Undercurrents

"Aunt, Cousin, don't worry." At this point, Liang Zhaohuang had no choice but to agree. He said in a deep voice, "I'll think of a way to pluck this Millennium Sacred Heart Fruit."

What Wang Chunlin had used was an open scheme, a strategy laid out in broad daylight. Even if Liang Zhaohuang guessed that the other party's goal was to make the Liang Family fight the "Black Thorn" Lin Family over the Millennium Sacred Heart Fruit, he still had no choice but to accept.

Putting aside the family's debt to his aunt, if the Millennium Sacred Heart Fruit truly had the power to transform one's body and bones and repair all injuries, then it did not concern only his aunt's and cousin's futures.

It also concerned the lives and futures of the clan leader, Liang Xuelin, and Fifth Uncle Liang Xuegui.

During the earlier attack by the Black Wind Bandits, the clan leader Liang Xuelin had suffered grievous injuries, his foundation almost ruined; Fifth Uncle Liang Xuegui had even lost both legs, and his life hung by a thread.

If the Millennium Sacred Heart Fruit truly could repair injuries, regrow severed limbs, and restore one's foundation, then the clan leader and Fifth Uncle would have hope of recovery—perhaps even a chance to take another step forward on the path of cultivation!

When they heard Liang Zhaohuang agree, obvious delight appeared on both his aunt's and cousin's faces.

His aunt even took a jade slip from her sleeve and handed it over, saying, "Zhaohuang, inside this jade slip is a map of Ludong County's Spirit Cauldron Secret Realm. It marks the location of the Millennium Sacred Heart Fruit."

Liang Zhaohuang took the jade slip and sent his Spiritual Sense into it to examine it. It was indeed a map of the secret realm, and one mountain ridge was especially marked—clearly the place where the Millennium Sacred Heart Fruit was located.

He could not help being somewhat speechless. He had spent three days combing through all kinds of materials left behind by the Sun Family and still had not found any useful information about the Spirit Cauldron Secret Realm. Yet who would have thought that now, the map of the Spirit Cauldron Secret Realm would fall into his hands like this?

"This map..." Liang Zhaohuang could not help looking at his aunt.

His aunt merely nodded slightly and said, "Wang Chunlin gave it to me."

From the look of it, his aunt seemed to have sensed some of the problems as well. But this was her last hope, and she did not want to give it up.

Liang Zhaohuang let out a soft breath and put away the jade slip. The other party had truly made ample preparations.

"Zhaohuang, don't worry." His aunt looked at Liang Zhaohuang and said, "There's still one month before the Spirit Cauldron Secret Realm opens. During this time, I'll do everything I can to help you gather a Third-Tier Treasure Talisman. When the time comes, it will surely protect your safety."

"And me too, Cousin!" Wang Hui, who was beside them, also said, "Your cousin still has some connections in the commandery city. I'll definitely help you find a treasure talisman."

"Then many thanks, Aunt and Cousin." Liang Zhaohuang did not refuse. No one could be certain what the situation would be inside the Spirit Cauldron Secret Realm, what would happen there, or how the struggle against the "Black Thorn" Lin Family over the Millennium Sacred Heart Fruit would unfold. Having a Third-Tier Treasure Talisman on him would give him a little more confidence and assurance.

A Third-Tier Treasure Talisman was a talisman crafted by a Golden Core True Person. It already possessed some of the traits of a magic treasure, and a single treasure talisman could often be used several times. Usually, these were used in battles between Golden Core True Persons.

Liang Zhaohuang was only a Foundation Establishment cultivator, so he certainly would find it difficult to unleash the full power of a treasure talisman. But if used in battles between Foundation Establishment cultivators, it would be more than enough as a life-preserving trump card.

His aunt and cousin did not stay long in Ludong County. In a hurry, they rushed back to Luyang Commandery to raise a Third-Tier Treasure Talisman.

After seeing them off and returning to Five Talisman Hall, the clan leader Liang Xuelin looked at Liang Zhaohuang and asked, "Zhaohuang, how dangerous will it be to pluck the Millennium Sacred Heart Fruit?"

"If it's too dangerous, then forget it. I'll go speak with Third Sister."

Liang Zhaohuang smiled and shook his head. "Second Uncle, don't worry. It won't be too dangerous. I know what I'm doing."

He did not tell the clan leader that this Millennium Sacred Heart Fruit might also be the target of the "Black Thorn" Lin Family, and that they might have to contend with the Lin Family for it.

The elders had their considerations, but he had his own thoughts as well.

"Second Uncle, three days ago, there was chaos in the county city at night, and the Sun Family was wiped out. I took the opportunity to scrape up some benefits from the Sun Family."

Liang Zhaohuang led the clan leader over to inspect what he had gained from the Sun Family, diverting the other man's attention.

"Come take a look at these things. How should the family handle them?"

