Chapter 139: The Treasure Vault

Ge Qian smiled faintly when he heard this. “Since you refuse the toast and insist on drinking the cup of punishment, do not blame me for being ruthless.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a pair of six-colored thundercloud wings flashed into existence behind him, crackling softly.

In the blink of an eye, he appeared before Lu Wei. Golden light erupted from his arm, and his hand, shaped like an eagle’s claw, seized Lu Wei by the crown of his head. He unleashed the technique known as “Pulling the Firewood from Beneath the Cauldron,” forcibly extracting one-tenth of Lu Wei’s cultivation, magical power, soul, and fortune.

Even in his wildest dreams, Lu Wei had never imagined that the cowardly Ge Qian, whose name had been circulating everywhere, would strike with such ruthless speed—or dare to make the first move at the Sect Master’s secluded residence.

He had only just begun to form a hand seal when he realized that his head had already been clamped in the grip of tremendous force. More unbelievable still was the fact that one-tenth of the magical power in his dantian had vanished.

His cultivation, which had been at the consummate peak of the late Foundation Establishment stage, dropped directly to the late stage and nearly fell to the middle stage. His soul was pierced by unbearable pain as one-tenth of it was torn away in an instant. Something else—something he could not perceive—had also diminished.

Because his soul had been injured, he spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground. The soul could be slowly nourished, and his cultivation could eventually be restored, but his lost fortune would never return.

Cultivators defied the heavens in their pursuit of the Dao, relying above all on fortune to obtain rare treasures and break through bottlenecks. Without the blessing of fortune, Lu Wei feared that he would never advance another step in his entire life.

A powerful foot stamped down on Lu Wei’s back and pressed lightly.

Crack!

His spine immediately broke in two.

Lu Wei shrieked like a slaughtered pig. Without a year or two of rest, together with the nourishment of miraculous pills, there was no way his spine could recover.

Seeing this, Lu Liang flung out a top-grade spiritual weapon—the Golden-Scaled Sword—which transformed into a thin streak of light and shot toward Ge Qian’s face as swiftly as lightning.

Ge Qian remained unhurried. He formed a hand seal and cast the technique known as “Swapping the Beams and Pillars.”

In an instant, he and Lu Liang exchanged positions.

Lu Liang’s expression changed drastically. What kind of bizarre spell was this? His own Golden-Scaled Sword was about to cleave him in two, and his heart filled with despair.

He hurriedly poured out his magical power and mobilized his spiritual sense to recall the sword. Its speed suddenly slowed. Trembling, it halted barely an inch from Lu Liang.

Yet the enormous expenditure of magical power caused Lu Liang’s spiritual sense to suffer a backlash. He spat out another mouthful of blood and stared at Ge Qian in disbelief.

“Good, Ge Qian! You actually dared to injure a fellow disciple for no reason. I will immediately report this to the Grand Elder and have you punished according to sect law!”

Ge Qian said indifferently, “You failed to guard the mountain gate properly and obstructed me in the execution of my duties. This is merely a minor punishment.”

“What are you supposed to be? How dare you punish us? You are nothing more than a powerless junior elder living in Chaotic Ridge. I would very much like to see how you will be executed!”

With that, Lu Liang took out a voice-transmission talisman and crushed it between his fingers.

In an instant, an intimidating pressure descended through the air within the mountain gate.

A black-faced cultivator in the middle stage of Core Formation appeared outside the gate. He was Lu Liu, the steward of this place.

His face was filled with fury, making his dark complexion seem even more sinister. After looking around and seeing the younger members of his clan beaten into such a state, he grew violently enraged and shouted at Ge Qian, “You dared to attack and injure fellow disciples on the Sect Master’s mountain! Your crimes deserve ten thousand deaths! Kneel at once, kowtow, and await execution. I may even grant you an intact corpse!”

Ge Qian remained calm and smiled faintly. “I believe you are the one who should be kowtowing. Take a look at this.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Liu became so furious that the gods of his three corpses seemed ready to leap from his head. He was just about to attack when Ge Qian produced a token bearing the pattern of the Big Dipper. Runes flickered across its surface, and an overwhelming pressure surged from it.

“The Sect Master’s Token…” Lu Liu murmured to himself.

His heart, however, was in turmoil.

How could this be possible? Was he seeing things? The Sect Master’s Token was equivalent to the Sect Master’s personal presence. It was a sacred relic of the Celestial Star Sect, granting the authority of life and death. How could such a precious object have fallen into the hands of a mere late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator?

