Mountain and sea lantern

Chapter 548 Gift of Treasure
Paying someone to fight, especially a highly skilled one, was something Wu Jinliang, who came from a poor background in exile, had never even considered.

Although those tickets that can be exchanged across the six realms are useless in the outside world, they are useful in the underworld. For those who can travel between the two realms, their usefulness in the underworld is equivalent to their usefulness in the outside world, as they are used for trading and exchange.

In short, Wu Jinliang felt that it was a bit too extravagant.

Chu Jingtang and Lao Changtai were dumbfounded. They clearly understood what he was saying, but they couldn't quite grasp the meaning.

"The underworld?" Lao Changtai swallowed hard.

Chu Jingtang also asked, "Boss, are you talking about the underworld that has been sealed for eight hundred years?"

Shi Chun nodded. "Which other underworld could it be?"

After exchanging a shocked glance, Chu Jingtang asked again, "Wasn't the Underworld sealed away? Even the top-tier powerhouses can't enter or leave..."

Shi Chun said, "This is one of the important reasons why we have spent so much time searching for the 'Death-Reversing Incense'. The 'Death-Reversing Incense' can not only revive the dead, but also open a passage to the underworld."

Wu Jinliang, who was standing to the side, sighed inwardly upon hearing this. He hadn't expected that the chief would even tell these two such a secret.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. Since we're going to send the two of them to the underworld this way anyway, they'll find out sooner or later, so there's no need to hide it from them anymore.

Therefore, it can be seen that since Spring was able to tell them this secret, she did not intend to give them any room to refuse; they probably had no choice but to agree, whether they wanted to or not.

Chu and Lao weren't stupid; this wasn't a secret. They knew that even top-tier experts couldn't get in and out, yet this place had a way. Hearing this, they knew they probably had no choice but to agree.

"The underworld is not suitable for people in the mortal world to live in. We don't know if we can get used to it if we go there." Lao Changtai smiled bitterly, which could be considered as not refusing.

Shi Chun comforted him, "It's not like we're ordinary people who believe in ghosts and gods. The people living in the underworld are all living beings, just with different cultivation methods. Ordinary people really can't withstand the underworld, but with your cultivation, you'll be fine. Besides, we're not sending you there forever. We're sending you there to open up the situation there. Once the situation is open, you can come back anytime and go back in if needed. You don't have to live there forever."

Chu Jingtang smiled wryly, "You should have said so earlier. We could have found some books about the underworld beforehand and filled in the gaps in our knowledge of it."

Shi Chun: "There seem to be quite a few books about the underworld in the collection of Chaoyue Pavilion in Dazhi City. I'll find an opportunity to take a look later. But now is not the time for us to show our faces. We certainly can't find out what the underworld has changed like in the past eight hundred years in the books of the mortal world. Eight hundred years is enough for the world to change."

He then pulled out two stacks of bills and tossed one stack to each of them.

Chu and Lao instinctively caught it, and naturally couldn't help but look at what it was. When they saw that it was a one million dollar bill, Lao Changtai even muttered to himself, "Universal exchange across the six realms?"

Chu Jingtang looked up and asked, "Boss, what is this?"

Shi Chun: "The money circulating in the underworld, according to the people there, is probably the largest denomination. Each of you should take one hundred million. One of the purposes of this trip is to find out the true value of this money. Jinliang and I had a brief encounter with the people there just now. Because it was inconvenient to reveal our identities as visitors from the mortal realm, we didn't ask too many questions. However, judging from the way a master at the Earth Immortal level was willing to do anything for a million-dollar bill, this money might be quite valuable. Remember, you must not reveal your identities from the mortal realm when you go. Otherwise, the secret of how you entered and exited will be enough to put you in danger."

Chu and Lao, who were subconsciously listening intently, both nodded slightly.

"On this trip, as long as the matter is handled well, don't be afraid to spend money. If you don't have enough, I can provide more later. But you must adhere to one principle: don't flaunt your wealth and invite trouble. You also need to think carefully about hiring thugs. You can't just use anyone. It's best to find reliable and skilled individuals. Although the Underworld has been sealed for eight hundred years, many skilled individuals had frequent contact with the outside world before the Underworld was sealed. Many of them are probably old acquaintances with skilled individuals outside. Whether they can be used once they are released is a question. You need to carefully consider this. I believe that with your abilities, you can handle this situation."

