Chapter 173: Half a Hundred Merits, Treasure Vault Discovered

Only one long Bodhi Wood lay on the ground. It was round and sturdy, enough to serve as the main beam even in the grandest palace.

The three rushed toward the Bodhi Tree at full speed. Just then, their differences became obvious.

The Long-Legged Lady’s pair of Qianyan Golden Discs were the fastest, but she reacted slowly and wasted time with an extra useless attack before taking off.

Master Xunhua’s Victory Golden Banner on the back of his head turned out to be for flying. Its speed wasn’t slower than Ye Rong’s, so he ended up ahead of the Long-Legged Lady by a step.

As for Ye Rong, he started moving as soon as the Bodhi Tree shook and started falling apart. His Sword Light combined as he dived downward.

That zero-point-something-second advantage let him land first on the wood, looking down at the late-arriving master with a grin.

“Flower Monk, I won’t cheat you. I’ll give you thirty Merit Fruits outright. We might still have chances to cooperate later on this journey.”

Hearing Ye Rong’s words, Master Xunhua’s gloomy face brightened up a bit. He had thought he wouldn’t get a single fruit, and he was surprised the other kept his promise.

Ye Rong formed two big hands and clutched at the Bodhi Wood skillfully. He picked exactly thirty Merit Fruits and tossed them to Master Xunhua. Then, he kept gathering the remaining fruits and stored them away.

“What should we call you two, benefactors?”

After getting thirty Merit Fruits, Master Xunhua laughed happily. The 300,000 Karma Points would let him upgrade his Dao Spell by two levels, saving him lots of effort.

This reward was more useful than ordinary Flying Swords or Magic Treasures, and it never became outdated or replaced.

“We are the Black Wind Twins!”

The Long-Legged Lady wore a cold face and snapped the words. Then, she burst out laughing at herself.

“Yijian Kurong, Graceful Dream Butterfly.”

“Let me introduce myself again. I’m Master Xunhua. Hope we have more chances to work together!”

Master Xunhua nodded. He leaped onto the Victory Golden Banner and flew away. His top priority now was finding a spot to eat all the Merit Fruits and push his divine art up two levels. With greater strength, he had better odds in the dangerous Yellow Emperor’s Tomb.

He sighed inside. He had thought he was the best among players not in the Heavenly Ranking. But as soon as he entered the Yellow Emperor’s Tomb, he met two strong fighters just as powerful as him. The tomb’s appearance really attracted masters from everywhere, with hidden talents among the players that couldn’t be ignored.

…

“Take the Bodhi Wood quickly. It’s as good as half a Seventh-Rank ship!”

“Okay!”

The Long-Legged Lady made a treasure-sealing gesture. The giant Bodhi Wood spun and shrank in the air, falling into her Universe Pouch.

Normally, that piece of Bodhi Wood would fill four or five storage slots. With the sealing art, it took just one space like a common item.

As for the remaining Merit Fruits, Ye Rong counted them up. There were sixty-one left, equal to 610,000 Karma Points.

Ye Rong ate one bright green Merit Fruit like a fresh snack. A sour taste hit his taste buds.

System Notification: You consumed a Merit Fruit and gained 10000 Karma Points.

He decided to eat all the usable spirit fruits right away. Keeping them took up space, and if he died, they might drop as loot.

“Dream Butterfly, you should eat some too. I can’t finish all these alone.”

“Sure. Even though Tribulation Crossing is far off, having extra Karma Points as a cushion means I can kill without worries. The Yellow Emperor’s Tomb isn’t peaceful. Up next, there might be huge battles, and losing thousands of Karma Points is possible.”

As Miaozhen Temple was a Righteous Path faction, it didn’t allow its disciples to have negative karma.

And killing one Righteous Path Player cost 200 Karma Points. Without holding back, she might accidentally end up negative if she took out too many.

But she only ate three fruits. She took a few more as spares and stopped.

Ye Rong swallowed all the remaining Merit Fruits in one go. His Karma Points finally soared past the 600,000 mark.

“Yes! I only need 30,000 more Karma Points now to unlock my Nine Glazed Golden Lamp!”

Ye Rong cheered inwardly. He pulled out the Nine Glazed Golden Lamp and rubbed it gently. He saw the unsealing property.

To unlock this treasure, invest 660,000 Karma Points. Current progress: 0/660,000.

