Portrait on the Rooftop

Yan Chihuo asked again, "When did the first theft occur?"

Yu Tong replied, "It should have been three years ago. Over these three years, a total of one thousand Jade Crystals have gone missing, plus this Nether-Dark Thorn. The Jade Crystals seem to have been disappearing more frequently in recent years, almost one per day."

Yan Chihuo frowned, feeling quite puzzled. He had never encountered such a thief, one who committed repeated thefts yet only took such a tiny amount each time.

Yu Tong walked over to a shelf, stopped, and pointed to an empty spot, saying, "This is where the Nether-Dark Thorn was kept."

Yan Chihuo looked around and asked, "The Nether-Dark Thorn? What kind of Spirit Tool is it?"

Yu Tong said, "This thorn is no more than three inches long, similar to a needle. It is pitch black and emits an icy, chilling aura. It is a secret forging technique that the Heavenly King obtained by chance. It is said that this technique originates from the Netherworld, hence it is named the Nether-Dark Thorn."

Yan Chihuo was even more curious. Heavenly King Li practiced water-attribute techniques, so why would he forge a Spirit Tool from the Netherworld? He knew there must be more to this, but he did not expose it.

He looked around, golden light flickering in his eyes as he searched for anything unusual. Yu Tong said, "Don't let the age of this stone chamber fool you; it was built long ago, but the Forbidden Cloud Pattern has not lost its effectiveness at all. I once tried to use wall-passing techniques to see if I could enter or exit through the ground, but it was impossible."

Yan Chihuo could not see anything out of the ordinary. He looked up and was startled, saying, "What is