I'm in Yellow Maple Valley, and I have one equipment slot!

As soon as he finished speaking, a vast and powerful spiritual force, which made the other cultivators present feel a sense of awe, surged out from between Zhou Yuan's brows!

However, this is only half of Zhou Yuan's total divine sense power!

He deliberately controlled the situation, showcasing his strength without revealing all his cards.

The vast divine sense did not directly impact the seemingly indestructible blue crystal wall.

Instead, under his extremely precise control, dozens of thin, hair-like, yet incredibly condensed threads of divine thought were separated.

Immediately afterwards, Zhou Yuan summoned dozens of array flags to simulate array nodes!

"go!"

Zhou Yuan gave a low shout, and dozens of array flags, under the control of his divine sense, shot out instantly like swallows returning to their nests.

It pierced the crystal-clear blue walls surrounding the hall with perfect precision!

It wasn't a random attack; rather, each array flag precisely struck one of the dozens of relatively weak nodes in the "Supreme Mystery Divine Restriction" spiritual energy flow network that Zhou Yuan sensed with his powerful divine sense, as well as several key connection points that were slightly sluggish due to their age!

Dozens of divine sense array flags simultaneously entered and activated!

"Buzz—!!!"

The entire Emerald Hall was suddenly filled with an unprecedented, blinding blue light!

It was as if a sleeping behemoth had been stabbed in all its vital points at once, and it let out a painful and angry roar!

In the intense light, the blue energy that was originally flowing steadily inside the crystal wall instantly became violent, chaotic, and conflicting!

Countless fine blue electric snakes darted wildly across the surface of the crystal wall, crackling and popping.

The entire hall shook violently, and stone chips fell in a flurry.

"He...he actually broke the ban?!"

"What kind of technique is this? Using divine sense to create an array?!"

"Such powerful spiritual sense! Such exquisite array control techniques!"

Nanlonghou, Yun Xiaotian, Wang Tiangu and the others were all shocked and stunned by the blinding blue light and Zhou Yuan's incredible method of breaking the barrier. They subconsciously squinted their eyes.

At that very moment, when the light was at its strongest and everyone's vision and consciousness were greatly disturbed—

Zhou Yuan moved like a ghost, silently approaching the violently fluctuating blue crystal wall directly in front of him.

His left hand rested seemingly casually on the crystal wall, and a barely perceptible silver light flashed and disappeared from his palm.

It was a silver moon!

The silver moon pierced through the crystal barrier, which had become much weaker due to the internal conflict, and disappeared into the space behind the wall!

Before entering, Zhou Yuan had already given Yin Yue clear instructions through the telepathic connection between master and servant.

She was instructed to use her earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a skill or ability to escape) talent and her spirit beast's keen sense of treasures to enter the core area of ​​the ruins, and as quickly as possible, without triggering any possible restrictions, to take a few items and then hide.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye. With the bright light and Zhou Yuan's own magical energy waves providing cover, and everyone's attention being drawn to the astonishing sight of the barrier being broken, no one noticed.

"BOOM—!!!"

With a loud bang like shattering glass, the blinding blue light that had enveloped the entire hall and left everyone helpless suddenly dissipated!

The crystal-clear, incredibly solid blue crystal wall, along with the chaotic blue energy within it, instantly disintegrated and vanished like bubbles in the sunlight, turning into specks of blue fluorescence that quickly disappeared into the air.

The wondrous divine restriction has been broken!

The surrounding scenery returned to normal.

It was still that underground stone hall.

But the four walls had turned into ordinary, slightly rough, bluish-gray rocks.

On the stone wall directly opposite them, there was a heavy stone door, about seven or eight zhang high and more than three zhang wide, carved entirely from some kind of black rock and covered with traces of wind erosion over the years!

The stone door was tightly shut, silently revealing the secrets behind it.

"It's...it's broken? It's really broken?!"

"Fellow Daoist Zhou possesses extraordinary abilities; I admire you greatly!"

"Hahaha! Great! The barrier is broken, and the treasure is right before our eyes!"

After a brief silence, cheers of surprise rang out in the stone hall.

Marquis Nanlong clapped his hands and laughed, his face full of excitement and exhilaration.

His gaze toward Zhou Yuan was filled with admiration and a hint of barely perceptible, deeper apprehension.

He originally thought it would take at least several days, or even longer, but he never expected that Zhou Yuan could break the seal in such a strange and powerful way in such a short time!

This person's abilities far exceed expectations!

"Brother Zhou, you deserve the greatest credit this time! Once we enter the Imperial Mansion, after Brother Yun and I have made our selections, the right to choose first will undoubtedly belong to you!" Marquis Nanlong stepped forward, solemnly cupped his hands to Zhou Yuan, and spoke with sincerity.

