Three treasures in the mountains, a glimpse into the seal's secrets

Since he was being forced to venture into the world and steal some sect-guarding treasure from Emerging Cloud Peak, he had to improve his strength as quickly as possible.

Otherwise, never mind stealing the treasure—the turbulent undercurrents of this situation alone could kill him eight hundred times over.

Not to mention that without enough strength, the secret of his Longevity would be exposed sooner or later.

Between reading books, Mo Chen occasionally used the Inner Vision Technique to examine the magical seal in his dantian.

After inspecting it over and over for some time, Mo Chen actually began to make out a few clues.

The curse seal alone revealed quite a bit.

This seal was clearly a Demonic Path technique, yet a righteous cultivator had placed it on him. That all but confirmed that the righteous and demonic paths were secretly colluding.

The old man had either had his true background uncovered by the Immortal Alliance or narrowly escaped being hunted down. That was why he was hiding in that wretched mountain cave, clinging to life, and had even set up an additional teleportation formation and a Demon Beast to guard it.

Mo Chen carefully recalled the details of their encounter.

The old man's eyes were sunken and his body wasted to skin and bone, yet he still possessed astonishing cultivation. Mo Chen surmised that he had been afflicted with some strange poison that damaged the body and urgently needed heavenly treasures rich in water and wood spiritual energy to prolong his life and heal his injuries.

"No wonder he was so desperate to find that treasure," Mo Chen muttered to himself.

So he wanted to use my life to patch up his own!

Fuck!

After cursing, Mo Chen ended his practice and rose, preparing to pull out a few books to read, when a sudden knock came from outside his guest room.

"May I ask whether Fellow Daoist Shi Tian is staying in this room?"

"No, you've got the wrong..."

Mo Chen abruptly remembered that the name he was using here was that of his enemy, "Shi Tian."

He immediately corrected himself, transmitting his voice outside. "...That would be me. May I ask which fellow Daoist you are?"

"I'm a waiter from the Four Directions Teahouse. The proprietor sent me with a message, inviting Fellow Daoist Shi over for a chat."

Oh?

Mo Chen removed the Restrictive Wards and opened the door.

Outside stood a cultivator in a coarse, short jacket, wearing a professional, artificial smile. His cultivation was two levels below Mo Chen's.

"What guidance does your proprietor have for me?" Mo Chen asked, getting straight to the point.

The waiter's smile remained unchanged as he bowed. "Well... I'm not sure myself. The proprietor said he has information that would interest you. I'm just an errand runner—how would I know the details? Please come along, fellow Daoist. You'll understand once you meet him."

The waiter's answer was watertight.

Yet Mo Chen distinctly sensed a trace of nervousness in his aura.

This invitation was probably not as simple as it seemed.

Information that would interest me? Could it be some inside word about joining the Immortal Alliance?

Or something about repairing my eight-character spiritual root?

Going is one thing; agreeing is another. Why make life difficult for an errand runner?

This is a good chance to sound out that proprietor.

"All right, I'll come with you."

"Thank you for honoring the invitation, sir!"

Mo Chen followed the waiter through the bustling streets and arrived at the Four Directions Teahouse once more.

This time, the waiter led him straight to the door of another private chamber on the third floor, then bowed respectfully and quietly withdrew.

Mo Chen was just about to knock when the carved wooden door silently opened on its own.

Inside, the old man from before was still sitting upright, with two cups of spirit tea wreathed in spiritual energy on the rosewood tea table before him.

Unlike last time, five wooden chairs had been neatly arranged in front of the table.

"I am Shi Tian, here at your invitation, fellow Daoist." Mo Chen bowed in greeting.

"There's no need for such courtesy, fellow Daoist!"

The old man smiled benevolently, his long, snow-white beard fluttering. "Come, sit down. Have a cup of my specially prepared Cloudmist Spirit Tea first. This tea is harvested from the very summit of the western mountain. It takes three years to yield a single tael, and it is of great benefit to cultivation."

Mo Chen took a seat as instructed, and the wooden door behind him closed soundlessly.

Once he was seated, a soundproof barrier quietly rose around them.

The tea's fragrance was delicate and refined, and it was certainly no ordinary brew, but Mo Chen only grew more puzzled.