He had expected it to take months of grinding Karma Points to reach this. But now, in such a short time, he was close enough that unlocking it soon was possible.

However, Ye Rong wasn’t going to unlock the lamp right away. If he asked the Long-Legged Lady for her spare Merit Fruits, he could unlock it on the spot.

But he remembered Demon-Subduing True Lord Jiang Shu’s words clearly when handing him the treasure:

“Don’t be in a rush to unlock the Nine Glazed Golden Lamp. Once unlocked, your current cultivation is too weak to control it. It’s better to level up steadily. When you’re stronger, break the seal in one go for the best outcome.”

Ye Rong took this advice to heart. He knew that unlocking the lamp would put it far out of his reach for use, possibly for ages.

In its incomplete state, the Nine Glazed Golden Lamp was a Sixth-Rank Treasure. He could equip it at level 45, only four levels above his current.

But once unlocked, the gap would leap to twenty or thirty levels higher, making it unattainable.

“Go! Go! Go!”

The Long-Legged Lady, who got the whole Bodhi Wood, was very happy. Ye Rong knew she had long admired Jiang Xuejun’s Golden Light Poluo Ship. Ships were one of the rarest resources on the Far Shore, tempting all players.

They left the deep blue lake and advanced another few hundred li. Aside from growing groups of Thousand-Strong Stone Dragon Beast herds, nothing changed. But the number of Players around started to rise.

It seemed Players from different entry paths were now merging into the same area.

Ye Rong saw orderly groups of Shushan Sword Alliance Players passing him, all heading in the same direction quickly, ignoring their surroundings.

Sights like the deep blue lake appeared occasionally along the way. There was a hundred-zhang tall earth mound and a bubbling spring. Similar to the lake, these spots held rare treasures—mostly materials for crafting items that could resist attackers.

Each had dozens of Players surrounding it, attacking violently to break through the defenses. Then, fights erupted over the spoils.

“Looks like we were lucky. If the Bodhi Tree had been here, probably over a hundred Players would’ve gathered. The two of us could never have taken most of the benefits.”

Those who got the treasures or materials usually had strength in numbers or a big Faction backing them.

“The Shushan Sword Alliance found a treasure vault!”

“Quick, everyone! Get there before they take it all!”

Suddenly, shouts echoed through the thick earthy air ahead, causing an uproar.

After a moment’s hesitation, almost everyone believed the shouts. They rushed madly toward where the Shushan Sword Alliance squads were heading. A Yellow Emperor’s Tomb treasure vault? What a find! Even though the Shushan Sword Alliance was strong, they’d have to share some spoils, wouldn’t they?

That’s what every Player thought. With some secretly stirring things up, the tomb’s situation turned chaotic instantly.

All Players streamed toward the Shushan Sword Alliance’s main force, including elite squads from other Factions and even members of the Herbal Hall who just arrived.

For now, Wanyao Palace couldn’t cross the ocean to the human lands. So besides Shushan Sword Alliance, Herbal Hall was the only actual Player Organization here. They refused to fall behind or be outdone in this tomb.

“This is insane! Everyone’s gone mad over just a few words? Who knows if the vault’s real?”

“What do we do? Should we go too?”

The Long-Legged Lady froze for a moment. The bustling area instantly cleared out as everyone crowded the new spot.

“Go! But not to fight the Shushan Sword Alliance for a vault. We go to pick up dumped equipment!”

Tens of thousands of Players charging one spot without order? Only one result—a super-massive brawl.

Just following them to gather dropped gear would net gains almost as good as busting into the vault.

Ye Rong still remembered Lei Laohu’s quest. If he found thirty or more Fifth Tier items, the Myriad Mother Brocade Pouch would be his!

…

“That must be ten thousand Players. Could the Shushan Sword Alliance’s formation hold up?”

Five Da Mie Chao Faxian Ships followed from a distance, having entered the tomb too. The thick earthy air posed no issue, pushed aside easily.

Blue Chariot looked tense. Shushan Sword Alliance had under ten thousand members in the tomb. Plus, Players kept flooding in outside the tomb. The pressure was huge.

“Let them come! Without these ants breaking the vault restrictions for us, getting treasures here would be tough.”

Xiao Xiangzi gave a sly laugh. He felt confident and in control.

Blue Chariot stayed silent. He, a Core Member, didn’t know this plan. A Swordmaster Envoy had to tell him about it.

It showed how low the Chariot Division stood among the Sword Alliance’s nine divisions.