Volume 1 Volume 7 Chapter 91

Volume 7 Chapter 91: The Eerie Treasure Hunt (22)

As Mr. Liu said, the treasures deep inside the "Azure Crystal Treasure House," both in quantity and quality, are far greater than those near the entrance.

In a mysterious and vast world that resembles a river of stars, Xu Qingfan, Mr. Liu, Liu Ziqing, and Wang Zegang floated among countless starry skies, each fulfilling their role.

While Liu Ziqing and Mr. Liu kept watch, Wang Zegang unfolded the "Spirit Ghost Banner" that Mr. Liu had given him. As he waved it, over a hundred Spirit Ghosts, sensitive to the Spirit Qi fluctuations, burst out like white lights and quickly scattered to search for treasures nearby, where the Spirit Qi was strongest.

Moments later, a Spirit Ghost returned to Wang Zegang, and at his command, it took the eagerly waiting Xu Qingfan to the location of the rare treasure it had found, with Xu Qingfan quickly following behind.

Following closely behind the Spirit Ghost and on the safest path, Xu Qingfan arrived at an object that sparkled like a star from afar. As he focused, he realized it was a piece of "Azure Crystal Dust." With a great first success in treasure hunting, Xu Qingfan felt a surge of joy.

With a wave of his hand, the "Trapped Spirit Net" that Mr. Liu had given him opened up and covered the "Azure Crystal Dust." Under Xu Qingfan’s control, the "Trapped Spirit Net" began to gently pry apart the close connection between the "Azure Crystal Dust" and the "Azure Crystal Treasure House."

After a while, the ground and sky suddenly trembled slightly. Then, the "Trapped Spirit Net" brought the "Azure Crystal Dust" back to Xu Qingfan, who followed the Spirit Ghost back to where the four of them had gathered.

On the way back, Xu Qingfan looked at the white Spirit Ghost in front of him and couldn’t help but admire it. With the "Spirit Ghost Banner" and "Trapped Spirit Net," treasure hunting in the "Azure Crystal Treasure House" was indeed much easier.

It is hard to ignore the "Trapped Spirit Net," as there is a strong connection between the various treasures inside the "Azure Crystal Treasure House" and the "Azure Crystal Treasure House" itself. These treasures seem to be deeply embedded within the "Azure Crystal Treasure House." Trying to extract them is quite difficult, requiring a lot of strength and time. However, with the "Trapped Spirit Net," it saves a lot of Spirit Qi and doubles the speed.

The "Spirit Ghost Banner" has an even greater role. The world within the "Azure Crystal Treasure House" resembles the starry sky, where various rare treasures are like countless stars. Some stars appear very close, but to reach them takes days or even longer. Other stars look very far, yet are only a hundred yards away. Some stars shine brightly, but they might just be low-level crystals, while others look dull but could be valuable "Azure Crystal Dust." With the "Spirit Ghost Banner," there won’t be mistakes in judging the value and distance of treasures, saving time. Most masters spend much of their time inside the "Azure Crystal Treasure House" here.

Additionally, with the guidance of the Spirit Ghosts, Xu Qingfan doesn’t have to worry about getting lost while treasure hunting in the "Azure Crystal Treasure House," where it is hard to tell direction and distance. The way back is often the safest.

"It seems like going to the ‘Azure Crystal Treasure House’ with Mr. Liu to hunt for treasures was a very good decision. Otherwise, when Liu Ziqing, Wang Zegang, and I visited the ‘Azure Crystal Treasure House’ for the first time, we might not have collected many treasures and just hoped to return safely."

With such thoughts, Xu Qingfan returned to the place where the four gathered, but the scene he saw made him stop in surprise.

He saw Wang Zegang still controlling the "Spirit Ghost Banner," while Liu Ziqing and Mr. Liu were on guard and resting. Nearby the "Spirit Ghost Banner," more than ten Spirit Ghosts had gathered, waiting to guide Xu Qingfan to the treasures they had found.

Xu Qingfan couldn’t help but shake his head and smile wryly as he handed the "Azure Crystal Dust" he had collected to Mr. Liu. He then asked, "Senior, with so many Spirit Ghosts gathered, do I have to go alone to collect the treasures one by one? Wouldn’t it be faster with three of us together?"

Mr. Liu shook his head and said, "Three together would be a bit faster, but in the ‘Azure Crystal Treasure House,’ we must focus on saving Spirit Qi. Without the ‘Trapped Spirit Net,’ the consumption of Spirit Qi will be too great, leading to weakness later. Taoist Friend Liu and I should stay as backups. Taoist Friend Wang cannot last too long either."

Xu Qingfan turned to look and saw that Wang Zegang indeed appeared to be under a heavy burden. After all, the "Spirit Ghost Banner" consumed a lot of Spirit Qi. Since it belonged to Mr. Liu and Wang Zegang had not refined it, using it consumed even more Spirit Qi, making it hard to last long.