Lao and Chu nodded slightly again upon hearing this, their thoughtful expressions indicating that they had clearly taken it to heart.

Shi Chun then pulled out another mother-and-child talisman and tossed it to Chu Jingtang, "Just now, after Jinliang and I entered the Underworld, we met a fifth-rank Underworld general named Lao Xi in a place called Langdangchuan. This is the mother-and-child talisman we used to contact him..."

What follows is a detailed account of how he met Lao Xi.

Shi Chun felt it was necessary to let the two people who were about to enter know the details of what had happened before, so as to determine their true relationship with Lao Xi and to make it easier to control the boundaries of their future interactions. It would also be a way for them to get a glimpse into the customs and culture of the underworld.

After finishing his explanation, he added, "One of the key aspects of the 'Resurrecting the Dead with Incense' technique is to retrieve the original owner's soul from the underworld. It seems they are retrieving it from the nearest location. Conversely, as long as we have the soul of the corpse, no matter where the corpse is moved, we may be able to use the underworld to meet the corpse directly. Lao Xi and his group should have a way to imprison souls. We are currently trapped in Jukuzhou, and you should understand the significance of this."

Lao and Chu seemed to be deep in thought. The latter slowly said, "The chief means to find Lao Xi to get a way to imprison souls..."

Wu Jinliang also understood why Chun Tian was in such a hurry to send the two to the underworld; she was making arrangements for their escape route.

Seeing that the three of them understood the importance of the matter, Shi Chun stopped talking and asked Lao Changtai to catch another hyena.

He didn't know if the dead hyena could die repeatedly and have its soul repeatedly captured. He would leave that for later testing. For now, he wanted to be as safe as possible to avoid any unexpected problems.

For a dignified martial arts cultivator, catching a hyena was indeed a piece of cake; he brought it over by the neck in no time.

Fearing that if they remained in the same spot, the scent of the incense they had burned earlier would rise from the ground, Shi Chun led them to another location before Wu Jinliang used his earth-遁术 (earth-遁术 is a type of magic that allows one to escape underground) to carry them down the slope.

Upon reaching the depths of the earth, Shi Chun didn't rush to kill the hyenas. Instead, he took out a jet-black banner. Wu Jinliang recognized it and muttered, "The Boundless Banner?"

Shi Chun nodded to him, "Try burning it and see if it works."

Alright, Wu Jinliang took out the "Death-Slaying Incense" again, hooked a clump out with his fingertip, and burned it once more using his fire-based technique.

Chu Jingtang and Lao Changtai were dumbfounded, their jaws dropping. This Wu Heihei actually knew fire-based techniques? Had he been hiding them so well? Then why didn't he absorb the divine fire in the Divine Fire Domain?

But then I thought about it and realized something was off. This big guy not only knew fire-based techniques, but he also clearly knew earth-based techniques just now.

Shi Chun paid no attention to their thoughts. After seeing the smoke from the Incense of Death emerge from his right eye, he immediately cast a spell to gather the scattered smoke onto the Boundless Banner, surrounding and enveloping it.

There was no response for a long time, at least on the surface. However, Shi Chun's right eye ability allowed him to see light and shadow moving slightly inside the Boundless Banner, like a dormant heart slowly reviving.

So Shi Chun waited patiently.

A moment later, the Boundless Banner suddenly moved slightly without any wind, and Shi Chun said, "Turn off the fire."

Wu Jinliang immediately extinguished the flames, but the number of incense sticks was limited, so he tried to conserve them as much as possible. As he stopped, his eyes gleamed as he asked, "Is it done yet?"

Shi Chun nodded and said, "I think so, let's give it a try."

He waved the Boundless Banner slightly in his hands, then held it up in both hands and began to close his eyes and cast a spell within it, using his magic to move his mind to complete the consciousness of the spirit within the banner. This was not the first time he had done this; he was already very familiar with it.

Before long, he opened his eyes and raised the banner. Suddenly, the black banner fluttered and swelled.

Wu Jinliang immediately chuckled, knowing that the chief had subdued another magical artifact and was currently getting to know and understand the spirit of the artifact, familiarizing himself with the control of the banner.

