The imperial treasury
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Dawn breaks earlier in the Heaven Dou City Imperial Palace than elsewhere. The rustling of armor plates from the Imperial Guards and the footsteps of messengers fill the entire imperial city before daybreak. News of the suppression of Prince Xue Xing's coup d'état spread like the wind through the palace walls, stirring up undercurrents among the court officials. But Nan Feng did not participate in any of this. After leaving the Imperial Study, he went straight back to the secret passage.
Xue Beng stood at the entrance of the secret passage waiting for him. The newly enthroned Heaven Dou Emperor, who had only been on the throne for three days, had changed into a black, narrow-sleeved casual robe, with a dark silver leather belt around his waist, and a corner of the bandage on his left shoulder peeking out from the collar. He carried a cold white Soul Guidance Lamp in his hand, the light reflecting on the stone walls of the secret passage, making the ancient reliefs flicker.
"Let's go." Xue Beng didn't waste any more pleasantries. "The treasure vault is sealed deep within the secret passage, sealed by my great-grandfather's generation. I've tried three times, and each time I was bounced out."
Nan Feng followed him into the secret passage. Their footsteps echoed in the deep stone corridor. The deeper they went, the denser the bas-reliefs on the stone walls became. Nan Feng noticed that the content of the bas-reliefs was changing, from an initial depiction of the Nine-Layer Tower alone to scenes of the Nine-Layer Tower accompanied by various spiritual creatures. One bas-relief depicted star-like points of light surrounding the pagoda, and the arrangement of those points of light was almost identical to the star patterns on Nan Feng's pagoda.
"These reliefs were carved when the secret passage was built." The sound of Xue Beng echoed through the passage. "Royal records say the secret passage was prepared for the 'Tower Master.' But none of the Heaven Dou Emperor knew who the 'Tower Master' really was."
Nan Feng remained silent. Within the Tower Spirit Space, the Old Huai locust tree swayed slightly, Old Huai translucent face emerged from among the branches, carefully examining the bas-reliefs on the stone wall. "This is the work of the Pagoda God," the Old Huai said, its voice tinged with suppressed excitement. "The carving style of these bas-reliefs is of the same lineage as the divine pronouncements on the stone tablet. The master spent a great deal of time in this secret passage—he may have foreseen that the Heaven Dou Imperial Family would become a link in the lineage."
At the end of the secret passage was a stone wall. The surface of the stone wall was as smooth as a mirror, and in the very center was a dark gold Nine-Layer Tower pattern. Each story of the pagoda was engraved with a rune, which was exactly the same as the nine runes on the Divine Oracle Stele. Below the pattern was a line of ancient text, the same as on the stele. Nan Feng read the meaning in the resonance of the Primordial World Imprint: Primordial World blood can open this door.
"I tried using royal blood before," Xue Beng, standing before the stone wall and raising the Soul Guidance Lamp, "But the stone wall didn't react. Royal blood can only open the outer stone door; this seal requires something else."
Nan Feng walked to the stone wall. He placed his right palm in the center of the Nine-Layer Tower pattern, Primordial World Power surged from his dantian, flowing along his meridians into his palm. Dark golden light spread outwards from beneath his palm, and the nine runes on the Nine-Layer Tower pattern lit up in sequence—the first level, Mountain Suppression; the second, Devouring; the third, Creation; the fourth, Return to Origin; the fifth, Space-Time; and the sixth, Return to the Void. The rune on the sixth level flickered slightly when it lit up, as if it were struggling, but it eventually lit up. The runes on the seventh, eighth, and ninth levels did not react; the dark golden light stopped above the sixth level.
"That's enough," Old Huai said in a low voice. "The seventh level corresponds to level eighty, and your Primordial World Power hasn't reached that level yet. But this seal can be broken by opening the first six levels."
The stone wall silently split open from the middle. A deeper and wider passage appeared before the two. The walls of the passage were inlaid with dense dark gold crystals, each crystal emitting a faint light, illuminating the entire passage as if it were daytime. At the end of the passage was a large bronze door, its surface engraved with the same dark gold patterns as the tower's surface. In the center of the door was a fist-sized groove, the shape of which perfectly matched the outline of the Nan Feng Tower's base.
"The final seal on the treasure vault." The Xue Beng halted before the bronze gate. "Your tower is needed."
Nan Feng conjured the tower from his palm, the base of the nine-story bronze tower fitting perfectly into the groove of the bronze door. All nine stories of the tower trembled simultaneously, the dark gold patterns on the door surface lighting up. The bronze door slowly slid open to the sides, revealing a stone chamber with an extremely high dome. In the center of the chamber was a stone platform, above which floated three objects: a fist-sized dark gold crystal, a jet-black iron rod, and a half-rolled, yellowed silk scroll. A huge circle was carved into the ground surrounding the platform, containing nine equidistant points of light, the lines connecting the points forming a star map.
