Chapter 406: Crisis
Finding fourteen flowers and a few treasures invigorated the group of five.
In the next month, they continued to explore the first layer and finally accumulated enough demon-repelling flowers for each of them to use for ten years.
"Is it really okay to store the extra flowers in jade boxes?" Bing Lan asked.
Ordinarily, jade boxes were good for preserving herbs and treasures.
However, demon-repelling flowers were not ordinary herbs.
Because of this, Bing Lan was worried they would lose their effect and go to waste.
"Don’t worry, as long as they are preserved well, they won’t lose their effect." Jiang Yue assured.
"We all have ten flowers. After the next house, we will start taking people out of the portable caves." Yang Xu said.
"It’s almost time." Elder Song agreed.
In the past month, no other people entered the formation.
However, once in a while, the outer formation would shake vigorously which showed that others were working hard to enter the first layer.
Since that was the case, elder Song felt it was beneficial to recruit more people from the portable caves as soon as possible.
In this way, most of the rich would flow to their own fields.
"The next house looks bigger." Jiang Yue observed.
From their observations in the past month, they knew that the bigger the house, the more the demon-repelling flowers.
"We should be able to harvest thirty or so demon-repelling flowers." Bing Lan said.
"If we each..." Yang Xu started and then suddenly stopped.
"What’s wrong?" Bing Lan asked as she stopped beside her Taoist companion.
"There is something in the house." Yang Xu answered with a frown on his lips.
"Something? Is it a person?"
"I don’t know." Yang Xu shook his head and the others couldn’t help but become more wary.
Among them, Yang Xu had the highest soul power.
Although they couldn’t sense anything wrong with the house, they didn’t doubt Yang Xu’s words.
"Should we go to another place?" Bing Lan asked.
"I don’t think that’s necessary. We just need to be careful." Jiang Yue said.
Looking at the big house, Jiang Yue was reluctant to skip it.
He felt that the harvest from the house would not be small and he didn’t want to make it cheaper for others.
"Master, do you know the specific position?" Yu Nianzhen questioned.
"I can’t." Yang Xu shook his head as his brows creased.
"If master can’t pinpoint it, it means the thing won’t be easy to handle." Yu Nianzhen noted.
"Azhen, do you want to walk around?" Jiang Yue asked, surprise in his voice.
"No, I want to go in." The swordsman said and Jiang Yue heaved a sigh of relief.
"LanLan..." Yang Xu started but stopped when his wife glared at him.
’I don’t dare to continue.’ He thought and subconsciously shrunk his neck.
As a qualified husband, Yang Xu didn’t want his wife to follow him to take unknown risks.
However, the look in Bing Lan’s eyes let him know that she would follow no matter where he wanted to go.
"Nephew Song..." Yang Xu called without explicitly questioning the person.
"I will also go." The elder said.
Although the situation was unknown and dangerous, Song Ming was willing to go.
After all, he was more than four thousand years old and his cultivation was half a step to the peak of the nascent soul realm.
Compared to the other four, he was more desperate for treasures that could help him break through to the peak of the nascent soul realm and finally, the reincarnation realm.
"Since we are going, let’s be careful." Yang Xu said and led the way.
Beside him was Bing Lan, behind were Jiang Yue and Yu Nianzhen, while Song Ming was at the rear.
At some point, each of them had released their weapons and were looking around cautiously.
"Ayue, is there a formation at the door?" Yang Xu asked and Jiang Yue opened his illusion eyes.
"There is." Jiang Yue said and walked to the front.
For the next hour, he studied the formation and finally heaved a sigh of relief.
"Fortunately, it’s old and has been eroded by demonic qi." He said and released his formation breaking jade slips.
A cup of tea later, the door formation broke with a loud snap and the door opened.
"As usual, what we get depends on our own ability. However, two-thirds of the flowers we get will be distributed to the sect. Does anyone have a problem?"
