Obtaining a Spiritual Treasure

Seeing this, Xu Yan followed him down without the slightest hesitation.

He had wondered whether he might fall victim to hidden traps inside the Hidden Cave, but quickly dismissed the thought. He believed that once Li Tieniu knew he was an immortal cultivator, he would never dare use such tricks against him.

Of course, even if there were traps, mundane methods could pose no threat to him.

As soon as Xu Yan jumped into the Hidden Cave, he felt a faint, cool breeze. This indirectly confirmed that Li Tieniu had not lied. The Hidden Cave was not completely sealed; there should be an exit.

The surrounding rock walls were covered in marks left by blades and axes. This Hidden Cave had been carved out by human hands after the fact. Every sign before him suggested that Li Tieniu had told the truth, and the discovery made Xu Yan's breathing grow heavy.

Spirit Treasures were extremely important to every cultivator. Encountering a Spirit Treasure born of heaven and earth was what the cultivation world called stumbling upon an immortal opportunity.

In particular, Spirit Treasures naturally formed by heaven and earth possessed all manner of wondrous, inconceivable abilities.

After they had traveled several hundred zhang, the pitch-black Hidden Cave began to brighten. Seeing this, Li Tieniu paused slightly and said respectfully, "Lord Immortal Master, we're almost at the exit of the Hidden Cave. Once we leave this cave, we'll be in the forbidden grounds."

Not long after Li Tieniu finished speaking, the two reached the exit of the Hidden Cave.

After emerging from the Hidden Cave, they found themselves in a valley.

Before Xu Yan could examine the valley, he heard a furious shout.

"Anyone who trespasses on the forbidden grounds dies without mercy!"

Two bare-chested men, their bodies knotted with muscle, each swung a broadsword and charged at them!

As the two gleaming blades were about to strike, a trace of mockery flashed through Xu Yan's eyes. With a casual flick of his fingers, he sent out two balls of flame and ended the men's lives.

Mortals had no way of resisting flames produced by a low-grade fire spell.

Only after killing the bandits Wang Jinbiao had left to guard the forbidden grounds did Xu Yan carefully examine the valley before him.

The valley resembled a funnel. The opening at the top was tiny, only about a zhang across, while the bottom was vast, spanning several hundred zhang.

All sorts of exotic flowers and unusual plants filled the valley, brimming with vitality.

The moment Xu Yan entered the valley, he felt the magic power throughout his body circulate a little faster. This discovery brought him a flicker of delight. It seemed there truly was a Spirit Treasure here.

Upon entering the valley, Li Tieniu stopped. When he saw Xu Yan looking over, he bowed and said, "Lord Immortal Master, Wang Jinbiao's secret place is over there."

As he spoke, Li Tieniu pointed toward a spot in the valley.

Xu Yan followed the direction of his finger and saw a natural limestone cave filled with stalactites. Faint wisps of mist curled around its entrance, giving it a rather wondrous appearance.

"Let's go. Lead the way."

"Yes, Lord Immortal Master."

The two soon entered the cave.

As Xu Yan stepped inside, a cool sensation washed over him. It was similar to what he had felt in Separation Valley, bringing him a touch of delight.

The deeper they went into the cave, the stronger that cool sensation became.

The cave sloped downward. After they had walked for about the time it took an incense stick to burn, a sudden dripping sound reached them. Xu Yan's spirits lifted, and he hurried toward the bottom of the cave.

"This is..."

Xu Yan could not help crying out in surprise. At the bottom of the cave, a glimmer of white light captured his attention.

It was a small puddle of milky-white liquid, glowing faintly as it lay undisturbed in a stone hollow at the bottom of the cave.

The stone hollow bore obvious signs of being carved by hand, presumably by Wang Jinbiao.

Above the hollow hung an enormous stalactite. At that moment, a drop of white liquid was faintly taking shape at its tip.

At the sight, Xu Yan had already guessed what the white liquid before him was.

Judging by its color and luster, it should be the legendary Hundred-Year Earth Spirit Milk.

Hundred-Year Earth Spirit Milk is formed from condensed earth qi. It contains abundant spiritual energy and can rapidly increase a cultivator's magic power without any side effects. It is a rare Spirit Treasure born of heaven and earth.

Recalling the description of Hundred-Year Earth Spirit Milk, Xu Yan's eyes lit with joy.

"What a pity."

Soon, he let out a soft sigh. Only a small puddle of Hundred-Year Earth Spirit Milk remained before him, amounting to several dozen drops at most. Moreover, by recklessly carving out the stone hollow, Wang Jinbiao had damaged the earth qi here, making it impossible for any more Hundred-Year Earth Spirit Milk to condense.

It pained him deeply to have lost such a treasured site.

Any ordinary cultivator who discovered a treasured site capable of producing Hundred-Year Earth Spirit Milk would immediately protect it with a formation to avoid disturbing its earth qi.

Still, he soon composed himself. Obtaining these several dozen drops of Hundred-Year Earth Spirit Milk was already a stroke of luck. His spirit stones and Qi Gathering Pills were almost exhausted, so the Hundred-Year Earth Spirit Milk had arrived at just the right time.

With that thought, Xu Yan took several jade bottles from his Storage Bag and carefully poured the Hundred-Year Earth Spirit Milk into them.

After collecting the entire puddle of Hundred-Year Earth Spirit Milk, he remained unwilling to give up and searched the place several more times. Only after repeatedly confirming that there were no other Spirit Treasures did he return to Horse Mountain Stronghold with Li Tieniu.

He had killed most of the bandits in the stronghold, and now he had obtained the Hundred-Year Earth Spirit Milk as well. This gave him the idea of cultivating here in seclusion. By his estimate, those several dozen drops should be enough for him to reach the Third Layer of Qi Refining.

At that point, he would develop Divine Sense and be able to study the Mysterious Green Pearl.

There was just one matter he still could not quite make sense of: the secret the girl in red had mentioned.

In a corner of the stronghold's square, the girl in red huddled into herself.

The instant she saw the cold-faced youth appear, a trace of joy immediately spread across her face, and she timidly called out.

"Greetings, Lord Immortal Master."

Xu Yan gave the girl before him an indifferent glance and said flatly, "Speak. Let's see whether this secret of yours is worth the trouble of making a trip."

Under the youth's indifferent gaze, the girl in red lowered her head slightly and thought for a moment. Several breaths later, she slowly raised her head. Looking at the icy youth before her, she parted her crimson lips and said, "Lord Immortal Master, to tell you the truth, there were immortals among my ancestors as well. But our fortunes have since declined, and for several hundred years, not a single member of our lineage has been able to cultivate. We have fallen into a wholly mortal lineage. If you are willing to escort me home, Lord Immortal Master, I am willing to offer you the legacy passed down by my ancestors."

After speaking, the girl knelt before Xu Yan. She knew that her life and death were entirely in the hands of the youth before her. Without his help, she had no way of getting down from Horse Mountain Stronghold. Moreover, the youth seemed to be moved only by benefits. After weighing her options, she could only make this decision.

Hearing this, Xu Yan grew interested. If what the girl said was true, her lineage had probably once been a rogue cultivator lineage. Otherwise, they would not have so easily lost their Spiritual Roots and allowed their legacy to die out.

After several breaths of silence, an icy voice sounded beside the girl's ears.

"Very well! I agree. I hope you aren't lying to me, or you know what the consequences will be!..."