Chapter 499 33: Treasure

HUFF…

Zhu Ju let out a long breath, a film of sweat covering his skin as a wave of exhaustion washed over him.

He had taken down his opponent without a single scratch. While it looked easy, the fight had been incredibly draining on his mind and spirit.

He had pushed the Power of his Physical Body to its absolute limit.

Though the fight was short, it felt like he had toiled for days on end. The moment he relaxed, his Essence, Qi, and Spirit plummeted.

"A Seventh-Grade Martial Artist…"

'It was a bit of a stretch, after all!'

If Ma Gulan's strength had been completely intact, he might not have succeeded, even if he went all out.

However, this was the Zhu Mansion. There were plenty of guards and fighters; it wouldn't have been difficult to call for reinforcements to detain the man. The reason he hadn't was twofold: first, Zhu Ju was confident in his own strength, and second, he had other motives.

Cracking his wrists, he strode over to the corpse.

"The Vice Gang Leader of the Qingyi Gang. I hope you don't disappoint me."

Compared to the Qi Blood Martial Arts he had just begun practicing, he hadn't forgotten what he had learned before.

Magic!

Although he currently had no Magical Power in his body, certain Secret Techniques could be performed without it.

Such as…

certain Divine Soul Secret Techniques!

"Life Soul Shaking Light, Seven Spirits Respond…"

Zhu Ju whispered, the syllables vibrating in the void as the thoughts of his Divine Soul traced complex patterns in his Sea of Consciousness.

The void…

trembled slightly.

"Extract!"

As Zhu Ju's eyes snapped open, a Spiritual Light bloomed within them.

A translucent figure, ninety percent identical to Ma Gulan, was forcefully torn from the corpse on the ground.

A Soul!

A person has Three Souls and Seven Spirits.

As long as the Physical Body exists, the Soul is attached to it and is extremely difficult to extract. Only those with great Magical Power or Great Divine Techniques can do so.

Upon death, the Soul dissipates, and even those with Divine Techniques and Magical Power are helpless.

Only when a person has just died, when their Soul is about to disperse but hasn't yet, and has nothing to anchor it, is it easiest to extract.

However, this places extremely high demands on the caster. Those who have not cultivated a Primordial Spirit would find it difficult to grasp the timing precisely.

Zhu Ju…

was a perfect fit.

"Search!"

With a flick of his Spell, Ma Gulan's Soul immediately disintegrated, and countless memory fragments surfaced.

The desolate helplessness of his youth while trying to survive with his younger brother; the tearful gratitude after meeting Hong Qingyi; the smug arrogance after becoming successful in Martial Arts…

Numerous memory fragments flashed through Zhu Ju's mind, finally settling on a few key scenes.

"The northern city mine… the Earthly Fire Grotto… Hong Qingyi's son, Hong Yi…"

*

*

*

The night was dark and gloomy.

A figure appeared at the mine north of the city.

Taiyuan Prefecture was mostly plains, which was the origin of its name.

But to the north of the Prefecture City lay a dormant volcano, under which a winding mineral vein rich in Profound Fire Ore was located.

This vein was once the economic backbone of Taiyuan Prefecture, but after more than a hundred years of continuous mining, it had gradually fallen into disuse. Only a few mines still had any output, a far cry from its former prosperity.

It did, however, leave behind numerous mines, their interiors a twisting maze where it was common for people to get lost and die.

"Three withered willows."

Zhu Ju stopped before a mine entrance, looked at the landmark willow trees beside it, and nodded slowly.

"This is the place."

With a flicker, his figure vanished into the mine.

His pace was unhurried, yet his speed was astonishing. He followed the path from Ma Gulan's memory, moving quickly without making the slightest sound—not even a footstep.

Before long, a wave of scorching Qi rushed toward him.

Zhu Ju's eyebrows twitched. He leaped forward, and in the next moment, the scene before him opened up dramatically.

Below, earthly fire and magma churned.

Bubbles of fire, varying in size, rose from the magma and exploded mid-air, transforming into streams of Fierce Flame that scattered in all directions. The surrounding rocks had been vitrified by the intense heat.

'There's a complete Fire Vein here? And the earthly fire's Evil Qi has condensed without dissipating?'

Zhu Ju looked surprised.

