Treasure Hunting
The residual power of the Five Rounds Leaving Fire Array slowly dissipated in the air, and the dark red rocks at the edge of the giant crater where magma had melted were still radiating scorching heat.
Lin Ming was supported by Xiao Yi Xian and Zi Yan on either side. His internal Dou Qi was as empty as a dried-up riverbed, and even his soul was stinging from overexertion.
He stared at the still-warm lava in the center of the pit, and a metallic taste rose in his throat again, but he forced it back down.
"Lin Ming!" Lin Ming's action certainly didn't escape the notice of Xiao Yi Xian and Zi Yan. So upon seeing this, the two immediately called out with concern.
Shaking his head, Lin Ming smiled and said, "It's nothing, I just need a rest."
After speaking, Lin Ming sat down cross-legged and quickly took out the pill from his Storage Ring and swallowed it.
Seeing Lin Ming sitting cross-legged, Zi Yan, who had already reverted to being Little Girl, immediately sat down next to Lin Ming and took out a Jade Bottle to show off her delicious Medicinal Pills.
As for Xiao Yi Xian, although the battle had also greatly depleted her energy, her Dou Zong cultivation level kept her from being nearly exhausted like Lin Ming. Therefore, she began to Protector Lin Ming and the other person.
The entire Barbarian Race Land was now shrouded in an eerie silence. Apart from the howling wind whistling through the ruins, there was no other sound. The tribes that had been shouting battle cries just moments before were now a scene of carnage, with corpses strewn everywhere and an overwhelming stench of blood.
About two hours later, Lin Ming was the first to open his eyes. Although his face was still somewhat pale, his breathing had become much more stable, and his eyes had regained their usual depth and sharpness. He looked at Xiao Yi Xian and Zi Yan beside him and asked softly, "How are you two?"
Xiao Yi Xian slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, opened her beautiful eyes, and nodded. "It's nothing serious, the poison has already subsided."
Zi Yan patted her clothes, jumped up, and began to dance energetically again, saying, "I'm fine now! Lin Ming, that move you made was amazing! It almost scared me!"
After saying that, Zi Yan's eyes sparkled with a mixture of excitement and lingering fear.
Upon hearing this, Lin Ming patted Zi Yan's head and then scanned the ruins before finally looking towards the Cave Mansion at the end of the wall.
Staring intently into the depths of the Cave Mansion, Lin Ming murmured, "The Barbarian Race have been entrenched here for many years, and they're known for plundering Beast Souls. Perhaps their treasure trove contains something about Soul Cultivation or ancient Secrets that might be useful to us. Besides, this Saint Demise Valley... I have a feeling it's not as simple as it seems."
Xiao Yi Xian nodded. "Hmm, the Sectarian Qi here is so heavy, and there's a legend of Dou Sheng's fall. Perhaps there really is some secret. The Barbarian Race chose this place as their ancestral land, and it might not be just because it's secluded."
Lin Ming smiled slightly and stood up, "In that case, it's time to collect our spoils. A tribe with a long history should have some accumulated wealth."
Finding a treasure vault is no easy task for most people. After all, treasure vaults are usually built to be quite well hidden, and finding them without any prior knowledge is not a simple matter.
However, this problem immediately ceased to exist for Lin Ming and his group.
Sure enough, as soon as Lin Ming finished speaking, Zi Yan, who was looking for spoils, immediately perked up and volunteered, "Let me do it!"
After speaking, Zi Yan immediately closed her eyes and took a deep breath, not to smell the odor, but to sense the subtle energy flow and material structure in the space. The Ancient Void Dragon was born with an extraordinary Sensing Ability energy and treasures, especially metals, ores, and high-energy condensates.
Her nostrils twitched slightly, and a glint flashed in her purple eyes as she pointed to a seemingly solid mountain wall behind the Cave Mansion: "Over there! The energy reaction is very concentrated, and it's hollow behind! It feels like... a lot of glittering things are piled up together!"
Lin Ming and Xiao Yi Xian exchanged a glance, having no doubt about Zi Yan's judgment. The three of them arrived at the mountain wall, which blended seamlessly with the surroundings, showing no trace of any entrance.
Lin Ming carefully probed with his Soul Power and indeed found that the mountain wall was covered with an extremely hidden Energy Restriction. This Restriction was not just for defense, but also had the effects of concealment and Spatial Confusion. If Zi Yan had not pointed it out, even with his Soul Realm, it would have taken him a lot of effort to discover the clues.
"There's a strong Restriction. But since no one is controlling it, breaking it shouldn't be difficult." After observing for a moment, Lin Ming concluded that he immediately extended his finger, and the Jade Profound Heart Flame condensed at his fingertip, transforming into an extremely thin Fire Needle, which he gently touched at several Energy Nodes of the Restriction.
"Puff puff puff..."
With a few soft sounds, the hidden Energy Restriction burst and dissipated like bubbles. Immediately afterward, the mountain wall emitted a low rumble and slowly slid open to one side, revealing a dark cave entrance, barely wide enough for two people to pass through side by side. A complex aura, long sealed away and mixed with the scents of Magical Beasts, metal, and ancient scrolls, wafted out from the cave.
Stepping into the cave entrance, there is a downward passageway. The walls of the passageway are inlaid with luminous pearls, emitting a soft glow. After walking for about several dozen meters, the view suddenly opens up.
