Lost Treasure

"Grandpa, who said that?"

Chen Fusheng was stunned for a moment. The river of stars wheeled across the heavens, while the curtain of the mortal world fell.

The power of the starry river descended upon the world of mortals, enveloping the red dust of humanity. It perfectly matched the Furnace Contemplation Method created by the strange man.

Was he not currently clad in the power of the stars? Although what he was drawing upon was still merely the stars' peripheral matter, sooner or later, he would be able to absorb the essence of their origins.

"The strange man!"

That was Huang Tiancheng's answer. Chen Fusheng's life potential was simply too extraordinary, and his rate of progress had exceeded Huang Tiancheng's expectations. This filled him with confidence in Fusheng's future.

Even Chen Fusheng's Physical Roots could grow stronger. After all, the Furnace Contemplation Method ultimately involved the first Three Realms!

"This time, Grandpa was careless. I didn't expect the Contemplation Method to draw out a Starry Sky Phenomenon as well. From now on, you must act with the utmost caution. Remember, you must never advance recklessly."

Huang Tiancheng blamed himself. "A cultivator lacks nothing more than time, but life is theirs only once!"

"To break through the Three Realms in the future, you truly need the right time, place, and people."

Chen Fusheng nodded. He was far too weak now. The Black River had nearly become his burial ground, and escaping it had been sheer luck.

He had also witnessed how much the Star Palace hated the Contemplation Method. Once it discovered one, it would exterminate them at any cost.

"Grandpa, what level has Old Han reached in his cultivation?"

"His cultivation is in the Second Sequence."

"The First Sequence, Patrolling Heaven and Dotting Stars, points toward the Three Realms. With your current foundation, and the Fire Scale Sword in your hands, killing an ordinary Three Realms expert won't be difficult!"

"The only problem is that the Fire Scale Sword still can't effectively harm a Three Realms Innate Treasure Body. You must be cautious when facing such an expert. External strength is ultimately external strength."

Huang Tiancheng said, "The Second Sequence is Gathering Star Stabilizing Embryo."

"What does gathering stars mean? Using the essence of the stars' origins to mold the physical body!"

The Second Sequence also had several major realm bottlenecks. Old Han was certainly standing at an extremely high level—perhaps the Fifth Realm, or even higher!

Energy matter also involved the cores of stars. The qualitative transformation of energy was far too important. For an Other Shore Realm expert, crossing realms to battle a Spirit Wanderer was not difficult, but could a Spirit Wanderer cross realms to fight a Fourth Realm expert? There was almost no hope.

"The greatest characteristic of the Fourth Realm is that the physical body gives birth to stellar-force matter. In a certain sense, it makes up for the shortcomings in a Star Master's constitution."

Huang Tiancheng said, "That's where the importance of stars becomes apparent. The higher their quality, the stronger the physical body they produce."

"Old Han's cultivation is extremely powerful, far beyond anything you can reach right now. You only need to know that a Fourth Realm expert is a mainstay in any force. Only once you touch this domain will you qualify to venture into the dangerous regions of the Abyss Realm and become an adventurer."

Huang Tiancheng explained that he had once been an adventurer as well. Without a force backing them, people like him were called Rogue Cultivators.

He also asked Chen Fusheng about what he had experienced recently. When he learned that Fusheng had gone to the Flood Dragon Nest, absorbed the essence of a spirit vein, and broken through the shackles of his physical body, he understood.

The dragon vein was the heart of the earth and the mother of all things. Its essence could be called an earth treasure. Chen Fusheng had swallowed and refined it at the final stage of molding his physique, naturally breaking through the shackles of life.

He was also astonished, because an ordinary Star Guiding Realm cultivator absorbing dragon vein essence would only bring about the opposite effect!

When he learned that Chen Fusheng had mastered the Moon-Swallowing Opening Stance, Huang Tiancheng felt genuine joy. "Why did Han Yi want to swallow the moon? Because Moon-Swallowing is a supreme art of the Zhou Dynasty!"

Chen Fusheng was deeply surprised.

