The final piece of the key is in hand, the last puzzle piece is completed, forming a key in the shape of a sword.
"I didn’t expect it to actually be a spiritual artifact, but unfortunately, it’s already broken. However, it’s still enough to be used as a key. Some interesting thoughts indeed!"
Zhong Lin raised his eyebrows slightly, feeling the unique aura of a spiritual artifact emanating from the broken sword in his hand, sparking a bit of curiosity about the leader of the Bloody Ten Thieves.
"Senior, now that you have the key, could you..."
Before Xiang Jian could finish his flattering words, a huge iron fist suddenly enlarged before him.
With a dull sound, Xiang Jian’s body burst apart, turning into a splatter of flesh, dead beyond any doubt.
The storage bracelet was taken by Zhong Lin, and after a quick inspection, he flew straight toward the location of the Bloody Ten Thieves’ treasure trove.
The key having been found, the treasure trove had to be claimed immediately; there’s no waiting for it to produce offspring!
Wrapped in sword light, Zhong Lin transformed into a streak of light, rushing toward the ocean.
High above the void, Zhong Lin looked down, and compared to a few days ago, the ocean seemed much quieter now.
In the battle at the harbor, although the Luoxing Islands won a grand victory, and the entire sea ape clan was almost slaughtered, it didn’t mean that the martial artists on the Luoxing Islands were unharmed, with most of the casualties among the "hunters."
But it won’t be long before this place becomes bustling again, as the pursuit for a higher realm in martial arts drives them not to give up this "land of treasure" in front of them.
After several hours, a desolate island came into view.
The island was mostly covered with reefs and some tall coconut trees, seeming nothing extraordinary, with only some seabirds roosting there and no other lifeforms.
Zhong Lin landed on the island, and after a search, he arrived in front of a cliff. Slightly vibrating his spiritual origin, a hidden rock formation soon revealed a cave entrance.
Zhong Lin dashed inside. The cave was narrow and damp, but after a few hundred steps, it suddenly widened into a massive cavern.
The cavern was unremarkable, except for some man-made traces, and lacked any special features, only containing a pool in the center connected to the sea, constantly producing the sound of flowing water.
Zhong Lin did not hesitate for a moment and leaped into the pool, plummeting towards the seabed, swimming through the underwater reef like a fish, and entering a dark cave.
Chen Jia’s figure suddenly emerged from the Soul Nourishing Ring, eyes widening in disbelief.
"This... is this a Geng Metal vein? There’s actually a Geng Metal vein here?"
Zhong Lin was equally surprised. Geng Metal is an extremely hard metal, also known as the Five Elements Metal Essence, one of the best materials for crafting weapons.
A normal sword, when infused with Geng Metal, would see its hardness increase several levels, gaining sharpness and a killing aura.
Many Yunling Realm martial artists search the world for Geng Metal to make weapons, which are then placed in the Soul Palace to cultivate as their lifebound divine weapon.
"Zhong Lin, even without a treasure trove, the value of this Geng Metal vein alone makes this trip worthwhile. In the future, when you open the Soul Palace, you can use this Geng Metal to craft your own lifebound divine weapon," Chen Jia exclaimed joyfully.
Zhong Lin glanced around and soon spotted a bronze gate in a corner. The faint glow of gold emanating from it suggested Geng Metal had been mixed in, which explained why a key was necessary to open it.
He retrieved the sword-shaped key from the storage bracelet and slowly inserted it into the only hole, and with the sound of gears turning, the massive door finally opened.
Stepping inside, he saw another vast cave, but the contents made Zhong Lin gasp.
Piles upon piles of spirit stones were casually stacked on the ground like small mountains, totaling at least a million.
Some divine weapons were carelessly tossed around too, exuding chilling vibes, and various ores and herbs filled the corners, dizzying the eyes.
Numerous elixirs, Qi Blood Pills, Five Spirit Pills, Red Blood Pills, Great Rejuvenation Pills, Protecting Veins Pills, Pure Essence Pills, Breakthrough Pills, Color Fixing Pills...
Although they were mostly low-grade elixirs, their sheer quantity made them invaluable.
Chen Jia flew to a wall. On it were open niches, each displaying a different item.
"These are Purple Mansion Pills, ten bottles, ten pills each."
"These are Divine Essence Pills, Sixth Grade, targeted at Yunling Realm martial artists, enhancing the divine soul."
"Red Blood Dragon Ginseng, deep underground, only born through a series of coincidences, greatly beneficial to a martial artist’s body, especially for Qi-blood."
"Nine-Lobed Spiritual Ginseng, each lobe represents a hundred years of age. Nine lobes mean nine hundred years’ worth of ginseng."
"Spiritual Tree Heart, the core of a century-old tea tree, capable of clearing the mind and seeing the true nature."
"Yin God Flower, grows in extremely Yin lands, can enhance the divine soul."
One treasure after another from Chen Jia’s mouth, their value was self-evident.
Especially the Spiritual Tree Heart, a priceless treasure of the wood attribute for condensing a Wood Spirit Body.
Regrettably, the attribute wasn’t suitable.
Moreover, there were numerous cultivation techniques and martial arts skills in the niches, overwhelming the senses.
It’s no surprise that the Bloody Ten Thieves had amassed such wealth over the century, rivaling even some sects, but now it all belonged to Zhong Lin.
After making a round, Chen Jia’s gaze was drawn to a massive pill furnace.
Supported by four feet with two handles, engraved with dragon patterns and painted in crimson, a faint elixir fragrance wafted from it.
That wasn’t the most significant part—Zhong Lin sensed a spiritual artifact’s aura from the furnace, it was indeed a spiritual artifact.
"A lifebound weapon isn’t necessarily for attacking; some Pill Masters in the Spirit-controlling Realm nurture a pill furnace with their divine souls, although rare, to find one here is surprising,"
Chen Jia looked up at the massive pill furnace with a sigh.
Zhong Lin stared at the spiritual artifact furnace intently, divine light flickering in his eyes.
"Master, alchemy is solitary; it stands alone. The Dao does nothing, thereby named elixir. Heaven receives one purity, Earth receives one serenity, the valley is filled, and man attains longevity. Alchemy involves extracting the essence of herbs through intense heat, aided by the sovereign, minister, assistant, and envoy in the formula, melting the Five Elements’ mutual generation and mutual restraint principles into a single pill.
But what if one were to make a human into a pill?"
Zhong Lin suddenly spoke.
Chen Jia was dumbfounded, then felt a foreboding premonition.
"Zhong Lin, what are you planning?"
"The Dragon Elephant Golden Body becomes harder to cultivate the further one progresses; breaking through to the Seventh Level is nearly impossible with just one’s own effort, requiring external aids. Just like a pill furnace, it can be used for body refinement too, don’t you think, Master?"