sect."
Huan Yun stopped his descent, hovering more than a hundred zhang above the ground with the old retainer. He said slowly: "Then there is only one possibility. After the sect here was destroyed, this small world was carried along by an unknown transcendent being, migrating all the way to Beiting Kingdom. But for some unknown reason, this immortal was unable to occupy this secret realm and cultivate smoothly, then use this place to establish a sect outside. Either he met with a sudden calamity, and the treasure that carried the small world fell into the deep mountains of Beiting Kingdom without being noticed, or after this person came to Beiting Kingdom, he no longer traveled far, hid here to go into closed-door cultivation in secret, and then quietly underwent military liberation and reincarnation."
Huan Yun sighed: "Life and death are uncertain, the great Dao is impermanent."
Whenever he contemplated this matter and this principle.
It made people feel somewhat disheartened.
But Huan Yun, after his lament, immediately woke with a start, remembering the words he had used to console Shen Zhenze in Cloudy City. In an instant, he returned to normal, with no more shadow in his mind.
Daoist cultivation, self-deception is the most deceptive to others. That was why among the three teachings and hundred schools, there existed that most difficult barrier to cross, the Heart-Examining Barrier.
The old Real Person Huan was actually of excellent aptitude. But all the terrestrial immortals along the great river of Beiju Continent felt that his path in talismans had great prospects and was aligned with his own Dao. That was why he had his current glory. In truth, Huan knew in his heart that this was like eating bitter gourd—he couldn't express the hardship. A transcendent person had once said clearly that if Huan had entered a sect-level immortal household early on and then stopped learning those flashy, fancy talisman tricks, he would have long been a Nascent Soul cultivator with hopes of entering the Upper Five Realms.
So the word "gain and loss" touched Huan deeply.
When truly helpless, he had to treat it as a cultivation experience to sharpen his Dao heart, to relieve his worries.
---
In the Daoist temple at the mountain summit, a seated statue of a middle-aged Daoist was enshrined. He gazed straight ahead, his hands spread flat and stacked in front of him.
On the incense table was a small yellow copper incense burner, still containing half a burner's worth of incense ash.
Everyone knew that the small incense burner, which could be polished to a mirror-like shine, was absolutely a heavy Daoist artifact. But no one touched it.
Di Yuanfeng asked softly: "Daoist Sun, have you seen this person in the portraits of Daoist deities?"
Daoist Sun shook his head: "Never seen him."
There was something he didn't dare to say out loud. This Daoist's appearance was ordinary, and the whole statue gave no special feeling at all, just plain and unremarkable. It wasn't even as impressive as the four Heavenly King statues in the chamber.
Chen Ping'an gazed at the statue. It seemed that when he was traveling through the flow of time in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land for over three hundred years with the old Daoist from the East Sea Observation Dao Temple, he occasionally saw the old temple master also adopt this sitting posture. But it wasn't common. In the eyes of ordinary mortals, this kind of sitting posture was not particularly strange, but Chen Ping'an had a vague feeling that there was some similarity in the old temple master's true intention of Dao cultivation and the demeanor of this middle-aged Daoist statue before him.
Chen Ping'an recalled four characters from a Daoist classic.
"Depart the realm, sit in forgetfulness."
The years are long.
Cultivators know not the summer and winter of the mundane world. Those who have passed away leave behind only an empty statue. No matter how sublime your Dao methods were in life, what difference does it make? Is it not even more ignorant of the changing seasons? A Daoist cultivates the Dao; in the end, what heights will be reached?
Chen Ping'an sighed in his heart. From his Immediate Object, he took out three sticks of landscape incense. He rubbed them to light them, then inserted them into the small incense burner.
Daoist Sun felt that this Fellow Daoist was really wishful thinking. Did he hope that the statue's Daoist still had a remnant primordial spirit and would bestow an opportunity because you lit three sticks of incense?
Huang Shi and Di Yuanfeng did not stop this person from offering incense.
In fact, they wanted to use this black-robed old man's rash incense-burning to determine whether the small incense burner would trigger a mechanism, granting an opportunity, or set off a trap, bringing deadly disaster.
Because the small incense burner was inevitably going to be taken away. Having someone willing to risk exploring the path was even better.
When the three sticks of incense burned out, there was no movement.
Di Yuanfeng then laughed: "Brother Huang got a dharma robe first, and I got two accessories. So who should this incense burner belong to? Daoist Sun? Old Brother Chen?"
Chen Ping'an smiled and said: "Forget about me. There are so many buildings on the mountain, I haven't even visited seventeen or eighteen of them. After we split up, I'll have enough to keep me busy. If Daoist Sun wants this incense burner, just take it."
Huang Shi said: "I can exchange the dharma robe with Daoist Sun for the incense burner."
Daoist Sun's heart ached, but he still nodded in agreement.
Huang Shi tossed over the dharma robe, then went to move the incense burner and put it into his bundle.
Then he cleaned out the worthless clothes, bottles, and jars from his large travel bag, casually throwing them on the ground.
He tore the bag in half, giving one half to Di Yuanfeng as a carrying bundle. Huang Shi glanced at Daoist Sun, who looked awkward, and said: "Daoist Sun is wearing such a large Daoist robe. Isn't taking it off the same as a bundle?"
Daoist Sun suddenly understood, his heart full of joy.
Next, the four were busy in the small Daoist temple. Di Yuanfeng found a white snow-like cushion. Daoist Sun tore down several pieces of golden silk cloth of unknown material.
Huang Shi guessed that the statue contained hidden secrets, so he simply punched the whole statue to pieces. But he got nothing.
At that moment, Chen Ping'an was crouched on the ground, touching the moisture-heavy blue bricks, tapping and knocking. He had just formed an idea when he heard the commotion. He looked up at Huang Shi, who grinned at Chen Ping'an.