"Brother Nanlong, you're too kind. It was just a coincidence."

Zhou Yuan remained calm, withdrawing his hand as if he had only done a trivial matter.

"Alright, enough talk, the treasure is right in front of us, don't let this opportunity slip away!"

Yun Xiaotian coughed lightly, a hint of eagerness flashing in his eyes, and took the lead in walking towards the black stone door.

Marquis Nanlong laughed heartily, waved his sleeve at the stone gate, and a gentle whirlwind swept out, pushing against the seemingly heavy stone gate.

"Squeak—"

A tooth-grinding scraping sound rang out, and the stone door opened without encountering any resistance or restriction.

"Squeak—"

A tooth-grinding scraping sound rang out, and the stone door opened without encountering any resistance or restriction.

Behind the door was not the storeroom filled with treasures as one might imagine, but a much larger stone hall, about a hundred feet in diameter.

The stone hall floor was flat, and in the center stood an exquisite pavilion about three stories high, made entirely of some kind of warm white jade, with flying eaves, brackets, carved beams and painted rafters!

Above the pavilion's plaque are three large characters written in ancient seal script: Yuji Pavilion.

A pavilion built in an underground stone hall? Such a sight is indeed rather strange.

But at this moment, no one delved into it; everyone's attention was instantly drawn to an ancient offering table placed at the foot of the white jade steps in front of the pavilion.

The altar was of ordinary style, but it was empty, with no offerings on it, only a thin layer of ash.

"Go to the attic!"

Suppressing a strange feeling in his heart, Marquis Nanlong took the lead in stepping onto the white jade steps, pushed open the half-closed vermilion door of the Jade Pavilion, and slipped inside.

Yun Xiaotian, Zhou Yuan, and others followed closely behind.

The interior space on the first floor is quite large, with simple furnishings. Against the wall are three multi-tiered shelves, also made of white jade.

On the first shelf were four or five magical artifacts and ancient treasures that shimmered with spiritual light, including knives, swords, seals, and bells. Although they were full of spiritual energy, they did not seem to be the most top-tier items.

On the second shelf were a dozen or so jade bottles and boxes of varying sizes, which clearly contained elixirs or some kind of spiritual material.

The third shelf contained various materials for refining weapons, including ores, spirit wood, and materials from demonic beasts. The variety was extensive, but judging from their quality, they were not exactly rare in the world.

All in all, there are about a dozen treasures, which is a considerable fortune for a Nascent Soul cultivator, but it seems somewhat incongruous with the name "Cangkun Shangren's Relics".

"It seems the good stuff is all up there."

Marquis Nanlong glanced at it but did not rush to act. Instead, he looked up at the staircase leading to the second floor. As is customary, the more important the treasure, the higher it is stored.

Yun Xiaotian, Wang Tiangu, and the others shared the same thoughts; although their eyes held greed, they all restrained themselves.

"Since the items on the first floor aren't exactly priceless treasures, why don't we divide them equally among ourselves and then hurry upstairs to avoid any unforeseen complications? Brother Nanlong and Brother Yun can reserve their priority for those upstairs, what do you say?"

Zhou Yuan made the suggestion at the opportune moment.

This proposal is reasonable and can both appease the public's anxiety and not affect the core interests of the two initiators.

"Brother Zhou is absolutely right."

Marquis Nanlong nodded, "Then let's divide the items on this floor equally first."

The group quickly inventoried and appraised the dozen or so treasures on the three shelves on the first floor, and then divided them roughly equally.

Zhou Yuan casually selected a reasonably high-quality defensive ancient artifact and a bottle of pills that could enhance the power of a Nascent Soul cultivator, showing little enthusiasm. Soon, the entire floor was cleared out.

Everyone eagerly climbed the stairs and arrived at the second floor of the Jade Pavilion.

The second floor is slightly smaller and the layout is simpler.

What's most eye-catching isn't the expected shelves of treasures, but rather the small shrine that's actually located in the corner directly opposite the staircase!

The shrine was made of ebony, with an ancient and rustic style, exuding an eerie aura.

Inside the shrine is a statue of a three-headed, six-armed demon god, about a foot tall and cast entirely in dark gold metal!

This demon's entire body was bulging with muscles, and its three heads had different expressions, some glaring angrily, some grinning wickedly, and some indifferent. Each of its six arms held a different weapon, such as a knife, sword, whip, and pestle. It also had a single, curved horn growing on its head. Its face was ferocious and lifelike, as if it would come to life at any moment and devour people!

