bookbashuk Chapter 44 The Reappearance of the Heavenly Void Jade Book
Chapter 44 The Reappearance of the Heavenly Void Jade Book
Deep within the Void Heaven Palace, in a relatively intact but secluded side hall.
The three Nascent Soul demon cultivators sat around a stone platform, which shimmered with spiritual light. On the platform were three treasures they had just retrieved from a hidden compartment within the hall after breaking through the protective barriers. Traces of a fierce battle with the protective barriers and puppets still remained inside the hall.
These three demon cultivators came from different demon clans. They had known each other before entering the Void Heaven Palace and, since their strengths complemented each other, they temporarily formed an alliance to explore together.
The leader was a bull demon who was twelve feet tall, with bulging muscles, a pair of curved black horns on his head, and the most powerful aura. He was a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator and was called the "Black Horn King".
The second one is a tall, thin snake demon with a sinister face, vertical pupils, and a long tongue that constantly flicks in and out. He is at the peak of the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm and is named "Jun Bilin".
The last one was a short, rat demon with darting eyes and a tuft of whiskers. He was at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm and was named "Heavenly Wind Rat." This demon's special ability was to be exceptionally sensitive to the aura of treasures. He played a crucial role in finding this well-hidden secret compartment in the side hall.
The three treasures on the stone platform radiated spiritual light and were all extraordinary.
One was a small, exquisite hammer, entirely golden in color, yet exuding an aura as heavy as a mountain. Lightning patterns were faintly visible on the hammerhead, clearly indicating that it was a powerful spiritual treasure (low or medium grade).
One is a small pagoda that is entirely emerald green, has seven layers, and has tiny bells hanging from its eaves. The pagoda is shrouded in clouds and mist, exuding a Daoist aura of suppression and protection. It is also a low-grade spiritual treasure that connects to the heavens, leaning towards defense and trapping enemies.
The last item was a strange page, shimmering with silver light, as thin as a cicada's wing, with uneven edges, covered with constantly moving tadpole-like characters. This object showed no signs of spiritual energy, but its material was extraordinary, and the characters on it were so enigmatic and unfathomable that they were completely undecipherable.
"Alright, everything's here." The Black Horn King's voice was like muffled thunder, his bull-like eyes, like copper bells, swept over the two demons. "As agreed before, the one who contributed the most and has the highest cultivation level will choose first. This 'Mountain-Breaking Thunder Hammer' is compatible with my cultivation technique, so I'll take it." With that, he reached out and grabbed the small golden hammer without any hesitation.
A flicker of resentment flashed in Bi Linjun's cold, vertical pupils, but he said nothing. The bull demon, with the highest cultivation, had indeed borne the main pressure when the barrier was broken; his first choice was understandable. Bi Linjun's gaze shifted between the emerald pagoda and the silver pages, ultimately choosing the 'Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda,' which was visible, tangible, and had clearly defined effects. A defensive, heaven-reaching spiritual treasure was equally precious.
"Then this 'Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda' will be mine." Bi Linjun took the small pagoda into his hand, feeling the immense spiritual power contained within it, and his expression softened slightly.
Finally, only that silver page, which no one could understand and whose specific value was unknown, lay alone on the stone platform.
The treasure-hunting rat watched enviously as the two powerful spiritual treasures were divided up, its small eyes filled with both envy and disappointment. As the weakest cultivator, it had relied primarily on its innate abilities to assist in the battle and mitigate risks, contributing the least in direct confrontation. According to the agreement, it could only take what was left.
"Brother Rat, you've worked hard this time, discovering this treasure trove." Black Horn King put away the Mountain-Breaking Thunder Hammer, looked at the treasure-hunting rat, and said in a gruff voice, "This page of silver book, although I can't understand it, is probably no ordinary item since it's placed together with two Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasures. You can keep it for now; perhaps you'll have the opportunity to decipher it someday. If there are any good things next time, you can choose one first."
Bilin-jun nodded, tacitly agreeing to the arrangement. After all, the Skywind Rat's innate treasure-hunting ability was still useful to their small group.
