Retirement begins with summoning Yuan Tiangang

The underground plaza was ridiculously large, with a high dome inlaid with countless luminous crystals, like stars, illuminating the circular arena below, which resembled the ancient Roman Colosseum.

The air was filled with the smell of stale dust, the stench of fresh blood, and a strange, alluring medicinal fragrance that seemed to awaken the deepest desires in one's heart.

The source of the medicinal fragrance was right in the center of the square.

There was a white jade pool about three zhang square. The pool was not filled with water, but with a viscous spiritual liquid that was milky white with a hint of gold, which was churning and surging.

Above the spiritual liquid, a seven-colored glow swirled, constantly conjuring illusory images of lingzhi mushrooms, immortal herbs, dragons, tigers, and phoenixes, displaying extraordinary and wondrous qualities.

What's even more enviable is that along the edge of the pool grows a circle of nine spiritual herbs of various shapes and sizes. Some are like burning flames, some are like solidified ice crystals, and some are wrapped in lightning... Each one exudes an astonishing spiritual energy fluctuation, and judging from their age, they are at least several hundred years old, and some are even close to a thousand years old!

"Qi-Refining Immortal Milk!"

"That's... a thousand-year-old fire dragon mushroom?!"

"Ice Heart Jade Marrow Grass! And Thunder Pattern Golden Ginseng!"

"My goodness! So many treasures!"

Exclamations, gasps, and heavy breathing filled the air.

Everyone's eyes turned red as they stared intently at the pool and the medicinal herbs, wishing they could rush up and claim them for themselves.

However, no one dared to make any rash moves.

Around the pool, several distinct camps had formed, some standing and some sitting, each wary of the others, exuding a murderous aura.

The largest group was the monks of the Great Wheel Temple in the Western Regions, numbering more than twenty. The leader was the same martial monk who drove the elephant. He was a Grandmaster at the eighth level, with muscles all over his body as if cast in gold and iron. His eyes were wide open in anger, and his aura was imposing.

They occupied the area directly north of the pool.

To the east were the people from the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion in the central courtyard, about fifteen or sixteen in number, led by the old man in brocade robes (Grandmaster Level 7), with several young noblemen protected in the middle, their expressions a mixture of arrogance and nervousness.

To the west is the Beixuan Qingyun Temple, with more than ten Taoist priests. The leader, an old Taoist priest with a long beard (Grandmaster level nine, half-step Celestial), has an otherworldly air about him, but his eyes are as sharp as swords. Behind him, his disciples form a simple sword formation.

The south side was more chaotic, consisting of a temporary alliance of several small and medium-sized forces and some stronger rogue cultivators, totaling nearly twenty people. The leaders were two elderly rogue cultivators at the early stage of the Grandmaster realm, their eyes gleaming, clearly each harboring their own thoughts.

In addition, a few scattered cultivators were in the shadows at the edge of the square, not daring to approach but reluctant to leave, their eyes fixed intently on the square, waiting for an opportunity.

As the group of villains entered the plaza from the staircase, they immediately attracted everyone's attention.

Upon seeing Shangguan Yunque's bright silver soft armor and eerie appearance, many people showed expressions of surprise, disgust, or fear.

Clearly, the names "Bad Guy" and "Shangguan Yunque," as well as his feat of instantly killing a Grandmaster of the Shadow Pavilion, have already spread.

The warrior monk from Dalun Temple snorted coldly, his voice booming like thunder: "You wicked bastards from the Bad Guys! There's no place for you here!"

The old man in brocade robes from the Marquis of Zhenbei's residence narrowed his eyes but remained silent.

The long-bearded old Taoist priest from Qingyun Temple bowed and said, "Fellow Daoist Shangguan, the spiritual treasures here will be obtained by those who are destined to find them. However, we have reached a consensus that we will distribute them after we break the restrictions outside the pool. If you wish to get a share, you must abide by the rules."

His so-called rules are clearly a united front of four forces to exclude outsiders, dividing up the biggest slice of the pie first before considering others.

The two leaders of the rogue cultivator alliance exchanged a glance but remained silent, enjoying the spectacle.

Shangguan Yunque picked at his ear, seemingly ignoring the monk's words. His gaze swept across the entire area, lingering for a moment on the edge of the pool and the few spiritual herbs, before he scoffed, "Rules? Who made the rules? You old hags whispering together, and that's the rule?"

