Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures

Shi Yi watched Zhao Cheng leave, then moved as well.

"I had originally planned to investigate it later. Since things have come to this..."

"Let's go take a look!"

Earlier, while following the others along the mountain path in search of the Buddhist treasure, he had seen faint blue energy spilling from within a waterfall. Its source lay behind the waterfall, before eventually merging into the water and vanishing without a trace.

He had initially thought the compass held by that Divine Constable Bureau man would react. Yet seeing that the compass showed no response at all, and that the man had simply replenished his water supply before continuing onward, Shi Yi realized that the special compass could not detect that blue energy.

The special compass was surely far less useful than he had imagined.

Shi Yi had originally pretended not to see it, intending to investigate later when he had the chance. After all, with so many eyes around, it was not suitable for exploration.

From the look of it, it had existed for a long time and might still have gone undiscovered. Therefore, he could explore it whenever he wished.

Now, anyone descending the mountain would become a target of the Silver Giant Wolf. They were temporarily trapped on the mountain, all searching for places to hide from the Silver Giant Wolf's pursuit. The waterfall was a good choice for Shi Yi.

Even if his guess was wrong and there was nowhere to hide there, he could simply leave from there.

Once Shi Yi had made up his mind, he no longer hesitated. He quickened his pace, and before long, he heard the sound of rushing water.

After taking a few more steps, he saw a waterfall. Water poured down from the mountain, its roar thunderous.

The route on the map deliberately passed through this place so they could replenish their water supplies. They had all sweated heavily while opening the mountain path, so naturally they needed water.

At this moment, everyone wanted to wash away their scent and evade the Silver Giant Wolf's pursuit, yet no one had come here. It was not that they did not understand the use of water, but because this waterfall could be seen through at a glance and was not a good place to conceal oneself.

As for hiding beneath the water, with waterfall water this icy to the bone, even a Martial Scholar of the Flesh and Blood Realm could not endure for long. Hiding inside for too long might mean freezing to death.

Shi Yi came here and entered the water without hesitation, then made his way behind the waterfall.

The freezing current made Shi Yi shudder uncontrollably, but his destination was clear. Before long, he reached the place where he had seen the blue energy.

"Just as I thought—there's more here than meets the eye."

Behind the waterfall was a recessed cave entrance.

Only by entering behind the waterfall, standing up, and enduring the bone-piercing impact of the water could one see this entrance.

When Shi Yi had first noticed the situation here, he had thought some treasure containing blue energy was hidden here. But later, seeing that the blue energy flickered in and out, appearing intermittently, he guessed that a cave entrance might be concealed behind the waterfall.

However, since he had not come to investigate, he could not be certain.

"Let's go in and have a look first."

Shi Yi crawled straight inside.

The interior was pitch-black, but that did not affect Shi Yi, because he had come prepared.

He took a silver flashlight, a little over two inches long, from his clothes.

Since he was going out, he had cautiously brought some outdoor supplies with him, including a flashlight.

Now, it came in handy.

With a light press from Shi Yi, the cave lit up. However, the illumination was limited, and he could not see the end.

The cave was somewhat damp, and the path was somewhat slippery. Fortunately, Shi Yi was crawling through it at the moment.

A gust of cold wind swept past, making Shi Yi tighten his clothes around himself.

"That blue energy drifted out from deeper inside. I wonder what treasure is hidden there."

Shi Yi was somewhat curious.

At the same time, he kept watch over his surroundings. If anything felt wrong, he would travel away immediately.

Although he was interested in the treasure inside, he valued his own safety more.

After crawling for some distance, the space finally widened enough for Shi Yi to stand and move forward while bent over.

Though it was uncomfortable, it was still better than crawling.

"With so much space here, hiding inside should let me evade the Silver Giant Wolf's pursuit."

"If I'd known there was truly a passage here, and that it went this deep, I should have brought Zhao Cheng with me."

Shi Yi was greatly surprised as he looked at the space.

When he discovered the cave entrance, he had felt that people could hide here. After all, passing through the water would mask his scent. But he had not expected the entrance to extend so deeply.

Shi Yi roughly estimated that he had crawled at least ten meters, and he still had not reached the end.

Hiding several people here would not be a problem at all.

It was simply that before coming to the waterfall, Shi Yi had never imagined such a situation.

After all, some places might conceal cave entrances, but be only half a person's height. Hiding even one person would be a problem.

Moreover, Zhao Cheng had his own plans. Compared with Shi Yi, Zhao Cheng was more familiar with Mount Jiuhua.

"With the Silver Giant Wolf's size, it can't enter this cave. Even if it finds someone hiding inside, there's nothing it can do."

The Silver Giant Wolf was formidable, but not enough to break through mountain rock this deep.

"I still haven't seen the source of the blue energy. I'll continue inward and take a look."

Shi Yi moved onward again, raising his guard.

He also silently reminded himself that this place was not necessarily absolutely safe.

"Drip, drip~"

The sound of water droplets falling rang out, and it was not quiet.

Shi Yi approached with the flashlight and saw the object that was the source of the blue energy.

A long, slender Stone Stalactite hung from the rock wall, and the dripping sound came from it.

The droplets fell to the ground, gathering into a small puddle the size of a bowl's mouth.

The blue energy spilled from that little puddle—or, more precisely, a small portion of it splashed out.

"Could the water dripping from this Stone Stalactite be a treasure for cultivating Immortal Daoist Magic?"

Shi Yi knew that on Blue Star, water droplets from stalactites had some medicinal value, but they were not particularly precious treasures.

Given enough time and the proper geological conditions, natural stalactites could form.

He had seen them himself.

It was simply that none had been as unusual as this place. In particular, there was only a single Stone Stalactite on the rock wall here, which made Shi Yi feel even stranger.

After all, when conditions were suitable, it was perfectly normal for rows upon rows of stalactites to form.

Shi Yi approached the small puddle formed by the Stone Stalactite's droplets. A fragrant aroma rushed into his nose, and his throat involuntarily swallowed, as if the little puddle were some exquisite delicacy.

He unconsciously leaned closer and tasted a small sip. Once he came back to himself, Shi Yi's expression changed slightly.

That was because his earlier action had come from his body's instinctive reaction. His body desperately craved that small puddle.

After regaining his senses, Shi Yi looked inward at his body.

A warm current had suddenly appeared within him. His body, which had just felt somewhat cold, suddenly no longer felt any chill. More precisely, the warm current coursing through his body had dispelled the cold.

At the same time, he felt even more refreshed, his mind clear and lucid.

The feeling was extraordinarily marvelous.

"Could this be the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures Zhao Cheng mentioned to me?"

Shi Yi looked at the small puddle on the ground and immediately realized it.

Under the accumulation of time in special environments, Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures could be born between heaven and earth.

These Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures had different effects, but every one of them was a rare wonder that aided cultivation.

When Zhao Cheng had spoken of them back then, longing had flashed through his eyes. Yet such wonders could only be encountered by chance, not sought after, and were even harder to find than spirit monsters.

Even if someone obtained such a treasure, they would basically use it themselves. Very few would take it out.