Immortal Sword Master

Chapter 531: Chapter 526: Milk of the Earth, Human Lotus Root

A crack over ten feet high appeared on the resilient light barrier, but no one was the first to rush in.

Everyone could feel a sharp Saber Qi enveloping the entrance. Whoever dared to move first would undoubtedly be attacked.

And the source of this Saber Qi was none other than Liu Yama!

Even someone as arrogant as Ao Lie didn’t dare to underestimate this man, one of the Ten Great Earth Martial Realms who was capable of injuring a Heaven-Reaching Realm expert.

”Sensible enough.”

Liu Yama, his face covered in a bristling beard, was the first to walk in with a pitch-black greatsaber resting on his shoulder.

Only after he entered did the others file in one by one.

The first thing everyone saw was the great hall’s main door. But Liu Yama, in a savage display, brought his saber down, scabbard and all.

BANG.

The great door was shattered in an instant.

Upon entering the great hall, everyone was immediately greeted by an incomparably dense Spiritual Qi. For a moment, they all felt their Cultivation advance.

”What is that?”

All eyes turned to see a Pill Cauldron standing in the center of the great hall.

Inside the Pill Cauldron were droplets of a milky-white liquid. Like individual white pearls, they remained separate instead of merging, each shimmering with a crystalline luster.

The dense Spiritual Qi was emanating from these droplets.

”This is... Milk of the Earth!”

As the daughter of the Celestial Treasure King, Gu Huaying recognized it at a glance, her beautiful eyes filling with deep astonishment.

Milk of the Earth was a treasure born from deep within the earth.

Only in places with dense Spiritual Qi would this milk-like substance form, created by the fusion of the earth’s qi and Spiritual Qi once every hundred years.

Typically, only a single drop of Milk of the Earth could form over a hundred years.

The vast Energy within a single drop was enough to save a Martial Artist an entire year of bitter cultivation.

”There are twenty-eight drops of Milk of the Earth!”

Twenty-eight drops was an astonishing amount, equivalent to 2,800 years of accumulation.

”A single drop of Milk of the Earth is worth about ten million Spirit Stones, making these twenty-eight drops worth nearly three hundred million,” Gu Huaying said softly. ”The Celestial Treasure Auction has sold Milk of the Earth a few times, and every drop started a frantic bidding war.”

After all, treasures capable of raising one’s Cultivation were exceedingly rare, and for any Martial Artist, improving their Cultivation was always the top priority.

”There are nine of us. How do we split this?” Ao Lie asked, his eyes sweeping over the group with a sharp glint.

The situation was awkward. There were the four prodigies from the Hidden Dragon List, the twin brothers, the old man in the straw cape, Lady Black Scorpion, and Liu Yama—a total of nine people.

Not a single one of them was willing to give up the Milk of the Earth.

”Hmph, is that even a question? You four juniors are the weakest, so you’re out. This Milk of the Earth belongs to us,” one of the twin brothers declared, attempting to exclude Ning Jiang’s group.

”Is that so? You think you can walk all over us just because your Cultivation is higher? I’ve killed experts at the Earth Martial Realm Peak before,” Ao Lie retorted, his gaze icy and his stance firm.

He was the Young Master of the Flood Dragon Clan and ranked on the Hidden Dragon List; making him back down with a few simple words was obviously impossible.

”The Flood Dragon Clan has never feared anyone,” Ao Fengfeng added.

”If you want a fight, you’re welcome to try!” Gu Huaying declared, making her position clear.

”Block me and die.” Ning Jiang was even more direct, spitting out the four cold words, his killing intent surging.

In an instant, the atmosphere in the hall turned frigid, thick with a tension like that of drawn swords and strung bows.

The four newcomers from the Hidden Dragon List and the five veteran experts faced off, neither side willing to yield.

However, a fight did not break out immediately.

Liu Yama and the others were no fools. Although their Cultivation was higher than that of Ning Jiang and his companions, the four were on the Hidden Dragon List and all came from extraordinary backgrounds.

Ao Lie and Ao Fengfeng had the Flood Dragon Clan behind them and surely possessed all sorts of trump cards. Gu Huaying was backed by the Celestial Treasure King; needless to say, she wouldn’t be short on Magical Treasures. And Ning Jiang was connected to the Dragon God Celestial Palace.

No matter how you looked at it, these four were not to be trifled with.

Moreover, offending any one of them meant making an enemy of the power that backed them.

”While Milk of the Earth can raise one’s Cultivation, its effects are not very significant for those already at the Earth Martial Realm Peak. How about this: we’ll divide twenty-seven of the drops, so everyone gets three. The last drop will go to Liu Yama. He is the strongest among us, so he has the right to take it. What does everyone think?”

It was Lady Black Scorpion who proposed this distribution plan.

”Agreed.”

After a moment of thought, everyone agreed.

The Milk of the Earth was precious, but not so much that they would fight to the death for it. After all, it wasn’t something on the level of the Life Divine Spring.

Besides, this great hall was only one part of the Ancient Ruins. If they fought to the death now, it would put them at a disadvantage should more treasures appear or should they encounter any dangers later on.

In the end, each person received three drops of Milk of the Earth, with Liu Yama taking four.

”With these three drops of Milk of the Earth, I’m quite confident I can reach the Earth Martial Realm Middle Stage,” Gu Huaying said with delight.

Ning Jiang was not as pleased. He cultivated the Heaven-Devouring Demon Skill, making his breakthroughs far more difficult than for others. Three drops of Milk of the Earth were nowhere near enough for him.

Suddenly, he felt two icy gazes land on him. He looked up and saw it was the twin brothers.

Ning Jiang knew at a glance that the two were still holding a grudge over the earlier confrontation.

’If they dare to provoke me, I can just kill them and take their Milk of the Earth,’ Ning Jiang thought. His principle was simple: he wouldn’t provoke others, but if someone was foolish enough to provoke him, he would show absolutely no mercy.

Aside from the Milk of the Earth, there was nothing else of value in the great hall.

As for the Pill Cauldron that had held the Milk of the Earth, the group’s inspection revealed it to be a Top Grade Spiritual Artifact. Unfortunately, due to its extreme age, the Spiritual Essence inside had long since dissipated, rendering it worthless.

Spiritual Artifacts, much like Martial Artists, have a lifespan—just as a piece of iron rusts after a few years. Of course, a Weapon’s lifespan is much longer than a person’s. For example, a Heaven-Reaching Realm expert might live for three thousand years, while a Top Grade Spiritual Artifact has a lifespan of just under ten thousand years.

And these Ancient Ruins were clearly over ten thousand years old.

The group left the great hall and continued to explore deeper within.

The palace was massive, filled with numerous rooms, but they discovered nothing else of note.

It wasn’t until they reached a rear courtyard that they made another discovery.

The courtyard was a beautiful space, filled with strange and exotic flora. In the center was a pool with white mist rising from its surface. Several lotus flowers bloomed in the water, and astonishingly, the lotus roots beneath them were shaped like human beings!

Ning Jiang’s gaze swept over the others, and he saw their eyes thick with greed. ’Looks like this fight is unavoidable after all!’