"So there was such scenery inside! No wonder they carved out a cave in this remote and desolate place! I thought it was just a unique place, but it turns out there's such a beautiful view!"
Below, where cliffs precipitate, cascades and waterfalls pour down from numerous gaps in the cliffs, converging into countless clear streams of varying widths. Viewed from above, they resemble hundreds of jade dragons hanging in mid-air, soaring and intertwining, their roaring waves and murmuring streams weaving together a symphony of sounds.
Such a crystal-clear waterfall, so unique and magnificent, cannot help but amaze people.
In the flatlands between the mountains, many wildflowers and vines grow in a variety of colors. Now, in the third month of spring, the flowers are in full bloom, making it extremely beautiful.
As they approached on their swords, they saw that the main peak was rugged and precipitous, covered with strange pines and rocks.
According to the Green-Robed Ancestor's memory, the Yin Wind Cave was located inside the belly of this main peak.
Who goes there?
A man below waved a blood-red banner, and a hundred-foot-long mist spread out, emitting a pungent stench, clearly containing deadly poison.
"A hundred poisonous, chilling miasma!"
Jiang Liu chuckled. This was precisely the protective magic treasure left behind by the Green-Robed Ancestor in Hundred Barbarian Mountain, the "Hundred Poisons Cold Light Miasma." It was a treasure refined from countless deadly poisons, mixed with several miasmas unique to Hundred Barbarian Mountain. When not in use, it resembled a dazzling cloud; when released, it could cover an area of a hundred acres. Anyone caught in its embrace would have their blood and qi instantly congeal, the miasma seeping into their bone marrow within moments, turning into foul blood and causing death.
With this protective array, even accomplished sword immortals wouldn't dare to easily venture into it. However, Jiang Liu possessed the "Hundred Poisons True Scripture" and the memories of the Green-Robed Ancestor, giving him an extremely thorough understanding of this protective array. If the Green-Robed Ancestor himself were present...
With a simple hand seal, Jiang Liu drove away the poisonous miasma. To be on the safe side, he also summoned the "Nine Heavens Primordial Yang Ruler," using pure yang purple energy to protect his body, so he was not afraid of the poisonous gas's corrosive effects.
"Who are you? And how do you manage to control the protective array of my Hundred Barbarian Mountain?"
Upon seeing Jiang Liu wearing a mask, the burly man holding the large banner spoke sternly, his white bone fork poised to strike.
Jiang Liu, now in the guise of an emperor, revealed a wicked smile and mimicked the tone of the Green-Robed Ancestor, saying, "Tang Shi, I'm returning to the mountain. Do you intend to stop me?"
The burly man was startled. Realizing that only the ancestor had control over the great formation, he immediately knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Ancestor, spare my life! My fellow disciples are all searching for you outside. Tang Shi alone guards the mountain gate and dares not neglect his duty. Now that you have returned to the mountain, it is a blessing for Baiman Mountain!"
"Hmph!" Jiang Liu ignored the man and headed towards the Yin Wind Cave according to his memory.
The Cave of Shadows! As its name suggests, it is a large cave filled with chilling winds. The river flows into the mountainside, where the cave is enormous, and the mountain walls are covered with phosphorescent green flames, giving it a dark, eerie, and terrifying feel.
At the end, there was a sheer cliff, and a huge cave seemed to lead straight to the bottom of the earth, connecting to the deepest hell. Endless yin winds howled above the cave, like the wailing of ghosts.
It was impossible to fly on a sword in such an environment, but fortunately there was a small path leading to the underground.
The river flowed downstream, walking for more than a thousand meters, and finally reached the underground.
What comes into view is a icy pool about three zhang square, with a chilling aura. The ground around it is covered with a thick layer of solid ice, but the water in the pool is completely free of ice.
