Chapter 551: Treasure Gathering

Deep in thought, Shi Chun casually produced six sharp, crescent-shaped golden wheels. Wu Jinliang recognized these. They were a fifth-grade magic treasure belonging to You Mu of the Four Tripod Sect, reportedly also rendered useless by lightning.

Not stopping there, after sticking the six crescent golden wheels into the ground, Shi Chun conjured a long sword and a mace out of thin air.

The sword appeared simple, dark golden throughout, possessing an unadorned yet masterful elegance. The characters 'Flying Dragon' were inscribed on its blade, suggesting its name was the Flying Dragon Sword.

The mace was dull gray, segmented, and slender like a pagoda. The characters 'Soul-Shattering' were on its handle, indicating its name was the Soul-Shattering Mace.

Both of these treasures, which were fifth-grade magic artifacts, had been acquired in the Divine Fire Region from Gong Shixi and his group from the Thousand Rocks Sect. The Blood Soul Blade that Shi Chun was currently using had also been found with them.

So many fifth-grade magic treasures, yet all were struck by Li Hongjiu's cursed lightning and rendered useless. The Blood Soul Blade was an exception; its spirit had awakened on its own after absorbing blood energy.

If they hadn't possessed so many invaluable treasures, they would not have spent so long biding their time to obtain the "Death-Defying Incense," even going so far as to risk everything for it.

Wu Jinliang's eyes gleamed as he saw them, and he asked, "Shall we burn another chunk?"

It was a rhetorical question; the entire purpose of risking this journey was to unseal these treasures. Shi Chun nodded and replied, "Let's try."

"Alright!" Wu Jinliang looked very excited. He took out the small jar again, opened it, scooped out a fingerful of balm, and set it ablaze.

Shi Chun again performed the Demon Bathing Art, containing the smoke produced to prevent it from dispersing, gathering it around the magic treasures, and immersing them in it.

A moment later, the magic treasures began to vibrate one after another. Shi Chun quickly called out, "Put out the fire!"

Wu Jinliang naturally understood; they needed to conserve the "Death-Defying Incense" as their supply was limited, and wasting it had to be avoided.

As Shi Chun finished and reached out to examine the magic treasures, Wu Jinliang shamelessly stepped forward, chuckling, "Boss, can you give me another one?"

Shi Chun gave him a sidelong glance. "The one you have is worth three; don't be greedy. I've already given some to Chu Jingting and Lao Changtai. What happens when others see that they have them? We need to keep some rewards for good deeds, or who would still fight for us?"

Wu Jinliang chuckled awkwardly, then reflected seriously, "Chun, honestly, now that we have such a strong foundation, there's really no need to keep risking our lives so desperately. As the saying goes, 'He who walks by the river often will eventually get his shoes wet.' I think there's some truth to that."

Shi Chun chuckled. "Don't you know how these treasures came to be ours? Do you think it's still possible to stop now? It's useless for us to want to settle down. Whether we can live a stable and peaceful life depends on whether others agree."

After speaking, he picked up the magic treasures one by one, casting spells to integrate them with his spiritual consciousness, thus making the artifact spirits acknowledge him as their master.

"Sigh!" Wu Jinliang thought about it and sighed. "I think the biggest trouble is still the cultivation technique you practice. You make no progress without demonic arts, and your eyes light up whenever you see them. It would be strange if you could ever settle down."

Shi Chun retorted sarcastically, "If you publicly declare that you're severing ties with me, that might be a way. But you absolutely shouldn't have openly humiliated Gong Shaoci for Duan Xiangmei, offending him. And you still want to live a good life? Do you think you have that right?"

Wu Jinliang sat down on the ground with a thump and retorted sarcastically, "If you ask me, you shouldn't have publicly used the gourd's immobilization technique. An immobilization technique that can even counter fifth-grade magic treasures—Young Master Nan himself said it! Now, who knows how many people want to extract the secret of crafting fifth-grade immobilization talismans from us. If you ask me..."

His words stopped abruptly. A golden light suddenly flashed within the cave as the Flying Dragon Sword in Shi Chun's hand disintegrated, emitting dense demonic energy. A shadowy flood dragon, already manifesting deer antlers and two forelegs, its body shimmering with dark golden scales, coiled within the confined space, restrained, revolving around the two of them. Its immense aura was intimidating.

