Chapter 422 - 52: Entering the Treasure Vault
"You may all leave us."
Su Mu dismissed the maids beside her and sat down with poise and grace. Her beautiful eyes fixed on Fang Cheng as she spoke slowly, "Husband, have there been any leads regarding the Third Elder’s death?"
Fang Cheng sat nearby with a commanding presence, a playful smirk touching his lips. "I heard they went to some ruins," he said. "They likely met an unfortunate end there."
Su Mu nodded, a smile on her face. "In that case, from now on, you’ll have the final say in the Xuan Yun Lineage, Husband."
Fang Cheng looked at Su Mu’s noble and graceful face and said seriously, "Wife, if you have something on your mind, please speak freely."
Su Mu mulled it over for a moment before saying, "My cousin has been the Vice Hall Master of the Evergreen Hall for eighteen years. It seems about time for him to be promoted."
The Evergreen Hall managed a vast and complex range of affairs. The daily expenses, welfare pills, Spirit Stones, and more for all the Outer Sect Disciples, Outer Elders, Honored Guest Elders, Inner Sect Disciples, and True Disciples of the Qiankun Saint Sect fell under its jurisdiction.
Although the sect had many standards, there was plenty of room for manipulation when it came to the actual distribution and allocation.
The positions of Vice Hall Master and Hall Master were all extremely lucrative, symbols of power and authority that had always been coveted and fought over by the various factions within the sect.
The current Evergreen Hall Master was one of the Third Elder’s people. After the Third Elder’s death, the Su Family had set its sights on the Hall Master position.
Fang Cheng chuckled and feigned a placating tone. "Of course. However, the Third Elder’s passing was sudden. The matter of the Hall Master needs to be considered carefully. Don’t be anxious, Wife."
Su Mu’s fine brows furrowed slightly. "How can I not be anxious? We must strike while the iron is hot. If we wait until that person finds a new backer who then uses their connection to plead with you, it will be much more difficult to make a move. Husband, it would be best if you stepped in to make some adjustments within the next few days."
Fang Cheng’s expression darkened. "I need to enter seclusion to cultivate a Secret Technique soon. Where would I find the time to deal with such trivial matters? Let’s discuss this after I come out of seclusion!"
’I’m here to plunder the Qiankun Saint Sect’s Treasure Vault, not waste my time on these petty squabbles.’
His tone, expression, and reaction were all perfectly in line with Chen Chizhong’s usual personality and style. It could be said there were no flaws in his act.
Hearing this, Su Mu seemed to have expected it. She couldn’t help but sneer. "Husband, for all these years, you’ve only cared about your ascetic cultivation, completely ignoring me and my family. When have my family and I ever mistreated you? Now I ask you to do one small thing, and you dither and delay. Have you completely forgotten the years of affection between us as husband and wife?"
Fang Cheng remained expressionless and didn’t respond.
Filled with grievance, Su Mu stared at Fang Cheng for a while with her beautiful eyes, then began to weep and pester him.
After listening to a few sentences, Fang Cheng grew impatient and stood up to leave.
Su Mu immediately got up and grabbed his sleeve, pressing her entire body against him. "Husband, don’t go. If you don’t help me this time, how can I possibly face my family?"
Fang Cheng sighed softly. He felt himself softening, an unexpected wave of protectiveness toward the beautiful woman washing over him.
He wrapped an arm back around the noble and elegant beauty, coaxing and comforting her, "Wife, don’t cry. They say a single day as husband and wife creates a hundred days of affection. How did we come to this? How did we come to this!"
Hearing this, Su Mu looked at Fang Cheng in disbelief, unable to understand how her husband could say such things.
"Come with me, Wife."
Fang Cheng said, still holding Su Mu as he strode toward the bedchamber.
A hint of coquettish charm appeared on Su Mu’s dignified and noble face.
In the center of the bedchamber stood a magnificent, large bed.
Layers upon layers of gauze curtains embroidered with exquisite patterns cascaded down, exuding an air of luxury.
Su Mu’s face was flushed with shyness. She bit her red lip and shot Fang Cheng a glance that seemed to be a mix of refusal and invitation.
Much later.
