Chapter 81: Not Even Coffin-Sized
Chapter 81: Not Even Coffin-Sized
Led by Feng Bubian’s disciple, Ling Yi arrived at the Heaven’s Gate Sect’s Treasure Vault.
The Treasure Vault was located deep within a large mountain at the heart of the Heaven’s Gate Sect. It was guarded by elite sect members around its perimeter, and inside, there were layers of mechanisms and Formation Arrays.
As a crucial place for storing the sect’s resources, its defenses were nearly the strongest in the entire sect.
After enduring the unfriendly gazes of guards both visible and hidden along the way, they reached the final door. Feng Bubian’s disciple showed the Sect Leader’s token, compelling several reluctant guards to open it.
A vast space unfolded before Ling Yi’s eyes.
Ling Yi glanced at Feng Bubian’s disciple. “You come in with me.”
This disciple, over forty years old and a Golden Body cultivator, immediately shook his head in refusal. “This Treasure Vault is a restricted area. Ordinary people cannot enter. It’s better if you go in alone.”
Ling Yi peeked inside. “When I go in… will you close the door?”
Feng Bubian’s disciple said, “Of course we will close it. But please rest assured, when you are ready to come out, right here…”
He pointed to the wall inside the doorway. “…there is a rope. You just need to give it a gentle pull. A bell will ring outside, and we will open the door from here to let you out.”
Then he added, “You needn’t worry about anything. Master has already instructed that you are Elder Qian’s honored guest…”
Ling Yi looked at him. “I might take a very long time selecting things inside.”
Feng Bubian’s disciple replied, “Since Master did not set a time limit, you may stay inside as long as you wish.”
Inwardly, however, he couldn’t help but sneer. So you just want to pick the most valuable things, right?
Well, take your sweet time looking then!
You don’t even have a single pocket on you. How much can you possibly carry?
If you have the guts, take off your clothes to use as a sack and come out bare-chested and bare-bottomed!
Huh?
Wait a minute…
Feng Bubian’s disciple suddenly froze, realizing his master might have overlooked a key detail… What if this guy really was that shameless? What could they do?
Lost in these wild thoughts, Ling Yi’s voice reached his ears. “Well then, I’ll go in and search slowly. Your master is something else, really petty. The clothes he prepared for me don’t even have any pockets! I can’t very well take them off to use as bags, can I? So I have to search slowly and be very selective! Don’t rush me.”
Feng Bubian’s disciple felt a slight relief internally. Good, this one has some sense of shame!
He actually felt a flicker of pleasure and said, “No rush, no rush at all. Take your time searching inside! We can even bring you food if you get hungry!”
Ling Yi grinned. “Thanks, then.”
With that, he stepped into the Treasure Vault.
The heavy stone door of the vault emitted a low rumble as it slowly closed shut.
Inside, Ever-Bright Lamps cast a soft glow. There must have been ventilation, as it didn’t feel stuffy at all.
Once inside, Ling Yi didn’t hurry to look around. Instead, he stood still for a moment, observing, and located the area where weapons were placed.
Walking closer to look, wow, what an array! Sabers, spears, staffs, axes, battle-axes, hooks, tridents… all eighteen traditional weapons were present, each displayed on racks. Under the soft light of the Ever-Bright Lamps, they gleamed with a cold sharpness.
These weapons were clearly not ordinary items. Most were likely forged from celestial meteorite iron, sharp enough to cut hair and slice through metal like mud. Any single piece taken outside would be worth a fortune.
However, to the sect, these things weren’t considered particularly significant.
Ling Yi’s gaze didn’t linger on them for long. After a brief search, it settled on an open Jade Box in a corner.
There lay a set of engraving tools.
There were probably seven or eight more Jade Boxes like that one.
A smile instantly appeared on Ling Yi’s face.
Tools acquired.
This really wasn’t a gamble. A sect like the Heaven’s Gate Sect might not have exceptionally talented Magical Artifact craftsmen, but it definitely had top-notch Magical Artifact crafting tools!
Within a truly major sect, professions like Alchemists, herbalists, horticulturists, animal breeders, Artifact Forgers, and Formation Masters were all essential.
Even in ordinary sects, Alchemists, Artifact Forgers, and Formation Masters were a must.
The forging specialization Ling Yun wanted to learn was actually a branch within Artifact Forging.
Magical Artifact craftsmen also belonged to the Artifact Forging lineage.
