Jiang Yuechu's eyes flickered slightly.
Hmm?
This thing actually exists?!
If it truly is a superior Divine Soul Cultivation Technique, wouldn't that mean her Great Black Heaven could step into the supreme realm?
She slowly stood up.
Her black hem slid off the bone throne.
"Lead the way."
"Yes!"
The Demon Emperor Jade Dust bowed and turned toward the rear hall.
Jiang Yuechu stepped forward to follow.
As she passed Wang Ziyu, her steps paused slightly.
She glanced sideways at the small face that had been tense the whole way.
"...Keep up."
She only said two words.
Yet her tone held a trace of imperceptible relaxation compared to when she spoke to Demon Emperor Jade Dust just now.
Wang Ziyu pursed his lips and said nothing.
One person and one tiger followed behind.
Tiger Cuihua moved her tiger paws stealthily, afraid of making even a single extra sound.
The four figures disappeared into the collapsed passage behind the hall.
...
Passing through the collapsed rear hall passage.
A corridor carved into the rock wall extended downward, going deeper and deeper.
Night-luminescent pearls were embedded in the walls on both sides, emitting a faint, cold light.
Demon Emperor Jade Dust walked at the very front, the half-collapsed deer face appearing exceptionally hideous under the cold light.
But his expression was extremely respectful.
Whenever they reached a corner or a fork, he would lean his body in advance and use his half-broken horn to guide the way for Jiang Yuechu.
"Senior, another hundred steps down is the entrance to the treasury."
He lowered his voice, as if introducing his own treasures.
"That old... that Heavenly Bamboo managed Wangchuan for hundreds of thousands of years; the belongings he scraped together are all down there."
Speaking to this point.
Demon Emperor Jade Dust secretly glanced back at Jiang Yuechu.
Seeing the young woman's expression remained normal, with no intention of acknowledging him at all.
He swallowed and continued.
"Among them, there are dozens of cubic units of spiritual Ore alone, as well as many ancient Medicinal Pills and damaged Magical Artifacts..."
Halfway through his words.
He found that Jiang Yuechu still had no reaction.
Demon Emperor Jade Dust closed his mouth sheepishly.
This True Dragon Senior had just killed Elder Heavenly Bamboo, sat on the bone throne, and was now going to seize the treasury.
If he performed diligently enough and proved useful enough.
Perhaps he could get a share of the spoils.
Even if it were just the scraps from the treasury, it would be enough for him to enjoy for a long time.
But Senior seemed to have no intention of giving any rewards at all...
Could it be she was still testing him?
At the end of the corridor.
A giant gate cast from a single piece of black iron stood before them.
A few dim runes remained on the gate's surface.
Just as Jade Dust had said.
After Elder Heavenly Bamboo died, those once-strict Restrictions had now completely dissipated.
Demon Emperor Jade Dust pressed both palms against the gate and pushed with force.
Rumble—
The heavy iron gate slowly opened to both sides.
A rich scent, mixed with the fragrance of spiritual Ore and the smell of aged medicine, wafted toward them.
The cold light from the corridor could not reach inside.
In the darkness, the outlines of countless chests and stone platforms were faintly visible.
Demon Emperor Jade Dust took a night-luminescent pearl from the wall and held it high.
The cold light spread out.
The full view of the treasury was finally revealed.
It wasn't particularly large or small.
Roughly the size of an ordinary palace hall.
On the stone platforms, various spiritual Ores were arranged by grade.
In the corner were stacked a dozen iron chests, their lids open, revealing the Medicinal Pills and damaged Magical Artifacts inside.
There were also several independent jade racks with strange items of unknown use placed upon them.
Demon Emperor Jade Dust immediately entered his role.
He walked quickly to the nearest row of stone platforms and began introducing them as if he knew them all by heart.
"Senior, please look. These spiritual Ores are Red Copper Essence found only in the deep mountains of the far west, excellent Materials for Artifact Refining..."
As he spoke, he looked back eagerly at Jiang Yuechu.
Jiang Yuechu glanced at those pieces of Red Copper Essence.
Then she glanced at Demon Emperor Jade Dust's half-collapsed deer face, which was written all over with expectation.
She didn't bother to respond.
She walked straight past the stone platforms toward the depths of the treasury.
Demon Emperor Jade Dust was stunned for a moment.
He hurriedly trotted to keep up.
"Senior, there are also several ten-thousand-year-old Ganoderma here, of excellent quality..."
Jiang Yuechu turned a deaf ear.
Demon Emperor Jade Dust persisted.
