Chapter 197 - 196: Bountiful Harvest

Chapter 197: Chapter 196: Bountiful Harvest

The moon was hidden and the stars were dim. The back mountain of the Xuan Nu Palace was shrouded in the deep darkness of night.

The Xuan Nu Palace was far more deserted than usual. Even the once heavily guarded back mountain now seemed somewhat disheveled.

The reason was simple: the Xuan Nu Palace’s reputation had become so foul recently that many daughters from good families, fearing they would be implicated, had already fled.

The few remaining Patrolling Disciples clutched their robes tightly, shivering in the cold wind. They chatted intermittently, their words filled with sighs.

"It was the Elders and the Palace Master who did all those shameful things. Why should we be dragged down with them? We never kept any concubines, nor did we act as spies."

"This is a good thing in a way. After a scandal like this, the palace probably won’t force us to become spies when we get married in the future."

"If my family wasn’t completely out of money, I would have left too. It was one thing to be pushed around all the time in the Xuan Nu Palace, but now our reputations are ruined. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to marry."

"My family spent all their savings just to get me into the Xuan Nu Palace. To think it would end up like this... it makes me so angry."

...

Busy venting their frustrations, the Xuan Nu Palace disciples failed to notice a dark figure moving slowly along the cliff face, as silent as a gecko.

The Thief Demon held his breath, concentrating as he blended into the night. Following the intelligence provided by Xia Wuyang, he easily found the entrance to the Secret Vault on the back mountain. It was concealed by rocks and vines, its mouth protected by a Spirit Array invisible to the naked eye.

’The security really is tight. No wonder I couldn’t find the Secret Vault when I snuck into the Xuan Nu Palace all those years ago. It was hidden so well.’

A look of surprise appeared on the Thief Demon’s face. He had no idea how his master had managed to learn the exact location of the Secret Vault.

He took out an Array-Breaking Talisman. A faint, fluorescent light flowed across the talisman paper.

"Break!"

At a certain moment, the Thief Demon found an Array node. This was his unique specialty. Although his own proficiency in the Array Dao was nothing special, he had a keen eye and could even spot the nodes of a Spirit Array.

The talisman paper dissolved into a stream of light and shot into the Spirit Array’s node. A crack instantly appeared in the once-impenetrable defense.

The Thief Demon’s figure flashed, and he slipped through the opening like a fish. He retrieved the now-dimmed Array-Breaking Talisman, and the Spirit Array silently closed behind him.

After passing through several layers of protection, he arrived in the depths of the Secret Vault, which was a world of its own.

Luminous Pearls were embedded in the ceiling, their soft light illuminating the entire grotto.

The air was filled with a faint medicinal fragrance and rich Spiritual Qi, invigorating the senses.

But these were not what the Thief Demon was after. He walked straight to the deepest part of the Secret Vault. Soon, dozens of Spiritual Objects came into view, sending a jolt through him. ’There really are Spiritual Objects, and so many of them!’

The first thing that caught his eye was a set of emerald-green Armor. The wood grain on its plates naturally formed a Defense Array Map.

The Wooden Jade Armor!

A Low Level Spiritual Artifact, and a precious defensive one at that. Its value far surpassed most Attack and support-type Spiritual Artifacts of the same level, capable of increasing a Martial Artist’s Defense by about four times. It was also the most valuable of all the Spiritual Objects here.

Next was a set of Spirit Needles, as fine as ox hair and nearly invisible in the soft light.

The Spirit-Breaking Needle!

A Middle Level Spiritual Artifact, an offensive one, perfectly suited for using the Enchanting Heart Needle. It could also increase Xia Wuyang’s Attack Power by about four times.

Furthermore, after his improvements, the Enchanting Heart Needle could unleash one hundred and twenty percent of its power. Multiplied by the fourfold boost from the Spirit-Breaking Needle, one could only imagine how astonishing the result would be.

A 3.6-fold increase, multiplied by four, resulted in a total 14.4-fold increase.

