Looting the Third Floor, Taking Only the Useful Stuff

Lu Chen broke out in a cold sweat when he saw Dao Ancestor Hongjun's faintly smiling expression.

Disturbing the heavenly order? That charge could be either grave or trivial.

But Old Sixth's instincts made him calm down instantly—if the Dao Ancestor truly meant to punish him, he would not waste words and would simply act. This attitude was more like a warning, or rather... bargaining.

"Dao Ancestor, please see clearly." Lu Chen bowed deeply, his manner utterly sincere. "This junior was indeed greedy for a moment and took things he should not have. But the Dao Ancestor previously said that the treasures of Treasure Distribution Cliff belong to those fated to obtain them. Since this junior could enter the core region and acquire these things, that should count as fate, should it not?"

As he spoke, he secretly watched Hongjun's expression.

Hongjun's avatar still wore that faint smile, revealing neither pleasure nor anger.

Lu Chen gritted his teeth and continued, "Besides, that Luohu avatar also broke in. If this junior had not acted first and those treasures had fallen into the hands of the demonic path, would that not have been worse? This junior could be considered... sharing the Dao Ancestor's burdens?"

That was rather shameless.

Hongjun finally spoke, his voice calm. "You have quite a silver tongue. Then tell me, how do you intend to deal with those three drops of Chaos Source Liquid?"

Lu Chen's mind raced. "This item is far too precious. This junior's cultivation is shallow, and I dare not keep it all for myself. I am willing to offer two drops to the Dao Ancestor and keep one for myself, to purify the demonic-tainted Primordial Violet Qi, attain sainthood as soon as possible, and contribute to the Primordial World."

He painfully gave up two-thirds of it. In any case, one drop was enough for him; trading the rest for the Dao Ancestor's forgiveness was well worth it.

Hongjun lightly waved his whisk. "No need. Since you have taken it, it is your opportunity. However..."

His tone shifted. "You may not touch the remaining treasures on the third floor of Treasure Distribution Cliff. You have already taken the Morning Bell born this time, and for the next ten thousand years, the Treasure-Nurturing Pool will produce no new treasures. Since you have disturbed the heavenly order here, you must do something to make amends."

"Please give your orders, Dao Ancestor." Lu Chen sighed in relief—having a task meant the Dao Ancestor did not intend to truly punish him.

"Deep within the Demon Abyss, Luohu is refining the Myriad Demon Banner." Hongjun's gaze was profound. "If this banner is completed, it can gather the countless demonic thoughts of the Primordial World and forcibly break open the Heavenly Dao's seal, allowing Luohu's true body to awaken early. You must infiltrate the Demon Abyss and destroy it."

Lu Chen's heart tightened.

Go into the Demon Abyss's lair and destroy Luohu's supreme treasure? How was that any different from courting death?

"Dao Ancestor, this junior's cultivation is weak. I fear..."

"You will go." Hongjun interrupted him, his words meaningful. "Because Luohu is searching for you as well. You took his Strength Demon God Inheritance and seized the opportunity of the Treasure-Nurturing Pool. Why would he let you go? Rather than wait for him to come for you, it is better to strike first."

"Besides..." Hongjun looked at the newly born small bell in Lu Chen's hand. "The Morning Bell and the Chaos Bell were originally a pair. If you can destroy the Myriad Demon Banner, I can help you refine the Morning Bell. Then, when the two bells merge into one, their power will be no less than an Innate Supreme Treasure. It will greatly benefit you in your future struggle against the Demon Clan."

Threats and incentives—he had used them all.

Lu Chen smiled bitterly. "Since the Dao Ancestor has put it that way, can this junior refuse?"

"Good." Hongjun nodded in satisfaction. "I will give you three years to prepare. Three years from today, during the Demon Abyss's Myriad Demons Paying Homage ceremony, the Myriad Demon Banner will reach the final stage of refinement. That will also be when its defenses are weakest. You may infiltrate it then."

