In the previous chapter, I made some minor changes to the snake monster meat and the black puppy. If you are interested, you can take a look. It won't affect your viewing.
… …
"The Immortal Martial Treasury!
It's open! "
Ziyue was excited. However, in an instant, he felt an extremely strong chill rush out from the stone door.
This chill came from the same source as the surroundings of the Black Rock Mountain. However, compared to the outside, the chill here was cold and strong. It was obvious that this was the source.
Ziyue avoided the force and hid behind the half-opened stone door.
However, the black puppy did not have such quick reflexes. In that instant, the chill made it shiver continuously, as if its entire body was about to be frozen.
After a while, it managed to calm down with the help of its vigorous Qi and blood.
Feeling that the chill inside had weakened, Ziyue first walked to the side and took out the golden book. Seeing that the stone door did not close, he let out a sigh of relief and stepped in.
The black puppy hesitated for a while before following. However, its body was slightly tense, as if it was ready to turn and run at any time.
What entered his eyes was a spacious underground hall.
However, Ziyue's first reaction was to look at the front of the hall, where a corpse was sitting on a stone platform.
This corpse had the appearance of a middle-aged Taoist. His long hair was loose and his face was emaciated. His eyes were slightly open, and his face was filled with distress. It was very lifelike, as if it was a living person.
After confirming that this corpse did not turn into a zombie or other Yin-type creature, Ziyue let out a sigh of relief.
He knew that this corpse had not decomposed for more than three hundred years. Firstly, it must have been very powerful when it was alive, and its body must have been well-cultivated.
Secondly, the chill surrounding the corpse could naturally preserve it for a long time.
Immediately after, Ziyue's attention was focused on the stone platform in front of the corpse.
On the stone platform, there were a few items that almost immediately made Ziyue's breath hitch.
"A storage bag!"
Ziyue's eyes lit up when he saw a storage bag on the stone platform.
Even though he already had one on him, not only was this storage bag bigger, it was also covered in a faint golden color. It was obvious that it was a rare item.
Beside the storage bag was a jade box. However, the jade box was already broken into pieces, and a strong icy aura was emitted from it.
Beside the jade box, there were three jade slips.
However, what made Ziyue feel incomparably pained was that two of the three Jade Slips seemed to have been affected by the invasion of the cold Yin Qi and had already shattered.
The last one was lucky enough to survive because it was further away from the jade box.
However, judging from its dim luster and the fine cracks that were faintly visible, it was estimated that it would not be long before it suffered the same fate as the other two.
Several items were displayed together. Clearly, in the eyes of the middle-aged Daoist, these items were of equal importance.
He hurriedly moved forward, and just as he was about to take the treasures, his gaze suddenly froze. He saw that on the stone platform, there was actually a line of words clearly engraved.
This line of words was obviously engraved with a finger. Not only was it smooth and clear, the words were also graceful and lively, as if a calligraphy master had splashed ink on it, revealing his excellent writing skills.
"A letter left behind by Jiang Wudao!"
Ziyue's face couldn't help but turn solemn.
He knew that this Jiang Wudao was the last Sect Leader of the Immortal Martial Sect. From the looks of it, it was this middle-aged Daoist.
"I regret that in the past, my heart was filled with greed, vainly attempting to control the Emperor's authority. In the end, I was unable to withstand the surging power of the Immortal Martial Sect, and caused it to fall to its current state of withered destruction.
… …
Regret and remorse were useless. I left behind the Immortal Martial Treasury, hoping that the fated one would be able to pass down my Immortal Martial Inheritance, and not just empty words. "
After reading the entire letter, Ziyue once again contemplated the corpse of the Daoist, and couldn't help but fall silent.
From the introduction, only then did he know that when the Immortal Martial Sect was at its peak, this Jiang Wudao was full of mettle and ambition. Coincidentally, at that time, the Immortal Martial Empire had yet to be established. Hence, he decided to participate in the struggle for the Emperor's authority.
However, it was obvious that he failed.
The struggle for the Emperor's authority was the most dangerous.
When the Immortal Martial Empire was established, the founding Emperor, Zhao Xunwu, carried out a purge of the Immortal Martial Sect.
Very quickly, the mountain gate of the Immortal Martial Sect was destroyed, and all the disciples were massacred.
Jiang Wudao was the Sect Leader of the Immortal Martial Sect, and his strength was tyrannical. Even after suffering heavy injuries, he was still able to escape.
However, at this time, he already knew that he didn't have much time left to live. He also wasn't willing to see the entire Immortal Martial Sect perish because of him. Hence, when he left behind the inheritance of the Immortal Martial Sect, he secretly sent out twelve pieces of golden paper, spreading the news of the Immortal Martial Treasury on a small scale.
As for himself, because his injuries were too severe, he passed away in meditation here.
There were definitely some hidden secrets within, and it was hard to guess all of them. However, Ziyue also didn't want to waste his time and energy to investigate.
What he valued the most was still the rewards he obtained from this trip.
Hence, he shifted his gaze onto the stone platform.
Interspatial pouch, jade box, jade slip.
The first thing Ziyue did was to pick up the interspatial pouch and inspect it. As expected, there was a layer of sealing technique on top of it. It wasn't something he could undo in a short period of time. Hence, he casually kept it.
Next was the jade box.
