Although Marquis Nanlong’s voice was calm, his eyes were fixed on the spiritual medicines on the altar, filled with greed, as if he couldn’t wait to seize them all. Each of these medicines was precisely what he and the old man needed most. Now that they were within reach, his heart itched with impatience.
When he first entered and saw these medicines, he had almost reflexively wanted to sweep them all away. However, he hadn’t anticipated the presence of an extremely peculiar array restriction here, which caused him to stumble quite badly. As a result, he had no choice but to wait quietly for the old man.
Now, hearing the old man surnamed Lu identify the formation as the “Minor Sumeru Vajra Array,” Marquis Nanlong’s spirits lifted, and his heart swelled with joy. Earlier, upon briefly encountering the restriction, he had sensed that this array was vastly different from the many formations he had studied before, which had secretly worried him. But now that the old man recognized it, things were looking much better.
“Brother Lu, you recognize this restriction?” Marquis Nanlong suppressed his excitement and asked eagerly.
“In the past, I once obtained some Buddhist cultivation texts. Although I didn’t practice them due to incompatibility with my techniques, I still remember some of the Buddhist array restrictions recorded within. This Minor Sumeru Vajra Array is one of the most profound among them. Brother Nanlong, if this restriction truly is that array, we’re in for quite a bit of trouble,” the old man said, his gaze returning to the altar as his brows furrowed.
“What do you mean? Can’t this array be broken?” Marquis Nanlong’s expression darkened slightly, his tone disbelieving.
“This Minor Sumeru Vajra Array is also known as the Vajra Immortal-Trapping Array. It’s one of the few restrictions in the world that can only be broken through brute force, with no other method of dismantling it. To break it, one must continuously attack the protective barrier it generates without pause. While its defensive power might not rank highly among formations, its endurance is unparalleled in the Buddhist sects—it’s said to be indestructible unless completely obliterated, as it can rapidly restore itself,” the old man explained gravely after a moment of thought.
To prove his point, the old man surnamed Lu flicked a finger, sending a fireball shooting toward the altar several zhang away. With a “bang,” the fireball exploded before even reaching the altar, vanishing into nothingness.
A thick, shimmering barrier of golden light appeared over the altar, adorned with ancient Buddhist scriptures the size of beans, emerging like blooming silver flowers across its surface.
Marquis Nanlong’s expression darkened slightly. He had seen this spectacle once before, so he wasn’t surprised.
“Eh? What’s this?” The old man suddenly exclaimed in shock. Marquis Nanlong turned his head in surprise, only to see Lu Weiying staring in astonishment at a particular spot within the golden barrier, his face filled with disbelief.
Puzzled, Marquis Nanlong focused his spiritual sight, straining to peer through the barrier. There, in the center of the altar—previously empty save for a few spiritual medicines—a silver bowl the size of a human head had suddenly appeared.
The bowl’s surface was covered in intricate, obscure runes, surrounded by eight pale-white jade talismans lying flat around it. Above the bowl, hovering motionlessly at a height of about a foot, were three small objects: a tiny silver sword, a black staff, and a blood-red pearl. Though each was only about an inch in size, they emitted faint strands of tri-colored spiritual light, intertwining to envelop the silver bowl below.
Just as Marquis Nanlong was gaping in shock, the bowl, jade talismans, and the three artifacts vanished from the altar in a flash. The golden barrier, covered in Buddhist scriptures, silently dissipated as well.
What was going on? Earlier, when the barrier appeared, these items hadn’t been visible. How had they suddenly appeared after the old man’s attack? Marquis Nanlong’s lips pressed tightly together, his eyes still flickering with doubt even as the barrier disappeared.
The old man surnamed Lu, of course, had no such questions. He merely fell into deep thought as he observed the newly appeared bowl and other items. Anyone could see that compared to these newly revealed treasures, the spiritual medicines were mere trifles. What could possibly surpass the value of such heaven-defying artifacts?
The mere thought made the old man’s heart race. All the caution and unease he had felt upon seeing the Blood Curse Gate was instantly forgotten.
“Brother Lu, it seems we’ve come to the right place. If we can break this Buddhist restriction, this trip will not have been in vain,” Marquis Nanlong said with a smile, clearly sharing the same thought.
