This treasure is fated to belong to our Holy Sect!
The Ten Thousand Corpses Linked Valleys
The once sinister and magnificent headquarters of the Zombie Alliance, which instilled fear in cultivators of the Northwest.
It has now been completely reduced to a shocking, scorched wasteland.
Looking out, for miles around, the earth seemed to have been brutally plowed by an invisible giant hand, riddled with bottomless ravines and twisted pits.
The scorched earth was covered with solidified lava and broken rocks, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of sulfur, the stench of corpses, and a strange, burnt smell of Principle collapsing.
The dense miasma that had perpetually shrouded this place had long since been torn apart by an even more violent force.
Only a thin haze remained.
The once eerie palaces and pavilions, built against the mountain and towering a thousand feet high, are now nothing but ruins.
In some places, the space itself appears unstable, sometimes distorted, reflecting bizarre and fantastical illusions.
That was a wound left by the collision of True Lord -level forces, a wound that could not be healed for a long time.
Above the ruins, clusters of eerie phenomena still remain:
A thick, dark red liquid, resembling blood, was seeping from the ground, pooling into a bubbling pool that emitted a nauseating, fishy-sweet odor.
A mountain forest was filled with an invisible and intangible "wind of annihilation" that could directly erode the Divine Soul; when it occasionally swept by, even the light dimmed.
There is another valley, shrouded in dense shadows, from which the faint wails and chewing sounds of countless wronged souls can be heard; the living should not approach.
These are all remnants of that earth-shattering battle, dangerous and perilous places formed after the True Lord's Law Power collapsed and the Secret Method of the Zombie Alliance went out of control.
In this desolate and eerie region, countless cautious figures have sprung up like mushrooms after the rain.
Disciples of sects, heirs of the Aristocratic Clan, and Rogue Cultivator from all over the Northwest and even more distant regions, like hyenas that have smelled blood, formed large and small groups and cautiously traversed this land of death and dangerous anomalies.
They unleashed various protective auras, wielding Law Artifact such as compasses and treasure-hunting rulers, their sharp eyes scanning every rubble and every crack.
Someone was pleasantly surprised to find several pieces of Yin Sha Jade that were not completely damaged under the ruins of a half-collapsed side hall.
Some risked being swept away by the winds of annihilation to collect a wisp of pure corpse Sha Qi; others formed teams to tentatively approach those seemingly "safe" areas of strange phenomena.
Hopefully, they can find any treasures or legacies that may have been lost at this Zombie Alliance headquarters.
"This Zombie Alliance has truly become a juicy piece of meat, and everyone, good or bad, wants a bite."
The scene before us was even more horrific than the rumors had described.
The power of the True Lord ' battle was so great that it almost shattered the world, returning it to the primitive state of Savage Wilderness at the beginning of creation.
In their perception, the sky above this scorched wasteland, and on some of the remaining high points of the surrounding mountains.
It wasn't just the two of them.
Figures appeared and disappeared intermittently.
They were all Foundation Establishment True Person from various sects and aristocratic Aristocratic Clan.
Like eagles circling high in the sky, they calmly observed the bustling scene of ants below.
Clearly, compared to those Qi Refining cultivators below who rummage through the rubble like carrion hyenas, and might fight each other over a few pieces of Yin Sha Jade or a Sha Qi Corpse Sha Qi, this was a stark contrast.
These Foundation Establishment True Person have grander goals and more patience.
Those scattered materials and fragments of Law Artifact, which are considered treasures by those in the Qi Refining Stage, are simply not worth their attention.
What they are truly waiting for and seeking is the true treasure accumulated over millennia by the Zombie Alliance.
Only treasures of this caliber are worth their personal attention.
Moreover, allowing those Qi Refining cultivators below to explore like worker ants was exactly what they wanted.
This battlefield of True Lord is strange and unpredictable. Who knows if, besides those obvious anomalies and perilous places, there are even more hidden and deadly dangers lurking?
Sending these numerous Qi Refining cultivators to scout ahead, sacrificing their lives to fill in those unknown traps, is undoubtedly the lowest-cost and most effective method.
When the truth comes out and the real treasure is revealed, that's when these "hunters" will step in to reap the rewards.
True Person Qianxin smiled faintly and transmitted his Divine Sense to Qi Yun: "See? These old foxes are all very cunning."
Let's wait patiently; good things come to those who wait.
"This pool of water is still murky."
Ma Xiong is a collateral descendant of the "Blackwater Ma Household," a medium-sized Lineage in Northwest China, and has a cultivation level of the Qi Refining Eighth Layer.
He wasn't among the top in the clan, but he was quite clever and always had good luck.
