The Unveiling of Treasures

Inside the main hall, conflicts not unlike the one Chi Qiu had just faced were frequently erupting. In just about fifteen minutes, over ten cultivators had met their untimely demise, a sight that made Chi Qiu sigh with lament. The number of cultivators who had died in this short span even surpassed those who had perished battling the Gu Diao earlier.

As for the nine cultivators remaining in the hall’s southeast corner, Chi Qiu and Su Hanxing did not drive them away. It was wise to leave a path of retreat; if pushed too far, they might just turn desperate, like a cornered dog, and lash out.

Clang! Clang—

The sound of iron rings clashing and chains snapping resounded from the hall’s ceiling. Upon hearing this, all cultivators present immediately ceased their actions and looked up.

Rustle… rustle…

A shower of crimson rust slowly drifted down from above. The iron chains binding the treasures slowly twisted and snapped, emitting an incredibly grating screech. Meanwhile, the luminous spheres encasing the spiritual materials and rare treasures gradually dimmed, until they vanished completely.

“Chi Qiu, prepare yourself.” Su Hanxing once again summoned his spear and flying swords, casting an unfriendly gaze around at the surrounding cultivators.

Chi Qiu hummed in acknowledgment. She drew her Ink Jade Longsword, holding it diagonally, her gaze fixed on the two spirit treasures slowly being unsealed.

Clatter—

As the chains finally broke completely, the first among the four treasures suspended in the hall’s southeast corner to plummet from the air was the set of black armor Chi Qiu had previously set her sights on.

“Chi Qiu, stay here and cover me. I’ll go retrieve this treasure for you.” A profound silence had fallen over the main hall; any cultivator daring to snatch a treasure now would surely be ambushed by hidden attacks. Su Hanxing, confident in his formidable physical defense, pulled back Chi Qiu, who had intended to step forward for the treasure. He prepared to go himself and retrieve it for her.

“Alright, I’ll cover you from here.” Chi Qiu knew this was no time for hesitation, and she nodded in agreement.

Su Hanxing nodded in response as well. Then, he spoke no more; his body trembled, and in an instant, true qi surged rapidly within him. With a single stomp, he shot into the sky like an arrow released from a bowstring, flying directly towards the plummeting black armor.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh—

Su Hanxing made no attempt to conceal his movements. His speed was astonishing; after taking just two more steps in the air, he had already reached the black armor.

“Stop him!” Su Hanxing’s blatant actions naturally drew the attention of many cultivators in the hall. Someone, with a sinister tone, shouted loudly, instigating the crowd to strike Su Hanxing down.

Chi Qiu let out a cold snort. She looked in the direction of the voice, but the person had already concealed their presence, blending into the crowd. Even though she couldn’t find the individual, Chi Qiu remained unfazed. With a wave of her hand, several dazzling bolts of golden tribulation lightning, accompanied by true qi, surged forth and instantly spread out. Immediately, arcs of lightning crackled and leaped, sweeping across the entire area with an overwhelming force.

“Quickly, defend yourselves!” As the tribulation lightning surged, one cultivator, merely grazed, was sent flying backward as if struck by a heavy blow. The remaining cultivators, witnessing this sight, were utterly terrified. A commotion then erupted as the group of cultivators hastily erected their defenses, barely managing to block the few bolts of tribulation lightning.

“If you dare to speak another word, it won’t just be a few bolts of lightning.” A clear female voice reached their ears, and the cultivators’ faces instantly turned pale, filled with extreme anger. However, when they saw the golden lightning flickering in Chi Qiu’s eyes, they dared not utter another word. They could only swallow their bitterness, after all, it was one of their own who had acted as the vanguard.

With Chi Qiu’s display of deterrence, Su Hanxing successfully retrieved the armor and landed safely.

As the first treasure was unsealed and descended, more treasures began to plummet within the main hall. In an instant, chaos erupted throughout the hall, with the clang of metal and the clamor of battle intertwining into a deafening roar.

“Here. Fortunately, it’s a valuable armor, so not too many cultivators are fighting over it. If it were a rare spiritual plant or a great bow, that would have been a real trouble.” Su Hanxing handed the set of black armor to Chi Qiu, speaking with noticeable relief.

Chi Qiu took the armor. The entire set was undeniably heavy; Chi Qiu estimated it to weigh around a thousand jin. While this weight would be insurmountable for a mortal, it posed no significant issue for a cultivator like Chi Qiu.

“Why do you say that?” Chi Qiu, holding the armor, tilted her head to look at Su Hanxing. In her opinion, the amount of rare materials used in armor far exceeded that of other weapons. So why would it be considered less valuable than a rare spiritual plant or an offensive magic treasure?

“While armor is good, one person can only wear one set at most. Moreover, the disciples of major sects would have already acquired excellent life-saving items like this long ago. Look at Gong Lingfeng and Tan Xiao; don’t they both have protective soft armor beneath their robes? They don’t need this item, so they naturally won’t make a move. And if they don’t make a move, their subordinate cultivators naturally won’t either.” Su Hanxing smiled as he answered the curious Chi Qiu.

