Chapter 244

Chapter 244: Three Treasures

After Meng Yi Fei left, Li Shuang opened the box and, seeing what was inside, felt a small shock.

There were three items in all.

On the left lay a red pill. On the right sat a piece of clear amber. Both came with notes.

The first note read: “Demonblood Pill. After taking it, you can awaken power one Major Tier higher than your own. It lasts only ten breaths. Afterward you will be weak for three months. Use with great care.”

This pill was forged by blending the source blood of the Demon Clan. It would force a Human Race cultivator into a demonized state. Your cultivation would soar by one Major Tier in an instant, but the time was terribly short. The benefits and the cost were both obvious. The sect was giving her this pill as a final safety line for desperate moments.

The second note read: “Luminous Amber. At a critical time, it instantly forms a clear amber crystal, wrapping the cultivator inside. The crystal shield has very strong defense, but you cannot move while encased.”

This was another life-saving treasure.

At last, Li Shuang looked at the item in the middle. It was a small needle, no different at first glance from the embroidery needle in Elder Ling’s hand. Yet the aura it gave off was not Elder Ling Hua’s. [This aura is not Elder Ling Hua’s.]

Thinking of what Meng Yi Fei had said, she let a drop of her lifeblood fall onto it. At once, a flicker of shock flashed through her eyes. The treasure had no name, but inside this needle she sensed a force that could destroy heaven and earth. The needle could only be used once. She did not know its exact power, but the result would be terrifying. It was without a doubt the strongest of the three.

Li Shuang stared at the three items and fell silent for a moment.

She was going to the Golden Soul Altar. The sect had given her three treasures at once. Compared with the other five great sects, Sword Sect did not have a deep foundation. For them to take out these three for her, and all within the limit of what she could use, meant they had already found the very best. The sect truly placed great hope on her. [They are putting so much hope on me.]

She put the items away but did not return to Myriad Arts City right away. Sitting quietly, she controlled her breathing until her heart was completely calm. Then she did not hesitate. She entered Myriad Arts City once more.

There were fewer than ten days left before the Golden Soul Altar opened. She still had things to do.

In Myriad Arts City, Ancestor Xuan Wei’s expression shifted with a hint of joy as she asked the man before her: “That girl Li, is she really not dead?”

She had thought the Supreme Ice Spiritual Root had slipped away from her for good. Who could have guessed that after a twist of fate, Li was still alive. She did not understand how Li had stayed in the Soul Prison for two full years, but once the girl fell into her hands, she would learn everything.

“Did you send her a message?” Ancestor Xuan Wei stared at the man.

He nodded in a hurry and said: “Elder values her so much. How would this disciple dare to be slow? I already told her you want to accept her as your Direct Disciple. When she sees it, she will be overjoyed!”

Ancestor Xuan Wei nodded, and a greedy light flickered in her eyes. The Supreme Ice Spiritual Root should belong to her. Only two years had passed. She still had time to strip the root. When that happened, she would be the one with the Supreme Spiritual Root, a peerless genius.

“Do this well and you will be rewarded,” Ancestor Xuan Wei said softly: “I should not show myself. It would look too extreme. Do you understand?” A Tribulation Crossing Stage expert acting too eager would only make others suspicious.

“This small matter does not need Ancestor to appear,” the man said quickly: “Rest easy. It won’t be long before Li comes of her own will to take you as her master.”

“Tell me the instant there is news,” Ancestor Xuan Wei said.

The man had just answered when joy flashed across his face and he blurted: “Ancestor, Li has returned! She also sent a message.”

Cultivating for many years should have taught Ancestor Xuan Wei to hide her feelings, but this matter touched the Supreme Spiritual Root. Her breath instantly grew heavy as she asked: “Did she agree?”

“With Ancestor’s status, how could she refuse?” the man said with a smile as he looked down at the message, then his face changed a little.

Ancestor Xuan Wei’s look sank at once as she pressed him: “Speak.”

Under her crushing pressure, the man trembled and stammered: “Ancestor, she… she refused.”

Ancestor Xuan Wei’s pupils tightened: “You made it clear that by agreeing she would become the Direct Disciple of a Tribulation Crossing Stage powerhouse?”

“I said it as clear as can be,” the man replied with a bitter face.

“Then why did she—” Ancestor Xuan Wei began, when the man cut in with sudden excitement: “Ancestor! Another message!”

“Oh?” Expectation rose in Ancestor Xuan Wei’s eyes. Had Li changed her mind? Taking Li as a disciple while plotting in secret would be the simplest method. If the girl hid in Myriad Arts City for the next year and never left, and if her identity stayed unknown, there would be nothing she could do openly.

“It’s not from her,” the man said after a quick glance: “Ancestor, it is the Warden of Great Dao Mountain. He sent a notice.”

He drew a breath and reported, half thrilled and half stunned: “Li is now challenging the Sixth Peak of the Grand Dao Mountain! The Warden of the Three Grand Secret Grounds loves a spectacle. He must have sent this to every sect garrison posted in Myriad Arts City.”

The Sixth Peak of the Grand Dao Mountain. So many geniuses had tried. Only You Lan had conquered it before the age of one hundred. Now Li was going to attempt it.

Ancestor Xuan Wei’s voice turned cool as she ordered: “Go. We will see it for ourselves.”

The Sixth Peak was no common trial. If you passed, you were almost certain to reach the Integration Stage. And if you added the fact that Li was only thirty five, it would be shocking. Then real powerhouses would take notice. If a backer stood behind Li, how could she ever steal the Supreme Spiritual Root?

Growing anxious, Ancestor Xuan Wei hid her aura and hurried to Great Dao Mountain.

At the foot of the mountain, a crowd had already gathered to watch the show. One person muttered to his friend: “Did you hear? In two years Li jumped from Golden Core to Divine Transformation.”

“In two years? From Golden Core to Divine Transformation? What immortal pill did she take?” another said.

A third scoffed and said: “If she rose that fast, her spiritual power must be unstable. She is being rash. The jump may hurt her foundation.”

“That is not the point,” someone else said: “Can she pass the sixth mountain? If she does, her grasp of the Great Dao will match You Lan’s. And she is so young. Wouldn’t that mean her talent is even higher than You Lan’s?”

“You dare say she will surpass You Lan?” another retorted: “Two years ago she tried the sixth mountain and got sent out at the halfway point. How much could she have improved in just two years?”