The sheer number of weapons was like a dream, as if one had opened a treasure trove, containing everything imaginable, each with its own intricacies and purpose.
Even the most inconspicuous earthenware pot was identified as a rare treasure. If a medicinal herb with thousands of years of history were planted in it, it could be slowly cultivated into a king of spiritual herbs.
Of course, among these forty or fifty treasures, the Nine Divine Weapons are the most precious, comparable to top-tier spiritual artifacts. Each one is imbued with spirit, flowing with a dreamlike radiance.
Without a doubt, the Nine Spirit Weapons are the fat Taoist's life-saving treasures. Each one is incomparable, including the Jade Blade, Purple Jade Sword, Crimson Jade Spear, Black Jade Halberd, and White Jade Shield, all of which are spiritual objects.
"Sizzle"
Wang Hao picked up the three-inch-long purple jade sword, and with a light stroke, a purple light shot out, instantly splitting a mound of earth in front of him in two.
Dust filled the air.
"Such power is terrifying." Shi Mengqi's jade-like face was filled with astonishment.
"It's too sharp; my physical body probably can't withstand it," Yan Bing muttered. His physical body was much stronger than others at the same level, but he still didn't dare to confront it head-on.
"Sizzle"
Wang Hao gripped the three-inch-long crimson jade spear, flew into the air, and gently tapped it forward. A crimson glow shot out from the spearhead, instantly piercing through the mountain in front of him, making it bright from front to back.
A single strike pierced through a high mountain—what kind of wondrous creature is this? It makes one's heart tremble! Shi Mengqi's beautiful eyes shone with a strange light, and Li Bo's eyes were also burning with desire.
Wang Hao saw things more clearly than they did. This kind of spiritual object still has room for growth. If the user's cultivation level is high enough, it can be refined into a divine artifact in the future!
Everyone was amazed. Wang Hao stroked the nine warm and smooth jade pieces. They were like the most perfect works of art, without a trace of murderous intent. On the contrary, they were very translucent and beautiful.
In the end, Wang Hao took the nine magical artifacts. Yan Bing and Li Bo had no objections, mainly because even if they wanted them, they wouldn't know how to use them, so it was better to do him a favor.
Afterwards, he also put away the earthenware pot, thinking that it might be of great use in cultivating the King of Spirit Medicines in the future. In the eyes of alchemists, it was a priceless treasure.
Wang Hao didn't accept any of the remaining forty or fifty treasures, because the Nine Spirit Weapons were the fat Taoist's life-saving treasures, and their value was higher than all the other treasures combined.
Li Bo only accepted a few precious items. She obtained the Longevity Lock, an unparalleled treasure, and gave the rest to Shi Mengqi and Li Bo.
Wang Hao gave the Bagua storage bag to Yan Bing and the other man, telling them to use it to store things.
"Wait, there seems to be something else in this guy's storage ring." Wang Hao poured all his spiritual sense into it and indeed saw a restriction. Although it looked complicated, it was broken after a quarter of an hour.
Immediately afterwards, beams of light shot out, swirling with auspicious colors and shrouded in mist.
"Water-repelling bead!"
"There's also a fire-repelling pearl!"
They were all astonished; the fat Taoist's collection was so vast that if such a bead were to fall into the wrong hands, people would fight tooth and nail for it.
"I really don't know how he obtained it. A pearl that is impervious to water and fire is extremely rare in the world."
These two beads were not refined into weapons, but they are priceless and extremely rare. They are the most precious materials for weapon forging, and are extremely hard to come by.
As for the spirit stones, there were nearly a hundred of them, each brimming with spiritual energy and perfectly round.
Yan Bing picked up the two beads and looked at them, but he was not satisfied. He threw them on the ground and stared at a bronze lamp, which was covered in rust and had a tiny flame flickering.
"This is demonic script!" Wang Hao exclaimed in surprise. The rust could not conceal the three ancient characters, which resembled dragons and phoenixes and were engraved on the bronze lamp base, looking eerie and mysterious.
“It looks like it’s been buried underground for many years, but it still exudes a terrifying aura. It must be a spiritual object.” Li Bo took it and examined it.
Wang Hao pondered for a moment and said, "Those three demonic characters should be about the Heavenly Demon Lamp. It looks quite extraordinary. Although it's a bit dilapidated, it might be able to recover after some restorative care."
“I like this Heavenly Demon Lamp,” Yan Bing said. In the end, the bronze lamp fell into his hands, and he carefully put it away.
Although the Heavenly Demon Lamp currently appears to be only a top-tier spiritual artifact, it is merely a damaged version. Once restored, it is estimated to be even more powerful than many divine artifacts.
The remaining dozens of treasures were distributed among Wang Hao, Shi Mengqi, and Li Bo; each one is worth treasuring.
One can imagine how wealthy this fat Taoist priest must be.
Afterwards, Wang Hao continued searching the storage ring, but found nothing more. The fat Taoist priest had no more treasures on him, but Li Bo and Yan Bing were already quite satisfied.
