Wow! A Golden Legend!

The Hall of Brotherhood was a complete mess. Fortunately, it had not collapsed—only a huge crater had been blasted into the floor.

Wu Yu pushed aside the shattered tables and chairs, carefully walked into the pit, and picked up the cards.

Without inspecting them closely, he quickly climbed out of the crater and left the Hall of Brotherhood.

Only after reaching a safe corner did Wu Yu examine the cards.

[One Hundred Taels of Silver]

Type: Resource.

Quality: White.

Description: One hundred taels of silver.

[Chief's Identity Plaque]

Type: Quest Item.

Quality: None.

Description: An identity plaque used to prove one's status.

[Three-Treasure Vitality Pill]

Type: Consumable.

Quality: Blue.

Description: The Three Treasures protected the body, greatly increasing a mortal's vitality and consolidating their foundation.

Tiger Power Stance

Type: Cultivation Method.

Quality: Blue.

Description: A body-refining cultivation method that could enter the Transcendent realm.

[Treasure Chest Key]

Type: Consumable.

Quality: Gold.

Description: A key to some treasure chest.

There were nine cards in total. Three were [One Hundred Taels of Silver], and three were [Three-Treasure Vitality Pill]—all old acquaintances.

The remaining three were an identity plaque, a cultivation method, and a key!

Wu Yu inspected them one by one, and his eyes immediately lit up.

"A blue cultivation method! Good, good, good!"

"A quest item... Could this be something I need to bring back to Redfang Village to turn in?"

"Wait, a gold key?"

When he saw the golden glow rising from the final card, Wu Yu's breath caught, and his hand clenched tight!

"A treasure chest... The Bronze Chest I found by the gate didn't need a key at all. This must be a higher-quality chest!"

"Gold quality... Could it be a Golden Treasure Chest?"

Wu Yu was not certain, but his gaze shifted toward the Hall of Brotherhood!

In the entire Evil Tiger Stronghold, this was the place most likely to contain a treasure chest.

He carefully made his way over, entered the Hall of Brotherhood, and looked around. Behind the main hall was a small courtyard, along with a bedroom.

And inside that bedroom, a half-meter-tall chest, golden from top to bottom, sat right on the floor, impossible to miss!

"It really is!"

Delight appeared on Wu Yu's face, and he decisively crushed the card.

An ancient key glowing with golden light fell into his hand. He crouched down, gripped the key, and prepared to find the lock.

But the instant the key touched the treasure chest, a panel appeared!

[Golden Treasure Chest]

Opening Countdown: 29 minutes 59 seconds!

"Half an hour!"

Wu Yu frowned. This was not good news!

He might have cleaned out the stronghold, but the bandits usually sent hunting parties out every day!

If this took too long, then once the hunting parties returned, they would definitely discover what had happened to the stronghold.

"No, I can't let this Golden Treasure Chest go!"

After thinking it over, Wu Yu temporarily gave up on opening the chest.

He stood up, returned the key to his inventory, then took out small stones engraved with the [Bi Fang Sigil].

Leaving the Hall of Brotherhood, Wu Yu began arranging them around the area and along the roads.

A short while later, he returned to the Hall of Brotherhood and entered the bedroom.

After moving over a stool, Wu Yu sat on it, resting while opening the treasure chest.

[Golden Treasure Chest]

Opening Countdown: 29 minutes 59 seconds!

58 seconds!

57 seconds!

56 seconds!

Second by second, Wu Yu took out a flask of spiritual wine with his other hand and sipped from it.

At the same time, he listened vigilantly for sounds outside.

Half an hour later, nothing unexpected had happened.

As the final second of the countdown passed, the panel disappeared.

Bang! The [Golden Treasure Chest] erupted with golden light.

With his previous experience, Wu Yu casually raised a hand, and the treasure chest opened, revealing several items inside.

They were all cards, but one of them radiated an enchanting golden glow!

