Chapter 177: The Cave Residence’s Spirit
“Die!” Lu Chang’an’s handsome face was filled with killing intent. As the disciple of a celestial clan, his pride had made him look down on rogue cultivators, especially when he had always been complimented since he was an elixir alchemist.
Although Zhang Ye had the title of Little Jupiter, he was still a rogue cultivator. Lu Chang’an could not believe that Zhang Ye would actually try to attack him.
Lu Chang’an faced the sign that was brought down upon him and opened his mouth. An elixir cauldron flew out of him and clashed with the sign, shattering it instantly.
The cauldron then flew toward Zhang Ye. A wave of flame was shot out from it, and the fire quickly surrounded Zhang Ye.
Facing the attack, Zhang Ye knew that he had to do anything to defend himself. He quickly sacrificed a blue pearl, and the pearl started to glow in blue light. A huge splash of freezing water appeared immediately.
As the water blocked the fire attack, Zhang Ye quickly retracted the sign and ducked sideways. As Lu Chang’an’s elixir cauldron dropped to the floor, Zhang Ye quickly reached into Lord Ning’s item cauldron and grabbed the elixirs in it.
Lu Chang’an noticed that and roared in anger while Zhang Ye wrapped himself in the water that he had summoned and escaped the cave.
Everything happened in an instant, and when Lu Chang’an noticed it, Zhang Ye was already gone.
“Shit!” Lu Chang’an cursed after looking into the empty item cauldron.
There existed no elixir alchemist who would ignore a Grade 4 elixir, especially when Lu Chang’an was just a Grade 2 elixir alchemist.
Zhang Ye had already made a huge mistake by opening the lid and letting the aroma escape. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he even grabbed the elixirs with his bare hands, which seriously damaged the elixirs that were being cultivated there. In Lu Chang’an’s eyes, the latter was something that he could never forgive.
Lu Chang’an vowed that he would kill Zhang Ye the next time they met. Yet, in the midst of all that anger, he was surprised that Zhang Ye would be able to run away with the elixirs.
Having never felt such defeat, the genius talent from the Emerald Wave Island trembled. After a few minutes, he managed to calm himself down. He proceeded to break the chains tied around the item cauldron, ready to take it with him.
In the end, the square cauldron was still a magic treasure that had been sitting on top of a leyline for a very long time. It was pretty much a Grade 4 item and a huge find for him.
Lu Chang’an felt a little relieved after he had managed to safely secure the cauldron. Just as he was about to leave, he noticed the meditation mat and took it with him.
He didn’t care if the mat was valuable or not. Most people would take everything they could find on an expedition, except for the roots of spiritual plants and herbs.
He was also sure that the meditation mat of a Spirit Plane cultivator could be sold for something.
“Huh?” After taking the mat, Lu Chang’an spotted a jade card. He took the card with him and left without exploring the rest of the cave.
Chen Jingzhai clicked his tongue in the dark. He had watched everything unfold and had no idea what to say. He had intended to give the Essence Refinement Card to Zhang Ye and did not expect that Lu Chang’an would be the one who found it.
He wondered if it was because Lu Chang’an was much luckier than Zhang Ye. That would be the only explanation for the turn of events. Still confused, Chen Jingzhai shook his head and left for the other caves.
Inside the cave residence of the Spirit Plane cultivator, the Restrictions that were set up at the entrance to each cave weren’t as powerful as the ones set up outside. One reason was that these Restrictions weren’t supported by leylines, and the other was that the cave was an inheritance cave residence.
Since it was intended to pass down the owner’s heritage, it wouldn’t make sense for them to set up powerful Restrictions. That was also why the entrance to the residence itself could detect the level of the people who were trying to enter. The place was never meant for cultivators above the Golden Core Plane.
Other than the cave that Zhang Ye had unsealed, other rooms such as training rooms, technique practice rooms, and even living quarters had also been discovered. However, not a single storage, scripture room, or item alchemy room had been found.
After leaving the elixir alchemy room, Chen Jingzhai roamed around the bigger caves, leaving a few Essence Refinement Cards as he searched for the storage and item alchemy room.
It didn’t take long for him to find a hidden Restriction in a living quarter. After breaking the Restriction with his divine mind, he headed in, and his world began to spin.
Before he could even react, the force that belonged to a Spirit Plane cultivator rushed toward him. A deep frown appeared on his face as he stood up and looked around.
He was now in a wide plaza, and in the middle of the plaza was a black steel tower. The tower had a total of 24 floors, and bells were hung on all four corners of the roof.
Chen Jingzhai spotted a shadow floating at the entrance. The force he had felt a few seconds ago belonged to that shadow. Then, just as Chen Jingzhai was about to speak, a few other people appeared.
Hua Anxiang, Miao Ke, and Xu Qing appeared from one direction almost at the same time.
