Chapter 2622: Treasure Hunting

The Beiming family was once incredibly powerful, but they were suddenly annihilated. Given their status, there was no need for them to collude with the Jinghuo Clan. Even if there were a few traitors, they could have simply purged them; there was no reason for the entire clan to be exterminated.

Anyone with discerning eyes could see that the Beiming family's destruction had another cause; their alleged collusion with the Jinghuo Clan was merely an excuse. However, too much time has passed since then, and no one knows the exact truth.

"When did the Beiming family's 'Myriad Flame Secret Manual' appear?" Wang Qingshan asked with a smile. "Did Fellow Daoist Zeng not bid on it?"

"About ten years ago!" Zeng Yusen replied truthfully. "We didn't know at the time that cultivation technique was bought by someone from the Li family. Over the past century, Beiming family artifacts have occasionally appeared, so it's estimated someone has obtained the Beiming family's treasures." He then recalled something and added, "The Xuanming Bottle, one of the Beiming family's five great clan-guarding treasures, had a lot of Xuanming Heavy Water refined into it. With this treasure, the Beiming family's Body Integration cultivators had killed alien races at the Body Integration stage."

"The Xuanming Bottle?"

Wang Qingshan nodded thoughtfully. He then recalled something and asked, "Is Lady Liu a ghost cultivator? And Fellow Daoist Zhang too?"

Zeng Yusen nodded. "Lady Liu raises several ghost creatures, and her Yin energy is quite strong," he explained. "However, I've known her for a thousand years, and she's a good person. Fellow Daoist Zhang isn't a ghost cultivator, but he has a good relationship with Lady Liu."

After chatting for a while, Zeng Yusen bid farewell and left.

"The Beiming family!" Wang Qingshan's face showed a thoughtful expression as he muttered to himself.

He entered the secret chamber, took out a golden porcelain bottle, and removed the stopper. A ball of golden flame flew out; it was a fifth-order spiritual flame. He opened his mouth and spat out the Azure Lotus Karma Fire, forming a hand seal. The Azure Lotus Karma Fire transformed into an azure lotus and flew directly towards the golden flame. The golden flame showed some resistance, but with Wang Qingshan's assistance, the Azure Lotus Karma Fire enveloped it. As time passed, the golden flame slowly merged with the Azure Lotus Karma Fire.

Half a month quickly passed.

On a vast bluestone plaza, tens of thousands of cultivators had gathered. Wang Qingshan blended into the crowd. Today was the day the Heavenly Spring Dharma Assembly was held, where many cultivators would exchange insights on cultivation for over a month. Grand Elder Master Tianquan of Tianquan Palace delivered a sermon, and afterward, other Void Refinement cultivators could also deliver sermons, all with the aim of exchanging insights on cultivation. Wang Qingshan had participated in many similar events.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, what a coincidence!" Zhang Zihao greeted Wang Qingshan, his face full of smiles.

Wang Qingshan smiled faintly in response. A hint of confusion appeared deep in his eyes, but Zhang Zihao did not notice it.

Two hours later, Zhang Zihao stepped forward to deliver a sermon, speaking of his own experiences. He was a rogue cultivator by origin, making a living by hunting demonic beasts and also going treasure hunting, thus he was very experienced. Liu Mi did not step forward to deliver a sermon. When it was Wang Qingshan's turn, he spoke about his cultivation progress, mixing truth with falsehood, and other Void Refinement cultivators offered a few comments. There were few Void Refinement Sword Cultivators present, so they couldn't offer much good advice.

Three days later, Soul Transformation cultivators were still giving sermons, but Void Refinement cultivators had stopped appearing.

In a secluded small courtyard with green tiles, Wang Qingshan chatted with Zeng Yusen.

"An ancient cultivator's cave? So suddenly?" Wang Qingshan asked, perplexed. "Why would they look for you to search for treasure without any reason? Couldn't they open it themselves?"

Zhang Zihao and Liu Mi had invited Zeng Yusen on an adventure, having discovered an ancient cultivator's cave that they couldn't open. They invited Zeng Yusen to help them search for treasure.

