Chapter 82: Wealth Within the Ancient City
Chapter 82: Wealth Within the Ancient City
The painting didn’t depict a peerless beauty, nor was it a landscape or ink painting. Instead, it was… a piece of wildly free calligraphy!
Sixty short characters, each one giving the feeling of forceful strokes piercing through the paper—sharp, fierce, and domineering!
As if unwilling to endure confinement, eager to break free!
What shocked Qin Li most was the meaning behind these characters themselves. They turned out to be parts of the missing chant for the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, I Am the Only Sovereign Combat Skill—the very techniques he had been desperately searching for!
Formless, without phase, the entirety see-through.
Respond naturally, sounds hanging from the Western Mountain.
The tiger roars, the ape cries, water clears, rivers calm.
Upturn rivers, churn seas; fulfill nature, embrace destiny.
As one with heaven and earth, all five aggregates are empty.
No self, no form; a seamless whole.
Boom!
A feeling of deep understanding suddenly exploded in Qin Li’s mind. His eyes locked onto the chant written on the wall painting, and he rapidly committed it to memory.
At that moment, Qin Li felt his vision blur. The wall was now completely blank!
Absolutely nothing remained!
A tidal wave of shock crashed inside Qin Li. He wiped his forehead; it was icy cold and damp—he was sweating buckets in sheer terror.
The night was as still as water. The torch in his hand was nearly extinguished, yet the lights in these rooms remained brightly lit.
Qin Li shook his head, stepped down the stairs at a leisure pace, and ventured deeper inside.
Faced with such a situation, it was hard for anyone to remain calm. Qin Li was no exception. He even felt uncertain: was what just happened an illusion, or reality?
Yet the help these sixty characters provided Qin Li was undeniably massive!
Because in that single instant, Qin Li had completely broken through the first level of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, I Am the Only Sovereign Combat Skill and entered the second level!
It was a state that could only be understood, not put into words. Though his Martial Artist rank hadn’t advanced to Earth Rank, Qin Li was confident that at this very moment, even facing a Ninth Stage Earth Rank Martial Artist, he could stand his ground and defeat them!
Back when he killed Qin Shisan, it had been through a surprise attack, premeditated against an unsuspecting foe. When he faced Qin Feng, Qin Feng’s strength had also reached the Ninth Stage of Mystic Rank. Fighting head-on against someone of similar power, Qin Feng had wanted to flee. For Qin Li to force him to stay would have cost him dearly.
But now? Qin Li was confident he could crush Qin Feng on the spot!
Whew!
Qin Li let out a long breath. His entire being instantly became radiant and full of energy. Real or illusion, it didn’t matter—he had gained from it, breaking through the first level. That was tangible fact!
With that gain secured, today’s trip hadn’t been for nothing. This… was something even the Inner Core of a Heaven Rank Spirit Beast couldn’t compare to.
Qin Li continued downward, passing many empty rooms. He thought to himself: These Ancient Ruins—who knows what kind of people lived here back then? To have been built on such a massive scale.
He also wondered where that adventurer had found the Sovereign of All Battle Skill. Then Qin Li remembered: Along the way, he’d seen tables and chairs in some rooms but no utensils or dishes. Recalling that same adventurer had brought out many ancient gold and silver vessels, some even possessing spatial storage properties, which later sold for astronomical sums.
Qin Li thought he understood now. It seemed this place had been explored before.
Finally, Qin Li exited this building. He pushed open a very light wooden door, and before him appeared… a street!
An aura of ancient desolation instantly filled Qin Li’s mind. He could almost see people of the distant past walking down this street—wearing fancy clothes, riding spirited horses, vibrant and full of life.
Ahead, where darkness lingered, there was no one nearby. Qin Li burst into wild singing. Like toppling dominoes, lights spread out from his feet, advancing along both sides of the street. Within a square kilometer radius, the area was brilliantly illuminated!
“So super advanced!” Qin Li exclaimed as he walked forward. Within just dozens of meters, a shop on the side caught his eye—a jewelry store called “Wu’s Wares.”
The sign’s characters were ancient, powerful, clearly the work of a master calligrapher. Compared to the shop signs Qin Li had seen in Huangsha City, this one was magnitudes better! The very strokes of the characters radiated a mellow, ancient essence.
It followed the natural way!
Qin Li could only use these four words to describe the handwriting. At the same time, a recurring question surfaced in his mind once more: Who were the people living in this city back then? Why were the buildings so tall? How could even a simple shop sign appear so extraordinary?
This sound-activated lighting, remaining perfect after ten thousand years… probably wouldn’t have been possible even back on Earth before Qin Li’s journey, with all its high technology!
Because this was for common use!
Such a vast city couldn’t have housed only the elite. Most residents must have been ordinary people. These public facilities alone showed how advanced and glorious that era had once been!
Qin Li reached out and pushed the jewelry store’s door. Carved from an unknown wood, it swung open without a sound. Inside, instead of the expected smell of decay, a faint, refreshing fragrance greeted him. Qin Li rapped on the door twice.
Knock! Knock!
The sound it made and the feeling beneath his knuckles seemed to silently assure him: They were still solid!
Within the store, soft lights brightened in response to Qin Li’s presence. Simple yet grand countertops gave off a feeling of substance. They were unfinished wood, inset in the middle with clear crystal. Under the lights, they glittered brilliantly!
Qin Li was almost speechless, thinking to himself: Luxury. This was pure luxury! What level of power must one possess to decorate a shop with such extravagance?
Squinting, Qin Li scanned the inside of the counters. If the counters were this lavish, how could the jewelry be anything less?
Inside, a soft yellow satin cloth lined the bottom. Upon it lay a vibrant green jade hairpin carved into the form of a phoenix. Smooth, luminous, it shimmered with a gentle glow, appearing utterly lifelike!
The entire jade pin depicted a phoenix poised to take flight. The pin’s head formed the phoenix’s head. Its eyes, a deep green, were vivid and full of life. The pin’s tail formed the phoenix’s tail feathers, carved with exquisite detail. The whole Phoenix Jade Hairpin radiated an air of elegant refinement and nobility, giving one the distinct feeling it was a phoenix preparing to dance across the heavens!
The Phoenix Jade Hairpin rested upon a red coral stand. The stand, naturally formed, was splendidly beautiful. Its color was rich, and despite the passing of countless millennia, it remained pristine!
Even standing outside the counter, Qin Li could sense a current of Spiritual Energy emanating from the Phoenix Jade Hairpin.
Beside the stand rested a piece of fine rice paper. Neat characters noted the Phoenix Jade Hairpin’s origins and properties. Qin Li concentrated and read it, clicking his tongue yet again in surprise.