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

Chapter 359 Heavenly Treasure! Nascent Soul cultivators gather in Kunwu!

"court death!"

Seven Wonders True Man looked at the Ye family's resolute and crazy appearance, and a trace of disdain flashed in his eyes.

As the sect leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect, what storms haven't he seen?

Even if the Ye family had concealed some of their strength, in his eyes they were nothing more than clowns jumping around.

Even if he were the only one here with the sect's treasures, he would not be afraid of the Ye family at all, especially since he had Xuan Qingzi, a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator from the number one righteous sect, by his side!

Both of them brought sect treasures with them for self-defense when they entered Kunwu Mountain. Together, they were enough to sweep away most of the forces in the area!

However, just as tensions were rising, Ye Tianshi, the eldest elder of the Ye family, suddenly turned his gaze past everyone else and landed on Zhou Yuan, who had just emerged from the white teleportation array. A glint of light flashed in his eyes!

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, you've arrived!"

Ye Tianshi forced a smile and said loudly, his tone carrying a hint of appeasement, "This time, my Ye family's plan to seize Kunwu Mountain is of great importance! Fellow Daoist Zhou is a hero of our time. If you are willing to lend me a hand, my Ye family is willing to share the treasures obtained from this mountain equally with you afterward! What do you say, Fellow Daoist?"

Upon hearing Ye Tianshi's words, not only Xuan Qingzi and Seven Wonders True Man frowned, but even some members of the Ye family's camp showed surprise. They didn't understand why the Grand Elder would be so polite to an outsider, even promising such generous terms as splitting the treasure equally.

But Ye Tianshi had his own plans.

He had already learned from the Second Elder Ye Tianhua that Zhou Yuan not only obtained a great treasure in the Kunwu Palace, but also by chance gained control of the life soul tablets of the four Kunwu Four Spirits, whose strength was comparable to the late Nascent Soul stage!

This means that Zhou Yuan now has at least four powerful combatants at the late Nascent Soul stage!

If the Ye family can secure such a powerful ally, their chances of success this time will undoubtedly increase significantly!

Zhou Yuan did not immediately reply to Ye Tianshi's words.

His gaze passed over the chaotic battlefield before him and landed on a magnificent palace deeper within this space.

The palace was entirely constructed of some kind of white spiritual jade, radiating a soft glow and appearing solemn and majestic.

Surrounding the palace was a massive magic circle and dozens of altars of varying heights. On each altar stood a towering stone figure, several meters tall, carved entirely from white jade, clad in golden armor, and wielding a massive golden blade in both hands!

These stone figures have all come to life!

With the combined power of the massive magic array's restrictions, they wielded their golden giant blades, unleashing streaks of sharp golden light several meters long, fiercely battling against the cultivators around them who were trying to approach the palace, showing no signs of being at a disadvantage!

However, the gazes of the nearby cultivators were not entirely focused on the incredibly powerful array and the stone golems.

Many people attacked while glancing up at the palace from time to time, their eyes filled with greed and longing.

Above the palace, about ten feet high, there was a uniquely shaped emerald green wooden ruler, which was quietly floating and emitting a soft, pale green spiritual light.

The wooden ruler was only about half a foot long, with a simple and ancient design, and it turned slowly.

If that were all, it would seem like just an ordinary treasure, and naturally wouldn't be worth so many cultivators going crazy for.

The key is that with each rotation of the emerald green wooden ruler, countless pale silver lotus flowers suddenly appear in the surrounding space, seemingly real yet illusory, slowly drifting about. And nestled among these silver lotus flowers are eight phantom spirit beasts of varying sizes and shapes, appearing and disappearing within them!

These phantom beasts include a magnificent appearance, an eight-horned deer, and a golden-scaled dragon—each one is an ancient mythical beast that has long been extinct in legends!

They looked up at the emerald green wooden ruler, emitting clear chimes, as if they were worshipping a supreme sacred object!

"The Heavenly Treasure—The Eight Spirit Ruler!"

Zhou Yuan's gaze fell on the emerald green wooden ruler, his pupils contracted slightly, and a burning desire surged in his heart!