Shi Mengqi also loved the bracelet, and Wang Hao gave her his empty storage ring. Although she couldn't use it yet, it seemed that once she reached the Earth Realm, she would form a martial soul, which was the same as her spiritual consciousness.
"No, there must be more!" Wang Hao hadn't seen any saplings of the immortal tree from beginning to end, so he focused his attention on the fat Taoist's bright red underpants.
He glanced at Yan Bing, and Shi Mengqi and Li Bo turned their heads away. Then Yan Bing didn't mind and directly pulled down the fat Taoist's underwear. Following the method Wang Hao had taught him, he extended his spiritual sense into it.
"There really is something!"
Yan Bing waved his hand, and a broken bowl appeared. However, what was shocking was that the broken bowl actually emitted an unparalleled pressure.
Beside the broken bowl was a jade tree with seven different leaves, which excited Wang Hao. This was the tender seedling of the immortal tree.
Yan Bing held the red underwear high, and with a "bang," a white treasure basin fell out, containing many colorful treasures.
One sword in particular stood out, engraved with the words "King of the Underworld" and an ancient whip shaped like a coiled dragon, making it quite extraordinary.
"A top-tier spiritual artifact!"
Wang Hao was astonished. There were at least two or three weapons in that treasure basin that were no less powerful than the Nine Spirit Weapons and the Heavenly Demon Lamp. This fat Taoist priest was indeed a living treasure.
"Could this white basin be the legendary treasure basin?" Yan Bing helped the fat Taoist priest put on his underwear, and his words also attracted the attention of the two women.
However, both the broken bowl and the treasure basin were sealed with powerful seals that even with Wang Hao's current cultivation level, he could not break them.
"Let's get out of here first and figure out a solution later." Wang Hao put away the immortal tree sapling, and then the four of them got up at the same time, carrying the broken bowl and the treasure basin away in an instant.
They entered the depths of the Twin Peaks Mountains and hid in an ancient cave. Then, Li Bo took out a jade tablet from her bosom and quickly made hand seals.
Gradually, a concealment formation spread out from the jade tablet, covering the aura of the four people. She smiled and said, "This is my ancestral jade tablet. That Taoist priest will definitely not be able to find it."
"You all stay here for now, I'll go out and take a look." With that, Yan Bing got up.
Li Bo glanced at him and said, "You don't have some kind of perverse sense of humor, do you want to see that fat guy go crazy?"
Yan Bing coughed dryly. He did have a perverse sense of humor and wanted to see what that sinister fat Taoist priest would look like after waking up, and whether he would be fuming with smoke from his seven orifices.
"I'll go with you," Wang Hao said, his interest piqued.
"Then we'll wait for you here." Shi Mengqi was beautiful, with jet-black hair, ethereal eyes, thick and long eyelashes, red lips and pearly teeth, and a fairy-like appearance that made one's heart flutter.
The two of them concealed their presence using a secret technique and hid on a mountain peak several miles away, gazing into the distance. They waited for quite a while before the fat Taoist priest finally woke up.
"This fat guy is really amazing. He sealed his entire body. If it were any other expert, they wouldn't wake up for days." Yan Bing said with surprise.
The fat Taoist priest was clearly still a bit dazed. He stood up unsteadily, then suddenly froze, realizing that he was only wearing his underwear.
"Scream, scream louder! The louder you scream, the more excited I'll get," Yan Bing said unkindly, making such an expectant sound.
The fat Taoist priest was taken aback at first, then a breeze blew by and he felt a chill run down his spine. After realizing what was happening, he let out a heart-wrenching howl.
Being stripped naked made his vision go black, and he stumbled, almost hitting his head on the ground. Then he let out a howl like a wolf, screaming in agony, unable to believe what had happened.
At this point, he had nothing left on him except his underwear; even his boots had been taken by Yan Bing and put on his own feet.
"Amitabha... Damn it!" The fat Taoist priest was furious. He spun around eight times on the spot, then jumped nine times, almost spitting out blood.
He was completely enraged. Thirty years of painstaking "archaeology" had vanished in an instant, leaving him with nothing but a blank slate. All his magical treasures and artifacts were gone, and he wasn't even left with his pants.
Several miles away in the primeval mountains, Wang Hao stood on a mountain peak and looked out. When he saw this scene, he couldn't help but laugh.
Yan Bing chuckled to himself, muttering, "Serves you right. Who told you to keep trying to take advantage of me?"
"You bastards, how could you be so shameless? You even stole my pants, shoes, and socks! Damn it, is there anything else you don't want to take? I'm not finished with you!" The fat Taoist priest jumped up and down, veins throbbing on his forehead, cursing repeatedly.
"You even took off his socks?" Wang Hao asked, somewhat surprised.
Yan Bing scratched his head and said, "It's made of silkworm silk, which is impervious to water and fire. I changed into it along with my shoes and socks."
Wang Hao was speechless, then asked in a low voice, "Do you know him? It seems like you've been holding a grudge for a while."
"Well, it's a long story. This scoundrel is named Ju De, and he is also a disciple of the Burning Lamp Academy. Originally, according to his age, he shouldn't have been able to enter the academy."
