Qiankun Cave Mansion, First Pot of Gold

"Little thief! You can't escape!"

The Great Luo brute's furious roar came from above the fissure, the sound waves shaking loose rocks from the cavern ceiling.

Lu Chen's face turned pale.

The Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner's light shield was already covered in cracks. It definitely would not withstand another blow. He was a True Immortal, while his opponent was a Great Luo. The gap between their realms was like an unbridgeable chasm.

His only path to survival was the Qiankun Cave Mansion before him!

He rushed to the stone door and looked at the words carved on the stele beside it:

[To enter my cave mansion, answer three questions]

[First question: What is the Dao?]

[Second question: What is treasure?]

[Third question: What is tribulation?]

Lu Chen's mouth twitched.

At a time like this, it was still making him answer philosophical questions?! But there was no choice. The stone door was seamless, with no mechanisms whatsoever. Clearly, it could only be opened by answering correctly.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

"What is the Dao?"—The question was far too broad. In the Primordial World, the standard answer should have been something like the Heavenly Dao or the Great Dao. But Ancestor Qiankun had been reincarnated from a Chaos Demon God and had fallen during the Dao-Demon War. His understanding of the "Dao" was probably...

Lu Chen recalled the Law of Strength contained within the axe-handle fragment. That was Pangu's Dao: one force breaking all laws.

He also remembered Hongjun's words: "The Heavenly Dao has fifty, but one escapes."

Then he thought of his Black Brick—ambushing people from behind, snatching treasures, never playing by the rules...

His thoughts raced as he answered in a low voice, "My Dao is to walk my own path and seize... cough, cough, take the opportunities that belong to me!"

The stone door did not react at all.

It was over. Had he answered incorrectly? Cold sweat poured down Lu Chen's back.

But three breaths later, the stone door trembled slightly, and the first line lit up—he had passed?!

"So that's how it is!" Lu Chen suddenly understood. "What Ancestor Qiankun wanted wasn't a standard answer, but the answerer's true heart!"

His confidence surged as he looked at the second question.

"What is treasure?"

This one was easy. Lu Chen blurted out, "Anything useful to me is treasure!"

The stone door trembled again, and the second line lit up.

Just as he thought! What Innate Supreme Treasure had someone at Ancestor Qiankun's level not seen before? What he cared about was not the treasure itself, but the attitude of its holder.

The third question: "What is tribulation?"

Lu Chen looked at the increasingly close killing intent in the crack overhead and gave a bitter smile. "Tribulation is... what I'm facing right now?"

The instant his words fell—

"Rumble!"

The stone door slid apart to either side, revealing the scene within.

Lu Chen did not have time to look closely before he dove inside.

Almost at the same moment, the Great Luo brute charged into the cavern and slammed his palm against the stone door that had just closed.

"Bang!"

The stone door did not budge. The rebounding force sent the brute staggering back three steps.

"Qiankun's restriction?!" The brute's expression darkened. "That little thief actually managed to open Ancestor Qiankun's cave mansion..."

He tried attacking several more times, only to find that he could not break through the stone door's defenses at all. He could only grit his teeth in fury. "I'll wait right here! I refuse to believe you'll never come out!"

Inside the cave mansion.

Lu Chen collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air.

So close. Just a little closer, and he would have been finished.

He looked around and found himself in a simple stone chamber, roughly a hundred zhang across. A stone table stood in the center, with three items placed atop it:

An ancient scroll that emitted spatial fluctuations;

A bottle of three-colored divine water with flowing halos of light;

A Jade Slip carved with Primordial World Dao script.

Beside the stone table was a pile of miscellaneous items: ores, spiritual herbs, and fragments of magical treasures. They had clearly been casually left there by Ancestor Qiankun.

"The Qiankun Diagram! Three Lights Divine Water!" Lu Chen's eyes lit up.

He picked up the scroll first and sent his Divine Sense inside.

[Qiankun Diagram (Innate Spiritual Treasure)]

[Contains a Small Thousand World. Can store all things, trap enemies, and accelerate time (up to 1:10)]

[Note: Requires Golden Immortal mana to activate initially]

"A spatial treasure with its own small world! It can even accelerate time!" Lu Chen's heart raced.

This was practically a growth artifact custom-made for him! If he could not win, he could hide inside. If he lacked time, he could accelerate his cultivation. And if he stole treasures, he would have somewhere to hide them!

He bit his fingertip and recognized it as his master with a drop of blood.

The Qiankun Diagram turned into a stream of light and merged into his dantian, floating beside the Black Brick. Although he could only wield a fraction of its power for now, it was more than enough to use as a storage treasure.

Next was the bottle of Three Lights Divine Water.

[Three Lights Divine Water (Innate Divine Item)]

[Sunlight Divine Water wears away blood essence, flesh, and bone. Moonlight Divine Water corrodes the Primordial Spirit and soul. Starlight Divine Water devours and dissolves the True Spirit and consciousness.]

