That evening, Xia Mo visited Xiao Yixian's room to make Blood Coagulation Ointment together and shared some of his plans with her.
"Xiao Yixian-jie, I'm planning to retrieve the treasure in the next few days. Once we have the treasure, I want to find a city where we can temporarily settle, waiting for the recruitment of the Jia Nan Academy. After passing the entrance exams, I'll attend the academy for further studies. Come with me, Qing Shan Town is too small," Xia Mo said, looking at her.
"Sure, wherever you go, I'll follow," Xiao Yixian replied with a smile. "After all, you were someone I picked up, and there's no escape for you, brat. Remember, I'm still your elder sister."
The year they had spent together had brought them very close. Xiao Yixian was the first person Xia Mo met in this world. Knowing that her Evil Poison Body would eventually awaken, he didn't want her to roam the empire of Yun Lan alone, so he was determined to take her to Jia Nan Academy.
"Wait for me to return. Afterward, we can sell one copy of the Blood Coagulation Ointment recipe to Myriad Medicines House and save up more money. Once we leave, we may not come back."
The next morning, Xia Mo, clad in a black cloak, set off alone. Since he often disappeared for a few days each month, no one found it suspicious. He sped along the route from his memories, avoiding crowded places as much as possible. By releasing his bloodline's pressure along the way, no magical beasts dared approach him.
As the sun rose higher, the weather turned hot, but it had little effect on Xia Mo, who continued moving swiftly. By noon, he had reached his destination.
The dense forest near the cliff was lush and green, and the White Orchid Fruit on the cliff's edge had ripened. Fortunately, due to the cliff's dangerous location, few people came here, or the fruit would have been long gone.
Xia Mo glanced at the position of the cave on the cliff. Seeing that it was concealed by thick branches and leaves, he decided to turn back. The nearby road was busy with travelers, and he didn't want anyone noticing his movements.
He chose a nearby spot to rest and wait until nightfall before making his move. Finding the shade of a large tree, surrounded by thick bushes, Xia Mo sat down cross-legged. Hidden in this spot, he was nearly invisible.
After a while, he entered a cultivation state, though he remained vigilant, extending his spiritual sense to monitor a five-meter radius around him. This range would allow him to react in time, unless his attacker was extraordinarily strong.
As the day passed and night began to fall, Xia Mo awoke from his cultivation. Checking his surroundings and seeing no one, he quietly waited for the darkness to deepen.
Standing up, still feeling energized from his afternoon of cultivation, Xia Mo observed that there were no people around. He moved to the edge of the cliff, picked the White Orchid Fruit, and stored it in his spatial ring. This type of fruit was highly favored by avian magical beasts; perhaps he could bring it back for Xiao Lan to eat. It was a mid-grade medicinal herb—maybe it could help Xiao Lan evolve.
After securing the fruit, Xia Mo once again surveyed his surroundings. Confirming that no one was around, he summoned his wings. With a flash of light, a pair of purple-gold wings spread from his back, lightly flapping and lifting him off the ground.
These innate wings granted him incredible speed. Xia Mo glanced down the cliff and dove, his wings creating a faint sound of wind and thunder as they beat. Within a few breaths, he had landed outside the cave.
He retracted his wings and turned his attention to the entrance. A rock serpent lay coiled on the ground, trembling in fear. It seemed that his superior bloodline suppressed lower-level magical beasts to a great extent.
Xia Mo glanced at the serpent but ignored it. He began clearing away the loose stones and twisted trees blocking the entrance, creating a path into the cave. With the help of the moonlight, he finally got a clear view of the cave.
Letting out a breath, Xia Mo summoned the Dragon Phoenix Flame and began walking inside. The eerie, cold darkness of the cave sent a chill through him, but the flame in his hand provided a comforting warmth.
Xia Mo walked alone through the silent tunnel, the only sound being his footsteps. After about five or six minutes, he reached the end of the passage.
At the end was a stone door, behind which lay the goal of this trip. Xia Mo approached the stone door without hesitation. Raising one hand, he illuminated the door with the flame, while the other hand carefully searched for the mechanism.
Before long, Xia Mo found a protruding spot beneath the door. Pressing down with his fingers, a creaking sound echoed as the stone door slowly rose. Xia Mo couldn't help but wonder about the mechanisms of the Dou Qi continent.
As the door opened, the interior of the chamber was revealed, brightly lit. Xia Mo kicked a stone inside, and after confirming there were no traps, he entered. The stone chamber was vast and simple, with little decoration.
The room was illuminated by moonstones. At the center stood a stone chair, upon which sat a skeleton, eerily reminding Xia Mo of the scenes from TV dramas where skeletons sat in high places. The resemblance was uncanny.
In front of the stone chair was a green stone platform, upon which rested three locked stone boxes. Scattered across three corners of the room were piles of gold coins and other treasures, and in the final corner, a small flower bed grew various herbs. Xia Mo's gaze landed on a plant with alternating white and red leaves at the center of the flower bed—this must be the Ice Spirit Flame Grass. The treasures here, when totaled, would likely be worth millions of gold coins.
Xia Mo thought to himself, "Could this be the resting place of some small nation's emperor, seeking to gather wealth from all corners?"
Looking at the skeleton on the stone chair, Xia Mo brought his hands together and bowed slowly. "Senior, forgive me. I'll take care of your treasures for you. At least I'll make sure to give you a proper burial."
Xia Mo stepped forward, grabbing the key from the skeleton's hand. As he gently pulled, the arm bone snapped off. He picked up the broken arm bone and noticed a small, ancient scroll hidden inside. Pinching it between two fingers, he pulled it out—this was a fragment of the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame map.
The fragment wasn't useful right now, so Xia Mo stashed it away.
Bowing once more to the skeleton, Xia Mo said, "Senior, I apologize for the intrusion. I'll just help tidy up a bit and give you a proper burial." He found a large jade urn among the treasures and began carefully placing the bones into it.
While gathering the bones, Xia Mo found a ring under the skull. "I knew it," he thought. "Someone this wealthy couldn't have been ordinary. Who knows what's left inside this storage ring with all these treasures outside?"
Slipping the ring onto his finger, Xia Mo gently lifted the skull and placed it into the urn. After sealing the lid, he smashed a large hole behind the stone chair, placed the urn inside, and filled the hole with soil from the flower bed. He then carefully gathered all the herbs from the bed into jade bottles.
After covering the urn, Xia Mo bowed deeply. "Rest in peace, Senior."
Finally, he gathered all the treasures from the other three corners, placing them into a pile. With the key in hand, he approached the three stone boxes atop the green stone platform.
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PS: Treasure from the novice village acquired, ready to set off.
(End of Chapter)