"The Heaven's Sun of the Heavenly Sun Star Palace is also a supreme art of the Zhou Dynasty. Hmph, did he shamelessly claim that it belonged to his family?"

Huang Tiancheng let out a cold laugh. "Moon-Swallowing and Heaven's Sun belong to the same series of supreme arts. You could even say that an essential connection exists between them!"

He also regretted that Chen Fusheng had been unable to obtain the Heaven's Sun inheritance. Of course, Moon-Swallowing was enough to keep him researching for a long time.

"Grandpa, wouldn't it be even more dangerous if I went to the Heavenly Star Manor?"

"How could I not know that? But since you've chosen this path, you must find every possible way to keep walking it. Don't be afraid of losing, and don't be afraid of taking blows. As long as you can stay alive, you must fight with your life to become stronger!"

Huang Tiancheng said solemnly, "The Heavenly Sun Star Palace contains the scriptures developed by the strange man. Right now, you possess the Furnace Contemplation Method but have nothing else. It can only support your cultivation up to the Three Realms."

Only then did Chen Fusheng understand. He had never thought about these things before. Even the Star Chart Heavenly Pillar contained only the strange man's initial process of creating the method.

It seemed that he absolutely had to make a trip to the Heavenly Star Manor.

Huang Tiancheng also spoke of his past. Because of Moon-Swallowing, Han Yi had invited him to the Cold Abyss to open a sealed Treasure Land.

At first, everything had gone relatively smoothly. Who could have expected the Treasure Land to erupt with an immense quantity of Cold Abyss Poison?

Although he had been gravely wounded and fled far away, he had still taken an Inheritance Key.

"That Inheritance Key can open the Zhou Dynasty's Strongest Treasure Vault and let you take one treasure from within!"

"Just think about it. How powerful must the colossal force that rules the Abyss Realm be?"

Huang Tiancheng said, "Even the weakest treasure in the Strongest Treasure Vault is likely beyond imagination. The key I sought for you, however, is a key to an inferior Treasure Vault."

"Top Grade Star Artifacts can be obtained with ease from within. Perhaps, when your opportunity arrives, you might even gain an unexpected boon."

Huang Tiancheng's words struck Chen Fusheng with tremendous force. This was only an inferior treasure vault, yet the resources in the Strongest Treasure Vault were absolutely all top-tier.

Huang Tiancheng felt a lingering regret. If he had not been gravely wounded back then, he would have taken the treasure with the key long ago. Why would he have been reduced to clinging to life until now?

"Fusheng, no matter how high you rise in the future, everything will turn to ashes if your identity is exposed."

Huang Tiancheng warned him, "Remember this: you cannot place complete trust in Han Yi. Given the circumstances, who can help you walk the Forbidden Path? The only person you can rely on is yourself!"

Chen Fusheng fell silent. A Star Official was not impossible to kill!

Of course, Huang Tiancheng had another important reason for sending him to the Heavenly Star Manor. Since even Han Yi could not see through his origins, it meant his safety was guaranteed.

"By the way, Grandpa, how much can we trust Han Yi?"

Hearing this, Huang Tiancheng was startled. "Why are you asking that?"

Chen Fusheng described the scene in the medicine garden at the Flood Dragon Nest, then shook his head. "I forgot. If that Flood Dragon saw that the Fire Scale Sword was gone, it would definitely flee for its life. I was just thinking of asking Han Yi to help suppress the Flood Dragon."

Huang Tiancheng's body trembled slightly. Five-Colored Medicinal Soil? With Golden Divine Iron standing upon it?

He paced back and forth anxiously, leaving Chen Fusheng astonished. What was going on?

Huang Tiancheng first furrowed his brow in thought, then grew agitated and had Chen Fusheng describe the scene in detail.

Chen Fusheng realized how serious the matter was and did not miss a single detail.

"Five fruit trees of different colors, rooted at the edge of the Five-Colored Medicinal Soil? Could that soil truly be..."

