Chapter 693: Cangkun's Legacy Treasure

Volume 5: Renowned Far and Wide

"Brother Nanlong, did I hear that right? You're going to Mulan Grassland?" the cold-faced cultivator asked, frowning, as if he truly believed what he had heard.

The faces of the other cultivators were equally grim. Yet, every Nascent Soul old monster present had weathered countless storms to reach their current level. Thus, despite their inner shock, they remained composed, quietly observing how Marquis Nanlong would answer.

"Fellow Daoist, you misunderstand," Marquis Nanlong explained calmly. "When I said I was going to Mulan Grassland, I didn't mean to venture deep into it, but merely to stay within a hundred *li* of the edge."

"That's still a very risky undertaking," the cold-faced cultivator said, shaking his head, appearing genuinely apprehensive. "I've heard that after years of recuperation, the Mulan people are restless again. The edge of the grassland is now truly a dangerous place. I fear many spellcasters of our caliber have gathered there too. Although those spellcasters may have fewer magical treasures, their cultivation and techniques are no weaker than ours. And the spiritual arts they master are astonishingly powerful; they are also highly adept at coordinated attacks. If we are discovered, even if we escape with our lives, it would be difficult to retreat unscathed."

"How could I not know how troublesome spellcasters are?" Marquis Nanlong said, his face sinking. "Years ago, I battled a Nascent Soul spellcaster for three days and three nights. That person's cultivation was slightly inferior to mine, and their magical treasures were far less powerful than mine. Yet after the struggle, neither of us could gain the upper hand over the other." "Since that's the case, Fellow Daoist, you still intend to go to Mulan Grassland," Wang Tiangu suddenly said, smiling faintly and leaning back. "It seems there's something extraordinary there. Otherwise, Brother Nanlong wouldn't take such a risk."

"Haha, Brother Wang truly understands my thoughts best," Marquis Nanlong said, changing the subject. "Have any of you Fellow Daoists heard of Revered Cangkun?" He uttered a name that sounded somewhat familiar to everyone.

"Revered Cangkun!" exclaimed an old woman who had been silent until now, visibly moved. A sharp glint immediately shot from her cloudy eyes. "The South Heaven's mad cultivator from five thousand years ago who suppressed both the righteous and demonic sects?"

"Madam Tai is right," Marquis Nanlong said gravely, a peculiar expression on his face. "He's that madman who caused a great stir among both the righteous and demonic sects. Although no one officially acknowledged it, this audacious mad cultivator was definitely the foremost rogue cultivator in South Heaven back then. With profound and unfathomable divine abilities, he swept across South Heaven, almost without equal. Even the Grand Elder of the Demonic Dao's Joyous Union Sect and the Alliance Leader of the Righteous Dao Alliance, both recognized as the foremost figures of their respective paths, wouldn't dare claim to surpass this half-mad cultivator in the slightest."

"Fellow Daoist, speaking of this person now... Could this matter be related to that mad cultivator?" Wang Tiangu asked, a strange look on his face.

"Heh heh! Brother Wang is exactly right," Marquis Nanlong said gravely. "The place we're heading to this time is a secret immortal's cave that Revered Cangkun meticulously arranged before his demise." "Impossible!" the old woman said, shaking her head like a rattle-drum, with utter disbelief. "Wasn't that madman attacked by numerous cultivators and killed on the spot after incurring the wrath of the masses?"

Marquis Nanlong smiled faintly upon hearing this. Just as he was about to explain, the white-robed old man, a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator, suddenly spoke.

"Revered Cangkun was not killed back then. Instead, after being forced to self-detonate his two cultivated puppet avatars, he employed a cunning stratagem and seized the opportunity to escape. The cultivators who besieged him back then were unaware of this, always believing they had killed Revered Cangkun and one of his avatars. However, after that battle, Revered Cangkun's vitality was greatly diminished, making it difficult for him to recover his heaven-reaching divine abilities. So, after several years of recuperation, he vanished without a trace from his original immortal's cave. From then on, there was no news of him. It wasn't until Fellow Daoist Nanlong and I found the place of his final demise that we learned from the remaining information that after his disappearance back then, this Revered one had actually set his sights on the Demonfall Valley. He ventured into the valley at the risk of his life and even became the first person to survive Demonfall Valley."

"Survived Demonfall Valley! How is that possible?" the old woman shrieked somewhat sharply, her face filled with excitement.

The others, apart from Marquis Nanlong, including Han Li, all took a sharp intake of breath.

Most of them, while astonished by the news, were also assessing its plausibility, and for a moment, they couldn't help but look at each other in bewilderment.

"Even if this is true, what does it have to do with Mulan Grassland?" the dark-faced cultivator asked with a sneer after a moment of contemplation, appearing quite unconvinced. "Could it be that Revered Cangkun really re-buried all the treasures he obtained from Demonfall Valley in a secret cave there?"

