After cutting down Tian Gui, Tie Dan wandered around the treasure ship, taking stock of the so-called Shanglin Treasure.
It’s no wonder the families of Liu Village can live without producing anything; this truly is a treasure in the literal sense. The cabins are filled with gold, silver, brocade, miraculous elixirs, rhinoceros horn beads and jade, and piles of shiny Divine Gang Coins stacked like mountains with ropes rotted away, enough for dozens of generations to sit and eat without running out.
And naturally, it’s not just the gold and silver treasures sought by mortals; in the lower deck of the ship, there are more than two hundred large alloy containers stacked like a mountain of iron. Tie Dan recognized them at a glance as company items, with special materials on the outer walls of the containers capable of blocking Divine Sense scans. The Primordial Spirit scan revealed only a pitch-black area, like a stubborn stone, into which no glimpse of the hidden items could penetrate, nor was there any leak of spiritual breath or treasure light, indicating that resources like heavenly and earthly cultivation materials were hidden within. It’s no wonder he couldn’t find the treasure’s location despite countless attempts.
Tie Dan circled around the containers and examined them closely, understanding why Tian Gui and the others were fixated on the Ruyi Sword Scripture and were determined to seize it.
The openings of the containers are sealed with a sword array arranged by Tian Gang, and the sword array is aimed inward, clearly designed to guard against any outside attempts to forcibly open the containers and seize the treasures, as the sword array would then crush and destroy the contents of the treasure boxes.
Hmm, judging by the surrounding wreckage, one container has already been forcibly opened and destroyed, ground to dust by sword light...
Thus, Tie Dan studied the sword array seal carefully, confirming what Tian Gui and the others had speculated: the only safe way to open the treasure boxes was to use the Sect Leader’s secret Sword Control Skill to break the sword array arranged by Tian Gang.
Being a genuine recognized heir of the Sword Sect, this task was naturally not difficult for Tie Dan. After all, the door locks of the Nine Yin Mountain warehouse are quite similar; he only had to infuse a secret-refined sword energy into the sword array, threading through the intricate patterns and talismans of the array without triggering defensive mechanisms, and finally severing the sword intent left by Tian Gang at the core of the sword array, replacing the sword seal core with his own sword energy, converting this array for personal use, thereby freely opening and releasing the seal of the sword array.
Of course, to command a sword energy with such precision, avoiding activation of the sword array while severing the residual sword intent of Tian Gang requires at least refining and purifying the Ruyi Sword Scripture over a century to accomplish. Mainly, Tie Dan took a shortcut by first refining the Nine Luminaries Unification with Beichen Sword Qi, saying it was easy, doing it was not difficult, and with a thought, broke Tian Gang’s sword array.
"Squeak."
Opening a treasure box, the aroma of high-concentration spiritual liquid instantly filled the air, transforming the cabin into a misty immortal realm.
Tie Dan looked inside the box, seeing it piled high with various ores, elixir pills, herbs, beads, and jade. Though most were basic Foundation Establishment materials, the quantity was more than sufficient; one box was packed full. With at least two hundred boxes on the ship, it would be enough to support dozens of new disciples in cultivating all the way to the Golden Core Realm.
Sure, although Tian Gang, the old dog, is not much of a character, these items were indeed prepared as startup funds for a sect. According to Tian Gui, that old dog was cunning with multiple hideouts, and there’s certainly not just one treasure of this scale. It seems he had calculated well enough that even if one day the Sword Sect faces annihilation, if the Nine Yin Mountain falls to outsiders’ hands, the remaining disciples of the Sword Sect could still rely on these funds to make a comeback.
Moreover, the treasures within these boxes are clearly not limited to these basic resources.
As the spiritual energy leaked into the cabin, treasure light sparkled, and the head of Kong Liuzi, resembling a pink human-headed balloon, floated in, suspended in air, spewing light and electricity from its nose and mouth, evidently drawn by the spiritual energy to the Treasure Bead hidden in its cranium.
Tie Dan knew that this pink Treasure Bead likely originated from the first container. It seems that Kong Liuzi forcibly opened the container unsuccessfully, although the items inside were destroyed by the sword array, this Treasure Bead, having a special material and overwhelming power, endured the disaster and fell into his hands.
Tie Dan had no time to study this magic treasure in detail, so he wrapped Kong Liuzi’s head with a sleeve of Purple Mist True Qi, directly transforming it into wood, temporarily sealing the Treasure Bead within, and casually tossed it back into a container for storage.
