Chapter 38: The Treasure Cauldron in Hand
Zhang Taiyue vanished in an instant, a sword aura twisting the void where he had just stood. The next moment, he reappeared dozens of yards away, his eyes cold as he gazed at a figure wreathed in black mist.
"What do you mean by this?"
The person shrouded in darkness said nothing, their form flickering as they lunged at him once more.
"Trying to cut me off, are you?"
Fury erupted within Zhang Taiyue. Sword intent surged from his body, a brilliant arc of sword-light slashing toward his opponent.
The wounded Serpent Demon made no attempt to flee. The pair of chilling eyes on its grotesque human face blazed with rage and malice as it charged at Zhang Taiyue from another angle.
Together with the figure in black mist, they closed in on him from both sides.
...
Deep within the subterranean palace.
Qin Yue continued to defend himself with the copper mirror, fending off the relentless attacks of the sinister, black worms. Not far off, water serpents watched him with cold, unblinking eyes, waiting for an opportunity.
The exquisitely crafted little cauldron was not easy to refine. The bronze wheel in his spiritual sea remained unresponsive, so he could not rely on the Mouse Spirit. He had even tried to swap the heavens and the earth, but to no avail. Left with no other choice, he followed the refining method taught by Feng Qianning, working with patience.
Time trickled by. Explosions and rumbles echoed from above, and from the Serpent Demon’s infant-like wails, he surmised that more people had joined the fray outside.
He was anxious, but there was nothing to be done. Thankfully, his reserves of spiritual energy were abundant—since his tribulation, his energy alone was already at the Cave Insight level.
In a flash, the time it took for an incense stick to burn passed, and the cauldron finally began to show signs of loosening!
Qin Yue’s spirit soared. Feng Qianning had been right: though she had failed to refine it before, after the seal was broken, the cauldron’s volatile energy had made one last desperate attempt to restrain the Serpent Demon. With its strength greatly depleted, it was now much easier for him to refine than it had been for her.
As the cauldron grew “weary,” Qin Yue adjusted the frequency of his energy, seeking resonance.
At that moment, chaos erupted outside!
...
The frenzied Serpent Demon became utterly unhinged, attacking Zhang Taiyue with abandon, willing to be struck again if it meant landing a blow.
Even Zhang Taiyue, a master of the Dao surpassing Grandmasters, was left speechless. The unexpected and mysterious interloper was troublesome enough, and the crazed Serpent Demon only compounded his difficulties.
By now, Li Qing and the others from Divine Phoenix Villa had arrived, along with representatives from other major sects.
—Even if they could not claim the prize, they had to at least witness it, or they would never be content.
Upon entering the valley shrouded in black mist, they found Zhang Taiyue locked in combat with a mysterious figure of equal power, and all secretly sighed in relief.
Even if they could not obtain the treasure themselves, they did not wish to see anyone else take it—such feelings transcended righteous or demonic affiliations, rooted purely in human nature.
Seeing their master under attack, Li Qing and the others were furious and prepared to assist, but Zhang Taiyue barked, “Stay back!”
Battles between Dao-tier cultivators could not be joined by those of the Technique realm. Even a seemingly ordinary sword strike carried unimaginable power. The reason the earth and mountains weren’t shaking was because the two were fighting with exquisite control, channeling all their lethal intent directly at each other. But should anyone approach, the mere pressure within three yards would be enough to make a Cave Insight Grandmaster cough blood!
The Serpent Demon, holding a bitter grudge, focused solely on Zhang Taiyue.
At first, the figure in black mist remained wary of the Serpent Demon, but as the fight progressed and he noticed its single-minded hostility toward Zhang Taiyue, he relaxed his guard.
Yet he had not anticipated how monstrous and unpredictable the creature truly was!
Just as the black-shrouded figure unleashed his full strength against Zhang Taiyue, the Serpent Demon seized an opening, its claws—sharp as blades—slashing him brutally.
