Chương 21: Chapter 20 Treasure Hunting_1
Ten days flew by in a flash.
The entire ancient dungeon was silent save for Lin Tianming, who watched the light screen intently, replaying the entire formation barrier in his mind countless times and occasionally gesturing with his hands non-stop.
At this moment, he looked haggard; soon after, his complexion flushed with excitement and astonishment.
"I found it!"
Lin Tianming was thrilled beyond measure, his days of diligent research and numerous rehearsals had finally enabled him to discern the barrier's weak point.
In the top left corner of the formation's light screen lay a rather ordinary beam of light, which should be the fulcrum connecting the light screen.
Lin Tianming made hand signs and deployed the Huoyuan Slash—a powerful flame-formed great sword stabbed toward a corner of the light screen.
A piercing screech rang out as the light screen shattered, dissolving into specks of spiritual light and vanishing completely.
Thankfully, the barrier's existence was so ancient that its defensive power had significantly weakened, otherwise, even if he had found the central point, it would have been impossible for him to break it no matter the tricks he deployed.
The misty light screen in front of the stone chamber dissipated, revealing a chamber over thirty yards in size.
"Empty?"
"Eh?"
It wasn't entirely empty, for spread across the ground lay the remains of a massive demonic beast, most of its body already turned to ash.
From the surviving skeletal structure, it seemed to be a flying spirit beast of the flying creature lineage—likely the ancient dungeon owner's mode of flight.
It appeared this chamber was meant for a spirit beast, which, given the weight of ages, had died, leaving only its remains behind.
Demonic beasts had lifespans several times longer than the human race, and yet, this one was tragically trapped and died here, suggesting the antiquity of the dungeon as being from ten thousand years ago.
Lin Tianming's face showed disappointment, having exerted so much effort to open the barrier, yet gaining nothing in return.
There were still several chambers left; surely, they couldn't all be spirit beast rooms, Lin Tianming thought resentfully.
He turned and left the first chamber, heading down the passage.
He discovered that each chamber was sealed by the same kind of formation barrier, with virtually no difference in the remaining force, all laid down by the dungeon owner at the same time.
This was incredibly good news. Since he had found the weak point of the barrier, there was no need to waste energy searching any further.
Returning to the second chamber, he carefully examined and searched it again.
Utilizing the Huoyuan Slash effortlessly, he stabbed at the light beam on the light screen; the barrier of the second chamber dispersed.
A scattering of demonic beast bones lay in the middle of the chamber.
"Another spirit beast room?"
Without looking back, Lin Tianming headed straight for the third chamber.
He broke the barrier directly; the scent of elixirs seeped out in advance.
"Spiritual Medicine Garden!"
Lin Tianming rushed in with joy, moving even faster than if he were fleeing for his life, his posture that of a tiger or wolf.
"Two hundred-year-old Hidden Spirit Grass, it's actually Hidden Spirit Grass!" Lin Tianming exclaimed.
Hidden Spirit Grass was a primary ingredient in concocting the Second Order minor elixir, the Minor Foundation Building Pill. Although only some twenty-odd plants met the age requirement for alchemy, this still thrilled Lin Tianming immensely.
The more than twenty stalks of Hidden Spirit Grass could completely resolve the Lin Family's urgent crisis, and for the family, they were simply treasures beyond measure.
There was also a large number of True Soul Grass and Brahman Blood Grass, all of which were two-hundred-year-old Spiritual Medicines.
True Soul Grass was the main ingredient for concocting Strong Spirit Pills, which could increase a trace of Divine Sense. With long-term use, the incremental Divine Sense would become quite substantial.
Brahman Blood Grass was the main ingredient for concocting Body Strengthening Pills, which were elixirs consumed during Body Cultivation. They could enhance one's Qi blood and eliminate pain during cultivation, and were extremely precious.
Besides these, there were many other Spiritual Medicine Materials, all commonly used in combat and cultivation, with most of them being ingredients for Lingshen Pills.