Although he had not witnessed its power firsthand, he had heard from Xu Anchang, a disciple of the Four Cauldrons Sect who originally possessed this treasure, that it could overcome all other treasures.

He also knew that Shi Chun had longed for this treasure for a long time and often mentioned it. This time, his motivation for coming to find Quesi Xiang was probably mostly due to this treasure.

The three people watching Shi Chun wave the black banner, constantly changing its size and controlling it for a while, were getting a little impatient when suddenly a black light flashed on the banner, and then a bunch of jingling things fell out.

Upon closer inspection, the three discovered a large pile of gleaming green swords and the like. The sheer number of them was enough to bury them if Shi Chun hadn't had Wu Jinliang enlarge the underground space this time.

Shi Chun held the Boundless Banner and stroked it with great satisfaction. This was the Demonic Path's trump card for the Four Cauldrons Sect to enter the Divine Fire Domain. Now it had finally fallen into his hands. He was very pleased and felt that his journey had not been in vain. His years of diligent pursuit had been worthwhile.

Having achieved spiritual satisfaction, he finally put away the banner in his hand and began to rummage through a pile of gleaming green swords. He eventually unearthed a dark purple metal disc the size of a millstone, with three equal-sided cuts on its blade, resembling three axes joined back to back, with a hole in the middle for easy handling.

He stood on a pile of swords, shaking the disc in his hand, and said, "This treasure is called 'Sudden Slash,' a fifth-grade magic weapon. It is the trump card of the Lian Tian Sect, the number one weapon-refining sect, given to Zuo Zisheng, the disciple leading the Divine Fire Domain. Old Chu, this treasure is yours."

After saying that, he threw it directly to Chu Jingtang.

After hurriedly catching it, Chu Jingtang pointed to himself in disbelief, as if asking, "Such a precious treasure, you really just gave it to me like this?"
Not to mention him, even Wu Jinliang was astonished. He had been lying in wait for so long and spent so much effort, all for these treasures, and now he was giving them away as soon as he got them?

Shi Chun nodded slightly, “We don’t know if there will be any dangers on our journey to the Underworld. Take this for protection. The spirit of this treasure is undamaged, and Zuo Zisheng is still alive. The spirit of this treasure is still under Zuo Zisheng’s control. However, since we are separated by the realm, Zuo Zisheng can no longer control it. This is the perfect opportunity for you to erase Zuo Zisheng’s consciousness, integrate it with your own, and make the treasure recognize its master.”

Holding the items, it wasn't appropriate to clasp hands in a fist salute. Instead, Chu Jingtang, his face beaming with excitement, clenched his fist and pounded his chest, saying, "Thank you, Chief! I, Chu, will do my utmost on this mission and live up to your expectations!"

I'm so excited! I never thought I'd have the chance to use a fifth-grade magic weapon in my lifetime. It's the ultimate magic weapon that the Refining Heaven Sect gave its disciples to use when entering the Divine Fire Domain. You can imagine how powerful this treasure is.

Shi Chun pointed to the treasure in his hand, signaling him to stop talking nonsense and quickly feel around to make the treasure recognize him as its owner.

He then pointed to a pile of gleaming green swords on the ground and said to Lao Changtai, "Changtai, this treasure is called the 'Heavenly Net Sword Bone Umbrella.' It is the trump card of the Extreme Fire Sect, the fourth largest sect in the weapon-refining world, given to Yin Tianlu, the disciple leading the Divine Fire Domain. This treasure is extremely powerful, and its power may not be inferior to Lao Chu's 'Sudden Slash.' I'm giving it to you; take it for self-defense. The core of this treasure should be an umbrella-shaped object. Look for it yourself."

Lao Changtai was filled with excitement, just like Chu Jingtang. He cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Chief. I will do my best on this trip. If I slack off, I will die without regret!"

Shi Chun pointed to the pile of swords, signaling him to hurry.

At the same time, Yin Tianlu, who had been sitting dejectedly under the eaves of a house, suddenly looked up and stood up, his eyes filled with shock. "The Heavenly Net Sword Bone Umbrella is actually nearby!"

A guard quickly came over and asked, "What's wrong?"

(End of this chapter)