What medicine is this old Daoist hiding in his gourd?

"May I ask why you summoned me here, Senior?"

The old man leisurely stroked his long beard. "Don't be impatient, fellow Daoist. Allow me to explain."

"There has been a new development regarding the matter of repairing your spiritual root, which you asked about yesterday, so I sent word for you to come. We now have five fellow Daoists for that abandoned Cave Abode, each seeking something different, so you won't interfere with one another. According to the rules of our trade, I have called everyone here today. In a while, you can talk among yourselves and discuss the division of duties and the spoils from this trip."

Mo Chen fell silent for a moment before asking, "There is still something I don't understand. Tongxu City is teeming with Qi Refining experts. Why choose me, a mere Eighth Layer of Qi Refining cultivator?"

The old man laughed heartily. "You are too modest, fellow Daoist. Judging by your accent, you must come from around Haiyanhui in the south. The various sects of the Immortal Alliance are far apart. To have crossed so many dangers alone and arrived here safely, you must possess exceptional courage and strengths of your own. How could an ordinary Eighth Layer of Qi Refining cultivator compare?"

Upon hearing this, Mo Chen drained his tea without a word.

The old man's gaze burned bright. "I have been doing business in Tongxu City for many years. I do have some skill at judging people."

Mo Chen inwardly groaned.

What do you mean, I crossed all that on my own merits? That mysterious old man sent me straight here through a teleportation formation.

Now he's mistaken me for an expert hiding his true abilities. What an enormous misunderstanding. He's fucking driving a duck onto a perch!

Yet he naturally could not tell an outsider about what had happened in the limestone cave or the curse seal on his body.

Mo Chen could only steel himself, pretend to be an expert, and go along with it.

"In that case, I have another question. Have the other four fellow Daoists traveling with me arrived as well?"

Mo Chen looked at the other four empty chairs and said slowly, "Otherwise, you wouldn't have set out five wooden chairs, would you?"

"Haha, of course, of course. Rest assured, fellow Daoist. We have everyone we need, and you are the last member. The other four have already expressed their intention to search for treasure there."

"By the way, how long will this take? I still need to attend Emerging Cloud Peak's literary and martial competition in a month, so I can't afford any delays."

The old man smiled. "Rest assured, fellow Daoist. The destination is seven hundred li away, and the round trip by flight takes only two days. Besides, these four are all capable Qi Refining cultivators, each with their own specialty. You'll see when you meet them."

Within the time it took two sticks of incense to burn, the other four cultivators who would also be exploring the abandoned Cave Abode arrived in the private chamber, one after another.

The first was a tall, burly man with a massive axe strapped to his back, knotted muscles, and keen eyes. His cultivation was at least at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining.

Next came a woman in blue, with a cool expression and a long sword at her waist. Her cultivation had actually reached the peak of Qi Refining.

The third cultivator to arrive was a short, plump man. From the moment he entered, Mo Chen saw him wearing a beaming smile. A string of storage bags hung from his waist, making him look like a prosperous fellow. His cultivation was at the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining.

The last to arrive was a veiled woman in red. Her figure was graceful, yet she exuded an indescribably eerie aura, and her cultivation was impossible to read. Her spiritual pressure fluctuated between the eighth and ninth levels of Qi Refining, making her difficult to fathom.

Of these four, Mo Chen found only the short, plump man somewhat inscrutable. After all, they were strangers who had met by chance, merely joining together temporarily to explore and search for treasure.

It was therefore perfectly normal to conceal their faces with bamboo hats or veils. But this squat, pudgy fellow did not look short of money, so why was he searching for treasure in an abandoned Cave Abode too?

That was a little strange.

I'll have to keep an extra eye open! Mo Chen planned inwardly, his expression unchanged.

As the four entered the chamber, their gazes all lingered on Mo Chen for a moment, each wearing a different expression.

With all five gathered, the old man rose with a smile to welcome them. "Come, come, allow me to introduce you. This is Fellow Daoist Shi Tian, who comes from the south and possesses extraordinary strength. He is our final companion."

Mo Chen stood and cupped his hands in greeting. As he met each of the four cultivators' eyes in turn, he realized that they clearly all had their own considerations.

This expedition would probably be far more complicated than he had imagined...