As for the items on the ship, there was no need for argument; they all belong to the Sword Sect and must be brought back to the Nine Yin Mountain. Thus Tie Dan wasted no time, collected a pile of dragon bones excavated from Liu Village, and began the return trip onboard the treasure ship.
However, the treasure ship is much slower than Sword Rainbow Flying Escape, and moreover, the treasure light shines brightly, attracting attention wherever it passes, adorned with auspicious clouds, drawing onlookers, indeed a magnet for crooks.
Sure enough, within three days of piloting the ship, just as he entered the Zhenzhou territory, Tie Dan sensed pursuit from behind. A Divine Sense scan revealed more than a dozen cultivators, each riding escape light around the ship, forming a blockade, pulling up a storm to block his path.
But these people’s skills were lacking, most being merely at the Golden Core Realm, with weak mana and escape light flickering like a firefly. Only the leader, a transformed old monster who, at first glance, seemed full of Daoist energy and strong power, pulled up a large fiery cloud from the horizon, presenting a rather ostentatious appearance.
Tie Dan truly couldn’t be bothered to deal with these amateurs lacking arithmetic skills, who didn’t check their horoscope before jumping in front of him, and simply intended to release sword qi, hoping to scare off the idle interlopers for good.
"A demon you dare! Massacring villagers, robbing wealth, and taking lives! This day, I will use your head to avenge seventy-three lives of Liu Family Manor!"
Unexpectedly, this group not only refused to retreat but boldly released Daoist energy, wrapping up a fiery cloud around to besiege the flying boat, directly advancing forward to challenge.
Seeing this, Tie Dan decided not to waste words, flicking a strand of sword energy, slicing towards the man amid the fiery cloud.
"Ah—!"
But who could have known such a slash would follow with a scream, as the Divinity Transformer was cut down with one sword...
"Old—Ancestor—"
When a sword fell, all the amateurs cried out in unison, the tree toppled and the monkeys scattered, fleeing for their lives...
Tie Dan was dumbfounded.
...Wait, what just happened??
Though the ’Old—Ancestor—’ was struck down with a sword, he didn’t actually die, yet this fellow, relying on cultivation, was caught unprepared, having never anticipated the formidable power of Beichen Sword Qi. Taken by surprise, he was defeated, his mind defenseless, resulting in his headgear being cut down, scalp lacerated, and skull cracked. In agony and panic, he lost his footing and fell from the cloud.
But escaping from a killing star isn’t so simple, and soon enough, this one got captured by a Qi Hand, thrown onto the deck, and pinned down.
Being a Divinity Transformation cultivator, the ’Old—Ancestor—’ had a youthful appearance with white hair and an impressive demeanor, donned in a Fire Pattern Taoist Robe embroidered with nine golden dragons, appearing as an overseas Supreme. Unfortunately, even with impressive attire, one sword extinguished his arrogance, leaving him submissive, disheveled, holding onto his partially scalped head, bleeding all over, lying on the ground, seemingly having been thoroughly frightened.
Tie Dan was never one for respecting elders or caring for youth, seeing this guy still feigning death in front of him, he stepped up and kicked his heart, flipping the man over, finally waking the ’Old—Ancestor—’, who flipped onto the ground with a cry of agony.
"Ow—spare me—Immortal Master, spare my life—!"
Tie Dan, utterly unwilling to waste his patience, furrowed his sword-like brows and...
"Who are you?"
’Old—Ancestor—’ he pleaded on the ground,
"I am a loose cultivator from overseas, residing on East Sea Fire Flame Island, known as Fen Yun Ancestor..."
Tie Dan glared.
"Old monster! Known as Fen Yun Old Monster! It’s all my fault for disturbing the Immortal Master’s peace. Please, Immortal Master, consider the hardships of my years of bitter cultivation and spare my life, boohoo..."
Fen Yun Old Monster cried with a snotty nose and teary eyes, looking utterly pathetic.
Tie Dan frowned as well, finding this fellow absurdly ridiculous, so much so that he didn’t even bother to kill him. But when things seem off, there must be something peculiar. So, he calculated with his fingers and asked, frowning,
"What connection do you have with the Liu Family Manor that you came to stand up for them?"
Fen Yun Old Monster pitifully said,
"I... am just a door-to-door neighbor with Kong Liuzi..."
Tie Dan kicked him.
