The four of them stepped into the cave. After rounding a bend, they saw that the soundproofing formation had been switched into a sealing one. Once they all passed through, Senior Brother Jian Chun automatically activated the array.
Jian Dan returned to the hall where she'd just killed Mao Wu. The bloodstains were already gone, and the throne of white bones he'd sat on had been moved aside. Beneath it lay a narrow tunnel, just wide enough for one person.
Jian Jing was the first to jump down. The others followed one by one, and when they landed, they realized the space below wasn't smaller at all. It was like a two-level cave residence.
Jian Dan hadn't expected the underground space to be this large. When her divine sense had swept over earlier, she'd only noticed the opening under the throne and guessed it might be Mao Wu's treasure stash.
The chamber below was piled high with goods. A dozen massive night pearls glittered overhead, flooding the cavern with light. The first thing she saw was a heap of insect carapaces stacked in the corner.
Looking closer, she saw they'd all been carefully cleaned and polished. There were shells from black beetles, the cleavers of giant mantises, a pair of wings from a flying centipede as thin as cicada wings, segments of crimson armor, and even intact spider sacs.
She casually picked up a piece. It was incredibly tough. Even though the parts had been cut apart, she could tell these insects were far larger than the ones she'd fought before. A chill ran through her heart.
Back in the Ming Valley war, demon cultivators had thrown endless waves of people against endless swarms of insects. Thirty years of slaughter had finally separated the Ming Valley from Lingyun Continent, and every sect of the Demonic Gate had paid a price.
The insects they'd slain back then were weaker than these. Thinking of that, Jian Dan tightened her grip to test whether she could break the shell.
With a sharp crack, a piece snapped off in her hand. The sound drew the others' attention.
"Junior Sister, don't break those carapaces, they're valuable!"
Jian Jing, who had some knowledge in artifact forging, hurried over. Heart aching, she took the broken fragment of red-and-black shell from her hands and rubbed it thoughtfully, already considering what she could make out of it.
Jian Dan only touched her nose with a wry smile and stepped aside. Her gaze landed on a much smaller pile beside the shells, and her eyes lit up. It was a heap of armor pieces.
They came in different colors, gold, white, black, and brown, all incomplete sets but still precious. She immediately tugged out a white armguard and inspected it. Its density was even greater than the armor she currently wore. Her curiosity flared, and she summoned her Verdant Flame to test it. She roasted the armguard directly, then watched closely for changes.
None came. The armguard endured her fire trial without so much as a mark. When she retracted her flame and touched it again, it was icy cold, not at all like something that had just been tempered by a strange fire.
"Senior Sister, this armor is incredible," Jian Jing said, having been watching the entire time. She snatched up a golden chestpiece for her own inspection.
Meanwhile, Jian Mao and Jian Chun were drawn to a pile of white stones. They radiated an immense energy that pulled at their senses.
"Senior Brother, these look like spirit stones, but the energy inside feels denser and deeper," Jian Chun murmured.
"I think they're immortal stones."
Jian Mao picked one up, testing it with his divine sense, since ordinary spiritual power wouldn't circulate. With what he knew, his guess seemed right.
"If Mao Wu hid them here, then they must be precious. It's a pity we can't use them yet," Jian Chun said regretfully, though he pocketed one to study.
"These immortal stones aren't all the same. Like spirit stones, there are differences," Jian Mao added after some thought.
Across the chamber, Jian Dan and Jian Jing had finished testing the armor and moved on to a dusty shelf loaded with tools. Most were damaged, dulled, cracked, or broken in half.
Jian Jing's eyes sparkled like stars when she spotted a longsword still intact. She grabbed it, weighed it in her hand, then swung it in a side cut. With a loud crash, three layers of shelving split apart, sending the contents tumbling to the floor.
The other three whirled around in alarm. Jian Jing froze mid-swing, caught red-handed, and could only laugh awkwardly. "Oops, slipped!"
Jian Mao and Jian Chun came over and took the sword from her to inspect.
Men, and especially sword cultivators, all loved blades. The fact that the weapon had cleaved straight through the shelf without a trace of spiritual power proved its terrifying sharpness.
"Senior Sister, it looks like you won't be keeping this sword," Jian Dan teased with a grin.
Jian Jing rolled her eyes, then crouched to gather the fallen items. Fortunately, the rack had been built into the wall, so only the lower tiers collapsed. Most of the goods were still in place.
Among the things scattered on the ground was a purple wooden box. It had burst open, spilling storage rings and bracelets all over the floor. Each one was finer than what they wore themselves, clearly extraordinary.
Jian Dan picked up a sapphire storage ring and swept it with her divine sense. The space inside was endless, though it couldn't hold living things.
Inside were piles of stones, insect corpses, shelves of pills, array disks, talismans, and even boxes of food stacked in one corner. She withdrew her sense and tried a pinkish-purple bracelet next. This time she hit resistance. Her brows furrowed. The spiritual imprint hadn't fully faded yet.
By then, Jian Mao and Jian Chun had finished examining the sword and beckoned the others over. The four of them sat cross-legged in the center of the cavern, sharing their discoveries.
"These must be supplies their squad collected. Who knows how long it took to hoard this much. Mao Wu can't be underestimated," Jian Mao said first.
"I think only Mao Wu knew about this place. Maybe one trusted subordinate too, but I killed him before we could ask," Jian Jing said with a regretful shake of her head. That cultivator she'd struck down behind the rocks had probably known something.
"It's better this way. No one else knows. Now it all belongs to us. We should take the chance to swap out our gear so we blend in better. No one respects newcomers, no matter where you go," Jian Dan said firmly.
Her words earned nods all around.
"Then let's rotate through and pick what we need. Junior Sister Jian Lu can store the rest," Jian Mao suggested.
"No problem," Jian Dan agreed. "Take a set of armor each. These are a grade above what we've got, perfect for wearing under our robes. I'll also keep the immortal stones for later. They might come in handy once we reach the central region.
As for the weapons, pick one each. Senior Brother Jian Mao, your natal sword was damaged when we entered the space rift. Better to have a spare."
Jian Mao gave a quiet nod. Trust Jian Lu to have noticed that in the middle of their chaos.
"As for these storage items, some are unmarked, some still carry imprints. I say we seal them for now," she added.