He made a hand seal, and the pool water churned, from which a large, transparent dome rose. This thing was the Glazed Palace, one of the Hundred Poisons Magic Treasures crafted by the Green-Robed Ancestor, made from the venom of a hundred pythons, and its shape resembled a large, transparent glazed dome.
Jiang Liu looked at the large shield in front of him, wondering what purpose it served. In terms of defense, it wasn't particularly outstanding, and in terms of poison attack, it was inferior to the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu.
"The original intention was to forge a treasure that combines offense and defense, but in the end, all that was forged was a pretty but useless thing!"
Looking at this "glass palace", Jiang Liu understood a principle: in the future, he must avoid this misconception when refining magic weapons. He should not try to refine an all-powerful magic weapon. The price of trying to be good at everything is being bad at nothing!
After cultivating in the Yin Wind Cave for seven days, he mastered the mountain-protecting formation "Hundred Poisons Cold Light Miasma" and also set up a lightning formation as a precaution. Of the thirteen disciples under the Green Robe Ancestor, all except Xin Chenzi, who had already been killed by Jiang Liu, had returned.
In front of the disciples of this group of green-robed ancestors, Jiang Liu showed a slight difference from the ancestors.
However, the Green-Robed Ancestor had accumulated considerable prestige over a long period, and no one dared to question him. Even those who noticed something amiss abandoned their inappropriate thoughts after Jiang Liu took out magical treasures such as the Azure Phosphorus Needle and controlled the "Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu".
Seeing that all of Green Robe Ancestor's disciples had returned, Jiang Liu began to issue orders, wanting to completely squeeze out the remaining value from Green Robe Ancestor.
The order was simple: steal the warm jade from the demon corpse Gu Chen of Mangcang Mountain, and the ice silkworm inside the Xuanjing of the Yinshan Cold Cave.
Chapter Ninety-Eight: Stealing the Treasure (Part 1)
The Mangcang Mountains of Yunnan stretch for hundreds of miles, with their main peaks soaring into the clouds. Located in an extremely yin place, they have been cold and desolate for thousands of years, with ice and snow covering thousands of feet. Only the sunny side of the mountains holds the essence of jade that has been warm for thousands of years, impervious to the cold, and spring-like all year round. All the yin and cold energy gathers in the shady side of the mountains, making it an extremely cold and desolate place.
Heading south from the mountain, one encounters countless peaks and rocky cliffs. The valleys are not only filled with unique and secluded scenery, with spring-like weather all year round, but also with exotic flowers and rare herbs, hot springs and waterfalls everywhere.
In the shady areas, however, solid ice hundreds of feet high has formed, unyielding since ancient times, with howling winds from the netherworld. No one can enter the wind caves and ice caves that lead directly underground; the black frost and ice can freeze anyone who enters into an ice pop in an instant. Without a protective magic treasure to counteract the chilling cold, it is almost impossible to return safely from within.
Wind caves and ice caves, filled with black ice and frost, are forbidden grounds for cultivators.
As described in all novels, there must be rare treasures hidden in the forbidden lands!
Within that chilling cave, a Xun Palace Ice Silkworm was born, formed from ten thousand years of icy energy. Because it resembled a jade silkworm, it was also known as the Ice Silkworm.
The essence of the five elements of heaven and earth, the essence of the Eastern Wood is the ultimate of wood, which is the silver ox with a faint blue hue that Jiang Liu obtained when he acquired the "Ten Thousand Years of Azure Sky".
The Ice Silkworm in the Wind Cave Ice Cave of Mangcang Mountain is the epitome of water. Because of its unique destiny—born in the Wind Cave Ice Cave and surviving numerous calamities—it has already achieved considerable cultivation. Even if extracted, it will not become an inanimate object like the Silver Ox. If refined, it will generate various powerful supernatural abilities.
As for the ultimate earth element, it is the ten-thousand-year-old warm jade in Shanyang. This treasure can not only help cultivators concentrate their minds and resist inner demons, but also has boundless wonderful uses. It was the key item in the three sword duels of the Emei Sect.