"That old dog's most prized Jasper Ruyi is right here..."
"..."
"...Uh."
Demon Emperor Jade Dust finally stopped talking.
He didn't understand what this Senior was thinking.
A room full of treasures, yet she didn't fancy a single one.
Following behind, Wang Ziyu understood clearly in his heart.
This girl simply didn't know how precious these things were.
Instead of picking and choosing here piece by piece...
It would be better to pack it all up and throw it to the people of the Great Tang, letting them divide it slowly themselves.
Jiang Yuechu walked around the treasury.
Wherever her gaze fell, there were indeed many Heaven And Earth Treasures.
Spiritual Ores, Medicinal Pills, Magical Artifacts, and ancient scrolls.
All sorts of things piled up in half the room.
But to be honest.
It was far from being as shocking as Wuxiang Mountain had been.
But it made sense.
No matter how much Wuxiang Mountain had declined, it was still an entire Dao Lineage.
Having been established for countless tens of thousands of years, its foundation was so deep it was staggering.
As for Wangchuan.
It was merely one branch of the Xirang Lineage.
How much good stuff could it hold?
Jiang Yuechu continued to search without much expectation.
In the deepest part of the treasury.
In front of a stone wall.
On several independent jade racks, some items sealed in jade boxes were placed.
It was evident that Elder Heavenly Bamboo treated these things differently from the spiritual Ores and Magical Artifacts outside.
They were clearly more cherished items.
Jiang Yuechu casually opened a jade box.
Inside was a fist-sized dark red Ore, emitting a burning heat.
Didn't recognize it.
Tossed it back.
She opened another one.
A dark green bead the size of a dragon's eye, with faint lightning moving within the bead's body.
Didn't recognize it.
Tossed it back.
Demon Emperor Jade Dust felt pained watching from the side.
These were all his adoptive father's most prized possessions.
To be casually picked up and tossed back like that...
It was simply a waste of heavenly treasures.
But how could he dare to speak?
He could only bleed silently in his heart.
Jiang Yuechu opened seven or eight jade boxes in succession, but found nothing she wanted.
Just as she was about to continue looking through the rest.
Her peripheral vision suddenly caught an inconspicuous spot in the corner of the stone wall.
Leaning against the base of the wall was a bundle of bamboo.
To be precise.
It was a bundle of rather strange-looking bamboo.
The bamboo joints were thick and short, and the patterns on the branches were twisted and coiled.
The entire body was a dull reddish-brown color.
It looked like dead wood that had been dead for countless years.
Yet when touched, there was still a faint, indistinct trace of life flowing between the joints.
Jiang Yuechu knelt down and casually moved the bundle of bamboo.
Among this pile of reddish-brown bamboo.
One was purplish-red throughout.
The branches were twisted and coiled, unlike ordinary bamboo which grew straight upward.
Instead, it had nine bends.
At each bend, a very fine purple fluorescence faintly floated on the joints.
Jiang Yuechu pulled out this purple bamboo.
It was ice-cold to the touch.
Before she could speak.
A sudden cry of surprise came from behind her.
"nine-bend purple bamboo?!"
Everyone glanced sideways.
Wang Ziyu had leaned in at some point.
His youthful little face was full of disbelief.
Needless to say for Jiang Yuechu, she was a pure martial general.
Although Jade Dust had been around for many years, he was just a demon; how could he have so much knowledge...
As for Tiger Cuihua, she also mostly read from books; if a real item was placed before her, she might not necessarily recognize it.
Seeing one person and two demons looking at him expectantly.
Wang Ziyu took a deep breath, suppressed the excitement in his heart, and spoke.
"Purple bamboo is transformed from the essence-soul of divine objects, only responding to the call of Spiritual Qi. It grows on stone, and its trunk, branches, and leaves are all purplish-red. Ordinary purple bamboo is already rare, but this nine-bend purple bamboo... is the most unique."
Wang Ziyu swallowed.
"Growing toward the heavens, yet its trunk and branches are twisted and coiled like a snake. It is said to be transformed from the despairing essence-souls of heaven and earth."
"Objects made from this bamboo can attack the human heart and break one's Dao foundation. It is one of the rare top-grade heart materials."
As the last five words fell.
The treasury became silent for a moment.
Jiang Yuechu looked down at the nine-bend purple bamboo in her hand.
Another top-grade heart material.
Including the water-fire cold smoke coal she had obtained from Ma Dewang previously.
That made four.
In other words.
She only needed to find one more.
Then she could reach the realm of Ascending the Tower Perfection and attempt to cross into the Chess Player stage!