Chapter 301: Touching My Stuff, and You Still Want to Leave?

The precisely missed timing led to his demise.

Half an hour later.

When Wang Yu finally tracked him down, the Golden Core in his hand had completely dimmed. After examining the corpse, he found that the life force had been utterly extinguished, and even the soul had dissipated.

This made him frown deeply. He hadn't even performed soul-searching yet!

He just died like that?

However, he managed to retrieve the lost storage ring, so it wasn't a complete loss. After taking it off, Wang Yu reached into his own clothes, fumbling for a while before pulling out a string.

It was densely strung with storage rings.

These items were much more valuable than lower-grade magical artifacts like storage pouches. Due to the rarity of spatial materials, ordinary sects actually lacked the ability to produce high-grade storage rings.

Only major sects possessed this capability, and even then, most were unearthed from ancient ruins and secret realms—treasures passed down from antiquity!

Whether called a Cosmos Ring, a Mustard Seed Ring, or a Storage Ring, they were all the same type of item, their value lying in the spatial material integrated into the ring.

Their value was high and stable. He had never sold any of the ones he acquired, though he had thoroughly emptied their contents. He then added another exquisite ring to his collection.

He also tossed Zhuo Cang's corpse into his Yin-Nurturing Coffin, planning to collect a few more and then find an opportunity within this Burial Pit Secret Realm to advance his Twin Corpses, as there was plenty of high-quality blood food for nourishment here.

Given the unique environment, the difficulty shouldn't be too great. His Yin Corpse Refining Art was already nearing perfection; he had almost fully grasped its contents.

While transferring the spirit stones from the ring, Wang Yu's attention gradually shifted to the grand hall. With just a glance, he recognized the flowers carved on the jade railings on both sides.

It was—the Other Shore Flower!

Having cultivated the Yellow Spring Great Hand Seal and being at odds with the Yellow Spring Sect, he naturally had a deeper understanding of such information.

Legend had it that this wondrous item, the Other Shore Flower, only grew on the banks of the true Yellow Spring River. It was not only a sacred object for cultivators of the Yin and Ghost Dao paths, but also a spiritual item that brought forgetfulness. Consuming its juice could cleanse memories, allowing one to forget all past events and achieve a state of detached forgetfulness.

This didn't mean it erased all memories, turning a person into an idiot.

Instead, it purged all trivial things unrelated to cultivation, allowing for the rapid attainment of a carefree state of mind, which greatly benefited cultivation.

If he could obtain the Other Shore Flower here, Wang Yu believed it would have a significant purifying effect on his Asura Killing Intent, offering boundless benefits.

Of course, if considered from the perspective of decorative elements, the likelihood of finding actual Other Shore Flowers here was negligible.

This style and reverence for it were likely connected to the Yellow Spring Sect, which made him recall an old incident from many years ago.

When he returned to Taihu Lake years ago, the Seal of Desire in the Black Mountain Demonic Land not only involved the Joyful Demon Sect, but also the Kṣitigarbha Elder lineage of the Yellow Spring Sect was deeply involved.

They were plotting something around the Northern Boundary Mountain Range.

He had incidentally heard this information from Lan Boting in the Dried Leaf Marsh. Despite being a high-ranking disciple of the Sword Sect, Lan Boting had a restriction from the Yellow Spring Sect on him. Wang Yu hadn't dared to investigate further at the time.

Now, it seemed they might have been searching for this very place.

But then he felt it shouldn't be so.

The Burial Pit Secret Realm was too small to warrant such extensive effort, unless there was an even larger secret realm connected to the Yellow Spring Sect hidden within it!

“I recall that before the Yellow Spring Sect was established, it actually developed from a remnant branch of an ancient dominant power known as the Nether Spring Bone Dao, preceding the Sky Soul Sect by ten thousand years.”

He murmured to himself.

Wang Yu summoned the Glazed Ice Heart Pagoda, which spun above his head. Although it was inscribed with the Twelve Forms of the Vast Cold and the Aurora Evasion Art, it could also serve as a defensive magical treasure in crucial moments, just like his own main alchemy cauldron, which primarily aided in alchemy.

The material of the magical treasure itself was enough to defend him against most attacks.

He followed the path opened by the Zhuo family members.

Passing through the thick, specially crafted stone wall, an empty grand hall came into view. There were clear signs of activity; even every table and chair had been moved.

Nothing had been left for Wang Yu, which made him slightly annoyed.

“This should all have been mine, you group of bandits!”

“Hmph—”

A Feng Shui Compass appeared in his right hand. With an infusion of magical power, it rapidly expanded, and a complex miniature ritual array rose from its center. Wang Yu then took out five blank Tier 2 formation flags.

He chanted incantations.

“Five Directions, Five Spirits, guide the way and manifest your divine power.”

“Go, open a path to safety!”

After the five formation flags manifested as phantom images of the Five Spirits, they were inserted into the Feng Shui Compass. The central ritual array then projected a winding white beam of light.

Following its guidance allowed one to bypass all restrictions and mechanisms in the area. This was the marvel of Feng Shui Secret Arts.

There was still a slight difference between a Geomatic Formation Master and a Geomatic Master.

The latter was proficient in extraordinary Feng Shui techniques, capable of breaking formations, dissolving situations, and even reversing natural arrangements. While seemingly similar to a Geomatic Formation Master, their combat power was far inferior.

Their unique techniques required reliance on a Feng Shui Compass to unleash their full power. Moreover, if too many natural or mystical layouts were broken, it could easily distort one's own fate, invite misfortune, and lead to a tragic death.