His magical robe was sliced like paper, his armor rent apart, and a bloody wound appeared, drawing a stifled grunt.
“Hahaha!” Even in his vexation, Zhang Taiyue could not help but laugh, swinging his sword at the man.
The man wreathed in black snarled, “Beast!” and retreated at once.
The Serpent Demon’s venom was deadly in tooth and claw; any wound was perilous and required immediate attention.
Zhang Taiyue, his frustration vented, shot a flying sword from his brow, intent on slaying his foe.
But in the next instant, his laughter died.
The Serpent Demon seized the moment as he unleashed his divine art, closing the gap with explosive speed. Its whip-like tail lashed his leg.
Thump!
He staggered, a deep gash torn in his calf by the tail’s barbed spines.
...
“Argh!”
With a furious roar, he abandoned pursuit, unleashing a torrent of sword intent at the Serpent Demon.
Clang!
Sparks flew.
The Serpent Demon’s tail nearly severed, and its body was pierced by the raging sword aura, blood gushing from numerous wounds.
Now truly enraged, Zhang Taiyue no longer held back, determined to kill the wretched beast.
At last, the crazed Serpent Demon regained a shred of “calm.” Its uncanny human eyes locked onto Zhang Taiyue, etching his face into its memory, then it vanished into the darkness.
Seeing this, Zhang Taiyue pursued without hesitation.
The Serpent Demon was gravely wounded. Even if it reached the subterranean palace, it might not dare attack again. He had to seize this chance to claim both Feng Qianning’s treasure and the accursed monster at once!
Buzz!
A beam of light shot at him.
The man once cloaked in black mist had circled back, unleashing a powerful divine art.
Zhang Taiyue’s mind nearly unraveled. With no time to dodge, he took the blow head-on, blood trickling from his lips.
The wound on his calf, still untreated, throbbed with pain and venom. Were it not for forceful suppression, the poison would have taken hold by now.
Zhang Taiyue thundered, “We have no enmity. Must we truly fight to the death?”
Still silent, the black-misted man pressed the assault, as if bearing a deep-seated grudge.
Battles at this level were beyond anyone else’s reach. The two moved with blinding speed, wielding lethal arts or clashing head-on, their tempers flaring and bodies bloodied.
Zhang Taiyue could not fathom his opponent’s identity. He had spent years in the northern Jin Kingdom, and while he had made enemies, none at his level bore such a grudge.
The man was a stranger, his techniques unlike any he had seen from the great sects.
“Who are you?” he demanded once more.
Their blades clashed again, sparks flying, and even Zhang Taiyue’s legendary sword was chipped.
“Your father!” the man finally spat, his voice cold and mocking.
Blood poured from his wounded shoulder, yet he seemed oblivious.
His ruthless resilience even shocked Zhang Taiyue.
Suddenly, a realization struck him. He ground his teeth and snarled, “You’re buying time for your companion!”
It was not a question, but a statement of certainty.
The black-misted man sneered, redoubling his assault.
Zhang Taiyue bellowed, “Friends of Divine Phoenix Villa and all sects with the means to enter the palace—go now! His companion must be inside!”
The sect representatives looked at one another, hesitating.
They too saw that the man seemed intent on delaying Zhang Taiyue.
But the palace entrance had collapsed and was buried. Without tunneling arts, quick entry was impossible.
Yet such arts were rare below the Cave Insight level, and even those who had reached it found them difficult to perform, as they depended more on the cultivation method than the practitioner. No sect had ever produced someone who could master tunneling arts proficiently at the Technique realm.
So if this man’s companion was inside, it meant they, too, were likely Dao-tier!
To vie with a Dao-tier cultivator for a treasure—how foolhardy would that be?
Even the people of Divine Phoenix Villa thought their master was speaking rashly in his anger.
But his word was law. Li Qing and the others hacked a path through the serpents, charging for the palace entrance.
