The forest grew eerily quiet, with only the occasional roar of distant beasts echoing through the trees, adding a foreboding atmosphere to the night.

I sat alone by a campfire, the flickering flames casting shadows around the clearing. A chunk of beast meat sizzled over the fire. I tore off a piece, savoring the taste as I ate in solitude.

Meat from demon beasts was safe to eat once properly cooked. The higher the grade of the beast, the more nutritious the meat became, offering significant benefits to warriors seeking to enhance their physical strength. Spiritual-grade beasts, in particular, contained spiritual energy within their flesh, which could even boost a demon spiritist's soul force when consumed.

Separated from my group, I had decided to explore the area on my own.

I finished my meal and reflected on the situation. Ye Ziyun had informed me earlier that the Dark Guild operatives had just entered the ruins. They were likely searching for Chen Linjian’s group or possibly me as well. With this knowledge, I made the decision to leave the camp and act alone.

Operating solo reduced the risk of being tracked or spotted by the Dark Guild. Their methods were ruthless, and traveling in a group would make us easy targets. I had also left my servant behind—keeping any potential discoveries secret was paramount.

After resting and eating, I felt ready to move again, and my mind focused on the next steps in this treacherous place.

Reaching into my template space, I retrieved the corpse of the fallen Blue Armed Ape. After the Dark Guild had claimed its demon spirit and harvested valuable materials, they had discarded the rest of the beast. What remained now was a lifeless body, devoid of its fire and power but still useful to me.

I placed my hand on the ape's massive form and began channeling my soul force. Using a specialized technique, I slowly extracted its blood, carefully siphoning it into a wooden barrel I had prepared. The dark red liquid, thick with the remnants of spiritual energy, swirled inside as the essence of the ape’s vitality was drawn out.

Dipping my hand into the blood, I initiated my Heavenly Demon Art. The art was a profound cultivation method, one that allowed me to absorb the latent spiritual energy hidden within the beast's blood.

As I worked, the spiritual energy gradually drained from the blood essence, leaving behind a dull, lifeless liquid. The sensation was exhilarating, as my soul force deepened with every drop of essence I absorbed.

After I had fully consumed the blood essence, I felt a strange heat searing across my skin. A demon mark, resembling the fierce face of the Blue Armed Ape, briefly appeared on my body before vanishing into my flesh. It was a sign of my successful absorption, a marker that the ape's power now resided within me.

I quickly checked my soul force. Before, it had been 175, but now it surged to 190. The increase was palpable, the power coursing through my veins more potent than before.

Additionally, I sensed a breakthrough in my cultivation. My Heavenly Demon Art had advanced to the first Entry stage—an initial understanding and mastery of the technique. I could now channel the demon art with greater efficiency and control.

After a few more minutes of quiet cultivation, I stabilized my soul force at 192 soul points.

The air around me grew cooler as the night deepened, and the silence of the forest felt heavier.

I quickly extinguished the fire, shrouding myself in the cover of darkness as I moved silently through the forest.

The trees loomed above me like sentinels, their branches casting twisted shadows in the moonlight. Occasionally, I spotted the remnants of broken buildings. But nothing of interest caught my eye; this had been a military area, unpopulated during the era of the Sacred Empire.

I continued traveling for hours, the forest stretching endlessly ahead. My movements became routine—leaping from tree to tree with ease, my eyes constantly scanning for anything unusual.

And then I spotted it.

Landing softly on the ground, I approached a jagged piece of stone.

The base of a broken statue, its upper half shattered and long lost to time. The sculpture itself was too damaged to discern what it once depicted, but the stone tablet beneath it was far more telling.

Kneeling, I brushed off the layers of dust and dirt that had accumulated over centuries.

Under the soft glow of the moonlight, faint words appeared, etched in the old language of the Sacred Empire. My eyes narrowed as I read the inscription aloud.

"Those who obey me will receive honor. Those who defy me shall perish!"

I paused, a slight smirk tugging at my lips. "Arrogant words. Whoever this person was, they fancied themselves a ruler of great power. Perhaps this statue once depicted them."

