Up since dawn, the scaly horse had run all night and could no longer bear it. Breathing heavily, it staggered and fell onto the ground.
Lin Xun jumped off the horse's back and landed solidly onto the ground. He looked at the sweaty horse feeling so sorry for it. He had only thought of his own life and nothing about the horse's well-being, which made him riddled with guilt.
"Bro, I owe you big."
Lin Xun took out some spiritual materials and fed them to the scaly horse. Seeing it munching joyfully, he smiled.
The scaly horse was a fierce beast, but once tamed it was extremely obedient. Without its help, it would be impossible to travel between the Green-sun Tribe and Feiyun Village.
Finding a place to rest, Lin Xun took out the spirit refining liquid, gulped it down, and then took out the purple jade belt stripped from Liu Yukun.
It was a precious artifact, which was not only engraved with exquisite and intricate spiritual tattoos, but also inlaid with small pieces of pearls and jade. It was not a common luxury.
However, in Lin's view, these decorations were far too flashy and impractical. He would never make a storage artifact so dazzling, for fear it would attract the attention of thieves.
He opened the purple jade belt, revealing its storage space. Much to his surprise, inside the vast space of the artifact, there stood no other items except for a bronze case about 1/3 square meters in size.
Lin Xun felt a little disappointed but couldn't stop himself from staring at the bronze case.
The case displayed the ancient and clumsy color of time, with the four tattoos of moire, landscape, beasts, and sun and moon engraved respectively on its four corners. Around its body were carved several mysterious spiritual tattoos, radiating an obscure yet horrifying appearance.
"It seems to be a spiritual tattoo formation that is specially used for sealing."
A trace of revelation flashed in Lin Xun's black eyes. Even with his knowledge of spiritual tattoos, it was impossible to understand these inscriptions. Even so, it could be roughly seen from the aura it released that it had to have some kind of sealing power!
Only a master of spiritual tattoo could make a spiritual tattoo formation. Who would go to such great efforts to carve a spiritual tattoo formation on a bronze case?
It would cost too much!
However, it was possible that this bronze case had been designed to seal some precious treasures.
Thinking of this, it hit Lin Xun that Liu Yukun was not a man with a simple background. He thought of the time his party was hunted crazily by the golden flame beast. Maybe it was the treasures sealed in the bronze case that led to the series of events?
Then, what on earth was hidden in this bronze case?
Lin Xun continued to examine it. Suddenly, he gasped in astonishment. On the opening of the bronze case was a spiritual tattoo restriction, which was a special spiritual tattoo formation used to form a shield. Only a powerful spiritual tattoo master could accomplish this.
A spiritual tattoo master enjoyed a status even nobler and more superior than a spiritual tattooist.
The bronze case alone was priceless. It was not only engraved with a special spiritual tattoo formation, but it was also inscribed with a spiritual tattoo restriction on the opening.
So, what treasure could be in the bronze case?
Unfortunately, Lin Xun couldn't open it with the spiritual tattoo restriction on. This was not meant as a criticism of his skills. Even a spiritual tattoo master couldn't open it if the mystery of the restriction was not unveiled.
"Well, it will have to wait until there is a chance to open it later."
Lin Xun thought about it for a long time, but finally gave up. Although his knowledge of spiritual tattoos was slightly better than those of other spiritual tattoo apprentices, he still couldn't be considered a qualified spiritual tattooist, let alone a master of spiritual tattoos.
The criteria to become a spiritual tattooist was quite simple, namely to finish a spiritual tattoo formation all by yourself. However, the truth was that it would be hard to achieve that without cultivation of Gang Spirit Realm. The spirit and soul power of practitioners at Martial Realm was simply not enough to complete a spiritual tattoo formation.
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Of course, this was under normal circumstances. There were still some exceptions.
Lin Xun happened to know that Master Lu once let it slip by accident while drunk that he once could skillfully inscribe a complete set of spiritual tattoo formations. He rose to be one of the youngest spiritual tattoo masters of his time, achieving his status when he was still at the eighth level of Martial Realm.
If Master Lu could do it, Lin Xun believed with hard work, he could most certainly accomplish it, too.
Regaining his wits about him, Lin Xun took out the bronze case.
Bang!
To his surprise, the bronze case weighed at least ten thousand catties and caused a great hole in the ground.
However, this only strengthened Lin Xun's belief that there must be some extraordinary treasures sealed within it.
Without hesitation, he put the case into his storage ring. He immediately felt a sense of relief.
After resting for an hour, the scaly horse had regained its strength. Lin Xun determined which direction to go and set off again.
Along the way, there weren't any more dangerous storms. But as he passed a volcano crater, Lin Xun stopped and threw the purple belt into the rolling lava.
