The Cauldron’s Embrace and a Hidden Identity

Mere moments after Chi Qiu stepped onto the dragon scale, the golden lightning that had intermittently pulsed across its surface vanished, just as she had predicted.

Su Hanxing felt a slight easing of his tension. He advanced a few steps, gathered his true qi, and extended his hands to gently probe the dragon scale. Once assured that it would no longer unleash its destructive lightning, he retrieved his personal dwelling artifact. After much deliberation, he placed the dragon scale on a large bed in one of the dwelling’s side rooms.

Having completed these tasks, Su Hanxing turned and exited the secret chamber. As he did, he dismantled the various blinding arrays he had previously set up in the corridor outside.

Firstly, the formation flags, spirit jades, and other rare heavenly treasures used to construct these arrays were far too valuable to abandon there. Secondly, removing the illusionary formations would also draw other cultivators, subtly impeding their progress.

Su Hanxing left the corridor and returned to the main cavern. He casually ascertained his bearings, then ventured deeper into the cavern’s depths.

Originally, Su Hanxing and Chi Qiu, along with the three from the Qi clan, had been among the first to enter the Yinglong Tomb. However, they had been separated due to an unforeseen incident, and Su Hanxing had remained stationary for a considerable time to aid Chi Qiu’s recovery. The two of them had then been delayed again inside the secret chamber. Consequently, Su Hanxing no longer held the advantage of being ahead; he couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t encounter disciples from other major sects within this cavern.

The cavern wound its way downward, twisting and turning, causing Su Hanxing to shake his head repeatedly in frustration. Previously, the three from the Qi clan had shared a map of a different Yinglong Tomb. He had initially believed that the differences between Yinglong Tombs would be minimal, making it a useful reference.

Yet, upon entering this Yinglong Tomb, he discovered it was entirely unlike the one on the map, with no points of overlap whatsoever. This made it difficult for Su Hanxing to ascertain whether this particular Yinglong Tomb was simply too peculiar, or if the three from the Qi clan had never presented a genuine Yinglong Tomb map in the first place.

As Su Hanxing continued his descent, the cavern steadily widened. Along the way, he encountered disciples from minor sects, moving forward in small groups of two or three. Perhaps due to his reputation, or for some other reason, these cultivators, upon seeing Su Hanxing, scattered and fled with the speed of mice spotting a cat, leaving him somewhat speechless and amused.

This served as a reminder to Su Hanxing. He had often ventured down from the mountain for training, already possessing a certain renown. Moreover, more than half a year ago, he had triumphed in the martial arts tournament that the entire Daqi nation had closely followed, instantly skyrocketing his fame. Now, it felt as though ‘everyone under heaven knew his name.’

Fame, while sometimes beneficial, could also be a detriment. Within this Yinglong Tomb, weaker cultivators, seeking opportunities, would undoubtedly form teams. A cultivator with his reputation would surely become a target for their combined assault. If that truly came to pass, securing opportunities, let alone preserving his own life, would be an arduous task.

With this thought in mind, Su Hanxing retrieved a set of white clothes from his storage artifact. He then put away the great spear he had been carrying and instead drew forth a large bow. He intended to conceal his face and hide his identity. Thus, he put away the great spear he typically used and swapped his weapon.

His greatest gain within the Imperial Forbidden Land had been a minor divine ability. This ability was a technique centered around archery, which Su Hanxing had only mastered after leaving the forbidden land. Apart from Chi Qiu, only cultivators from the Meng family’s outpost had witnessed him use it; however, those Meng family cultivators had long since been annihilated by him. Thus, Su Hanxing could confidently employ this method without fear of exposing his identity.

Next, Su Hanxing muttered an incantation, then circulated true qi to cover his face. His facial features twisted and contorted, swiftly transforming into a new appearance. Now, he sported a scraggly beard and a sallow complexion, marred by several knife scars. He appeared much older and considerably more ferocious; not a trace of his original self remained visible.

Su Hanxing conjured a water mirror using his true qi. After scrutinizing his new appearance, he nodded in satisfaction. He then dismissed the mirror, slung his great bow over his back, and continued deeper into the Yinglong Tomb.

While Su Hanxing, now in disguise, continued his search for opportunities within the Yinglong Tomb, Chi Qiu, within the dragon scale, had finally, with immense effort, traversed the dark space using only her physical body, reaching the gray grand cauldron.

At this moment, Chi Qiu was covered in dust and grime. Her cloud-patterned Transcendent Skirt was now tattered and barely clinging to her body.