[When the three are combined, they become the Primordial World's foremost sacred healing medicine, capable of restoring flesh to white bones and bringing the dead back to life.]

"Offense and defense in one!" Lu Chen carefully put it away.

Last came the Jade Slip.

When he read it with his Divine Sense, he found a message left behind by Ancestor Qiankun:

[Later arrival, since you have entered my abode, you are one fated to me.]

[I gift you this diagram and this water. The Jade Slip contains a map of the Primordial World and secrets concerning the treasure vaults of the Three Clans. Use them well.]

[I have an old friendship with Hongjun. Should you encounter trouble, you may mention my name and perhaps receive protection.]

[Also: this cave mansion will self-destruct in three years. Take care of yourself.]

That was the end of the message.

Lu Chen was stunned for a moment before ecstasy filled him.

The Primordial World map within the Jade Slip was ten times more detailed than his previous jade fragment! Not only did it mark the locations of the Three Clans' treasure vaults, it even clearly noted the guards' weaknesses and gaps in the restrictions!

More importantly, there was that line: "I have an old friendship with Hongjun." That was equivalent to gaining another protective talisman!

"Ancestor Qiankun, thank you!" Lu Chen solemnly bowed.

With these things, he could move forward with his plans much more boldly.

He first stored all the miscellaneous items in the stone chamber inside the Qiankun Diagram. Though most were scraps, scraps from the early Primordial World would be treasures in later eras.

Then, he took out the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner and began refining it with all his strength.

The Qiankun Cave Mansion was filled with abundant spiritual qi, and with the Three Lights Divine Water assisting him, his refinement speed increased severalfold.

Three days later.

The Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner was fully refined, turning into a streak of yellow light that merged into his Primordial Spirit. With a thought from Lu Chen, a yellow light shield spread out. Its defensive power was more than three times stronger than before!

"Even if that Great Luo comes again, I can take a few more hits now."

He pressed on and began studying the information within the Jade Slip.

Naturally, his focus was on the Three Clans' treasure vaults.

The Dragon Clan Treasure Vault was located in the East Sea Eye and protected by an Innate restriction left behind by Ancestral Dragon. Those without Dragon Clan bloodlines could hardly enter. But the Jade Slip marked a flaw: every three hundred years, tidal fluctuations would create a three-breath period of weakness in the Sea Eye's restriction.

"Three hundred years... I can't wait that long."

The Phoenix Clan Treasure Vault lay deep within Buzhou Mountain, guarded by Nirvana Divine Fire. Anyone without phoenix blood would be burned to ash upon approaching. Its weakness was this: every full-moon night, the Nirvana Divine Fire would briefly fall dormant to nourish Phoenix Eggs.

"This one can be worked with."

As for the Kirin Clan Treasure Vault... he had already been there. Though he had only taken thirty percent, he had obtained the most important Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner, so it had not been a loss.

"The next target is the Dragon Clan Treasure Vault! But before that, I need to raise my strength."

Lu Chen looked at the Qiankun Diagram.

This spiritual treasure contained a Small Thousand World, where the flow of time could be adjusted to a maximum ratio of 1:10. One year outside was ten years within!

Although acceleration consumed an enormous amount of spiritual qi, he had Three Lights Divine Water, which could be converted into spiritual qi.

"Seclusion!"

With a flash, he entered the world inside the Qiankun Diagram.

It was a desolate expanse of space, only ten li across. The sky was gray and hazy, while the ground was black soil. At its center was a spiritual spring—it was the entire three-colored spiritual spring he had moved in from outside.

Lu Chen sat cross-legged beside the spiritual spring and took out the axe-handle fragment.

He still had ninety percent of the Merit left, enough to break through to Peak True Immortal and perhaps even touch the threshold of Golden Immortal.

"Begin!"

Golden Light of Merit flowed through his body. Combined with the vast spiritual qi converted from the Three Lights Divine Water, his cultivation began to rise at an explosive pace.

Early True Immortal → Middle True Immortal → Late True Immortal → Peak True Immortal!

In just half a year inside—eighteen days outside—he broke through three minor realms in succession!

But once he reached Peak True Immortal, he became stuck.

A Golden Immortal needed to condense the Five Qi in the Chest and gather them toward the crown. This was a qualitative transformation. Merit alone could not force him through it; he needed an opportunity or enlightenment.

"Looks like I'll have to go out and look for an opportunity."

Lu Chen was not greedy. Although Peak True Immortal was still at the bottom of the Primordial World, with the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner and Black Brick in hand, he should have no problem scheming an Early Golden Immortal to death.

He left the Qiankun Diagram and returned to the stone chamber.

By his calculations, one month had passed outside, and the cave mansion had two years and eleven months left before it self-destructed.

"Time to leave... I hope that Great Luo has already gone."

Lu Chen adjusted himself to his best condition, protected himself with the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner, gripped the Black Brick in his hand, and cautiously opened the stone door.

"Buzz—"

The stone door slid open.