He would not carry it. He even left all the jewels on the purple jade belt untouched to prevent any future trouble.
Precious as it was, it was also part of Liu Yukun's personal belongings. It was hard to tell if some trace of him might be left on it. If there was any chance the forces behind Liu Yukun detected that, it would most definitely bring out an endless flow of disastrous aftermath.
...
...
The Sunset Plain was located in three-thousand mountains, surrounded by mountains on three sides. To the north of it was the Donglin Town, located at the southwestern border of the Ziyao Empire.
A river flowed down the mountains like a jade belt winding around the plain, irrigating rich spiritual lands.
It was in the Sunset Plain where the Green-sun Tribe was to be found.
Historically, the Green-sun Tribe was a barbarian tribe in the mountains. But with the expansion of the Ziyao Empire, it gradually integrated into the territory of the empire. Even today, few real descendants of the Green-sun Tribe barbarians could be found.
Even though it was called a "tribe", it was actually more like a bustling town, serving as a key hub to connect the Ziyao Empire and Donglin Town in three-thousand mountains.
Goods abundant in three-thousand mountains, such as fur, bones and muscles, miraculous drugs and spiritual materials, were first transported to the Green-sun Tribe and then to Donglin Town.
Another benefit to the Green-sun Tribe was its special geographical location. It attracted many chambers of commerce from all over the empire, as well as adventurers to three-thousand mountains, all of which choosing the Green-sun Tribe as an important stay-dot.
These were the reasons the Green-sun Tribe had achieved its current prosperity.
It was late afternoon and the sunset glow tinted the sky red.
A scaly horse came to the Green-sun Tribe, stirring up dust behind it.
In order to withstand attacks from the wild beasts in the mountains, the Green-sun Tribe had built a thick and tall wall around the city, as well as two gates at both the north and south sides for pedestrians to come and go.
It was not until the horse came near that the guards stationed on both sides of the gates could clearly see that it also carried a boy in gray of thirteen or fourteen years old, as well as a leather bag taller than a man.
"Three copper coins to enter the city," said one of the guards.
"Fair enough."
Dismounting from his horse, Lin Xun took out three copper coins and handed them over with a smile on his face.
The guard nodded and let him pass.
In the Green-sun Tribe, it was a mixed bag of paradise for there were no strict orders. The tribe was more like a temporary foothold, with new faces appearing and old faces disappearing every day.
No one would be willing to stay there for a lifetime. Compared to the prosperity of the Ziyao Empire, the Green-sun Tribe in three-thousand mountains still appeared to be much more backward and humbler. Furthermore, it was also a dangerous place where you always had to guard against the mountain beasts.
Lin Xun walked into the gate and disappeared at the tail end of the street, blending into the crowd.
Having watched Lin Xun leave, the guard who took the copper coins suddenly waved and called to a man in black who had a dishonest appearance. He whispered, "Go and tell the shopkeeper of Wu Business that Lian Rufeng's horse in Feiyun Village has appeared. And don't forget to report everything we saw."
"Yes sir."
The man in black nodded and hurried away.
"For so many days, Wu Business has been waiting, but only waited for a young man. It seems that they can only get news of Wu Henshui from him."
The guard mused for a while but then shook his head. These things were none of his business and his only job was to pass on information after all.
Lin Xun hadn't noticed that he was being watched from the dark since he entered the city gate. Now, he was walking along a spacious street in the bustling crowd.
The street was jammed with a noisy crowd, exhibiting a lively and exciting atmosphere.
Dressed in animal skins, strong laborers carried packaged goods, while peddlers wondered around the streets selling mountain specialties, such as saint grasses and miraculous herbs, as well as animal skins and minerals.
From time to time, businessmen dressed in brocade and gorgeous clothes were seen running wildly through the streets in animal carts, and repairmen carrying weapons, hurried through the crowd.
On both sides of the street, there were numerous stone houses, restaurants, pharmacies, weapons stores, inns, chambers of commerce, brothels….
As the old saying goes, "Small as it is, the sparrow has all the vital organs." Though small, the Green-sun Tribe was truly a lively place where diverse people shuttled through, forming a flourishing scene.
This was the first time Lin Xun had ever entered a bustling downtown district like the Green-sun Tribe. He had mixed feeling about what he saw, yet his emotions were full of excitement, curiosity and admiration.
Growing up in a mine jail, the first place he had stepped out into was the poor and remote Feiyun Village of Ziyao Empire. Sophisticated and profound as Lin Xun was, he was still only a 13-year-old boy. Immersed in such a prosperous environment, he could not help but get lost in a trance.
If the Green-sun Tribe could thrive to this extent, what grand scene would he see if he entered the real city of Ziyao Empire?