This was the fundamental reason Ling Yi dared to enter the Heaven’s Gate Sect’s Treasure Vault empty-handed.
No guns, no cannons? The enemy provides the materials, the Enchantress helps me forge…
Yes, on-site crafting!
That’s just how bold it is.
“Will this set of tools do?” Ling Yi asked, pointing at the contents of the Jade Box.
“They’ll pass as a makeshift solution,” the Enchantress’s tone carried a hint of disdain. “What truly good stuff could this place have?”
“Hey, your Grotto Abode had lots of good stuff, pity most of it’s ruined,” Ling Yi retorted.
“I have many Grotto Abodes,” the Enchantress said flatly. “There will always be some left.”
“…”
Ling Yi realized it was best not to try boasting with the Enchantress; he was no match.
He picked out a few tools for carving Formations from the Jade Box and then, under the Enchantress’s direction, began wandering around.
The Heaven’s Gate Sect’s thousand-year accumulation was indeed astonishingly rich.
Just the piles of Spirit Stones were like mountains!
Ling Yi roughly estimated their value, and the resulting figure slightly startled him.
Their value exceeded five trillion!
“If we could take all these away… we’d be rich! The entire Great Qin nation’s yearly fiscal revenue is only a few trillion, right? For the Heaven’s Gate Sect, just a single sect, the value of the Spirit Stones in this vault alone almost matches Great Qin’s annual revenue… They’re practically swimming in wealth!”
“Save your breath. Instead of that fantasy, you’d be better off taking one last big sip from them before we leave. With the materials here, it’s simply impossible for us to craft a Storage Artifact that large,” the Enchantress poured cold water on his idea.
Then she added with resentment, “Originally, all these were mine. And this amount? It’s not even a drop in the bucket! These wretched little thieves!”
Ling Yi: “…”
After this moment of marveling, he continued his search.
The place was filled with countless rare treasures and curiosities. There were even antique paintings and calligraphy from famous secular masters. Although Ling Yi wasn’t an expert, he knew anything placed here must be worth a fortune.
Some pieces might even sell for hundreds of millions or more.
So even for cultivators, these things couldn’t be called useless.
After all, they could be sold for money, and money could buy Spirit Stones and various cultivation resources.
The Enchantress said, “By the way, they do have quite a lot of materials for refining the Golden Body here, though the set is incomplete… Perhaps, according to their rubbish Cultivation Methods, it’s considered quite complete. But you’re different. The Golden Body Cultivation Method you’ll practice later is countless times superior to their trash. So, we’ll still have to prepare many materials ourselves.”
Ling Yi nodded and said to the Enchantress, “Thank you.”
“Oh dear, master, please don’t be so polite. I’m just like a little maid, I must serve until the young master is satisfied.”
“Stop being sarcastic. Tell me, what cultivation level must I reach for you to emerge? Or how much energy do you need to accumulate?” Ling Yi bluntly cut through her act.
The Enchantress fell silent for a moment. “I don’t know either. But at the very least, you need to pass through Dao Enlightenment…”
Pass Dao Enlightenment?
Ling Yi was speechless. It seemed he’d have to share life and death with the Enchantress for many more years.
Not enter Dao Enlightenment, but pass through it!
Didn’t that mean he needed to reach the Primordial Spirit Realm?
That level of greatness was something Ling Yi had never even heard of before.
Even though he now possessed two Primordial Spirit Fruits that could directly elevate him to the Yuanshen Realm, he didn’t dare imagine when he himself might enter that domain.
At this moment.
Feng Bubian was sitting outside Lian Ziqing’s memorial hall—
The new Sect Leader was keeping vigil for the departed Sect Leader!
His sincerity was undeniable.
Many people, even if they knew he was putting on a show, couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration.
When Lian Ziqing was alive, he had never truly regarded Feng Bubian as a close confidant.
Now that he was dead, not a single member of the Council of Elders who were his actual confidants had shown up… although they were all recuperating from injuries, if there had been any real affection, even if they had to be carried, they should have come to see Sect Leader Lian off one last time, right?
So, it served Feng Bubian right that he could become the Sect Leader!
Feng Bubian narrowed his eyes, looked at Lian Ziqing’s coffin, and felt quite pleased with himself.
Qian Luoying was exactly as he expected; even though she now controlled the most terrifying ultimate weapon of the entire Heaven’s Gate Sect, she was still that silly, straightforward girl.
She was now sitting not too far opposite him, staring blankly, her mind wandering who-knows-where, lost in thought.
