The Shadow Spirit Lamp

Chen Linjian and the others arrived at the training grounds, a flat expanse used for military drills. It was usually the sort of place that drew the least attention.

"Dig every inch!"

Chen Linjian's men brought out their tools and began digging.

Meanwhile, in the underground palace.

"Nie Li, where exactly is the exit?" Ye Ziyun asked. They had been searching for two days, but still hadn't found it.

"There isn't an exit." Nie Li shook his head. "If there were, those people wouldn't have been trapped to die in that hall."

"No exit?" Ye Ziyun paused, then asked despairingly, "Doesn't that mean we can't get out?"

"Not necessarily. The people in that hall were sent in from outside, which means those outside can dig open an exit. All we can do is hope Chen Linjian can dig one through for us. I reckon the exit should be somewhere beneath the training grounds!" Nie Li said with a faint smile. "They'll definitely find it!"

"How can you be so sure he'll find it?" Ye Ziyun countered. Nie Li was always so confident, as if everything were under his control. He even stubbornly believed that she would fall in love with him one day. If everything in the world went according to his predictions, he would practically be an omnipotent god!

As soon as Ye Ziyun finished speaking, the stone walls began to tremble faintly.

"They've started!" Nie Li smiled. Judging by where the tremors were coming from, he could tell where the exit was. He turned to Ye Ziyun. "Let's go!"

With that, Nie Li strolled off.

Ye Ziyun opened her mouth, unsure what to say. Nie Li was practically a monster. How did he know everything? Could she really become his girlfriend one day? Ye Ziyun couldn't make sense of her feelings. Her cheeks grew faintly warm, and she lowered her head without a word.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Chen Linjian and the others were making quite a racket as they dug!

"So the exit's over here!" Nie Li led Ye Ziyun toward the sound. They followed it until they stopped before a stone wall. He examined it. It seemed to be a mechanism; when they'd passed by earlier, they hadn't noticed anything at all.

Nie Li placed his hand against the stone wall and slowly pushed it inward.

Rumble!

The stone wall turned slowly, revealing a massive chamber to Nie Li and Ye Ziyun.

A flight of steps led upward through the chamber, but the exit was blocked by boulders and other debris. From behind them came the clanging of tools; someone was digging their way in.

Everything in the chamber left Nie Li and Ye Ziyun utterly stunned.

The place was piled high with bronze and silver armor and war blades, along with countless inscription scrolls, demon beast cores, pelts, horns, and other things. There were also all kinds of rare metals, as well as mountains of gold coins—the currency used in the Divine Empire.

There were many other objects they couldn't identify, which were likely precious treasures from the era of the Divine Empire.

Anyone who got their hands on these treasures and sold them at the City of Brilliance auction house would make a fortune!

"Ziyun, pick a few things," Nie Li said, turning to Ye Ziyun. There were too many treasures here for their Spatial Rings to hold them all. Besides, if they took everything, Chen Linjian and the others would inevitably have a problem with it.

Nie Li wasn't greedy. He only needed to get the one thing he wanted.

Nie Li's gaze fell on a stone pedestal in the distance. At its top sat a candle lamp, its light flickering faintly. There was something mysterious about its glow.

The moment Nie Li saw the lamp, delight surged across his face. It really was a Shadow Spirit Lamp!

Shadow Spirits were exceedingly rare and mysterious demon beasts. They were said to have gone extinct back in the era of the Snowy Wind Empire. Only seven Shadow Spirit spirits remained, and they had been made into seven lamps and placed in a temple on the Sacred Spirit Continent. Later, thieves stole the Shadow Spirit Lamps, scattering them across the world.

The reason Nie Li cared about this Shadow Spirit Lamp was that he wanted the Shadow Spirit spirit inside it!

Once he reached Silver Level, Nie Li's Soul Sea would be able to fuse with a demon spirit.

The Heavenly Dao Divine Art Nie Li cultivated could fuse with seven demon spirits. He didn't want his first to be some ordinary, worthless spirit! His Soul Sea couldn't yet fuse with anything too powerful, making the Shadow Spirit spirit the perfect choice.

Shadow Spirits weren't especially powerful in combat, but they were mysterious and uncanny, with many unique abilities. Even after reaching the realm of peak experts, a fused Shadow Spirit spirit could still be tremendously useful.

With the Shadow Spirit spirit, Nie Li would be able to learn some special martial techniques!

In his previous life, this Shadow Spirit Lamp had fallen into Shen Yue's hands, and Shen Yue had sold it at an auction house. But in this life, Nie Li had obtained it.

Nie Li picked up the lamp and put it into his Spatial Ring. When he turned around, he saw that Ye Ziyun had chosen a few things as well. She already had a Deep Gem necklace, so she wasn't interested in ordinary gemstone necklaces. Instead, she had picked out several demon crystals and a bone-fang anklet.

