The Great Violetwing Beast was only at Half-Chrysalis realm whereas Dong Xin’s tamed beast was a Chrysalis realm intermediate stage spirit beast.
The former might be capable of flying at fast speed, but in terms of overall performance, the latter was definitely superior.
Given that Dong Xin’s tamed beast would require three days just to make a one-way trip, do you really believe that your Great Violetwing Beast could make a roundabout trip in a day? You must be joking!
“It’s settled then. Meet me at Leiyuan Peak at the Zi hour1 tonight, we will set off from there!” Zhang Xuan noticed the doubtful expression on Hu Yaoyao’s face, but since they would understand when the time came, he didn’t think that there was any need for him to explain himself.
“… Alright then.” Seeing that Zhang Xuan was unwilling to speak, Hu Yaoyao didn’t ask on as well. Turning around, she returned back to the Master Teacher Academy.
After she left the manor, Zhang Xuan didn’t rush off to the royal palace to attend the banquet. Instead, he made his way to the ancient pine tree in the courtyard.
Since this tree was located beneath the Three Stars of the Earth Dragon, the treasure should be in its vicinity.
Activating the Eye of Insight, he began to examine the pine tree carefully. However, despite scrutinizing every inch of it, he was unable to find anything peculiar at all.
But that was to be expected. If it could be found that easily, someone else would have claimed the treasure long ago.
Wu Yangzi mentioned that I have to put down three formation flags according to the Three Stars, and the items will surface automatically…
Recalling the words Wu Yangzi had mentioned back then, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist and took out three formation flags and a Night Illumination Pearl.
With a swift leap, he returned to the area where Hu Yaoyao stood previously and raised his Night Illumination Pearl up high. In an instant, three brilliant stars appeared in the three ponds scattered around the courtyard.
“Go!” With another flick of his wrist, Zhang Xuan tossed the formation flags into the air.
Sou sou sou!
The three formation flags fell directly onto the stars in the three ponds simultaneously.
Weng!
With a faint buzz, the ground suddenly started rumbling slightly, as if the earth dragon had come to life. Following which, the towering pine tree abruptly burst apart, revealing a medium-sized metal box within.
Zhang Xuan rushed over and grabbed the box.
“Is this the treasure Wu Yangzi left behind? It sure is well-hidden!” Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up in excitement.
Even though the box sprung from the pine tree, he could tell that it was actually not hidden within the pine tree but a hidden space inside.
In other words, had Zhang Xuan not found the three stars and inserted the three formation flags, he wouldn’t have been able to find the box even if he were to reduce the pine tree to dust.
Studying the pine tree carefully, it seemed like some kind of formation with a function reminiscent of a storage ring was set up around the area, and the center of the formation was where the pine tree was located. This was also the reason why Wu Yangzi’s treasure remained unfound even after two thousand years later.
“This is a Celestial Designer Mechanical Container!” After analyzing the tree, Zhang Xuan turned his attention back to the metal box.
Each Celestial Designer Mechanical Container was exquisitely built using a unique blueprint designed by a celestial designer. Without an understanding of the structure of the box, it was impossible to unlock it.
However, this wasn’t a problem for Zhang Xuan.
Muttering ‘Flaws!’ beneath his breath, a book materialized in the Library of Heaven’s Path. He browsed through it quickly before tapping on sixteen different points on the box with his finger.
Kacha!
With a crisp click, a mechanism whirred into action, and the box was opened.
The first thing that Zhang Xuan saw inside the box was a pitch-black ore which was around the size of a fist. It emanated a bone-chilling frigid air.
“Since you found this box, it can only mean that I have met with some kind of mishap…”
Along with the whirring of the mechanism, a faint voice sounded in the air.
It was Wu Yangzi’s voice.
You did meet with mishap… Upon thinking about how the number one blacksmith of Hongyuan Empire ended up being trapped within an underground cavern til his death, Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but sigh deeply in lamentation.
