Shrouding the Heavens

Chapter 580: Chapter 584: The Ancient Mansion’s Treasures Shine

The Divine Mountain stood lofty, devoid of vegetation, yet teeming with life and surrounded by Immortal Qi. Simurghs fluttered about, and an enchanting fragrance wafted through the air.

“Undying Divine Medicine!” people exclaimed. They were shocked to notice the fragrance from such a distance; surely, it must be divine medicine from ancient times.

The scene bustled with excitement as many surged forward, yet few dared to act rashly, for high above them, more than a dozen eminent figures had yet to make a move.

The lord of the Central States’ Divine Dynasty, the Demon Lord and War Lord of the Southern Mountains, along with the Divine Monks of the Western Desert, all appeared majestic and unmoving, each eyeing the pair of Stone Gates.

The ancient Stone Gates towered eight zhang high. Their seams were tightly sealed, dry and pristine, causing everyone to frown in suspicion that they would be difficult to open.

Finally, a sovereign from the Ancient Hua Dynasty emerged from the crowd, stepping forward stride by stride. He pushed with force. A loud rumble echoed as one door creaked open, revealing a half-foot-wide gap.

Everyone was astonished. They had expected the area to be sealed and challenging to access, yet it turned out to be so easy.

At this moment, the medicinal fragrance grew more intense, flowing from behind the Stone Gates. Many felt as if they were floating with euphoria, involuntarily swallowing, as if they were about to ascend on clouds.

“SWISH!”

The dozen or so leading figures in mid-air transformed into Divine Light and dove down, spreading out in a line before the cave mansion.

No one dared to compete with them, as these were the rulers of the current world. Even peak sovereigns dared not provoke them all simultaneously.

“Amitabha!” murmured an old monk.

The so-called Amitabha was the title of an ancient emperor, but whether he was truly born in the Western Desert is uncertain, as legends told of his origin from an ancient star beyond the domain.

“I shall pave the way!” The Demon Lord of the Southern Mountains stepped forward. With a shake of his hands, the grand doors rumbled open, and he strode inside.

“Such a rich fragrance! There truly are immortal herbs here!”

“Unfortunately, with these dozen or so individuals here, other sovereigns likely won’t even dare to act, let alone people like us.”

Behind them, people murmured, many feeling restless. Among them, the eyes of sovereign-level figures flickered as they awaited an opportunity to act.

The pair of Stone Gates swung wide open, and mist swirled out; it was Innate Spiritual Energy. A crowd rushed forward, sensing the aura of divine medicine.

“Damn, this is a huge loss! The mythical Undying Divine Medicine… there’s no chance for us,” Daoist Duan De grumbled, dejected and listless.

“BOOM!”

A great explosion echoed from within the cave mansion. Undoubtedly, a fierce battle for the divine medicine had erupted among paramount experts.

“Let’s go see!” Dongfang Ye couldn’t resist any longer and was the first to rush forward.

The old blind man quickly performed a divination. Turtle shells scattered as he exclaimed, “There will be scares but no true danger! A tremendous opportunity! Quickly, onwards!”

Shedding any appearance of being old and doddering, this old codger bounded about like a nimble rabbit, utterly exhilarated and confident.

“That old coot must have taken some aphrodisiac,” the barbarian muttered. Though he himself was agile, he was surprisingly overtaken by the old blind man.

Ye Fan, Jue Youqing, and Daoist Duan De followed, entering the cave mansion. Spiritual energy surged, and their bodies underwent a cleansing, every fiber of their being brimming with strength.

“There really is divine medicine here!” Daoist Duan De couldn’t help himself, his eyes darting about as he contemplated various methods and layouts from Tombology, eager to make a move.

This cave mansion, though appearing grand from the outside, was nowhere near vast. Yet upon entering, it seemed a whole different world, immeasurably spacious.

By then, over a thousand people had entered, standing within the first layer of the ancient cave mansion, and it was far from crowded; another two thousand could easily fit.

“The divine medicine is there!”

Ahead lay a Jade Field. An intoxicating fragrance filled the air, where green leaves cradled Immortal Flowers that shimmered brilliantly.

“Not just one stalk of divine medicine!”

“No, this must be the Medicine King!”