Chi Qiu nodded, seemingly understanding yet not fully. She freed a hand and gently stroked the black armor, finding it cold and hard to the touch. Upon closer inspection, she sensed an incredibly vast and potent spiritual energy hidden within.

“As for rare spiritual plants, no one would ever have too many. And those jade slips and ancient scrolls are certainly the treasures these major powers desire most.” Su Hanxing pointed towards the direction where the Gong family and Gate of Wonders cultivators were gathered. Above their heads, over a dozen luminous spheres floated, the majority of which were the very items Su Hanxing had mentioned.

“As for this armor, it should be a mid-grade Primordial Spirit Treasure. Chi Qiu, quickly use your divine soul to guide the spiritual energy within it to recognize you as its master.” Su Hanxing had already sensed it when he retrieved the armor. He hadn’t expected its grade to be even higher than the Ink Jade Longsword. Moreover, the spiritual energy within it was astonishing, suggesting it was definitely no ordinary item.

“Alright, you stand guard for me.” Chi Qiu nodded, about to close her eyes and prepare to guide her divine soul.

Upon hearing this, Su Hanxing again moved closer to Chi Qiu. He held a long spear, scanning both front and back, while several flying swords floated around him, their might astonishing. With Su Hanxing providing protection, Chi Qiu confidently began to subdue the black armor.

All Primordial Spirit Treasures possess spiritual intelligence; only after subduing them can one make them their own. However, the Ink Jade Longsword Chi Qiu currently wielded contained spiritual energy that was too weak to resist its user. Forcing its subjugation would easily cause it to dissipate, which was why Chi Qiu had not subdued its spiritual energy with her divine soul, but rather slowly nurtured it. This was also the reason why the Ink Jade Longsword’s first owner had never discovered it was a Primordial Spirit Treasure.

Only a few breaths after Chi Qiu closed her eyes, the black armor began to tremble slightly, and fine golden patterns started flickering across its surface. Subsequently, the dense, dark scales on the armor’s outer layer began to undulate, opening and closing as if imbued with life, a truly profound sight.

“It’s done.”

After a moment, Chi Qiu opened her eyes, a radiant smile gracing her lips, clearly in high spirits.

“So fast?” Su Hanxing looked at Chi Qiu with a hint of surprise. In his perception, the spiritual energy within this armor was incredibly abundant, far exceeding other mid-grade Primordial Spirit Treasures. Yet, Chi Qiu had managed to subdue it so quickly, suggesting her divine soul power might already surpass his own.

“My divine soul is also protected by tribulation lightning. When the armor’s spiritual energy sensed it, it surrendered without a fight, which is why it was so quick.” Chi Qiu gently lifted the armor; it then shattered into countless small scales, gradually adhering to her body.

Soon, Chi Qiu was covered in scales from her neck down. This dark scaled armor was quite form-fitting, accentuating Chi Qiu’s graceful figure perfectly. Beast patterns flowed across the upper part of her armor, while savage beast heads were carved onto the shoulder guards. The heart-guard mirror showed no luster, resembling a deep abyss. The lower half of the armor was an incredibly intricate, pitch-black skirt-armor, with layers of dark scales overlapping, connecting from top to bottom, making it exceptionally magnificent.

This armor, a single, integrated piece, was both savage and splendid. Once Chi Qiu had finished donning it, a powerful aura of slaughter immediately emanated from her, startling the cultivators who had been secretly observing, eager to snatch it, causing them to retreat repeatedly.

“This is truly an excellent armor.” Chi Qiu’s face beamed with unconcealed joy as she examined herself from left to right, her heart filled with satisfaction.

Su Hanxing stood beside her, observing Chi Qiu intently throughout. Chi Qiu’s skin was originally as smooth and fair as congealed fat. Now, clad in this dark scaled armor, her skin’s delicate quality was further enhanced, making Su Hanxing feel a dazzling whiteness at first glance.

Chi Qiu had always worn loose-fitting robes, so this was her first time wearing such a form-fitting armor since her transformation. It was only then that Su Hanxing realized Chi Qiu’s petite figure was actually so curvaceous. Above her slender, easily grasped waist, her breasts were full and prominent, making it difficult for Su Hanxing to tear his gaze away.

However, before Su Hanxing could take a few more glances, a thick heart-guard mirror slowly formed over Chi Qiu’s chest, completely obscuring that beautiful sight, which left Su Hanxing feeling a slight regret.

Chi Qiu spun around, admiring the skirt-armor on her lower body, finding it more and more to her liking with each look. She turned to Su Hanxing, only to see him staring blankly at her, and immediately sensed something amiss, promptly stopping her movements.

“Cough, cough, Su Hanxing, that great bow you had your eye on is about to fall.” Chi Qiu coughed, bringing Su Hanxing back to his senses. She then pointed towards the hall’s ceiling, where the chains on the great bow were about to break, leaving the bow teetering precariously.

Su Hanxing immediately recovered, nervously turning his head and quickly saying, “No need to worry, I’ll go retrieve it myself.” With that, he took several steps, thrust himself forward, and lunged directly for the great bow.

Chi Qiu looked at Su Hanxing’s retreating figure with a complicated expression, her earlier joy considerably dampened.