Huang Tiancheng exclaimed, "I can't say for certain whether it is, but according to your description, why didn't the Flood Dragon plant the spirit medicines in the soil? Wouldn't that have allowed them to grow better?"

"There's only one explanation: it couldn't approach the soil, much less dig it out and take it away. I can't figure out why. If we force an explanation, the problem probably lies with the Golden Divine Iron!"

Huang Tiancheng spoke in shock. "But what exactly is Golden Divine Iron? How can it suppress Five Elements Soil?"

Chen Fusheng had never heard of Five Elements Soil, but judging from Huang Tiancheng's reaction, it seemed to be even more precious than the key to the Strongest Treasure Vault.

"Remember this. You must never mention Five Elements Soil to anyone outside."

Huang Tiancheng warned him with utmost severity. "This matter must also be placed at the top of the agenda. Even if you have to risk death, you must do everything possible to take it!"

Chen Fusheng's heart pounded violently. In the past, Huang Tiancheng had told him to run whenever he encountered danger, but now he was asking him to advance toward it? This could only mean that the value of Five Elements Soil was utterly outrageous.

Huang Tiancheng could not possibly find Old Han to help. He was even more anxious that Chen Fusheng might fail, but anxiety was useless.

He sighed. The Strongest Treasure Vault could not be guarded, and was the Five Elements Soil going to be lost as well?

"Heaven never bars all paths!" Chen Fusheng offered this consolation, smiling when he saw how anxious Huang Tiancheng was.

"Haha..."

Huang Tiancheng gave an aged laugh. "Your grandpa was too attached to appearances!"

Then he cast the Fire Scale Sword into the mouth of the fire vein.

The Fire Scale Sword began to glow on its own. Stellar-force matter spread through its inner space, rolling up the radiance erupting from the magma. Layer after layer sank into it, restoring its depleted foundation.

After leaving the fire vein, Chen Fusheng ran to the dining table, first hoisting Lei San onto his shoulders and placing him in the bedroom, then returning to happily drink a large bowl of Phoenix Blood Chicken soup.

"Refreshing!"

The Life Essence Blood in Chen Fusheng's body surged like a wild horse breaking free of its reins and roaring. His physical body seemed to be enveloped by boundless divine power.

The nourishment had been a little excessive. After three bowls of Phoenix Blood Chicken soup entered his stomach, his pores constantly expelled hot sweat. These were impurities from an even deeper level of the physical body.

He had never expected that after advancing toward the Other Shore Realm, he would return to drink such a top-tier feast. If he had tempered his physical body step by step, how could it compare to several years of bitter cultivation?

"Is Senior Brother Chen home?"

Chen Fusheng had just finished taking a cold shower when a clear, crisp voice suddenly came from outside the door.

Dawn had arrived. Chen Fusheng opened the door doubtfully and looked at the pretty, obedient female disciple standing outside. "Junior Sister, is something the matter?"

The female disciple was somewhat reserved. "Senior Brother Chen, the Outer Gate Hall sent me to ask you to come over. They said your transfer order has arrived."

"Am I going to be promoted to an Inner Courtyard disciple?"

Chen Fusheng knew that his performance aboard the Flood Dragon Ship had been enough to earn him a promotion. He closed the courtyard gate and followed her for a short distance before suddenly growing suspicious.

The battle at the Black River was still underway. At a time like this, how could the Star Gazing Manor still have him in mind? Something was strange.

"Oh, wait for me a moment. I'll go back and get something." Without the Fire Scale Sword in hand, Chen Fusheng truly felt uneasy.

"Mm, I'll wait here for you." Admiration shone in the female disciple's eyes. Since the Outer Gate Hall had personally sent for him, he was certainly an Inner Courtyard senior brother.

Chen Fusheng muttered inwardly that this woman did not look like an ambusher.

But he had only turned around and taken a few steps when he suddenly stopped.

The sky was somewhat gloomy. Across the four seas and eight wastelands, the winds and clouds shifted. A murderous aura formed boundless waves of iron armor, and shouts of slaughter exploded in its wake.

"Kill..."