After the flood dragon's shadow coiled for a while, Shi Chun, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes and extended a palm. The coiling flood dragon rapidly darted towards it as if returning to its nest, quickly receding along with the demonic energy. In an instant, it transformed back into the Flying Dragon Sword and rested in Shi Chun's hand.

Once the sword was retracted, Shi Chun reached out, and the Soul-Shattering Mace, which was stuck in the ground, leaped into his hand.

After holding the mace and meditating with his eyes closed for a while, its body suddenly began to twist and turn in layers. Amidst the whirring, spinning motion, the mace expanded and grew larger, making Shi Chun appear as if he were holding a pagoda with a single palm.

Due to the limited space, the pagoda stopped expanding just as it was about to touch the cave ceiling. However, countless grains of yellow sand swept forth like a whirlwind from the rotating windows and doors on its body.

Wu Jinliang, affected by the sand, quickly tried to cast a spell to resist its impact, but his defenses were instantly breached. Although his precious robe blocked it, he was still struck painfully, and this was even before the full power of the spinning sand had manifested, simply because the power gap between his cultivation and a fifth-grade magic treasure was too immense.

Once the full power of the magic treasure was unleashed, even a single grain of yellow sand would probably be enough to kill him, let alone countless grains. He hurriedly moved closer to Shi Chun, standing at the axis of the swirling sand to seek refuge.

Only upon closer inspection did he realize that each grain of yellow sand gleamed with a metallic luster. What was most exasperating was that the pagoda seemed to contain an endless supply of yellow sand, which continuously swept out.

Fearing the cave would collapse, the endless output of yellow sand eventually stopped. However, it had already filled the cave, burying the two people inside alive.

When their heads reappeared, they saw the endless yellow sand recede like a tide, eventually returning entirely into the pagoda. And the pagoda ultimately shrank back into the precious mace in Shi Chun's hand.

Shi Chun stroked the mace and tutted, "This treasure's power is surely extraordinary!"

After speaking, he put it away. With a wave of his hand, the six sharp crescent golden wheels on the ground emitted power and floated up, beginning to spin around the two of them. The spinning speed increased rapidly until their forms were no longer visible; only six shimmering golden lines enveloped them.

Shi Chun tutted again, "It would be no problem to easily break open the strata that buried us."

Wu Jinliang, his eyes gleaming, also tutted, "Chun, we probably have to thank that shameless Li Hongjiu. If he hadn't secretly played tricks behind the scenes, using lightning to damage the various sects' valuable treasures, then if all those ultimate treasures from the various sects had truly been put to use, the last Divine Fire Region incident would probably have been enough to finish us off."

There was truth in his words, and Shi Chun deeply agreed. Suddenly, with a thought, he shook his sleeve, revealing the bracelet on his wrist. The six surrounding golden lights flashed, disappearing one after another, their residual light and shadows all flashing into the bracelet.

Afterward, he conjured the black lotus-shaped magic treasure out of thin air, turning it over, pondering and wondering.

Seeing this item, Wu Jinliang was also curious. "It's also a fifth-grade magic treasure, and it was knocked out by lightning like the others. Why did its artifact spirit manage to awaken on its own?"

Shi Chun muttered, "I feel like this artifact spirit can repair itself; it seems capable of cultivating on its own. It clearly has extraordinary qualities, but its weakness is also very obvious. Anyone who knows its weakness can easily subdue it. I don't know what kind of spirit it is; it makes me feel uneasy every time I want to use it."

Wu Jinliang said, "Later, let Tong Mingshan take a look and see if he can fix it."

Shi Chun replied, "He's already looked at it. He said it's a problem with the artifact spirit itself, which isn't his area of expertise. It would be good enough if he could fix that invisible blanket. If the blanket can be fixed, then the tear in the Immortal-Binding Silk should also be no problem."