The wind and rain subsided, leaving behind a scene of charming disarray.
Inside the gauze curtains, Su Mu was drenched in fragrant sweat.
She nestled tightly in Fang Cheng’s arms, her light panting not yet subsided. Her expression was enchanting and vibrant. She had become shy and obedient, gentle and docile, with none of the arrogant air of a high-ranking member of a great family.
Just now, the two of them had settled the matter of the Evergreen Hall Master. Fang Cheng had issued a Talisman Decree in Chen Chizhong’s name, ordering the current Evergreen Hall Master to step down and focus on his cultivation, and arranging for the Su Family’s Vice Hall Master to take his place.
At that moment, Su Mu was satisfied in both body and mind, becoming even more alluring and passionate between the sheets.
"Husband," Su Mu said softly, "I’ve actually known for a while that you have someone on the outside. You should bring that Little Sister Qin home someday. I’m not a jealous person; I’m sure I can get along with her."
With Chen Chizhong’s cultivation and status, it was only natural for him to have a lover. Rumors had long been spreading about him and a young, beautiful female True Disciple of the Qiankun Saint Sect.
That female disciple had a quiet and gentle temperament, as placid as water, and she had allowed him to experience a warmth he had never known before.
It was a feeling Su Mu had never given him.
’It’s a shame I won’t be in the Qiankun Saint Sect for long. Getting involved with Su Mu was already a necessary evil to avoid trouble. It’s best I have as little contact with other female cultivators as possible.’
"Having you is more than enough for me," Fang Cheng said, spouting utter nonsense.
「Several days later.」
「Golden Dawn Ridge, Qiankun Saint Sect Ancestral Hall.」
Gao Mingxuan followed two Life Talisman Cultivators into the grand hall, where he offered incense and paid respects before the statues of the Saint Sect’s seven founding ancestors.
Below the seven ancestral statues were the memorial tablets for the successive generations of the Saint Sect’s Supreme Elders.
And further below them were several thousand Soul Lamps!
These Soul Lamps resembled a sea of fire, illuminating the entire hall. Every disciple who joined the Qiankun Saint Sect had a Soul Lamp here.
Normally, three people were assigned to guard the Ancestral Hall. Their main tasks were to perform daily ceremonial rites and watch over the Soul Lamps.
If the Soul Lamp of an important figure in the sect went out, it had to be reported immediately.
Furthermore, the Ancestral Hall contained the lingering Spiritual Charm left by the founding ancestors. Cultivating the legacies of the Qiankun Saint Sect here would yield twice the results with half the effort.
Many elders and disciples whose cultivation had hit a bottleneck vied for the chance to be stationed here, hoping to achieve a breakthrough.
Gao Mingxuan had lain low in the Qiankun Saint Sect for so many years for this very moment—to play a miraculous role when it was time to act.
Through his maneuvering, the cultivators who were previously on duty in the Ancestral Hall were transferred away ahead of schedule, replaced by him and two others.
After the three of them completed the handover inside the Ancestral Hall, they activated the restrictive seals, isolating it from the outside world.
Gao Mingxuan said to the other two, "Junior Brothers, you can leave this shift to me. You two can focus on your cultivation."
These two had very powerful backgrounds. The fact that Gao Mingxuan was able to arrange the swap in such a short time was largely thanks to the influence of the forces behind them.
"We’ll be troubling you then, Senior Brother Gao!"
"Thank you for your hard work, Senior Brother Gao. When our rotation is over, I’ll be sure to treat you to a good feast."
As they spoke, the two went to the back of the hall to use the ancestors’ Spiritual Charm to practice their cultivation techniques.
Gao Mingxuan stood before the ancestral statues, silent for a long moment, before replacing the incense with a fresh stick of Spirit Incense.
Watching the curling green smoke diffuse through the air, Gao Mingxuan waited in silence.
A short while later, he sensed two faint thuds from the back of the Ancestral Hall and went over to take a look.
Both cultivators had collapsed.
The Tier Three Enchanting Incense given by Zhao Wuji was a Demon Path Treasure. The two Early-stage Life Talisman Cultivators had fallen for the trap without even realizing it.