With that, the avatar turned into specks of violet light and dispersed.

Only one sentence echoed in Lu Chen's mind: "As for the remaining things on the third floor of Treasure Distribution Cliff, use your judgment. But do not go too far. Leave some opportunities for those who come after."

Lu Chen stood stunned for quite a while before he understood.

The Dao Ancestor was... tacitly allowing him to loot the third floor once more? As long as he did not empty the entire place?

He looked around. Although he had taken more than half of the third floor last time, many treasures remained—at least a hundred imitations of Innate Spiritual Treasures, along with mountains of Xiantian Spiritual Material.

"Since the Dao Ancestor has spoken, would taking nothing not be disrespectful?" Lu Chen grinned.

But this time, he had learned his lesson. He would not take those flashy, impractical things. He would take only the useful ones.

First category: defensive Dharma treasures.

[Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner] (imitation)—though inferior to the genuine article, it still possessed fifty percent of its defensive power. Take three.

[Eight Trigrams Purple Ribbon Immortal Robe] (imitation)—could automatically protect its master and withstand Grand Unity-level attacks. Take five.

[Nine Dragon Divine Fire Cover] (imitation)—offense and defense in one, capable of trapping and killing enemies. Take two.

Second category: escape and life-preserving items.

[Heaven-Escaping Talisman], ten sheets—each could randomly teleport its user one hundred thousand li. A divine tool for escape.

[Death-Replacing Puppet], three—could die in its owner's place once, rendering attacks below the Grand Unity level ineffective.

[Phantom Bead], one string—crushing one could create nine phantom clones, disrupting an enemy's senses.

Third category: cultivation aids.

[Enlightenment Tea], three jin—brewing and drinking it could increase comprehension for three days.

[Time Hourglass] (imitation)—time inside flowed three times slower than outside, suitable for secluded cultivation.

[Star Essence], one hundred bottles—condensed with the power of the stars, useful for refining both body and soul.

Fourth category: special-purpose items.

[Sea-Calming Divine Needle] (imitation)—not the Golden Cudgel, but a treasure specifically used to suppress waterways. It might prove useful someday.

[Immortal Binding Rope] (imitation), ten ropes—perfect for catching and tying people, essential for home and travel.

[Monster-Revealing Mirror] (imitation)—could reveal the true forms of demons and monsters, countering transformation arts.

Lu Chen chose only highly practical, consumable treasures, taking only a portion of each and never emptying any category. He did not touch anything flashy but useless, or anything that would be of little benefit to him.

Even so, by the time he stopped, the Qiankun Diagram contained over a hundred new treasures, while the spiritual materials had piled into a small mountain.

"That should be enough. Taking any more will make the Dao Ancestor unhappy." Lu Chen stopped while he was ahead.

He took one final look at the entrance to the core region—it had completely sealed shut. The aftershocks from the collapse of the Treasure-Nurturing Pool had been suppressed by the Dao Ancestor's avatar and had not spread outside.

"Time to leave."

Lu Chen turned and left the third floor, retracing his path.

As he passed through the second floor, a thought suddenly struck him, and he stopped before a stone shelf.

More than a dozen Jade Slips rested on the shelf, marked [Summary of Secret Techniques of Various Primordial Races]. He had been in too much of a hurry last time to inspect them carefully.

Lu Chen picked one up and swept it with his Divine Sense—the complete version of the Dragon Clan's Ancestor Dragon Nine Transformations was actually inside! Though not the original copy, its contents were detailed, ten times more complete than the fragment he had obtained before!

He picked up another, and it contained the full Phoenix Clan Nirvana True Scripture!

The third contained the Kirin Clan's Wutu Kunyuan Art!

The fourth contained the first six revolutions of the Witch Clan's Nine Revolutions Mysterious Technique!

The fifth contained the Demon Clan's <Detailed Explanation of the Great Formation of the Stars> (basic volume)!