The so-called invisible blanket was a treasure he, along with the Three Corpse Mirror and the Soul Severing Bell, had snatched from the women of Oblivion Valley when he assassinated Wu Shanshan in disguise as a masked man in the Divine Fire Region. However, after the invisible blanket was pierced by the Black Lotus Manifestation's sword, it lost its invisibility ability as a magic treasure. He occasionally used the Three Corpse Mirror. As for the Soul Severing Bell, it made too much noise when used, making it unsuitable for their stealthy operations and potentially affecting their own people. Therefore, he had basically never formally used it.

After putting away the black lotus magic treasure, Shi Chun made an upward gesture. "Let's go, let's head up."

Wu Jinliang immediately used the earth-burrowing technique to bring him upward. "Later, let Xiao Sheng first infiltrate Dazhi City to scout out the situation for us."

"Us?" Shi Chun turned his head in surprise, sizing him up. "You still want to go to Dazhi City? You should honestly find a place to hide with Xiao Sheng first. I can go to Dazhi City by myself."

Wu Jinliang earnestly advised, "Chun, don't be arrogant. Two extra helpers are better than going alone."

Shi Chun was amused. "I say, Jinliang, if you come along, can you still be considered a helper? Even those from the Golden-Furred Rat clan who've never seen you will immediately know who you are the moment they do. Are you sure going to Dazhi City with me would be helping me and not implicating me? Do you believe that as long as you're with me, even if I disguise myself, I'd be immediately discovered?"

"..." Wu Jinliang was silenced. He realized something and his expression showed a hint of resentment.

Shi Chun shook his head. "Alright, I'll be fine entering the city disguised. You and Xiao Sheng just find a good place to hide."

Wu Jinliang sighed, "Being grand and mighty has become a sin in this world..."

He paused mid-sentence, startled, and stopped their ascent. He took out a mother-child talisman to check it. His expression hardened after reading it, and he showed it to Shi Chun. "From Xiao Sheng," he said. "He found people moving back and forth in this area outside. There seem to be quite a few of them, and they appear to be searching this area. He's asking what to do."

"Searching this area?" a surprised Shi Chun began. "What's there to search in this wilderness? It can't be for us, can it? We haven't..." He suddenly stopped speaking, as if remembering something, and his face fell. "Damn it, I forgot the people from the Extreme Fire Sect are in this area! It's the 'Sky Net Sword Bone Umbrella.' Damn, Yin Tianlu might be nearby. He might have sensed his magic treasure."

Wu Jinliang was startled. "What do we do then?"

Shi Chun said decisively, "They're coming for me. Go up and get Xiao Sheng. You two hide yourselves well first. After I lead them away, you can then find another safe place to hide."

Wu Jinliang took out his three-in-one magic treasure. "That won't do! We'll fight our way out together!"

Shi Chun glanced at his magic treasure. "It's useless; they came prepared. If even with all my magic treasures I can't escape, adding you two won't help either. I'll lead them away. If I fail and fall into their hands, the Extreme Fire Sect won't be in a hurry to kill me. You immediately find a way to send a message out and have the demonic path faction led by Xiang Lan'er figure out a way to rescue me."

This was indeed a more secure plan. In a critical moment, Wu Jinliang didn't hesitate. He decisively replied, "Alright, be careful yourself."

After speaking, he first sent a message back to Xiao Sheng, then continued to use the earth-burrowing technique to ascend.

After Xiao Sheng confirmed it was safe to surface, the two of them emerged from underground. Xiao Sheng, who was already nearby, immediately joined them.

Without saying much, Wu Jinliang directly pulled Xiao Sheng and burrowed underground again.

Shi Chun, who had quickly moved behind a hillside to observe briefly, swiftly tore off his simple disguise, deliberately revealing his true appearance. He then darted into the Heart-Enveloping Grass forest, using its cover to rapidly flee.

Indeed, things were as he expected: the other party had truly come prepared this time. After cordoning off an area, a group of experts first spread out, casting spells to define the perimeter. They then continuously advanced, casting spells to search, gradually narrowing the locked-down area, while the rest assisted in the search.

Shi Chun, in hiding and fleeing, knew he couldn't hide anymore after running into the searching magical power fluctuations. He immediately used Wind Scales, propelling himself rapidly towards the sky.

As expected, figures immediately soared into the air nearby and swiftly pursued him.