Chapter 1262: Secret Base

The gold on the mountain of gold was not uniform in style. There were gold bars, ingots, and gold cakes, as well as hairpins, brooches, chopsticks, pillows, paperweights, and more, all piled up haphazardly.

The silver mountain was much the same.

He Lingchuan looked around and found various materials and metals, some of which were extremely valuable.

Dong Rui rubbed his hands together and asked, "Hey, how much money do you think is here?"

He was already beyond counting.

He Lingchuan walked a circle around the secret chamber. "A rough estimate? At least several million taels, I'd say."

"Several... million?" Fu Liushan squeezed out the last word, barely audible.

Faced with wealth of this magnitude, his composure was severely tested.

After all, not everyone gets the chance to stumble upon millions in ownerless treasure!

Seeing his reaction, Dong Rui shot him a disdainful look. "Are you saying the gold, silver, and jewels in this chamber alone are worth millions?"

"The gold and silver aren't worth that much, but *these* are!" He Lingchuan pointed to the materials stacked in the corner. "These are far more valuable than mere gold and silver."

"Whose treasures are these, anyway? Immortal Minghui's, or Ghost King Xuanlu's?"

Would an immortal accumulate worldly wealth?

The three exchanged glances and shrugged. None of them were immortals, so they couldn't grasp an immortal's mindset.

Fu Liushan scratched his head. "Let's just assume they belong to the Ghost King."

Dong Rui couldn't understand. "But a Ghost King is still a ghost. They can't eat or drink, so what would they want with all this money?"

"The Howling Forest also interacts with mortals." Since Ghost King Xuanlu was dead, He Lingchuan could only speculate. "What's best to use when dealing with mortals?"

"Money."

"To achieve its goals—for example, luring believers to serve it, or buying off minor factions and small tribes—the Ghost King could use gold and silver," He Lingchuan said with a smile. "Another explanation is that Wang Xuanlu loved wealth in life and retained that habit after death, perhaps just collecting it for appreciation. Or, these funds have another purpose and are merely being temporarily stored in the Howling Forest, given that it's a place mortals avoid."

The last two points were pure nonsense, and even he found them unconvincing.

"In any case," he concluded, "this is a massive windfall!"

He truly appreciated such earthly treasures.

The three sat in the secret chamber for a while, basking in the glow of the immense wealth. Dong Rui murmured,

"So this underground palace, and everything in it, belongs to us now?"

He Lingchuan smiled, knowing that by "everything," Dong Rui meant not just the gold and silver but also the divine and demonic remains and materials in the Well of Light and the landfill.

To anyone, this underground palace was a treasure trove.

"That's right," He Lingchuan said, glancing at Fu Liushan.

The latter, who had seemed to be staring blankly at the treasure, suddenly shivered. He swiftly formed a calming hand seal and mumbled, "Out of sight, out of mind. Oh, out of sight, out of mind!"

He knew perfectly well that he was not included in their "us."

While treasure was tempting, it could also bring about death!

A desolate mountain, malevolent energy, an underground palace, yin ghosts, and two cultivators stronger than him—one of whom had even subdued the Rakshasa Armor. Could all these elements combined spell out "murder to silence"?

"Master Fu..."

He Lingchuan had just begun to speak when Fu Liushan quickly cut him off. "I'm only taking my wages. Everything else has nothing to do with me!"

For this expedition into the Howling Forest, he, the ghost-master, had been hired by He Lingchuan, and his fee had been agreed upon before they set out.

To hire someone to enter such a dangerous place, He Lingchuan's offer was naturally generous. However, compared to these three massive piles, any wages seemed negligible.

But Fu Liushan's heart was as clear as a mirror: the gold and silver mountains had nothing to do with him.

Without He Lingchuan, he wouldn't have been able to enter the Howling Forest at all.

Even if he could have entered the Howling Forest, he wouldn't have been able to kill the Ghost King in the underground palace, let alone claim the place for himself.

For an expedition like this, there were established rules in the martial world regarding who paid, who contributed effort, and who claimed the treasure.

The sight of these three enormous piles was too overwhelming, so as soon as he calmed down, he needed to quickly distance himself from any potential peril.

Seeing Fu Liushan's understanding, He Lingchuan gave him a thumbs-up. "A man of principles! I can't let Master Fu be at a disadvantage. When we return, I'll give you an extra bonus."

Fu Liushan was overjoyed and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "Lord He is truly generous!"

Many yin ghosts still roamed the underground palace. After the Ghost King was eliminated, they regained their freedom but had nowhere to go—within dozens of miles, only the underground palace offered the necessary sea bottom wood for them to reside in.

He Lingchuan allowed them to continue living in the underground palace on the condition that they serve as its guardians, prohibiting outsiders from approaching.

It was essentially their old job, so the yin ghosts readily agreed.

There were also many corpse puppets in the underground palace. Among them, He Lingchuan specifically went to see the one the Ghost King had ambushed in Busha Court. It was clear that if they had truly fallen into the Ghost King's trap at that time, escaping would have been extremely difficult.

From then on, these would also serve as guardians of their underground palace.

With everything settled, the three returned to the surface along their original path, exiting through the white jade wall and leaving the immortal's abode and Ghost King's lair.

The vast wealth within the underground palace was left under the guardianship of malevolent energy and yin ghosts.

From then on, this would be He Lingchuan and Dong Rui's secret stronghold, accessible at any time for their needs. The malevolent energy of the Howling Forest served as a natural barrier, preventing other cultivators and factions from easily entering.

Upon returning to Ju City, He Lingchuan kept his word and gave Fu Liushan a substantial bonus.

It was enough for him to live comfortably for a long time.

As Dong Rui put it, "At least you won't need the Five-Ghost Transportation Spell or those acorn figures anymore."

Now, regarding the progress of the war:

The war on the front lines had actually gone more smoothly than expected. The Situ Allied Army advanced with lightning speed, not only recapturing all of Gaopu but also pushing into the territory of the Bixia people.

The covert support from the Yao Kingdom proved ineffective, so the Bixia people sent envoys to request aid. The Yao Kingdom had no choice but to simultaneously pressure the Situ Alliance and "conscript" two mercenary armies to help the Bixia people "jointly defend" the central front.

Situ Yu naturally longed to counterattack across Bixia territory to avenge his nation and family, but the Yao Kingdom was watching intently from the sidelines. Other allies in the coalition also expressed concern, not wishing to provoke the Yao Kingdom excessively.

Therefore, at the urging of the Yao Kingdom, the allied forces and the Bixia people began negotiations.

After all, the allied forces were a temporary formation, and prolonged warfare inevitably led to internal discord. Situ Yu recognized the delaying tactics of the Yao Kingdom and the Bixia people, so he accepted his son Situ He's suggestion to negotiate while fighting, using combat to facilitate talks.

The Bixia people, unable to withstand the pressure, finally showed genuine sincerity in negotiations.

During this period, He Lingchuan was not idle. The Yangshan Merchant Guild's first clubhouse in Ju City celebrated its grand opening.

Various factions within the allied forces sent representatives to deliver gifts and congratulations. Even Commander Situ Yu personally rushed back from the front lines to attend the celebration, a clear sign of immense respect.