Looting Treasures

Lin Xuan happily sorted through his spoils of war. This senior sister had a vicious heart, but her wealth was truly abundant. From the Storage Bracelet, Lin Xuan found six low-grade Spirit Stones, two Spirit Tools, and a jade bottle. The moment he removed its stopper, a delicate fragrance wafted out. Inside lay two snow-white Marrow Cleansing Pills. Aside from those, there were also several Talismans.

Talismans were spells that cultivators sealed within specially made Talisman Paper. When facing an enemy, they required no expenditure of spiritual power and could be activated instantly—the advantages were obvious. Of course, crafting Talismans was exceedingly complicated. Not only did it require special Talisman Paper, it also consumed a great deal of spiritual power, and the success rate was low. The higher the grade of the spell, the more difficult it was to craft. Thus, Talismans were also rare and precious items in the Cultivation World.

Lin Xuan counted them. There were seven Talismans in all, containing techniques of every attribute—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

Naturally, the most precious spoils were the Spirit Tools. Even for Foundation Establishment Realm experts, Spirit Tools were extremely valuable. Yet Zhou Yan, a disciple at the Spirit Movement Stage, actually possessed two of them. One was the Gold Binding Rope she had used when killing her master. Once shrunk, it was only about a foot long, but after spiritual power was infused into it, it could extend at will. Its purpose was to bind enemies.

The other was that Flying Sword, an offensive Spirit Tool. Lin Xuan turned it over in his hands with great reluctance to put it down. Both were top-grade Spirit Tools, priceless treasures.

Unfortunately, his cultivation was still too shallow. He had to train his Spirit Movement Stage cultivation method to the fourth layer before he could wield Spirit Tools. Lin Xuan put everything back into the Storage Bracelet. This experience had been dangerous, but the rewards were exceedingly rich. And there was still one more person's belongings waiting for him to loot. Zhang Yu was a Foundation Establishment Realm expert, so his wealth was surely even greater.

Lin Xuan put away the Storage Bracelet and was about to turn around when his heart suddenly stirred. He stopped, his gaze falling upon Zhou Yan's left hand. Though she was dead, she still clutched a small sandalwood box tightly in her hand.

Zhou Yan had defied her master and murdered him for the treasure inside this box. Just what kind of precious item did it contain?

After pondering for a moment, Lin Xuan walked over and, suppressing his disgust, took the small box from the corpse's hand. Yet he did not open it immediately. Instead, he examined it solemnly before gently setting it on the ground and retreating seven or eight steps.

He snapped off a branch and carefully pried open the lid. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Several small arrows shot out, moving at a terrifying speed. At such close range, without preparation, even a formidable cultivator would have found it difficult to evade them.

The small arrows struck the nearby trees, which immediately withered. They had been coated in a potent poison. Lin Xuan, however, remained calm without even blinking. Just as he had expected, a treasure like this would certainly have traps.

Even after the lid was open, he did not approach at once. He waited another ten-odd minutes, and only after confirming there was no further danger did he carefully pick up the box. Yet its contents left Lin Xuan dumbfounded. It was actually a fist-sized seashell.

The shell was brilliantly colored, with strange patterns running across its surface. Though he did not recognize it, one glance was enough to tell that it was no ordinary object.

Holding the shell in his hand, Lin Xuan examined it closely. After a while, the hesitation in his eyes turned to resolve. With a slight exertion of both hands, he opened the shell. The secret should be inside.

It truly was no ordinary shell. There was no pearl inside; instead, Blue Light Spots drifted within. They were extraordinarily beautiful, like stars in the sky, slowly revolving like a splendid Star Sea.

Lin Xuan frowned, unable to tell what they were. He was just about to close the shell and study it later when something marvelous happened. The Star Sea began to change, spinning faster and faster before drifting toward Lin Xuan. Instinctively, he tried to dodge, but the light spots were too fast. Before he could move, they had all merged into his body.

Excruciating pain tore through every inch of skin from head to toe as though he were being ripped apart. Lin Xuan collapsed to the ground, his consciousness gradually blurring until he fainted. The shell, now stripped of its Blue Light Spots, rapidly turned to stone, then weathered into sand and scattered with the wind. In the valley, apart from an unconscious youth, it was as if nothing had ever happened.

Early the next morning, the rising sun cast its warmth upon the earth. With a faint groan, Lin Xuan opened his eyes. Looking up at the sky, he remembered that it had clearly been noon when he lost consciousness. Had he been unconscious for an entire day and night?

He sat up. The unbearable pain had completely vanished, but Lin Xuan did not feel refreshed either. After all, he had spent a night sleeping in the wilderness.

He stretched his slightly numb limbs and examined his body once more, finding nothing unusual. Yesterday's experience felt like a dream, yet how could a dream possibly have been so real?

Lin Xuan was silent for a long while. Then, without saying a word, he went to Zhou Yan's corpse and, suppressing his disgust, threw it into the pit trap. Next, Lin Xuan went to the place where Zhang Yu had been ambushed. He first looted Zhang Yu's treasures and obtained a Storage Belt. He did not have time to inspect what was inside. The most urgent matter was to leave this place of trouble and strife.

He dragged Zhang Yu's corpse over as well and tossed it into the pit.

"No matter what grudges you held in life, when a person dies, it is like a lamp going out. Do not mind sharing the same grave." Lin Xuan silently offered this prayer, then filled in the earth and carefully erased every trace nearby. This place had been remote and rarely visited to begin with. After his arrangements, he believed no one would discover that two cultivators slept here in eternal rest.

After finishing all this, Lin Xuan did not linger and returned to Floating Cloud Valley. Though he had gone through a heart-stirring ordeal, his expression remained as calm as ever, without the slightest sign of anything unusual, as though nothing had happened. Even when someone occasionally greeted him on the way or mocked him coldly, Lin Xuan dealt with them as he always had.

Nothing in his conduct revealed any anomaly.

Thus, Lin Xuan returned to his residence. The first thing he did was shut the doors and windows, take out the Storage Belt he had obtained from Zhang Yu, and begin taking inventory.