In one area of the Mangcang Mountains, there are two hidden treasures: the Ice Silkworm and the Warm Jade. However, obtaining them is extremely difficult, or rather, extremely dangerous.
On the surface, one is coveted by a demonic cultivator, and the other is protected by a demonic corpse.
But secretly, this was a scheme set up by Master Changmei for the establishment of the Emei Palace.
Countless eyes of Emei are fixed on this region. The ancient jade essence of Mangcang Mountain has crystallized into a warm jade lotus, which is of great significance to the future glory of Emei. However, it is not yet time for it to be born. Changmei has only temporarily stored it in the Valley of the Demon Corpse. Anyone who dares to steal it will not escape the summons of Yama, the King of Hell.
Jiang Liu knew that the Ten Thousand Year Warm Jade would not only be of great importance to the enlightenment of several important disciples of the Emei Sect in the future, but even the True Person Miaoyi, Qi Shuming, would have many uses for this treasure.
Therefore, anyone who dares to covet and seize the Ten-Thousand-Year Warm Jade will immediately attract the attention and be hunted down by Emei. From this perspective, the Ten-Thousand-Year Warm Jade, like the Purple Ying and Green Chain Divine Swords, is a hot potato that must not be allowed to be coveted or seized by anyone outside of Emei.
Of course, if someone like Jiang Liu has the "Escaped One" as a backing, is not afraid of getting entangled in karma, and is not afraid of the schemes of any powerful person, then he can naturally try to take the ten-thousand-year-old warm jade.
Just as described in the book, the ten-thousand-year-old warm jade was hidden in the chest of the evil sect leader, the demon corpse Gu Chen. To obtain the warm jade, one must first kill the demon corpse!
This was naturally a backup plan laid out by the Long-Browed Immortal before his ascension. After suppressing the demon corpse, he told others that he was about to ascend, and that Gu Chen was quite powerful, and his fate was not yet over. He had no choice but to suppress it here temporarily, waiting for the demon corpse to be exterminated by future generations when its fate was over.
The idea that their fate is not yet exhausted is just a trick by righteous people to suppress evil factions.
Heaven and earth are ruthless, treating all things like straw dogs; yet they are also extremely benevolent, treating all things like straw dogs!
The great principles of heaven and earth are beyond the comprehension of mere mortals and immortals; such pronouncements are nothing more than selfish talk of killing and plundering!
If it's about seizing treasure and killing enemies, the first thing they'll say is that your fate is sealed today, and you deserve to die here. If they still want to use you, they'll say that your fate isn't sealed yet, and they'll spare your life. Once you're no longer of any use to them, that's when your fate is sealed, and then they'll righteously kill their enemies.
Fate! It is ethereal and elusive, determined only by the Dao of Heaven. Sages who have attained the Dao may be able to discern the rise and fall of fate, but how could the Earth Immortals and Celestial Immortals of Mount Shu, even those as powerful as Changmei, possibly know the rise and fall, survival and extinction of the fate of Heaven and Earth?
It's nothing but self-serving rhetoric!
Jiang Liu deduced that the reason he didn't kill the demon corpse Gu Chen was that the Long-Browed True Man wanted the demon corpse to guard the Ten-Thousand-Year Warm Jade for his Emei Sect.
Firstly, that demonic corpse possessed extraordinary powers, and ordinary righteous and evil sword immortals were no match for it. With it present, no one dared to approach it easily.
Secondly, the demonic corpse was too arrogant. Despite being suppressed here, it believed that the long-browed creature was truly unkillable and that it would one day be able to break free. Therefore, it regarded Wen Yu as something it could easily possess and guarded it with utmost care.
Secondly, Changmei is preparing an experience pack for the younger generation of Shushan, so that they can fight bosses and level up when the time is right. Just like Heshen, whom Qianlong left behind, Jiaqing began to purge him as soon as he ascended the throne.
