As the gate, sealed for thousands of years, creaked open, a rich spiritual energy surged out of the treasure vault.
The Xuan Tian Shi Ling Tower immediately flew up, casting down streams of light that absorbed all the surrounding spiritual energy into its body, replenishing its previous consumption.
After half an hour, only wisps of spiritual energy remained from the treasure vault, and the tower slowly descended back into Ji Yuan’s palm, still absorbing the residual energy.
The scale of its action, however, was no longer as conspicuous.
"You can go in yourselves and seek your fortunes,"
Zhu Wu Dang's voice suddenly rang out, "The death qi within me is too dense. Spiritual energy is like hot oil to me. While it won't damage my foundation, it's still excruciatingly painful."
He explained that this pain was directly felt in his soul, far more intense than any physical suffering.
Hearing this, Ji Yuan’s eyes flickered as he carefully observed the 'living dead man' before him, clearly still wary even at this point.
After a long scrutiny, he slowly nodded. He lightly tossed his hand, and the Xuan Tian Shi Ling Tower floated above his head, casting down faint streams of light that enveloped him and Lin Yu Bai.
Then, the two turned and cautiously stepped through the metal gate before them.
The moment they entered the treasure vault, they felt a dense spiritual energy, and their eyes were filled with a radiant glow.
Ji Yuan scanned the area and saw, within the dozens of feet of space, rows of treasure racks neatly arranged, laden with countless items, most of which emanated a rich spiritual light.
"The formations here are still active, constantly drawing spiritual energy from the outside to nurture the treasures within the vault,"
Lin Yu Bai said softly.
Complex formation patterns appeared on the walls, floor, and other parts of the treasure vault. Although they were all incomplete to varying degrees, they still maintained basic functionality.
The two walked slowly, approaching a treasure rack. After a few appraisals, Ji Yuan reached out directly for a magical artifact shaped like a saber.
However, as his fingers made contact, the spiritual light on the saber suddenly dissipated. The spiritual energy that had previously overflowed immediately leaked out, rendering the artifact useless, not even valuable enough to extract materials from.
Seeing this, neither of them showed any surprise. Although they held expectations, they had already prepared themselves mentally.
After all, through thousands of years, even with formations drawing spiritual energy to nurture them, few materials could withstand the erosion of time and remain intact.
As the spiritual energy within this saber artifact dissipated, Ji Yuan’s mind stirred, and the Xuan Tian Shi Ling Tower above his head cast down several streams of light, capturing all this energy into the tower.
"With so many items, we can't possibly touch each one individually, can we?"
Lin Yu Bai surveyed the surroundings, rolling his eyes.
A cursory glance revealed at least hundreds, if not thousands, of spiritual lights. If they were to touch each one individually, not only would it consume a vast amount of time, but even a cultivator in the second realm would feel exhausted.
"Not necessarily."
Ji Yuan formed a hand seal, and the Xuan Tian Shi Ling Tower slowly flew out from above his head, releasing countless streams of light.
Each stream of light precisely landed on a spiritual light. For all the spiritual items that could not withstand the erosion of time, the contained spiritual energy was instantly swept away.
In just a few breaths, a large area was cleared. If they continued at this pace, they could sift through the entire vault in no time.
"Your magic treasure is too convenient. Are you really not considering selling it to me?"
Lin Yu Bai smacked his lips, looking quite impressed.
Although he knew that this treasure was forged from a unique cultivation technique, he couldn't help but express his envy.
Ji Yuan ignored him. After some time together, he had a general understanding of the man's character and often saw no point in responding.
After all, whether he paid attention or not, the other person would continue talking, never allowing himself to feel any awkwardness. If Ji Yuan responded even with a single word, he would launch into a lengthy discourse.
Soon, the brilliance throughout the treasure vault dimmed considerably. Nearly all of the thousand-plus spiritual lights had vanished, leaving only three.
Ji Yuan and Lin Yu Bai exchanged glances and walked towards the nearest spiritual light.
It was a golden bell the size of a palm, inscribed with mountains and rivers. Despite thousands of years, it remained remarkably intact, only its internal spiritual energy and essence being severely depleted.
With careful nurturing for several years and the use of some precious spiritual materials, it should be able to recover its full power.
Even now, with a mere surge of mana, it could unleash considerable force.
"It has eighteen layers of acquired restrictions, a fine magical treasure."
Lin Yu Bai picked up the small golden bell. As he channeled a wisp of spiritual power into it, a sonorous chime echoed out, imbued with a vast righteousness that seemed capable of purging all malevolent spirits.
At this sight, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he looked at Ji Yuan intently, "Let's make a deal. How about you let me have this bell?"
Without needing further explanation, Ji Yuan understood his thoughts. This bell, when paired with Lin Yu Bai's lightning techniques, might not be a perfect match, but it would certainly complement them, allowing for even greater power to be unleashed.
Without hesitation, he nodded, agreeing to give the bell to Lin Yu Bai directly, not even mentioning any form of compensation.
After all, without Lin Yu Bai, he would likely have been in grave danger when ambushed by demonic cultivators. Even if he managed to escape, he would have paid a much higher price.