Wu Yangzi thought that he was contributing to mankind by turning those Otherworldly Demons into puppets and killing them, but the truth was that Vicious was making use of his smithing capability to turn his subordinates into everlasting guards that could protect him until his comeback.
“Regardless of whether I have passed away or not, the fact that you were able to find my treasure means that there is fate between you and me. Contained in here are my most valuable possessions, so I hope that you can use them wisely.
“The ore in the box is known as the Black Goldcrystal Ore. I had to go to great lengths in order to obtain it. If you were to add even a pinch of it into the weapon you are forging, you will be able to raise its quality up a notch.”
“Black Goldcrystal Ore? This is the Black Goldcrystal Ore?” Zhang Xuan’s breathing hastened in agitation.
As a 6-star pinnacle blacksmith, he had a deep understanding of the various valuable ores in the world. Of those, the Black Goldcrystal Ore was definitely one of the most expensive and rarest ores
Putting everything aside, if he had added a pinch of it into his Half-Saint Glacier Rain Sword during its forging process, he would have been able to successfully raise it to Saint-tier!
This was how valuable it was!
Just a pinch of it could have such miraculous effects, and an entire fist of it was sitting right before him… Its price was inestimable!
It would be hard to tell whether one could afford it even with ten thousand high-tier spirit stones on hand!
It was no wonder why Wu Yangzi would regard it as one of his most valuable possessions!
“But of course, an object that only has the effect of raising an artifact’s tier can’t be considered my greatest treasure. The second item I have left behind here is the manual of my Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body!” the voice continued.
Zhang Xuan turned his gaze back to the box, and he saw a secret manual labeled ‘Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body’ on its cover.
As he had already obtained it back in the underground chamber, he wasn’t particularly excited to see it.
“If you have obtained this cultivation technique from me elsewhere, the chances are that the cultivation technique you have received… is a fake! This is the only real version of Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body in the world, and only by cultivating this version will you be able to grasp the true essence of the technique. If you were to continue cultivating the other version, your cultivation will eventually go berserk…” the voice revealed.
“The one in the underground chamber is a fake?” Astonished, Zhang Xuan swiftly picked up the book, and a replica appeared in the Library of Heaven’s Path.
He swiftly looking through the version in the Library of Heaven’s Path, and a moment later, he shook his head.
The book contained within this box was indeed different from the one Wu Yangzi left in the underground chamber, containing far fewer mistakes in it. However, that made no difference to Zhang Xuan.
He had already resolved most of the flaws of the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body with his Library of Heaven’s Path back in the underground chamber when he first cultivated the technique. In other words… not only was the current version he was cultivating correct, it was even more perfect than the ‘authentic’ version in the box.
To Zhang Xuan, it didn’t matter how flawed a book was. As long as it contained content that would contribute to the compilation of a perfected Heaven’s Path manual, it would be useful to him.
Compile!
Zhang Xuan muttered as he compiled the two versions of Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body together before browsing through it once more.
With a swift glance, his eyes lit up.
It seems like I will be able to cultivate the Third Incandescence very soon…
Of the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body he had compiled previously, with the exception of the First Incandescence, he required certain items to serve as a catalyst for him to cultivate the subsequent levels.
The Second Incandescence required the Earth Flame Heart whereas the Third Incandescence required the Origin Heavy Water.
He had learned the price of the Origin Heavy Water by eavesdropping on Hu Yaoyao’s conversation. A bottle of it cost ten high-tier spirit stones, and he would require at least ten of them to successfully cultivate the Third Incandescence.
In other words, he would require a hundred high-tier spirit stones for it!
He didn’t have the money for that, so he had been putting off the issue so far. However, after compiling the ‘authentic’ version of the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body along with the one he currently had, even though he still required Origin Heavy Water to cultivate the Third Incandescence, the quantity required had decreased significantly.
From the initial ten bottles, he only needed one now!
