The ancient staircase descended deep beneath the Ji Xia Sect's main hall, spiraling downward into darkness that had remained untouched for centuries. Each step Yan Fu took caused faint echoes to ripple through the stone passage, as if the mountain itself were awakening after a long slumber.
Golden light from the Celestial Treasury Key illuminated the path ahead. The key floated slightly above Yan Fu's palm, guiding him like a beacon through the underground corridor.
Behind him walked the three guardian beasts.
Vorath's massive paws made dull thuds against the stone steps, his amber eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. The ancient lion looked unusually alert, as if the place stirred memories from an age long forgotten.
Aetherion walked with graceful calm, his glowing mane softly illuminating the walls with pale turquoise light. His calm eyes scanned every corner of the tunnel carefully.
Above them, Tianlong's serpentine body coiled through the narrow passage like living lightning, occasionally crackling with small sparks of electricity.
The deeper they went, the older the atmosphere felt.
Ancient carvings covered the walls — faded images depicting cultivators in flowing robes standing beside divine beasts, celestial formations, and massive floating palaces.
Yan Fu slowed his steps as he studied the murals.
"These must be records of the original Ji Xia Sect," he murmured.
Aetherion nodded slightly.
"The ancient Ji Xia Sect was once one of the most powerful sects in this region," the celestial guardian explained. "But its fall happened long before even the oldest beasts of the forest were born."
Vorath snorted.
"Powerful sects rise and fall all the time. That's the way of the cultivation world."
Yan Fu remained silent as he continued forward.
But inside his mind, curiosity grew stronger.
If the Ji Xia Sect was once so powerful… what exactly caused its destruction?
The staircase eventually ended at a massive stone gate.
The gate was enormous, at least ten meters tall, carved from dark jade-like stone. Ancient runes were etched across its surface, glowing faintly with residual spiritual energy.
Even after centuries, the power within the gate had not completely faded.
Tianlong's eyes narrowed slightly.
"That gate is protected by an ancient formation."
Yan Fu stepped closer.
The Celestial Treasury Key suddenly floated forward on its own, drifting toward the center of the gate where a circular symbol was engraved.
As the key approached the symbol—
The runes on the gate ignited with golden light.
Ancient mechanisms rumbled awake.
The ground trembled as the massive stone doors slowly began to open.
A rush of spiritual energy poured out from within the chamber.
Vorath's ears twitched.
"Well… that's promising."
When the doors fully opened, Yan Fu stepped inside.
The sight before him made even the guardians pause.
The chamber was enormous — a vast underground hall carved directly into the heart of the mountain.
But what truly shocked them were the countless treasures filling the room.
Rows of glowing crystal shelves stretched across the chamber.
Ancient weapons floated inside protective barriers.
Stacks of spirit stones glittered like mountains of gemstones.
Dozens of sealed jade scrolls radiated powerful cultivation energy.
In the center of the chamber stood several massive stone pedestals, each holding artifacts wrapped in glowing seals.
Yan Fu slowly walked forward.
Even he had not expected something like this.
"This…" he murmured softly.
"The true treasury of Ji Xia Sect."
Aetherion examined one of the floating weapons carefully.
"It appears the founders preserved their greatest treasures before the sect collapsed."
Vorath walked toward a pile of spirit stones and casually nudged them with his claw.
"Looks like your sect wasn't poor after all."
Yan Fu ignored the lion's remark as he walked deeper into the chamber.
He stopped in front of a row of jade scrolls.
Each one contained ancient techniques.
He picked one up.
The moment his fingers touched it, information appeared inside his mind.
Heavenly Wind Sword Technique
A mid-tier celestial sword art.
Yan Fu placed it back carefully.
"This will be useful for training the disciples," he said.
Further inside the treasury, Tianlong discovered something else.
"Master," the storm dragon called.
Yan Fu approached.
On the far side of the chamber stood a series of massive glass containers.
Inside them floated strange glowing plants.
Their leaves shimmered with spiritual energy.
Aetherion's eyes widened slightly.
"Spirit herbs… and very rare ones."
Yan Fu recognized them from the system's rewards.
"Divine Spirit Seeds," he said.
"These must be the plants grown from those seeds long ago."
Vorath smirked.
"So you're saying the sect has its own medicine garden hidden underground?"
Yan Fu nodded slowly.
"With these herbs, we can produce powerful cultivation pills."
He continued walking deeper into the chamber.
At the very center of the treasury stood the largest pedestal of all.
Unlike the others, this one was sealed by an extremely powerful formation.
Golden chains of energy wrapped around the object resting on top.
Yan Fu approached carefully.
The object beneath the seals looked like a large oval stone.
But when he stepped closer, he realized something surprising.
It wasn't a stone.
It was an egg.
The surface of the egg shimmered with faint celestial patterns.
Soft pulses of life energy radiated from within.
Tianlong's eyes widened.
"That is not an ordinary beast egg."
Vorath sniffed the air.
"Definitely not."
Even Aetherion looked slightly surprised.
"Such pure celestial energy…"
Yan Fu reached out and touched the protective barrier.
The system interface suddenly appeared again.
---
System Notification
Hidden Treasure Discovered.
Item: Celestial Beast Egg
Description:
A dormant divine beast egg sealed by the founders of Ji Xia Sect.
The creature inside has not yet awakened.
Estimated Rank: Unknown
Possible Guardian Candidate.
---
Yan Fu's eyes narrowed.
"A new guardian…"
Vorath chuckled.
"Looks like the sect might gain another beast."
Tianlong circled around the pedestal.
"But the seal protecting it is extremely strong."
Aetherion studied the formation carefully.
"It was likely placed here to protect the egg until the sect found a worthy master."
Yan Fu placed his hand against the barrier once more.
The Celestial Treasury Key floated upward and began glowing.
The golden chains around the egg slowly began to dissolve.
The formation recognized the key.
The protective seals faded one by one.
Finally—
The barrier vanished.
The egg sat quietly on the pedestal.
It was about the size of a large melon, glowing softly with golden patterns that resembled tiny stars.
Yan Fu lifted it carefully.
The moment he touched the shell, he felt something.
A faint heartbeat.
Warm.
Alive.
Vorath leaned closer.
"So what kind of beast is inside?"
Yan Fu shook his head.
"The system cannot identify it yet."
Aetherion's voice was thoughtful.
"Whatever creature lies within… it carries powerful celestial blood."
Yan Fu nodded.
"Then we will protect it until it hatches."
He placed the egg gently into his storage ring.
But before they could continue exploring—
The system interface appeared again.
---
New Quest Activated
Sect Development Quest.
Objectives:
• Recruit 5 talented disciples
• Establish sect training grounds
• Awaken the Celestial Beast Egg
Reward:
Major Sect Upgrade.
---
Yan Fu closed the interface slowly.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"The sect's growth has begun."
Vorath grinned.
"Good."
The ancient lion's eyes gleamed with excitement.
"Because I'm starting to enjoy this."
Yan Fu turned toward the entrance of the treasury.
"We have gained enough treasures for now."
He began walking back toward the staircase.
"The next step…"
His gaze lifted toward the world outside the mountain.
"…is to recruit new disciples."
Behind him, the guardians followed silently.
Above them, the Ji Xia Sect waited.
And soon, the entire cultivation world would learn that the fallen sect had begun to rise once again.