Chapter 147 Retrieving the Treasure

After Ancestor Dongxuan was blasted to pieces by the Sixth Senior Sister’s Connecting Heaven Thunder Technique, everyone finally relaxed their minds and prepared to explore the Spring Water Mansion. On the way, He Xiaoshu mocked, "Yu Xiao, didn't you say that the Nine Heavens Immortal-Slaying Talisman was the only treasure capable of destroying a primordial spirit below the primordial spirit realm? Now that the Sixth Senior Sister has completely obliterated the old demon's physical form and soul, what do you have to say about that?"

Yu Xiao patiently explained, "This thunder technique is one of the three great demon-subduing orthodox methods of Mount Emei. It is inherently a technique that can only be unleashed by those above the primordial spirit realm. Sixth Senior Sister is exceptionally gifted, yet capable of displaying such divine might even below the primordial spirit realm. This is a special case, not me bragging."

"Then is this wonderful technique really that powerful? Why does our Heavenly Gate Sect not have it?"

"Even if we did, your current level of cultivation would prevent you from practicing it," Yu Xiao shook her head helplessly.

"I heard my master say," Xiang Xiaoyue interjected, "all the thunder techniques, fire arts, and ghost-summoning abilities in the world are divided into two categories. Those performed below the primordial spirit realm are called spells, while those performed above it can be called divine abilities. It's just that nowadays there are many shameless people who often append the four characters 'divine ability and wondrous technique' right after comprehending any ordinary Daoist method. Therefore, the more one relies solely on the title, the blurrier the distinction in power becomes between the higher and lower levels."

"Then how should we distinguish them?" He Xiaoshu asked curiously. Having just fought side by side and being both female, they shared a sense of mutual appreciation and deepening friendship; Xiang Xiaoyue treated Zhou Qian and He Xiaoshu with completely different attitudes.

"Master said that the divine abilities and spells between heaven and earth, though differing in name, are roughly divided into three layers. The first layer involves capturing the five elements of heaven and earth to cultivate various thunder techniques and immortal fires, such as the Kui Water Thunder, Pure Yang Fire, Xun Wind Art, and so on. Slightly more unusual ones are refined through the unique true qi and wondrous arts of various lineages, such as our Emei's Divine Light of Taiyi, Purple Mansion Heart Thunder, Qingcheng's Supreme Clarity Dharma Thunder, or your Heavenly Gate's Inner Scene Eight Talismans, all of which are like this. Heterodox factions also possess powerful spells such as the Metamagnetic Divine Net, Crustal Pure Flame, and Three Lights Divine Fire, while demonic sects have baleful curses like the Heavenly Demon Yin Fire and Blood-Jade Divine Flame. All of these have their mutually engendering and restricting counterparts, and they still do not escape the nest of mundane things."

Having said this, she paused. Seeing that He Xiaoshu was listening attentively, she nodded with satisfaction and continued, "The second type is extremely formidable; it allows the user to borrow and utilize the momentum of heaven and earth, which is why it can be truly called a divine ability. Examples include the Connecting Heaven Thunder Technique just used by Senior Sister, Mount Mao's Mysterious Qi Demon-Suppressing Art, the Demonic Sect's Yin-Yang Soul-Destroying True Light, and the Six Methods and Five Paths from the legendary demonic treasure *The Pagoda Tome*. When the old demon Dongxuan attained resonance with heaven and man just now, his aura caused the spiritual Qi within a radius of a hundred miles around South Flat Mountain to turn chaotic and reverse—that was merely a superficial application of it. My experience is limited, and these are the only ones I have heard of."

"What about the final layer? What about the final layer?" He Xiaoshu asked impatiently.

"I am not too clear on that myself; I'm afraid you'll have to ask Senior Sister." Xiang Xiaoyue looked rather embarrassed, turned to look at Lu Yurong, and asked, "Senior Sister, have you heard what Master said about it?"

Lu Yurong fell into a rare trance. After Xiang Xiaoyue asked twice, she finally snapped out of it and softly said, "Even my master, Jade Nun, remarked that the changes of this final layer are merely speculative. Years ago, when discussing it with several senior martial sisters and brothers in the Primordial Cave, there were two prevailing theories. First is the realm of true spiritual sentience, where the executed Daoist methods possess self-awareness, take various forms, undergo countless transformations, and devour the Qi of heaven and earth to cultivate themselves. It is exceptionally wondrous, seemingly holding the key to surviving the second heavenly tribulation. My father never spoke of it with me either, perhaps because it is too profound to be expressed in mere words. The second theory is that heaven and earth naturally give birth to techniques, seemingly involving the operation of the Heavenly Dao, though it might just be a case of echoing rumors. For example, the ten-thousand-zhang green jade on the back mountain of Emei, the Buddha Mountain of the Lesser Sound Temple, and all five branches of the demonic sect possess such divine objects. The most famous among them are the Middle-level Demonic Sect's Yin Cao Yan Mansion and the Antarctic Sect's Void Jade Wall. People occasionally manage to comprehend techniques from them, yielding infinite power, though such gains are rare and individual karmic opportunities vary."

Zhou Qian was listening intently and was startled by these words. Could the *Void Ghost-Swallowing Chapter* be related to this? He suddenly recalled that Ancestor Dongxuan had gone to explore that Extreme Yin Cave only at the invitation of the True Person of Five Desires. If a group of mortals could stumble into it purely by chance, why would a high master of the primordial spirit realm like the True Person of Five Desires need to invite fellow peers everywhere? Wasn't that contradictory? Perhaps this matter was not as simple as he had imagined!