I mused on it for a moment, but the truth was clear. Despite the grandeur of their words, this ruler—like many others—had been swallowed by time, reduced to dust and rubble. His empire, once mighty, had been consumed by the demon beasts that ushered in the Age of Darkness. All that remained now was a broken statue, a monument to forgotten arrogance.

But as I stood there, reflecting on the fleeting nature of power, something strange began to happen.

The ground beneath my feet shifted, and before I could react, a powerful force gripped me. A suction, pulling me downwards with terrifying speed.

I looked down, realizing the stone platform beneath the statue had given way, revealing a chasm. It was as though the earth itself was swallowing me whole, dragging me into a bottomless abyss.

I tried to resist, planting my feet firmly on the ground, but the force was too strong. My body was quickly pulled into the void, darkness engulfing me as I plummeted deeper and deeper into the unknown.

As I plummeted down the chasm, my mind remained sharp. With a swift motion, I unsheathed my kunai, jamming it into the cliffside in a desperate attempt to slow my fall. Sparks flew as the blade screeched against the unyielding stone, and for a moment, I felt my descent begin to ease.

Snap!

The kunai shattered, unable to withstand the dense stone.

'Damn it! This stone is unnaturally tough.'

My body was still falling, but I used the brief pause to my advantage. I quickly unhooked a string made from the silk of a silver-ranked Snow Spider Demon—stronger than steel. I swung the thread around a jagged rock that jutted out from the cliffside, and with a sharp peng, I pulled myself taut, stopping my descent completely.

Hanging precariously in the darkness, I could still feel the force of the mysterious suction below trying to pull me further into the abyss. My muscles strained, but the spider silk held firm.

I glanced downward, but the pit was pitch black, a void of nothingness.

'What lies beneath this place?'

Activating my Byakugan, I peered through the darkness and the stone below me, revealing the truth. At a few hundred meters down, there was solid ground—a hidden chamber of some kind.

'So, this is what I’ve stumbled upon... a secret area within the Ancient Orchid City.'

It made sense now. The inscription on the statue—reading it aloud under the moonlight had likely triggered some kind of ancient mechanism. If I had come here during the day, none of this would have been revealed.

There was no way back up—the cliff was too smooth, and I had no footholds to climb. The only way out was down.

I unhooked the spider silk, releasing myself to the suction once more. This time, I let gravity take over, allowing myself to fall faster. The sensation was strange, like being inside a wind tunnel, the pressure pushing me downward twice as fast as normal.

Minutes passed before I finally reached the bottom. I braced myself as I hit the ground, landing with a thunderous crack that sent shards of broken stone flying. The force of the impact reverberated through the chamber.

My body, reinforced by cultivation and the strength of my Heavenly Demon Art, withstood the landing with ease. Falls like these were of no consequence.

I straightened myself, dusting off my robes, and surveyed my surroundings.

It was time to uncover what secrets this hidden chamber held.

With the torch in hand, I carefully surveyed the passages before me. The underground tunnel system was vast, with five or six separate paths stretching in different directions, each shrouded in darkness. Even with the enhanced vision of my Byakugan, the internal layout of this maze remained unclear.

‘I can’t begin to guess how massive this place is,’ I mused.

In a situation like this, intuition and chance often served better than excessive planning. Sometimes, fate had its own way of guiding one toward the right path.

Reaching into my space ring, I pulled out a sleek blade. I balanced the blade at its edge, allowing the handle to point upward. The dim light from the torch flickered as I let the blade fall.

Clink.

The sharp ting of metal striking stone echoed through the chamber. I crouched down and looked at where the blade had settled, its tip pointing directly toward the north passage.

I opened my template interface and double-checked the direction. The karma system had its ways of working, subtle but influential. With my accumulation of 100 karma, my luck had slightly shifted in my favor. In this case, trusting in the natural flow of events felt right.

'So the North passage it is.'

Sometimes, overthinking would only lead to hesitation. In life, there were moments where you had to trust in luck, instinct, and the path that fate laid out before you.

I retrieved my sword, torchlight flickering against the cold stone walls. The northern passage stretched ahead.

As I advanced, I observed the cracks in the walls and the arrangement of the floor tiles. I kept moving.