Over the past three days, Liang Zhaohuang had already opened five Storage Bags one after another and sorted out the contents. Although he still had not found any records concerning the Spirit Cauldron Secret Realm, his gains were enormous.

Spirit Stones, spiritual medicines, spiritual materials, spiritual pills, talismans, magic tools, jade-slip inheritances—these were only the most basic harvests, large in quantity and high in quality. In addition, there were all kinds of demon beast materials unique to the Sun Family, as well as some treasures even Liang Zhaohuang could not identify.

When the clan leader Liang Xuelin saw these gains, his entire body froze in shock. For a long while, he had no reaction at all.

Just as Liang Zhaohuang was worrying whether he might pass out, the clan leader finally let out a long breath, looked at him, and asked:

"Zhaohuang, did you move the entire Sun Family fortune here?"

Hearing this, Liang Zhaohuang shook his head slightly. Although what he had taken were all important resources of the Sun Family, obtained from Sun Family Foundation Establishment cultivators or the family's "seeds," their overall value was probably less than one-tenth of the Sun Family's true wealth.

Through what he had seen and heard over the past few days, learning of the existence of the Spirit Cauldron Secret Realm and examining the Sun Family's jade slips, Liang Zhaohuang had gained a glimpse of the true foundation and wealth of a county-level powerful clan of the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty.

That was something a hundred-year poor family like the Liang Family simply could not imagine.

While the Liang Family was handling the gains obtained from the Sun Family, Liang Zhaohuang was still searching among them for records and information related to the Spirit Cauldron Secret Realm.

Throughout Ludong County, every family that was about to participate in the Spirit Cauldron Secret Realm was making its own preparations.

In North Market of Ludong County City, inside a Wang Family shop, Wang Chengen held a jade slip in his hand and sent his Spiritual Sense into it, examining the information transmitted within. His expression was grave.

In Medicine Fragrance Ward, at the eighth-rank county clan of the "Medicine Dust" Zhang Family, a Foundation Establishment elder sought out the family head, Zhang Junxiang, and handed him a jade slip. "Fourth Brother, look at this pill formula."

"Ninth Brother, what pill formula?" Zhang Junxiang asked casually, taking the jade slip and sending his Spiritual Sense into it. His expression soon changed. "Sacred Heart Pill!"

"Ninth Brother, where did you get this pill formula?" Zhang Junxiang looked at the other man with a solemn expression and asked in a deep voice.

"At Sanhe Black Market. Someone sold this pill formula to our family's shop," replied the Foundation Establishment elder, "Ninth Brother."

When Zhang Junxiang heard this, his expression grew grave, and for a while he did not speak.

"Fourth Brother, this is a good opportunity!" The "Ninth Brother" beside him said with some excitement, "Counting the years, it's been nearly a thousand years since the 'Qinglin' Xu Family was destroyed. In the Xu Family's stronghold inside the Spirit Cauldron Secret Realm, there definitely must be Sacred Heart Fruits, and they absolutely have a thousand years of medicinal power by now! They're perfectly suited to refining Sacred Heart Pills!"

Zhang Junxiang, however, shook his head slightly and said, "What 'Sacred Heart Fruit'? It's the Demonic Heart Fruit! And this Sacred Heart Pill is a demonic pill too!"

"Have you forgotten how the 'Qinglin' Xu Family was destroyed back then? It was because they used human hearts to cultivate this Sacred Heart Fruit. They fell into the demonic path, and that was why they were exterminated!"

But that Ninth Brother did not care. He raised his voice and said, "Fourth Brother, we're not cultivating the Sacred Heart Fruit. We're only taking ready-made materials to refine pills!"

"Isn't our 'Medicine Dust' Zhang Family founded on pill refining?"

"Who cares whether it's a sacred pill or a demonic pill? All I know is that the Sacred Heart Pill can perfect the physical body and give rise to a flesh-and-blood divine ability seed. Of the five passes to Golden Core, it covers the three passes of essence, qi, and spirit, plus the pass of the divine ability seed. One Sacred Heart Pill can increase the success rate of core formation by more than forty percent!"

"Fourth Brother, this might be the best chance our Zhang family has to advance into a county-ranked aristocratic clan!"

Zhang Junxiang still shook his head and said, "Lin Changdao just had his left arm broken. This is exactly when he needs the Millennium Sacred Heart Fruit, and yet at this very moment someone delivers the formula for the Sacred Heart Pill to our family. It's obvious they want to use our Zhang family as the knife!"

Seeing this, Ninth Brother grew even more anxious and said in a low voice, "Fourth Brother, even if you won't think for yourself, you have to think for Third Uncle, right? I'm afraid this is his last chance!"

When Zhang Junxiang heard that, his expression couldn't help but freeze. Then he sighed helplessly.

"Ah!"

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