"This is... a collection of the core cultivation arts of the Primordial World's major powers?" Lu Chen's heart began to race.

Although they were all summarized editions without the most crucial forbidden arts, they were immensely valuable for understanding each race's weaknesses and deducing methods to counter them!

"This is even more useful than Innate Spiritual Treasures!" Without hesitation, he took all the Jade Slips.

After finishing everything, Lu Chen finally flew toward the outer layer of Treasure Distribution Cliff in complete satisfaction.

As he passed through the outer-layer restrictions, he deliberately waited for a moment—the figure in demonic armor did not appear. It had either been trapped in the core region or casually dealt with by the Dao Ancestor's avatar.

"In three years, I have to enter the Demon Abyss and destroy the Myriad Demon Banner... I need to prepare properly."

Lu Chen calculated as he flew.

He now possessed a complete Primordial Violet Qi purified to ninety-nine percent, the Strength Demon God Inheritance, one drop of Chaos Source Liquid, the newly born Morning Bell, and a large number of useful treasures from his latest looting spree.

In terms of strength: Grand Unity Peak cultivation, early Quasi-Saint combat power, and a physical body comparable to a late-stage Great Witch.

His trump cards: the Chaos Sky-Opening Brick (Innate Supreme Treasure), the Qiankun Diagram (Innate Spiritual Treasure), his battle avatar Yan Chen (early Grand Unity), and his Good Corpse Huang Chen (mid-stage Grand Unity).

"I'm still missing the most important thing..." Lu Chen's eyes flashed. "The God-Slaying Spear!"

As long as he gathered all three fragments and reforged the God-Slaying Spear, he would possess a true killing treasure capable of threatening Quasi-Saint Peak experts and even Saints. Only then would he have a chance in the Demon Abyss.

"I have the first fragment, I snatched the second from Kunpeng, and the third lies deep within the Sea of Blood..."

He looked toward the Primordial World, his gaze firm.

"For the next three years, my goals are: retrieve the fragment from the Sea of Blood, reforge the God-Slaying Spear, refine the Morning Bell, absorb the Strength Demon God Inheritance, and break through to Quasi-Saint!"

Brick Escape accelerated, tearing through the chaos.

After he left, a violet phantom slowly condensed on the third floor of Treasure Distribution Cliff.

Dao Ancestor Hongjun's true body had actually descended in person.

He walked to the stone shelf where Lu Chen had just stood. Looking at the empty shelves, he shook his head and laughed. "This boy... he took only the useful things. Clever."

"But these summaries of cultivation arts were originally left for the fated to study. How much he can comprehend will depend on his own fortune."

The Dao Ancestor then looked toward the core region, his gaze deep.

"Luohu, I found you a fine opponent... Do not disappoint me."

The violet light dispersed, and Treasure Distribution Cliff returned to silence.

Only those stone shelves that Lu Chen had "visited" silently spoke of Old Sixth's glorious achievements.

Three years passed in the blink of an eye.

Deep within the Sea of Blood, Old Ancestor Minghe dripped his final drop of essence blood onto the Karma Red Lotus and grinned viciously. "Once the Myriad Demon Banner is complete, I will take that little thief Lu Chen's life!"

Within the Demon Abyss, Luohu's remnant soul drove countless demonic thoughts into a sky-covering black banner. The banner had already solidified by ninety percent. "Once the Myriad Demon Banner is complete, the Heavenly Dao's seal will surely break!"

Meanwhile, Lu Chen had just seized the third God-Slaying Spear fragment from the Sea of Blood. He hid in a cave somewhere on Buzhou Mountain, drenched in sweat as he pieced the three fragments together—

"It's almost done... almost done!"

The three black fragments in his hand slowly fused into the shape of a broken long spear. A ferocious aura soared into the sky from the spear's body, frightening away every bird and beast within ten thousand li!