Two months later, Han Changming sat cross-legged on his wooden bed. A shroud of yellow light enveloped his body, and his breathing had taken on a steady rhythm.
After a while, the yellow light faded. He opened his eyes, and delight shone in them.
"I've finally reached the sixth level of Qi Refining!"
With the help of Qi Refining Pills and the Taiyi Spirit-Transforming Gourd, Han Changming had successfully advanced to the sixth level of Qi Refining.
Spirit Well Water was sold on the market. Han Changming had bought some and tried it, only to find that it was far inferior to the Spirit Water produced by the Taiyi Spirit-Transforming Gourd.
His Spirit Beast Bag at his waist began to stir, as though something inside were trying to crawl out.
Han Changming smiled and patted the bag. Two Alligator Turtle Beasts crawled out.
They had grown quite a bit and had huge appetites. They usually fed on monster beast meat.
Han Changming took out two millstone-sized chunks of beast meat and fed them to the Alligator Turtle Beasts.
Once they were full, they played around the room, their teeth sharp enough to bite through anything.
A Sound Transmission Talisman flew in. Han Changming crushed it, and Han Dehai's voice rang out at once. "Changming, we've found the ancient cultivator's cave dwelling. Are you free now? Come treasure hunting with us."
Delight flashed across Han Changming's face. He hurriedly returned the two Alligator Turtle Beasts to the Spirit Beast Bag, opened the door, and went outside.
Han Deling was talking to Han Dehai. Han Debiao was there too.
"Fifth Uncle, Seventh Aunt, Thirteenth Uncle." Han Changming greeted them.
"Changming, you did very well this time. If it really is an ancient cultivator's cave dwelling, you'll certainly be rewarded. The location is very well hidden. We sent quite a few people to search for it before we finally found it. Now we're ready to go treasure hunting," Han Deling said with a smile.
Han Changming smiled and nodded. "Seventh Aunt, are you going too?"
"Yes. I'm worried it might be a trap. Two years ago, your Twenty-First Uncle disappeared without a trace. Before he vanished, he bought several powerful magical artifacts at the Hundred Refinements Pavilion. I'm worried an evil cultivator might have set this up."
Han Changming was surprised to hear this. He hoped an evil cultivator hadn't set a trap for them.
"Seventh Sister, what if a Rogue Cultivator set the trap? With only you as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, wouldn't that be too dangerous?" Han Dehai asked with a frown.
"Don't worry. I've brought two Second-Rank Low-Grade Puppet Beasts, along with several powerful second-rank magical artifacts. Fifth Brother and the others each have a Second-Rank Low-Grade Puppet Beast too. Changming, take this Fire Glass Bead. It's a one-use second-rank magical artifact, with power comparable to a full-force strike from a Foundation Establishment cultivator. It's troublesome to make, so if we run into a powerful enemy, use it to kill them. Don't hold back." Han Deling took out a gleaming red orb and handed it to Han Changming.
Han Changming agreed and accepted the Fire Glass Bead.
Led by Han Deling, the group of seven set out to search for treasure. Aside from Han Changming and Han Deling, the other five were all at the sixth level of Qi Refining or above, and were powerful cultivators.
After leaving the marketplace, Han Deling summoned a Yellow Gourd. It carried them into the sky.
A little over a month later, they arrived at their destination: a tiny island measuring a dozen or so miles across.
The tiny island was desolate, with scant spiritual energy and no spirit vein. Even if a cultivator happened to pass by, they wouldn't stop there.
Han Deling controlled the Yellow Gourd and slowly descended in front of a low earthen mound.
"This is the place. The cave dwelling where the cultivator died is right here." Han Deling pointed at the mound.
"Break the restrictions quickly, take what we need, and leave. If a cultivator passes by, they'll spot us easily," Han Debiao suggested.
Han Deling summoned two Blue Flying Knives and sent them slashing toward the mound. Han Debiao and the other five also summoned their magical artifacts and attacked it.
A tremendous boom rang out, and the ground shuddered violently. A cave entrance several zhang wide appeared before them.
Han Debiao walked at the front, with Han Changming second from the rear.
The entrance was rather narrow, and the stone walls were uneven, with obvious signs of having been hewn by human hands. They walked a hundred or so steps, turned left, and went another hundred or so steps. A pale yellow light barrier appeared before them. Through it, they could see a crude stone chamber several dozen zhang across. A white skeleton lay in the center, with a yellow Storage Bag at its waist.
Han Changming's face lit up at the sight of the white skeleton.
It looked like this really was an ancient cultivator's cave dwelling.
Han Deling and the others summoned their magical artifacts and attacked the yellow light barrier.
Multicolored spiritual light flared. The barrier couldn't hold for long and soon shattered.
Han Deling released her divine sense and carefully examined the stone chamber, but found nothing unusual.
Han Debiao released an Ape Puppet Beast and sent it toward the white skeleton.
As soon as the Ape Puppet Beast approached, the white skeleton sprang to life and seized it with its claws.
At the same time, a chorus of ghostly wails erupted, and White Bone Corpses burst out of the ground throughout the stone chamber.
"Something's wrong! It's a trap! Fall back!" Han Deling's face changed dramatically as she shouted a warning.
Han Changming stared in disbelief. The situation had changed so suddenly that he hadn't even had time to react.
The seven of them retreated along the way they had come. A dozen or so White Bone Corpses burst out of the ground, bone knives in hand, and charged at Han Changming and the others.
Han Changming hurriedly summoned a stack of Fireball Talismans. They turned into more than a dozen Crimson Fireballs, which he hurled at the White Bone Corpses behind him.
Han Deling and the others all summoned Second-Rank Puppet Beasts, which unleashed spells at the corpses.
Rumble!
Explosions boomed without pause as multicolored spell-light flashed wildly, filling the air with a terrifying din.
More than a dozen Crimson Fireballs struck the White Bone Corpses and became a mass of red flames that engulfed them. Yet the flames quickly scattered.
They seemed unafraid of fire and kept charging toward Han Changming.
Han Changming gritted his teeth, took out the Fire Glass Bead, and threw it.
A deafening blast rang out. A vast expanse of red fire appeared out of thin air and swallowed the dozen or so White Bone Corpses. A scorching wave of heat rushed toward them.
Before long, the flames died away. The White Bone Corpses had all vanished, as if they had never existed. A huge crater had appeared in the ground, with heat still rising from it.
"Heh heh. You've trespassed into White Bone Master's cave dwelling. None of you are leaving." A hoarse male voice rang out abruptly.
As soon as he finished speaking, ghostly wails erupted again, leaving everyone's hearts in turmoil.
Han Changming's vision blurred. In an instant, he found himself in a hazy gray space as gusts of frigid wind swept past.
The ground shook violently, and White Bone Corpses burst out one after another. Green flames burned in their eyes, and each gripped a bone knife.
Han Changming looked around and was horrified to discover that Han Deling and the others had vanished.
"Oh no, it's a formation!" Han Changming's face darkened.
He regretted coming here more than anything. If he'd known this would happen, he never would have gone treasure hunting.
But it was too late to change anything now. He could only hope to make it through this ordeal in one piece.
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