Lu Xuan glanced back at the Qingyun Sect members. Several young men who recognized him were immediately embarrassed. However, under Xiao Yicai's gaze, they eventually stepped forward, forming a semi-circle around Lu Xuan and his group.
"Hahahaha." Lu Xuan finally couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Look at you all, after all the calculations, the Qingyun Sect is still the most cunning."
Seeing everyone's blank expressions, Lu Xuan chuckled and spoke.
"Don't you understand? Then let me put it simply. Of all the sects that came today, only the Qingyun Sect did not send a single elder. All those who came are the young people I have met before. Dao Xuan only took a few days to figure out my temperament. He knew that this action would inevitably anger me."
No matter how many elders come, casualties are inevitable. But he knows I've always cherished the younger generation of cultivators. Therefore, he sent these young people I've only met once. This way, I might be spared from killing them. Am I right, Xiao Yicai?
Several disciples of Qingyun Sect stared at Xiao Yicai in shock, hoping he could refute Lu Xuan's statement.
At this moment, Xiao Yicai was covered in cold sweat. He remembered the secret instructions his master had given him before he left.
"Lu Xuan is a capricious and impulsive man. He appreciates younger generations, but you must never bet on this. If you find the treasure, remember not to stand out. Those evil people will naturally become impatient. But remember one thing: if Lu Xuan reveals this to everyone, you must retreat immediately. Don't linger even for a moment."
"Master, is there really no one in the world who can defeat Sect Master Lu?"
"...If Ancestor Qingye were alive, we would have nothing to fear. But now, unless I go with the Immortal Execution Sword, we have no chance of winning."
Xiao Yicai didn't press further about why the Immortal Execution Sword couldn't be used. He was being groomed as the next sect leader and already knew a great deal about the sword. He knew that this treasure wasn't the incredibly powerful celestial artifact that people imagined. To be precise, the Immortal Execution Sword should be considered a demonic weapon.
A thought flashed through his mind, and Xiao Yicai, his voice trembling slightly, gave the order: "Qingyun Sect members, heed my command, immediately withdraw from the struggle for the Heavenly Emperor's Treasure Vault."
Having said that, he turned and left, ignoring the stares of those around him. Of all the sects present, the Qingyun Sect had the deepest foundation. Every generation of sect leaders knew of the illustrious reputation of Ancestor Qingye, even though the world had almost completely forgotten it. They knew that reaching Ancestor Qingye's level of cultivation was something that numbers alone could not compensate for.
Therefore, Xiao Yi retreated without hesitation. His master had already made it very clear. If Lu Xuan pointed it out, it meant they were being given a chance to live. In other words, it meant that if they pressed further, the other party would kill them. Since ancient times, a gentleman can be deceived by reason. This was Dao Xuan's final test of whether Lu Xuan was a gentleman.
He himself didn't have much hope. That's why he gave Xiao Yicai this order.
Seeing the Qingyun Sect members retreat without hesitation, everyone present was immediately stunned. The righteous Fenxiang Valley and Tianyin Temple were completely bewildered, while the four evil sects stared at each other in disbelief.
Lu Xuan glanced around, ignoring the others, and walked directly towards the massive stone door. Though called a stone door, it had no gaps whatsoever; it looked like a single, solid boulder. However, Lu Xuan had read the original story and knew that this thing required sunlight to open.
With a stretch of his right hand, the sun in the sky seemed to be drawn by some force, then gathered in his hand. Afterward, Lu Xuan flipped his right hand, and it shone like a powerful flashlight onto the four large characters of "Heavenly Emperor's Treasury."
The once perfectly sealed stone wall was activated by the sunlight. A crack slowly appeared in the middle. This move once again stunned everyone. However, some people still couldn't understand what had happened.
"Attack!" someone shouted from the crowd. Then, more than a dozen figures rushed towards the Heavenly Emperor's Treasury. However, Lu Xuan didn't stop them at all; instead, he stepped aside and watched them rush towards the cracked entrance. But just as they touched the crack, a powerful repulsive force surged forth from within the Heavenly Emperor's Treasury.
The dozen or so figures who were the first to step forward were utterly powerless to resist, directly blasted away by the powerful repulsive force. They couldn't even control their bodies, flying towards the foot of a thousand-foot-tall tree. Several people frantically activated their magical artifacts, floating in the air. After regaining their footing, their faces were grim. However, they didn't appear to have suffered any real harm.
"So, anyone else want to step forward?" Lu Xuan asked, looking around. This time, no one dared to be the first to step forward. They now realized that even someone of Lu Xuan's stature didn't dare to easily step forward; the Heavenly Emperor's Treasure Vault was probably not as easy to take as they had imagined.
7017k
------------
Chapter 439 Obtaining the Treasure
In the end, Lu Xuan entered the Heavenly Emperor's Treasury alone. The surrounding crowd merely watched, but no one dared to stop him. Lu Xuan knew very well that they were implying he should take the fall.