He swayed his hips and walked toward the pool on his own, completely ignoring the wary gazes of the other groups.

"Halt!" the warrior monk from Dalun Temple roared, taking a step forward, causing the ground to tremble slightly.

"Dare to move forward again, and don't blame me for being impolite!"

The elderly man in brocade robes from the Marquis of Zhenbei's residence also said in a deep voice, "Lord Shangguan, do not make a mistake!"

The old Taoist priest of Qingyun Temple frowned, and the sword formation of his disciples behind him faintly emitted a clear sound.

The Loose Cultivator Alliance and the scattered cultivators on the fringes held their breath, watching this scene with tension.

A powerful expert from the Celestial Realm wants to force his way in?

This is going to be a big show!

Shadow Seven, Shadow Eight, Captain Zhao, and the others were all on tenterhooks, instinctively gripping their weapons.

Shangguan Yunque strolled around as if it were his own backyard, never stopping until he reached a place about ten zhang away from the pond, where the forces from all sides were beginning to form an encirclement.

He tilted his head, looked at the churning spiritual liquid and the glowing light, then at the complex runes on the edge of the pool, and suddenly chuckled.

"So that's why they were all squatting here like dogs guarding their food; they were stumped by this Reversed Five Elements Bewildering Array!"

His voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

The expressions of the leaders of the four forces all changed slightly.

"What do you mean by reversing the five elements? Don't talk nonsense!" The warrior monk from Dalun Temple was all bark and no bite.

A glint flashed in the old Taoist priest's eyes: "Fellow Daoist, do you recognize this formation?"

"I know a little, I know a little."

Shangguan Yunque waved his hand, extended his slender fingers, and gestured towards the runes on the edge of the pool.

"Look at these runes. On the surface, they appear to be a spirit-gathering array that gathers spiritual energy and nourishes spiritual beings. However, they actually contain a trap that reverses the five elements and disrupts the divine consciousness. If someone who doesn't know any better tries to touch the pool or pick spiritual herbs, at best their soul will be injured and they will become an idiot, and at worst they will trigger the backlash of the array and be torn to shreds by the power of the reversed five elements."

He paused, his gaze sweeping mockingly over the four leaders: "You lot, didn't you already try it? You suffered a little loss, didn't you?"

The old man in brocade robes from the Marquis of Zhenbei's mansion looked rather grim. Behind him, a young man with bandages wrapped around his hand had clearly suffered a loss.

The few strands of silver on the old Taoist priest's whisk at Qingyun Temple seemed to have been burned.

The monk from Dalun Temple had a shallow bloodstain on his neck. Several people from the Loose Cultivator Alliance also appeared to be struggling with their breathing.

Clearly, they had already attempted to crack the code before the arrival of the villains, and had paid a price for it.

"Since you know about this formation, do you have a way to break it?" the old Taoist from Qingyun Temple asked in a deep voice, his attitude softening somewhat.

"Yes," Shangguan Yunque said with a smile.

"It's simple. Find the core of the formation, temporarily stabilize the flow of the five elements, and you can safely retrieve the treasure. However..." He drawled out his words.

"But what?" a leader of the Loose Cultivator Alliance couldn't help but ask.

"However, this array's core is a bit special." Shangguan Yunque pointed to the center of the pool, to the core where the spiritual liquid was churning most violently.

"The key to the formation is at the bottom of that pool. Someone needs to dive into the pool at the moment when the formation's fluctuations are most stable and place a specific talisman into the key to stabilize the formation for twelve hours."

Dive into that eerie pool?

Everyone's expression changed.

Who knows if there are any other dangers in the pool besides the formation?

"What kind of talisman?" the old Taoist priest of Qingyun Temple pressed.

Shangguan Yunque flipped his wrist, and the Xuan Turtle Shell fragment he had obtained from the Stone Hall appeared in his palm: "Here, this is it. The Xuan Turtle Shell fragment is of the earth element, heavy and stable, and is most suitable for temporarily suppressing this kind of array where the five elements are in reverse order."

Everyone's eyes were focused on the ancient tortoise shell, their expressions varied.

"Since you possess a protective charm and are skilled in breaking formations, why not break the formation quickly? We can then distribute the spiritual items as agreed," said the old man in brocade robes from the Zhenbei Marquis's residence.

"That's right! Hurry up!" urged the warrior monks of Dairinji Temple.