"Although Fellow Daoist Bing's words aren't entirely accurate, you've guessed roughly seventy to eighty percent of it," Marquis Nanlong said, stroking his long beard with an unchanged expression. "According to the information left at Revered Cangkun's place of demise, he seemed to have stayed in Demonfall Valley for several years, but passed away on his own not long after leaving the valley. It's unknown if it was a recurrence of old injuries or if he suffered other severe injuries within Demonfall Valley. However, he must have obtained quite a few treasures from Demonfall Valley. Treasures that even the foremost rogue cultivator of his time would value must be extraordinary. Moreover, this person, solely as a rogue cultivator back then, was able to suppress countless other cultivators, meaning his own secret techniques and magical treasures must also be incredible. For this trip to Mulan Grassland, are you truly willing to miss out?"

"And with so many Nascent Soul cultivators like us traveling together, how could ordinary spellcasters truly stop us?" the white-robed old man added calmly. "Furthermore, even if we encounter an unexpected situation, at worst, we can each break out individually. If you're still unwilling to take even this small risk, then I invite those Fellow Daoists who are unwilling to go to feel free to leave. The two of us will simply find others to accompany us. However, there's one thing I need to make clear to you first."

After hearing the words of Marquis Nanlong and the white-robed old man, Wang Tiangu, the old woman, and a few other cultivators showed hesitation. But at this moment, Han Li spoke up and asked:

"I have a question," Han Li said calmly, voicing the thoughts that had been bothering him for a long time. "Since you two already know the location of the treasure, why did you specifically summon us here? And why must it be cultivators with powerful spiritual senses? Is the place difficult to find? Or does the opening of the immortal's cave have something to do with this?"

"Fellow Daoist Han, even if you hadn't asked, I was going to explain it shortly," Marquis Nanlong said, a hint of helplessness appearing on his face. "If the two of us could obtain the treasure alone, we naturally wouldn't share it with others. However, last time, when we secretly infiltrated Mulan Grassland to search for the immortal's cave, although the location was very secluded, we still managed to find it with some effort, following Revered Cangkun's remaining information. The problem was that outside the immortal's cave, there was an incredibly profound ancient formation. The two of us racked our brains but couldn't break the seal and enter. Since we were in Mulan Grassland, we dared not linger. We had no choice but to note down the characteristics of the formation and return to South Heaven. We specifically searched through various formation texts to study that ancient formation. It was only then that we discovered that the restriction released by this formation was actually the 'Profound Divine Restriction,' an ancient forbidden art long lost."

"Profound Divine Restriction!" Wang Tiangu exclaimed, his expression changing to one of astonishment. "Isn't that one of the Ten Ancient Restrictions? How could it appear there?"

Most of the others hadn't heard of the "Profound Divine Restriction" by name, but after hearing this, their hearts also tensed.

The Ten Ancient Restrictions! Just hearing that name, they knew it would be incredibly difficult to break.

A flicker of surprise flashed in Han Li's eyes, but it quickly vanished, his expression remaining as usual.

"I've long heard that Brother Wang is a renowned master of formations, and now I see that reputation is well-deserved! To even know of such a rarely known ancient restriction!" Marquis Nanlong said, a bit surprised, repeatedly praising him with a smile after exchanging glances with the white-robed old man.

"Brother Nanlong, you flatter me," Wang Tiangu said, seemingly realizing something and immediately modestly deferring. "I've only heard the name. As for how to specifically break the restriction, I am completely clueless."

Seeing this, the white-robed old man smiled a rare smile and continued:

"The two of us studied for several years before discovering that to break this restriction, either one must slowly wear it down with brute force to forcibly break it, or find eight cultivators with powerful spiritual senses who can also solve this restriction using their spiritual sense transformation divine ability. Forcibly breaking it is definitely not feasible. This ancient restriction is incredibly profound; even if the two of us continuously attacked this formation day and night for several months, we wouldn't necessarily be able to open it. And in Mulan Grassland, how would the two of us dare to recklessly unleash our divine abilities! However, if we use spiritual sense transformation to break this restriction, as long as all of you Fellow Daoists have sufficiently strong spiritual senses, the grand formation can be broken within a single day."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall finally understood why Marquis Nanlong and his companion had sought them out.

Perhaps other mid-Nascent Soul cultivators with sufficiently strong spiritual senses could also cooperate to break the restriction, but it was clear that the two of them didn't want overly powerful cultivators to join them, fearing that the guests might usurp the hosts.

After all, both of them were mid-Nascent Soul cultivators. While their combined strength might not guarantee a decisive victory over Han Li and the others, they could maintain a delicate balance. They had indeed gone to great lengths.

However, facing the treasures in Demonfall Valley, the cultivators in the hall, including Han Li, were naturally greatly tempted.

Although there was some risk in going to the edge of Mulan Grassland, as the white-robed old man said, compared to these treasures, the risks were negligible. Other cultivators would surely never find such an opportunity, even if they sought it.

So, everyone secretly made up their minds. Marquis Nanlong asked several times, and seeing that no one withdrew, a genuine smile finally appeared on his face.

"However, there's one point I must clarify with you all first," Marquis Nanlong said, presenting his condition. "If everything goes smoothly and we genuinely enter the immortal's cave, the two of us must each choose one treasure first. Only then can the remaining items be equally divided. Do any of you Fellow Daoists have objections?"