Chapter 425 - 54: Purple Gold Alms Bowl
The Eastern Wilderness, on the shores of the Nuhai.
Inside a hastily carved-out cave.
The Lingxiao Three Sceneries Talisman hung silently in the void, its tricolored Profound Light flickering erratically.
Within the talisman, Fang Cheng, Zhao Wuji, and the Qianmu Demon King stood at the foot of a cyan mountain. In front of them were piles of assorted wooden caskets and treasure chests.
The Lingxiao Three Sceneries Talisman contained three layers of void space. The brothers Jingyuan and Jingxuan were in the third layer; this was the first.
Everything from the Qiankun Saint Sect’s Treasure Vault was now here. After a brief inspection and evaluation, the three men marveled at the resources the sect had accumulated over the years.
First, there were massive quantities of Spirit Stones.
There was a full range of Lower-Grade, Mid-Grade, and Upper-Grade Spirit Stones. A rough calculation placed their total value at over fifty million Lower-Grade Spirit Stones.
Next was the Qiankun Saint Sect’s specialty product: Ice Soul Profound Crystal. This was a rare, ice-ascribed celestial material, incredibly beneficial for Artifact Refining, talisman crafting, Alchemy, and even for cultivating ice-ascribed Divine Techniques.
In total, there were thirteen blocks of Ice Soul Profound Crystal, all perfectly preserved in treasure chests. Sealing Talismans were affixed to the exteriors, and it appeared they had not been opened for a very long time.
Next were the Fourth-rank Magical Artifacts. There were five of them in total, each with a different function and worth a fortune!
Sixteen Fourth-rank Talismans, twenty-eight gourds of Tier Four Elixirs, and thirty-five types of fourth-rank items such as Celestial and Earthly Spiritual Objects, Spiritual Medicines, and Demon Beast Materials...
Thirty-nine Third-tier Magical Artifacts, one hundred and twenty-nine Tier Three Talismans, two hundred and seventeen gourds of elixirs, and over three hundred types of third-tier items like Celestial and Earthly Spiritual Objects, Spiritual Medicines, and Demon Beast Materials...
Items of even lower tiers were more numerous still, including three hundred and ninety-seven Second-Order Magical Artifacts.
Strategic sect resources such as Spirit Rice, beast meat, and Spiritual Liquid were all of first or second-tier quality. These formed the sect’s foundation, supporting the cultivation of Qiankun Saint Sect’s Sensing Realm and Life Talisman Realm Cultivators.
It was these very resources that motivated mid-to-low-level cultivators to risk their lives for the sect. They also enabled more disciples at the foundational levels to break through to the Life Talisman Realm.
The larger the population of foundational cultivators, the more continuous the stream of new Life Soul Realm cultivators, ensuring the sect’s continued existence.
As for Fang Cheng, he planned to reserve most of these cultivation resources for the Fang Family’s descendants, especially Jingyuan and Jingxuan. After obtaining this immense fortune, they would have almost no need to worry about cultivation resources before reaching the Dharma Realm.
Among these treasures, Fang Cheng discovered three of the Spiritual Medicines required to concoct the White Tiger Divine Pill.
The rest of the treasures could be used as bargaining chips to gather the remaining Spiritual Medicines. As long as he found a lead, he wouldn’t have to worry about the cost.
There was another pleasant surprise.
While taking inventory of the treasure vault’s contents, Fang Cheng discovered a giant bas-relief of an Immortal Crane carved from Dao Pattern Spirit Jade.
This bas-relief was nine zhang high and thirty-three zhang wide—truly enormous and magnificent. It was probably a decorative piece from a grand hall, or perhaps part of the scenery from somewhere within the Qiankun Saint Sect.
For some unknown reason, however, it had been stored away in the Treasure Vault, packed into a storage chest, and classified as a miscellaneous item.
When Fang Cheng touched the object, the long-dormant Creation Golden Talisman in his sea of consciousness trembled once more, and his Creation Points began to skyrocket.
Years ago, the Flame God Palace had sent him many decorative pieces made of Dao Pattern Spirit Jade. As Fang Cheng had used them up in his cultivation, he had a little over one hundred thousand Creation Points remaining.
Now, after acquiring this Spirit Jade bas-relief, his Creation Points had exploded to over one hundred and sixty-three thousand!
All this time, Fang Cheng’s Cultivation Realm had lagged far behind his level of comprehension of various Cultivation Techniques.
In other words, although he had mastered profound Divine Techniques, he was limited by his realm and insufficient Magical Power, preventing him from fully unleashing their Divine Power.
Therefore, over the past few years, Fang Cheng had not rushed to deepen his comprehension of his Divine Techniques. Instead, he had focused on honing his foundation, accumulating experience, and improving his Cultivation and Magical Power.
He had a premonition that the true purpose of the Creation Golden Talisman would likely not be revealed until he reached the Dharma Realm, or perhaps even the higher Tribulation Realm.
’For now, the priority is to keep accumulating Creation Points.’
’Once I reach the Dharma Realm, I can upgrade my primary Divine Techniques, like the Ten Directions Netherworld Refining Hell Profound Skill and the Li Hen Demon Light, to the Perfection stage.’
At this moment, Fang Cheng could see that the Qianmu Demon King was a little tense. He was subtly keeping his guard up, afraid that Fang Cheng might suddenly attack to kill them and seize all the treasure.
Zhao Wuji appeared calm and composed, but a hidden current of energy flowed around him, giving Fang Cheng a slight sense of danger.
According to their prior agreement, Fang Cheng would take half for himself, while Zhao Wuji and the Qianmu Demon King would split the other half.
The raid on the Qiankun Saint Sect’s Treasure Vault would have been impossible without either Fang Cheng or Zhao Wuji.
As for how Zhao Wuji and the Qianmu Demon King decided to split their share, Fang Cheng wasn’t concerned.
With their own thoughts and agendas, the three of them divided the treasures and then departed from the Lingxiao Three Sceneries Talisman one after another.
"Fellow Daoists, I have urgent matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now." The Qianmu Demon King cupped his fists in salute, ready to depart.
Fang Cheng returned the gesture. "Take care, Demon King. You are welcome to visit me on Taiyue Mountain another day."
The Qianmu Demon King smiled. "And I invite you, Fellow Daoist Fang, to visit my humble valley when you have the time. I will be sure to give you a fine reception."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the Qianmu Demon King took his leave, flew out of the cave, and vanished in an instant.
Zhao Wuji looked at Fang Cheng and said slowly, "Fellow Daoist Fang, if there is nothing else, then I will take my leave as well."
"Please, go ahead," Fang Cheng said with a nod.
Just as Zhao Wuji was about to leave, a thunderous crash suddenly echoed in both of their minds!
Even with his powerful spiritual soul, Fang Cheng was violently shaken by the sound.
The colossal boom seemed to come from nowhere, penetrating directly into his spiritual soul!
In that disorienting moment, Fang Cheng’s vision suddenly went black. A single point of light slowly rose, and as he looked closer, he saw that it was an ancient bronze oil lamp.
The ancient bronze lamp emanated an immense, heart-stopping gravitational force, and Fang Cheng felt his spiritual soul being pulled irresistibly toward the flame.