It was possible that some, like Zhao Yuan Song and others, might have been lost forever.
Moreover, along the way, if not for Lin Yu Bai, they would have been overtaken by that old demon, and the outcome was too obvious to contemplate.
After collecting the golden bell, the two moved to the location of the second spiritual light. However, it wasn't a magical treasure, but a jade slip, pure white and exuding five-colored radiant light.
Lin Yu Bai immediately took it and channeled a wisp of his soul to browse its contents.
After a while, he tossed the jade slip to Ji Yuan, shaking his head with an indifferent expression.
"It's a treatise on the five elements. It seems to be left by a Golden Core great cultivator at least."
He spoke with a look of exasperation and disdain, "Five-element techniques are the most troublesome and complex. I have no interest in them whatsoever, and my cultivation is in lightning, so it's useless to me. This item is yours."
However, Ji Yuan knew this was Lin Yu Bai's way of repaying him for giving up the golden bell. Otherwise, a treatise left by a Golden Core great cultivator, even if it pertained to the five elements, would have provided him with some useful insights for his own understanding.
What's more, the jade slip itself could be copied. He could make a copy and either sell it or submit it to the Nine Xuan Sect, both of which would yield a considerable reward.
"Hurry and see what the last item is,"
Seeing Ji Yuan in a daze, Lin Yu Bai urged him on.
The two then proceeded to the depths of the treasure vault, to the treasure rack where the final spiritual light was located.
Within a glow of spiritual light, a piece of golden ore, about the size of a fist, lay quietly on the treasure rack.
This piece of golden ore looked unremarkable and emitted no discernible aura. Even Lin Yu Bai, a prodigy of the inner sect, couldn't discern its origin.
However, as Ji Yuan approached, the white jade sword in his purple mansion began to tremble, emitting faint fluctuations, as if it were intensely craving this piece of ore.
Within a few breaths, the white jade sword began to stir within his purple mansion, causing the entire lake of sword qi to ripple and churn, creating enormous waves.
As the anomaly in his purple mansion intensified, Ji Yuan couldn't help but let out a muffled groan, and strands of sword qi flowed from his forehead.
Witnessing this, Lin Yu Bai understood. He first took the golden ore in his hand, confirmed there were no hidden dangers, and then directly stuffed it into Ji Yuan's embrace.
"This way, we're even,"
He grinned. Although he said this, he inwardly noted the favor.
A piece of ore of unknown origin, coupled with a treatise from a Golden Core great cultivator, no matter how valuable, could hardly compare to a very fine magical treasure.
If they were to calculate carefully, he had indeed gained a significant advantage. However, lacking any other valuable items, he could only keep this in mind for now.
Hearing this, Ji Yuan nodded earnestly. He thought differently from Lin Yu Bai and genuinely believed they had settled their accounts.
An ore that could evoke such intense craving in the white jade sword was clearly no ordinary object, and its value could easily rival that of a magical treasure.
However, he couldn't reveal this, as he didn't wish to expose the white jade sword, which had already been refined into his life-bound artifact, within his purple mansion.
After putting the items away, the two surveyed the area once more, using several techniques to confirm that there was nothing else left, before walking out of the treasure vault.
As soon as they emerged, they saw Zhu Wu Dang sitting expressionlessly on a pile of broken bricks and tiles not far away.
Since the body had long ceased to have any life, and although it had not decayed for thousands of years, it was essentially a corpse. Therefore, the two couldn't tell if he was contemplating something.
"Judging by your expressions, your harvest should have been quite good."
As the two were pondering, Zhu Wu Dang's voice suddenly sounded in their ears.
Even though they had encountered this more than once, they still couldn't figure out how he managed this feat.
"Indeed, the harvest was considerable."
Ji Yuan nodded, frankly admitting it.
There was no need to hide this matter. Instead, given their continued inability to determine if he was friend or foe, it was best to avoid unnecessary complications and not provoke a powerful enemy over a minor matter.
"Since you have seen my sincerity, can we discuss the matter of killing me?"
Zhu Wu Dang's voice rang out, filled with a sense of resignation.
Hearing this, Ji Yuan and Lin Yu Bai exchanged bewildered glances, feeling that something was becoming rather peculiar beneath this statement.
This was the first time they had encountered someone who offered them opportunities while simultaneously begging them to kill him.
"There is nothing strange about it. If you were like me, trapped in a long-dead body, tormented by death qi for thousands of years, and so on."
Zhu Wu Dang sighed, "You would probably beg others to kill you as well!"
To wish for death but be unable to die, to become an eternal part of existence, and yet be incapable of ending oneself, this was even more agonizing and unbearable than the torment of the body and soul.
Zhu Wu Dang now only sought death, not even aspiring to be 'resurrected' or to enter the cycle of reincarnation.
He told the two before him that even if his soul were to scatter and leave no trace in the world, as long as he could find release, he would be content.
Ji Yuan sighed inwardly. Without experiencing such a predicament, it was truly impossible to comprehend all that he was enduring. After a long silence, he found it difficult to utter any words of comfort.