"However, he has extraordinary talent in formations and restrictions, so he was admitted despite not meeting the usual requirements. But Ju De often goes in and out of various tombs."
"He dug up a lot of graves, including the Qin Mausoleum, the Thirteen Tombs, and even the grave of Zhang Daoling, the founder of Taoism. Otherwise, how could he be so rich?"
"But he keeps trying to steal my ancestral spiked club, and he even stole the spiritual flesh I obtained before. Anyway, you must be careful of him after you enter the academy."
Wang Hao gave a wry smile. Just as he was about to ask about life at the Burning Lamp Academy, he heard Ju De yelling "Ah ah ah" incessantly, as if slaughtering chickens and ducks.
He was going crazy; he had lost all his treasures and wanted nothing more than to bang his head against the ground.
"It's smoking! It's really smoking!" Yan Bing pointed ahead.
Wang Hao's expression shifted, and he quickly looked over. Sure enough, white smoke was billowing out from Ju De's nose, ears, and mouth. To be precise, it was his own spiritual energy, or it could be understood as a burst of fire. He was so angry that smoke was coming out of his seven orifices.
"It's on fire! It's on fire!" Yan Bing stared ahead.
Ju De was brimming with energy, his spiritual power overflowing, making him seem to be on fire. His hair stood on end, making him look like a human torch.
"Thump, thump!"
He banged his head against the stone wall, filled with remorse. He even felt like dying. His treasures were unmatched by all the Heavenly Realm experts plus the only Golden Core Realm cultivator.
At this moment, he had only one thought: to devour people. All the spiritual and divine objects he had unearthed from the ancient tomb had been taken away by someone in one fell swoop. It was even more painful than being killed.
Ju De screamed repeatedly. He couldn't take it anymore, so he jumped up and rushed towards a small hill, starting to run in circles. He was afraid he would really go crazy if he didn't vent his anger.
"One lap, two laps, three laps..." Yan Bing was quite unkind, patiently helping Ju De count the laps.
"Ahhh... Daoist, I swear I will never forgive you!" Ju De ran around the mountain one hundred and thirty times in one breath, then slammed his head on the ground and kept banging his head against it.
Wang Hao sat on the mountain peak, resting his chin on his hand, chuckling incessantly. It was the first time he had ever seen a cultivator so angry that he was practically on fire.
"Those spirit stones are enough for me to cultivate for a long time. As for life in the academy, I'll experience it for myself. Asking too many questions will inevitably give me away."
Wang Hao muttered to himself, but at this moment, Ju De started running wildly again, blowing white smoke out of his ears and nose. This time, he ran hundreds of laps without stopping.
“Four hundred and sixty-eight…four hundred and seventy-seven…” Yan Bing patiently counted them one by one.
In the end, Ju De ran a full four hundred laps before collapsing to the ground, looking utterly dejected, as if he had swallowed a dead fly, and his face was ashen.
"I, a Taoist priest, spend my days hunting geese, only to have my eyes pecked by one..." he muttered indignantly.
"This dilapidated cave dwelling only contains a broken and incomplete sapling of a celestial tree, nothing else. Damn it, it's a fake cave dwelling, yet I, the Daoist, have lost so many treasures. I'm so angry!"
Ju De arrived at the cave entrance and slapped it, shattering the entire cave with a loud crash.
"A blow to the back, a brick to the front, damn it, isn't this what I love to do most?" Ju De gritted his teeth. He hadn't even seen a shadow of anyone before he fainted. It was truly shameful.
"My bowl contained the complete ancient cultivation method, and was engraved with immortal script. It was the number one divine object in history, and it's just gone like that... I, the Daoist, am not reconciled, I will defy the heavens!" Ju De pounded the ground.
"There is a universe within the bowl, a world apart..." He mumbled incoherently, revealing many secrets.
"Could there really be an ancient cultivation method in that bowl? Why is his voice getting softer and softer as he speaks? I can hardly hear him anymore." Yan Bing was intrigued and moved forward.
"Oh no, let's go! This fatso is putting on an act; he's probably already discovered someone is spying on us." Wang Hao's expression changed.
He grabbed Yan Bing and rushed into the depths of the mountains, trying to escape silently, but Ju De chased after him like a wisp of smoke.
"That fatso's intuition is incredibly sharp!" Yan Bing exclaimed in surprise.
"Go!" Wang Hao grabbed him, his feet moved like the wind, and with a whoosh, he disappeared into the horizon.
At first, Ju De was still gritting his teeth, but then he was completely dumbfounded. His opponent didn't even leave him with a glimpse of his back, and just like that, he left him behind several mountain ridges, and his whereabouts became unknown.
In the end, Wang Hao and his group returned to the ancient cave and stared blankly at the broken bowl and the treasure basin. They studied them for a long time but could not open them. They were at a loss, after all, their cultivation levels were too low.
If Wang Hao could reach the Foundation Establishment stage, he should be able to break the code, but he is currently only at the early stage of Qi Refining, which is quite a distance from the goal.
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