My foot pressed down on a cyan brick. Sou sou sou! Instantly, arrows whistled through the air, shooting out from both sides of the passage like a storm.

Without hesitation, I used the Body Flicker technique, vanishing from my spot and reappearing a few paces back. I avoided the lethal barrage by mere inches.

‘Traps,’ my gaze narrowing on the arrows now embedded three inches deep into the wall. They were crude, but lethal nonetheless.

With my soul force, I telekinetically yanked one of the arrows free from the wall. It flew into my grasp with ease.

Poison dripped from its tip—a deep green substance coating the metal. Slight misstep, and I would have been riddled with poison.

I scrutinized the passage further. ‘A maze, most likely, littered with traps designed to thin out intruders. I’ll need to remain vigilant.’

But I knew these rudimentary tricks were dangerous, yes, but not insurmountable.

I resumed my path, and minutes later, another set of arrow traps triggered. This time I didn’t bother to evade.

Crossing my hands, I let my soul force envelop my body, reinforcing my flesh.

The wave of arrows descended upon me like rain, but they merely clattered against my body and fell harmlessly to the ground. Stone walls fractured under their impact, yet my cultivation and the Heavenly Demon Art had tempered my body beyond mere metal.

As I moved forward, a massive stone slab came crashing down from above, intent on crushing me. I didn't flinch. Channeling all my power into a single strike, I shattered the boulder in an instant.

Trap after trap followed, but none of them slowed my pace.

After nearly four hours of navigating the labyrinthine passageways, I finally arrived at the entrance of a grand hall.

‘So, the Ancient Orchid City was built atop this underground palace,’ I thought, stepping into the expansive chamber.

The sight that greeted me was grim—a vast array of skeletons lay strewn across the floor, their hollow sockets fixed in perpetual silence. Most were adult remains, their bones aged and brittle.

If this is truly a secret tomb, what are these others doing here? I paused, contemplating the scene. It defied the usual purpose of a burial chamber.

‘If this tomb belonged to a powerful figure, perhaps these were his followers,’ I reasoned, studying the disordered remnants. ‘Loyal unto death... or perhaps doomed, unwilling captives.’ Whether they had willingly entered this place to follow their master into the afterlife or had been sealed in to perish alongside him remained unknown.

A few steps further, I came upon a stone slab with ancient text etched across its surface. The inscription read, “Emperor Kong Ming’s Resting Place.”

So, this is the tomb of the Sacred Empire’s Emperor Kong Ming, I thought, a faint glimmer of recognition sparking in my mind.

I accessed my template, searching through the recorded texts of Glory City for any relevant information. There was only a single reference to him: Emperor Kong Ming was a mysterious ruler in the Sacred Empire's history. Midway through his reign, he abandoned his throne, leaving it to his son. Legends say he reached a terrifying level of cultivation, achieving a form of immortalization.

Even his descendants never discovered his final resting place. I studied the stone, the weight of its revelation settling over me. To think an emperor of such stature lies here, entombed in secrecy.

But then, what was his connection to the Ancient Orchid City? I pondered. Did he come here toward the end of his life, or did he rule this land in ages past, ultimately choosing it as his eternal resting place?

The historical text mentioned that he attained “immortalization,” yet the nature of such a claim seemed dubious.

At the Legend rank, even the most formidable cultivators barely reach 150 years of life. Those who transcend Legend might extend their years to 250, but beyond that, there is no record. In this world, eternal life is but a whispered myth—none have escaped the inevitable cycle of death.

I began my search of the hall, examining each skeleton scattered across the stone floor.

Several wore remnants of bronze and silver-rank armor, now dulled by time. Among them, I noticed a few small bottles of elixirs.

I uncorked one, pouring the pills into my hand. Their color was faded, the essence long dissipated; age had robbed them of any potency.

Without hesitation, I stored the remains and other items within my template's space. As I moved between the skeletons, my gaze caught a faint blue glow beside one of them.

Bending down, I lifted the object—a small stone, radiant with a gentle light. A soul stone!

The stone was delicate, suspended from a silver chain. I examined it, appreciating its rarity. Unlike a soul crystal, which depletes with use, this soul stone retained its purity even after a thousand years. It could accelerate cultivation, even for those at Black Gold rank.