With no other choice, Xu Qingfan nodded and stopped wasting time, resignedly following the next Spirit Ghost, continuing his treasure hunt.

This time, however, luck was not as good as the first, and he only collected a piece of wood essence. It would be a nice choice for making wooden magical tools. Although its quality was excellent, its value was far less than "Azure Crystal Dust."

For the next three full days, Xu Qingfan was constantly running around with the Spirit Ghost. But even if Xu Qingfan tried hard and hurried, his speed of collecting treasures was nowhere near the speed of one hundred Spirit Ghosts. Eventually, most often, ninety-nine Spirit Ghosts gathered there waiting for Xu Qingfan, while he followed the remaining Spirit Ghost back and forth between the treasure and the gathering place of his three companions, feeling as if time was not enough, under great pressure, and terribly exhausted.

However, over these three days, Xu Qingfan also gained a lot, collecting forty-one pieces of "Azure Crystal Dust," more than twenty rare materials for refining, and more than ten top-grade ten-thousand-year spiritual herbs.

In addition, there were three magical items: a Fire Cloud Banner, a Ground Shaker Staff, and a Thunder Cloud Pearl, each suitable for a Fire Master, Earth Master, and Thunder Master respectively. Of course, Mr. Liu could also use them because of his unique cultivation method, and their power was quite good.

However, among these items, except for the "Azure Crystal Dust" and the ten-thousand-year spiritual herbs for alchemy, the other items, like the refining materials and the three magical items, were not useful for Xu Qingfan and his followers, which left Xu Qingfan feeling somewhat disappointed.

It should be noted that Xu Qingfan practiced the dual energies of life and death as well as time and space control, Wang Zegang practiced the dual energies of yin and yang, and Liu Ziqing was based on Original Soul, making their cultivation paths quite rare. Therefore, suitable magical items and materials for refining such items were extremely scarce.

Some materials did produce magical items suitable for the main members of Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands, but it would be too wasteful to refine magical tools for them using materials from the "Azure Crystal Treasure House" before they reached their full strength.

It was clear that, except for the "Azure Crystal Dust" and the ten-thousand-year Spiritual Herb, all the other materials and magical items would go to Mr. Liu. In the disappointed eyes of Xu Qingfan and the other two, Mr. Liu was beaming with joy.

However, in order to make it up to Xu Qingfan and the others, Mr. Liu gave Xu Qingfan the most precious alchemy material he had received so far, the "Golden Transformation Water," which is the top material for crafting treasures in the cultivation world. This treasure not only makes it easier for cultivators to create magical items but also increases their power.

…

Three days later, when Xu Qingfan returned to the gathering place of the four people, he did not give his recent gains to Mr. Liu as usual. Instead, he handed them to Wang Zegang.

It was a bottle in black and white.

Xu Qingfan smiled and said, "After collecting so many items, I finally found one I recognized. This is the ‘Yin-Yang Qi Bottle,’ which can be used to collect and transform Yin and Yang Qi. Its offensive and defensive powers are also quite good. It is a treasure from three thousand years ago created by the senior Zhang Kui, who practiced Yin and Yang Qi just like you. Unfortunately, he perished in the last great disaster, and his item was lost. I didn’t expect it to have been absorbed by the ‘Azure Crystal Treasure House,’ and now it is in my possession. This treasure matches your attributes, so I’ll give it to you."

Wang Zegang nodded, put the "Yin-Yang Qi Bottle" into his sleeve, and bowed to Xu Qingfan.

Xu Qingfan smiled slightly and continued to let Spirit Ghost lead him to gather treasures.

However, something astonishing suddenly happened.

More than twenty Spirit Ghosts all moved at the same moment, heading in the same direction.

This can only mean one thing: there is some very precious treasure or material, rich in Spirit Qi, that has attracted the attention of over twenty Spirit Ghosts at the same time.

When Xu Qingfan and the other three saw this, their faces lit up with joy. Xu Qingfan did not hesitate and followed the twenty-plus Spirit Ghosts as they flew into the distance.

They flew for more than a whole day.

However, Xu Qingfan felt no worry; instead, the joy on his face grew stronger.

Even from such a distance, they could attract so many Spirit Ghosts, making Xu Qingfan even more excited about this discovery.

Finally, after a little over a day, Xu Qingfan reached his destination under the guidance of the Spirit Ghosts.

But what he saw surprised Xu Qingfan even more.

Before him, there were not the usual twinkling stars, but instead, there was a heavy mass of dark clouds spread over a radius of more than ten miles.