Ye Ziyun had a good eye. Those demon crystals were all cores from Black Gold demon beasts, which were exceedingly rare. If used to make war blades or armor, they might produce rare Black Gold weapons and armor.

As for the bone-fang necklace, it was made from fragments of the toe bones of the legendary demon beast, the Snowy Wind Giant Beast. Though they were only bone fragments, they were extremely precious and could greatly enhance Spirit Energy.

Once they had finished choosing, a loud crash rang out. The boulders blocking the nearby wall had been broken through, opening an entrance. Blinding beams of light streamed inside, and Chen Linjian and the others filed in.

"You two?" Chen Linjian was stunned when he saw Ye Ziyun and Nie Li. He hadn't imagined that the first people they'd see after digging their way in would be Ye Ziyun and Nie Li.

Seeing Ye Ziyun, Chen Linjian breathed a quiet sigh of relief. If anything had happened to her, even if he'd made some gains, he would still have had to face the City Lord's and Lord Ye Mo's thunderous wrath. Since Ye Ziyun was safe and sound, everything was fine.

"Boss, we've struck it rich! So many treasures!"

Several of Chen Linjian's men cried out. The treasures filling the chamber dazzled them.

Chu Yuan and the others had come in, too. They were stunned as well. The things piled all around them were stacked as high as little mountains, and many were worth a fortune. They could sell for tens of millions, even hundreds of millions, of Spirit Coins.

"Nie Li, as we agreed, you can choose one thing first," Chen Linjian said, looking at Nie Li. He was a man who kept his word, and he valued his friendship with Nie Li.

"I've already chosen. The rest is yours," Nie Li said with a faint smile. The mountains of wealth seemed to hold no appeal for him at all.

"I took a few things, too," Ye Ziyun said. "I don't want anything else."

Chen Linjian nodded slightly and told his men to use their Spatial Rings to store the treasures.

Chu Yuan walked over to Chen Linjian and whispered, "Young Master Chen, are you really okay with this? Those two were in here for so long. They must have taken plenty of the spoils! They definitely took the most valuable things, which is why they don't care about these treasures!"

"What are you getting at?" Chen Linjian asked, frowning as he glared at Chu Yuan.

Chu Yuan said coldly, "We should make them hand over what they took before they leave. They definitely took all the best things!"

At Chu Yuan's words, Chen Linjian snorted. "They got here before us and discovered these things before we did. Even if they'd taken everything, we'd have no right to complain. They've already shown us great kindness by leaving so much behind!"

"Young Master Chen, I guarantee that every single thing they have is a priceless treasure. Don't regret it!" Chu Yuan said excitedly.

"Get lost! Don't think I can't see through you. You have a grudge against Nie Li and want to use me as your weapon. Not a chance!" Chen Linjian raised his foot and kicked Chu Yuan in the chin, sending him flying.

Thump! Chu Yuan landed face-first on the ground. One of his teeth was knocked loose, and blood poured from his mouth.

Chu Yuan looked up at Chen Linjian with hatred, but quickly reined in his anger. Chen Linjian was a direct descendant of a Peak Family and the heir to the Sacred Nether Family. How could Chu Yuan dare act arrogantly toward him?

Nie Li, this is all your fault. I'm not done with you!

Chen Linjian gathered up the treasures. Although Nie Li had taken the Shadow Spirit Lamp and Ye Ziyun had picked out a few things, there were still plenty of rare treasures here. They should fetch a handsome price, and Chen Linjian had made an excellent haul.

Chen Linjian patted Nie Li on the shoulder. "Brother, if you hadn't pointed me toward the training grounds, I'd never have gotten my hands on all these treasures. I owe you one. If you ever need anything, come straight to me!"

Chen Linjian didn't mention what Nie Li had taken. Instead, he thanked him, which gave Nie Li a favorable impression of him. No wonder Chen Linjian was one of the most outstanding members of the younger generation among the three Peak Families!

"Good!" Nie Li readily agreed. "Once you've packed everything, we need to leave quickly!"

"Why?" Chen Linjian asked, puzzled.

"I found members of the Dark Guild. They're looking for us," Nie Li said. "Luckily, that Spirit Level Green Arm Giant Ape held them off. Otherwise, I never would've escaped!"

Nie Li's words gave Chen Linjian a start. He knew what sort of people the Dark Guild were. It would be trouble if they got caught by them.

"No wonder we found that Green Arm Giant Ape injured. So that's what happened!" one of Chen Linjian's men said.

Fortunately, the Ancient Orchid City Ruins covered a vast area, and the Dark Guild members didn't know where they were. They were probably still searching for them. They had to leave quickly.

Chen Linjian glanced into the depths of the underground palace.

"I've already searched it. There's nothing else inside," Nie Li said.

Chen Linjian nodded. He didn't linger, but turned to his men and barked, "Let's go!"