This is a genuine, heaven-reaching spiritual treasure, not a counterfeit like the Three-Flame Fan in his hand!

Its power far surpasses that of any imitation magical treasure! If he could obtain this treasure, his strength would surely experience another leap forward!

"Everyone! We have the Heaven-Reaching Treasure at our fingertips, but before that, we must first break this damned formation! Let's all work together to destroy these stone figures and the formation's foundation!"

An impatient Nascent Soul cultivator shouted loudly.

His suggestion was immediately echoed by the majority. Faced with the allure of the Heavenly Treasure, the distinction between good and evil, and personal grudges, were temporarily cast aside! The cultivators present, including the two women from the Immortal Transformation Sect, the experts from the Ye family, and other scattered cultivators, temporarily ceased their infighting and began to direct their attacks at the great formation guarding the palace!

In an instant, all sorts of spells and magical artifacts rained down on the great formation and the stone golems!

The roar was deafening, and flashes of light kept appearing!

However, the stone golems, enhanced by the golden light, possessed astonishing defensive capabilities. The golden blades they unleashed were incredibly sharp, managing to hold their own against the combined attacks of dozens of Nascent Soul cultivators!

For a moment, the great formation was impossible to shake!

"Senior sister—are we really going to help them break this great formation?"

The young woman from the Immortal Transformation Sect, while casually launching a few attacks, asked Madam Mu with some concern via telepathy, "What if this place really is the ancient demon's sealed land?"

Madam Mu shook her head and replied telepathically, "It shouldn't be. Look at those Eight Spirit Rulers; they emit pure wood-attribute spiritual energy, completely incompatible with demonic energy. Moreover, these Eight Spirit Rulers have a deep connection with my Immortal Transformation Sect. Our sect's most prized treasure, the Four Symbols Ruler, is a replica of this Eight Spirit Ruler, a Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure. Once the great formation is broken, our chances of seizing this treasure are very high! Besides, Senior Xiang has already entered Kunwu Mountain. Once he arrives, whoever obtains these Eight Spirit Rulers will ultimately have no choice but to obediently hand them over!"

"Stop!" At that moment, Xuan Qingzi suddenly shouted, trying to stop the crowd from continuing their attack on the great formation. He exchanged a glance with Seven Wonders True Man, and both stepped forward, proclaiming loudly, "Fellow Daoists! Please hear what this old Daoist has to say! This place is no small matter! According to the ancient records of our Taiyi Sect, a primordial demon is indeed sealed deep within Kunwu Mountain! If the restrictions here are broken, and that sealed demon is released, the consequences will be unimaginable! At that time, not only will all of us present die, but the entire Great Jin Dynasty may be plunged into utter destruction! I urge you all to prioritize the greater good and leave this place immediately!"

However, his well-intentioned advice was met with ridicule and skepticism.

"Hmph! Old Daoist Xuan Qingzi, stop spreading alarmist rumors! What ancient demon seal? I think it's clearly your Taiyi Sect and Tianmo Sect who want to monopolize the treasures here, so you've fabricated this lie to scare us!" A rogue cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage sneered.

"Exactly! If there really were ancient demons, they would have been released long ago. Why wait until now? I think you just want to keep the treasure for yourselves!" another cultivator chimed in.

Seeing this, Xuan Qingzi and Seven Wonders True Person could only sigh helplessly. There were dozens of Nascent Soul cultivators present, including many of their own level, as well as forces like the Ye family that had been plotting for a long time.

Even though they were late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, they dared not truly incur the wrath of the masses and become enemies of everyone.

They could only secretly raise their guard and prepare to react to any unexpected situations.

Meanwhile, outside...

Great Jin, Zhenheng Mountain Range.

Zhenheng Mountain is one of the four major spiritual veins of the Great Jin Dynasty. Its spiritual energy is extremely rich, and the Taiyi Sect, known as the number one sect of the righteous path, is located in this mountain range.

The power of the Taiyi Sect is so great that, apart from the Heavenly Demon Sect and the Ten Thousand Demon Valley, which can barely rival it, almost no one in the entire Great Jin Dynasty can match it.