Shangguan Yunque put away the tortoise shell and said slowly, "What's the rush? We can break the formation, but we need to agree on how to divide it first."

"Naturally, as agreed earlier, I will take the first four portions, and the rest will be divided among you all!" the warrior monk roared.

"fart!"

Shangguan Yunque retorted without any politeness.

"I broke the formation, I used the protective object, and I used the method. You guys almost killed yourselves just now, and now you want to reap the benefits? Where's your shame?"

"You!" the monk roared in anger.

"Then, in your opinion, how should it be distributed?" The old Taoist priest of Qingyun Temple remained relatively calm.

Shangguan Yunque held up three fingers: "First, I want half of the Immortal Essence from the pool."

"Half? Why don't you just rob it!"

A young master from the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion couldn't help but exclaim.

Shangguan Yunque glanced at him, and the young master immediately felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, his words stuck in his throat.

"Secondly, of the nine spiritual herbs, I will choose three."

"Third, the remaining immortal milk and spiritual herbs, you and those independent cultivators can decide how to divide them yourselves. I don't care."

The conditions are extremely demanding!

The leaders of the four factions all turned grim.

The members of the Loose Cultivator Alliance had shifty eyes. If the Bad People took half of the Immortal Milk and the three best spiritual herbs, the rest would definitely be divided among the four forces. They would be lucky to get a sip of the soup.

"Shangguan Yunque! Don't push your luck!" The warrior monk from Dalun Temple was surrounded by a faint golden light, seemingly about to make a move.

"This is outrageous!" Shangguan Yunque laughed, a cold laugh.

"I'm just bullying you, so what? One-on-one? Group fight? All of you come at me at once? I'll take it all."

Overbearing! Utterly overbearing!

Yingqi and Yingba were both thrilled and nervous, their palms sweating.

Captain Zhao and his men were also secretly gathering their strength, ready to make a move at any moment.

The old Taoist priest of Qingyun Temple took a deep breath and exchanged glances with the others.

Although they outnumbered each other, none of them were certain of victory against an unfathomable Celestial Realm expert, not to mention they had to be wary of each other.

"Fellow Daoist, may we discuss this further..." The old Daoist still wanted to persuade him.

"There's no room for negotiation."

Shangguan Yunque interrupted him, pointing to the pond.

"Either we follow my rules and break the formation, then everyone gets a share. Or we can just sit here and wait it out, or we can have a fight, and whoever wins takes it all. But let me make this clear: if we start fighting, I won't hold back. Don't blame me if you kill or cripple anyone."

A blatant threat!

The square was deathly silent.

Only the gurgling sound of the spiritual liquid churning in the pool could be heard.

Some of the scattered cultivators on the periphery had already begun to quietly retreat, fearing they would be caught in the crossfire.

After a long silence, the old man in brocade robes from the Marquis of Zhenbei's mansion gritted his teeth and said, "Fine! It's your way! But you must promise that after breaking the formation, the spoils will be distributed according to the agreement, and you must not try to steal anything again!"

"I always keep my word," Shangguan Yunque said with a smile.

The monks of Dalun Temple had livid faces, but seeing that the old Taoist priest of Qingyun Temple and the leader of the loose cultivator alliance had tacitly agreed, they could only snort heavily as a sign of their consent.

"Let's begin then."

Shangguan Yunque walked to the edge of the pool and carefully observed the rhythm of the changing sunset glow.

The others stared intently at him, at the pool, and at each other with suspicion.

Shangguan Yunque was seen muttering incantations, and Ying Qi could vaguely hear phrases like "Jia Yi Wood, Bing Ding Fire" as his fingers continuously made empty gestures in the air.

The tortoise shell plate floated in his palm, emitting a hazy yellow light.

The changing light on the pool seemed to slow down.

Suddenly, Shangguan Yunque's eyes lit up: "Now!"

With a push of his palm, the Xuan Turtle shell transformed into a beam of yellow light, precisely shooting into the core of the churning spiritual liquid in the pool!

"puff!"

A soft sound, as if something had been embedded.

The spiritual liquid in the pool suddenly stopped churning.

The seven-colored glow froze for a moment, then spread out like ripples from the spot where the tortoise shell landed.

Wherever the halo passed, the originally restless spiritual energy of the five elements seemed to be soothed by an invisible hand, becoming gentle and peaceful.

The Five Elements Reversal Bewitching Array has been temporarily suppressed!

"It's done!" someone couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice.

