Transmigrating Into a Fantasy World: Signing in During Pregnancy, Reaching the Summit with My Childhood Sweetheart

133: Chapter 133: The Treasure Pavilion and the Feast of Bewitching HeartsA flash of mars energy on the eaves of Duobao Pavilion, like a spark in the dark night, instantly caught the full attention of Nangong Xuan and Su Muxue. That trace of energy was restless and scorching, carrying a bizarre power that incited Heart Demons. It shared the same source as the confusing atmosphere permeating the valley, yet it was purer and more hidden.

”The fluctuations of the star key are coming from there,” Su Muxue sent via mental transmission, her gaze locked onto the magnificent palace. The chaos star core in her hand warmed slightly, sending a clear resonance and warning.

Nangong Xuan narrowed his eyes. On the surface, Duobao Pavilion was an ordinary merchant guild, bustling with a constant stream of customers. However, with careful Perception, one could discover that the greed and urgency in the eyes of the Cultivators entering and leaving were often more intense than elsewhere. When they emerged, most carried expressions of satisfaction mingled with a faint, hollow trance.

Fatty Qian smoothly de-escalated the fight at the entrance, ”persuading” both the problematic spirit lingzhi and the heart-confusing orchid into the pavilion under the guise of ”negotiated handling,” while in reality, he likely pocketed them. Before leaving, his seemingly casual gaze swept over Fairy Jinglian and then over Nangong Xuan’s pair, a hard-to-detect trace of scrutiny and calculation flashing in the depths of his eyes.

Fairy Jinglian watched Fatty Qian’s retreating figure and snorted coldly, yet she felt helpless. She turned to look at Nangong Xuan and Su Muxue, her cool gaze carrying a hint of goodwill and warning. ”You two look very unfamiliar; is this your first time at Hundred Flowers Valley? This place has not been peaceful lately. People’s hearts are fickle, and strange things happen frequently. If you have no business here, it’s best to leave as soon as possible.”

”Thank you for the warning, Fairy,” Nangong Xuan cupped his hands, his tone calm. ”We have indeed come seeking something, and it may be related to the recent anomalies in the valley.”

A flash of surprise crossed Fairy Jinglian’s beautiful eyes. She could sense that the aura of these two was profound and steady, far beyond the Cultivators in the valley who were blinded by desire. ”Oh? I wonder what you are looking for? This humble one is Bai Zhi, and I am quite familiar with this place. Perhaps I can provide a clue or two.”

”We seek an ancient star key. It is scorching in nature and can bewilder the human heart,” Su Muxue spoke. She did not explicitly mention the name of mars, but she pointed out its key characteristics.

Upon hearing this, Bai Zhi (Fairy Jinglian) had a slight change in expression. She instinctively glanced toward Duobao Pavilion and lowered her voice. ”This is not the place to talk. Please follow me.”

She led the two away from the bustling main street, turning into a quiet alley and entering an elegantly decorated teahouse that emitted a faint, soul-soothing fragrance. After setting up a soundproofing Restriction, she spoke with a grave expression. ”I might have some leads on what you mentioned. Over the past month, anomalies have occurred in the valley. Although Spiritual Qi has surged, it has made people’s hearts increasingly uneasy. I have been investigating in secret and found that many abnormalities seem inseparable from Duobao Pavilion.”

”Especially the Pavilion Master, Qian Duobao (Fatty Qian). This man was originally just an ordinary merchant, but his cultivation has progressed by leaps and bounds this past month, and his actions have become increasingly bizarre. He often hosts so-called ’Appreciation Banquets,’ inviting experts from the valley to participate. Everyone who attends emerges with their cultivation more or less improved, but their Heart-Nature also becomes greedier and more extreme. I once tried to sneak in to investigate, but I was blocked by a strange Formation within the pavilion and couldn’t reach the Core.”

”Appreciation Banquet?” Nangong Xuan caught the keyword.

”Yes,” Bai Zhi nodded. ”It is said that various rare treasures and Spirit Pills collected by Qian Duobao are displayed at the banquet for people to contemplate and bid on. But in my view, it is more like a banquet... for harvesting the desires of the human heart.”