Originally, there was a yellowed talisman on top of the jade box. Evidently, it was some sort of sealing talisman.
However, at this moment, the sealing talisman had already lost its effect due to the passage of time. At this moment, there were still traces of cold Yin Qi emitting from it.
Ziyue picked up the jade box and carefully opened it.
At the same time when the cold Yin Qi grew stronger, he also saw the item within.
A Demonic Core!
This was a Demonic Core that was only the size of a fist.
However, even though this Demonic Core had dissipated over a hundred years, the energy contained within it still far surpassed the Demonic Cores of the Snake Demons he had previously obtained.
"This is the Demonic Core of a Sentient Demon.
Furthermore, the original owner of this Demonic Core was most likely a real Flood Dragon … "
Ziyue's face was solemn. However, very soon, a trace of regret appeared on his face.
If this Demonic Core was still in good condition, it would naturally be extremely precious and could be considered a great treasure.
It was even more precious than a top-grade Dharma Artifact.
However, at this moment, the energy within the Demonic Core had dissipated over a hundred years. Its value had already decreased greatly. If one were to calculate it carefully, it might only be slightly better than the Demonic Core of the White Snake King.
"However, this Demonic Core is after all the Demonic Core of a Sentient Demon. Furthermore, its original form is a rare and powerful 'Flood Dragon'. It can be considered a rare item."
Ziyue thought for a moment and solemnly kept it.
Finally, Ziyue's gaze landed on the three jade slips.
Two of them had already shattered due to the impact of the Demonic Core's energy dissipation, causing him great heartache. Therefore, Ziyue was extremely careful with the last one. His movements were gentle and meticulous. He was afraid that his actions would destroy it.
After picking it up, he saw that the jade slips did not immediately shatter. His mind relaxed and he hurriedly and carefully probed with his Mind Energy again.
Weng!
In an instant, the information within the jade slips flowed into his mind.
Following which, the jade slips were like water droplets falling on a hard rock. With a 'pa' sound, they shattered.
"Immortal Martial Grand Palm!"
Ziyue slowly opened his eyes, a trace of shock appearing on his face.
The Immortal Martial Grand Palm was one of the ultimate techniques of the Immortal Martial Sect. It had the agility of immortal arts and the majesty of martial arts. It could be said to be extremely powerful.
"It's a pity that the other two jade slips have shattered."
The more he understood the strength of the Immortal Martial Grand Palm, the more he felt regret in his heart.
The three jade slips were obviously one of the ultimate techniques of the Immortal Martial Sect.
He guessed that one of them must be the Immortal Martial Grand Dao that countless martial artists yearned for even in their dreams.
This Immortal Martial Grand Dao contained both the Immortal and Martial Grand Dao. When cultivated to a certain level, one could fuse the Immortal and Martial Grand Dao into one, allowing martial artists who did not have the talent to cultivate the Immortal Martial Grand Dao to be able to cultivate the Immortal Martial Grand Dao …
It was known as the gospel of martial artists.
Unfortunately, it was gone.
After which, Ziyue went to other places to search.
In the spacious underground hall, there were naturally no treasures. But at the side of the hall, there were a few secret rooms.
These secret rooms didn't require the Golden Book to open. With Ziyue's immense strength, he could easily open them.
Very quickly, he found a large pile of weapons and armor in one of the secret rooms. Among them, there was no lack of famed swords and sabers. Some of them were even comparable to the Divine Black Saber in Ziyue's hands.
This was especially so for a set of armor. It was completely pitch black, and just by being placed there, it emitted an eerie aura that caused one's heart to tremble.
Ziyue stretched out his hand and squeezed. A faint layer of black light flashed, blocking his strength.
"Although this armor is suitable for martial artists, it was forged using immortal arts.
Obviously, this was something Jiang Wudao prepared for when he wanted to fight for the throne. In the end, he could only leave it here.
Seems like I've benefited a lot from this, "Ziyue said as he hurriedly kept the armor into his interspatial pouch.
Although it wasn't a magic tool, this armor was incomparably hard. It could indeed be called a treasure armor.
In addition, he also picked a few weapons that were of good quality and kept them well.
The interspatial pouch had limited space, so he could only abandon most of the weapons and armor.
Then, in another secret room, he found a chest full of gold and silver treasures. At first glance, there were more than a million taels of silver.
Similarly, he only picked a few to ensure that it was enough for his own use. Then, he walked to another stone room.
The third stone room was filled with bags of food and other things. Among them, there was also some spirit rice which was rarely seen by martial artists.
However, after three hundred years, the spirit rice had long become moldy and rotten, losing its function. An unpleasant smell wafted out as the stone room opened …
Ziyue hurriedly closed the door again.
The fourth stone room was filled with bookshelves. Ziyue approached excitedly, only to see that many of the books had already rotted and their original appearance couldn't be seen.
After searching through the entire bookshelf, only some books made of brocade cloth, animal skin, and other materials that were resistant to corrosion were preserved.
Ziyue didn't care if they were secret martial arts manuals or some cultivation theories. He put them all away.
The last stone room was obviously Jiang Wudao's resting place. Apart from a stone bed, there was nothing else. Ziyue quickly left.
"Is this all?"
Ziyue muttered to himself for a moment. Suddenly, his gaze moved.