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Chapter 106: The Cauldron and the Coffin
Chapter 106: The Cauldron and the Coffin
"Another second-order beast slain..."
In the depths of the dense forest, silence reigned. The aura and dying scream of the second-order beast were enough to clear the nearby area. However, this level of disturbance was unlikely to attract a third-order beast.
Fang Xing stood on the corpse of the four-armed golden ape, using its fiery golden fur to wipe away the blood stains on his sword. He then proceeded to dissect the beast.
"I hope my guess is right... But even if I'm wrong, obtaining the materials from a second-order beast and gaining experience in life-and-death battles isn't a loss..."
With skilled movements, he sliced open the beast's stomach, revealing a large gastric pouch. A putrid odor assaulted his senses, but fortunately, Fang Xing had already manipulated his nano-protective suit to form a gas mask.
Within the pouch, he spotted numerous undigested minerals, each emitting a faint spiritual glow. Some were as large as a palm, while others were as small as longans, but they all seemed extraordinary.
"These must be second-order minerals... They could fetch a good price in spirit stones. This ape must have liked to swallow minerals to temper its body, no wonder its defense was so strong!"
As he searched further, he found some undigested beast meat and fell into deep thought.
"The death of a Foundation Establishment cultivator is like a falling whale... Their physical bodies are rich in spiritual energy, even a single drop of their blood is precious... It must have attracted the attention of the nearby beasts, leading to a feeding frenzy."
"Then these beasts would either advance in stage or be devoured by stronger beasts..."
"The only second-order beast left in this area is this ape, which must have been like a 'Gu King'. Any valuable items should be with it..."
As he rummaged through the ape's belongings, his eyes suddenly lit up.
A uniquely shaped golden phoenix hairpin fell into his hand. Although it was just a small hair accessory, it was exceptionally heavy. The phoenix's eyes were blood-red and lifelike, as if it were about to spread its wings and take flight.
"This feeling is even more astonishing than any spiritual artifact... No wonder it's a treasure of a Foundation Establishment cultivator! Even after being in the stomach of a beast that can digest second-order minerals, it remains pristine..."
Fang Xing speculated that it might take several decades or even centuries for the ape to gradually digest the hairpin, further enhancing its defense. By then, it might be beyond his ability to breach.
'No, wait. Martial arts progress at an incredible pace... Will I still care about a small beast in a hundred years, even if it has pseudo-third-order or third-order body tempering?'
He fiddled with the hairpin treasure, probing it with his psychic power. However, it was like shouting into a void, with no response.
In the end, he could only admit that while the item was valuable, it only held worth as material to be sold. He prepared to store it away in his storage bag and continue dismantling the second-order beast.
As for the Foundation Establishment cultivator's storage bag? It was obviously not here.
It was most likely swallowed by the third-order flood dragon.
A third-order beast was comparable to a Zhuji (Foundation Establishment) cultivator! Even more terrifying was the fact that a third-order flood dragon would possess an extraordinary bloodline, at least equivalent to a Jindan (Golden Core) or even a Yuanying (Nascent Soul) cultivator! It was not something Fang Xing could handle at the moment.
"Hmm?"
As he was about to store the hairpin, his expression changed. The 'Ten Thousand Commandments' token in his storage bag began to glow faintly, and the radiance seemed to be growing stronger!
"Impossible!" Fang Xing's face twitched. "We're still far from the maximum distance it can sense... Could it be... that the range of its sensing ability is constantly changing?"
"Or... is it sensing something nearby? Did those Foundation Establishment cultivators bring it out from the secret realm?"
His expression turned solemn as he began to analyze the situation.
'If the Ten Thousand Commandments is sensing something within the secret realm, then the chances of it being brought out are high... But why would it be in this area?'
'Unless... the female Foundation Establishment cultivator, knowing her impending death, secretly tossed it out before she died, not wanting to benefit the flood dragon or the cultivator who ambushed her? How clever... Even the surveillance didn't detect her small action...'
'Of course, it's also possible that the Ten Thousand Commandments is malfunctioning or its sensing range has changed... This is easy to test. I just need to move towards the direction of Five Scorpion Valley and observe its reaction.'
Setting variables and conducting experiments was something every student from Blue Star knew how to do.
Without hesitation, Fang Xing took a step forward, heading towards Five Scorpion Valley while monitoring the activity of the Ten Thousand Commandments.
Soon, the light on the token gradually weakened.
He stopped in his tracks. "Good... It seems those three Foundation Establishment cultivators are indeed capable, bringing out such a treasure from the secret realm..."
"But... is this treasure really meant for me? Can I truly be the fisherman who benefits from their conflict?"
"Even if I find it, what use will a cultivator's treasure be to me?"
"How far am I willing to go to obtain this unknown treasure?"
Fang Xing questioned himself relentlessly, forming a plan in his mind...
...
Soon after, a small bird-shaped drone emerged from the forest, its claw holding the Ten Thousand Commandments token. Fang Xing, holding a briefcase, stared intently at the monitoring screen, his eyes barely blinking.
"To the left... drifting off... the radiance is growing stronger... that's the right direction..."
