Chapter 667: The Magic of Lu Mountain: A Bounty of Treasures!

The Golden-Winged Roc soared with incredible speed, its form a blazing golden sun, stirring up fierce gales.

To avoid becoming a target, Lu Changsheng signaled for it to fly low, weaving through the forest and causing the mountains and trees in its path to crumble to dust.

Luckily, with the Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Mirror in his possession, Lu Changsheng skillfully evaded the fourth-tier demon king and the approaching Nascent Soul cultivators.

Half an hour later.

Lu Changsheng, pale and weak, arrived at a cave, signaling the Golden-Winged Roc to wait outside while he took Lu Ping’an in to rest.

“Huff, huff, huff!!!”

In that moment, Lu Changsheng finally relaxed, taking deep breaths to calm his emotions and restore his mana.

“No wonder so many cultivators are obsessed with battles and plunder; fighting for life and death is just so thrilling.”

Lu Changsheng murmured to himself.

While the previous battle seemed straightforward, it was actually his first time using all his means, with an element of risk! He gambled on whether True Lord Loushan’s Nascent Soul Spirit Body could withstand the terrifying fourth-tier poison while breaking through the Three Treasure Incarnation’s interception! Fortunately, the opponent’s strength was within his estimates; they hadn’t breached the talisman array or the Yin-Yang Qi Great Capture.

Still, the entire experience gave him an unprecedented thrill.

“However, in this battle, the secret realm gave an advantage, and the Nascent Soul Spirit Body couldn’t instantly break through the Void. Otherwise, even a successful ambush wouldn’t guarantee he could slay the opponent’s Nascent Soul.”

Lu Changsheng muttered, knowing that unless he broke through to Nascent Soul or activated the Immortal City formation to further guide the Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Mirror, the current Yin-Yang Qi would, at most, obliterate the Nascent Soul’s physical body without extinguishing the spirit body.

“Sigh.”

Lu Changsheng glanced at Lu Ping’an, whose body was covered in frost and whose face was ghostly pale, sighing softly.

Though a Core Formation cultivator slaying a Nascent Soul True Lord was astounding, news of it would overshadow him historically.

However, Lu Changsheng felt little joy or sense of gain.

If it weren’t for his son, Lu Ping’an, he would never have dared to risk the ambush against a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Using Yin-Yang magic, he slightly dispelled the Yin power within Lu Ping’an’s body, then cast a third-tier sweet dew talisman.

Although the Yin-Yang Qi had targeted True Lord Loushan, Lu Ping’an was nearby. Even with Ah Wu’s efforts to shield him, he still couldn’t escape the collateral damage.

If Lu Ping’an hadn’t possessed a late-stage third-tier physique and the Undying Golden Body, a normal Core Formation cultivator would have perished or been crippled from the aftermath.

Nonetheless, Lu Ping’an’s condition remained serious.

However, seeing the flickering flames in Lu Ping’an’s sea of qi and dan tian, and the Wild Dragon Spine in his spine continuously supplying vitality intertwined with the Undying Golden Body’s indestructible substances nurturing his form, Lu Changsheng felt relieved and decided not to worry about him for the moment.

Though his injuries were severe, he wasn’t in danger of losing his life.

In fact, with the Wild Dragon Spine and the Undying Golden Body, he might just need a few months of rest to recover on his own.

As such, Lu Changsheng took another look at True Lord Loushan’s body.

Without the support of a Nascent Soul spirit body, this Nascent Soul法体 had been thoroughly corroded by the Yin-Yang Qi and the fourth-tier poison, resembling shattered black pottery.

With a flick of his mana, the frost-covered broken body instantly disintegrated into dust, leaving behind just a few damaged artifacts and a beautifully crafted storage pouch.

In his moment of crisis, True Lord Loushan only managed to take his life-bound spiritual treasure and storage ring while neglecting the other treasures.

Lu Changsheng didn’t bother to clean up the spoils but instead took out a bottle of healing pills from his storage ring and swallowed them all, beginning to restore his bodily condition.

Cheng Country, Lu Mountain.

This mountain sprawled for a thousand miles and boasted rich spiritual energy, with several third-tier spiritual veins running through it.