The water eye gushed out clear spring water, and the current began to subside. The group arrived at the water's edge, cast their escaping light, and traveled underwater. Although the sword light driven by Zhou Qian could not soar into the azure firmament, with the help of the water's buoyancy, he could dive and swim downward. Passing the water eye, they saw a house-sized dragon head with glaring eyes and a split skull, drenched in blood. It was impossible to tell whether it was dead or alive. Before they even got close, a terrifying pressure washed over them, almost scattering Zhou Qian's mind and making his sword light extremely unstable. One could only imagine how much effort Ancestor Dongxuan had expended to deal with it previously; coming out of the spring eye, his injuries were likely so severe that he could only unleash thirty to forty percent of his original strength at most.

Originally, the Kui Water Qi-Gathering Array sealed the four walls and the exit of the spring eye, forcing Dongxuan to fight the old Flood Dragon to the death. Once the array was broken, the group did not encounter such trouble and carefully bypassed the dragon corpse along the crevices of the cave walls. A moment later, they saw a large cavern. The underground was devoid of light, dark and chilly, and the three large characters "Spring Water Mansion," lacking the array's spiritual power, also appeared dim. When the old Flood Dragon broke the seal, it seemed to have destroyed a small half of the Spring Water Mansion as well. Calling it shattered walls and ruined pillars might be an exaggeration, but broken bricks and tiles were visible everywhere.

Upon entering the mansion, they saw seven or eight white pearls the size of carriage wheels emitting a faint glow. Zhou Qian recognized them as Water-Dividing Pearls, which legend says are produced by deep-sea giant clams. Relying on these pearls, the surrounding water pressure was kept at bay, leaving the space outside the mansion floating in a completely azure, peculiarly beautiful expanse. It was unknown where the white-haired Daoist had found so many precious pearls, though it was likely related to his white eagle gaining the Dao.

Yu Xiao spoke first, "The corpse of this old Flood Dragon blocking the exit of the spring eye is actually a good thing. Otherwise, with the water veins shattered here, the water level would inevitably surge, and the people downstream would suffer from floods. After we take the treasures, we can cast a spell to conceal this spring eye. Anyway, only we and the old demon Dongxuan knew of this place, and since the old demon is dead, I suppose no one will ever come here again. Acting this way can also ensure the peace of the local populace."

None of them had any objections. The white-haired True Person did not have the malicious quirks of Old Ape; in the letter he wrote before his transformation, he had already informed the Jade Nun and True Person Yellow Talisman of the treasures' locations, and the two had passed the information down. Following the route, they bypassed the alchemy room and meditation chamber, and soon arrived at a place resembling a bird's nest. It was about three to four mu in size, three zhang high, constructed from intertwined branches and twigs, and littered with grass stems and rotten leaves. It seemed that even after transforming into human form, the white-haired True Person could not shake his avian habits.

Entering it, they saw a gigantic white eagle lying motionless among the grass leaves. This must have been the True Person's original form. The scene carried a rather desolate mood. The group first bowed respectfully, and following the instructions, they removed a green leaf from beneath its talons, breaking the illusion spell upon it. Immediately, eight treasures were revealed ahead, all flashing with brilliant light and pulsating with immortal aura. Just by looking at their appearance, one could tell they were extraordinary.

The eight treasures consisted of a Clear Water Hook, a White Cloud Talisman, a Water-Dividing Sword, a Rain-Dropping Bead, a Long-Eyebrow Needle, a jar of divine mud, a paper crane, and a box of ointment. The magical treasures varied in grade; for example, the Clear Water Hook was a Great Perfection of Tiangang magical artifact, while the Water-Dividing Sword was merely an immortal sword with twenty-four Earth Fiend restrictions. The White Cloud Talisman was a rare treasure capable of transforming into clouds; the Rain-Dropping Bead could summon heavy rain when driven; the Long-Eyebrow Needle was an item used to harm people in secret; the divine mud went without saying; the paper crane could scout for enemy intelligence; and the ointment was a body-cleansing cream capable of purifying meridians.

The group exchanged glances, none of them willing to speak first. Zhou Qian thought for a moment and said, "I haven't contributed much to this matter, so I won't take any treasures. If possible, I'd just like to take one of those Water-Dividing Pearls."

Such a course of action was clearly suffering a huge loss. Without Zhou Qian, little Liu probably wouldn't have defected on the spot, and both Senior Brother Bai and Senior Brother Lu had been killed by him. However, this was a reward given by the True Person for past kindness; how could Zhou Qian have the face to accept it?

The two Emei women did not speak, though Yu Xiao opened her mouth slightly. Given their distant relationship, it was hard for her to say much. Little Liu and He Xiaoshu tried to persuade him a few times, but he firmly refused.

After some discussion, since Lu Yurong had contributed the most, calculated every step, and even sacrificed a psychic immortal sword, it was only fair and reasonable that she be heavily compensated. She took two of the treasures: the Clear Water Hook and the Long-Eyebrow Needle. Xiang Xiaoyue took the Rain-Dropping Bead, He Xiaoshu took the White Cloud Talisman, and Yu Xiao originally wanted to claim the Water-Dividing Sword, but Junior Sister He twisted her ear and made her take the paper crane instead, forcefully demanding it for herself along with the jar of divine mud. In the end, little Liu obtained the body-cleansing ointment.

They bowed to the white-haired True Person once more and were just about to leave when He Xiaoshu suddenly let out a soft exclamation of surprise, as if she had discovered something...