After a few minutes, the simulated sparrow came to rest on a branch of an ordinary ancient tree, the Ten Thousand Commandments token held tightly in its claws, now enveloped in a sphere of light.
The layer of radiance was extraordinarily dense, causing the token to appear as if it were inscribed with countless flowing talismans.
Knock! Knock!
Like a woodpecker, the simulated drone pecked at the tree bark with its sharp beak, pulling out a bronze ring.
The bronze ring resembled a finger band, adorned with a few simple yet ancient scratches.
The bird waited for a moment, but the ring remained unremarkable.
Half an hour later, the drone, in the form of a bird, grabbed the bronze ring and soared into the sky.
...
In a desolate wilderness, Fang Xing watched the descending drone, his expression somewhat peculiar.
"A ring?" he questioned. "Going by its design... could it be another magical artifact?"
Something that a Golden Core cultivator had carefully hidden away was certainly no ordinary item. It was most likely a rare treasure from the secret realm!
"It doesn't seem dangerous at all..."
Fang Xing, wearing silver gloves, reached out and grabbed the bronze ring.
The ancient scratches on the ring remained inert, showing no reaction.
Beside it, the Ten Thousand Commandments token continued to glow brilliantly, appearing rather extraordinary.
"It seems the Ten Thousand Commandments token is not just a pass to the secret realm... it seems to be linked to this ring as well? Hmm? What's this feeling?"
Fang Xing's heart stirred as he extended his psychic power, causing it to spread out and land on the bronze ring.
Instantly, a hazy space emerged, measuring at least ten cubic meters!
"As expected, it's a storage artifact!"
"And the spiritual imprint is so strong... even though that Foundation Establishment female cultivator is long dead, her imprint remains so powerful?"
"Thankfully, I am no longer the same person I once was."
Around Fang Xing, a dragon shadow appeared vaguely, accompanied by the roars of tigers and the sounds of dragons and elephants, carrying with them an aura of iron-blooded killing intent.
The Dragon's Intent, the Tiger Subduing Intent, the Dragon Elephant Intent, and the Military Kill Fist! The power of these four intents, combined with his psychic power, surged into the bronze ring in an instant.
Several hours later, the spiritual imprint within the ring finally collapsed, revealing the entirety of its internal space to Fang Xing.
"So big!"
Fang Xing's psychic power swept through the space, prompting him to exclaim in awe.
The storage ring had a massive internal space.
His two storage bags had a capacity of about one cubic meter each.
But this storage ring boasted a capacity of ten cubic meters!
A tenfold increase in space meant that its value was not simply ten times greater but perhaps a hundred or a thousand times more!
What surprised him was that the bronze ring's interior did not contain any spirit stones, pills, or magical artifacts...
It was empty, save for two items!
As Fang Xing's thoughts stirred, a white jade coffin suddenly appeared out of thin air, landing heavily on the ground with a rumble.
The coffin exuded a chill, and it seemed quite heavy.
Next to the coffin stood a bronze tripod with three legs and two ears.
The tripod had a simple design, adorned with intricate inscriptions that were mostly blurred and unreadable.
"Just a coffin and a cauldron?"
He stepped forward to take a closer look and noticed that the coffin had no lid. Inside lay a person dressed in a dark ancient robe. The person's features were probably handsome, but it was difficult to tell as a talisman was affixed to his forehead, covering most of his face!
The talisman was about half a foot long and three inches wide. It was pitch-black, except for the crimson talismanic characters drawn with cinnabar, which shone with a faint radiance.
The lines were intricate, even more complex and precise than the 'Divine Fire Thunder Symbol' that Fang Xing had collected, and its aura was deeper and more terrifying, like a vast and profound sea.
"Could it be... a third-order talisman? Having it affixed to one's forehead gives an unsettling feeling... Don't tell me it's a refined corpse?"
"Is this talisman a third-order 'Zombie Binding Talisman'? Used to suppress a third-order zombie demon?"
He wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but when Fang Xing's psychic power swept over the body, he felt that the person didn't seem to be very strong.
"Hehe..."
He reached out as if to remove the talisman, but then withdrew his hand.
"What was I thinking? What were those Golden Core cultivators thinking?"
"If Golden Core cultivators treated it with such caution and even affixed a talisman to it, I'd be a fool to take it off recklessly..."
Fang Xing had watched too many horror movies in his past life, and he found it frustrating when characters ignored warnings and always chose to tempt fate.
As the saying goes, a word to the wise is enough.
Until he could dominate the world, it was best to avoid taking unnecessary risks.
So, Fang Xing ignored the white jade coffin and turned his attention to the bronze cauldron.
The cauldron was about half a person's height, with thick legs and simple ears. The surface was covered in blurred inscriptions, and it exuded an air of antiquity.
"In the cultivation world, towers, cauldrons, and mirrors are often among the most challenging artifacts to create. As such, they are usually considered top-notch among their peers and may even possess bizarre mystical arts and abilities..."
Fang Xing was no novice when it came to cultivation knowledge; he was well aware of such common sense.
At that moment, as he carefully examined the cauldron, he made another discovery: "This cauldron... seems to be the source of the Ten Thousand Commandments' anomaly?"
(End of Chapter)
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