Chapter 517 - 527: 8 Treasures

Countless people stared in astonishment at the Sword Aura that connected heaven and earth. Chu Bufan seemed utterly minuscule beneath it.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The sound of successive Qi Bursts reached the crowd’s ears. Chu Bufan’s body vanished into the boundless smoke and dust, and many people even sighed to themselves in disappointment.

Lu Wushuang’s eyes remained fixed ahead. Suddenly, his brow furrowed sharply.

Just as everyone thought the outcome was decided, a figure slowly emerged from the smoke and dust. He stood proudly in the sky, his aura surging in all directions, leaving the crowd dumbfounded.

"Life and Death Realm Third Layer Heaven!"

Within the Life and Death Realm, the gap between each layer was practically insurmountable; very few could ever challenge someone from a higher level. Lu Wushuang was a genius of Swordsmanship, but Chu Bufan was clearly just as remarkable.

Chu Bufan laughed heartily. "Lu Wushuang, you truly haven’t disappointed me. You’ve forced me to use my full strength. Let’s settle this with the next move!"

"Celestial Brilliance Infinite Hand!"

The void trembled as boundless Primordial Qi surged from afar, filling the air with a deafening roar. A jade-white Palm Seal pressed down from the heavens, its speed incomparably fast.

Lu Wushuang’s expression grew graver than ever before. He gripped the hilt with both hands as an intensely dazzling light began to spread across the Sword Body.

"Three-Star Unrivaled Sword!"

Three beams of Sword Aura, like starlight, streaked across the sky. They shone brilliantly, complementing one another as their sharp auras weaved through the air, emitting a piercing shriek.

BOOM!

The moment of impact was followed, as expected, by a sky-shattering sound. Then came the terrifyingly powerful shockwave, blasting out in all directions.

Countless people stared wide-eyed at the sky above, awaiting the outcome.

Who was more formidable? The True Disciple of Chaotian Peak, Chu Bufan, or the True Disciple of Cloud Conceal Peak?

After a long moment, the smoke dissipated, and the scene became clear.

Chu Bufan was still standing firm in the air, but his robes were tattered and there was blood at the corner of his mouth. His eyes, however, held a divine glint as he looked down below.

Down below, Lu Wushuang was kneeling on one knee, his sword plunged into the Three Pristine Platform to support him. Blood streamed continuously from his mouth.

"I... I lost," Lu Wushuang said with a bitter smile.

The surroundings were completely silent, with only Lu Wushuang’s voice echoing in the air.

The victor was decided.

"As expected, Chu Bufan’s strength is just a cut above," Du Qianqian couldn’t help but say, shaking her head.

Suddenly.

A booming voice echoed in everyone’s ears, causing them all to start.

"Xia Qianhe of the Three Realms Sect and Gao Changtian of the Flowing Cloud Sect, bearing the heads of Wu Shuangying and Liu Mingliang, have come to beg for punishment!"

...

The voice was long and deep, echoing across the entire Main Peak.

The crowd, jolted from their focus on the duel, exchanged shocked glances.

"What in the world is going on? Hasn’t the Three Realms Sect already broken ties with us?"

"Why would the Sect Leader of the Three Realms Sect come to our Celestial Profound Sect to beg for punishment?"

No one understood, their hearts filled with confusion.

...

Wen Qingye had already been in the Ancestral Hall for some time. He had consumed four or five True Essence Pills, and his Primordial Qi was now abundant and stable, having reached the peak of the Sixth Heaven.

For Wen Qingye, breaking through to a new realm presented almost no barriers. This was partly due to his past life, and partly due to his exceptionally solid and stable foundation.

Therefore, all Wen Qingye needed was a little guidance, and his cultivation would certainly break through once more.

Seeing Wen Qingye awaken, Qing Ruo’ai wrinkled her nose and asked, "Should we keep moving forward?"

Wen Qingye nodded. "There are no more fragmented Primordial Spirits here. We have no choice but to press on."

Qing Ruo’ai made a face, her expression one of disgust. "Why are you looking for those ghouls? They’re so gross. Every one of them has lost its humanity. They’re not cute at all."

Wen Qingye just smiled without explaining. He walked toward the passage ahead, his eyes filled with curiosity. ’What exactly is in here?’

Inside the passage, a biting Yin Qi constantly assailed Wen Qingye. The way forward was shrouded in darkness, with not a glimmer of light to be seen.

Sensing the surrounding gloom and cold, the Ice Python said in a low voice, "It’s even colder in here than outside. It seems there must be even more fragmented Primordial Spirits inside."

Qing Ruo’ai laughed. "You smelly little python, don’t talk nonsense if you don’t know what you’re talking about. There are hardly any ghouls in there."

"Grandaunt, do you know what it’s like inside?" the Ice Python asked curiously.

Hearing Qing Ruo’ai’s words, Wen Qingye also turned to look at her.

"Of course I do," Qing Ruo’ai said, a smug look on her face. "There aren’t many ghouls inside, but there are a few that are quite powerful. I think my master even stayed in there for a while, but then left for some reason I don’t know."

Wen Qingye nodded upon hearing this. He was beginning to understand. ’The beings inside must be wisps of Primordial Spirit left behind by the greatest experts in the history of the Celestial Profound Sect. They were then enshrined in the deepest part of the Ancestral Hall.’

Qing Ruo’ai continued, "The people in there seem to be guarding something... something... I forget what."

The Ice Python cautiously added from the side, "Grandaunt, could it be some kind of treasure they’re guarding?"

"Yes! That’s it, that’s it! Treasure!" Qing Ruo’ai nodded eagerly.

Before they knew it, a glimmer of light appeared ahead. Wen Qingye quickened his pace, covering three steps’ worth of distance in two.

WHOOSH!

As soon as he stepped out of the passage, the gloomy, cold aura seemed to vanish.

A brilliant light shone toward them. All around stood five rainbow-colored stone statues. The statues were roughly fifty feet tall and twenty feet wide, made of an extraordinary material.

The statues were incredibly lifelike, depicting four men and one woman, all with ancient and wizened faces.

In front of the statues was a low table, upon which sat eight bizarrely shaped stones.

"The Eight Treasures?"

Seeing the eight stones, Wen Qingye couldn’t help but feel a jolt of surprise.

The Eight Treasures were a collection of eight exceedingly rare ores: Jade Treasure Ore, Mithril, Refined Gold, Hair Crystal, Star Iron, Cold Iron, Deep Sea Marrow Silver, and the Heart of Red Flame.

These ores weren’t just rare throughout the Eastern Profound Domain; they were considered exceptionally precious even in the Immortal Realm.

The Celestial Profound Sect must have spent thousands of years and exhausted the entire Sect’s resources to gather these eight ores.

If any outsider were to see these Eight Treasures, they would surely go mad with greed. These ores could be used to refine any type of Magical Artifact, and a single one was enough to cause a bloodbath in the outside world. Yet here, there were all eight of them.

And the Mountain River Atlas just so happened to require these eight ores. ’With these,’ he thought, ’the Mountain River Atlas can surely be upgraded another level.’

"Boy, you’ve grown greedy."

Suddenly, a sonorous voice echoed in Wen Qingye’s ears.

A massive, illusory figure appeared before him—an old man with an ancient face, who stared down at Wen Qingye with an imperious gaze.