Chapter 1822: Exploring the Spirit Palace

Zhang Xuan turned his head, his eyebrows twitching. To his surprise, the middle-aged man was also a powerhouse at the Great Perfection of the Immortality Realm, just like himself.

"Finally, a break...""I can go back and study the materials now!""These treasures are really too difficult to identify..."Upon hearing the announcement of a break, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and low murmurs filled the room.

The further they progressed, the harder it became to appraise the treasures in the room. Even though everyone there was a top appraiser of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, many items remained unidentifiable. This break offered a perfect opportunity to consult their resources; otherwise, a reckless appraisal could lead to their execution.

"Everyone, please follow me!"After the instruction, dozens of guards entered. Each led an appraiser, and one clad in black armor walked ahead of Zhang Xuan.

Although curious, he knew that too many questions would only arouse suspicion. So he said nothing, following closely behind the guard, walking step by step.

Soon, they arrived at a residence, which, like a student dormitory, was divided into individual rooms. He was assigned to one of them.

"Do not visit other rooms. Communication is forbidden. If you wish to consult books, you can apply in advance, and if the Spirit Emperor Palace has them, they will be brought to you! Similarly, you can apply for medicinal aid if you wish to cultivate or recover your energy!" The guard opened the door and instructed.

"Understood!" Zhang Xuan nodded and entered the room. Inside, there was an isolation formation, rendering communication jade tokens useless. It seemed the other party was still concerned about the appraisers exchanging information. If they communicated, their appraisals might become identical, making it impossible to determine the true value of the treasures.

The door creaked shut, and Zhang Xuan sat down. The quiet room was not large, only about forty square meters, but it was fully equipped with a table, chairs, and a resting area. Around the walls, a formation composed of high-grade spirit stones provided abundant spiritual energy, allowing for easy recovery from exhaustion after just a short stay.

"This is the perfect opportunity to investigate the whereabouts of the dragon blood!" Taking a deep breath, Zhang Xuan remained still as his Soul remotely emerged from between his eyebrows.

He hadn't come here to be an appraiser. Now that he had free time, he naturally intended to search for the exact location of the dragon blood. The ethereal Soul, invisible and intangible, quietly floated in the room and moved stealthily forward. Just as it reached the door, it encountered a force blocking its path.

"It's actually a formation that blocks souls..." Zhang Xuan understood with a glance. Soul Oracles had vanished without a trace from the Master Teacher Continent, which was why neither the Master Teacher Pavilion nor other places on the continent had set up such formations. However, this profession still existed within the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. Consequently, many places had formations designed to obstruct souls, preventing their passage.

Forcing his way through would undoubtedly attract greater trouble. "Eye of Insight!" Patterns appeared in his eyes, and he quickly found a loophole in the formation. With a slight shimmer, his Soul slipped through.

A crack appeared in the door, and his Soul silently slipped out. "You'll be staying here..." In the corridor, guards were still leading appraisers in and arranging their accommodations.

With a gentle shimmer, Zhang Xuan's Soul pressed against the wall and flew out. His Soul, like his True Qi, had reached the Great Perfection of the Immortality Realm, making it exceedingly easy to avoid detection by these guards.

Leaving the building, Zhang Xuan dared not fly too high. This was the Spirit Emperor's Palace. While he didn't fear the formations, there were certainly many Ancient Sages present, and if he were discovered, escape would likely be impossible.

"Although the palaces of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe don't prioritize geography and terrain like those on the Master Teacher Continent, with various runes carved everywhere, they are equally impenetrable... Even if the Spirit Emperor is severely wounded and truly hides here without emerging, it would be almost impossible for Emperor Yong and the others to slay him!" As he moved along the corridors, sketching the layout of the entire palace in his mind, Zhang Xuan marveled inwardly.

Buildings on the Master Teacher Continent were typically constructed after finding a suitable location that gathered good feng shui, then utilizing the geography of mountains and rivers to collect the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. The Otherworldly Demonic Tribe used a different method. Their walls and floors were carved with special runes, and while lacking the advantage of natural terrain, this still made the entire residence abundant in spiritual energy, suitable for cultivation. The former followed nature, gathering spiritual energy without destroying the environment, representing sustainable development. The latter, however, essentially drew spiritual energy from other places, disregarding the well-being of others, appearing somewhat ruthless and inhumane.

Perhaps, this was also a key difference between the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe and humanity. "There's no trace of dragon blood..." After exploring for nearly two hours, having almost traversed the entire Spirit Emperor's Palace, he found no sign of the dragon blood. He didn't even find the Dragon Scale Grass that Ancient Sage Boxun had mentioned.

The information Ancient Sage Boxun had was three thousand years old. Could it be... the dragon blood no longer existed? "Only that one palace remains unexplored..." After flying for another period, Zhang Xuan pinpointed the last location: Emperor Chen Ling's sleeping chambers.

He hadn't dared to enter previously due to the aura of an Ancient Sage. Since he hadn't detected any dragon blood elsewhere, if it existed, it might be here.

"Regardless of whether an Ancient Sage is present, I must go inside and see..." Taking a deep breath, Zhang Xuan's eyebrows rose. He had come for the dragon blood; not investigating now would mean all his previous efforts were in vain.

Suppressing his entire energy fluctuation to the lowest possible level, he activated his Eye of Insight and gazed at the palace before him. A subtle, special seal enveloped the surroundings. Even a Soul entering would be easily detected. Aware of the danger, Zhang Xuan did not rush but instead waited for an opportunity.

He concealed himself within a large tree, completely hiding his aura. With his mental state already at the Ancient Sage level, he remained unperturbed by anything he encountered. Rather than rushing in impulsively and being discovered, it was better to wait quietly.

As long as someone resided there, people would surely be moving in and out, which would present an opportunity for him. "How are the appraisers doing with their evaluations?" After waiting for about half an hour, he indeed heard voices.

Peeking subtly, he saw the middle-aged man who was at the Great Perfection of the Immortality Realm earlier in the hall, now following an elder towards them. The elder's aura was completely hidden within his body, making it impossible to discern his cultivation depth. However, a strong sense of oppression emanated from his eyes, as if a single glance could detect and reveal any disguise or concealment.

"An Ancient Sage?" His pupils contracted. He hadn't guessed wrong; the elder's strength had definitely reached the Ancient Sage level. As expected of the Spirit Emperor's sleeping chambers, there was indeed a powerhouse of this caliber present.

Having confirmed the elder's strength, he dared not make any move. Holding his breath, Zhang Xuan's Soul remained perfectly still, hidden within the tree, fearing that any slight reveal would lead to his detection.

"Some have almost finished their appraisals, but they're still hesitant about confirming the value. Our Spirit Tribe's appraisers are still a long way off compared to those on the Master Teacher Continent!" The middle-aged man sighed.