Her description coincided perfectly with Nangong Xuan and Su Muxue’s suspicions. Duobao Pavilion, or rather Qian Duobao, was very likely using the power of the mars key to create and amplify desires, then using the so-called ”banquet” to perform some form of extraction or conversion.

”When is the next banquet?” Nangong Xuan asked.

”At the hour of the Rat tonight,” Bai Zhi said. ”Qian Duobao has sent out invitations far and wide, and most Cultivators in the valley with even a bit of strength have received one. If you wish to investigate, this might be an opportunity. I can help you obtain invitations, but the pavilion is fraught with danger, so you must be extremely careful.”

As night fell, Hundred Flowers Valley did not fall silent; instead, it became even more clamorous. Countless lanterns were lit, illuminating the valley like broad daylight. Various night markets, private transactions, and even secret struggles continued to ferment.

As the hour of the Rat approached, there was a heavy flow of traffic in front of Duobao Pavilion. Figures with formidable auras, holding gold-stamped invitations, entered the vermilion gates with varying expressions. Some were impatient, some were self-satisfied, and others were wary.

Nangong Xuan and Su Muxue disguised themselves as two ordinary Middle Stage Golden Core Loose Cultivators. Carrying the invitations provided by Bai Zhi, they blended into the crowd and entered Duobao Pavilion.

The space inside the pavilion was far more vast than it appeared from the outside, clearly utilizing a spatial expansion Formation. The hall was magnificent, and the Spiritual Qi was so dense it almost liquefied. The air was filled with a sweet, cloying, and mentally stimulating exotic fragrance. Countless rare treasures were displayed in crystal cabinets, radiating precious light and inciting greed.

The Cultivators attending the banquet were guided through the hall into a magnificent, downward-sloping corridor. The murals on both sides of the corridor depicted various fantasies of attaining the Dao and ascending to immortality or obtaining great treasures, doing their utmost to tempt the viewers.

The further down they went, the more intense the sweet exotic fragrance became, and the unique, confusing aura of the mars key grew clearer. Nangong Xuan silently circulated his Nirvana Dao Rhyme to firmly protect himself and Su Muxue, isolating them from external erosion. Su Muxue used her Taiyin Star Power to simulate a slightly excited mental fluctuation similar to the other Cultivators to avoid detection.

At the end of the corridor was a massive underground palace.

In the center of the palace was a giant auction platform, surrounded by tiers of elegant seating. At this moment, hundreds of Cultivators were already seated. The lowest cultivation was the Late Foundation Establishment Stage, while those in the Golden Core Stage made up the majority. Everyone had an expression of mixed anticipation and greed, their eyes fixed intently on the empty platform.

Nangong Xuan and Su Muxue found a seat toward the back and observed quietly. He discovered that the layout of this palace secretly corresponded to a strange Formation. The positioning of all the seats, the surrounding decorations, and even the permeating fragrance were silently amplifying and guiding the desires and emotions of the Cultivators present. These chaotic thoughts were being drawn like a hundred rivers returning to the sea toward a tightly closed metal door at the deepest part of the palace.

Behind that door was the place where the fluctuations of the mars key were strongest!

Suddenly, the lights in the hall dimmed, and all attention instantly focused on the central platform.

A cloud of pink smoke exploded, and Qian Duobao’s chubby figure emerged within it. Today, he had changed into an even more magnificent brocade robe. His face was covered in a warm, enthusiastic smile, but deep within his small eyes, it was as cold as a snake.

”Welcome, Fellow Daoists, to this Duobao Pavilion Appreciation Banquet!” Qian Duobao’s voice was amplified by a Formation, carrying a strange seductive power that struck everyone’s hearts. ”As per the old rules, at the banquet, treasures go to the highest bidder, but fate is even more important! Today, I, Qian, have specially prepared several ’rare treasures of the world’ for you all, guaranteed to make your trip worthwhile!”