Yet the palace spewed forth more venomous serpents and sinister worms, and soon people were struck down, their screams and curses ringing out. The other sects recoiled at the sight; in such peril, no one dared advance.
At the Zhaoyang Sect’s side, Ling Chen glanced at Tang Qingxuan and the others. “I want to go in and have a look!”
He had also studied tunneling arts. Though not proficient, with a distance of only a few dozen yards and his magical tools for protection, he might just reach the interior.
“No!” Xuan Xiao refused at once.
It wasn’t that Zhaoyang’s prodigies had to be sheltered, but the danger was simply too great.
Tang Qingxuan also spoke. “Don’t go. Have you forgotten how we escaped last time?”
Even without Dao-tier experts inside, there were the wounded Serpent Demon, sinister worms, venomous snakes, and the collapsed, complex terrain—a den of perils.
Hadn’t veterans like Qiao Zhen and Xue Lei, famous Cave Insight Grandmasters, chosen to stay put? Didn’t they want the treasure? But they knew that, at such a time, waiting was the wisest course.
An elder skilled in reading auras said, “Be patient, young master. Our Dao-tier expert is already on the way and will arrive soon!”
Ling Chen eyed the group. Seizing a moment’s distraction, he summoned his spiritual energy and performed the tunneling art, vanishing in an instant.
Cowards, the Serpent Demon has already fled and these poisons can’t harm me. They claim there’s a Dao-tier inside—but who has seen it?
“Young master!”
“Don’t—”
Tang Qingxuan and Xuan Xiao broke into a cold sweat. Gritting their teeth, they rushed into the valley as well. They knew tunneling arts, though not well; but with Ling Chen charging in recklessly, they could only follow.
The man dueling Zhang Taiyue grew anxious, wanting to break free and pursue the others.
Zhang Taiyue burst out laughing. “You wretch, now it’s my turn! You’re not getting away!”
Rumbling thunder!
He unleashed his secret arts and techniques, pouring out spiritual energy in a wild assault.
...
Within the subterranean palace.
Qin Yue synchronized the fluctuations of his spiritual energy with his mental field, achieving unity of heaven and man.
Yet such a state was dangerous; with body and soul in perfect internal harmony, his awareness of the outside world diminished.
But it was a necessary step to refine the cauldron.
As he entered this state, he quickly matched the frequency emitted by the cauldron, and their resonances intertwined.
Instantly, the black worms and venomous snakes that had besieged him scattered in terror.
The cauldron, previously rooted to the ground, began to tremble, emitting a deep humming as if resonating across the ages.
At that moment, Qin Yue heard a piercing infant’s wail, but in this state, he could not afford distraction.
Boom!
The severely wounded Serpent Demon, maddened beyond reason, surged from the water and slammed itself against the copper mirror’s barrier.
Crack!
Its head split open, blood pouring from the wound, but its eyes remained crazed as it struck again.
Buzz!
The cauldron slowly floated up, torrents of runes spilling from its mouth and pouring into Qin Yue’s spiritual sea.
In a blink, the cauldron transformed into a stream of light and, together with the runes, flew into Qin Yue’s brow!
Crash!
The Serpent Demon struck the barrier once more.
Its grotesque face was smeared with blood, eyes burning with madness.
The barrier shattered.
Qin Yue hastily invoked his Netherworld Tunneling Art, but could not fully evade—the impact sent him hurtling through the water.
Blood spurted from his mouth, staining the water red.
He summoned the last reserves of his spiritual power, performing the tunneling art.
The Serpent Demon’s infant wail shook the cavern as it vanished as well.
Moments later, Ling Chen and the others who knew the tunneling art struggled into the flooded underground palace.
Yet apart from the terrified worms and trembling venomous snakes, nothing remained to be found.
Outside, the man locked in combat with Zhang Taiyue suddenly let out a cold laugh, unleashed a terrifying divine art to force Zhang Taiyue back, and slipped away.