"The restrictions are exceptionally powerful, requiring six Void Refinement cultivators to open it together," Zeng Yusen explained. "The two of them couldn't open it, so they invited Fellow Daoist Lei and me, and asked each of us to invite a friend, to search for treasure together. Fellow Daoist Wang, my relatives are not around, so I'd like to invite you along. What do you say?" Zeng Yusen said sincerely that his other friends were also at the early Void Refinement stage, but Wang Qingshan's strength was greater in comparison, as he had fought against alien races on the front lines.

"Where is this ancient cultivator's cave? Is it far from here?" Wang Qingshan pressed.

"They didn't say," Zeng Yusen replied. "After all, they are rogue cultivators and fear we might silence them. If we agree, we'll go today; if not, we'll pretend this never happened and go our separate ways. Since it requires six Void Refinement cultivators to open, it should be a Body Integration cultivator's meditative cave." Zeng Yusen said excitedly, believing his opportunity had arrived. Zhang Zihao and Liu Mi's strength wasn't particularly great, but for caution's sake, he still wanted to invite Wang Qingshan along.

"Alright! I'll go with you this once!" Wang Qingshan pondered for a moment, then agreed. Relying solely on traveling wouldn't allow him to advance to the mid-Void Refinement stage; many Void Refinement cultivators remained at the early stage for five or six thousand years, or even longer. Perilous places like the Myriad Spirit Abyss and Myriad Flame Mountain Range were too dangerous for his current strength, but a treasure hunt should be fine. The Azure Glaze Sword had already advanced to a mid-grade Sky-reaching Spirit Treasure. He carried a sixth-tier escape talisman, had the Golden Horn Thunder-Scale Beast and the Stone Man to assist him, and a Calamity Substitution Pearl. Even if he encountered a powerful enemy, he should be able to retreat safely.

"Excellent! We'll meet at the market's exit later," Zeng Yusen said in a deep voice, then got up and left.

Wang Qingshan put away the Stone Man and walked out. Less than fifteen minutes later, he appeared at the entrance of a nine-story azure pavilion. The plaque above the entrance bore the three large characters "Zixuan Tower," indicating it was a place that dealt in information. Wang Qingshan stepped inside. A moment later, he walked out. He inquired with the information broker about any recent news of rogue cultivators harming people and heard no such news. This put Wang Qingshan considerably at ease. He hoped the treasure hunt would go smoothly.

He arrived at the market's exit. Less than fifteen minutes later, Zhang Zihao, Liu Mi, Lei Yuting, and Zeng Yusen all arrived, accompanied by a tall, slender old man in a yellow robe who was at the mid-Void Refinement stage.

"Let's go! Let's depart! I hope everything goes smoothly," Zhang Zihao said. He waved his hand and walked out. After leaving the market, Zhang Zihao summoned a pale azure flying boat and jumped onto it. Wang Qingshan and the other five quickly followed.

"Go!" With a soft shout from Zhang Zihao, the azure flying boat transformed into a streak of azure light and quickly vanished into the horizon.

The Black Cloud Mountain Range stretched for millions of miles. The spiritual energy here was sparse, there were only a few fifth-tier demonic beasts, and high-level cultivators rarely set foot here. Deep within the mountain range, lay a hidden underground cave. The stone walls of the cave were inscribed with numerous profound array patterns, emitting strong restrictive fluctuations. Inside the cave was a pale golden coffin, and a middle-aged man with resolute features sat in a corner, his eyes tightly closed.

The coffin lid suddenly flew open, and an old man in a golden python robe flew out. His eyes were blood-red and sunken, his fingers pitch-black, and a pair of fangs protruded.

"It's been over a hundred years, and they still haven't returned," the old man in golden robes muttered, frowning. "They wouldn't betray me, would they?"

"If they really wanted to harm you, they would have returned by now," the middle-aged man said deeply. "I hope you keep your promise!"

"Don't worry, I always keep my word," the golden-robed old man said. "That secret realm is a crucial place for our Beiming family; without Body Integration stage cultivation, it's impossible to open. Once I advance to the Body Integration stage, I'll take you there. If that young monk hadn't injured me, I might have already reached the Body Integration stage." The golden-robed old man's face was full of murderous intent, and his eyes gleamed with malice.