Having figured out the reasons behind this, Jiang Liu had no intention of giving up the ten-thousand-year-old warm jade, even though there were risks involved in obtaining the treasure.
More importantly, to obtain the Xun Palace Ice Silkworm, one must first obtain the Ten-Thousand-Year Warm Jade. Only with the protection of this treasure can one successfully enter the underground Wind Cave and capture the Ice Silkworm.
Jiang Liu naturally dared not risk his life to personally retrieve the ten-thousand-year-old warm jade and the Xun Palace ice silkworm. Thus, he devised a plan to enter the Yin Feng Cave of Bai Man Mountain and use the power of the Green Robe Ancestor to attempt to obtain the treasures.
As for the Emei masters' magical calculations, Jiang Liu wasn't worried. He didn't belong to this world, making him a loophole. No matter how skilled they were in astrology, prophecy, and calculation, they couldn't predict his fate. Moreover, he had "The Vanished One" as a backup; as long as he didn't encounter a powerful enemy face-to-face, he would be safe.
Under Jiang Liu's substitution, all of the Green-Robed Ancestor's disciples were mobilized, and Jiang Liu also bestowed some magical artifacts crafted by the Ancestor. The entire group was in a grand and imposing manner, striving to steal the Wen Yu from Emei in the shortest possible time.
Once inside Jiang Liu's storage space, even if Chang Mei returns to the mortal realm, she will not be able to trace Wen Yu's whereabouts.
After waiting for a day, Jiang Liu saw Tang Shi, battered and bruised with a broken arm, return to Yin Feng Cave.
"Grandmaster, spare our lives! Please give us one more day, and we will definitely bring back Wen Yu!" Tang Shi prostrated himself on the ground, trembling, not daring to look up.
Jiang Liu sat on the Green-Robed Ancestor's skull throne, staring expressionlessly at Tang Shi. After a long while, he said, "Three days ago, I told you I'd give you three days to prepare and one day to seize the treasure. All twelve of you brothers signed a pledge. Now one day has passed, and seven of you are dead. Is this all you've brought back for me?"
"Grandmaster, spare my life..."
"Heh heh..." Jiang Liu imitated the Green-Robed Ancestor's ear-piercing laugh and said, "I'll give you one more day. Tomorrow at dawn, I'll be waiting for you at Heavenly Silkworm Ridge..."
"Yes, Ancestor! If we fail to retrieve the Warm Jade, none of us twelve will return alive!"
Tang Shi left, and Jiang Liu also packed up and prepared to leave.
Chapter Ninety-Nine: The Treasure Hunt (Part 2)
Two days was the limit Jiang Liu set for himself, and also the time it would take for Emei to react. If this time limit was exceeded, Emei would definitely launch a counterattack, and the person who tried to steal the treasure would have no chance of escaping.
A wise man does not stand under a crumbling wall, and Jiang Liu would naturally not put himself in a life-or-death situation.
Even if the Green-Robed Ancestor were alive, he wouldn't gain any advantage in trying to seize the treasure that granted the Emei Sect its founding. There would only be one outcome: being driven to their lair by the Three Immortals and Two Elders and utterly crushed and destroyed.
In the entire Shushan world, there are only stories of Emei stealing other people's treasures; there are never any stories of outsiders stealing Emei's treasures.
If Jiang Liu hadn't known that he was outside the Heavenly Dao and that the karma of Mount Shu wouldn't affect him, he would never have wanted to provoke Emei and get himself into trouble.
He carefully placed the acacia lotus in front of him into a jade box, put it into his storage space, and then quietly left the Yin Wind Cave of Baiman Mountain. He did not go to Tiancan Ridge where the spider was located, but instead followed Tang Shi to Mangcang Mountain.