Its primary vein was a fourth-tier spiritual vein, adorned with magnificent buildings and an impressive aura.

The Lou family of Lu Mountain had always been an old powerhouse in Cheng Country, never ceasing their heritage and instilling fear in the region.

Especially twenty-three years prior, the Lou Family not only had the old ancestor True Lord Loushan but also nurtured a second Nascent Soul cultivator, further enhancing their family’s renown and overwhelming Cheng Country.

Seizing this opportunity, the Lou Family aimed to dominate Cheng Country and prepare for war against neighboring nations to plunder resources, propelling the family further toward becoming an immortal lineage!

Outside the ancestral hall of the Lou Family, the guardian, a family elder, was yawning listlessly.

Watching over the ancestral hall seldom presented any tasks; there were only occasional reports of fractured soul lamps or soul tablets from family juniors.

Yet, as a Nascent Soul family, any junior traveling abroad was treated with utmost respect; as long as no one dared to bully them, they were safe. Who would dare kill a Lou Family junior?

Like nine years ago when the son of the Luo Yun Mountain family, a child of destiny, killed one of the Lou Family’s disciples; three elders personally eliminated that family.

Just then, he saw the prohibition tablet in the distance tremble.

“Hmm? Who from the main line has fallen outside?”

The elder suddenly turned towards the ancestral hall, his expression growing serious.

Family power placed great importance on bloodlines; thus, the arrangement of soul lamps and soul tablets in the ancestral hall was strict, categorizing main line, branch family, side lines, etc.

This prohibition tablet indicated that not only had a main line cultivator perished, but it was a Core Formation ancestor-level figure!

However, according to family rules, if a soul lamp of this level had an issue, the guardian couldn’t check it alone; they had to report to the family, and only three or more elders could enter to investigate.

He immediately sent a message, calling for three elders to enter.

However, after the three elders entered, there was no response; it was utterly silent.

The elder felt puzzled and walked in, seeing the three bodies tremble, with one even kneeling, shaking. His heart sank in fear before gradually raising his head.

When he saw that the family’s top figures were unharmed, his heart grew heavier, but then he noticed the top soul lamp extinguished, and his whole body trembled uncontrollably as he muttered, “Is this… the soul lamp of the ancestor? How can this be?!”

Though True Lord Loushan appeared aged, by Nascent Soul’s lifespan estimation, he had another two or three hundred years to live.

With such a lifespan, provided the invasion war proceeded smoothly, he could cultivate another Nascent Soul true lord for the family!

Yet now, he had unexpectedly fallen outside.

In an instant, the entire Lu Mountain shook.

In the Mirage Domain of Vast Sands.

Inside a cave.

Lu Changsheng, clad in a dark-colored robe, looked pale, sitting cross-legged, unaware that his slaying of a Nascent Soul cultivator would indirectly impact the war within a cultivation nation.

“It seems my condition isn’t conducive to activating the effects of the Misty Dragon Nirvana Pill.”

Moments later, he opened his eyes and mumbled.

After merging the Chaos Body with the Undying Golden Body, his body’s self-healing was extraordinary.

The physical burden caused by stimulating the Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Mirror was stabilized in a short time.

Currently, he was more weak than severely injured, with his qi and mana depleted, rather than seriously wounded.

Thus, Lu Changsheng realized a problem.

The Misty Dragon Nirvana Pill could only be fully activated in a state of critical injury or near death.

However, his Chaos Body had incredibly tenacious life force; even slightly injured, the undying essence would activate rapidly, automatically refining the effectiveness of the Misty Dragon Nirvana Pill throughout his body, allowing him to heal quickly.

Therefore, activating the full effects of the dragon nirvana pill was incredibly difficult.

He needed to enter a severely injured and near-death state in a very short time.

If he engaged in a prolonged battle, the medicinal effects of the Misty Dragon Nirvana Pill would be dissipated and refined by the Chaos Body, eventually causing the effects to diminish; by the time he was ready to activate it, much of its potency would have already been wasted.

“Who among several could control their near-death situation except through self-harm?”

Lu Changsheng shook his head gently, finding the pill rather useless due to overly strict triggering conditions, making it more suitable for people without body refinement.

Still, he didn’t dwell on it too much.

