Chapter 225: Demonic Daosealing Formation – Unlocking the Storage Ring

Chapter 225: Demonic Daosealing Formation – Unlocking the Storage Ring

"Pop!"

The distant Travelling Palace Sealing Formation had just shattered.

Xiao Chen moved swiftly, completing his actions in less than three breaths.

The four Huo Clan cultivators nearby were too preoccupied with activating the Travelling Palace to intervene.

When they suddenly heard Hongyi’s shriek, they realized too late that the situation had spiraled out of control.

Exchanging glances, they chose to flee without hesitation.

Though this meant abandoning Lanyi to danger, none could afford such concerns now. Better a fellow cultivator dies than myself, they thought.

"Huo Brother, save me!"

Lanyi understood their betrayal instantly, revealing their collusion: "I ambushed them only because I followed your orders!"

He wasn’t foolish. Dragging the Huo Clan into this might be his only chance at survival.

"You’re spouting nonsense!"

Huo Mingcheng, already turning to escape, was forced to stop: "I don’t even know you!"

He turned to Xiao Chen: "Esteemed Fellow Cultivator, I’m from the Huo Clan. Many solitary cultivators recognize my face. This man is clearly lying – please don’t misunderstand."

But his panicked tone lacked credibility.

Xiao Chen saw through him instantly: "Senior Brother Ding, handle this one. I’ll deal with the others ahead."

With that, he drew his golden mace and charged at Huo Mingcheng.

Lanyi stood between both parties but made no move to intervene. If the Huo Clan abandoned him, they’d all die together.

"Damn it!"

Huo Mingcheng panicked, abandoning family honor to flee. "Don’t follow me – scatter!"

The three companions immediately split in different directions.

"Golden Light Technique Hermit, I’ll assist!"

Qiu Fanghui shouted: "I’ll intercept the one on the far right!"

He leapt onto a Mysterious Iron Puppet. The four puppets surged forward, their mechanical speed surpassing even Golden Core cultivators.

Within this Relic’s Skyflight Sealing Formation, they lagged only slightly behind Xiao Chen.

Qiu Fanghui, however, prioritized defense, wielding two shields instead of offensive artifacts. His intent was clear – to entangle and delay.

Ma Wenbo called out: "Senior Brother, Golden Light Technique Hermit can’t handle this alone. Leave this foe to me and Junior Brothers Three, and you should assist him."

Yu Zhenyang shook his head: "No. These cultivators are formidable. you and Junior Brothers Three might not contain him. Focus on Golden Light Technique Hermit’s orders – nothing more."

His choice lacked brilliance but ensured safety.

Lanyi secretly prepared a Mountain-Shattering Thunder Pearl to break free.

Yet ultimately, outnumbered and overwhelmed, he fell to the coordinated trio.

"Senior Brother, thank you for covering me – I nearly exposed myself earlier!"

Cao Mingjie’s face flushed purple from reversed vital energy. As the Golden Core Initial Stage cultivator, he’d borne the brunt of the assault.

"No worries – rest first."

Yu Zhenyang patted his shoulder, then scanned the area. Two Huo Clan cultivators had fallen. Qiu Fanghui was luring another away, while Xiao Chen had vanished.

He now watched for lurking solitary cultivators seeking to scavenge.

At the main path’s opposite end…

"I’m a direct heir of the Huo Clan – you can’t kill me!"

Huo Mingcheng backed against a palace wall, trembling as he produced an identity token: "Many witnessed this incident. You can’t hide it!"

"Once we exit this forbidden realm, my clan will know you’re responsible."

Indeed, many cultivators had observed the battle but chose inaction.

"Let’s table their affairs for now."

Xiao Chen approached with a smile: "I’ve heard the Huo Clan lacks Golden Core experts. That threat won’t work."

"Tell me – who else stands behind you?"

Lanyi and the Qingyi cultivator had nearly reached the Golden Core Stage’s pinnacle – elite ranks.

A single Golden Core family couldn’t command such power. Xiao Chen suspected the Huo Clan was merely a front for deeper forces.

He needed clarity to avoid future missteps.

"Golden Light Technique Hermit, I acted foolishly!"

Huo Mingcheng’s eyes flickered as he begged: "They pressured me – please spare me! I’ll reward you handsomely upon exiting!"

Yet he deliberately evaded questions about his clan’s backers.

Sighing, Xiao Chen shook his head: "Must you make this harder?"