Then, from another direction, Fan Mingge, Jiang Lin, Wu Qi, and Zhang Ye arrived, followed by Lu Chang’an, Shao Hongxia, Zhang Jiao, and Ma Yuliang.
The next group to arrive were Cai Ling, Xiao Changming, and three cultivators from the kingdom.
The plaza was eerily silent as not a single person spoke.
Everyone was wary of other people, but they also could not keep their eyes away from the shadow.
The pressure of a Spirit Plane cultivator made a lot of them uncomfortable.
It felt as if they were sinking into mud, and they didn’t dare move.
The only outcome from moving or struggling would only result in them sinking faster. Some might even be at risk of losing their sanity.
However, the silence was disrupted by Chu Jingsong, who was the last to arrive.
Unlike other people who had walked into the plaza, Chu Jingsong had fallen from above. Thankfully, Chen Jingzhai was able to react swiftly and catch his disciple nephew.
“Thank you...” Chu Jingsong wanted to bow but immediately noticed something was off.
The pressure made him shut his mouth immediately, as if he was afraid that his sound might anger the owner of the pressure.
He then raised his head and spotted the shadow in front of the tower.
“It looks like everyone is here—18 Foundation Establishment Plane disciples in total. Not bad,” the shadow said as the pressure slowly resided, giving the rest a chance to breathe.
“Are you Lord Ning?” Hua Anxiang asked.
“I am not,” the shadow replied. “I’m the spirit of this steel tower and the spirit of this cave residence.”
Everyone’s eyes widened immediately, like fanatics.
They instantly understood what the shadow meant.
“This steel tower is a spiritual treasure! It’s also used to suppress the cave residence!” Jiang Lin whispered to Chen Jingzhai. “If any Divine Tower Peak disciples are here, they would’ve done anything to get their hands on it.”
“Get ready. We’ll find a chance to grab it,” Chen Jingzhai replied, using telepathy.
Chu Jingsong and Jiang Lin nodded as they started to calm down.
Both of them felt as if they were back in the secret zone of their clan. It was the same relief they had experienced when they were with their Master-Uncle.
“Silence!” the shadow commanded.
Everyone immediately returned their attention back to the shadow. Then, the plaza returned to silence once again, to the point where one could hear a pin drop.
“My master has arranged for this as he knew that someone would want his inheritance. It doesn’t matter if you are a rogue cultivator or a disciple of a celestial clan; anyone who passes all 24 floors of the Demon Subduing Tower will be rewarded. The stone tablet of the cave residence lies beneath the tower, and it will only show itself once all 24 floors are cleared. Anything that happens in the tower will not be reflected in real life. If you are killed, you’ll be teleported out of the tower totally unharmed. Also, every floor contains its own reward, including the inheritance of my master’s item alchemy,” the shadow announced. It sounded calm, but the contents of his words were insane.
To conclude, the stone tablet was beneath the tower, and everyone had a fair chance of getting it as long as they could clear all 24 floors.
They would be able to obtain the entire residence if they managed to process the stone tablet, including the spiritual treasure-grade tower.
Even if they couldn’t obtain the residence and the tower, they would still have a shot at obtaining the inheritance.
The possibility of getting a single reward had excited even the calmest disciple.
“Will there be any Restrictions or rules?” Miao Ke asked.
“Spiritual treasures and magic treasures will not be used,” the shadow replied. “These will have no effect in the tower, and those who try to use it will be forcefully removed from it.”
“How about elixirs?” Shao Hongxia asked.
“Anything below Grade 3 elixirs can be used. The same goes for other things, except for spells and methods. This is a test to determine who is qualified to receive the inheritance, not a test of who has the better items.”
“And, how many chances will we get?” Zhang Ye asked.
“How many chances?” The shadow scoffed. “You guys are already lucky enough to have arrived at this place. If you know how important the inheritance is, you should understand that you’ll have to clear it in one go.”
It meant that if one failed, they would lose all chance at getting the residence and the tower.
Everyone started to calm down from the excitement, and some even got worried.
“What if none of us manages to pass all 24 floors?” Hua Anxiang then asked.
“The cave residence will disassemble, and I’ll disappear along with the tower,” the shadow answered. “There’s only one chance, not only for you but for me as well.”
Some of the cultivators showed signs of excitement once again, especially those from the Great Three Overseas Celestial Clans.
They wouldn’t let the chance slide because it was a spiritual treasure.
However, they also knew that the test of a Spirit Plane cultivator would be tough. The possibility of clearing it was low.
But, when the residence was disassembled, the three lords waiting outside would have a chance at obtaining the spiritual treasure-grade tower.
“There isn’t much time left. Please proceed to the entrance,” the shadow said before disappearing, and the door opened.
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