It was merely a waste of some medicinal essence.

At least it did help his body recover quicker.

With his body temporarily stabilized, Lu Changsheng began to check the treasures from True Lord Loushan’s storage ring.

It wasn’t due to an urgent desire to see his spoils.

Rather, he suspected the other might have come in pairs.

If any tokens or insignias were hidden within the storage ring or pouch, it would endanger him.

First, Lu Changsheng examined True Lord Loushan’s life-bound spiritual treasure.

It resembled a sword but had no blade, its tip slightly pointed, the handle divided into multiple sections and covered in Dao patterns, resembling a heavy whip.

At that moment, it too was coated in frost due to the effect of the Yin-Yang Qi.

Holding it in hand, Lu Changsheng instantly felt a powerful sense of rejection.

Spiritual treasures have their own spirits.

Though this spiritual treasure’s spirit was far inferior to the Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Mirror, it was still reasonably conscious.

In a dangerous situation, it could defend its master automatically, fight on its own through its spirit, or burn its essence to unleash great power.

Meanwhile, if others tried to seize a spiritual treasure, the weapon’s spirit would instinctively resist and struggle.

“This sort of life-bound spiritual treasure must be reforged.”

Life-bound treasures greatly diminish in power if anyone other than their owner or cultivators training the same art attempts to wield them.

Furthermore, the spiritual treasure possesses autonomous awareness; to use it, one must first subdue its spirit.

Lu Changsheng had neither the time nor energy for that.

However, the Divine Creation Refinement Art contained numerous methods for reforging treasures, capable of erasing the weapon spirit’s consciousness and retraining it as efficiently as possible.

Given that this spiritual treasure was also slightly damaged by the Yin-Yang Qi, it would need to be reforged before it could be utilized again; otherwise, it would be entirely useless.

“It could serve as a weapon for the Brahma Demon True Form down the line.”

The Brahma Demon True Form possesses three heads and six arms, enabling it to wield multiple treasures in battle.

However, Lu Changsheng generally looked down on ordinary treasures; he preferred the Brahma Demon True Form to fight unarmed.

He affixed a sealing talisman onto the frost-covered stone whip and tossed it into the Storage Belt, alongside the few remaining artifacts from True Lord Loushan’s shattered body.

In total, there were four items—all top-tier treasures.

Still, under the influence of the Yin-Yang Qi, the damage to these artifacts was far more severe than that of the whip.

“I’ll refine and reforge them later.”

These artifacts are considered spoils of a Nascent Soul-level figure, unsuitable for open use.

Lu Changsheng intends to reforge them all when he returns.

Continuing to observe True Lord Loushan’s storage ring.

It was protected by powerful prohibitions.

However, with True Lord Loushan deceased, and Lu Changsheng now possessing the Taiyi Spirit at the Nascent Soul level, the prohibitions dissipated and shattered after a quarter of an hour of wear.

The number of items within was fewer than expected but emitted a strong spiritual aura, indicating their great value.

“These are high-grade spirit stones!”

Lu Changsheng saw over a dozen palm-sized yellow spirit stones.

In the cultivation world, spirit stones are categorized into low-grade, middle-grade, high-grade, and high-quality.

However, Lu Changsheng had never seen high-grade spirit stones until now.

He even acquired high-grade spirit stones only through the kindness of others and some from the Myriad Beasts Mountain and Da Mengze from demon king lairs.

Immortal City of Da Mengze has always exchanged high-grade spirit stones.

But a hundred middle-grade spirit stones barely exchange for one high-grade spirit stone; at least one hundred and twenty are required for a trade.

As for high-grade spirit stones, no need to say more.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk—this one high-grade spirit stone might rival the effects of the Spirit Eye Spring and is excellent for nurturing spiritual veins!”

Lu Changsheng held a high-grade spirit stone in his hand, feeling as though he grasped a small mountain, marveling at its value.

Such high-grade spirit stones wouldn’t be used for cultivation, even by Nascent Soul true lords; rather, they are utilized to activate precious treasures or arrange formations.

“Fourteen high-grade spirit stones, but regrettably, they are all of the earth attribute.”

Lu Changsheng realized that True Lord Loushan practiced earth attribute techniques and probably prepared these for himself.

