Stepping onto the land beyond the swamp once more, Qin Yang willed it, and the golden light beneath his feet reverted to an Ink Talisman scroll. The golden rune-light hanging down from above his head did the same.
After crossing the swamp, the protective Ink Talisman had used only a trace of its power, an utterly negligible expenditure. The Golden Light Ink Talismans had consumed only one-third of their power as well.
Once restored to their original state, they immediately began recovering slowly. At most, they would regain all their power within a day.
Looking back, two monsters were still chasing after him like mad several miles away.
"Sooner or later, I'll wipe out your nest!" Qin Yang laughed loudly, turned, and headed straight for the Banyan Forest.
Outside, the three experts exerted their power together, attempting to forcibly refine the brush holder. Its complete form had long since been revealed. The land where the abyss had originally stood had been sliced away by a hundred zhang, leaving only the hundred-zhang-tall brush holder standing stiffly there.
Yet at this moment, the ancient brush holder trembled faintly, as though someone were about to pull it out of the ground.
"I never expected this secret treasure to be even stronger than anticipated. The three of us joined hands, yet it still took a full month. The Spirit Platform Saintess truly had eyes like torches..." Treasurer Jin stood suspended in the air and sighed.
"Could it be that Treasurer Jin regrets it?" From within the Seven Fragrance Carriage came the Spirit Platform Saintess's cool, crystalline voice, like jade dropping into an icy spring.
"Not at all. It was merely a joke. Speaking of which, I am rather curious. A month has passed; even if the people of the Demon Stone Saint Sect had run all the way here, they should have arrived by now. Why is there no sign of them? It is impossible for the Demon Stone Saint Sect not to know about this matter..."
"Hahaha, Treasurer Jin has been in seclusion and knows nothing, I fear. Trouble has come knocking at the Demon Stone Saint Sect's door. Sect Master Mo has been run ragged, and his lungs have nearly burst from rage three times over. How could he have the mood to concern himself with matters here?" The Great Elder burst into laughter, utterly abandoning his dignified image.
"Oh? What could make Sect Master Mo so furious?"
"You know the Thief Sect, don't you?"
"The Thief Sect? Wasn't that sect destroyed tens of thousands of years ago? Only a few scattered legends remain now. I had heard before that the Thief Sect had been reestablished, but it did not even have a sect headquarters. How did Sect Master Mo provoke the Thief Sect?" Treasurer Jin's eyes brimmed with curiosity. Ten Thousand Eternity Commerce was far too familiar with the Thief Sect...
Tens of thousands of years ago, when Ten Thousand Eternity Commerce had been in the midst of expanding, it provoked members of the Thief Sect. At the time, the Great Shopkeeper of Huliang had boldly declared that he would capture the Thief Sect bandits. Then, overnight, an entire secret treasury was emptied. The Great Shopkeeper of that time vomited blood for three days from fury, lost his wits from rage, and flew about cursing for seven days—yet he still did not find even a shadow of them...
Later, after the Great Shopkeeper of Huliang was transferred away, he racked his brains and poured out his heart's blood to create several secret arts and restrictions specifically meant to restrain those elusive Thief Sect members. Unfortunately, before he had another chance to fight them, the Thief Sect's base was discovered. It was exterminated in only a few days...
Who would have thought that after tens of thousands of years, remnants of the Thief Sect would appear again...
"Sect Master Mo had no filter on his tongue. Three years ago, while visiting a friend, he somehow made wild boasts and belittled the former Thief Sect. He even called the Thief Sect members who had appeared over the years nothing but clowns leaping about on a stage..." As the Great Elder spoke, he could not help laughing aloud.
"Who would have thought that three years later, Sect Master Mo himself had forgotten all about it? Yet the ancestral tombs of the Demon Stone Saint Sect were raided. Even his master's coffin was placed outside the Demon Stone Saint Sect's mountain gate, forcing Sect Master Mo to come out and apologize for his past words. They said that if he did not bow his head in public, they would invite the many Ancient Sages of the Demon Stone Saint Sect out to bask in the sun..."
"This..." Upon hearing this, Treasurer Jin was briefly speechless before laughing. That truly was the Thief Sect's style—vile to the extreme...