Gao Mingxuan took out a jade tablet. As his finger swiped lightly across it, characters formed and then vanished into it.
「At the same time.」
Inside Chen Chizhong’s Cave Mansion on Xuan Yun Mountain, Fang Cheng, who was enjoying himself on the Jade Couch, sensed the disturbance and also took out an identical jade tablet.
"Husband, what is that?"
Su Mu opened her beautiful eyes and asked, her face full of confusion.
"It’s nothing."
Fang Cheng put away the jade tablet, smiled faintly, and flicked a stream of light with his finger. Su Mu immediately fell unconscious.
He got off the couch, dressed, and strode out of the Cave Mansion.
’The time is right. It’s time to make a move!’
「Qiankun Cave Heaven, Demon Refining Valley of the Seven Lineages.」
The legacy of this lineage was the *Demon Refining Secret Record*. It was said to have been created by a mighty figure from the ancient Mingxiao Domain and contained eighteen pictorial records. Within them was the supreme wisdom to comprehend the ultimate principles of the great Dao of heaven and earth and to wield Creation Divine Techniques.
One of the seven founding ancestors of the Qiankun Saint Sect had only obtained three of the pictorial records from the *Demon Refining Secret Record*, yet with just those, he cultivated to the Dharma Realm and became a peerless expert.
Today, however, the Demon Refining Valley lineage was dwindling. The Fourth Elder was engrossed in comprehending the ancestral legacy and paid no attention to the valley’s affairs, leading to a shortage of new talent among the cultivators and a lack of any outstanding individuals.
Fang Cheng concealed his presence and aura, making his way deep into the Demon Refining Valley.
On both sides of the valley were numerous Cave Mansions left behind by past generations of Demon Refining Valley elders and disciples, most of which were now vacant.
Deep in the valley, two Bronze Gates were embedded in the face of a cliff.
Three large, flamboyant characters were carved into the enormous rock wall—
Holy Treasure Hall!
The Demon Refining lineage was in charge of the Holy Treasure Hall. The other main lineages could only come here to retrieve treasures by presenting a Merit Talisman or a handwritten order from the Elder Council.
Fang Cheng learned from Chen Chizhong’s spiritual memories that the entire Holy Treasure Hall was divided into seven floors, and each floor had a Third-tier Defense Array.
The seven Tier Three Arrays combined to form a single Tier Four Array that connected all the floors and integrated the interior and exterior. Without a specific Talisman Decree, it was impossible to enter.
The Fourth Elder, who was responsible for guarding the Treasure Vault, was stationed in the core of the array in the vault’s deepest part, where he cultivated in seclusion while overseeing the Grand Array’s operation.
On a typical day, the cultivators on duty at the Holy Treasure Hall would stay within the first-floor array to meet with other cultivators who came on business. They would then go to the other floors to find the required items before returning to complete the exchange.
In other words, it was very difficult for even the Qiankun Saint Sect’s own cultivators to enter the Treasure Vault.
Fang Cheng revealed himself, landing his Escape Light before the giant Bronze Gate.
When the two Demon Refining Valley cultivators guarding the entrance saw him, they immediately stepped forward and bowed. "Greetings, Elder Chen."
Fang Cheng nodded and asked casually, "Who is on duty in the hall?"
The guard replied respectfully, "It is Elder Yun and Elder Qian from our valley."
The elders they spoke of both had Life Talisman cultivation. They were mainly stationed on the first floor of the Holy Treasure Hall, responsible for handling the exchange of treasures from the vault.
Fang Cheng said lightly, "Open the gate."
The guards looked troubled, but they braced themselves and said, "Elder Chen, according to sect rules, please present your Identity Token."
Fang Cheng smiled faintly, glanced at the guard, and took out Chen Chizhong’s Identity Token, flashing it forward.
A radiant glow flew out from the Token and landed on the giant Bronze Gate.
Ripples of light spread across the giant Bronze Gate. The two guards slowly pushed the gate open, revealing the entrance to the Holy Treasure Hall for Fang Cheng.
Fang Cheng stepped through the entrance. The view before him suddenly opened up, and a magnificent hall appeared before him.