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An unexpected treasure, I thought, slipping the soul stone into my pocket.

After a final sweep of the hall, I cleared the remaining remains and relics, storing anything useful. I gave them little thought—they were remnants of a bygone era, after all.

My gaze fell upon the center of the hall, where a massive stone coffin lay in silent majesty.

Its surface was engraved with intricate inscription patterns, each line emanating a quiet, foreboding power.

As I moved closer, I felt an intense force wash over me—an overwhelming presence that surged forward, filling the space around me. Although still several meters away, it was as though I stood right beside the coffin, immersed in the vast, boundless power. The sensation was akin to being suspended in the depths of an endless ocean.

It was no surprise that the skeletons lay scattered at a distance, as if none had dared—or managed—to approach the coffin itself.

An expert of unimaginable skill had woven a potent restriction around the coffin's core, preventing any approach.

I reached out with my spiritual sense, probing the energy that radiated from the center. Ripples of potent energy expanded in every direction, unmistakably the lingering essence of a powerful soul.

Even after thousands of years, the aura of this soul essence had been preserved within the stone coffin, shielded by the carefully etched inscription patterns.

Could this be the final resting place of Emperor Kong Ming? I thought, studying the coffin. But how do I break the restriction and claim whatever treasures lie within?

Activating my Byakugan, I focused on the intricate seal surrounding the coffin. Through careful observation, I discerned the layers of complex incantations woven into the stone’s surface. And beyond it, concealed treasures glimmered faintly—though they would remain unreachable unless I first breached the seal.

Positioning myself in the center of the hall, I sat cross-legged and withdrew the soul stone from my pocket. Holding it between my palms, I formed a precise mudra hand sign, steadying my breathing. Then, I began to recite the incantation of my cultivation technique.

“The crest of turmoil swells. The vessel of madness grows insolent. The tide, denial, paralysis, and moments hinder long sleep.”

“The princess of iron crawls. The mud doll ceaselessly destroys itself. It unites, revolts, and extends to the ground. Now, know your own impotence.”

My aura intensified, a pulse of soul force igniting around me as I chanted. Through the cultivation technique, I began to siphon the latent spiritual energy emanating from the sealed coffin.

Within my body, the soul realm surged to life, blazing with a fierce heat. The soul stone’s energy channeled through me, breaking past internal restraints and driving my soul force to new heights. My cultivation, already at 192 soul points, pushed through its small bottleneck, swelling steadily until it reached the peak of Bronze 1-Star.

With a final surge, a crackling sound resonated within, and I advanced to Bronze 2-Star.

The soul stone’s potency combined with the pure essence flowing from the coffin allowed me to stabilize effortlessly, the energy coursing through me unimpeded as I continued to absorb the ancient soul power, pressing toward greater heights.

My soul force rose slowly, and I sank deeper into meditation.

Minutes turned to hours as I focused, but when my soul force began to stagnate, I shifted to the Heavenly Demon Art. Rushing my soul cultivation wasn’t wise.

Stepping closer to the coffin, I allowed myself to be immersed in the strange aura radiating from it. The restrictive force pushed back against me, intensifying with every step forward.

Bathed in the ethereal white light, I felt an immense pressure bearing down on me; my body emitted steam as sweat poured from my skin, only to evaporate the moment it touched the air, repeating the cycle as the heat surged.

After several hours of cultivation, my body felt as though it were under an unrelenting, scorching sun. The water within me was evaporating at an alarming rate, my muscles straining under the force.

Reaching into my space ring, I pulled out a wooden container and drank deeply, replenishing what had been lost. The liquid refreshed me momentarily, grounding me back to the task at hand.

Recalling a technique Nie Li once used to absorb soul essence directly, I adapted it, forming my soul force into a vortex to consume the spiritual energy radiating from the coffin. The vortex drew in the light relentlessly, channeling it into my soul realm.

My soul realm began to expand under the strain, absorbing every drop of energy.

The intense spiritual light purged impurities from my body, excreting them through my pores in waves of sweat. With each cycle, my muscles grew denser, my body stronger, as though undergoing a complete reconstruction. My skin radiated a faint white glow, the transformation taking root.