Still, everyone merely took it as a bit of entertainment. The Demon Stone Saint Sect certainly would not yield, and the Thief Sect certainly would not let the matter rest easily. As long as the Thief Sect did not provoke them, they would not provoke it either. If the Thief Sect could enter and leave the Demon Stone Saint Sect as though it were empty ground, then its inheritors must have emerged long ago. Since they had not come to plague them, everyone should already be burning incense in gratitude...
As for plaguing the Demon Stone Saint Sect, let them do as they pleased. Even if others were willing to help, the Demon Stone Saint Sect would not accept it...
"Bzz..."
A soft hum resounded through heaven and earth, and the three experts immediately reined in their idle conversation.
"Everyone, the brush holder is about to be refined!"
The hundred-zhang brush holder resting on the ground shot into the sky. Rosy light blazed in every direction, stirring up countless waves. As the three of them refined it together, the hundred-zhang-tall brush holder rapidly shrank, while its spiritual light became ever more dazzling. Even the power they had poured into it showed signs of being forced back.
In an instant, the three great powers simultaneously increased their strength and went all out. The brush holder shrank even faster. Within only a few breaths, it became a brush holder just over three inches tall. Rosy light erupted from within it, like a blazing sun.
"Thank you both, Seniors, for lending your aid." The Spirit Platform Saintess voiced her thanks. Spiritual light swept out, preparing to carry the brush holder back.
Just then, a hand appeared out of thin air in midair, seized the brush holder, and vanished into the void in the blink of an eye...
"Impudent!" The Spirit Platform Saintess let out a sharp cry. Myriad divine lights shot forth, like tens of millions of blades interweaving and grinding heaven and earth to pieces. Black fissures rippled through the air as the void shattered and tidal waves surged.
In but an instant, everything within a ten-mile radius turned to dust. Yet within those waves, a black-robed old man appeared from nowhere. His figure was incomparably nimble; with only two rolls, he somehow escaped that killing space.
"Heh, little girl, I merely thought this brush holder was exquisite and took it to play with. Was there any need for such a temper?" The old man's brows drooped to the corners of his eyes as he winked and grimaced. He held the constantly trembling brush holder in his hand, yet his hand was as steady as Mount Tai, without the slightest shake.
"Empty Hand of Wonders, Void Strolling Steps. Impressive indeed. So it is a senior of the Thief Sect who has arrived. Forgive my discourtesy." Treasurer Jin's gaze flickered as he cupped his hands in salute.
"You brat have good eyes. You know quite a lot. I'm taking this brush holder. As for the price, I'll give you a word of advice: you underestimate the Purple Firmament Dao Lord far too much. Even if he died in haste, the contingencies he arranged would not be so crude." The old man gave a cold chuckle, swayed once, and had already vanished...
The Spirit Platform Saintess wanted to pursue him, but she saw the Great Elder's expression turn grave. Divine light surged in his eyes as he continuously peered underground.
"Don't chase him. Something has happened!"
As soon as his words fell, a phantom of a world seemed to emerge in midair, reflecting that secret realm.
Crack...
A fissure split open in the phantom. The portion of the phantom visible through that fissure instantly became solid...
Crack... Crack...
Crisp sounds rang out one after another without end. The phantom floating in the sky became densely covered in more and more cracks. Then, within those cracks, an enormous tree severed at the waist fell from the heavens...
"This is bad. The secret realm is about to collapse completely!" Treasurer Jin's expression changed.
"No wonder this place could form a ghost domain. It was a scheme within a scheme, links nested one within another!" The Great Elder's eyes shone like lanterns, illuminating the earth, while his expression grew increasingly grim.
"Great Elder, what do you mean?"
"Our strength is insufficient, and our vision falls short. We could not see through the Purple Firmament Dao Lord's profound arrangements. If an expert like the Sect Master had come, he surely would have seen it. Once the brush holder was refined, the secret realm would naturally collapse. No one would dare act rashly; they would only leave the brush holder here and preserve the secret realm as a treasured land, continuously sending their disciples inside to seek the Purple Firmament Dao Lord's inheritance. Meanwhile, the Purple Firmament Dao Lord's true mausoleum would remain as stable as a mountain forever, and no one would ever find it."
"Great Elder, you mean...?"
"That's right. The brush holder was refined, and the secret realm shattered. By stumbling into it blindly and acting rashly, we have actually drawn out the true mausoleum hidden beneath the secret realm! The Purple Firmament Dao Lord's mausoleum was truly here!"
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