Chapter 208 - 207: Pillaging the National Treasury

Chapter 208: Chapter 207: Pillaging the National Treasury

Although the National Treasury’s defenses were formidable, in Xia Wuyang’s eyes, they were a complete joke.

He used the Escape Concealment Technique, employed the Enchanting Heart Step, and deployed his Mental Force Field to infiltrate with ease. There were no Spirit Arrays for protection; he didn’t even need to use a Spirit Talisman. He got inside without any trouble.

The sight that greeted him left Xia Wuyang stunned.

Walls were built of gold, the floor was paved with silver, and Pearl Agate was piled in the corners like gravel. The sheer quantity was astounding, but so was the bulk. Putting it all in his Personal Space would be a waste of room.

Xia Wuyang looked down on such things. He wanted something better.

’I used to think that a Personal Space of over three hundred cubic meters was quite large, but now I see I celebrated too soon.’

Fortunately, before coming to the National Treasury, he had already hidden most of the slightly inferior resources and treasures from his Personal Space in a secret warehouse in White Jade City, one managed by Zheng Zhicang.

Everything that remained in his Personal Space was a priceless treasure. Anything of lesser quality was no longer worthy of being stored there.

Xia Wuyang headed straight for the depths of the National Treasury, searching for the most valuable treasures: Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures sent as tribute, Exotic Flowers and Herbs from neighboring kingdoms, and artifacts left behind by the previous dynasty.

Anything that didn’t meet a certain standard of value was beneath his notice.

Even so, his Personal Space filled up at a visible rate. Compared to the resources and treasures in the Secret Vault, the contents of the National Treasury were far inferior.

Its only advantage was the sheer quantity. Unfortunately, there were few Miracle Treasures to be found—mostly just Middle-Low Level Mortal Treasures that Xia Wuyang no longer had any use for.

By the time dawn approached, his Personal Space was full once more. Most of its new contents would just be transferred to Zheng Zhicang’s secret warehouse in White Jade City; only a small portion was worthy of remaining in his Personal Space.

And yet, this small portion represented the most precious batch of resources and treasures in the entire National Treasury.

Xia Wuyang left the National Treasury, deposited the majority of his plunder into the secret warehouse, and kept a small portion in his Personal Space.

His Personal Space was now about one-third full, with the remaining two-thirds empty. Everything kept inside was of exceptional quality.

Ordinary Middle-Low Level Mortal Elixirs and Medicine were not worthy of a spot. At a minimum, items had to be High Level Mortal Elixirs and Medicine to be included. It was easy to imagine the value of the treasures held within.

The resources and treasures currently in his Personal Space alone were enough to rival the wealth of a nation.

If sold for money and provisions, he could easily raise an army of over a million soldiers.

’It’s a shame my Personal Space is still too small, and the National Treasury is too large. I couldn’t take most of the resources and treasures inside.’

’If I get the chance, I’ll have to go back a few more times. For now, I’ll let Emperor Xia hold onto it for me. With Zheng Zhicang as my mole, it won’t matter how well Emperor Xia hides the remaining resources and treasures; they won’t escape my notice.’

Laden with his spoils, Xia Wuyang quietly returned to Wenhua Hall. After "recuperating" for a sufficient amount of time, he eagerly emerged once more to embrace a bevy of stunning beauties.

Before Xia Wuyang could finish with Jin Xiuya, he heard a commotion in the distance. If he wasn’t mistaken, the noise was coming from the direction of the National Treasury.

Apparently, the theft at the National Treasury had been discovered.

Not long after, an even louder uproar came from the direction of the Inner Treasury. It went without saying that the theft there had been discovered as well.

"Investigate! Investigate this thoroughly for me!"

Emperor Xia’s furious roar echoed throughout the Imperial Palace. Countless concubines, Princes, and Princesses stared in astonishment, wondering what could have made the Emperor so enraged.

The Imperial Guard, the Shadow Guard, masters from the Inner Court... Even some of the Royal Family’s elder Celestial Humans emerged and rushed toward the National and Inner Treasuries to investigate.

The entire Imperial Palace was quickly thrown into an uproar. No, it wasn’t just the palace—the whole of White Jade City was in turmoil.

For not only had the Inner Treasury been looted, but the National Treasury as well.

The thefts from the Inner and National Treasuries sent the Great Xia Royal Family and the entire imperial court into a frenzy.

As Emperor Xia’s right and left-hand men, the Grand General of the Imperial Guard, Tantai Zhan, and the Shadow Guard Chief, Zheng Zhicang, naturally could not remain uninvolved.

After all, an incident of this magnitude affected nearly everyone. As two of the most powerful figures in White Jade City, they both dispatched large numbers of Imperial Guards and Shadow Guards, following Emperor Xia’s orders to hunt for the thief.

What Emperor Xia didn’t know was that these two right-hand men of his had now become Xia Wuyang’s.

How could they possibly succeed when Xia Wuyang’s own men were tasked with finding him?

Tantai Zhan and Zheng Zhicang quickly reported their preliminary findings: the thief’s methods were brilliant, leaving no trace. The vast amount of treasure and resources had vanished into thin air. There were no clues, and, naturally, no signs of the Enchanting Heart Technique.

They concluded that the thief must possess a storage-type treasure. Such an item would have to be at least a Spiritual Artifact, and an exceedingly rare one at that.

However, a Spiritual Artifact capable of holding the contents of both the Inner and National Treasuries was unheard of. Therefore, it was more likely the thief made multiple trips, plundering the precious goods little by little.

But to leave no clues after so many trips meant the thief’s power was far greater than imagined. They had to be at least a Super Grade Celestial Human.

Afterward, Emperor Xia personally questioned the Divine Female Constable, Liu Yiqing, and her team to see if they had made any discoveries or found any connection between this incident and the previous cases in the Imperial Palace.

However, after a thorough investigation, Liu Yiqing and her team found no similarities, aside from the fact that no traces were left behind. They couldn’t conclude it was the same person just because the thief was exceptionally clean.

In fact, there were significant differences in the methods used to steal the resources and treasures in each case.

Thus, Liu Yiqing and her team concluded that the perpetrator of the previous string of crimes in the Imperial Palace was not the same person who had just looted the Inner and National Treasuries. However, both culprits were clearly highly skilled.

Princess Jinping had also sent someone to investigate with a Secret Technique, confirming that no traces of the Enchanting Heart Technique were left at the scene, which was another point of difference.

Of course, it couldn’t be ruled out that the thief was deliberately trying to mislead them.

As for the thief’s identity, it was currently impossible to confirm, given the lack of useful clues.

Upon hearing the report from Liu Yiqing’s team, Emperor Xia became so enraged that he smashed the Jade Ruyi in his hand. "All that talk for nothing! A bunch of useless trash! What good are any of you to me!"