Switching back to my cultivation technique, I adjusted it to form a continuous vortex, siphoning the remaining energy not into my own cultivation but directly into my template space.

Gradually, the spiritual energy in the hall thinned, and the inscriptions along the stone coffin weakened. Inside my template space, wisps of energy accumulated, though the vast space seemed unbothered by the influx.

At last, after hours of patient refinement, the restriction had lost the majority of its power.

My eyes locked on the coffin before me as it began to tremble, the lid shuddering under some unseen force. With one final, drawn-out groan, the stone lid slid open, revealing its contents.

To my surprise, there was no surge of soul energy, no remnant of a corpse. The coffin was... empty.

Yet at the bottom lay two objects, untouched by time.

The first was a torn page, covered in symbols and intricate, otherworldly text. Recognizing it, my mind immediately flashed to the archives. A remnant page of the Temporal Demon Spirit Book!

Beside it, a gemstone pendant lay on a simple chain, gleaming faintly. Its light was subdued but undeniable—a power yet to be fully understood.

These two artifacts, hidden away for centuries...

I studied the torn page in my hands, piecing together what I knew. The Temporal Demon Spirit Book was shrouded in mystery, yet the template had provided fragments of information from the previous timeline.

This cheat book was the key to Nie Li’s rise to power. He’d used it to delve into its space for centuries, gathering immense knowledge. The book's power had even allowed him to turn back the hands of fate, sending him to an earlier time after his fateful battle with the Sage Emperor’s demon-beast generals, stained with blood and regret.

But the Temporal Demon Spirit Book that Nie Li possessed was incomplete. Eight vital pages had been torn out by its original owner long before it fell into Nie Li's hands.

Even with his formidable intellect, the cryptic words scattered through the book eluded full understanding. In the end, he could only use fragments of its wisdom as inspiration to create cultivation techniques rather than comprehending its true potential.

In his time, Nie Li had scoured the world in search of those missing pages, but all leads faded to nothing. When he regressed, the Temporal Demon Spirit Book had mysteriously vanished, lost in time.

Yet now, in my hands, lay one of those eight missing pages. I could feel its weight—not merely in substance but in destiny.

I took the remnant page of the Temporal Demon Spirit Book, and as I held it, a strange resonance thrummed through me.

After absorbing the white light from the coffin's inscription, I could sense a hidden power birthed within my soul realm. The remnant page seemed to nourish my soul realm directly, unlocking this latent power.

The inscription’s purpose now seemed more complex—not merely a restriction but a test—a barrier designed to challenge anyone reaching for the remnant page.

Could it have been crafted using the knowledge from the Temporal Demon Spirit Book? Perhaps it was an inheritance left by Emperor Kong Ming himself.

I stored the remnant page inside my template space and turned my gaze to the gemstone pendant lying at the coffin's bottom.

Initially, I had assumed that Emperor Kong Ming had sealed his soul essence within the coffin, but it turned out the energy came from this gemstone, activated by the inscription.

The gemstone was an abstruse gemstone!

Its true nature remained largely unknown, but as I held it, its aura revealed an ancient, formidable essence—a treasure of an even higher grade than the soul stone.

Both gemstones shared similar qualities; the abstruse gemstone, however, was a dark blue with black particles of energy drifting inside, whereas the soul stone had a sky-blue hue with white energy particles.

Infused with the power of Heaven and Earth, the abstruse gemstone’s energy density far exceeded that of the soul stone, pulsing in my hand as if it held a life of its own.

I placed the gemstone pendant into my template space, my mind lingering on the empty stone coffin, which left me with unanswered questions. If Emperor Kong Ming wasn’t here, then where was he? Had he truly passed, or had he transcended beyond this realm? Why did he leave this remnant page behind?

The mysteries surrounding him were far from resolved, and I sensed that uncovering them would require delving even deeper into the unknown.

---

Inside Ancient Orchid City's stone fort, Chen Linjian, Huyan Lanruo, Nie Li, and the others gathered, tension thick in the air.

They had come to explore, hoping to uncover relics or treasures from the past. Instead, the expedition had yielded nothing but frustration, and some people had gone missing.