Amidst continuous exclamations of awe, everyone’s eyes reddened. They wished to rush over immediately, for these were treasures beyond value; possessing even one would make the mightiest Emperor bow.

Within the medicinal field constructed from five-colored divine jade, the black soil was rich and fertile. Six Ancient Medicines stood translucent, exuding immortal mist, their aroma making many gulp in excitement.

From time to time, Earth Milk would drip from the stone wall above, seeping into the soil and nourishing these six Ancient Medicines.

“Though not Undying Divine Medicine, these are indeed Medicine Kings, having grown for eighty to ninety thousand years! My heavens! To produce so many stalks at once—it defies all expectations!”

People marveled, many nearly popping their eyes out of their sockets.

In the world, even seeing one Medicine King is rare. Although surpassed by the Undying Divine Medicine, it nonetheless counts as an Immortal Treasure. Each Medicine King could extend life by four hundred years.

In present times, other than the Immortal Medicines recorded in Ancient Books, what other spiritual items could accomplish this? It stood second only to the Peach Tree at Jade Lake!

The Medicine King is extremely difficult to cultivate, requiring continuous irrigation with Earth Spirit Milk for over eighty thousand years to bear the title.

Who could wait that long? Eighty thousand years—even an eternal Dynasty lasts little more than double that time.

The Emperor of Central States, the Demon Lord of Southern Mountains, and the Divine Monks of the Western Desert surrounded the medicinal field, while nearby, others were engaged in fierce battle as dissatisfied absolute sovereigns had arrived to fight.

The crowd was restless; no one could remain calm. Many wished to storm forward for a battle but hesitated due to the reputation of those dozen or so figures.

“Heavens, how long has this cave mansion existed? Countless generations of Medicine Kings must have flourished and withered here,” someone exclaimed.

Among the six Medicine Kings in the medicinal field constructed from Five-Colored Jade Marrow, there were also traces of Ancient Medicines that had long turned into mud—Ancient Medicine Kings that had degraded eons ago.

Evidently, these six were but the progeny of those Ancient Medicine Kings, having propagated through countless generations.

The six Medicine Kings were each of a different species. Some bloomed dreamy, seven-colored flowers with petals as crystalline as jade; others bore fruit akin to agate, aromatic and intoxicating.

Each could extend life by four hundred years. Collectively, they were worth almost half a stalk of Undying Divine Medicine. Many were breathing rapidly, struggling to contain themselves.

“Why should you get to distribute it? Everyone, charge! Seize it!”

At last, one sovereign couldn’t bear it any longer and charged forward. A massive fight ensued. Others threw caution to the wind; even though the Emperor, Demon Lord, and others stood in their way, it made no difference.

“BANG!” “THUD!”

This ancient cave mansion erupted into chaos as everyone made their move, frantically charging forward and unleashing an array of spiritual treasures to strike at those dozen or so eminent figures.

If not for the Array Patterns protecting this place, it would have long been reduced to ashes. So many people attacked, including several absolute sovereigns—a force capable of destroying an entire realm.

“Amitabha…” The Divine Monk of the Western Desert chanted a Buddhist mantra, but it was futile. A massive iron hammer descended from the sky, striking his bald head with a deafening CRACK.

The place was chaotic, and in an instant, many lost their lives. All six Ancient Medicine Kings were uprooted. Those dozen or so eminent figures couldn’t divide them equally and resorted to snatching by any means.

“KILL!”

Shouts of battle shook the heavens. Those who succeeded rushed to the second layer of the cave mansion, not daring to linger, while others pursued relentlessly.

The medicine field was now empty, with nothing left. The barbarian punched the stone wall in utter regret.

“PUFF.”

From the soil of the medicine field, Daoist Duan De emerged, spitting out black mud. “Damn it!” he cursed. “I was so close, and I ended up eating a mouthful of mud for nothing!”

During the scramble, he had been slapped into the black mud by an Unrivalled Emperor. Several people were astonished to see him emerge alive and well.

Ye Fan walked over and collected the medicine field, which was several zhang square, to plant Treasure Medicines in the future.

“I once dug up a clay pot even better than this medicine field, mysterious in origin, but unfortunately, a bastard stole it.” Daoist Duan De gnashed his teeth, cursing.

Ye Fan: “…”

Dongfang Ye: “…”

The two maintained calm expressions, saying nothing, fearful that Duan Fatty might sense something amiss.