This dark cloud was made of "Chaos Qi" that gathered when the world was first created, and such a large amount of "Chaos Qi" gathering together was something Xu Qingfan had never seen in the twenty days he had been in the "Azure Crystal Treasure House."

What surprised Xu Qingfan even more was that the Spirit Ghosts lingered around the "Chaos Qi." Could it be that the treasures they found were hidden within this "Chaos Qi"?

Xu Qingfan was filled with disbelief. Wasn’t it said that anything that touched the "Chaos Qi" would turn to dust and stone?

After thinking for a moment, a spark of excitement suddenly flashed in Xu Qingfan’s eyes.

If the Spirit Ghosts were not mistaken, then the treasure hidden within the "Chaos Qi" must be incredibly powerful, so powerful that even the strong "Chaos Qi" could not harm it.

How powerful must this treasure be? Xu Qingfan, who has seen and learned so much, still could not think of a treasure recorded in history that was strong enough to be like this.

Although the "Chaos Qi" was extremely dangerous, Xu Qingfan decided to take a chance for the unknown treasure hidden inside.

"Stay far away and do not come near. I will disperse this ‘Chaos Qi,’ and then once the world is stable again, you can return."

Xu Qingfan commanded the more than twenty Spirit Ghosts. These Spirit Ghosts were very smart, and Xu Qingfan was not worried that they would not understand his orders.

Sure enough, as soon as Xu Qingfan finished speaking, the twenty Spirit Ghosts flew away.

Xu Qingfan’s expression suddenly became very serious. After more than twenty Spirit Ghosts flew away into the unseen distance, Xu Qingfan took a deep breath. His ten fingers moved in a sequence, and at once, more than a hundred black and white spinning discs, about thirty meters wide, appeared around him. They spun continuously around Xu Qingfan, showing off his new special skill from the years he had practiced — the "Life and Death Grinding Wheel"!

Then, a spark flashed in Xu Qingfan’s eyes, and he shouted, "Life and Death Explosion!"

At the same time, he snapped his fingers, and countless black and white glowing orbs suddenly appeared at his fingertips, shooting towards the distant "Chaos Qi."

"Life and Death Explosion" was another unique skill created by Xu Qingfan over the years. It was not a big threat to experts, but when the energies of life and death collided, they could unleash an incredibly terrifying explosion with strong impact and a wide attack range.

As hundreds of "Life and Death Explosions" shot into the nearby "Chaos Qi," thunderous booming sounds erupted. The "Chaos Qi" surged, then suddenly exploded, scattering fiercely in all directions.

Almost half of the shattered "Chaos Qi" rushed towards Xu Qingfan’s direction, overwhelming him and leaving no way to escape.

Xu Qingfan knew the danger of "Chaos Qi." He shouted loudly, and without stopping, his fingers continued to launch "Life and Death Explosions," blowing up the massive "Chaos Qi" that surged towards him, breaking it into smaller pieces, reducing the threat.

At the same time, the "Life and Death Grinding Wheel" around Xu Qingfan spun with all its strength, grinding down the smaller pieces of "Chaos Qi" that surrounded him until they turned to nothingness.

The endless "Chaos Qi" kept shooting towards Xu Qingfan, but he did not pause at all. He fully unleashed the "Life and Death Grinding Wheel" and "Life and Death Explosion," constantly defending against the danger of "Chaos Qi."

It was unclear how long it had been, but Xu Qingfan only felt that his Spirit Qi was nearly depleted. When the "Life and Death Grinding Wheel" around him had only six or seven sides left, everything suddenly became clear. This disaster was finally over.

Xu Qingfan let out a long sigh; he had underestimated the power of "Chaos Qi." If there had been just a bit more of it, Xu Qingfan would have been powerless and met his end here.

"People die for wealth, and birds die for food; that’s exactly what I am like."

With a sigh, Xu Qingfan swallowed a few spirit pills to restore his Spirit Qi. After a moment of teasing, he raised his head and looked towards the spot where the "Chaos Qi" had been.

Although he had anticipated the preciousness of the treasures contained here, he was still greatly surprised upon seeing them.

"’Imperishable Jade’! It’s actually ‘Imperishable Jade’!"

Xu Qingfan’s heart suddenly began to race.

Right in front of Xu Qingfan, there was a glowing halo emitting a faint, clear light, and within the halo were over a hundred pieces of black and white mixed jade stones.

These mixed jade stones were the legendary "Imperishable Jade."

Xu Qingfan finally understood why even the "Chaos Qi" could not destroy the treasures inside; it was because the treasure within the "Chaos Qi" was the legendary "Imperishable Jade".

Here, it is necessary to explain the origin and effects of "Imperishable Jade".

