Chapter 421 - 52: Entering the Treasure Vault
"You may all leave us."
Su Mu dismissed the maids beside her and sat down with poise and elegance. Her beautiful eyes fixed on Fang Cheng as she spoke slowly, "My Lord, are there any leads regarding the Third Elder’s death?"
Fang Cheng sat beside her, legs spread confidently. A playful smirk touched his lips as he said, "I heard they went to some ancient ruins. They probably met their end there."
Su Mu nodded, a smile gracing her face. "In that case, from this day forward, the Xuan Yun Lineage will be yours to command, My Lord."
Fang Cheng looked at Su Mu’s noble and graceful face and said seriously, "My Lady, if you have something to say, 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 he was promoted."
The Evergreen Hall’s jurisdiction was vast and complicated. It managed the daily expenses, welfare pills, Spirit Stones, and more for all of the Qiankun Saint Sect’s Outer Sect Disciples, Outer Elders, Honored Guest Elders, Inner Sect Disciples, and True Disciples.
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 extremely lucrative, not to mention symbols of power. They had always been coveted and contested by the various factions within the sect.
The current Hall Master of the Evergreen Hall was one of the Third Elder’s people. With the Third Elder’s death, the Su Family had now set its sights on the position.
Fang Cheng chuckled, feigning agreement. "Of course. However, the Third Elder’s passing was sudden. The matter of the Hall Master requires careful consideration. You mustn’t be hasty, My Lady."
Su Mu’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. "How can I not be hasty? We must strike while the iron is hot. If we wait for that man to find a new backer who then uses favors to plead his case, it will be much harder to make a move. My Lord, it would be best if you step in and make some adjustments within the next few days."
Fang Cheng’s expression darkened. "I need to enter seclusion soon to cultivate a Secret Technique. I don’t have time for these trivial matters. We’ll discuss it after I emerge!"
’I’m here to raid the Qiankun Saint Sect’s Treasure Vault,’ he thought, ’not to waste my time on these petty schemes.’
His tone, expression, and reaction were all perfectly in line with Chen Chizhong’s usual personality and style. One could say his act was flawless.
Hearing this, Su Mu seemed to have expected it. She couldn’t help but sneer. "All these years, My Lord, you’ve only cared about your ascetic cultivation, ignoring me and my family. When have I or my family ever wronged you? Now I ask you for one small favor, and you stall and make excuses. Have you completely forgotten the years of affection between us?"
Fang Cheng remained expressionless and didn’t reply.
Full of grievance, Su Mu stared at Fang Cheng for a long moment with her beautiful eyes, then began to sob and pester him.
After listening for a few moments, Fang Cheng grew impatient and stood up to leave.
Su Mu immediately shot up and grabbed his sleeve, pressing her entire body against him. "Don’t go, My Lord! If you don’t help me this time, how can I ever show my face in the Su Family again?"
Fang Cheng sighed softly. He felt himself softening, a sense of pity for the beautiful woman stirring within him.
He wrapped his arm around the graceful and noble beauty, coaxing and comforting her, "Don’t cry, My Lady. They say a single day as husband and wife grants a hundred days of grace. 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 lord could say such a thing.
"My Lord, I’ve actually known for a long time that you have someone on the side," Su Mu said softly. "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 he’d have a lover. Rumors had long been circulating about him and a young, beautiful Female True Disciple of the Qiankun Saint Sect.
That female disciple had a quiet and gentle temperament, as soft as water, and she had let him experience a warmth he had never known before.
It was a feeling Su Mu had never given him.
’Unfortunately, I won’t be staying in the Qiankun Saint Sect for long. Engaging with Su Mu is already a necessary evil to avoid trouble; it’s best to have as little contact with other female cultivators as possible.’
"Having you alone is more than enough for me," Fang Cheng said, spouting utter nonsense.
「A few days later.」
Golden Dawn Ridge, Ancestral Hall of the Qiankun Saint Sect.
Gao Mingxuan followed two Life Talisman Cultivators into the grand hall. He offered incense and paid his respects before the statues of the seven founding ancestors of the Saint Sect.
Below the seven ancestral statues were the spirit tablets of the Saint Sect’s successive generations of 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 be on duty in the Ancestral Hall. Their main tasks were to perform daily memorial 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 Spiritual Charm left behind by the founding ancestors lingered within the Ancestral Hall. Cultivating the legacies of the Qiankun Saint Sect here would yield twice the results with half the effort.
Many Elder Disciples whose cultivation had hit a bottleneck vied for the chance to be on duty here, hoping to achieve a breakthrough.