Helpless, Tianfeng Rat could only grimace as he carefully picked up the silver page. It felt weightless in his hand, its silvery light flowing, and the tadpole-like characters seemed to be telling him something, but he couldn't understand a single word. "Sigh, that's all I can do. Thank you, Brother Ox and Brother Snake." He tucked it into his robes, determined that after leaving the Void Heaven Palace, he would seek out a master to see if he could decipher the secret of this page.
"Haha, I never expected this Void Heaven Palace to have so many treasures, and of such high quality!" King Blackhorn was in high spirits after obtaining a handy Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure. "We've only been exploring for a short time, and we've already found three powerful treasures! There must be even more outside! Let's rest for a bit and then continue exploring! With Brother Rat here, we're not afraid of not finding good stuff!"
"Brother Niu is right." Bi Linjun also smiled. Although they didn't get the Thunder Hammer, the most powerful offensive weapon, the defensive treasure was just as rare.
After a brief respite, the three demons set off again, guided by the Treasure-Seeking Rat, venturing deeper into the Void Heaven Palace. Unbeknownst to them, the silver page the Treasure-Seeking Rat had reluctantly accepted was another page of the Heavenly Void Jade Book, of the same origin as the one Wang Tianlong had obtained! Its value might far surpass the two tangible, heaven-reaching spiritual treasures they possessed.
Shortly after Black Horn King, Jade Scale Lord, and the three Treasure-Seeking Rat demons left the side hall, a faint black phantom, almost blending into the shadows, silently slipped into the hall.
The phantom coalesced, revealing the form of the ancient demon Hei Ming. His gaze was like lightning, quickly sweeping across the empty hall, his nostrils flaring as if trying to catch any lingering scent in the air.
"Hmph, they just left... it was the aura of those three demons." A hint of regret and coldness flashed in Hei Ming's eyes. "A stupid bull at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, a venomous snake at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, and a shifty-eyed rat. It seems they gained something here, and... it seems they've already divided the spoils."
He had just sensed intense spiritual energy fluctuations and the sound of breaking restrictions from another corridor in the distance, so he immediately concealed himself and stealthily crept over, hoping to catch the prey. Unfortunately, he was too late.
"What a pity... If I had arrived a moment earlier, I might have caught them dividing the treasures and perhaps seized the opportunity to make a move, at least taking one or two items." Hei Ming licked his lips, a greedy glint in his demonic eyes. Although he had already obtained a Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure, the Cold Dragon Sword, who would complain about having too many treasures like that? Moreover, something that could make three Nascent Soul demon cultivators join forces to break through the protective barrier was no ordinary item.
He carefully sensed the remaining traces of spiritual energy and the aura of treasures in the air.
"Hmm... a heavy, violent spiritual pressure, imbued with the intent of thunder and fire... it should be an offensive Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure, which was obtained by that bull demon. A dense, resilient spiritual aura, carrying the intent of sealing... it's a defensive or trapping Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure, which went to that snake demon. And..." Hei Ming's brows furrowed slightly. He sensed a third, extremely faint yet uniquely distinctive residual aura, "... an ethereal, elusive, seemingly real yet unreal fluctuation, with an extremely ancient and obscure Daoist charm... what kind of treasure is this? It seems to have been taken by the weakest rat demon."
The aura emanating from this third treasure felt somewhat unusual to him. Although it didn't radiate powerful spiritual energy, the level of Daoist essence it contained seemed to be even higher than the previous two Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasures!
"This item must be extraordinary to be shared equally among three Nascent Soul cultivators. The rat demon, with the lowest cultivation level, willingly took it. Either this item holds some secret, or they reached some kind of agreement for subsequent compensation." Hei Ming's mind raced, instantly analyzing several possibilities.
"Follow them and see!" He made the decision immediately. Rather than wasting time in this empty hall, it was better to secretly follow the three demons. They had just obtained a great treasure and were in high spirits; they would surely continue to explore deeper. He only needed to remain hidden behind them to observe the uses of their new treasure and wait for them to clash with other cultivators or trigger danger before striking and reaping the benefits!
He was particularly intrigued by the mysterious object in the rat demon's hand.