“Indeed. I never expected so many treasures to lie beyond the Blood Curse Gate. But dismantling this restriction won’t be easy—it will take time and cost us some vitality,” the old man replied, forcing a smile.
“Hah! To obtain such treasures, I’d willingly sacrifice not just vitality but even ten years of my lifespan. Since you said brute force is the only way to break this array, it seems I’ll be busy! Let’s not delay—we should start now. Once the restriction is broken, we’ll split everything equally. How does that sound?” Marquis Nanlong said bluntly, eager to proceed.
“If Brother Nanlong says so, I naturally comply,” the old man agreed readily, equally keen to retrieve the treasures. Marquis Nanlong nodded in satisfaction.
Yet, at that moment, the two subtly distanced themselves from each other, each sensing a hint of wariness from the other.
The old man then produced a white banner and tossed it into the air, sitting cross-legged with his hands forming seals. Marquis Nanlong flicked his sleeve, and a golden flying sword shot forth.
Instantly, fierce winds rose, and sword energy crisscrossed the area as the golden barrier reappeared. A rumbling sound echoed continuously from underground.
Near a mountain peak, a streak of azure light flashed past in the distance. Within the light, Han Li was silently speeding along.
He had long since passed the mountain where the Purple-striped Scorpions resided and was now heading toward the cave where he had first entered the inner valley. Having traveled this path before, he moved with familiarity, his speed several times faster than before. A journey that had originally taken over a day was now completed in a third of the time.
Just as he estimated that he would reach the cave in another hour, faint but continuous rumbling sounds reached his ears from a distance.
Han Li’s expression shifted slightly, and his flight slowed as he turned his head to look. His spiritual sense swept over the area, detecting unusual fluctuations of spiritual energy.
Narrowing his eyes, he spotted faint white flashes in the distant mountains. If he recalled correctly, that was one of the places he had suspected of containing restrictions and possibly ancient treasures. It seemed other cultivators had also entered the inner valley and were now breaking restrictions in search of treasures.
After a brief moment of consideration, Han Li shook his head. The thought of joining the fray and seizing an opportunity crossed his mind but was quickly suppressed. To avoid drawing attention, he withdrew his spiritual sense after a quick scan, refraining from probing further.
For Han Li, it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble. The azure streak shot forward again, vanishing from the mountain peaks in an instant.
Dozens of miles away in the direction Han Li had glanced, a group of over a dozen cultivators was attacking a small mountain shrouded in white light with various magical treasures. Leading them were the Mulan Divine Master, the Confucian scholar surnamed Zhong, and the woman surnamed Le—all of them Mulan spellcasters.
As Han Li flew away in the distance, Zhong the Confucian scholar’s brow twitched slightly, and he instinctively glanced in the direction of Han Li’s retreating figure.
“What is it, Brother Zhong? Did you notice something amiss?” the woman surnamed Le asked, noticing his reaction.
“Nothing serious. Just now, a Heavenly South cultivator scanned this area with his spiritual sense but seemed uninterested in interfering. He flew off after a brief glance. Since we’re focused on breaking this restriction, I didn’t bother pursuing it,” the scholar replied indifferently.
“Brother Zhong is right. We’re at a critical point in dismantling this restriction. Let’s hope it doesn’t turn out like the last one—filled with nothing but scrap metal and no treasures, while two of our comrades perished in spatial rifts along the way,” the woman sighed, her tone resigned.
“There’s nothing to be done about it. Those invisible spatial rifts are impossible to guard against. And the low-level spirit beasts we prepared for scouting all went berserk upon entering the inner valley, flying chaotically out of control. Otherwise, those two deaths might have been avoided,” Zhong said, his expression darkening.
“Those spirit beasts didn’t seem berserk—more like they were terrified of the inner valley. Could there be something here that specifically suppresses demonic beasts? Even my fifth-grade Black-winged Eagle refused to obey commands after entering, unwilling to leave its spirit beast pouch. This Fallen Devil Valley truly is bizarre,” the woman mused.
“Perhaps. This place is known as the most perilous in the Heavenly South, so it’s bound to have its mysteries. But we’re not here to unravel them—we’re here to gather ancient treasures and spiritual pills for Mulan. Even without spirit beasts to scout, we must press on. This opportunity was hard-won through negotiations with the four major powers of the Heavenly South. We can’t afford to waste it,” Zhong said coldly, his tone brooking no argument.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage