Chapter 1167: Magic Lake Island

Volume Six: Heavenly Spiritual Treasure

Demon Lake Island, an obscure and unknown small island situated near the edge of the Inner Star Sea, was known only to a few rogue cultivators living on neighboring islands.

The island was remembered by these cultivators and given its peculiar name because several lakes there produced a material called Verdant Copper. Although not particularly rare, this material was essential for crafting several unique magical artifacts, leading some low-level cultivators to occasionally visit the island to gather it.

Perhaps due to their abundant production of Verdant Copper, all the lakes were as emerald green as jade, their verdant color far surpassing that of ordinary lakes. Furthermore, if a mortal fell into the water, they would float to the surface and never sink.

As a result, the reputation of the Demon Lake gradually spread among the nearby islands.

However, the island had few trees and no spiritual veins, making it rarely visited.

But on this day, fifty to sixty low-level cultivators gathered by a lake on the island, busily setting up several unusually complex temporary magical arrays. Most were Qi Condensation cultivators, with only six or seven at the Foundation Establishment stage.

In the low sky above the center of the lake, three Core Formation cultivators were gathered, whispering to each other.

"Junior Brother Lei, this time it won't fail again, will it? To break this restriction, I, your Senior Brother, have invested almost everything I own. The spirit stones spent so far amount to over two hundred thousand. If it fails again, I won't have any more spirit stones to offer." A grey-robed old man with a face full of wrinkles said this to the other two, a troubled expression on his face.

"Hmph, Senior Brother Wu, you exaggerate too much. Among the three of us, you probably have the most assets. The Golden Ming Tower you operate is renowned in the nearby sea region. How could you be short on spirit stones?" Another handsome, blue-robed man scoffed in reply.

"Junior Brother Lei, you don't know... Although the Golden Ming Tower I operate seems extensive, it has long been squeezed out by major establishments like the Fiery Cloud Pavilion and is barely holding on. It's just barely staying afloat now." The grey-robed old man sighed deeply, looking helpless.

"Senior Brother Wu, why complain? Your Golden Ming Tower hasn't been open for just a year or two. If it were unprofitable, how could it have remained open until now?" The last person was a beautiful woman in a red gown. With ample hips and breasts, she possessed a pair of watery, captivating peach blossom eyes that enchanted souls with every glance.

"The Golden Ming Tower did earn some spirit stones in previous years, but that was when Master was still alive. Since Master Man suddenly disappeared over a hundred years ago, without the backing of a Nascent Soul cultivator, my Golden Ming Tower was immediately squeezed by other large establishments. In the earlier years, it was still alright; Master Man's lingering prestige kept them from going too far. However, since the news came twenty years ago that Master was severely injured by the Six Paths Extreme Saint and died from his injuries, this business became impossible to run. If I, your Senior Brother, weren't also a late Core Formation cultivator, this small fortune would have been swallowed up long ago. How could Junior Brother and Junior Sister enjoy such carefree lives?" The grey-robed old man gave a bitter smile.

"Senior Brother Wu, I'm not interested in what you're saying, nor do I want to know. All I know is that the spirit stones I contributed are no less than yours. Besides, you're not the only one who had a hard time after Master disappeared. You're not unaware of Master's fiery temper back then, offending countless cultivators. Now that he's gone, I was targeted for revenge by these people and was chased for decades before finally escaping them. In contrast, Senior Brother Wu, you've established your own influence, and with your ties to the Blood Light Sect, you're truly carefree." A murderous aura flashed from the blue-robed man, revealing a thick, bloody scent.

"Junior Brother, what are you saying! If I didn't have so many disciples, I would have long gone into hiding like you. Why would I struggle to maintain this? Not to mention the huge annual expenses, just to rely on the Blood Light Sect as a temporary backer, I have to offer large amounts of spirit stones as tribute every year. My life is also very difficult. However, I have heard a few things about your reputation in recent years. The name 'Bloody Hand Demon' is already quite renowned among us Core Formation cultivators. Your cultivation technique originally allowed for faster advancement through slaughter. Haven't you progressed from the early to the mid-stage now?" The grey-robed old man continued to sigh.

The blue-robed young man's eyebrows twitched, and his face showed great displeasure. He seemed about to retort, but the beautiful woman chuckled and interrupted their argument.

"Senior Brother Wu, Junior Brother Lei, why continue arguing? It's true that our lives haven't been easy since Master Man disappeared. But as long as we retrieve the treasures from the secret cave, I believe that given Master's status as a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator, what he hid will be enough for us to split evenly. At that time, we can either cultivate in seclusion under assumed names or use them to join other forces for self-preservation. I'm sure either option will be fine."

Hearing the beautiful woman's words, the old man and the blue-robed young man exchanged glances. They actually stopped arguing, seemingly wary of her.

But after silently watching the low-level cultivators set up the arrays by the lake for a moment, the blue-robed young man spoke again, addressing the beautiful woman.