It wasn't that he didn't trust the Green Robe Ancestor's disciples, but rather that he felt that even if the Green Robe Ancestor's most powerful disciple, Xin Chenzi, were alive, the thirteen of them working together might not be a match for that demon corpse Gu Chen. Let alone seizing the treasure, just being able to return alive was already a blessing from heaven.
The Acacia Lotus was a treasure brought back by Tang Shi, obtained from Mangcang Mountain. However, compared to the Ten Thousand Year Warm Jade and the Xun Palace Ice Silkworm, Jiang Liu really didn't think much of it.
Although not a supreme treasure, it is still far more precious than rare and precious materials such as the Vermilion Fruit and the Polygonum multiflorum. This Albizia julibrissin is a poisonous flower, born from the lewd energy of heaven and earth. It resembles the epiphyllum, and its fragrance will cause one to become drowsy and drunk, requiring six hours to recover.
In Jiang Liu's perception, this poisonous flower was a low-grade Earth-level material, naturally extremely precious. Because of its wicked and poisonous nature, it was perfectly suited for the cultivation purposes of many demonic sects, thus it was revered as a priceless treasure by members of these sects, something extremely rare and sought after.
What Jiang Liu didn't know was that Shi Sheng, the third-generation disciple of Emei, was born because his mother, Lu Rongbo, accidentally smelled this thing and conceived with the essence of the spiritual stone.
Moreover, the "Hundred Poisons True Scripture" obtained from the fragments of the Green Robe Ancestor's primordial spirit contains many evil techniques from unorthodox demonic paths, including many supernatural powers that can only be cultivated using this flower, and are extremely powerful.
If this poisonous flower were to fall into the hands of the Green-Robed Ancestor, it would be like a customer encountering a treasure, overjoyed and extremely excited.
But for Jiang Liu now, this thing is like a chicken rib – tasteless to eat, but a pity to throw away.
In terms of supernatural powers, Jiang Liu possesses the "Nine Heavens Thunder Orthodox Method," a pure Taoist demon-subduing supernatural power with boundless might. He also learned the art of Maoshan talismans from Uncle Nine, though only in its rudimentary form, it has laid a foundation. If he has the opportunity to obtain superior talismans in the future, he will naturally be able to use them with ease. His martial arts have also achieved some minor success; while lacking superior body-refining supernatural powers, their power is not yet apparent, but they should not be underestimated.
Having arrived in "Shushan", and now having obtained half of "Xuanpin Zhenjie", I will cultivate my second primordial spirit at the level of refining essence into qi. If successful, it will be equivalent to having an extra life, so it is naturally the focus of my cultivation.
There is also the "Way of the Sword" recorded in the lower part of the "Guangcheng Heavenly Book". This is Guangchengzi's sword control supernatural power, which Jiang Liu also practices from time to time and dares not slack off.
Thunder magic, primordial spirit, and swordsmanship—most people would struggle to master even one of these in their entire lives, yet Jiang Liu has mastered all three simultaneously, reaching his peak. The unorthodox techniques in the *Hundred Poisons True Scripture*, though incredibly powerful, are beneath Jiang Liu's notice.
...
At this moment, the cave on the sunny side of the main peak of Mangcang Mountain was shrouded in black mist, seemingly concealing countless dangers.
Tang Shi, Mei Luzi, and the other four headed back towards the bottom of the cave, using their magical artifacts for protection as they descended. Each of them activated a hundred-poison magical artifact crafted by the Green-Robed Ancestor, weaving and twisting through the dense black mist, falling for about a hundred feet before reaching the ground. After traveling several more feet, they finally saw a faint light, and the rocks on both sides were mottled and corroded by the poisonous gas, demonstrating its potency.
Suddenly, a large hole appeared in front of them, damp and gloomy everywhere, with poisonous gas that made them want to vomit. Fortunately, the five of them were all demonic cultivators who had been practicing the Green Robe Ancestor's "Hundred Poisons True Scripture" for many years. They were naturally very familiar with poisonous gas and also had supernatural abilities to resist it.