When they stepped through the final illusion, the humid, sulfurous air of the swamp vanished, replaced by the cool, dry atmosphere of a subterranean cavern.
Ji'an ignited a high-grade luminescent talisman, tossing it into the air to illuminate the space.
The light flared, washing over the cavern.
Ji'an's jaw unhinged.
She dropped her spatula.
It hit the stone floor with a loud, echoing clang.
The cave was massive.
And it was full.
It was a literal, unadulterated dragon's hoard, scaled for a lineage of highly lethal, immortal cats.
There were mountains, actual, literal mounds of pure imperial gold bullion.
Chests were overflowing with high-grade, translucent spirit stones that pulsed with enough ambient Qi to fund a medium-sized orthodox sect for a century.
There were antique, thousand-year-old swords, jade scrolls containing lost martial arts, and crowns encrusted with rubies the size of pomegranates.