"The Ten Thousand Year Soul-Tempering Stone." Old Huai's voice echoed in the Tower Spirit Space, tinged with suppressed excitement. "Primordial World material used to refine the soul. Your Divine Power Divine Power already quite strong after being refined by the Snow Silkworm and the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew, but the Soul-Tempering Stone can elevate it to another level. After absorbing it, combined with the Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light, no spiritual fluctuations within a thousand paces will escape your notice."
Nan Feng walked to the stone platform. Three items floated quietly in the dark golden light. The Ten Thousand Year Soul-Tempering Stone was a dark golden crystal with sharp edges and fine light patterns flowing on its surface; the Starfall Iron Staff was pitch black, with naturally formed silver-white star-like patterns on its body, and it felt heavy in his hand, weighing several times more than an ordinary iron rod; the half-rolled silk scroll was made of the same material as the characters carved with fingertips in blood on the back of the Divine Oracle Stele, and the characters on the silk scroll were also ancient characters that Nan Feng had never seen before, but the Primordial World Imprint transmitted a part of its meaning into his consciousness the moment he touched it.
"The second volume of 'Annotations on the Tower Body Inscriptions '," Old Huai's voice trembled slightly. "The first half, located in the Tower Spirit Space, records the methods for interpreting the tower's inscriptions. The second half records the methods for using the inscriptions—how to use them to enhance Soul Skill, how to use them to construct formations, and how to use them to Tongtian the Spiritual Power of heaven and earth. All the methods you previously figured out through comprehension are systematically recorded in this second half."
Nan Feng stored the three items into the Tower Spirit Space one by one. When he held the Ten Thousand Year Soul-Tempering Stone, the Primordial World Imprint on his palm trembled slightly, as if recognizing the same aura. The weight of the Starfall Iron Staff made his arm feel slightly heavy, and the silver-white starlight on the rod shimmered with tiny lights in the dark golden light. The moment the silk scroll was stored into the Tower Spirit Space, several leaves on the Old Huai locust tree lit up at the same time, a sign that the Old Huai's remnant soul resonated with the text when it was reading the silk scroll.
After collecting the three items, the stone platform was not empty. In the groove in the very center of the platform, a fist-sized black stone was revealed. The stone was pitch black, without any patterns or luster on its surface, as if it had been randomly chipped off from a larger rock. But the moment Nan Feng saw it, the Primordial World Imprint deep within his soul suddenly trembled, a tremor more intense than ever before.
"Chaos Stone!" Old Huai's voice was almost a roar. His semi-transparent remnant soul rushed out from the immortal wood, floating at the edge of the Tower Spirit Space, staring intently at the black stone. "Primordial World material! Pure Primordial World material! This isn't one of those fragments on the tower; this is a complete piece of Chaos Stone! How could such a thing exist in the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's treasury?!"
Nan Feng reached out and took the Chaos Stone from the groove. The stone was extremely heavy, several times heavier than the Starfall Iron Staff of the same volume. The moment his palm touched the stone, a warm Spiritual Power surged out from inside the stone, flowing along the meridians and into his dantian. The texture of that Spiritual Power was exactly the same as the Primordial World Power, as if it were a fragment peeled off from the same source.
"The Chaos Stone contains the laws of space." Old Huai's voice regained its composure, but the end of his tone still trembled slightly. "The essence of Shrinking the Ground to an Inch is the application of the laws of space. You previously mastered Shrinking the Ground to an Inch from Shadow Step, relying on Primordial World Power and comprehension, but without the guidance of the laws of space, so you could only ever take forty steps in one stride. With this Chaos Stone— "
Nan Feng had already sat down cross-legged. He pressed the Chaos Stone against his dantian, and Primordial World Power surged from it, enveloping the stone. The black patterns on the surface of the Chaos Stone began to flow under the infusion of Primordial World Power, like melting ink slowly spreading across the stone. The spatial laws within the stone rose along the meridians, resonating with the Qi-guiding technique of Shrinking the Ground to an Inch. Nan Feng felt his understanding of space deepening rapidly. The previously vague feeling of "taking a step" became clear—he saw the structure of space itself, the way Space-Time was compressed and folded with each step, and how distance was shortened.
Three hours later, the Chaos Stone completely melted under the continuous infusion of Primordial World Power, transforming into a jet-black Spiritual Power that merged into Nan Feng's dantian and meridians. The liquid Primordial World Power in his dantian gained a layer of black luster, and the Qi-guiding technique of Shrinking the Ground to an Inch underwent a qualitative change under the tempering of the laws of space.
Nan Feng opened his eyes. He stood up, and with a thought, took a step forward.
The stone chamber disappeared from Nan Feng's sight, and he reappeared in the middle of the secret passage, exactly eighty steps away from the treasure vault stone chamber.