He came with his Lineage's group during this major upheaval in the Zombie Alliance, hoping, just in case, that he could gain something and change his status within the clan.
With the help of an unexpectedly acquired "Earth Vein Spirit-Seeking Ruler," this Law Artifact, though of low grade, is exceptionally sensitive to fluctuations in earth energy and spiritual energy.
The Lineage's large force was searching through conspicuous ruins that seemed to contain valuable treasure.
Alone, guided by the subtle clues of the Spirit-Seeking Ruler, he ventured into a relatively remote cluster of dilapidated temples, mostly buried by a collapsed mountain.
The Spiritual Qi here is chaotic, and it's almost impossible to sense any valuable fluctuations.
The clansmen who came with them all felt that this place was of little value and quickly moved elsewhere.
Only Ma Xiong, relying on the faint yet persistent guidance of the Spirit-Seeking Ruler, refused to give up.
He spent two whole days, almost entirely moving countless boulders with his bare hands, clearing blocked passages, sustaining numerous abrasions, and consuming most of his True Essence, before finally reaching the deepest part of this ruin.
Before a dark room sealed off by massive beams and fragments of restrictive barriers.
The Spirit-Seeking Ruler vibrated violently at this moment, its tip pointing firmly into the dark room.
Ma Xiong was overjoyed, thinking to himself that there must be a great treasure inside!
Carefully breaking through the remaining power of the already broken and dilapidated restriction, and using the last of his strength, he barely managed to move the heavy beam.
The dark room was small and empty.
In the center stood a stone platform about half a person's height, upon which rested an inconspicuous, dusty black wooden box.
The wooden box has an antique design and shows no signs of Spiritual Qi, appearing to be just an ordinary object.
But the Spirit-Seeking Ruler is clearly pointing to it!
Ma Xiong's heart pounded. Suppressing his excitement, he stepped forward, brushed away the dust, and carefully opened the wooden box.
Inside the box were no jewels, only a stone the size of a baby's fist, dull in color, with a surface covered in natural pores—it looked like an ordinary honeycomb stone?
Just as Ma Xiong was filled with doubt and reached out to touch the stone...
Boom!!!
A dazzling beam of light, whose color was beyond description, burst forth from the "honeycomb stone" without warning, instantly breaking through the barrier of the dark room and shattering the ruins above, like a giant pillar supporting the sky, shooting straight into the heavens!
Within the pillar of light, countless runes appeared and disappeared, and the sound of the Dao resounded, emanating a pure and powerful Daoist charm and life force that far surpassed ordinary spiritual objects!
Swish! Swish! Swish!
In an instant, a series of imposing gazes swept over them.
These are the Foundation Establishment True Person who have always reigned supreme in the heavens.
In an instant!
Ma Xiong felt as if he were being crushed by countless mountains at the same time, his bones were creaking and cracking, and even breathing became extremely difficult.
He looked up and saw pairs of eyes, like the sun, the cold moon, and the abyss, appearing and disappearing behind the clouds, filled with scrutiny, greed, and unquestionable majesty.
The "honeycomb stone" in his hand felt as heavy as a thousand pounds and as hot as a branding iron.
Possessing a treasure is a crime!
Disaster is imminent!
"Naturally Born Holy Embryo? Ha, even a wrecked ship has three thousand nails. This Zombie Alliance really does have a lot of good stuff hidden away."
Noticing the source of the towering beam of light, the honeycomb stone, True Person Qianxin raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise and understanding flashing in his eyes.
"Is that Naturally Born Holy Embryo?" Qi Yun's gaze also narrowed slightly as he looked at the stone in Ma Xiong's hand that had caused the astonishing phenomenon.
Now that he has reached the Foundation Establishment True Person, he naturally understands what this item means.
The Foundation Establishment has three phases: early, middle, and late. Breaking through each phase is no easy feat.
To break through from the early to the middle Early Foundation Establishment Stage, one needs to gather the four elements: [Clarity and Turbidity], [Four Seasons], [Yin and Yang], and [Innate], and refine them into the Foundation Establishment Mirror Heaven.
This "Naturally Born Holy Embryo" is precisely the ultimate representation of "Yang" among the wondrous objects of Yin and Yang!
It was not artificially crafted, but rather a product of the natural world's Creation, containing a trace of the purest Innate energy and the vitality of Creation.
This item is so precious that any True Person in the Early Foundation Establishment Stage would fight over it!
On the other side, just as the soaring Baoguang attracted all eyes, the Foundation Establishment True Person hidden in various places stirred with agitation and their Law Power surged, preparing to make a move to snatch it.
Suddenly, a loud shout echoed throughout the heavens and earth, "This item is destined for my Holy Sect; this humble Daoist has come to take it away."