A hundred years ago, the Bone Skull Old Demon forged his Bone Skull Demon artifact and wreaked havoc across the Chu Kingdom, becoming nearly invincible and inciting a great demonic upheaval.
Under such chaos, no one remained unscathed. Yang Yuanqing, too, joined the cultivation world's war against the demonic cultivators but ultimately fell victim to the disaster.
Nearly a century passed before this cave abode was accidentally discovered by the three rogue cultivators more than a decade ago, becoming their hideout ever since.
To their credit, the trio was extremely cautious, luring victims by selling incomplete maps and targeting only young cultivators.
Their fishing scheme had gone unnoticed for over a decade.
But one cannot always avoid mishaps. Falling into Elian's hands today seemed to be their destined calamity.
"It's a pity there aren't any treasures left in this cave abode."
"But this spiritual vein is quite valuable, though it's located in the vast wilderness."
Elian shook his head. A second-tier spiritual vein could potentially nurture a new Foundation Establishment family, if not for its location.
The wilderness, teeming with demonic beasts, was a buffer zone where humans and beasts clashed during beast tides. It was unsuitable for mortals to thrive.
"For now, I'll leave this place abandoned."
"Perhaps when the Chen family grows stronger, we can consider utilizing it."
Having made his decision, Elian collected the flags of the Fiery Destruction Array, sealed the cave entrance, and continued his journey to Yu County.
A month passed quickly. During this time, Elian opened the storage bags of the three cultivators.
What he found shocked him: over twenty low- and mid-tier first-tier artifacts, more than 600 spirit stones, and a dozen copied jade slips of cultivation methods.
Clearly, most of these items had belonged to the victims of the trio's schemes.
Among the cultivation methods, only one was for the Foundation Establishment stage, which brought Elian great excitement.
The technique, called the Path of Fiery Void, was an advanced Foundation Establishment cultivation method. It could be cultivated to the ninth level of Foundation Establishment and even included instructions for crafting a life-bound artifact.
Although the Chen family had three Foundation Establishment cultivation methods, only the Blazing Sun Void Ascension Technique allowed cultivation to the ninth level.
The Blazing Sun Void Ascension Technique was a high-level method that detailed the Heavenly Flame Sword divine ability. However, it didn't include instructions for crafting a life-bound artifact.
The patriarch's life-bound artifact, the Crimson Flame Spirit Blade, was merely a common generic life-bound artifact, far from being a top-tier one.
In contrast, the Path of Fiery Void lacked divine abilities but included instructions for crafting the Fiery Void Sword, an exceptionally powerful life-bound celestial sword.
According to the manual, crafting this sword required thousand-year crimson iron, fused with the Fiery Crystal, and tempered with the fiery and metallic essences of the Five Elements over 49 days.
The sword's offensive power was extraordinary. Upon completion, it could unleash three-zhang-long sword light, making it one of the finest life-bound artifacts, capable of slaying demons and monsters. With it, even among cultivators of the same level, few would be able to rival its wielder.
"Thousand-year crimson iron."
Elian looked at the blade embryo in his possession, unable to hide his delight.
The "thousand-year crimson iron" was an extremely rare treasure. Pure iron refined over millennia by subterranean fire veins absorbed their power to become this material.
Elder Zhang had obtained this crimson iron and had planned to forge it into the Blood Transformation Demon Blade. Now it had fallen into Elian's hands, perfectly aligning with the sword crafting method in the Path of Fiery Void. It was truly a fortunate coincidence.
"The question is, where can I find Fiery Crystals?"
Suppressing his excitement, Elian resumed his journey and eventually arrived at Qingyuan Mountain.
Upon returning, Elian immediately went to the rear mountain to meet the patriarch.
Chen Changxuan's face lit up with anticipation as he saw Elian.
"How was your trip to Tianxu Mountain? Was it smooth?"
"It went well, and I completed the mission," Elian replied, handing over the Yangmai Pill.
The patriarch took the pill, opened it, and, seeing its quality, couldn't help but smile.
Years ago, Chen Changxuan had broken through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment and believed he was on the path to reaching the Purple Mansion realm. However, an unexpected injury had almost ended his cultivation journey.
Now, with the Yangmai Pill, hope was restored.
"With this Yangmai Pill, I'm confident I can recover 90% of my injuries within five years. After that, I'll be ready to act without concern."
He gently caressed the pill, then, realizing he was losing composure in front of a junior, quickly set it aside and asked with a smile:
"Tell me about your journey."
Elian nodded and recounted his experiences in detail.
When he mentioned purchasing the Yangmai Pill from Lin Qianshu for 1,500 spirit stones, the patriarch frowned.
"I know Lin Qianshu. She is Jiang Daoren's sole direct disciple."
"She's unfathomably powerful and is rumored to have reached perfection in Foundation Establishment years ago."
"A lifesaving pill like the Yangmai Pill could easily fetch 2,500 spirit stones. Why did she sell it to us so cheaply?"
"I don't understand either," Elian said, shaking his head.
"But from my observations, she didn't seem like someone with malicious intent."
The patriarch thought for a moment and then nodded.
"Jiang Daoren, despite being a woman, has upheld the frontier of the Chu Kingdom for 200 years. She's known for her integrity and likely wouldn't conspire against me."
"Perhaps she simply wanted to help a junior. Once I recover, I'll personally visit to thank her."
With that, the conversation turned to the map, Yang Yuanqing's cave abode, and the three rogue cultivators.
The patriarch's expression grew somber as he listened, his scalp tingling with unease.
"Thank goodness you were cautious. If it had been a reckless young cultivator tempted by the allure of an ancient cave abode, they would have lost their life."
"In the future, when encountering such situations, think carefully before acting. Don't take risks unless you're absolutely sure."
"When I traveled as a young cultivator, I too encountered such dangerous schemes…"
The patriarch reminisced about his own risky adventures in the cultivation world.
Although the patriarch's stories dragged on, Elian listened attentively. These were hard-earned lessons accumulated over a century, invaluable for avoiding future troubles.
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