Lin Tianming quickly collected all the Spiritual Medicines that met the requirements for concoction, placing them into a Jade Box. Those herbs not old enough were pulled out, soil and all, to be transplanted into the Clan Spiritual Herb Garden.
Half an hour later, he successfully collected all the Spiritual Medicines, exited the stone chamber, and moved deeper into the passage.
Upon breaking the Formation Barrier of the stone chamber, he was met with a ten-zhang-sized room that lay in ruins, with only fragments scattered across the floor. It must have been where the owner of the cave mansion practiced alchemy and artifact refining, but now it was beyond repair with nothing left behind.
Turning around with a hint of disappointment, Lin Tianming walked towards the stone chamber at the very depths of the cave mansion.
In front of the final stone chamber of the entire cave mansion, Lin Tianming broke the barrier and saw a skeleton of a cultivator, still intact and sitting cross-legged on a cushion.
The entire skeleton was abnormally large; its arm bones were bigger than Lin Tianming's arms, and every bone in its body was larger than those of an average person, emitting a special radiance that was truly unbelievable.
In front of the skeleton lay a large number of weapon fragments scattered on the ground. The vast majority had completely disintegrated into residue, presumably unable to withstand the passage of time, losing their Spiritual Power and turning into a pile of refuse.
Seeing this, Lin Tianming wore a bitterly disappointed expression.
It was such a pity that good Magical Treasures or even higher grade Spiritual Treasures had turned to ash. Anyone who saw such a scene would feel heartache.
With a trace of reluctance, Lin Tianming rummaged through the pile of artifact fragments, hoping to find something useful.
After turning them over and over again for half an hour, he found two useful items.
One was a Jade Tube, its surface enveloped in golden light and runes, identical to the one he had obtained from the Red Robe Cultivator, likely also containing a Cultivation Technique.
Lin Tianming took out the Jade Tube he got from the body of the Red Robe Cultivator and placed them side by side; they were indeed exactly the same.
He surmised that it must be the same Cultivation Technique, divided into two parts; the part he acquired earlier was the first half, and the part from this place was the latter half.
Lin Tianming pondered seriously, if it was the same Cultivation Technique, how had the Red Robe Cultivator he killed obtained the first half?
After contemplating for half an hour and surmising multiple theories, all seemed inconceivable. He guessed that as the Formation Barriers of the place gradually weakened, some of the remaining treasures slipped out at the edge of the barrier's collapse, which happened to be obtained by the Red Robe Cultivator. After all, such events were not uncommon in the Cultivation World.
Lin Tianming unleashed his Divine Sense into it, but his mind was met with a hazy gray scene that revealed nothing, so he retreated, his face pale and the exertion had clearly taken its toll on him.
This was not something he could comprehend at his current level; he estimated that one would need to be at least at the Foundation Establishment Stage to glimpse a clue.
He put the Jade Tube into his storage bag and shifted his attention to another remaining item.
It was a stone with five hundred mottled colors, approximately the size of a fist, with a pitted and uneven surface. Aside from its attractive colors, it seemed no different from an ordinary stone.
Lin Tianming carefully recalled the odd treasures and secret tombs he had read about, going over the introductions of those wonders of heaven and earth, but he still found no mention of this stone or anything similar.
It was impossible for Lin Tianming to believe the stone was without use. Considering that, over the years, even weapon artifacts had turned into dust and debris, yet this stone had remained. It must also be one of the wonders of heaven and earth, and he assumed not many people knew about it—it was just him who was unaware.
Uncertain of what it was for now, he had no choice but to explore it slowly in the future and reluctantly put the stone into his storage bag.
After searching the entire cave mansion several times, ensuring nothing was overlooked, he collected the remains of the cave mansion's owner, intending to carry them outside and find a valley for burial.
Although he did not know the name or origin of this person, or why they had perished here, that was no longer important. But having benefited from this person, the least he could do was take care of some final affairs. After all, it was merely a matter of convenience.
With that, he left the cave mansion and appeared behind the waterfall's curtain of water.
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