“There are some changes to the Fourth Incandescence and Fifth Incandescence as well…”
While the ‘authentic’ version of the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body wasn’t able to resolve the remaining flaws contained in his current version, it did help to alleviate it by reducing the amount of each item required to cultivate the subsequent levels.
It seems like Wu Yangzi was still wary of the Otherworldly Demons after all… Zhang Xuan thought as he kept the manual into his storage ring.
It was fortunate that he had borrowed physical body cultivation technique manuals from Luo Qiqi, resolved its flaws, and imparted the correct version to Luo Qiqi. Otherwise, her cultivation might have very well gone berserk.
But thinking about it, Wu Yangzi didn’t have any other choice but to remain wary either.
Surrounded by Otherworldly Demons, how could he possibly dare to leave behind a manual of his secret art without any reservations? If the Otherworldly Demon were to obtain his Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body and use it against mankind, wouldn’t he become a huge sinner?
“The final treasure I have left behind is also the most important one of all. It is due to my possession of this that the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe had set their eyes on me. If you are an ordinary cultivator, I hope that you can hand it over to the Master Teacher Pavilion, and if you are a master teacher, I hope that you can deal with it carefully. Make sure that it doesn’t fall into malicious hands…” the voice spoke grimly.
“Hand it over to the Master Teacher Pavilion?” Zhang Xuan muttered in confusion as he took out the remaining item in the box.
Taking a closer look, it was a piece of goatskin with countless years of history behind it. Resembling a map, it had many labels written in bizarre characters which he had never seen before.
“What is this?” Zhang Xuan muttered as he tried to analyze it with the Library of Heaven’s Path.
While he did manage to compile a book on the map, it only contained details regarding the fabric used. The bizarre characters on it which seemed to be landmark labels on the map didn’t have any flaws, so they were reflected how they originally were in the book.
Unable to derive anything conclusive from the map, Zhang Xuan could only keep the goatskin into his storage ring.
Even though he couldn’t tell what the map was for, given how careful Wu Yangzi was with it and that the Otherworldly Demons were dying to lay their hands on it, it was definitely an extremely important artifact.
“If my descendants are still around, I hope that you can treat them kindly. The greatest regret of my life is to have implicated them in the mess that I got involved with…” After introducing the three treasures, the voice continued speaking in a melancholic tone.
Zhang Xuan could sense Wu Yangzi’s conflicted emotions when he was recording this message. The latter seemed to have known that his possession of the map would result in his enemies going after his family as well, but standing in between the welfare of his family and mankind, he had no choice but to choose the latter.
“Don’t worry, your descendant is currently my apprentice. I will take care of her well!” Zhang Xuan promised solemnly.
He had initially taken in Hu Yaoyao as his apprentice to uncover the location of Wu Yangzi’s old residence, but after learning of the sacrifices that Wu Yangzi had made for mankind, he felt obliged to repay the favor to Hu Yaoyao.
Even if he didn’t accept her as his direct disciple, he would at least acknowledge her as his official student and offer her some guidance in her cultivation and supporting occupations.
“Thank you!” As if responding to Zhang Xuan’s words, the voice spoke these two final words before the whirring of the mechanism faded into silence.
There are two problems that I will have to address now. First, what is the map for? Second, why does the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe hope to lay their hands on it for? Zhang Xuan thought as he rubbed his glabella.
Hu Yaoyao’s concealment of her heritage and Wu Yangzi’s wariness, these seemed to be telling him that Hongyuan City wasn’t as safe as it seemed.
Wait, perhaps Vicious might know a thing or two about it… Such a thought suddenly surfaced in Zhang Xuan’s mind.
The map seemed to be an extremely old relic, and Vicious had lived since the ancient times. Perhaps, he might be able to read those words on the map and deduce what it was for.
Just as he was about to bring Vicious and his clone out from the Myriad Anthive Nest, he suddenly sensed something, and his eyebrows shot up. In the next moment, he saw a beautiful silhouette flitting through the night, headed in his direction.