"No wonder Hong Qingyi's Cultivation of the Fire Separation Mysterious Skill progressed so rapidly. A place so filled with fire Qi is practically a sacred ground for his Cultivation."

He was standing on a floating bridge constructed from steel bars, positioned directly above the Fire Vein where the temperature was highest.

Standing here, an ordinary person would become dehydrated and weak in moments. Even a Martial Artist couldn't last for long.

But for someone who cultivated the Fire Separation Mysterious Skill, this place was a priceless treasure.

Rubbing his chin, Zhu Ju leaped up to a very inconspicuous platform above.

If one didn't look closely, they might not even notice the platform's existence.

He reached out and grabbed.

A cloak came away in his hand, and the pile of rubble before him transformed.

The rubble turned into a half-man-high pile of gold and silver, various ores radiating extraordinary auras, and a few Elixirs and books.

"Hong Qingyi was truly a formidable figure. He must have anticipated his own downfall when his backer ran into trouble and had Ma Gulan prepare for his escape. A pity he was one step too late."

Shaking his head lightly, Zhu Ju looked at the object in his hand.

"A Magical Artifact that can conceal auras and change appearances. It must be the Beast Hide of some kind of Demon."

The ores and Elixirs had potent auras, but when covered by this cloak-like object, even he couldn't sense them.

Moreover, the temperature here was so high that wood would ignite, yet the items covered by it were cool to the touch.

Clearly, this cloak was no Mortal Grade item.

'What a great find!'

Casually tying the cloak to his waist, Zhu Ju squatted down and rummaged through the various items before him.

Since these were for an escape, they were naturally all valuable.

There were over thirty Primordial Crystals.

These alone were equivalent to over three hundred thousand taels of silver.

However, in this world, silver was only useful to ordinary people. Truly rare items were all traded with Primordial Crystals.

Silver was nothing but a pile of useless stuff in the eyes of top-tier experts.

"Innate Pills!"

"And there are two of them!"

Picking up a Pill Bottle, a smile touched Zhu Ju's face, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

An Innate Pill could increase a Seventh-Grade Expert's chances of advancing to the Sixth Grade. It was extremely rare and incredibly valuable.

This Elixir was probably prepared by Ma Gulan for himself. As it turned out, he died before he could even use it.

"Huh?"

"What's this?"

A huge chunk of iron made Zhu Ju pause. It was shaped like a long, slender rod, as if it had been cut from some larger object.

He tried to lift it.

Even with Zhu Ju's current Power of Physical Body, it was extremely difficult.

"Over two thousand pounds!"

"It's dark all over, cold to the touch, with its Evil Qi hidden within… Could this be the legendary Demon-Devouring Iron?"

Demon-Devouring Iron was a rare treasure with a terrifyingly suppressive effect on Demons. The demon-catching Magical Artifacts used by Demon Catchers and the Demon Suppression Bureau were all refined from it.

"Demon-Devouring Iron also has grades. Even if this piece isn't High Grade, it must be at least Middle Grade. Although it's difficult to refine, if it could be forged into a Magical Artifact, it would be Sixth Grade or even higher. Rumor has it that Hong Qingyi's Fire Separation Spear was forged with this material."

The Fire Separation Mysterious Skill not only increased one's Cultivation; those who mastered it were also natural masters of Artifact Refining.

They have precise control over flames and temperature and can linger for long periods where earthly fire and Evil Qi are present.

Could there be a more suitable blacksmith?

Gently stroking the iron block, Zhu Ju's expression changed slightly.

His wife in another world was also a master of Artifact Refining; she herself had turned into an Artifact Spirit and fallen into a deep sleep.

Similarly, Zhu Ju had learned a great deal by observation and had also studied the path of Artifact Refining deeply. If he could refine this piece of Demon-Devouring Iron into a suitable Qi Blood Divine Weapon, it would provide a significant Amplification to his power.

However, the Refinement of Demon-Devouring Iron was no easy task.

Especially since he was currently only a Ninth-Grade Martial Artist and hadn't cultivated any special Cultivation Technique.

The Methods from his previous world could only serve as a reference; they might not be useful here.

"The Fire Separation Mysterious Skill…"

"I didn't find the complete version in Ma Gulan's memories. But there's still Hong Qingyi's son, Hong Yi."

"He should have the complete inheritance."