"Eighty steps in one step." Old Huai's voice carried a satisfied smile. "The spatial laws of the Chaos Stone have increased your Shrinking the Ground to an Inch from forty steps in one step to eighty steps in one step. Moreover, your understanding of space is now completely different. If you continue to comprehend it, traveling a hundred miles in one step, or even a thousand miles in one step, is not impossible."
Nan Feng sensed the changes within his body. His Soul Power remained at level fifty-six, stuck at a level that wasn't a multiple of ten. The Primordial World Power in his dantian had become more condensed after merging with the Chaos Stone; the liquid's color changed from cyan-gold to cyan-gold with black, its volume shrank by ten percent, but its concentration doubled. The meridian walls thickened slightly under the tempering of the Chaos Stone's Spiritual Power. The door on the sixth floor of the tower, which had cracked by a third, cracked further under the impact of the Chaos Stone's Spiritual Power, advancing from a third to nearly half. The amount of Power of Return to the Void seeping from the cracks increased, and the black annihilation patterns on the tower's surface changed from one to two.
Old Huai flipped through the second volume of "Annotations on the Tower Body Inscriptions." When his remnant soul returned to the immortal tree, his old face wore a solemnity that Nan Feng had never seen before. "The second volume records an inscription array called ' Heaven-Suppressing Lock.' It can set up a seal in a designated area. The strength of the seal depends on the concentration of your Primordial World Power and the precision of the inscription. It says—'The Tower Master used this array to seal the Abyssal Rift.'"
Nan Feng kept these words in mind. The Abyssal Rift —the rift at the Far North —had been guarded by the Ice Empress and the Snow Empress for thirty years. If he learned the Heaven-Suppressing Lock, perhaps he could help them completely solve the problem of the rift.
It was already broad daylight when he emerged from the secret passage. Xue Beng was waiting at the exit, holding a cup of hot tea. Seeing Nan Feng come out, he handed him the teacup. "Did you get everything from the treasure vault?"
The Nan Feng nodded.
Xue Beng didn't ask for details. He simply looked into Nan Feng's eyes, remained silent for a couple of breaths, and then spoke, "I've already had the Spirit Hall's spies removed. Within three days, all Spirit Hall outposts within Heaven Dou territory will be eliminated. I won't stop you from heading north to the Far North. But remember— Heaven Dou will always be your support."
Nan Feng took the teacup and drank it all in one gulp. The early autumn breeze of Heaven Dou City blew in from the end of the palace corridor, carrying the scent of the city's maple trees. He handed the empty cup back to Xue Beng and turned to walk towards the north gate.
"Take care." The sound of Xue Beng came from behind.
Nan Feng did not turn back. The red ribbon on her left wrist fluttered gently in the morning breeze, and the dragon wings on her back folded up to hug her spine. In the Tower Spirit Space, the nine lotus Soul-Suppressing Azure Lotus- Suppressing Azure Lotus pulsated steadily, perfectly synchronized with her heartbeat. The black Spiritual Power of the Chaos Stone swirled quietly in her dantian, and the spatial law of Shrinking the Ground to an Inch slowly settled in her meridians. The Ten Thousand Year Soul-Tempering Stone floated beside the Life Origin Stone, its dark golden light intertwining with the azure-gold light of the Soul-Suppressing Azure Lotus.
The Far North is in the north. The Frost Giant Dragon awaits him in the Far North. After reaching level fifty-eight, he can absorb his Fifth Soul Ring, pushing his Soul Power to over level sixty, and completely opening up the fifth level of the tower. The Tower Spirit Space with a time flow rate of three to one allows his Immortal Dao cultivation to proceed without bottlenecks. And the spatial law imprint left by that Chaos Stone is being digested, absorbed, and integrated into his meridians little by little.
As he stepped out of the North Gate of Heaven Dou, the morning light bathed the official road. The maple trees on both sides of the road were as red as fire, and fallen leaves swirled between the wheels and hooves of horses. Nan Feng took a step, activated the Shrinking the Ground to an Inch, and left three afterimages on the official road, instantly appearing a hundred paces away.
One step at a time is eighty steps. The next goal is one hundred steps at a time.
He walked north, his steps unhurried, yet each step covered a distance that would take an ordinary person a long time to traverse. The Power of Return to the Void Nothingness from the sixth level of the tower flowed slowly through his meridians, and black annihilation patterns shimmered faintly on the tower's surface. The spatial laws of the Chaos Stone unfolded beneath his feet into an invisible path, leading to the snow and winds of the Far North, to the lair of the Frost Giant Dragon, and to the rift that the Ice Empress and Snow Empress had guarded for thirty years.
Old Huai muttered something in the Tower Spirit Space, but Nan Feng didn't hear it. He had already walked a long way on the official road, his figure growing smaller and smaller in the morning light, leaving only the red ribbon on his left wrist fluttering in the wind.