Chapter 264: Xiao Yuan's Regret
When it came to treasure hunting, no one understood it better than Zi Yan.
Following her through the long winding tunnels of Demon Flame Valley, Xiao Yuan and the others arrived several minutes later at a wall of stone covered in wild weeds that blocked their view.
The group stopped before the stone wall. Scanning the surface revealed nothing unusual, so all eyes turned questioningly to Zi Yan.
Seeing their confusion, Zi Yan grinned smugly, leapt forward, and struck the wall with her tiny fist.
Boom!
Stone shards flew as a crack split the wall. With another leap, Zi Yan's fists became like drilling machines, thundering open a tunnel over ten meters deep, revealing a pitch-black cave within the stone wall.
Seeing the cave behind the collapsed wall, Xiao Yuan nodded knowingly and smiled, giving her a thumbs-up.
"You really are the best. You get a sixth-tier pill as a reward."
"Hmph! At least you know what's good for you!"
Zi Yan crossed her arms proudly.
Xiao Yuan pulled the excited little girl behind him, then exchanged glances with Xiao Yan, Little Doctor Immortal, and Su Qian. Their Dou Qi quietly activated as they cautiously stepped into the opening Zi Yan had carved out.
Passing through the narrow tunnel, the group soon reached the entrance of a larger cave, where dim light filtered out from within. Ferocious beast carvings adorned the walls—clearly meant to be intimidating—but had no effect on this group of elites.
Xiao Yuan led the way. His Dou Qi had largely recovered despite the earlier battle, and if any traps were triggered, he could still withstand an attack from an Eight-Star Dou Zong.
The tunnel descended along a stone staircase lit by embedded moonlight stones. Ten minutes later, they reached a massive sealed black stone door, overgrown with moss and heavy with age.
"I'll do it!"
Zi Yan eagerly volunteered, her face full of excitement—clearly thrilled by the idea of smashing something again.
"Just stay quiet."
Xiao Yuan sighed, picking her up and handing her off to Little Doctor Immortal. It wasn't time for recklessness.
Su Qian smiled, then placed a hand on the stone door. His eyes sharpened, and with a burst of Dou Qi, he struck.
Bang!
The stone door cracked and collapsed with a roar. A blinding light shot out from within.
Just as it burst forth, Xiao Yuan's expression changed.
"Elder Su, be careful!"
A foul wind erupted from the darkness, aiming straight at Su Qian.
"Hmph!"
Unfazed, Su Qian's sleeve stiffened like metal. With a flick, he unleashed a wave of force, intercepting the attack.
Boom!
A shriek rang out as a massive figure was knocked backward and slammed into the ground.
Simultaneously, Xiao Yuan pressed a hand forward. Dark-gold Heavenly Flame surged forth and struck a hidden assailant he had locked onto earlier—killing it instantly before it could make a sound.
Su Qian waved his sleeve again, clearing the dust and revealing what lay beyond the stone door.
It was a vast treasure vault. Brightly lit and carved entirely from Obsidian Steel, the vault looked as though it had been carved straight out of a mineral vein.
Inside were numerous racks, scrolls stacked neatly, and crystal display cases with precious herbs.
Their eyes quickly shifted to the charred corpse of a large serpent—clearly the creature that had attempted the ambush.
"A mere Dou Wang-tier beast dared to attack me?"
Su Qian scoffed.
"Probably the vault's guardian," Xiao Yuan replied casually, already turning to examine the treasure trove.
"Impressive collection. No wonder Demon Flame Valley lasted so long."
"These are all organized by tier," Xiao Yan added, noting the rack labeled Low Xuan Tier.
Xiao Yuan nodded, then moved deeper. He wasn't interested in low-tier techniques—he wanted to see if there was anything truly valuable hidden away.
At the very end of the vault, he found a shelf unlike the others. It held only four wooden boxes and was protected by a faint light barrier emanating a dense energy.
Two large characters were etched above it:
Earth Tier.
A smile spread across Xiao Yuan's face. Earth-tier techniques and methods were rare, and anything the Earth Demon Old Ghost treasured this much was surely extraordinary.
But as he examined the barrier, he frowned slightly—it bore subtle spatial traces.
"Looks like this seal was set by the old ghost himself. Weak, but forcibly breaking it might destroy the contents."
Su Qian confirmed the same, frowning.
Xiao Yuan nodded, extended a glowing silver finger—the mark of dense spatial power—and cleanly reached into the barrier, retrieving all four wooden boxes with ease.
"Incredible spatial control," Su Qian marveled.
Even after seeing Xiao Yuan annihilate the Earth Demon Old Ghost, Su Qian couldn't help but be amazed.
"Haha, just my own unique cultivation method. But Zi Yan's the real space prodigy."
Smiling, Xiao Yuan opened the boxes.
The first box contained two silver scrolls made from strange crystal-like material, with electric arcs dancing across them.
He unrolled the first.
Lightning Mirror Scripture – Mid Earth Tier, Lightning Attribute Technique.
Xiao Yuan looked unimpressed. Not useful to him, but maybe his second brother could use it.
The second scroll:
Awakening Thunder Technique – Mid Earth Tier Dou Skill.
It was a set.
He nodded. Worth taking back for Xiao Yu to deliver to their second brother.
Next, he opened another box and found a familiar red scroll.
Blazing Flame Scripture.
His brow twitched.
He'd obtained a version of this from Fang Yan, but found it unimpressive and hadn't practiced it.
This one, however, had a bold crimson character added after the title:
True.
Blazing Flame Scripture – True.
Curious, he read further.
This version was significantly improved. The original required three people to create a fake Heavenly Flame, with heavy side effects. But this one allowed solo cultivation, with stronger power and reduced backlash—though the process was more complex.
Now this… was useful.
Even if Xiao Yuan could "handcraft" flames himself, studying it might enhance his understanding. And it could be great for Xiao Yan.
After all, Xiao Yan hadn't had many chances to use Fire Lotus. It was still one of his secret trump cards.
If he ever fused more Heavenly Flames and crafted a rainbow-colored Super Fire Lotus... the Soul Heaven Emperor might not survive.
"Xiao Yan, this is for you. Study it—might be very useful."
Xiao Yuan handed over the scroll and opened the final box.
Inside were two items: a crimson orb and a gray bamboo slip.
Everyone's attention was drawn to the orb—it radiated powerful, violent fire energy.
"A… Seventh-Tier fire-element magic core?"
Xiao Yuan was surprised.
This was his first time seeing one.
Though killing a seventh-tier beast wasn't hard for him anymore, the other item caught his interest more.
He unwrapped the bamboo slip and froze when he saw the large, blood-colored characters.
Heavenly Demon Puppet.
His expression darkened.
"…I shouldn't have vaporized that old ghost's body," he muttered in regret.
(END CHAPTER)
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