Although he had read the original story and found no traps, he still employed over thirty defensive measures before entering. Putting everything else aside, the initial repulsive force alone created a sense of danger. Fortunately, there were no actual traps later on.
The treasure vault was dark inside, but after Lu Xuan entered, a faint light slowly appeared not far ahead, like a dim candle flame burning quietly in the night.
The flame was faint, but upon closer inspection, one could see that it seemed alive, constantly flickering, like a spirit breathing slowly.
It started as a light purple, then turned cyan, and then slowly became a deep green. It kept changing and shimmering with various colors, which was very beautiful.
This treasure trove of heaven and earth has existed for an unknown period of time. The fact that this flame has persisted for so long suggests it is no ordinary item. However, Lu Xuan didn't touch it for the time being; this thing was clearly some kind of special spiritual fire. He didn't know its properties, and rashly activating it wouldn't be a good choice.
On the other side of the treasure vault, there was a platform. A round wooden pillar, about half a person's height and as thick as an infant's arm, was driven into the ground. At its top was a small platform about a foot in size.
In the middle of the platform, there is a cup with an ancient shape, which looks like it is made of wood. Upon closer inspection, it can be seen that the entire wooden platform and the cup are completely connected together and integrated with the trees on the ground.
But what's most captivating is what's inside this tiny wooden cup. The cup is about three inches tall and two inches wide, filled with a transparent liquid. Floating on top of the liquid is a small, translucent stone, flat on all five sides, crystal clear. From this stone, soft light shines, forming a semi-circular curtain of light on the small wooden stand, refracting various colors and radiating outwards.
"Interesting," Lu Xuan murmured. Then he approached the platform. Taking a short step forward, he could smell a delicate fragrance. He couldn't tell whether it was from the spiritual liquid or the spirit stones.
Lu Xuan walked closer and examined the two items carefully, but he couldn't determine what they were. He only knew that both the spirit liquid and the spirit stone contained immense and extremely pure spiritual power.
Lu Xuan still hadn't found the Heavenly Book. This was one of his most important goals in coming to the Heavenly Emperor's Treasury, because he firmly believed that the Heavenly Book was the key to the world's lineage.
Lu Xuan's hands emitted a burst of light, illuminating the entire Heavenly Emperor's Treasury. The place wasn't large, only about half the size of a basketball court. However, the dome was indeed forty or fifty meters high. Lu Xuan looked up at the dome and saw ancient characters carved upon it. A thought struck him, and he followed the characters down to their corresponding positions. He discovered that directly beneath the dome was the suspended spirit stone.
Lu Xuan's heart stirred slightly, and he gently touched the spirit stone with his finger. A beam of golden light suddenly formed into a pillar, shooting straight into the sky. This time, it broke through the light barrier surrounding the wooden platform and shone directly onto the dome of the Heavenly Emperor's Treasury.
Suddenly, a mysterious and distant sound rang out from within the treasure vault, like the mysterious chanting of sacred mountains and the soft whispers of lonely souls from the netherworld.
Under Lu Xuan's gaze, within the dazzling golden light illuminating the dome of the Heavenly Emperor's Treasury, golden characters the size of a bushel lit up. One after another, they appeared in mid-air, bathed in the golden light:
Heaven and earth are ruthless, treating all things like straw dogs! This is precisely the third volume of the Heavenly Book that Lu Xuan is looking for.
At this moment, Lu Xuan understood. That spirit stone was actually a method of sealing information. In cultivation, the inheritance of various techniques all uses similar methods. However, Lu Xuan had never truly seen it before. This time, he had. It can only be said that the Heavenly Emperor's Treasury is indeed a level above the cultivation world of mortals.
Since spirit stones are for storing magical artifacts, then spirit liquid should be a medicinal substance to aid cultivation. These three items are clearly complementary. Now, only the ball of spirit fire beside it remains a mystery to Lu Xuan.
Lu Xuan walked over, extended his spiritual power, and gently touched the ball of spiritual fire. There was no special reaction. Not only did Lu Xuan not feel any threat, but he also felt an extremely comfortable sensation. The flame was like some kind of illusion, almost devoid of temperature.
Lu Xuan hesitated for a moment, then gently touched it with his own body. Strangely, this time he felt heat, an intense, scorching heat. Even more terrifying, this intense heat seemed to ignite his body the instant it was generated. He felt as if his entire being was being burned by flames, inside and out. He felt as if he were about to transform into a ball of fire.
With a whoosh, Lu Xuan forcefully broke free from the flames, staring at the thing covered in cold sweat. He truly hadn't expected this strange flame to be so powerful. He hadn't even had a chance to resist. It was fortunate that no one was controlling it, otherwise he probably wouldn't have been able to withstand it. The extreme burning sensation filled Lu Xuan with both fear and a peculiar feeling. However, he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Lu Xuan immediately became quite interested in this thing. He then tried various methods to probe the flame. Then he discovered an even stranger problem. This thing only worked on flesh and blood. It had no effect on spiritual energy or objects.