He effortlessly shattered Huo Mingcheng’s final defensive talisman but held back from serious injury.

Then, he unleashed the long-unused ‘Blood Earthworm’ secret technique.

"You practice Demon Cultivation Techniques? You’re a demonic cultivator!"

Huo Mingcheng’s face paled. Desperate, he struck his own crown to commit suicide – but Xiao Chen blocked him instantly.

"Oh? You recognize this technique?"

"Good. Let’s see you truly enjoy it."

Normally, Eastern Territory cultivators wouldn’t identify Yellow Spring Path’s secret arts. Unless…

Xiao Chen paused mid-attack, instead applying a Water Healing Technique. Though a mere first-tier spell, its hex-enhanced effects eased Huo Mingcheng’s injuries.

"Stop torturing me – I’ll speak everything!"

Within a quarter-hour, Huo Mingcheng abandoned his clan’s warnings: "Those cultivators came from the Wanxian Alliance – they’re disguised as solitary ones. My clan’s patriarch orchestrated everything. I truly don’t know the details."

Xiao Chen pressed: "You expect me to believe you don’t know about the Blood Earthworm technique?"

"Before joining the clan… ah!"

Huo Mingcheng’s eyes bulged as black smoke seeped from his body. Flames erupted internally, reducing him to ashes.

"Hmm? A soul-sealing formation for execution?"

Xiao Chen observed, intrigued. From the Yellow Springs Secret Canon, he recognized this – a demonic technique implanting death triggers within cultivators to prevent intelligence leaks.

Only Golden Core True Sovereigns could master such high-level arts.

"So… there’s a Golden Core demonic cultivator in the Eastern Territory."

He sighed. With hidden orthodox sects, concealed demonic forces weren’t surprising. They simply operated more discreetly, using pawns like the Huo Clan.

The local Yin Corpse Sect’s presence near Darkness Sea likely enabled such corruption.

"Looks like my Golden Light Technique Hermit identity is compromised."

Once the Relic ended, his clash with Huo Mingcheng would draw the demonic Golden Core’s attention. Continuing under this guise would invite endless trouble.

Better to discard this alias.

"Time to act freely."

He’d abandon caution, seizing Relic treasures without restraint.

"Better to reap rewards now than worry about tomorrow."

He turned toward the main path, retrieving the treasure pearl before heading to the core region.

Returning, he eliminated the last Huo Clan cultivator.

Yu Zhenyang approached with a pearl: "Golden Light Technique Hermit, this came from the Monkey Fishing for the Moon Travelling Palace."

Xiao Chen pocketed it: "Rest briefly, then explore the Travelling Palace."

The Huo Clan’s swift actions left other solitary cultivators fleeing. Witnessing Xiao Chen’s effortless Golden Core slayings, they prioritized survival over scavenging.

Better to hide and later profit from selling intelligence about this mysterious sword cultivator.

Xiao Chen, needing no rest, examined six newly acquired Storage Rings.

The soul-sealing formation destroyed two – a minor loss. He’d charge the Huo Clan for replacements later.

However, the Huo Clan is merely a disguise—the real threat lies in the golden core demonic cultivator behind them.

Therefore, this matter shouldn't be rushed. Xiao Chen planned to wait until after leaving the Relic in a few days before fleeing far away to lay low, just in case that golden core True Sovereign flew into a rage and came chasing after him immediately.

Though generally, conflicts between golden core cultivators wouldn't directly alarm a golden core True Sovereign, he feared the involvement of the Demonic Dao might make the opponent act irrationally. Thus, precautions were necessary.

About half a day later, while Xiao Chen was still pondering his next destination, he was carefully unraveling the Storage Ring's seal.

Yu Zhenyang soon returned with a spirit pearl and a sheet of xuan paper. "Golden light technique fellow cultivator, the remaining eight spirit pearls and all the ancient spirit scripts are here."

The paper was meticulously drawn, complete with annotations.

"Excellent. Thank you both for your efforts." Xiao Chen reached out to accept the items, storing them directly into his Han Hai Ring.

"No trouble at all—we're just offering our humble assistance." Qiu Fanghui eagerly chimed in, "As for what comes next, please instruct us, fellow cultivator."

This question was indeed critical.

There were still about six days left. Continuing to tag along with this team seemed inappropriate. Xiao Chen himself didn't mind, but others might get caught in the crossfire. Considering this, he decided to be honest and gauge their reactions. "I plan to head to the core area to explore. I might even try competing for the Relic legacy."