“Two of you stay here as lookouts. The rest will follow me to the military grounds!” Chen Linjian commanded, his voice steady but urgent.

Under Nie Li's guidance, they arrived at an open, flat military ground, seemingly unremarkable at first glance.

Nie Li scanned the area carefully, his gaze narrowing on a specific spot. “Dig three feet down,” he instructed, his tone holding an odd certainty.

Chen Linjian’s men exchanged a glance but didn’t hesitate. They retrieved their tools and began digging at the exact location Nie Li had indicated, trusting his mysterious insight into places hidden beneath the surface.

In the depths of the Underground Palace, I stored away every treasure I had found within the coffin, even taking the stone coffin itself. Nothing would be left behind, not even a trace. Finally, I sat down, allowing myself a moment of rest.

From the moment I entered the underground to now, more than ten hours had passed. Dawn had already broken above.

As I lay against the cold stone floor, resting for an hour, my senses gradually expanded, picking up faint tremors from above.

‘It seems someone is digging. Chen Linjian and his group must have located this area.’

I rose slowly, following the vibrations and carefully navigating through the passageways. After checking a few routes, I stopped before a seemingly unremarkable stone wall.

Examining it closely, I noticed subtle details indicating a hidden door.

Pressing my hands against the rough stone, I pushed inward with all my strength.

With a rumbling sound, the wall began to shift, revealing a massive stone chamber beyond.

This new space mirrored the grand architecture of the previous chamber, lined with towering statues, their stoic gazes locked onto the center of the room, as though guarding something yet unseen.

Beneath the statues lay a trove of treasures: armor and weapons of various forms, inscription scrolls, demon crystals, furs, horn-type materials, and countless precious metals. Among them were piles of gold coins—the currency of the Sacred Empire. Interspatial rings and other unknown artifacts were scattered among them, likely relics Emperor Kong Ming had gathered during his travels across the Divine Continent.

If someone brought this wealth back to Glory City, they’d amass a fortune beyond imagination.

My gaze settled on a stone platform at the room’s center. Atop it rested a lamp emitting a faint, dark glow—a mysterious light that pulsed with an almost ominous allure.

This was the Shadow Devil Spirit Lamp, the very artifact Nie Li had sought, dating back to the Age of Darkness.

I reached out, channeling my soul force, and the lamp floated from the platform into my hand. Within its depths, a dark energy swirled, alive with hidden power. My spiritual sense revealed the essence of a dark-attribute demon spirit encased within.

The Shadow Devil was a rare and enigmatic creature. Legends said that long after the fall of the Snow Wind Empire, seven such spirits were captured and transformed into spirit lamps, scattered in temples around the Divine Continent to ward off evil. Over thousands of years, most were lost, stolen, or destroyed. Only one remained—and Emperor Kong Ming had secured it here.

After reaching the Silver rank, I would be able to integrate with a demon spirit. This dark-attribute Shadow Devil was perfect as my first, far more desirable than an ordinary spirit of a lower grade. Its rarity alone hinted at unique abilities; even if its combat prowess proved limited, its research value would be invaluable to my cultivation, given the scarcity of dark-attribute spirits and items.

I stored the Shadow Devil Spirit Lamp within my template space and turned my attention to the rest of the treasures, a wealth of cultivation artifacts that would aid me in ways yet unseen.

I stored all the treasures into my template and then, with a single thought, began emptying out the dozens of interspatial rings across the chamber, and then stored their contents in my template.

It seemed that Emperor Kong Ming had taken these rings from his defeated enemies and left them here, each filled with their owner’s precious items.

I gathered the empty rings in a pile on the floor, then sat cross-legged and extended my spiritual sense, sorting through their contents. Examining everything by hand would have taken hours, if not days, but within my template space, I could sift through items swiftly.

The majority were low-tier: armor, weapons, pill bottles, coins, and various metals and materials. I removed these basic items in bulk, separating them from anything valuable.

Only a few treasures stood out among the rest—such as the demon crystals of Black Gold-ranked demon beasts. These were a rare find, as such beasts were uncommon even in the St. Ancestral Mountain Range. Glory City’s hunters might come across Bronze and Silver-ranked beasts regularly, with Gold-ranked materials already priced out of reach for most except the noble families.