This is a huge Natural Cave, clearly renovated by humans, with an area about half the size of a square. The cave is divided into several areas, filled with a dazzling array of items, and even though it is covered in dust, it cannot hide the radiant energy it contains.
On the left, there are rows of jade shelves, each categorized with various medicinal herbs. Most of them are herbs that complement the Barbarian Race Cultivation Method, focusing on strengthening the body and nourishing Qi and Blood. Among them are some rare varieties, such as Crimson Blood Lingzhi, Dragon Power Fruit, and Bone Tempering Flower. The youngest of these herbs are several hundred years old, and some are even a thousand years old, exuding Spirit Qi.
There were also some Pill Bottles nearby, containing pills made by Barbarian Race Alchemists. Most of them were for healing, berserking, and stimulating potential. The quality was not very high, with the highest being only Fifth Grade, but the quantity was quite considerable.
The central area was piled with various ores and metal ingots that shimmered with different lusters. The Barbarian Race were skilled at forging heavy weapons and armor, and this place contained a large amount of high-grade Casting Materials such as Dark Gold Iron, Blood Pattern Steel, and Deep Sea Copper Essence. Most eye-catching were several silver-white ores the size of human heads in the corner, emitting subtle Spatial Fluctuations.
"This is... Void Crystal Stone?" Xiao Yi Xian was somewhat surprised. This ore is the main material for making High-Grade Storage Rings and spatial items, and it is quite precious.
Zi Yan pounced on it, picked up a piece of Void Crystal Stone, and exclaimed with delight, "It's sparkly! There are even Spatial Fluctuations inside!"
To the right were rows of bookshelves, filled with scrolls, Jade Slips, and ancient books made of Animal Skin. These were the core of the Barbarian Race heritage. Lin Ming scanned them with his Soul Power and found that most of them were cultivation Cultivation Method and Dou Technique of the Xuan Tier, with attributes leaning towards earth, fire, and strength. In addition to Cultivation Methods and Combat Skills, there were also some miscellaneous scrolls recording Barbarian Race history, customs, and information about the surrounding regions.
At the deepest part of the bookshelf, there was a separate Black Ironwood Box, engraved with intricate animal patterns, exuding an ancient aura, which caught Lin Ming's attention.
At the very back of the cave, there was a small pool. The water in the pool was not ordinary water, but a pale golden, viscous liquid that emitted strange energy fluctuations.
At the bottom of the pool lay dozens of Magic Cores, each with a different radiance, ranging from Fourth-Order to Sixth Order, primarily of Earth Attribute and Fire Attributes. The pool water seemed to have a nurturing effect, maintaining the Demonic Core Energy. Beside the pool, there were also some unclassifiable items piled up haphazardly, such as the bones, teeth, and fur of some unknown Magical Beasts, as well as several ancient-looking but seemingly incomplete weapons and ornaments.
The three carefully searched the treasure vault, categorizing and storing anything that caught their eye into their Storage Rings. Lin Ming focused mainly on high-grade medicinal herbs, rare ores, and Cultivation Method Scrolls. Xiao Yi Xian was particularly interested in certain special poisonous herbs and minerals. Zi Yan happily stuffed glittering Magic Cores, Void Crystal Stone, and bones containing pure energy into her Storage Ring.
"Huh, why is there a slight Soul Fluctuation here?" After finishing putting away the medicinal herbs, Lin Ming hesitated for a moment because of a slight fluctuation next to the shelf.
Upon reaching the shelf, a jumble of random items was piled up beside it, resembling clutter. This made Lin Ming frown. However, the wisp of Soul Fluctuation still prompted Lin Ming to take action.
The Soul Power surged instantly, and the pile of debris immediately began to tumble and roll.
After some searching, the object carrying a trace of Soul Fluctuation finally appeared.
The item is unremarkable in appearance, dark and dull, and doesn't feel substantial in the hand. If there's any redeeming quality, it might be its shape, resembling a token. However, calling it a token isn't entirely accurate, as it's currently only half complete.
"Lin Ming, you've been searching for this all this time!" After collecting everything she wanted, Zi Yan came to Lin Ming's side and, seeing Lin Ming find this half-token from the junk, immediately spoke up.
Lin Ming ignored Zi Yan's words. After seeing the half of the token, Lin Ming's thoughts were drawn back to memories he was about to forget.
It was the day Lin Ming went to the Jia Nan Academy that he impulsively bid 50,000 Gold Coins for half of Black Token that was about to fail to sell. More than ten years have passed, and it has been transferred through several Storage Rings. He had almost forgotten where he had put it. When he saw the half token, Lin Ming thought for a moment, and suddenly Half Black Token appeared in his other empty hand as well.
"Hey! Lin Ming, you have the other half!" Zi Yan said again when she saw that Lin Ming was also holding a Black Token half of the token in his other hand, which was exactly the same as the other half of the token.
"These photos were taken in the Outer Academy years ago. So many years have passed, and I never thought I'd find the other half of them here." Lin Ming sighed as he spoke to Zi Yan.
"Do you know what they are used for?" Zi Yan asked upon hearing this.
Lin Ming shook his head at this and said, "I think there should be some hints once they are combined into a complete token."
After speaking, Lin Ming brought his hands together, making the two black half-tokens fit together.