The radiant light in the sky slowly dissipated, and the numbness on their faces finally faded. Inside the hall, the group cautiously opened their eyes, tears streaming down their cheeks as their reddened eyes adjusted to the scene.
With the Unspeaking Bell leaving this realm, it took over ten breaths for the residual effects to completely vanish. The group finally regained the ability to speak, though Nian Yi's voice was hoarse, "Taiyuan True Monarch personally intervened... Truly a rare sight, even across centuries."
This rarity was no exaggeration—records of Golden Core Realm cultivators acting directly were scarce, often tracing back a millennium.
Zhang Yun, having performed the most reverent bow, slowly straightened himself. He tidied his robes, bowed three times toward the west as though deep in contemplation, then cupped his fist toward the group in a silent farewell before calmly departing.
The group was visibly shaken, their expressions varied. Yu Muxian wiped the tears from his eyes and used mana to soothe his vision. Only then could he faintly make out the objects before him. He reached for the ornate pouch at his waist and found that the gold-essence and silver lining protecting his storage pouch had already melted away.
In just the brief moment prior, the gold-essence and silver lining had separated distinctly, dividing into a pool of brilliant gold-essence and icy, shimmering spirit-silver, both lying at his feet.
Despite years of cultivation and a normally unshakable temperament, Yu Muxian's expression twisted for the first time in decades as he cursed inwardly, Yuanwu... He must have gone mad! Sending me to seize such a thing! Even Yuanwu himself would kneel here obediently, let alone dare to covet it. How could this be something a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator could hope to touch?
His face darkened slightly. Beside him, Tang Shedu, gripping his long halberd, seemed to understand Yu Muxian's frustration and gave a faint, helpless smile. However, the solemn atmosphere left him no opportunity to offer consolation.
As Zhang Yun exited the hall, the remaining six turned their attention to the five jade boxes atop the main platforms. Of those gathered, Mount Changhuai, Azure Pond Sect, and Yue Cultivating Sect each represented one power, while the remaining two were lone cultivators bearing threads of fate, both exuding a presence that discouraged confrontation.
Qing Zhuo scanned the room, mentally calculating the distribution. The numbers aligned perfectly. He thought to himself, The Golden Feather Sect has taken the Unspeaking Bell. Mount Changhuai, Azure Pond, and Yue Cultivating Sect will each receive one treasure. The remaining two will likely be left for the Purple Mansion Realm cultivators to sort out themselves…
With that realization, he chuckled lightly and suggested, "Let us divide the spoils—one treasure for each of the five factions."
Tu Longjian curled the corners of his mouth into a faint smile, showing no sign of surprise. In contrast, the female cultivator furrowed her brows slightly, appearing somewhat suspicious of Qing Zhuo's overly cooperative demeanor.
Qing Zhuo, however, ignored her completely. With a casual wave of his hand, he used his mana to draw one of the jade boxes toward him. The moment he moved, the tension in the room heightened, and the remaining jade boxes quickly flew into each person's hands.
Yu Muxian brushed his hand over the surface of his jade box, but it did not open. Looking closer, he noticed its aura was perfectly smooth and integrated, indicating it was sealed with an enchantment. He began forming seals and chanted a spell, " Profound Pommel Unbinding Technique! "
Golden light flickered at his fingertips as the spell's mana surged toward the jade box. Yet the mana slid off effortlessly, having no effect. Yu Muxian frowned, thinking to himself, Apparently, only a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator can open this. Quite securely sealed.
On the other side, Qing Zhuo gave his jade box a light push, and to everyone's surprise, it opened easily. Just as a look of delight began to bloom on his face, it froze in place.
The jade box was empty.
The jade box had already been emptied by someone, leaving behind only an empty recess. It appeared that the original item was a long, narrow object about two fingers wide.
The intricate patterns at the bottom of the recess were designed to fit seamlessly with the long, narrow object that had once rested there. Qing Zhuo's expression turned grim, while the others all watched him warily, each carefully guarding their own jade boxes. R̃𝒶ꞐǒᛒÈṨ
He let out a long breath, then squinted as he tried to discern the intricate patterns left behind. Inwardly, he murmured, "Supreme… Chakra…"
Just as he managed to recognize a fragment of the design, fragments of frost and snow suddenly seemed to emerge in his vision. A faint scent of osmanthus wafted through the air, and a moonlit white glow poured from the jade box, chilling his hands to the bone.
He shivered involuntarily, jolting himself awake. When he looked again, the recess at the bottom of the jade box was smooth and empty, devoid of anything.
Clack.
He snapped the jade box shut and tucked it into his storage pouch, his expression dark and his mood sour. Without another word, he left with hurried steps, his hands clasped behind his back.
Nian Yi, who had been holding back his laughter, finally couldn't suppress a snort. He cupped his fist toward the others, chuckling, and floated away with an air of nonchalance. The remaining few exchanged glances and silently departed in their respective directions.
————
Outside the Hall.
Li Xuanfeng propped himself up from the ground, supporting himself on one hand while his other reached instinctively for his storage pouch. Pulling out a bottle of spirit water, he splashed it over his face and eyes, feeling an immediate, soothing coolness wash over him.
He exhaled softly, blinking his eyes open. Though his vision remained somewhat blurry, it was clear enough to confirm his eyesight was intact. Silver-white flashes of light from earlier flickered intermittently in his mind, leaving him dazed. He muttered, "Was that... a True Monarch?"
As the memory grew hazier, Li Xuanfeng forced himself to refocus. Cooling energy rose from his Shengyang Mansion, clearing his thoughts. He quickly shifted his attention to his surroundings, his gaze falling on Xiao Yongling nearby.
Xiao Yongling, too, looked somewhat disheveled. After ingesting several pills, he quietly regulated his breathing for a moment before speaking in a low voice, "It seems that certain formations within the great hall were triggered… we were too close and were caught in the aftermath."
Li Xuanfeng nodded in agreement. Only then did he take a proper look around. A cluster of spirit pines had withered entirely, collapsing into a disorderly heap on the ground. When he reached to check his waist, he noticed his spirit armor glistening with crystalline white droplets.
His expression shifted slightly. Closing his eyes, he extended his spiritual sense to inspect the armor carefully. He noticed that it felt noticeably heavier than before.
After repeated checks, he discovered that the Astral Silver Mercury coating originally applied to enhance the armor's concealment properties had entirely leeched out, dripping onto the ground in shimmering beads that clinked faintly as they rolled.
"The spirit armor's concealment function has already been lost…" He used his mana to carefully collect the scattered silver mercury, sighing in relief as he murmured inwardly, "At least it is only the concealment function that was lost… That could have been disastrous."
Li Xuanfeng closed his eyes in thought. The golden light earlier seemed to have subtly altered his qi flow, and he faintly perceived the beginnings of an insight into a breakthrough. If his intuition was correct, once he left the grotto heaven, he could seek a quiet place for secluded cultivation and advance to the next level.
Beside him, Xiao Yongling straightened his back, exhaling deeply. As he glanced at the few beams of mana light spilling out from the great hall, he spoke softly, "Xuanfeng… Are you feeling better? If so, we should leave quickly. That hall has most likely been stripped clean; it would be better to explore the other mountains. If nothing else, we might find something worthwhile in the sea of clouds."
Li Xuanfeng gave a slight nod, his mind flashing back to the thoughts he had when first entering the grotto heaven. Without hesitation, he and Xiao Yongling took to the skies, riding the wind toward the distant horizon.