Chi Qiu sat cross-legged within the cauldron. Outside, all the golden lightning had gathered, menacingly poised to surge inward and obliterate her. However, an invisible barrier obstructed them, forcing them to helplessly circle the cauldron’s edge. These bolts of lightning possessed no sentience, acting solely on their instinct to destroy all. Yet, this grand cauldron, having stood here for an unknown number of ages, remained completely unscathed. It was clear the lightning could do nothing against it.

This was a discovery Chi Qiu had made during her previous visit, and now it proved true once more.

Chi Qiu tore off the remaining tattered scraps of her clothes. She then took out some medicinal paste and applied it to the areas where the lightning had struck her. Just moments before, while evading the lightning, her foot had been a fraction too slow, allowing a bolt to graze her. That single strike had breached Chi Qiu’s true qi defenses, inflicting a significant injury.

Even without the nourishment of heaven and earth spiritual energy, the power of this lightning was astonishing.

Gazing at her torn and ragged dress, Chi Qiu simply ripped it off and tossed it aside. Then, she retrieved a fresh set of clothes from her storage ring and put them on.

Next came the task of refining the lightning embryo. Chi Qiu took a bottle of spirit pills from her storage ring, crushed one, and sprinkled it beside the lightning embryo. Soon, true qi began to emanate outwards. The lightning embryo, sensing this, eagerly began to absorb the true qi, and before long, tiny golden lightning bolts began to form within it.

Chi Qiu, seizing the moment while the lightning was still weak, plundered it and drew it into her own body. She used it to temper both her true qi and her divine soul. Repeating this process, Chi Qiu’s divine soul and cultivation both steadily increased. She simply awaited the moment when both would undergo their full transformation, after which she would fully refine the lightning embryo.

Despite the excruciating pain that coursed through her divine soul and physical body, Chi Qiu’s face unconsciously revealed a smile of profound satisfaction.

Su Hanxing had been traveling for several hours now. During this time, he, in his altered guise, had encountered numerous cultivators. Some sought to recruit him to explore the Yinglong Tomb together, while others, however, aimed to simply kill him and seize his possessions. Su Hanxing politely declined the invitations of other cultivators. Meanwhile, he mercilessly struck down any who dared to attack him.

Now, Su Hanxing was standing with his foot on a corpse, bending down to retrieve a storage artifact from it. He prepared to examine it with his true qi. The corpse belonged to a young male cultivator who had been clad in armor that shimmered with spiritual energy. A large hole now gaped in the chest of the armor, revealing a gruesome tangle of crimson flesh and pale bone within.

As Su Hanxing probed the treasures within the man’s storage artifact, his brow suddenly relaxed, and a hint of joy appeared on his face. With a swipe of his storage artifact, a longsword materialized in his hand.

The precious sword was five chi long, entirely black, with not a single glint of light upon its surface. Its blade was narrow, double-edged, and as smooth and flawless as if forged from the finest black jade. It was truly an excellent sword.

In Su Hanxing’s assessment, this sword had likely transcended the level of a mere magic treasure. Like his great spear, it was a spirit treasure, possibly even a primordial spirit treasure.

Most items used by cultivators were magic treasures forged later in time, categorized into three grades: low, middle, and high. Occasionally, a master craftsman would forge a treasure surpassing the high-grade, which would then be known as a supreme-grade magic treasure.

This longsword, though appearing at first glance like a middle-grade magic treasure, was in fact a primordial spirit treasure sword embryo, naturally formed by heaven and earth, only later refined into its current state. While ordinary individuals couldn’t discern its true nature, it couldn’t deceive Su Hanxing, a cultivator well-versed in secret arts for identifying rare heavenly treasures.

A primordial spirit treasure, or Xiantian Lingbao, does not mean it was born as a usable weapon. Rather, its raw material contains a wisp of spiritual energy, requiring only simple carving and polishing to become an artifact. As its owner uses it, such a primordial spirit treasure gradually develops sentience, and its grade ascends, which is precisely what makes them so invaluable.

Su Hanxing nodded in satisfaction. Currently, he couldn’t use his great spear, nor did he dare to casually employ his divine ability ‘Intertwined Gold’ for fear of being recognized. A large bow alone was insufficient for close combat, making this longsword’s appearance perfectly timed.

“So many good things, yet no ability to recognize true treasures. Your death was not in vain,” Su Hanxing muttered, looking down at the armored corpse. He then kicked it aside and continued deeper into the cavern.