Upon hearing this, Yu Zhenyang and Ma Wenbo exchanged glances. They had no intention of risking the core area, let alone fighting for the legacy.

But Qiu Fanghui immediately declared, "The golden light technique fellow cultivator's strength is formidable. In my opinion, as long as the fellow cultivator takes action, victory will surely be ours."

Previously, his words would have been quickly echoed by others. This time, however, silence followed. Even Cao Mingjie, still shaken, had no desire to venture into the core area.

The lack of response itself was an answer. Xiao Chen instantly understood their stance. "If you're reluctant to go, you can explore elsewhere."

He then retrieved sixteen Third Stage spirit fruits obtained earlier from the Baicao Forbidden Realm. "I have a few spirit fruits here. Take them as payment for helping me gather the pearls." After all, they had spent several hours opening the Travelling Palace, so he wanted to show his appreciation.

"No, no, no—we can't accept this." Yu Zhenyang waved his hands. "We didn't actually do anything. If anything, we should thank the golden light technique fellow cultivator for rescuing us from the yao beasts. We have no right to ask for more."

Even Qiu Fanghui declined this time. "Yu fellow cultivator speaks truly. I feel the same."

The group fell silent for a moment.

"Fine then. If you refuse, I'll keep them." Xiao Chen retracted the spirit fruits and gestured outward. "Don't waste time. Head to the side halls to explore. We'll part ways here. May we meet again in the future."

With that, he resumed focusing on unraveling the Storage Ring.

Six Storage Rings in total would take roughly eighteen hours—about a day and a half. Fortunately, the Relic's opening period lasted seven days, giving him ample time to check if other Huo Clan cultivators carried important clues or useful items for future use.

As was his habit, Xiao Chen first used his spiritual sense to count the spirit stones.

"Huh? How come they're all so poor?"

Combined, the six Storage Rings held only 327,000 lower-grade spirit stones. There weren't even any middle-grade ones. Some wealthy foundation-building cultivators could have wealth like this.

"Where did all their money go? Did they spend it on talismans?"

Xiao Chen immediately noticed dozens of different talismans. Among them were three Luli Pure Flame Talismans and six Golden Seal Turtle Shell Talismans—nine defensive talismans in total.

The battle had ended too quickly for these items to be consumed.

To better explore the Relic, they had prepared not only many talismans but also numerous pills and formation disks.

These cultivation pills differed from those Xiao Chen usually saw.

There were nineteen vials of spirit pills in total. Half were Return Yuan Pills for rapidly restoring true mana. The rest included Muyuan Pills, Dragon Strength Pills, and cyan frost pills—temporary combat-enhancing pills for cultivators.

The formation disks were even more impressive.

There was the Wild Goose Return Formation for defense, the Xuanhuang Reverse Formation for breaking Relic sealing formations, and the Chixiao Pofa Formation—a deadly array for offense.

"These all seem quite useful. I might even use them soon." Xiao Chen nodded in satisfaction, storing the formation disks and diagrams away.

Judging from the formation diagrams, this Xuanhuang Reverse Formation was no worse than Yu Zhenyang's Yin Yang Separation Formation.

Now that he was acting alone, if he encountered a sealing formation, he'd have a quick solution.

"Ah, what's this?"

Xiao Chen picked up a narrow token. On its front was the inscription "Jubao", and on the back was a painting of the Jubao Pavilion in the West Market.

Looking closely, it was the Jubao Pavilion in the West Market, which restricted ordinary cultivators' entry.

"So this is the Treasure Accumulation Decree." Xiao Chen flipped through it. "A pity I arrived too late. I wonder if there are branch pavilions elsewhere and whether this decree is valid there."

He had already decided to lay low, so there was no time to visit the West Market this time.

But he could save it for next time. After all, such a small item didn't take up much space.

Thanks to the Han Hai Ring, having ample space was truly convenient.

Besides, the Storage Ring also contained a fragment, two small porcelain vials, three spiritual artifacts, and three Spirit-Containing Treasure Boxes.

The useless clutter was burned away by Xiao Chen in one go.

First, he picked up the fragment. It felt cool to the touch, with a faint painting of a green pine tree and pavilion on its front. Judging from the incomplete image, the full design should have depicted a mountain peak.