The cavern was empty. Only the pool of water shimmered with faint three-colored light.

"Did he really leave?" Lu Chen did not dare let down his guard. He concealed his aura and moved along the stone wall.

His Divine Sense swept through the area. There truly was no trace of the Great Luo's aura.

He sighed in relief and was about to leave when his steps suddenly halted.

At the bottom of the pool, something seemed to be glowing.

Lu Chen dove into the pool and found a palm-sized scale embedded in the bottom—an inverse dragon scale! And it belonged to a Nine-Clawed Golden Dragon!

"Is this... from that golden dragon that fought the kirin earlier?"

An inverse scale was a dragon's vital point and contained the essence of its entire body. Though this inverse scale was damaged, the true dragon blood essence within it was enough for him to condense the Metal Qi among the Five Qi in the Chest!

"After searching everywhere in worn-out shoes, I found it without even trying!"

Lu Chen excitedly put away the inverse scale. Just as he climbed out of the pool—

"Boom!"

A figure descended from the sky and crashed into the center of the cavern.

It was not the Great Luo brute.

It was a kirin covered in blood! It was only a little over one zhang in size, clearly having used a shrinking divine art, but its aura was unmistakably that of a Middle Grand Unity Golden Immortal, even stronger than the previous guard!

Even more terrifyingly, a dragon spear was embedded in its chest. The spear shaft had pierced through its heart, and its life force was rapidly fading away.

The kirin staggered to the edge of the pool, took out a jade bottle, and wanted to collect the Three Lights Divine Water to heal itself.

But the moment its hand rose, it froze.

It saw Lu Chen.

The air solidified.

Lu Chen's heart nearly stopped.

Though this kirin was severely wounded and on the verge of death, a final desperate counterattack could absolutely take him down with it.

"Senior..." Lu Chen forced out a smile uglier than crying.

The kirin stared at him, then at the inverse scale in his hand. Understanding flashed through its eyes, followed by rage, before finally turning into resolve.

"Human Clan junior... since you are here, it is fate." The kirin's voice was hoarse, and it coughed up blood with every word. "I am the Kirin Clan Third Elder... a dying man has one request."

Lu Chen: "???"

This development was wrong! By all logic, shouldn't it suddenly attack and kill him?

"Please speak, Senior." He answered cautiously.

"Deliver this item... to my clan chief..." With the last of his strength, the kirin spat out a bloodstained jade talisman. "Tell him... the Dragon Clan and Phoenix Clan have secretly formed an alliance, intending to destroy the Kirin Clan... Beware... traitors within..."

Before its words had fully faded, the divine light in the kirin's eyes scattered, and its life force was extinguished.

Its corpse fell to the ground, transforming into a kirin's true body ten zhang long.

Lu Chen stood there for quite a while before daring to step forward.

He picked up the jade talisman and examined it with his Divine Sense—it recorded evidence of the Dragon Clan and Phoenix Clan's secret alliance, as well as a list of several suspicious individuals within the Kirin Clan.

"This... is a scalding hot potato."

Lu Chen gave a bitter smile.

Give it to the Kirin Clan chief? Going to the Kirin Clan's territory now would be no different from courting death. But if he did not hand it over, this karma would fall upon him.

Just as he was struggling with the decision, dragon roars suddenly echoed from above the cavern!

"That kirin escaped into the fissure! Chase it!"

"The Kirin Seal must be on it! Take it!"

At least three true dragons were rapidly approaching, each with the aura of a Peak Golden Immortal!

Lu Chen's expression changed drastically.

A dead kirin in front of him, pursuers behind him—what kind of hellish opening was this?!

His gaze swept over the kirin's corpse, and he suddenly gritted his teeth.

"Forgive me, Senior... I'll be borrowing your identity!"

He grabbed the Kirin's corpse and rushed back into the Qiankun Cave Mansion. The stone door slammed shut.

The next second, three hundred-zhang Azure Dragons charged into the karst cave.

"Hmm? The aura vanished?"

"There are traces of battle here... and the aura of Three Lights Divine Water!"

"Search! That Kirin was gravely wounded and on the verge of death. It must be hiding somewhere!"

Dragon might filled the karst cave.

Behind the stone door, Lu Chen held his breath. He looked at the bloodstained jade talisman in his hand, then at the small seal floating beside the Kirin's corpse—the Kirin Seal (Replica), an Acquired Merit Supreme Treasure.

A bold plan took shape in his mind.

The three Azure Dragons began frantically attacking the cave walls, trying to uncover the hidden space. Though the Qiankun Cave Mansion was well concealed, its fluctuations were bound to leak under such widespread attacks.

Besides the jade talisman and the Replica Kirin Seal, Lu Chen had also found a token in the Kirin corpse's robes—[Kirin Clan Elder Token · Free access to the Ancestral Land Treasure Vault]!

Outside were Dragon Clan pursuers; in his hands were hot potatoes. But he also had the key to the treasure vault. How should he choose?