"Ah! Immortal Master, spare me! It’s just that Kong Liuzi has a great treasure, the Fire Divine Pearl, which suits my use. I have coveted it for a long time, but his abilities are on par with mine, so I have not been able to get it.
This time, hearing that the Liu family was wiped out by you, Immortal Master, I thought you must have taken the magic treasure, which is why I foolishly came to beg for it..."
Tie Dan looked at him skeptically,
"You couldn’t even handle a single Kong Liuzi, and knowing I destroyed his entire family, you dare chase after me to demand a magic treasure?"
"Uh..."
This guy hesitated, not speaking the truth, and Tie Dan didn’t want to waste time with him, so he flicked his fingers and chopped off one of his legs.
Fen Yun Old Monster howled in pain.
"Ah—! Immortal Master, have mercy! It was all because someone incited me! They tricked me by saying that you were severely injured by Kong Liuzi and that there were countless treasures, telling me it was an unmissable opportunity, which is why I fell for it!"
"Oh? And who is this inciter?"
Fen Yun, "Uh, that person came from elsewhere, I do not know them... Ah, ah, spare me, Immortal Master, spare me!"
This guy was incredibly dull-witted; heaven knows how he managed to cultivate to the Divinity Transformation Realm. Nevertheless, Tie Dan spared his life, only hanging Fen Yun Old Monster from the mast, making him blow against the sail to speed up the Treasure Ship.
After all, Tie Dan understood that this fool was simply used to test him. If there was even a slight sign of weakness, probably a whole pack of wolves would pounce to attack.
But then again, it’s to be expected. Having inherited the karma of the Sword Sect and become the Sect Leader of the Sword Sect, how could he not be subject to schemes and plots?
Moreover, with a whole ship of the Shanglin Treasure under his possession, who knows how many eyes it has drawn. Taking it back to Nine Yin Mountain is just the beginning of the troubles.
Sure enough, barely a day after hanging Fen Yun, the second wave of people blocked their path.
Since a single Divinity Transformation Cultivator couldn’t withstand Tie Dan, this time, there came two.
"Nine Heavens Xuan Nu, Qingtang Yun Jiangli."
"Nine Heavens Xuan Nu, Qingtang Chu Ruowei."
Yun Jiangli’s makeup was elegant, her beauty unmatchable; her eyebrows like distant mountains, pupils like autumn water, eyelashes like raven feathers, lips moist like cherry, her hair like a waterfall lazily tied with a Green Jade Longevity Hairpin, neck as graceful as a swan’s with a faint collarbone showing, her figure tall and slender, like a rare orchid in a deep valley, a flower on a high ridge, aloof and peerless.
She was dressed in a moon-white, dark-cloud patterned wide-sleeved flowing Immortal Skirt, thin like cicada wings, light as mist, layered over her body, only split at the shoulders and waist, faintly revealing the snow-like skin and jade feet beneath, her complexion and bones clear as high-grade cold jade, as she walked, her silk skirt fluttered as if clouds and mist enveloped, exuding ethereal Immortal air. Her wrist adorned with a Heart-Clearing Glazed Bracelet and no other accessories. She was like a lone moon hanging high, a celestial being descended, cold and otherworldly, not of this mortal world. She resembled a snow sculpture in an ice river, keeping people at a thousand-miles distance.
Chu Ruowei was also naturally beautiful, her eyebrows untouched yet dark, lips unpainted yet red, with innocence and a million different moods. Her peach blossom eyes held three parts laziness, three parts smile, and three parts liveliness, her laughter revealing dimples, her glances flowing with radiance. In her hair was slanted a pearl tassel gold step-shaking hairpin, with a gold foil flower-shaped decoration at the center of her brows, like a flower stamen, and a pair of red-gold earrings dangling by her ears that shimmered like teardrops, drawing sympathy.
She was dressed in a scarlet clouds, golden-gauze chest-rising robe, woven of heavenly silk, thin and snug, its color transitioned from light purple to deep maroon, layered as if flourishing cherry blossoms, holding a soft smoke embroidered gold scarf over her arm, wrapped around her waist, swaying as she walked, vaguely outlining enchanting curves of hips and legs, exquisite and graceful, below the waist becoming more plump, enticing like ripe peaches.
Indeed, it’s that Qingtang Sect.
"It’s an honor, it’s an honor."
Tie Dan cupped his hands, pulling out a portrait of Lady Gou Ge from his sleeve and casually tossing it in front of Yun Jiangli.
"Returning it to its rightful owner."

Comments

Loading...