[Three-Treasure Vitality Pill]

Type: Consumable.

Quality: Blue.

Description: The Three Treasures protected the body, greatly increasing a mortal's vitality and consolidating their foundation.

[Dungeon Key]

Type: Consumable.

Quality: White.

Description: A key used to open a dungeon.

[One Hundred Taels of Silver]

Type: Resource.

Quality: White.

Description: One hundred taels of silver.

Tiger Roar Soul-Refining Diagram

Type: Cultivation Method.

Quality: Gold.

Description: Refine the soul with a tiger's roar, nourishing vitality in return.

[Chief's Record Book]

Type: Book.

Quality: White.

Description: It seemed to record some unspeakable secrets.

The treasure chest contained twenty cards of the blue-quality [Three-Treasure Vitality Pill], as well as ten [One Hundred Taels of Silver]. They were extremely valuable.

But Wu Yu's eyes were filled only with the golden cultivation method. He immediately took it out!

"Tiger Roar Soul-Refining!?"

His eyes lit up, and he crushed the card.

The card did not shatter. Instead, a panel appeared.

"Notice: Required item missing."

"It needs something else?"

Wu Yu froze, then calmed down.

He immediately looked at the remaining items. The [Three-Treasure Vitality Pill] and [One Hundred Taels of Silver] went without saying. The [Dungeon Key] might be the key, and there was also a book.

After thinking for a moment, Wu Yu took out the book card and crushed it.

A thin book fell into his hand, with only a few pages inside.

Seeing that there was not much content, Wu Yu simply stayed in the bedroom and opened it to read.

"The Mountain Lord arrived fifteen days ago. Its appetite is growing ever greater. It has already eaten every old, weak, sick, and crippled person in the stronghold."

"On the sixty-eighth day, the women were eaten too. The Mountain Lord issued its final ultimatum: enough food must be captured."

"On the ninetieth day, the Mountain Lord bestowed a ritual, cultivation methods, and Pills. We had no choice, but... I have another way."

"On the hundredth day, using that mysterious cultivation method, I absorbed the Mountain Lord's blood and finally completed the Soul-Refining Diagram!"

"On the hundred and twentieth day, the ritual's power is growing stronger and stronger! The Soul-Refining Diagram is only missing the final step—I must kill the Mountain Lord!"

"On the hundred and fiftieth day, I am growing weaker and weaker. The news has secretly reached the city as well. I only needed one more month. The Mountain Lord would no longer have been a threat. Why? Why!"

"A diary?"

Wu Yu was rather surprised.

The bandit chief had a habit of keeping a diary?

But that did not seem right. It appeared that, after the Mountain Lord had descended and panic set in, the chief had chosen to record some important information.

Was he afraid that after becoming the Mountain Lord's thrall, he would gradually lose his memories?

"..."

Wu Yu's expression turned strange.

According to the records, unwilling to become the Mountain Lord's thrall, the bandit chief had fused an immortal artifact obtained through a lucky coincidence with the Mountain Lord's essence blood, creating a Mountain Lord Soul-Refining Diagram.

This was a soul-refining cultivation method, one that could knock open the Transcendent Gate through the path of soul refinement. It was incomparably precious.

But this cultivation method required a Mountain Lord Soul before one could begin!

The chief wanted to hunt the Mountain Lord, but he could not possibly do it himself.

On one hand, he was not strong enough.

On the other hand, he had become a thrall. Both his body and soul were enslaved by the Mountain Lord. Once the Mountain Lord discovered that he had grown stronger, it would actively drain his flesh, blood, and soul!

Thus, the chief secretly sent word out, luring martial artists from all directions to hunt the Mountain Lord.

"So that's how it is. I have to kill the Mountain Lord before I can begin this golden cultivation method!"

"Now really is an opportunity. That Mountain Lord is hiding in Lostway Cave, gravely wounded!"

Wu Yu's heart skipped a beat as one bold idea after another surfaced in his mind!