"No problem." Jiang Yue said.
"I also don’t have a problem." Yu Nianzhen assured.
"Let’s do it according to what the supreme elder said."
"I also agree."
After that, Yang Xu pushed the door open and the five cautiously entered the house.
[Azhen, there is something very good in this place.] Jiang Yue said.
As soon as the door formation broke, their treasure compass became extremely excited.
Since they entered the first layer, the treasure compass frequently reacted.
However, its reaction was usually lacklustre; as if it didn’t take the treasures seriously.
This time though, its reaction was not perfunctory which showed that the treasure was a good thing no matter the era.
[Where?] Yu Nianzhen asked.
[Underground.]
After hearing that, Yu Nianzhen was silent for a while before speaking.
[Let’s slowly make our way there.]
[I know.] Jiang Yue said.
Although he was eager and wanted to rush to grab the treasure, he didn’t dare to do so.
On one hand, he didn’t want to expose the treasure compass and on the other, he didn’t want to give up the treasures in the other rooms.
"Azhen, look at this." Jiang Yue excitedly pointed at a table.
"It’s made of ten thousand years black marble tree wood." He continued as he took the table into his storage ring.
Black marble tree wood was a common refining material in the Cangxing world.
However, it was almost impossible to find a fist-sized piece of such aged wood, let alone a whole table.
"It’s a good wood." Yu Nianzhen agreed as he received a stool made of ten thousand years golden nanmu wood.
"Let’s go to the other rooms." Jiang Yue said as he pulled Yu Nianzhen out of the sitting room.
Unlike the first house, this house was a lot bigger.
It had ten rooms and the two randomly picked a room to explore.
"This should be a guest room." Jiang Yue said, feeling a little disappointed.
In the entire room, there was only a bed and a closet.
"Don’t be disappointed." Yu Nianzhen said as he put away the bed.
"You are right, golden nanmu wood is not easy to find." Jiang Yue agreed and began to dismantle the closet.
Within an incense stick, everything in the room was taken away and the two moved to the next room.
Unfortunately, this room was not different from the first and there was only a bed and a closet.
[Azhen, how will we go underground?] Jiang Yue questioned as they came out of the second room.
[There should be a way. Let’s search for it slowly.]
"Good."
After that, the two searched all the rooms, even the ones that had been cleared by the others.
However, they didn’t find a way to go underground and they couldn’t help but feel a little flustered.
[Let’s search outside.] Jiang Yue said.
"Okay." Yu Nianzhen said but frowned.
Although nothing had happened so far, Yu Nianzhen hadn’t forgotten his master’s words.
He was always alert and ready to react to any danger.
However, everything went smoothly but this didn’t make him feel assured.
Instead, he felt even more cautious and he couldn’t help but worry whether the danger was underground or outside.
"If everyone is ready, let’s go outside." Yang Xu said and everyone agreed.
Soon after, the group exited the house and walked around to the backyard.
However, before they saw the demon-repelling flowers, Yu Nianzhen felt an overwhelming sense of crisis.
In this situation, his body reacted faster than his mind.
Before he could think about it, he grabbed Jiang Yue and retreated five metres away.
"Azhen..." Jiang Yue called but before he could say more, his eyes widened in horror.
"This..., is it a magic vine?" He asked.
"It should be." Yu Nianzhen answered with a solemn look in his eyes.
"It came out from the ground; everyone should be careful." Yang Xu warned.
At the same time, Bing Lan attacked and three metres of vine were frozen.
However, the vine was only frozen for less than a breath before it broke the ice and freed itself.
"Its cultivation is above the fourth level." Bing Lan said with a frown on her lips.
Although she didn’t use her full strength in the previous attack, the attack wasn’t something that a fourth-level cultivator, beast, or plant could shrug off.
"Use fire and attack it as fast as you can." Yang Xu said in an urgent voice.
Just now, he felt a few more vines approaching them from underground.