The progenitor of this Geomatic Master art was merely a Soul Transformation cultivator, who eventually vanished, maddened, within a grand celestial layout.

Their potential was certainly not as great as that of orthodox cultivation techniques and divine abilities. It could only exist as an auxiliary art.

But let's put these aside for now.

Following this safe path, Wang Yu pressed on quickly. Along the way, he discovered numerous lingering bloodstains. Judging by the amount of blood, at least two people had died.

They had met a gruesome end, torn limb from limb. While no large chunks of flesh were visible, there was plenty of minced meat splattered on the walls and coiled pillars.

Beyond the front hall was a plaza.

At its end was the central hall, flanked by corridors with high walls, about six inches off the ground, completely empty and devoid of any vitality.

What was rather strange was that after following the trail to this point, there were no further traces of anyone else. Those people seemed to have vanished.

“Divine Sense into Threads — Ten Thousand Miles Manifesting Sect!”

Switching to a more refined method of investigation, every corner of the empty plaza was thoroughly scanned by his divine sense. He quickly made a discovery. “They went underground.”

After a moment of thought, Wang Yu released his Grand Yin Malice Corpse, instructing it to lead the way. The time limit for the formation flags on the Feng Shui Compass had expired.

These not-so-cheap items crumbled, becoming useless.

Once used as a medium for Feng Shui Secret Arts, these formation flags were single-use consumables, far from economical, which might also explain their powerful effects.

Underground.

Zhuo Jie and Zhuo Yu's expressions were not very pleasant. The four late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators who had accompanied them had all perished, having been used to test the restrictions along the way.

They were all dead, leaving only the two of them.

The grand hall above, it could be said, had a restriction at every step. Its defenses were maximized, making it far more dangerous than they had anticipated. Moreover, it seemed to be a form of invisible counter-measure.

It was as if something inside them exploded in a bizarre manner; none of them left any remains, not even bone fragments, shattering inch by inch.

“Brother Jie, since we're already here, we should at least go in and take a look. Such densely arranged restrictions surely indicate that the owner of this place was of no small stature, don't you think?”

“That makes sense.” Zhuo Jie nodded in deep agreement.

“I heard Brother Yu is skilled in puppetry. How about we send your puppet in to scout first?”

“—Alright!” Zhuo Yu gritted his teeth and agreed. He had only dabbled in puppetry and hadn't invested many resources, so he only had an ordinary early-stage Tier 3 spirit puppet.

Because it had been infused with a demonic beast's essence soul, it possessed basic intelligence.

It usually served him as a perfect assistant for his daily needs, so he felt a pang of reluctance.

And so, Zhuo Jie watched as his companion produced a long-legged puppet, sparsely dressed, with a curvaceous figure and fair, beautiful skin. Its facial features bore some resemblance to Zhuo Wenshi.

Aside from its lack of lively eyes, there was genuinely little difference between it and a real person.

Zhuo Jie: “...”

He had something to say, but wasn't sure if he should. No wonder Zhuo Yu looked as sullen as if his mother had died.

Zhuo Yu: “Don't tell anyone.”

Zhuo Jie: “Don't worry, once we leave this palace, I won't tell a soul. Haven't you learned to trust my discretion?”

Zhuo Yu: “Then it's settled. Go.”

Under the control of divine sense, the spirit puppet, resembling Zhuo Wenshi but with a figure far more refined, stepped into the hidden chamber before them.

Inside, it was pitch black, but for Core Formation cultivators, darkness was not an insurmountable difficulty. Their life essence had undergone two transformations, making them long different from ordinary people.

As long as the darkness wasn't formed by spells or restrictions, it couldn't affect them.

However, after the spirit puppet entered, it didn't trigger any special restrictions, and the view it perceived was transmitted to Zhuo Yu's mind. The secret chamber was empty, with only a stone platform in the center.

On it lay a corpse dressed in white robes.

“Let's go, there seem to be no restrictions.”

“Heh heh, Brother Yu, please go first.”

“Very well.”

The truth was, there really were no traps.

The two smoothly reached the stone platform. Zhuo Jie conjured several bright flames in his hand, illuminating the entire secret chamber, leaving nothing unseen. He said, puzzled, “How could this be… According to our previous deductions, the person who set this place up wouldn't want us to disturb the deceased. So why is it safe right in front of the corpse? And burying someone in a secret chamber is too strange; it doesn't align with ancient burial customs. It's truly too crude.”

He spoke for a while, but his companion showed no reaction. His heart sank instantly.

“Brother Yu? Brother Yu?”

Zhuo Yu didn't respond; instead, he began trembling with excitement.

“Magic robe! This is a Tier 4 magic robe! Jie…”

Before he could finish, an angry roar resounded.

“You scoundrel, how dare you lay your hands on my belongings! Die!”

The one who appeared at that moment was Wang Yu, not an illusion.

He had hurried all the way, and after finally catching up to these people, the first thing he saw was someone messing with his treasure. Truly deserving of death!

He had heard it: a Tier 4 magic robe.

It must have been lost by his ancestors.

While speaking to intimidate them, he unceremoniously unleashed the Yellow Spring Great Hand Seal. In this small secret chamber, the colossal hand, like a turbid yellow current, enveloped all available space.

Except for burrowing underground, there was nowhere to hide!

As Zhuo Jie tried to create distance, conjuring a magical treasure to defend himself, Zhuo Yu remained utterly still, continuously repeating, “Magic robe! This is a Tier 4 magic robe! Jie…”

“Magic robe! This is a Tier 4 magic robe! Jie…”

like a broken record.