A faint, extremely unsettling, malevolent aura emanated from the statue.

"A demon god statue? Master Cangkun would actually worship such an evil object?"

Wang Tiangu frowned and muttered to himself. Everyone was also surprised. How could the number one rogue cultivator from ten thousand years ago have such a strange arrangement in his cave?

But with such a treasure before them, no one bothered to investigate further, simply assuming it was some peculiar hobby or a necessity for cultivation among the senior cultivators.

The crowd quickly shifted their gaze from the unsettling statue of the demon god to other parts of the second floor.

Aside from the shrine, the second floor contains only a jade bed in the center, carved entirely from cold jade. The jade bed is empty except for three exquisite jade boxes, each about a foot long, half a foot wide, and several inches high, placed side by side in the center of the bed.

The jade box is made of extraordinary material; it is pure white and flawless, with a subtle, flowing light, making it clear at a glance that it is used to store the most precious items.

Everyone's breathing quickened unconsciously at that moment.

After overcoming numerous dangers and breaking through the restrictions to enter this legendary Cangkun Ruins, isn't it all for this final reward?

These three jade boxes must contain the most precious treasures of this trip!

It is very likely that it contains the secrets or treasures that Master Cangkun brought out from the Fallen Demon Valley!

Marquis Nanlong's eyes flashed with a sharp light. Suppressing his excitement, he stepped forward and said loudly, "Gentlemen, as agreed, Brother Yun and I will first examine the contents of these three jade boxes and then exercise our right of first choice. After we have made our selections, Brother Zhou will take over, and then..."

"Wait!"

Before Marquis Nanlong could finish speaking, a cold voice suddenly interrupted him.

The one who spoke was none other than Wang Tiangu of the Ghost Spirit Sect! His usual refined smile was gone, replaced by a gloomy expression and undisguised greed.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, what is the meaning of this?"

Marquis Nanlong's face darkened, and he looked sharply at Wang Tiangu.

"What do you mean?"

Wang Tiangu sneered, stepped forward, and confronted Nanlong Marquis head-on, "Nanlong Marquis, Yun Xiaotian! There are only these three jade boxes here, and they are clearly the most precious treasures in this ruined mansion. You two want to inspect them first and then exercise that bullshit priority right? If there happen to be three treasures inside, you two can take the two best ones, and what about the remaining piece of junk? Are we all supposed to share it? That's just too much!"

"Wang Tiangu! How dare you!" Marquis Nanlong roared in fury, his spiritual energy surging. "An agreement is an agreement! It was clearly stated beforehand, do you intend to go back on your word?!"

"An agreement?" Wang Tiangu scoffed, his gaze sweeping over Madam Tai, Bingkun, and You Gang beside him. "That depends on what kind of agreement it is! If there are many treasures, it would be fine to share some with you and let you choose first. But now there's only so little, and you expect to take the lion's share? Do you really think we're made of clay?!"

As he spoke, Madam Tai took a half-step forward expressionlessly, gently tapping her dragon-headed cane on the ground.

Although Bingkun was injured, he now stared with wide, round eyes, his body surging with earthy-yellow spiritual light. You Gang was even more direct, a cyan flying sword already hovering in front of him, its tip pointing directly at Nanlong Hou, exuding a chilling killing intent.

The four of them had seemingly formed an alliance, putting them in a standoff with Nanlonghou and Yun Xiaotian! The atmosphere instantly became tense!

Zhou Yuan remained expressionless, silently taking two steps back to a relatively neutral position that allowed him to oversee the entire situation. He did not express his opinion, appearing as if he were merely an observer.

Marquis Nanlong's gaze swept over Wang Tiangu and his three companions, his eyes filled with surprise and suspicion, before turning into a furious laugh:

"Wang Tiangu, you dare to step forward like this; it seems you were prepared in advance and have joined forces with others! Madam Tai, Fellow Daoist Bing, Fellow Daoist You, are the three of you also going to break your promise?"

"Fellow Daoist Nanlong, I simply feel that the agreement needs to be adjusted a bit at this time and place."

Lady Tai's voice was hoarse, but her tone left no room for argument.

"Stop talking nonsense!"

"Marquis of Nanlong, things have come to this point. Hand over that forbidden flag, and then get out!"

Bingkun roared in a deep, gruff voice.

"Brother Nanlong, why waste time arguing with them! Since they're courting death, let's grant them their wish!" Yun Xiaotian, who had been silent all along, suddenly shouted, his face contorted with rage, seemingly enraged by the other party's betrayal.

Before he finished speaking, a silver light flashed from his sleeve, and a silver-white flying wheel magic weapon the size of a car wheel, with extremely sharp edges, and spinning rapidly shot out with a piercing shriek!