And this was just at the level of a Body Refining Martial Artist. Once he advanced to an Extraordinary True Monarch and could control the Enchanting Heart Needle with True Qi, he would be able to unleash the full power of the Spirit Art. The might of this Spiritual Technique and Spirit Art, the Enchanting Heart Needle, would increase by a massive amount.

Next were about ten Spirit Talismans, three of which were Array-Breaking Talismans. This not only compensated for the one he had just used but left him with a surplus.

It was perfectly normal for the Xuan Nu Palace, with its millennium-long heritage, to have a collection of Spirit Talismans. There was nothing strange about it.

Even Princess Jinping had managed to acquire a few Spiritual Objects, including the Middle Level Spiritual Artifact, the Spiritual Snake Sword. So it was even more expected of the ancient Xuan Nu Palace.

Besides the Array-Breaking Talismans, there were also Soul Suppressing Talismans, Flame Talismans, and Divine Movement Talismans... Each had a different effect and formidable power. The strongest among them reached the level of a Middle Level Spirit Talisman, comparable to an Attack from a Middle Spirit True Monarch.

After stowing away these Spiritual Objects, which were what his master valued most, the Thief Demon’s gaze fell upon the other treasures.

Relying on his keen sense for treasures, the Thief Demon went straight to a medicinal rack and opened one of the Jade Boxes.

As expected, the Jade Box contained something extraordinary, an item no less precious than a Spiritual Object.

A nine-hundred-and-sixty-year-old blood ginseng!

A Top Level Mortal Treasure!

The ginseng’s body was as crimson as blood, with intricate patterns covering its surface. Its rootlets trembled slightly as if they were alive, emitting an intoxicating medicinal aroma.

If an ordinary Super Grade Celestial Human were to consume it, they could expect to advance by at least one or two minor realms. Even for Xia Wuyang, whose Foundation was three times stronger than that of Martial Artists at the same level, it would still be enough to raise his cultivation by about one minor realm.

With this nine-hundred-year-old blood ginseng, once his Cultivation Foundation stabilized, he could quickly continue to raise his Cultivation Realm and step into the Super Grade Late Stage.

At that point, he would be only one minor realm away from Super Grade Perfection. As long as he could make that breakthrough, cleanse all impurities, he could then logically condense a True Qi Seed and step into the True Monarch Realm.

That day was drawing ever closer for Xia Wuyang.

Xia Wuyang himself had never expected that the Xuan Nu Palace’s back mountain Secret Vault would contain a blood ginseng that was over nine hundred years old.

"Good stuff!"

A delighted glint flashed in the Thief Demon’s eyes. ’His master will surely love a treasure like this.’

Besides this blood ginseng of over nine hundred years, there were some other Mortal Level Miracle Treasures, but most were Low Level Mortal Treasures and Middle Level Mortal Treasures. There wasn’t even a single High Level Mortal Treasure.

The Thief Demon swept up all the most valuable items, for which he had specially brought several custom-made burlap sacks. After all, the Thief Demon didn’t possess any kind of storage item.

In addition, there were other Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures and Top Level Mortal Artifacts, such as Profound Lady Jade Liquid, Ice Skin Ointment, various rare medicinal herbs, and some secretly transmitted Cultivation Techniques, Combat Techniques, and Secret Techniques... As a veteran in this field, the Thief Demon could easily distinguish which items were valuable and which were not.

His movements were swift and efficient, his eyes ruthlessly sharp. He quickly filled several sacks to the brim. The vast Secret Vault was now half-looted, cleared of all its most precious goods.

If he could carry any more, the Thief Demon would have loved to plunder the entire Secret Vault, leaving nothing behind for the Xuan Nu Palace.

He left the Secret Vault with the sacks. He had considered going back for another haul, but then he thought about it: doing so would probably require using another one or two Array-Breaking Talismans. The loss would outweigh the gain, so he decided against it.