Inside were a few characters, though only four small words remained legible: "Guard My Rivers and Mountains."

Following these was a fire radical, likely part of the character "liàn" (refine), though it was unclear.

Next, Xiao Chen opened the two porcelain vials.

Inside were respectively earth vein nectar and moonlight frost.

The earth vein nectar was a milky-white spiritual elixir accumulated at the core of underground spirit mines.

It could be used to nourish one's golden core and accelerate cultivation, or serve as a crucial ingredient for pill forging.

However, its most notable feature was repairing minor golden core damage caused by failed breakthroughs.

The term "minor" was key—severe golden core damage would render a cultivator beyond salvation.

The moonlight frost was collected from spirit flower dew gathered before sunrise on full moon nights. Stored in extremely yin locations for 36 years, it condensed into frost.

Under normal circumstances, 100 jin of dew would yield only one portion of this frost.

In short, though both were Third Stage Spirit Herbs, they were top-tier treasures.

Then came three brand-new spiritual artifacts.

Xiao Chen wasn't particularly interested in these—he already had enough.

He only selected one Baiyu Liansi Pao (hundred-feather silk robe) to examine.

This spiritual robe was crafted from 999 feathers of a Third Stage Spirit Bird, stitched together with special threads.

All the feathers were white, blending seamlessly into a silk-like white robe. During combat, it could unfold a feather shield.

"I'll sell the other two for spirit stones. But this one might be worth keeping for myself."

Xiao Chen tried it on, realizing he needed a new Magic Robe.

It had been so long since his golden core breakthrough that he was still wandering around in a second-tier Magic Robe. It was time to upgrade.

"Whoosh~!"

Finally, Xiao Chen took a deep breath, preparing to open the Spirit-Containing Treasure Boxes.

"May all divine beings bless me—let me find something good!"

He rubbed his hands together, picked up the first box, and shouted, "Open!"

Inside lay a Dao Crystal. From its runes, it was clearly a Golden Dao.

Undoubtedly, this was a dud.

"Hmm?"

"May all divine beings grant me a favor—let me find something good!"

Xiao Chen blew warm breath onto his palms, rubbed them again, and shouted, "Open!"

A golden light immediately shone from the box.

At its center was a round jade pearl emitting dazzling golden light technique.

This was a Flowing Gold Xuan Jade Pearl—ideal for engraving golden-element formations.

It was also a top-tier Third Stage forging spiritual material, suitable as a primary component for many spiritual artifacts.

"Tsk~! No favor at all."

Xiao Chen was slightly speechless. Why were all the items golden-element?

What was the Huo Clan planning?

"For the last Spirit-Containing Treasure Box, I won't ask for much—just something different!"

This time, Xiao Chen opened the box directly. A strange fragrance immediately wafted out.

"One, two... nine! Nine-leaf Cyanlight Grass?"

Before him was a blue spirit herb with nine leaves, about six cun long and two cun wide.

It was called Cyanlight Grass because legends claimed cultivators refining this herb would emit cyan light.

Reportedly, it grew one leaf every century, matured at six leaves, and withered ten years after reaching nine leaves.

Undoubtedly, this was a top-tier Third Stage wood-element spirit herb.

Moreover, it was one of the rare spirit herbs suitable for direct use.

Generally, spirit herbs were more effective when refined into pills, either enhancing their potency or absorption efficiency.

However, the effects of directly absorbing Nine-leaf Cyanlight Grass were nearly identical to refining it into Nine-leaf Cyanlight Pills.

The only difference was that pills were easier to preserve and lasted longer.

"Not bad. At least I have a safety net."

Xiao Chen immediately closed the lid to prevent the medicinal essence from escaping.

Finding a wood-element spirit herb already satisfied him.

Statistically, with eight elements alone—five elements plus ice, thunder, and wind—plus other rare materials, it was normal for all three Spirit-Containing Treasure Boxes to contain no wood-element spirit herbs.

"You lot check the left side. The rest follow me to the right!"

Just as Xiao Chen finished organizing his items, he saw a group of cultivators approaching the main path.

Leading them was a middle-aged man with a square face, directing his subordinates to explore the Travelling Palace.

Judging from their attire, they were cultivators from the Yin Corpse Sect.

Xiao Chen's eyes lit up. This was getting interesting.

They had already gone to the core area but were now returning to the Travelling Palace. What were they seeking?

The Travelling Palace held nothing else—only the twelve spirit pearls.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end