Black Gold demon crystals, though, were on a different level entirely. If forged together with Silver and Gold-rank materials, they could yield high-ranked demon weapons and armor, items highly coveted by cultivators.

I surveyed the remaining contents of Kong Ming's treasure, separating any rare items to store in my template. The rest, I allowed to spill out, forming a towering pile of glistening valuables that shimmered under the dim light of the chamber. I distributed them into about ten high-grade rings, organizing the wealth for easier access.

Finally, I lay down on the cold stone floor, letting exhaustion wash over me after the day’s work.

I sat down, meditating as I looked through the rings. After a while, boom—the heavy stone wall nearby rumbled open, flooding the chamber with dazzling light as Chen Linjian and his group stepped inside.

"Naraku, it’s you!" Chen Linjian exclaimed, surprise evident on his face. He had thought I might have been captured by Dark Guild members; he hadn’t expected to find me here underground. After all, they were the first ones to reach this area, so how had I arrived before them?

Chen Linjian took a moment to glance around, puzzled along with his companions as they took in the empty chamber.

He stepped forward, a question in his eyes. "Naraku, what's going on? How did you get here?"

I stood up and replied, "I was exploring the area last night when I came across a hidden entrance that led me here."

"I see..." Chen Linjian nodded thoughtfully, then added, "Have you found anything? Judging by this room, there should definitely be treasure here."

The others echoed his sentiment, their gazes scanning the chamber with curiosity and anticipation. This place had all the signs of a treasure vault—yet it appeared empty.

I gestured toward them and explained, "When I entered through the hidden entrance, I followed a tunnel that led to this chamber. I did, indeed, find a lot of treasure."

At this, the group's eyes brightened, and their initial disappointment was swiftly replaced by excitement.

Still looking perplexed, Chen Linjian asked, "So... where is the treasure?" His gaze darted around, finding nothing but a few ancient statues.

"After finding the treasure," I explained, "I stored everything in these interspatial rings." I pulled out a small sack, holding it out to Chen Linjian.

He took the bag, retrieving the rings inside. As he poured his senses into one of them, his eyes widened in shock—this ring alone was packed with Bronze- and Silver-rank weapons!

He checked the other rings, his surprise only growing with each one. All ten rings brimmed with valuable items.

"Boss, how's everything looking?" One of Chen Linjian’s followers asked, barely containing his excitement.

Chen Linjian smiled broadly. "Everyone, take a look."

He poured the contents of the rings onto the ground, where they cascaded into towering piles of treasures. As the gleaming troves filled the chamber, the onlookers were left speechless.

Neat piles of valuables lay in every direction: Bronze and Silver-rank weapons, wearable gear and garments, exotic artifacts, demon crystals, and rare materials for refining. There was a mountain of gold and silver coins, heaps of precious metals, scrolls and manuals, and a final collection of crystals and gemstones, all gleaming under the dim light.

"Boss, we’re going to be rich! Look at all this treasure!" Chen Linjian’s men gasped, dazed by the sight.

Chu Yuan and the others joined in, their eyes widening at the small mountain of priceless items. The fortune gathered here was enough to fetch hundreds of millions.

"Nie Li," Chen Linjian turned to him, "as per our agreement, you’ll get the first pick. However, since Naraku found the treasure, it’s only fair he chooses first."

Nie Li frowned, glancing at the treasure pile. He couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if I chose the item he wanted most.

"I’ve already chosen this soul stone. The rest is yours," I said, my voice calm as I held up the silver necklace with the gleaming soul stone. Smiling faintly, I looked on like an indifferent hero, the vast mountain of treasures seemingly holding no temptation for me.

Chen Linjian nodded, signaling to Nie Li. "Nie Li, it’s your turn to choose," he said, respecting their agreement. He valued the friendship between them and acknowledged Nie Li as the one who discovered this place.

Nie Li, however, looked frustrated. He had already scanned the treasure piles, but something was missing.

Standing silently, he clenched his fists. ‘The spirit lamp... Where is the lamp?’

