Chapter Thirty-Nine: Picking Up a Bargain
“But I can take you out of here, Master, and break the great Corrupt Resentment Array outside.”
Qu Yiqiu’s eyes lit up with joy at those words. “That sounds good enough. Take me and her out together!”
The little figure crossed his hands calmly. “As you wish, Master.”
Just as Yao Zhimei was in the heat of battle, a flash of gray-white light swept by and instantly whisked her away.
The little ghosts stared at each other in confusion, while Sansha roared in rage.
“Let’s go eat all the Condensed Shade Grass in the back garden!”
“The Ghost King is wise!”
“The Ghost King is wise!”
...
Qu Yiqiu opened her eyes to utter darkness. It felt as though she was being crushed under a mountain of heavy stones.
Holding her breath, she pushed the stones aside and poked her head out.
Gasping for air, her eyes darted around aimlessly. When she swept her gaze over her surroundings, she was so stunned she forgot to breathe.
“Heavens, is this paradise?!”
Yao Zhimei struggled out of a box, equally astounded.
“Your Majesty, have we fallen into someone else’s treasure vault?”
All around them, treasure chests were piled in dazzling heaps, golden light shimmering, spell wards flickering and glowing. Manuals were stacked in rows, radiating splendid colors. Pearls and jade sparkled with luster. Porcelain bottles clattered everywhere, and spirit stones were heaped like mountains.
Unable to resist, Qu Yiqiu grabbed a stone at her feet, and a wave of rich spiritual energy surged into her.
“This is a mid-grade spirit stone! Where are we?”
The little figure seemed dazed, and said slowly, “There’s a city nearby, called Qunan, I believe?”
“Qunan City? That means we’re in... the Qunan City Treasury? The place guarded by the Second Squad?” Qu Yiqiu realized at once, clamping a hand over her mouth and lowering her voice.
Yao Zhimei heard Qu Yiqiu muttering and was full of admiration. “Your Majesty, you must be incredibly skilled to sneak into a city’s treasury without a sound!”
Once again, Yao Zhimei felt she had chosen the right person to follow. In her heart, she had always coveted the Qunan City Treasury, but never dared to make a move. Who would have thought Her Majesty could silently teleport from the ghost cultivator’s playground straight into the Qunan City Treasury!
One had to know—the defense arrays outside the treasury were so tight that even a Nascent Soul cultivator would have trouble getting in without leaving a trace.
Qu Yiqiu, unaware of Yao Zhimei’s thoughts, looked at the pile of treasures before her and suddenly broke into a cold sweat.
“Little one, is the core of the Corrupt Resentment Array set up in this place?”
...
The little figure’s delicate brows knit together. “Don’t call me ‘little one,’ Master. You may call me Yan. The array’s core is indeed here. I was able to teleport you here by tracing the source of the array.”
“Once the array is broken, can you teleport us out again?” This was Qu Yiqiu’s most pressing concern.
Yan closed his eyes calmly. “I cannot.”
Qu Yiqiu’s expression froze. “We’re doomed.”
“What do you mean, doomed?” Yao Zhimei was already busy estimating the worth of this vast treasury.
Watching Yao Zhimei scurrying about, Qu Yiqiu’s mouth twitched.
“There are fakes in this treasury! All these so-called millennium spirit herbs are just illusions!” Yao Zhimei flipped open several jade boxes.
They clattered to the ground, and Qu Yiqiu’s heart thudded in alarm. She quickly sent out a gentle pulse of spiritual energy to catch the jade boxes before they hit the floor.
Yao Zhimei, realizing her mistake, lowered her voice. “Your Majesty, these jade boxes are empty—there aren’t any spirit herbs inside!”
Qu Yiqiu thought to herself that if someone could set the core of the Corrupt Resentment Array here, they’d have already taken whatever real treasures they could.
“No matter, let’s just take everything else.”
Qu Yiqiu looked to the center of the teleportation array, an idea forming.
“Alright!” Yao Zhimei had been waiting for this, and instantly broke into a grin, sweeping through the room like a whirlwind.
Because of the soul contract, Qu Yiqiu wasn’t worried about Yao Zhimei pocketing anything for herself.
While Yao Zhimei was entirely absorbed in gathering treasure, Qu Yiqiu summoned the All-Realm Immortal Market and quickly purchased a Ten-Thousand-Mile Escape Talisman.
The treasury’s defense array was set outside—if she used the escape talisman from within, she could flee this place.
Holding the solid talisman in her hand, Qu Yiqiu’s lips curled into a smile.
The Qunan City Treasury was now hers!
...
At the outermost layer of the Qunan City Treasury.
Luo Yingying stood upright, but her eyes kept darting around.
“Why haven’t I seen Junior Sister Qu come in yet? Could her meridians have been seriously damaged?”
She muttered softly, a hint of worry creeping over her face.
Suddenly, the clear sky was shrouded in a blood-red mist, and the ground trembled beneath her feet.
Chi Yushu’s face changed dramatically, and he immediately summoned the Azure Cry Sword.
The flagstone ground cracked open like a spider’s web, deep chasms spreading in all directions. Panic rippled through the crowd as countless black figures emerged from the fissures.
“Demon cultivators are attacking! Prepare for battle!” Chi Yushu shouted, and everyone drew their magical weapons.
Wu Qiu swiftly summoned three dazzling flying daggers, which circled before him as he reinforced a spiritual shield for protection.
...
Luo Yingying patted her storage pouch, summoning a Scarlet Leaf Umbrella that unfurled a glowing light, spinning above her head and casting a triple-colored barrier around her.
The other disciples wielded swords or controlled spiritual shuttles—magical weapons of every kind appeared.
By contrast, the original guards of Qunan City’s Treasury all had identical weapons and armor, indistinguishable from one another.
Countless dark figures leapt from the fissures, their entire bodies clad in black, revealing only pairs of stark black-and-white eyes.
The clash of metal erupted suddenly; both sides tangled together, flashes of spiritual power flickering in all shades, while the blood mist above grew ever denser.
The air was tinged with the scent of blood.
...
At the medium-sized spirit mine in Qunan City.
Jiang Shuangyan led the First Squad’s disciples on guard when the sky abruptly turned red and the blood mist thickened with the stench of gore.
An expectant glint flashed across her proud and striking features.
The air rippled, the earth split open, and countless black figures surged forth as every squad drew their magical weapons.
The tassels on Jiang Shuangyan’s hairpin jingled as she smiled arrogantly. “Come on, all of you! Spare this immortal from waiting any longer!”
A palm-sized mountain hovered above her palm, and with a flick, it expanded into a ten-thousand-pound colossus.
“The more who come, the merrier! My Mountain of Ten Thousand Weights has been waiting for worthy opponents!”
Her laughter rang out like silver bells as she formed hand seals and soared into the air, her robes fluttering.
Her confidantes, seeing this, were instantly roused, firing volleys of arrows as spiritual energy surged and figures clashed.
All of Qunan City was plunged into a nightmarish civil war.
Beneath the upturned golden bowl, cracks spread everywhere—across the city’s spirit veins, treasury, streets, and halls—bringing forth an endless tide of black-clad intruders.
...
Qu Yiqiu could hardly contain her glee as she scooped up armfuls of mid-grade spirit stones.
Though the millennium spirit herbs in the treasury were fake, the spirit stones and resources were real and untouched by whoever set up the array.
Now, all of it had gone straight into her purse—or rather, her newly acquired storage ring!
“Hahaha! Hahaha!” Qu Yiqiu laughed uncontrollably, covering her mouth in delight.