Not dwelling on those for long, he prioritized examining various tokens, talismans, and more.

Sure enough, he discovered several tokens, even a small formation disk and formation flags.

“Lu Mountain?”

Lu Changsheng saw a token in his hand, guessing it should represent the faction to which True Lord Loushan belonged.

Even though the secret realm possesses prohibitive effects on spiritual fluctuations, the triggering of the formation is minimal even after breaking; still, to avoid accidents, with companions present in the secret realm, Lu Changsheng didn’t destroy it and tossed it aside.

He destroyed or discarded all tokens and talismans related to communication or sensing from the storage ring, then sent Lu Ping’an to the Inconceivable Realm and called the Golden-Winged Roc to find another location to sort his spoils.

“Three-tier middle-grade puppet? Could it be he is a puppet master?”

Half an hour later, Lu Changsheng found a cave to continue his assessment and discovered two puppets, his mind contemplating.

Previously, he had been spying on True Lord Loushan with the Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Mirror, which is how Lu Changsheng noticed his ground dragon puppets were damaged, and he had lost a third-tier puppet along the way.

During the recent fight, two puppets had also fallen to the Three Treasure Incarnation.

Yet the storage ring still contained two third-tier puppets.

One must understand that third-tier puppets are already scarce in the market, rarer than third-tier pills or talismans.

Previously, Lu Changsheng only obtained two third-tier puppets from Tu Yuan.

“However, as a Nascent Soul true lord, acquiring several third-tier puppets would be simpler than for ordinary cultivators.”

Following the aura of a treasure, he spotted a black jade box.

Inside lay a flying knife, no larger than a thumb and as thin as a cicada’s wing, seemingly concentrated from countless stars.

“Is this… a fourth-tier anomaly?”

Lu Changsheng studied it closely and realized this was not a spiritual treasure but rather an anomaly.

Currently resting within the jade box for nurturing, even unactivated, it emanated an irresistible edge.

Lu Changsheng grasped the flying knife, dragging it across his thumb, and was surprised when his Nascent Soul-level physique was cut, blood spilling forth.

“Buzz!”

The flying knife trembled, and a wave of sharp energy surged forth, as if it sought to consume his blood.

“If this flying knife were to launch a sudden attack, even a Nascent Soul cultivator might meet their demise, right?”

Lu Changsheng hastily steadied himself, contemplating the flying knife with some dread.

If he hadn’t ambushed but confronted head-on, even if he survived, he would have been seriously injured.

“But for now, it belongs to me.”

Lu Changsheng stowed this flying knife back in the brocade box, treating it as a future trump card.

As long as this knife pierces through the soul or the Nascent Soul spirit body, even a Nascent Soul cultivator would be doomed! Apart from this, there were no other artifacts or anomalies.

This is quite normal; a Nascent Soul true lord wouldn’t carry too many unnecessary treasures.

“Nine Heavens Pure Spirit Liquid, Nine Heavens Clean Spirit Qi, Millennium Spirit Milk, and Spirit Restoring Pills—good healing, detoxifying, and mana-restoring pills are all here!”

Lu Changsheng examined the various bottles and jars in the storage ring.

All were rare pills and spiritual items seldom seen in the world.

Whether for healing, nourishing the body and mana, detoxifying poisons, or nurturing the spirit, everything was included.

The Nine Heavens Pure Spirit Liquid and Nine Heavens Clean Spirit Qi could even serve as Nascent Soul items, cleansing the body and mana, and increasing the chances of reaching the Nascent Soul level! There were even over ten top-tier third-tier talismans and three fourth-tier talismans.

The more Lu Changsheng looked, the more he marveled, feeling he had taken the initiative with the Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Mirror.

Otherwise, given him some time, it would have been extremely difficult to slay him.

“Truly worthy of a Nascent Soul true lord, fully prepared and equipped.”

Lu Changsheng shook his head, feeling emotional, and took a sip of the Millennium Spirit Milk.

Currently, his greatest issue was that his mana in the dan tian was nearly drained, and the Heavenly Yuan Lotus in the secondary dan tian had also been emptied.

If he relied on himself to meditate slowly, it was unclear how long it would take to recover.