It is said that "Imperishable Jade" was formed before the world was created. Its strength lies in its powerful Spirit Qi coordination ability. Even the incompatible energies of life and death, or water and fire, can peacefully coexist when infused into it; it is extremely pressure-resistant, and even the most complex formations carved upon it will not break due to the strong pressure; most importantly, it does not need to be refined to create a confinement barrier that can be released around it, possessing strong sealing and trapping powers. With slight refinement, it can be turned into a very powerful sealing treasure.

These three points combined make "Imperishable Jade" the best material for crafting confinement tools in the cultivation world and the most significant material for setting up formations.

The "Imperishable Jade" that appeared before Xu Qingfan, though small, numbered in the hundreds. When over a hundred confinement barriers merged into one, their power became even greater. Because of this, although these "Imperishable Jade" were wrapped in "Chaos Qi," they did not turn to dust and lose their essence like other treasures.

Xu Qingfan knew about the rare material "Imperishable Jade" because, thousands of years ago, humans used a piece of "Imperishable Jade" to create a confinement barrier that sealed over a hundred members of the Shura Clan who possessed Immortal Bodies.

Of course, the "Imperishable Jade" from back then was much larger than the ones Xu Qingfan saw now; it was said to be as big as a house. Otherwise, Great Brahma would not have spent over ten thousand years to break the confinement barrier sealing the Shura Clan.

Over the past ten thousand years, every master who obtained "Imperishable Jade" inside the "Azure Crystal Treasure House" would soon receive a powerful sealing treasure.

After a moment of excitement, Xu Qingfan quickly calmed down, furrowing his brow as he looked at the "Imperishable Jade," suddenly sighing again.

Xu Qingfan discovered that although there were many "Imperishable Jade," their size was too small, only the size of a chess piece. It is well known that "Imperishable Jade" cannot be melted together. Such a small size greatly reduces the value of the Imperishable Jade in front of him.

"What a pity! Though there are many ‘Imperishable Jade,’ their size is only like chess pieces. If they were combined, they would make an excellent material."

Xu Qingfan sighed.

Chess piece size?

Suddenly, Xu Qingfan’s body shook, and a bright idea flashed in his mind as he suddenly thought of a way to use these "Imperishable Jade."

Not only that, but Xu Qingfan also vaguely found a way to use the "Heaven and Earth Azure Stone" he had obtained before.

"If the ‘Heaven and Earth Azure Stone,’ which contains powerful time and space energy, is made into a Go board, the board could represent my surrounding world. The squares on the board could show distances. Then, I can use what I learned from practicing the cultivation methods of ‘Substitute for Heaven’ and ‘Cosmic Secret Record’ to combine it with the Heavenly Way through ‘Azure Crystal Dust.’ This would create a treasure that perfectly matches the nature and power of ‘Substitute for Heaven,’ and the power of the ‘Substitute for Heaven’ used through this board would increase at least twice."

"As for these ‘Imperishable Jade,’ they can be made into Go pieces, with different functions engraved on them, plus the binding power that the ‘Imperishable Jade’ possesses…"

"With the combination of the board and pieces, I will obtain an incredibly powerful treasure. Once the game is set up, it will mean that the opponents within the range of the board can be controlled by me at will. Each piece represents a method of attack, and the options available to me when using ‘Substitute for Heaven’ will also increase."

Xu Qingfan thought to himself and suddenly realized that these "Imperishable Jade" pieces were so small, as if it was meant to be. If it were a whole piece of "Imperishable Jade," Mr. Liu would surely take it, and Xu Qingfan could only feel jealous. Even though these small pieces of "Imperishable Jade" were still valuable, Mr. Liu might not even care for them. After Xu Qingfan received them, he planned to refine them into game pieces, combining them with the "Heaven and Earth Azure Stone" that he had previously obtained to create a magical treasure. Its power would be no less than another magical treasure Xu Qingfan would refine in the future, the "Sword of Life and Death."

However, in the future, the "Sword of Life and Death" would use Xu Qingfan’s "Formula of Life and Death" to unleash its power, while this set of game pieces would work with Xu Qingfan’s other cultivation method, "Substitute for Heaven."

Once these two magical treasures were successfully refined, Xu Qingfan’s strength would increase more than double!

Thinking of this made Xu Qingfan feel excited.

The "Heaven and Earth Azure Stone" and these "Imperishable Jade" were undoubtedly the biggest gains for Xu Qingfan during this trip to the "Azure Crystal Treasure House."

However, just as Xu Qingfan was about to collect the "Imperishable Jade" in front of him, he suddenly realized a very serious problem.

After three days of constant traveling, and with the Spirit Qi he had just consumed to dispel and defend against those "Chaos Qi," he found that he no longer had enough Spirit Qi left to continue collecting the "Imperishable Jade," especially since there was a natural binding barrier surrounding these "Imperishable Jade."

Realizing this problem, Xu Qingfan couldn’t help but frown again.