Before his voice had even faded, light flashed on the platform as several graceful maidens dressed in thin gauze appeared, carrying treasures radiating precious light. There were peerless Spirit Pills with flowing pill patterns, fragments of ancient treasures with soaring Evil Qi, and thousand-year-old Spirit Medicines with breathtaking Spiritual Qi... Each treasure’s appearance caused bursts of exclamations and heavy breathing from the audience. The greedy intent in the air instantly surged, pouring toward the metal door like a physical substance. Qian Duobao enjoyed this atmosphere, constantly fanning the flames with his words to push everyone’s desires to a climax.

Nangong Xuan watched all this coldly. Those treasures were indeed extraordinary, but most had been tampered with, tainted with dense mars Qi. Long-term contact or consumption would inevitably lead to one’s mind being subtly controlled.

Auction after auction took place, the atmosphere becoming increasingly frenzied. Bids went higher and higher, and some people even began to experience chaotic auras and bloodshot eyes due to failing their bids.

Just as the atmosphere reached its most insane peak—

Qian Duobao suddenly gave a mysterious smile and clapped his hands.

All the treasures and maidens vanished instantly.

The entire palace went completely dark, leaving only a single beam of light hitting the center of the platform.

”Next will be the grand finale of this banquet...” Qian Duobao’s voice became low and full of temptation. ”This item is not for sale, but is... a blessing!”

With a sudden wave of his hand, the tightly closed metal door slowly opened a crack!

Boom!

A torrent of energy—pure, scorching, restless, and carrying supreme temptation and confusing power—poured out from the crack like a bursting dam, instantly sweeping through the entire palace!

”Ugh, ah!”

All the Cultivators below, upon coming into contact with this power, let out groans of both pleasure and pain. Their eyes were instantly filled with blood-red light, and their cultivation grew visibly, but their reason was also rapidly fading, leaving only the most primitive greed and longing!

Even Bai Zhi (who had also entered in disguise), who had been keeping a clear head, let out a muffled groan. The clear light around her fluctuated violently, as she was clearly struggling to resist.

Only Nangong Xuan and Su Muxue remained unmoved under the dual protection of the Nirvana Dao Rhyme and Taiyin Star Power.

Nangong Xuan’s gaze pierced through the torrent of energy, staring fixedly behind the opened crack.

That was no room, but a massive, fiery-red crystal cave! In the center of the cave, a crimson star key, shaped like a leaping flame, was suspended in mid-air, slowly rotating and emitting endless confusing power!

The mars key!

But it was not unscathed. Below the star key, on the crystalline floor, a complex and sinister blood-colored Formation was inscribed. Within the Formation, dozens of unconscious Cultivators were imprisoned; their life force, cultivation, and even their Divine Souls were being forcibly extracted by the Formation, turned into nourishment, and continuously injected into the mars key above!

And within the crimson light of the star key itself, there was also a hard-to-detect, cold, grayish-black color!

the dark side! It was also using this evil Formation to erode and contaminate the mars key!

Qian Duobao spread his arms, bathing in the mars energy with a face full of intoxication and madness. ”Feel it! This supreme power! Offer up your longings! It will lead us beyond the mundane and allow us to control everything!”

His true face was completely exposed; he was merely a Puppet propped up by the mars key (and perhaps the dark side) to collect desire and power!

The time has come!

Nangong Xuan and Su Muxue exchanged a glance and instantly lunged forward!

The grayish-black Nirvana Dao Rhyme and the cool Taiyin Starlight erupted simultaneously like two sharp blades, fiercely tearing through the torrent of confusing energy filling the palace, heading straight for Qian Duobao on the platform and the opened metal door!

”Who goes there?! How dare you disturb the banquet!” Qian Duobao was both shocked and enraged. His fat body erupted with a Late Golden Core Stage cultivation that far exceeded his usual level. He summoned a copper mirror Magic Treasure covered in evil eyes, which radiated evil light as it blocked his front.

The Cultivators below, controlled by the confusing power, also let out beast-like roars. With blood-red eyes, they swarmed toward the two like a tide!

The battle was triggered instantly!