“Six Medicine Kings, able to extend life by two thousand four hundred years! It’s truly vexing to let that pack of bastards have them,” the old swindler rubbed his hands.

“The situation is not in our favor. Can we overcome those dozen or so absolute sovereigns?” the barbarian said.

“We’d better hurry, or they’ll take everything! I believe there might be a true Undying Divine Medicine here!” Daoist Duan De declared, taking the lead and running inward.

The second layer of the cave mansion was equally vast. Even with thousands rushing in, it didn’t feel crowded but rather quite spacious. The battle was at its peak, with no one willing to relinquish the Medicine Kings.

“The Saint’s Weapon!” someone exclaimed. In the depths of this cave mansion, there were over a dozen pieces of broken copper emanating an ancient and mysterious Qi Mechanism, their sheen dim.

“A broken bronze bell, shattered into more than a dozen pieces, but the Array Patterns within are not extinguished!” someone immediately saw through it. Saint Master Level figures were all agitated and charged forward.

Though the bronze bell was damaged, it was only in form. The world patterns it nurtured still existed, and within it lay dormant its ‘spirit’.

“CLANG!”

Even though the Big Bell had long been fragmented, its power remained formidable. When one piece was struck, dozens nearby turned to blood mist, their forms and spirits utterly annihilated.

“So terrifying! The Saint Weapon truly lives up to its name!”

No fear gripped the people; instead, their eyes burned hotter. A group charged forward, including several absolute sovereigns.

“CLANG!”

Another bell toll resounded. This time, an Emperor wielded two pieces of broken copper, causing the Holy Sound to resonate.

“PUFF!”

A Half-Step Sovereign nearest to him had his head separated from his body, as if struck by lightning. Swept away by the Bell Wave with no means of resistance, he dissolved into a blood mist and vanished.

This was a weapon of an ancient Saint. Though damaged to the point of being mere scrap, even a palm-sized fragment retained such power!

“This is a divine artifact! If it could be reassembled and completely restored, who in the world could resist its chime?!”

Some absolute sovereigns were thrilled. They thought that with such a Saint Weapon hovering above them, there would be nowhere they couldn’t go; they would be unmatched across the world!

“BANG!”

Daoist Duan De spewed fresh blood as he flew backward, tightly clutching a piece of the bell wall over a foot long, covered with rust and lacking luster.

Ye Fan and the others were quite surprised. All the pieces of broken copper had been seized by those absolute sovereigns, so it exceeded their expectations when Duan Fatty managed to snatch a piece right from under their noses.

“Damn it!” Duan Fatty gritted his teeth, a cunning idea forming. “Whoever wants to reassemble that Holy Bell in the future can pay me an astronomical price for this piece!”

The crowd went wild. Every layer of this ancient cave mansion contained divine items, prompting everyone to charge inward rapidly, convinced there were still unparalleled treasures to be found.

Ancient Scriptures, Undying Divine Medicine, the Great Emperor’s Holy Weapon—all likely rested in the deepest depths, spurring everyone to their utmost speed, certainly under the guidance of sovereigns.

If a major faction lacked an attending absolute sovereign, they had no chance of obtaining any treasure, as numerous paramount experts had gathered here.

A vast lake blocked their path. None had expected it to be so enormous, stretching endlessly like a blue-green ocean.

“WHOOSH!”

Some absolute sovereigns flew directly towards the center of the blue lake. Others, unable to fly, gritted their teeth and ran across the water’s surface, quickly advancing.

“A White Jade Celestial Ladder! Does it lead to the Outer Domain?!” people exclaimed.

Upon reaching the depths of the great lake, they saw what looked like the Milky Way descending from the Nine Heavens. Ahead lay the Nine Steps to Heaven, crafted from Jade, leading into the depths of the sky, suspended in mid-air and shrouded in mist.

Many despaired. Few could fly, making it impossible to climb the Nine Steps to Heaven and ascend further.

“SPLASH!”

Suddenly, the sound of breaking water echoed. A small boat drifted into view from afar. A figure stood upon it, clad in a straw raincoat and a wide-brimmed bamboo hat, holding a bamboo pole.

“Divine Thought! This time, it has truly appeared!” The old blind man shivered.