As the spirit milk entered his belly, it quickly transformed into pure mana, flooding his limbs and bones, making Lu Changsheng unable to help but marvel—having access to a Nascent Soul’s supplies indeed felt good!

No one would skimp on themselves while reaching the Nascent Soul level in terms of nourishment and resources.

After feeling comfortable for a moment, Lu Changsheng resumed his search.

Apart from a few fourth-tier spiritual supplies, there weren’t many rare materials left, only some martial arts secrets.

Lu Changsheng glanced at a few, mostly incomplete martial arts methods. He suspected that the true masters had likely exchanged most of their resources for those needed in the secret realm or left behind their common spiritual supplies at home.

Lu Changsheng picked up the storage pouch next to the four damaged artifacts.

This storage pouch was also a top-tier treasure, resembling Lu Changsheng’s Storage Belt, with a very large space, likely prepared by the owner for the secret realm.

Compared to the storage ring, this pouch was much more chaotic, filled with beast corpses, bones, various natural treasures, spiritual materials, as well as pills and talismans.

Previously, Lu Changsheng had spied on True Lord Loushan through the Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Mirror, knowing his previous gains and the demon kings he had slain were mostly thrown into this storage pouch.

Unfortunately, as they entered the secret realm for a brief period, the haul couldn’t be considered particularly rich, but for Lu Changsheng, it was already quite satisfactory.

“Fourth-tier Purifying Bamboo, rich in purifying nature, can dispel inner demons; it reduces the effects of heart demon tribulations during the Nascent Soul phase.”

“Third-tier Soul Nourishing Wood—though only a small piece, it’s still great; it helps Core Formation cultivators nurture their spirit, even offering a place for the spirit to reside.”

“Condensing Crystal Pill… it seems high-tier cultivators still possess plenty of Condensing Crystal Pills; just the refinement skills are lacking, barely qualifying as genuine items.”

“Essence Yielding Pill is suitable for late-stage Core Formation cultivators to enhance their mana.”

The various natural treasures dazzled Lu Changsheng’s eyes.

Previously, during the Beast Tide in Immortal City, he had slain the Void Kun and won a treasure beyond compare.

Yet compared to the wealth of True Lord Loushan, Lu Changsheng discovered that this Nascent Soul cultivator was even wealthier.

Or rather, the primary wealth of demon kings lies within themselves, while the other treasures are merely bonuses.

Conversely, the wealth accumulated by a Nascent Soul cultivator over hundreds of years is terrifying and far exceeds that of demon beasts!

However, that was also because they had ventured into the secret realm and gained numerous treasures, which now fell into Lu Changsheng’s hands.

“No wonder so many come to the secret realm; the returns are simply astonishing…”

Lu Changsheng shook his head in awe.

A Core Formation cultivator, if they just trained steadily, relying on alchemy and talisman drawing, hunting beasts, or guarding places for others, might not gain as many resources over a hundred or a thousand years.

Considering this bounty, aside from True Lord Loushan’s life-bound spiritual treasure, the four top-tier damaged artifacts, and further Nascent Soul materials, Lu Changsheng had already counted four items.

While their quality could only be deemed average, he had at least not lacked Nascent Soul resources.

In terms of fourth-tier material for crafting artefacts, he accumulated as much as seven portions.

Regarding other Core Formation-level earthly spiritual materials, he had a veritable mountain of them.

Moreover, aside from True Lord Loushan’s four artifacts, the storage pouch contained six additional artifacts, all being top-grade or elite qualities.

Once he returned and spent a bit of time, Lu Changsheng could fully equip himself from head to toe.

Yet as a man with a system, Lu Changsheng took a deep breath, calming himself, then released his son, Lu Ping’an, from the Inconceivable Treasure Wheel.

He fed him a Spirit Recovering Pill, letting its effects partially unfold, and then took another sip of the Millennium Spirit Milk, resuming his cross-legged meditation to recover his physical condition.

Now that his son Lu Ping’an was saved, he didn’t plan to participate in the following events of the secret realm and would wait for its conclusion right here.

At most, once his physical condition had fully recovered, he would hunt a few third-tier beasts on the outskirts of the secret realm or see if he could scavenge some spirit herbs.