Ge Qian said coldly, “Grand Elder, are you planning a rebellion? You have seen the Sect Master’s Token and still refuse to kneel. Such behavior is a grave act of treason and should be punished by execution!”

Though Lu Liu was unwilling, he had no choice but to kneel obediently.

“Disciple Lu Liu respectfully welcomes the Sect Master’s decree. May I ask what orders he has?”

Lu Liang and Lu Wei were both stunned. They had never imagined that Ge Qian possessed such an extraordinary background and was actually the holder of the Sect Master’s Token—an authority equivalent to that of the Vice Sect Master.

Their legs went weak, and they fell to their knees with a thud, not daring even to breathe too loudly.

Ge Qian put away the token. “All of you may rise. The Sect Master has ordered me to complete a secret mission, and no one else may learn of it. Otherwise, you will incur the Sect Master’s wrath. Therefore, you must keep your mouths sealed and not reveal a single word. If news of this leaks out, Grand Elder Lu Liu, I will have no choice but to hold you accountable.”

Lu Liu rose to his feet with an ashen expression. Though utterly helpless, he could only say, “Rest assured, Acting Sect Master. This matter will rot in my stomach. No one else will ever learn of it.”

“Good. Go about your own business. I have matters to attend to within Celestial Star Peak. You may all disperse.”

Lu Liu looked as though he had just been pardoned from death. He rose, glared viciously at Lu Liang and Lu Wei, and then departed through the air.

Ge Qian smiled faintly and strode into Celestial Star Peak, heading straight for the entrance to the treasure vault.

The entrance to the vault was a natural mountain cave covered by an immensely powerful formation.

Guarding the entrance was an old man in the middle stage of Nascent Soul Transformation. He was the Sect Master’s senior fellow disciple, named Zhou Tian. He was short and stout, with an unremarkable appearance, yet his aura was so formidable that it made others tremble.

Though Ge Qian possessed the token, he did not dare to act arrogantly. He respectfully bowed and said, “Ge Qian pays his respects to the Supreme Elder. By order of the Sect Master, I have come to the treasure vault to retrieve several items. I ask that the Supreme Elder permit me to enter.”

With that, he produced the Sect Master’s Token and held it out.

The old man opened his eyes. Two sharp flashes immediately passed through them. He examined Ge Qian from head to toe, and a powerful spiritual sense swept faintly across his body. After confirming that the token was genuine, he said, “Go in. However, you must come out within three days. Otherwise, the formation will attack you. This is a rule left behind by our Ancestor. Do you understand?”

Under the old man’s gaze, Ge Qian felt as though he had become transparent, as if none of his secrets could remain hidden. Fortunately, the little tree and the Demon Gourd were both capable of concealing themselves. Otherwise, he would never have escaped this man’s detection.

He immediately replied, “This disciple will remember it well.”

The old man nodded in satisfaction and struck out a spell.

The wall split open, revealing a passage just wide enough for one person to pass through. It was bottomless, and the space within twisted strangely.

The old man then said to Ge Qian, “Hold on to the token and enter.”

Ge Qian respectfully nodded. Holding the token, he leaped into the fissure.

With a boom, a vortex appeared, and Ge Qian was drawn inside, vanishing without a trace.

The old man withdrew his spell, and the wall returned to its original state. He murmured to himself, “This child is extraordinary. He has actually forged a Heavenly Foundation. It is a blessing for the Celestial Star Sect. I hope he can grow quickly and resolve this crisis.”

Ge Qian felt a wave of dizziness, and then he appeared within an isolated space.

The area stretched for more than a dozen miles in every direction, yet it was nothing but a vast expanse of bare stone and earth, like an unfinished realm.

At its center were countless ancient texts, medicinal pills, materials, and magical treasures—everything one could possibly need, dazzling the eyes.

Ge Qian paused for a moment, then his brows relaxed.

So this was an unfinished Daoist domain. It possessed only the rudimentary form of a spatial realm. Its living beings, soil, mountains, rivers, and peaks had yet to take shape. It was therefore the perfect place to store treasures. Without finding the entrance, no one could possibly enter.

Ge Qian could not help sighing. During the height of its prosperity, the Celestial Star Sect must have possessed astonishing power to use a small Daoist domain as a treasure vault. There could not be many forces on the Xuanwu Continent capable of doing the same.

But admiration was one thing; he had not forgotten his real purpose. He immediately flew forward.

At the center of the small Daoist domain stood a tall four-story building—the Treasure Pavilion.