Chapter 572 316: Jia Yuan Heavenly Talisman

"Ancient Treasures?"

Lü Zhong looked at Shuini, his face a picture of surprise.

According to Shuini, she had discovered a Stone Hall in the Outer Hall area. Despite being covered in layers of Prohibitions, the hall couldn't fully contain the glow of treasure emanating from within, making it highly likely that Ancient Treasures were stored inside.

And more than just one.

The so-called Ancient Treasures were Magical Treasures used by Witch Cultivators.

Unlike the Magical Treasures of Immortal Cultivators, the Ancient Treasures used by Witch Cultivators were renowned for their sheer power. This was because they were refined with vast quantities of rare spiritual materials, allowing them to simply and brutally overwhelm the Magical Treasures of Immortal Cultivators.

"So, you're suggesting...?" Lü Zhong guessed what Shuini was thinking.

Shuini nodded lightly. With a wave of her hand, she conjured the Water Mirror Technique and pointed a finger at the image of the Stone Hall. She chuckled and said, "Yes, it's just as you think. There's still some time before the Inner Hall opens, so we might as well spend it on this. Ancient Treasures aren't like the Magical Treasures we Immortal Cultivators use, which require long periods of sacrificial refining and nurturing. They only need to be refined once to unleash their full power."

For the two of them, if they could truly obtain Ancient Treasures, their strength would increase immensely.

Lü Zhong didn't answer immediately, sinking into thought for a moment instead.

True to his usual style, he was reluctant to stir up unnecessary trouble. However, since these were the legendary Ancient Treasures, it wasn't an opportunity he could so easily dismiss.

Right now, Lü Zhong was desperate to increase his strength.

And acquiring Ancient Treasures was undoubtedly an excellent way to do so.

Although the Outer Hall of the Ten Thousand Witches Hall was fraught with danger, with their Nascent Soul Cultivation, most threats were not significant. Dealing with them wouldn't be a problem.

Thinking it through, Lü Zhong agreed.

It was an extremely simple Stone Hall, situated in a lotus-shaped mountain basin. It measured a hundred zhang across, its dark mass exuding a sense of solemnity. Surrounding it was a flat plaza, a thousand-zhang expanse without a single weed in sight—only rows of strange, bizarrely shaped statues in odd poses.

Just then, two streaks of rainbow light landed at the edge of the plaza.

It was a man and a woman.

The young man, dressed in black with black hair and an indifferent expression, first sized up the statues with a hint of surprise before turning his gaze to a stone stele, murmuring aloud:

"Cyan Nether Hall."

"I'm surprised. You actually know the witch script?" Shuini said with a light chuckle.

"I studied it a bit in my spare time," Lü Zhong said coolly. He then looked toward the Stone Hall in the center of the plaza. It was shrouded in layer upon layer of Prohibitions, but just as Shuini had said, there was an unmistakable glow of treasure that couldn't be concealed, indicating the high probability of Ancient Treasures within.

The question now was, how to get the treasure?

As an Array Master, he could see that the Prohibitions protecting the Stone Hall were connected to the statues in the plaza. Forcibly destroying the statues would trigger unpredictable consequences.

Most likely, triggering the Prohibitions would also destroy the Ancient Treasures inside the Stone Hall.

Lü Zhong explained his observations.

On this point, Shuini already had an answer.

She pointed at the statues, then conjured another Water Mirror that projected an image of the entire plaza. "Looking at this plaza and the distribution of the statues, it seems to be a setup for Witch Cultivation War Chess..."

Witch Cultivation War Chess.

It was a favorite pastime among Witch Cultivators, popular before the ancient era.

Lü Zhong thought back.

He found that it was somewhat similar to the xiangqi from his previous life. In fact, one could say xiangqi was a simplified version of Witch Cultivation War Chess. The main differences were that the rules were far more complex, and there were many more pieces.

Furthermore, it wasn't limited to just two players.

"The only trouble now is that we don't know the rules of Witch Cultivation War Chess." A bitter look appeared on Shuini's face. The most important part of playing a game of chess is knowing the rules.

But as it stood, the two of them were completely clueless.

Hearing this, Lü Zhong gave a faint, confident smile and said:

"Leave that to me."

'With the Gray Mist Space, I can use True Retrospection to figure out the rules of Witch Cultivation War Chess, bit by bit.'

'I might even be able to simulate a winning strategy directly; it isn't impossible.'

"Give me some time to think."

After saying this, Lü Zhong sat down cross-legged on the ground.

Hearing this, Shuini didn't understand where his confidence in solving the Cyan Nether Chessboard came from, but she still smiled faintly and sat down cross-legged as well, her back to his.

Time passed, bit by bit.

After three days and nights, Lü Zhong finally opened his eyes. His face was etched with a lingering exhaustion, but his eyes were alarmingly bright. He had used True Retrospection to find the solution to the Cyan Nether Chessboard. Now, all he had to do was follow the steps and play the game to get the Ancient Treasures.

But before that, Lü Zhong had something else to do.

'I have to get rid of the uninvited guests first.'

While he was simulating the solution to the chessboard, he had accidentally discovered that Qingding and Huoyaozi had silently crept to a position 2,371 zhang away, hiding behind a rock shaped like a giant tortoise.

Although he didn't understand why the two of them were here, it didn't stop a plan from forming in his mind.

He relayed this discovery to Shuini via voice transmission.

"It seems Qingding and Huoyaozi's goal is most likely to launch a sneak attack while our guards are down, or perhaps wait until the chessboard is about to be solved and make all our efforts go to waste," Shuini said with a frown.

Whatever their purpose, it was not good news for her and Lü Zhong.

"We'll have to fight them," Lü Zhong said, his expression calm. "Both Qingding and Huoyaozi have taken some damage to their strength; they're no longer at their peak. You and I, on the other hand, are almost completely unscathed. If possible... I want to take down Qingding!"

Hearing this, a flash of surprise crossed Shuini's eyes. But she quickly gave a slight nod. "In that case, I'll keep Huoyaozi occupied. No matter what, I won't let her disturb you."