Chen Linjian noticed Nie Li’s hesitation. "What’s wrong? Is it hard to choose? You can decide later if you want."

"Wait..." Nie Li’s voice cut through the murmurs.

Chen Linjian turned to him, puzzled. "What’s the matter, Nie Li? Are you ready to choose or not?"

Nie Li stepped forward, his expression tense. "How can I choose when not all the items are here? We agreed that I would choose first, but it seems someone has already taken their pick!" His tone was sharp with accusation.

Chen Linjian’s brows furrowed. "You mean the soul stone he's wearing?" He glanced at the silver necklace I wore, thinking Nie Li was being unreasonable for coveting it.

"No, that's not what I mean," Nie Li responded, pointing to the ring on my hand. "Young Master Chen, look—he’s wearing another interspatial ring! Naraku was here alone for who knows how long and likely took the best treasures for himself. Don’t forget, we had an agreement that I’d have the first choice."

Chen Linjian’s expression darkened, his gaze shifting from Nie Li to me. "Nie Li... are you suggesting Naraku broke our agreement?"

Chen Linjian's frown deepened, but he finally spoke. "That may be true, Nie Li, but Naraku discovered the treasure first."

At this, I stepped forward, irritation flashing in my eyes. "Nie Li, are you accusing me of being a thief? I found this treasure; by all rights, it’s mine."

Seeing the tension rise, Chen Linjian intervened. "Look, while you did find it first, we still have an agreement. I won’t go back on my word—Nie Li gets to choose one item from your interspatial ring."

Without hesitation, I pulled off my interspatial ring and tossed it to Chen Linjian.

He caught it and tipped it out onto the chamber floor. But to everyone’s shock—especially Nie Li’s—the contents were nothing but simple travel supplies: clothes, water, basic medicines.

Chen Linjian turned to Nie Li, his expression calm but firm. "Nie Li, these are hardly treasures. If there’s something here that interests you, go ahead and pick, but personal items aren’t part of the deal."

Nie Li’s face darkened as he stared at the mundane pile. ‘No, he must have taken the spirit lamp. The Sacred Family are nothing but liars and thieves. He’s definitely hiding something!’

"Young Master Chen, this doesn’t add up—there has to be more!" Nie Li protested, frustration coloring his voice. But no matter how he tried, he couldn’t sense any hidden treasures.

Chen Linjian's patience wore thin. "Enough, Nie Li! Naraku has been more than fair. He found this place before us and could have kept it all. The fact that he left anything at all is more than we could expect. Now, stop with this nonsense and make your choice."

Nie Li reluctantly lowered his gaze and picked out an item, a bitter expression flashing across his face.

Chen Linjian gave a slight nod. "Alright, Naraku, will you be taking anything else?"

I shook my head dismissively. "No need; I’ve already made my choice. I’ll take a portion of the treasure once you’ve taken what you want." My tone was indifferent, as though the treasures held little value. After all, I’d already secured the items I truly desired, and drawing more attention might lead the sharp-eyed to notice what was conspicuously absent.

Chen Linjian acknowledged this and addressed the group. "Good. Now, everyone, take only the essentials—clothes, weapons—whatever you need for the expedition. There’s no need to weigh yourselves down with valuables. We’ll divide everything properly once we’re back in Glory City."

As soon as he finished speaking, the group surged forward, sorting through the piles and selecting gear and weapons. After they’d equipped themselves, Chen Linjian collected the remaining items, storing them in interspatial rings, which he then tucked securely into his clothes.

Having prepared, Chen Linjian turned back to the group. "Let’s move quickly and gather the last of the treasure before leaving. The Dark Guild is likely tracking us, and it would be unwise to linger."

If we’re discovered by the Dark Guild, it could mean serious trouble. The Ancient Orchid City Ruins are vast, but the guild’s agents will be scouring the area. Time isn’t on our side, Chen Linjian thought, his gaze flicking momentarily toward the entrance of the underground palace.

"Naraku, is there anything left here we should be aware of?" He asked in a low voice.

"No, I’ve searched thoroughly. There's nothing left of interest," I replied.

Chen Linjian nodded, satisfied. Facing the group, who had finished arming themselves, he raised his voice. "Alright, everyone—move out!"