Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud

"Stop! The Heaven Dou Treasury is a restricted area. Unauthorized persons are forbidden from approaching!"

A patrol squad stopped Yun Chen and Eunuch Wei, demanding answers coldly. Each of them wore armor and face coverings, brimming with killing intent.

"We have come to select an item from the treasury under His Majesty Xue Ye's orders. Here is the token."

At Eunuch Wei's signal, Yun Chen handed over the jade pendant in his hand. The patrol captain took the jade token and examined it carefully before returning it, his voice grave.

"The jade pendant is genuine, but we still need to report this to our superiors."

"Fine, go ahead."

The lead captain nodded, shot his subordinates a look to keep watch over them, then turned and headed off to one side.

"Mm, their paperwork is in order. His Majesty already informed me that they are here to select an item. They may choose only one item. Let them pass."

The patrol captain nodded. Since there was no issue with their identities, there was naturally no issue with letting them through.

"Your identities have been confirmed. You may enter."

"However, you may only take one item. Also, aside from soul tools and similar items, you must hand over everything else for me to hold. Otherwise, when you pass through the security gate later, those soul tools will all malfunction."

After confirming that there was no issue with their identities, the patrol captain respectfully bowed to the two of them. Even his tone carried a hint of careful flattery.

Yun Chen and Eunuch Wei nodded and cooperatively removed the storage soul tools from their bodies. Besides, Yun Chen had nothing particularly valuable on him to begin with, so he had even less to worry about.

"Please enter."

The gates slowly opened, and Eunuch Wei and Yun Chen gradually walked inside. Something like a curtain of light swiftly swept across their bodies. Yun Chen only felt pleasantly warm, as though he were basking beneath the warm sun.

After Yun Chen and Eunuch Wei entered, the lights above the Heaven Dou Treasury lit up one by one, illuminating the entire treasury in dazzling splendor.

Rows upon rows of shelves stood within, with countless items sorted and labeled by category. There was also a booklet at the entrance, marking the locations of the various item categories.

"Hundred-year Mammoth Elephant soul bone, ninth row, third level, twelfth position."

"Hundred-year spirit medicine, seventh row, sixth level, fourteenth position."

"Thousand-year Wind Wolf right leg bone, eighth row, sixth level, thirty-sixth position."

"Ten-thousand-year Ice Bear left arm bone, seventy-seventh row, ninth level, sixth position."

Yun Chen flipped through the pages one by one. Honestly, he wanted to loot the entire Heaven Dou Empire treasury clean.

After roughly browsing through it, he discovered that there were a full seven ten-thousand-year soul bones, all of decent quality. There were even more thousand-year and hundred-year soul bones than ten-thousand-year ones.

There were countless spirit herbs, spirit medicines, precious rare metals, and strange treasures.

There were some things Yun Chen had never even heard of.

Yun Chen was somewhat silent at this moment. He had yet to fully pull himself free from what had happened at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. He let out a faint sigh, closed the booklet, and asked Eunuch Wei, who was watching him from the side.

"Is that all?"

Eunuch Wei froze. He had thought Yun Chen would choose one of those soul bones, or at the very least some medicinal herbs. He had not expected Yun Chen to be uninterested in any of them.

"Um... there is one more..."

"The Heaven Dou Empire's national treasure—the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud."

"It is a soul tool without any particularly special use. It only seems to have some connection to His Majesty's ancestors."

"The Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud? May I take a look?"

Yun Chen asked with feigned confusion, though he was incredibly excited inside. This was the Sea God's token! Whether or not he could pass the Sea God's trial after obtaining it was another matter, but at the very least, it would be better in his hands than in that little bastard's!

"Of course. However, I would advise you not to choose it. It has little practical value and is nowhere near as worthwhile as a ten-thousand-year soul bone."

"Mm, I'm only taking a look. We can discuss it afterward. I truly haven't made my choice yet."

Eunuch Wei nodded and led Yun Chen deeper into the core of the Heaven Dou Treasury. This was where the ten-thousand-year soul bones were displayed, and among them, surrounded on all sides, stood a glass display case.

Inside it lay a triangular, prism-shaped object resembling blue crystal.

With just one glance, Yun Chen's gaze was irresistibly drawn to it. He slowly stepped forward, his hand unconsciously pressing against the glass display case.

The blue crystal seemed to emit a gentle glow. It entered Yun Chen's body and soothed the agitation in his heart that had arisen from the matter of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

The crystalline blue radiance reflected into Yun Chen's eyes inch by inch, deeply captivating his mind.

Only after a long while did Yun Chen come back to his senses. He looked at Eunuch Wei beside him and spoke with absolute resolve.

"Eunuch Wei, I want this."

Eunuch Wei frowned, seemingly unable to understand Yun Chen's choice.

In his view, it was nothing more than an ordinary soul tool. Even if it held some special value, that value was merely historical. It simply was not worth a genius like Yun Chen wasting this precious opportunity on it.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. I feel that this item is fated to be with me. It seems to possess a special attraction. I trust my instincts."

Eunuch Wei looked at Yun Chen's resolute eyes, then considered his words and nodded. The world of soul masters still believed in fate, especially a soul master's first instinct, which was generally extremely accurate.

A genius like Yun Chen could not be judged by ordinary standards. More importantly, this opportunity belonged to Yun Chen. Since Yun Chen had already made his choice, Eunuch Wei could only offer advice. Since his advice had failed, there was nothing more to say.

"Fine. Take it."

Yun Chen nodded, but Eunuch Wei beside him did not move. Somewhat puzzled, he turned his head and slowly asked.

"Uh... Eunuch Wei, aren't you going to help me take it out?"

"Huh? This glass cover can be opened directly."

As Eunuch Wei spoke, he stepped forward and lifted off the glass cover on top in one swift motion. Yun Chen's mouth twitched. He truly had not expected that the outermost cover of the Heaven Dou Empire's national treasure was not protective at all—at most, it was there to keep off dust.

In the end, Yun Chen happily hugged the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud and boarded the carriage back to the Crown Prince's Residence with Qian Renxue.

"He took the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Is this item not meant to be given to others?"

Eunuch Wei was somewhat nervous as he looked at the Xue Ye Emperor, whose expression was unreadable. He seemed to regret it a little. After all, it was the Heaven Dou Empire's national treasure. What if His Majesty cared about it particularly deeply? He should have reported this matter to His Majesty first.

"No. I was merely surprised that he chose that item."

Xue Ye waved his hand and dismissed Eunuch Wei, then fell into deep thought. Suddenly, he coughed violently, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

In an instant, his aura weakened to the extreme.

Even with the body of a Soul Douluo, is bearing divine power still too much?

"Ah..."

Yet what the Xue Ye Emperor did not know was that the problem with his body was not merely caused by using his own power to bear divine power and unleash a strike comparable to that of an Ultimate Douluo.

It was also because of the poison Porcupinefish Douluo had administered to him. That poison was no ordinary toxin; it was a compound poison mixed from multiple poisons, colorless and odorless, one that would only gradually weaken the body without anyone noticing.

(Note: In the original work, the Xue Ye Emperor was at the Soul Douluo level. By the time he noticed something was wrong with his body, it was already too late, so please don't argue with me about this. Please.)

Meanwhile, Qian Renxue's face in the carriage was terrifyingly grim. The Xue Ye Emperor's earlier words had nearly shattered her worldview. She truly had not expected the Xue family to possess such a hidden secret.

As expected. Anyone capable of founding the Heaven Dou Empire and standing firm on the continent for thousands upon thousands of years was no simple character.