After cultivating Spirit Transformation Energy, a cultivator's spiritual power would take on a peculiar force. Once an opponent was struck, that force would invade his Eight Extraordinary Meridians and dantian acupoints, continuously wearing away at his spiritual power.
This force was not difficult to dispel, but it required a certain amount of time. In actual combat, it was hard to find such an opportunity. Once hit, the rate at which one's spiritual power was consumed would increase by a large chunk.
This was extremely fatal, especially when both sides were of equal cultivation. The side whose power was depleted more quickly would naturally be the first to fall.
"No wonder it needed special treatment for preservation. A secret art like this is truly too rare." Song Changsheng was delighted. Creating secret arts was exceedingly difficult; one needed to at least reach the Golden Core Stage. Obtaining this secret art alone had made the trip worthwhile.
He picked up the remaining three jade slips and inspected them one by one. But with pearls and jade already before him, these seemed somewhat lacking. They contained methods of arranging arrays or refining artifacts. Such things were priceless treasures to rogue cultivators, but to him, they could only be considered better than nothing.
After putting away his gains, Song Changsheng continued toward the next stone chamber. After finding nothing in two more places in succession, he entered a peculiar stone chamber.
It was an exceptionally spacious area, several times larger than the previous stone chambers.
"It looks empty, yet killing intent lurks everywhere. The master of this immortal cave was probably no less accomplished in arrays than Grandfather." Song Changsheng was secretly alarmed. Gritting his teeth, he ultimately chose to go around it.
He knew there had to be some treasure hidden within, but that fortuitous encounter did not belong to him. Inside was an almost third-tier sword-path killing array, its sword qi raging wildly. It was simply not something he could lay a hand on.
Rather than waste time here, he might as well search for other fortuitous encounters.
What Song Changsheng did not expect was that not long after he left, Xu Yunhe also arrived here through another passage. Feeling that incomparably sharp sword qi, Xu Yunhe glanced at his empty right side before resolutely stepping inside...
Song Changsheng continued exploring, but his gains were not great. This left him somewhat puzzled. Why had the owner of the immortal cave opened up so many utterly useless stone chambers?
Could he have had nothing better to do?
That was naturally impossible. Yet with Song Changsheng's discernment, he could not discover the owner's purpose in doing so and could only speculate in secret.
After pushing open another stone gate, Song Changsheng froze. Unlike the dimness of the other stone chambers, this one was brightly lit.
He could not help looking upward. He did not see the sun, but he saw a glowing sphere embedded in the center of the ceiling, like an oversized incandescent lamp.
"It is actually a Sea Bright Pearl. Such a large one is truly rare." Song Changsheng secretly clicked his tongue. Sea Bright Pearls were not valuable, but he had only ever seen one this large in books. This had truly broadened his horizons.
Lowering his gaze, Song Changsheng finally noticed a jade bed emitting a chill in the corner of the room. A skeleton sat cross-legged upon it, a deeply eerie sight.
"I actually failed to notice its presence at first glance. Something is strange." Song Changsheng narrowed his eyes and immediately spotted the clue. A layer of restriction covered the area before the jade bed, possessing a certain deceptive effect. That was why he had not noticed it immediately.
"The flesh has already decayed, but the bones still emit a faint spiritual glow. Before death, this person was at least a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. He should have been the owner of this immortal cave, right?"
Song Changsheng took several steps forward and performed a meticulous, respectful cupped fist salute. "Senior Expert above, this junior is Song Changsheng. I was fortunate enough to enter your immortal cave and have disturbed your eternal rest. If I have committed any discourtesy, I ask Senior Expert to forgive me."
Though they had arrived uninvited, they should still show the most basic respect toward the remains of a senior.
Creak
Just as Song Changsheng was making his salute, the gate to another passage also opened. Zhu Yiqun and Zhuang Yuechan had arrived as well. It seemed this was the end of the immortal cave.
"Ah, arriving early is no match for arriving at just the right time. We nearly let Changsheng seize this greatest fortuitous encounter all by himself. Good thing we were not delayed along the way." Looking at the remains on the jade bed, Zhu Yiqun spoke to Zhuang Yuechan with a chuckle.
"Indeed." Zhuang Yuechan nodded approvingly.
"You two truly arrived at the right time. Where is Fellow Daoist Xu?" Song Changsheng asked with a smile and a shake of his head as he looked around.
Zhu Yiqun scratched his head. "Fellow Daoist Zhuang and I met halfway through. I thought Fellow Daoist Xu would be with you."
"I did not encounter him." Song Changsheng frowned slightly. Could something have happened to him?
Just then, Xu Yunhe staggered out from the passage Song Changsheng had come through. Fine bloody wounds covered his body, and he could barely remain standing.
Yet he was in excellent spirits, visibly exhilarated. Presumably, he had obtained something extraordinary.
"Fellow Daoist Xu, your injuries... are you all right?" Zhu Yiqun asked with concern.
"It is nothing, only superficial wounds." Xu Yunhe grinned and waved to the others.
"That is good. Since everyone has gathered, let us divide this final great fortuitous encounter together." Zhu Yiqun said, his eyes gleaming as he stared at the intact Universe Bag beside the skeleton.
No one asked what Xu Yunhe had experienced, much less what he had obtained. Just as they had said before, everything depended on one's own abilities!
Song Changsheng vaguely guessed where Xu Yunhe had gone, but he likewise asked nothing. This later became an unresolved mystery.
Hearing Zhu Yiqun's words, Song Changsheng nodded. After respectfully saluting the skeleton, he broke the restriction and picked up the Universe Bag on the jade bed.
Since the owner of the Universe Bag had passed away many years ago, the Divine Sense Imprint upon it had long since dissipated. Thus, Song Changsheng opened it without the slightest effort.
With a slight shake, a pile of spirit stones, magic artifacts, metal ingots, jade slips, as well as jade boxes, porcelain bottles, and other items appeared before them. The contents were a chaotic jumble, containing nearly everything.
It was time to divide the spoils again.
Song Changsheng gathered the spirit stones, ores, and similar items together. "The value of these things is clear, so we can divide them equally later. As for these other items whose value cannot be determined, we will each take one at a time. What we obtain will depend entirely on luck. What do you all think?"
He was referring to items such as the jade slips and jade boxes. Before opening them, no one knew what was inside. They might contain nothing at all, or they might hold precious treasures.
Naturally, everyone wanted the good things. No matter how they were distributed, it would be inappropriate. They might as well open blind boxes directly and let luck decide, lest they damage their harmony later.
"No method can achieve absolute fairness. This is undoubtedly the most suitable approach." Zhu Yiqun nodded in agreement.
Zhuang Yuechan and Xu Yunhe also had no objections. After all, there was currently no better method.
"Who will go first?" Song Changsheng asked as he looked at the others.
"For us to enter this immortal abode, Daoist Song's contribution was paramount. I think Daoist Song should choose three items first." Zhuang Yuechan unexpectedly suggested.
Before you continue