"Senior Sister Cai, are you sure that below this restriction is truly Master's treasure cave? You haven't made a mistake, have you? Although the restriction is indeed Master's work, Master Man always liked to set up temporary cave dwellings on small islands. This isn't just one of them, is it? If so, we've wasted all this effort for nothing."

"What? Junior Brother Lei, you don't trust my words?" Hearing this, the beautiful woman's expression turned slightly displeased.

The blue-robed young man licked his lips and continued expressionlessly:

"Junior Sister, you found Senior Brother Wu and me, claiming to have the location of Master's treasure, and brought us to this island months ago to retrieve it. However, you never mentioned to either of us how you knew the location of the treasure cave. Although Master favored you, given his temperament, it's impossible he would have told you about this. Now that we're about to open the restriction, Senior Sister, you might as well explain this clearly to us both, so Senior Brother Wu and I can feel at ease." "Indeed, Junior Brother has a point. Furthermore, Junior Sister, you've been out of touch for years, and suddenly appearing to take Senior Brother and me to retrieve treasure does raise some suspicion," the grey-robed old man added calmly.

"What? If I don't explain this clearly, do you two intend to make a move and bully a mere early Core Formation cultivator like me?" The beautiful woman's face sank. With one hand, she lifted and tucked a strand of hair from her forehead, her exquisite face suddenly becoming as cold as ice. But on her jade-like wrist, as fair as snow, she wore a purplish-misty bracelet, glimmering with mysterious runes.

Upon seeing the bracelet, the old man and the young man's expressions changed drastically at the same time.

"I never imagined Master would even bestow his Purple Ice Bracelet upon Senior Sister! With just this ancient treasure, I'm afraid Senior Brother and I combined wouldn't be Senior Sister's match." The blue-robed young man exhaled a long breath, a hint of anger and jealousy flickering in his eyes. It was unclear if his anger was directed at the woman or at "Master Man" whom he mentioned.

The grey-robed old man beside them changed his expression several times. After his thoughts raced, he also let out a laugh:

"Junior Sister, you jest. How could we have such intentions? It's just that this time, to break the restriction beneath the lake, we truly have emptied our pockets, so being cautious seems excusable. You, Junior Sister, haven't contributed a single spirit stone."

"Since I led you to the treasure cave and will only take one-third of the treasures, why should I contribute more spirit stones? However, since both Senior Brother Wu and Junior Brother Lei have some doubts about this treasure location, it's not like I truly can't tell you." The beautiful woman hesitated for a moment, and her expression finally softened.

"Then we shall listen attentively." The old man's heart brightened, and he smiled broadly. The young man beside him remained silent, his expression grim.

"I am known as Master Man's female disciple, but in reality, I was merely his concubine. You two must have already known this. It was merely during one instance when I was with him that I unintentionally learned of this treasure location from his sleep-talking. He also knew his lifespan was short and seemed to intend to pass away in this very cave dwelling, together with these treasures." The beautiful woman said this without a change in expression.

"It's that simple?"

The old man and the young man exchanged glances, looking at each other in bewilderment. The blue-robed young man couldn't help but retort.

"How complicated did you expect it to be? I've already told you; whether you believe it is up to you. Besides, if the area below wasn't a treasure location, do you think Master Man would set up such a complex grand restriction array outside a mere temporary cave dwelling? With the strength of the three of us, we still couldn't fully dismantle it in several months. Is there any other explanation apart from it being a treasure cave?" The beautiful woman retorted mockingly.

"Junior Sister has a point. It seems Junior Brother Lei and I have been overly suspicious. Fortunately, only the last layer of the restriction below remains. Once it's broken, our efforts of the past few months won't have been in vain. I'll go check how they're setting up the array to break the restriction." After a brief, thoughtful pause, the grey-robed old man cupped his fist towards the two and cleared his throat before speaking.

Then he transformed into a streak of yellow light and shot towards the shore.

"I'll also go confirm the situation with the restriction beneath the lake!" The blue-robed young man raised an eyebrow, glanced at the beautiful woman, and said nonchalantly.

Immediately, a flash of blood-red light emanated from the young man, and a layer of blood-colored spiritual barrier appeared. His figure sank downwards and plunged directly into the lake, disappearing from sight.

The beautiful woman watched as the other two left her, and she subtly curled her lips. But in the depths of her eyes, a hint of imperceptible cold light flickered.

After a short while, the old man, having given a few more instructions to the low-level cultivators by the lake, flew back towards the woman in the center of the lake. Almost simultaneously, the lake water churned, and the blue-robed young man shot out from below.

In an instant, the three gathered together again.

"Junior Brother Lei, Junior Sister Cai, the array has been set up— huh, what's that?" Just as the old man smiled at the other two and was about to say something, his expression suddenly changed, and he abruptly turned his head, gazing intently in a certain direction.

The beautiful woman and the blue-robed young man were both startled and quickly looked in the same direction. In the distance, a clear light flickered, and a dazzling cyan rainbow brazenly shot towards them. Its target seemed to be the very lake they were at.