Daoist Sun was startled. Di Yuanfeng only glanced at the broken pieces of the statue, saw it was the cheapest wooden-core painted sculpture, and then ignored it.
The four walked out of the Daoist temple together. Daoist Sun had just crossed the threshold.
From his waist came a series of cracking sounds.
The Pagoda Bell had directly exploded.
Daoist Sun wailed: "Disaster! Disaster! It must be because of our disrespectful actions that we've angered this Daoist immortal master."
Huang Shi and Di Yuanfeng exchanged a glance, then without any hesitation, went down the mountain to the other buildings to split up and search for treasures.
Daoist Sun hesitated for a moment, then chose not to follow Di Yuanfeng, but to follow Huang Shi, shouting "Wait for me" as he ran over.
Soon, the small Daoist temple behind the four collapsed with a roar, dust flying, blotting out the sky and covering the sun.
Chen Ping'an did not rush down the mountain to seek treasures like the other three.
Instead, he began to collect the items that the other three were unwilling to take more of.
For example, the overly heavy and space-occupying green glazed tiles, and the blue bricks that had condensed rich water fortune.
Besides the slanted bundle on his body, Chen Ping'an also had the Square-Inch Object and the Immediate Object.
It happened that he had cleared out many spaces when he had set up the Ant Shop at Old Locust Street in Spring Dew Garden earlier.
But what Chen Ping'an really wanted to collect were the broken pieces of the statue that Huang Shi had punched to pieces.
In the ruins of the Daoist temple, Chen Ping'an's movements in collecting items were neither fast nor slow.
One by one, the flowing, radiant glazed tiles were first put into the Immediate Object. At the same time, he kept lightly throwing the debris from the temple ruins onto the square, carefully picking out the broken pieces of the statue. While searching for the wood fragments, he also loaded the glazed tiles. Legend has it that the Glazed Pavilion at White Emperor City had secret blue-glazed tiles layered on the roof ridge, earning the reputation of "Ten thousand tiles on the Glazed Pavilion, reflecting the sea of clouds like green waves."
After gathering all the broken pieces of the statue, Chen Ping'an also loaded one hundred and twenty glazed tiles. His thoughts turned somewhat strange.
First, when he looked up, it seemed that the ruins of the Daoist temple had been moved from their original site to the white jade square.
Moreover, the blue bricks, which contained traces of water fortune rather than ordinary spiritual qi, put Chen Ping'an in a dilemma.
To collect all the glazed tiles from the temple roof and the blue bricks from the ground, even if Chen Ping'an had a few more Immediate Objects, he wouldn't be able to do it.
But Chen Ping'an didn't dwell on it at all.
Instead, in his Immediate Object, he placed some old items that were not worth a single coin.
Compared to the blue bricks containing traces of water fortune essence, or the other opportunities and treasures in the halls and pavilions, it was like the difference between heaven and earth.
Chen Ping'an crouched down where he was, hands in his sleeves.
He looked up and touched the stubble on his chin, then stood up, and as much as possible, moved more blue bricks and glazed tiles.
The old items in the Immediate Object were not discarded.
Finally, Chen Ping'an lit three more sticks of incense and inserted them into the gap between two blue bricks in the ruins of the temple.
After they burned out, he gently blew a breath and scattered the ashes.
When Chen Ping'an dug up the blue bricks, he did so in neat rows, not here and there, and erased the traces of digging on the ground.
In the end, even the Square-Inch Object was not spared. Together with the Immediate Object, it held more than thirty blue bricks.
After thinking it over, Chen Ping'an put another blue brick and two glazed tiles into his slanted bundle. The weight felt reassuring.
So Chen Ping'an stuffed two more blue bricks into his bundle.
Then he went down the mountain.
To see that Fellow Daoist Sun, who had the softest heart.
If nothing unexpected happened, when this Fellow Daoist Sun found another treasure that even Huang Shi coveted, that would be the moment of Daoist Sun's death and Dao dissipation.
And before this Fellow Daoist Sun shouted "Wait for me" to Huang Shi, he had actually transmitted a message to Chen Ping'an's mind: Be very careful of Qin Juyuan. Fellow Daoist, it's best if you don't appear again. Take this chance, grab your treasures and run, the farther the better. Life is more valuable than money!
Chen Ping'an felt that because of these words, he should help Fellow Daoist Sun avoid one more mishap.
This trip to the mountain to seek treasures had yielded far more than Chen Ping'an had imagined. He could laugh in his dreams.
So what followed was just a journey through the landscape.
If he happened to gain something more, that would be even better. If he got nothing at all, it was still fine.
But the inexplicable shattering of Daoist Sun's Pagoda Bell was very strange.
However, compared to all the oddities of this cave mansion, it didn't seem that unusual.
Even though Chen Ping'an had just lit another Yang Qi Lantern-Lighting Talisman, the world remained clear and bright, with no signs of filth or baleful aura.
Chen Ping'an was at a loss.
It was just a matter of dealing with situations as they arose.
Many natural and man-made disasters were ultimately just man-made.
Chen Ping'an circled around the mountain of temple ruins piled up on the white jade square. His earlier rummaging had been meticulous, his methods clever. He wouldn't have missed anything.
If he had truly missed something, there was no need to think further.
Chen Ping'an stood at the top of the steps, looking out.
Finally, the second group of people had arrived.
Compared to the first group's stealthy movement, this group was much more swaggering.
It was the young Marquis Zhan Qing of Beiting Kingdom and the direct female disciple of the Water Dragon Sect, Bai Bi from the Furong Kingdom.
Chen Ping'an stuck a Stele-Carrying Talisman on himself, and swooped down like a bird.