Feng Bubian wondered idly if she regretted making that oath.
That Ling Yi was young and handsome; even he, a man, thought the kid was ridiculously good-looking. He refused to believe a woman like Qian Luoying wouldn’t like him.
But liking him was useless; she could never get out for the rest of her life.
Heh heh heh.
Just then, a trusted disciple approached him and whispered something via sound transmission.
Feng Bubian gave a slight nod, glanced toward Qian Luoying, and said calmly, “Let him be. If he really does that, I’ll actually think more highly of him!”
It turned out the person who came was worried that Ling Yi might actually take off his clothes and pants to use them for carrying treasures from the vault.
He really hadn’t thought of that, but he felt that young man… probably wouldn’t be so shameless, right?
Thinking this, Feng Bubian called out to Qian Luoying, who was sitting not far opposite him, “Elder Qian…”
Qian Luoying looked up at him. “What is it?”
Feng Bubian said, “Young Master Ling will be leaving the Heaven’s Gate Sect after he finishes picking his treasures. As a friend, aren’t you planning to see him off?”
Qian Luoying replied flatly, “Of course I will.”
Feng Bubian looked at her with a sincere expression. “Before, you had to avoid suspicion, but now that he’s already inside, it doesn’t matter anymore. Why don’t you stop keeping vigil here? Even if you aren’t uncomfortable, your Senior Brother feels uncomfortable for you. Go wait for him at the Treasure Vault. See him off for me when he comes out. I won’t go.”
Qian Luoying raised her eyebrows slightly, looking at Feng Bubian with some surprise.
“Ah, go on, go on,” Feng Bubian said, looking at her earnestly. “You really don’t need to stay here. And in the future, don’t worry. With me here, no one can shake your position in the Sect. Mm, go on!”
Qian Luoying thought for a moment, stood up, and said to Feng Bubian, “As long as Sect Leader Senior Brother doesn’t cause trouble, this Junior Sister naturally won’t interfere with you.”
These words were like a small promise, and it still surprised Feng Bubian a bit to hear them from Qian Luoying.
Watching Qian Luoying’s graceful figure disappear, Feng Bubian let out a soft sigh, gave a cold smile toward Lian Ziqing’s coffin, and muttered quietly, “You were truly something, managing to drive a Junior Sister who was utterly loyal to you to this point, and even getting yourself killed in the process. I’m impressed! But… thanks!”
Inside the Treasure Vault.
Ling Yi focused intently, holding an engraving knife as he traced lines on a pebble about the size of an egg, which also resembled an egg in shape.
To be precise, it was the Enchantress who was doing the work.
The most amazing part was that the Enchantress could chat with Ling Yi while she worked.
“Don’t look down on this stone. I’m telling you, I never expected to find this. Those ignorant folks in the Heaven’s Gate Sect only knew this stone wasn’t ordinary, but they had no idea of its true origins. If you ask me, all the other stuff here combined isn’t as valuable as this one stone!”
“What kind of stone is this? It doesn’t look that special.”
“What do you know? This is Starstone! Just like the stone that entered your body, it’s the most essential part of a star. However, this stone is the lowest grade among Starstones. But even so, its value is beyond comparison with any ordinary worldly item.”
“That amazing?” Ling Yi found it hard to believe, then asked, “So a Storage Artifact made from it could hold an entire planet?”
“Are you stupid? What you’re describing is called World Stone. This low-grade Starstone can at most be made into a Storage Artifact the size of a city, and it can’t hold living things!” the Enchantress said grumpily.
But Ling Yi was stunned. World Stone, unable to hold living things… he ignored all that.
He only remembered one thing—this thing could make an artifact that could hold an entire city!
“So in the future, I could carry a whole city with me?” Ling Yi murmured to himself with wild delight.
“No.”
The Enchantress fell silent for a long while before replying unhappily, “Right now, I can at most make it the size of a room.”
Ling Yi was speechless. Then why did you boast so much just now?
He couldn’t help asking, “How big a room?”
“Two… two cubic meters?” The Enchantress’s voice grew weaker and smaller.
Ling Yi: ???
You boasted like crazy—a planet, a city—acting like some kind of champion.
And in the end, you tell me two cubic meters?
Also, since when is a room two cubic meters big?
Dark lines seemed to cover Ling Yi’s head as he said gloomily, “Sis, do you have some misunderstanding about rooms? That coffin of the great Sect Leader outside is bigger than that…”
“……”