Counting the Spoils

An old man's eyes, deep as an abyss, swept over the land Lu Changsheng had turned over. His brows furrowed slightly.

"This old man divined the secrets of heaven and determined that an Innate Spirit Treasure fated to be mine would emerge here."

"Why, now that I've arrived, is there nothing left but a ruined spiritual cave? I can't even sense the slightest trace of the treasure's aura."

The old man closed his eyes. His withered fingers moved rapidly inside his sleeves as he performed calculations.

After a long while, he suddenly opened his eyes, disbelief and shock flashing across them.

"The secrets of heaven... a complete muddle?"

"Someone actually managed to conceal the cause and effect of stealing the treasure so thoroughly! Even my art of divination can't uncover the slightest clue!"

The old man took a long look at the empty fissure.

"How interesting. Truly interesting."

"It seems that in this primordial world, besides those few old friends of mine, another remarkable variable has appeared."

The old man shook his head and did not press the matter.

Since the secrets of heaven had been obscured and the treasure was gone, it meant the treasure was not fated for him.

He turned around, his gray robe sweeping behind him.

He vanished from Phoenix Fall Valley in an instant, like a phantom, leaving only a low sigh to echo through the baleful aura.

"The great calamity is coming, and the Dragon Phoenix Clans are doomed. In this troubled age, who can truly remain untouched..."

Deep in a cave dwelling on Nameless Low Mountain.

Time flowed on, and the Primordial Land kept no calendar.

Eight thousand years had passed since Lu Changsheng fled back to the mountain from Phoenix Fall Valley and sealed the stone gate shut.

For all those eight thousand years, not a single sound had stirred inside the cave dwelling.

With the support of the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil, the three thousand layers of the Mysterious Yellow Pure Yang Array had completely severed the cave dwelling from the outside world.

No matter how fiercely the calamity energy surged outside, not a trace of it could seep in.

On the White Jade Cloud Bed, Lu Changsheng sat cross-legged, still as a golden stone statue.

Pure spiritual energy mingled with the life-giving force of creation surging from deep within the Earth Vein. With each breath he took, it formed two white dragons of mist that coiled around the tip of his nose.

"Whoosh—"

He exhaled a long breath of stale air. It became a gentle breeze, stirring the leaves of the Red Sun Fruit Tree nearby.

Lu Changsheng slowly opened his eyes. His golden gaze, once dim from the loss of his origin, had at last regained its deep, brilliant light.

"Eight thousand years. I've finally made up for what I lost."

He lowered his head and looked within his dantian.

In its deepest part, the Great Dao Merit origin, brilliant as a blazing sun, had ceased to churn and returned to perfect, unblemished wholeness.

His cultivation, which had fallen to the early True Immortal stage, had also recovered over those long years of tempering and through the nourishment of the Heavenly Dao's compensatory merit.

Not only had he returned to the middle True Immortal stage, but he had even taken a subtle step forward, his magic power growing ever more substantial and condensed.

Thinking back to his reckless act in Phoenix Fall Valley—forcefully extracting his Great Dao origin and turning it into karmic retribution to hurl at his enemies—Lu Changsheng still felt a lingering chill.

The agony of his origin being torn apart, and the weakness of his cultivation dropping in an instant, had been a thousand times more tormenting than having his flesh sliced with a dull knife.

"If the Heavenly Dao hadn't bestowed that mass of merit to repair my spiritual energy, my foundation at the middle True Immortal stage would surely have been left with hidden damage."

Lu Changsheng sighed and raised his right hand, gently stroking the Mysterious Yellow Shield hovering before his chest.

A warm, ancient yellow light flowed across its surface, while twelve complete innate restrictions radiated a weighty Dao aura that made it impervious to all arts.

For these eight thousand years, he had constantly nourished this supreme defensive spirit treasure with his magic power and divine sense. Now, he could wield it as easily as his own arm.

With a single thought, the Mysterious Yellow Shield could instantly transform into an invisible curtain of light. It could not only withstand physical and magical attacks,

but also perfectly blend all traces of his karma and aura into the world. Even if a Primordial Unity Golden Immortal stood right before him, they would never see through his true strength.

"Worth it. Eight thousand years of hard cultivation bought me a lifesaving trump card like this. It's a bargain and a half."

Lu Changsheng drew the Mysterious Yellow Shield back into the depths of his soul, a fervent anticipation flashing in his eyes.

Now that his injuries had healed, it was time for the part he liked best.

Counting the spoils!

Back in Phoenix Fall Valley, he had ruthlessly killed four Dragon Phoenix remnants at the Mystic Immortal level. Though he had blasted them to dust to destroy all evidence,

he had been quick enough to save the storage treasures on their bodies.

"The wealth of four Mystic Immortals—and from the Dragon Phoenix Clans, who hold dominion over the Primordial Land at that. How many rare treasures could they have?"

Lu Changsheng rubbed his hands together, but didn't immediately take out the storage bags.

A practitioner of the Dao of Cowardice had to proceed with caution at every step.

"The Dragon Phoenix Clans' foundations are unfathomably deep. Those remnants may be dead, but who knows whether their storage treasures are marked with vicious blood curses—or hidden traps designed to take me down with them?"

"Better safe than sorry."

Lu Changsheng rose and walked to the open space in the middle of the cave dwelling.

With a wave of his hand, three hundred and sixty formation flags flew from his sleeve.

Magic power surged, and a Nine Palaces Spirit-Trapping Array, built specifically to isolate auras and wear down restrictions, took shape across the open ground.

Only then did he cautiously toss the four storage bags, still stained with dried blood, into the center of the array.

"Same as always: disinfect first, then open the mystery boxes."

Lu Changsheng opened his mouth and spat out a mass of Pure Yang Fire, enveloping the four storage bags. He began roasting them over a low flame.

The roasting lasted a full thirty years.

Only when the stench of blood had been completely burned away, and even the faint traces of divine sense imprints left behind on the bags

had been reduced to nothing by the Pure Yang Fire, did Lu Changsheng finally withdraw the flames with satisfaction.

"Open!"

Standing outside the array, he pointed a finger.

The four storage bags burst open, and a flood of multicolored treasure light shot into the sky, illuminating the entire cave dwelling.

"Rumble—"

A small mountain of objects poured from the bags, piling up across the open space in the center of the array.

Lu Changsheng's breath caught.

"I'm rich..."

The golden light in his eyes reflected the glittering treasures spread across the ground. His voice trembled with sheer excitement.

He extended his divine sense and carefully examined the mountain of spoils.

At the very bottom lay heaps of low- and mid-grade immortal stones, numbering in the millions.

The immortal stones were of little use to him for cultivation now, but they were indispensable, premium materials for setting up large formations and powering their central nodes.

With this stockpile, his three thousand layers of the Mysterious Yellow Pure Yang Array could run at full power for a hundred thousand years without fear of running out of spiritual energy!

Dozens of magic treasures radiating considerable pressure lay scattered above the piles of immortal stones.

Lu Changsheng drew a few toward him and examined them closely.

"Three low-grade acquired defensive armors. They're a little damaged, but they're made of rare Abyssal Cold Iron. After I reforge them, they'll be perfect for reinforcing the cave's stone gate."

"Five mid-grade acquired killing swords... Their baleful aura is too strong, and they could easily entangle me in karma. I'll seal them away for now. If I ever have no choice but to set up a killing array, they'll make good nodes."

As he counted, Lu Changsheng carefully planned how to put each treasure to use.

But soon, his attention was drawn to a pile of jade boxes exuding a rich medicinal fragrance.

These were the treasured possessions of four Mystic Immortals!