"Quick! The formation can only be stable for twelve hours!" Shangguan Yunque shouted. At the same time, his figure flashed and he appeared at the edge of the pool. Several large jade bottles appeared in his hands. The mouths of the bottles were facing the immortal milk in the pool. A suction force surged out, and the milky white immortal milk poured into the bottles like a dragon sucking water.

He moved extremely fast, filling three jade bottles in the blink of an eye, and half of the immortal milk in the pool was visibly reduced.

"Let's do it!"

The leaders of the four forces also reacted and rushed to the edge of the pool, their targets being the remaining immortal milk and those spiritual herbs!

The loose cultivator alliance and the scattered cultivators on the periphery also turned red-eyed and charged forward with shouts!

The situation instantly spiraled out of control!

"Dragon mushroom is mine!"

"Get out of my way! I saw the Ice Heart Grass first!"

"court death!"

"puff!"

The sounds of clashing weapons, exploding spells, shouts of anger, and screams of agony instantly filled the air!

In the struggle for the remaining resources, the fragile alliance crumbled instantly, and everyone was plunged into a chaotic battle!

Shangguan Yunque had already retreated to the side, leisurely putting away the three jade bottles. His gaze swept across the chaotic battlefield and landed on the nine spiritual herbs.

His figure moved like a ghost, weaving through the edge of the chaotic crowd. With each reach, a medicinal herb would fall into his sleeve.

His movements were graceful, as if he were picking flowers from his own garden, completely out of place amidst the surrounding carnage.

He first took the thousand-year-old Fire Dragon Fungus with fire attribute, then picked the Ice Heart Jade Marrow Grass with ice attribute, and finally took the Thunder Pattern Golden Ginseng wrapped with lightning with thunder attribute.

Having obtained the three best medicinal herbs, he did not linger in battle and gracefully retreated.

"Withdraw!" he telepathically told Captain Zhao and the others.

Captain Zhao understood and immediately led Shadow Seven, Shadow Eight, and the others to protect Shangguan Yunque as they retreated towards the entrance of the stairs they had come from.

Although the various factions involved in the melee saw it, they were too busy fighting to intervene.

Only a few scattered, bloodthirsty rogue cultivators, oblivious to their own mortality, tried to rush over and snatch the jade bottle from Shangguan Yunque's hands, but he casually slapped them away with a few streaks of silver light, their fates unknown.

Soon, the group of Bad Guys left the plaza and disappeared into the stairwell.

Behind them, the sounds of fierce fighting, screams, and the shattering of treasures continued unabated, accompanied by a thick stench of blood emanating from the treasure basin.

Shadow Eight glanced back at the carnage-like scene, still shaken: "That's it... all done?"

Shangguan Yunque tossed the three jade bottles in his hand, then touched the three spiritual herbs in his sleeve, and narrowed his peach blossom eyes with satisfaction: "Otherwise what? Fight to the death with that bunch of idiots? How inelegant."

He glanced at the still somewhat bewildered Shadow Seven and Shadow Eight, and chuckled, "What? Do you think your master... oh no, this great one is too domineering? Or do you think it was too easy to steal?"

Shadow Seven nodded honestly: "I... didn't expect it to be like this..."

"So smoothly?" Shangguan Yunque chimed in with a sneer.

"That's because they're stupid, blinded by greed, and distrustful of each other. If they used their brains a little, provoked them, and flexed their muscles, they'd fall into chaos themselves. Remember, many times, you don't have to fight to steal. Let the dogs fight, and we can just pick up the scraps—how comfortable is that?"

He paused, then said meaningfully, "The real treasures of this Mysterious Cave Heaven are probably not what's on the surface. That formation just now was quite interesting... The owner of this cave is very shrewd."

After saying that, he stopped explaining, humming a little tune, and continued walking forward.

It seemed that the thrilling treasure hunt just now was just an easy game for him.

Shadow Seven and Shadow Eight pondered his words, and then recalled the cultivators in the square who were fighting to the death for the remaining less than half of the resources. Suddenly, they had an epiphany.

Strength, wisdom, and an understanding of human greed... all are indispensable.

Lord Shangguan seems to have mastered all of these skills.

Following him, I can not only learn about cultivation, but it seems... I can learn even more.

But what is the real treasure of this cave?

What has Lord Shangguan discovered this time?

Filled with both gains and questions, the group continued deeper into the cave, into the unknown darkness and mysteries.