However, the target of this flying wheel attack was not any of Wang Tiangu's four companions, but rather—the Marquis of Nanlong, who was right next to them!

Sneak attack!

A deadly sneak attack from an "ally"!

Moreover, it happened at the very moment when Marquis Nanlong was agitated by the trouble caused by Wang Tiangu and others, and his vigilance was slightly relaxed!

This unexpected turn of events, if it were any other time, would have left Marquis Nanlong in a state of panic and possibly even severely injured.

but.

A flash of surprise and anger crossed the Marquis of Nanlong's face, but there was little surprise in the depths of his eyes.

Almost at the same moment Yun Xiaotian launched his flying wheel, a burst of golden light flashed in front of him, and a golden shield engraved with a Xuanwu pattern and thick with spiritual light instantly appeared, blocking the path of the silver-white flying wheel!

"clang--!!!"

A deafening clang of metal clashing exploded in the second-floor attic! Sparks flew and shockwaves surged!

The golden shield shook violently, its light dimming considerably, but it ultimately managed to firmly block this insidious and ruthless attack!

Using the momentum, Marquis Nanlong retreated several feet, creating distance. His face contorted with rage as he stared intently at Yun Xiaotian, whose expression had slightly changed. His voice was as cold as ice: "Yun Xiaotian! Very well! I didn't expect that even you had already colluded with them! It seems you had planned all along to kill me here and take all the treasure for yourselves!"

"Hmph! A wise man submits to circumstances. Marquis of Nanlong, blame yourself for knowing too much and being too greedy."

Yun Xiaotian, having missed his first attack, stopped pretending and revealed a sinister look on his face. He and Wang Tiangu and the others formed a siege, trapping Nanlong Hou in the middle.

The radiance of the five magical treasures simultaneously locked onto Marquis Nanlong.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou!"

Yun Xiaotian suddenly looked at Zhou Yuan, who had been observing from the sidelines, and said with a hint of enticement in his tone, "You've seen it yourself, the situation is clear now. Marquis Nanlong is already trapped. If you're willing to stand by and do nothing, or... join us, you'll naturally have a share of the treasures in those three jade boxes afterward, distributed according to your contribution, and we'll never go back on our word! What do you say?"

Instantly, all eyes were focused on Zhou Yuan. His attitude would directly influence the outcome of this internal conflict.

Marquis Nanlong's heart tightened, and he looked at Zhou Yuan with a complicated expression.

Although he and Zhou Yuan had a relationship, it wasn't very deep. Faced with such a huge temptation and a life-or-death threat, what would Zhou Yuan choose?

However, a half-smile slowly appeared on Zhou Yuan's face.

His gaze swept over Yun Xiaotian, Wang Tiangu, and the others, finally landing on Nanlonghou, and he gently shook his head.

"Fellow Daoist Yun, Fellow Daoist Wang, you seem to have forgotten..."

Zhou Yuan's voice was calm, yet clearly reached everyone's ears: "I have known Brother Nanlong for decades."

Although we don't interact very frequently.

But we do have some kind of relationship.

If Zhou Yuan hadn't happened to be traveling a few years ago, the first person the Marquis of Nanlong would have wanted to find when he discovered this site would have been Zhou Yuan's companion.

"This time, Zhou came uninvited, but Brother Nanlong did not turn him away. Instead, he agreed to let Zhou join. Zhou will remember this kindness."

He paused, then, seeing the increasingly grim expressions on Yun Xiaotian and the others' faces, continued:

"As for betrayal and defection in the face of battle... I, Zhou, would not stoop to such things."

"Hahaha! Well said! Brother Zhou, you are so frank! I knew I hadn't misjudged you!"

Upon hearing this, Marquis Nanlong was taken aback at first, then burst into hearty laughter.

"To know someone like Brother Zhou is truly exhilarating! He's a thousand times, ten thousand times better than some treacherous, despicable scoundrels!"

The reason he was able to prepare for Yun Xiaotian in advance and use the golden shield to block the sneak attack at the critical moment was because after breaking the restriction and before entering the pavilion, Zhou Yuan had used the art of sound transmission to subtly remind him: "Brother Nanlong, be careful of Yun Xiaotian. This person has communicated with Wang Tiangu, and there may be some changes in his mind."

At the time, the Marquis of Nanlong was skeptical.

Unexpectedly, this vigilance actually saved his life!

With Zhou Yuan expressing his support, Marquis Nanlong felt much more at ease.

Although the opponent had five people and their side only had two, Zhou Yuan's terrifying strength was enough to be equivalent to several people of the same level!