Gao Mingxuan had lain low in the Qiankun Saint Sect for so many years for this very moment, waiting for the day he could strike and achieve an extraordinary result.
Through his machinations, the cultivators previously on duty at the Ancestral Hall were transferred away ahead of schedule, replaced by him and two others.
After the three of them completed the handover in the Ancestral Hall, they activated the restrictive wards, sealing the hall from the outside.
Gao Mingxuan said to the other two, "Junior Brothers, you can leave this shift’s duties to me. You two can focus on your cultivation."
These two had powerful backgrounds. Gao Mingxuan had been able to arrange the swap on such short notice in part by leveraging the power 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 proper feast."
With that, the two of them went to the back of the hall to cultivate their techniques, making use of the ancestral Spiritual Charm.
Gao Mingxuan stood before the ancestral statues, silent for a long moment, before replacing the Spirit Incense with a new stick.
Watching the curling green smoke diffuse through the air, Gao Mingxuan waited in silence.
Not long after, he sensed two faint thuds from the back of the Ancestral Hall and went over to take a look.
The two cultivators had both 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 trick without even realizing it.
Gao Mingxuan took out a jade tablet. His finger swiped lightly across its surface, and characters flowed into it one by one, then vanished.
「At the same time.」
Inside Chen Chizhong’s Cave Mansion on Profound Xuan Yun Mountain, Fang Cheng, who was enjoying himself on the Jade Couch, sensed the disturbance and took out an identical jade tablet.
"My Lord, 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 Pendant, smiled faintly, and flicked a stream of light with his finger. Su Mu instantly fell unconscious.
He got off the couch, dressed himself, and strode out of the Cave Mansion.
’The time is ripe. It’s time to make my move!’
Qiankun Cave Heaven, one of the seven lineages: Demon Refining Valley.
The legacy of this lineage was called the Demon Refining Secret Record. It was rumored to have been created by a mighty figure from the ancient Mingxiao Domain and consisted of eighteen pictorial scrolls. These scrolls contained the supreme wisdom to see through the great Dao of heaven and earth and wield Creation Divine Techniques.
One of the seven founding ancestors of the Qiankun Saint Sect had only obtained three of the pictorial scrolls from the Demon Refining Secret Record, yet he used them to cultivate to the Dharma Realm and become a master in his own right.
Today, however, the Demon Refining Valley lineage was sparsely populated. The Fourth Elder was engrossed in comprehending the ancestral legacy and paid no mind to the valley’s affairs. As a result, there was a shortage of new talent among the valley’s cultivators, with no one outstanding to speak of.
Fang Cheng concealed his presence and aura, making his way deep into the Demon Refining Valley.
He saw that the past generations of elders and disciples of Demon Refining Valley had left behind many Cave Mansions on both sides of the valley, most of which were now vacant.
Deep in the valley, two Bronze Gates were embedded in the face of a cliff.
Three large, calligraphic words were carved into the massive stone 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 if they had a Merit Talisman or a written order from the Elder Council.
Fang Cheng learned from Chen Chizhong’s Spiritual Memory that the entire Holy Treasure Hall was divided into seven floors, and each floor was protected by a Third-tier Defense Array.
The seven Tier Three Arrays combined to form a single Tier Four Array that connected all the floors, unifying the interior and exterior. Without a specific Talisman Decree, it was impossible to enter.
The Fourth Elder, who was in charge of guarding the Treasure Vault, meditated within the array’s core at the deepest part of the vault, simultaneously presiding over the Grand Array’s operation.
On a typical day, the cultivators on duty at the Holy Treasure Hall would stay within the first floor’s array to meet with other cultivators who had come on business. They would then go to the other floors to find the requested items before returning to complete the exchange.
In other words, it was extremely difficult for even the Qiankun Saint Sect’s own cultivators to enter the Treasure Vault proper.
Fang Cheng revealed his form, his Escape Light descending before the giant Bronze Gate.
The two Demon Refining Valley cultivators guarding the entrance saw him and immediately came forward to bow. "Greetings, Elder Chen."
Fang Cheng nodded and asked casually, "Who is on duty in the hall?"
A guard respectfully replied, "It is Elder Yun and Elder Qian from the valley."
The elders they spoke of both had Life Talisman Cultivation. They were primarily stationed on the first floor of the Holy Treasure Hall, responsible for handling the exchange of treasures from the vault.
Fang Cheng said coolly, "Open the gate."
The guards looked troubled, but one steeled himself 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 ray of glowing light shot out from the token and landed on the giant Bronze Gate.
A ripple of light spread across the Bronze Gate’s surface. 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 opened up, and a majestic hall appeared in his sight.