Therefore, within the Zhenheng Mountain Range, which spans a radius of 100,000 li, hundreds of large and small spiritual mountains and lands are under the control of the Taiyi Sect cultivators.

Deep within this spiritually vibrant mountain range lies an inconspicuous valley called "Ice Soul Valley".

This valley is quite different from other sacred mountains and places in the mountain range where spring reigns all year round. Not only is it lacking in spiritual energy, but it is also filled with gusts of cold wind and biting cold.

The entire valley is covered by a thick layer of ice and snow all year round, crystal clear and rarely visited by people.

But this desolate place, which even ordinary cultivators wouldn't bother to look at, is one of the forbidden areas that few in the Taiyi Sect know about.

This is because this place is the secluded cultivation spot of the Supreme Elder of the Taiyi Sect, the old monster Bai Laogui, who is at the Divine Realm stage.

However, this tranquility has been shattered today.

A black streak of light, ignoring the numerous restrictions placed around the valley, descended directly into its depths like a ghost. The light faded, revealing an old man in a black robe, with a withered face and eyes as sharp as a hawk's.

This person is none other than the Supreme Elder of the Heavenly Demon Sect, the Nascent Soul stage old monster—Old Demon Hu!

"Old Demon Hu? What brings you here?" An aged and cold voice came from an ice cave deep in the valley.

Immediately afterwards, the thick ice at the entrance of the ice cave melted silently, and an old man dressed in a white Taoist robe, with white hair and beard, but a face as rosy as a baby's, sat up from an ice coffin that exuded a bone-chilling cold and walked out.

It was none other than the Supreme Elder of the Taiyi Sect—Old Ghost Bai.

At their level, each of them cherishes their life immensely. In normal times, they mostly seal themselves in places rich in spiritual energy or extremely cold or hot to slow down the passage of their lifespan, and will never easily reveal themselves unless absolutely necessary.

"Something's happened at Kunwu Mountain," Old Demon Hu said bluntly, his tone grave.

"What could possibly happen?" Old Ghost Bai waved his hand dismissively. "It's just an ancient ruin appearing. I've already sent Xuan Qingzi with his disciples to handle it. With his cultivation and experience, he's more than capable."

"Old Ghost Xiang is in trouble!" Old Demon Hu emphasized. "Old Monster Feng just sent me a message via flying sword, saying that Old Ghost Xiang encountered misfortune in Kunwu Mountain. His primordial spirit pearl has become extremely dim, and he's probably in grave danger! Old Monster Feng can't get away himself, so he asked me to invite you to go to Kunwu Mountain with him to rescue him!"

"What?!"

For the first time, Bai Laogui's usually impassive face showed shock! Xiang Laogui was the undisputed strongest among these Nascent Soul stage monsters!

Even he got into trouble?!

What terrifying being is hidden within Mount Kunwu?!

"Old Monster Feng said that as long as you and I are willing to lend a hand, he is willing to give up his treasured Blood Qi Pills as a token of his gratitude!"

""

Old Demon Hu continued, "You should know the effects of that Blood Qi Pill; it's enough to give old guys like you and me decades more lifespan!"

Old Ghost Bai fell silent.

Blood Qi Pills are indeed a treasure that Nascent Soul cultivators like them, whose lifespans are nearing their end, dream of.

However, the thought of even Old Ghost Xiang perishing inside made him hesitate. Was it worth risking his life for a few decades of lifespan?

In the end, he shook his head and sighed, "Old Demon, it's not that I don't want to help you. It's just that—my body can't take any more strain. Kunwu Mountain, since it even caused Old Ghost Xiang to stumble, is definitely not a safe place. I'd better stay in Ice Soul Valley and live a few more years in peace."

Upon hearing this, Old Demon Hu showed a hint of disappointment on his face, but he didn't say anything more. He knew that at their age, everyone valued their own life above all else.

He stopped insisting, and with a flicker of his body, he transformed into a streak of black light, soaring into the sky. Alone, he sped off towards the Kunwu Mountains in the southern border region.