Treasure Vault
If absorbed, the subspace will gain the property allowing living creatures to inhabit it.
He wanted to accept immediately, but forced himself to hold back. If he absorbed the beast pouch, he had no idea what would happen to the things inside.
Let's see what's in here first.
He infused it with spiritual energy and peered into the pouch, only for nausea to rise at the unexpected horror within. Wasps, mantises, and hundreds of other grotesque insects lay dead in heaps.
Rattle, rattle!
He turned the beast pouch upside down and dumped out every last insect corpse, all of them reeking with a fishy stench.
Did they die with their master?
Spiritual beasts and spiritual insects possessed intelligence of their own, which meant they could not be commanded easily. To control them properly, one had to cultivate a related art and form a contract with them from the moment they were born. It seemed the man in black had arranged for every one of his insects to die along with him.
"Hm?"
As Jin Somyeong shook out the beast pouch, his gaze dropped. Among the mound of corpses, he saw larvae wriggling.
Were these just born, before he could contract them?
Crunch, crunch.
Watching the larvae gnaw at the corpses of their own kind, he pulled out the last remaining object from the beast pouch.
A jade slip.
When he pressed the pale violet jade against his forehead, four words appeared first.
Secret Transmission of the Insect Dao
Beginning with the title, a flood of information poured into him. A rough scan told him it was a complete compendium of methods for raising various insects, including the Black Killing Insects the man in black had used.
"Mm..."
The larvae writhing before his eyes were Black Killing Insects as well. Out of curiosity, he skimmed through their rearing method, only for his brow to crease.
It was far too vicious.
They had to be fed human blood every day to grow. To satisfy the amount demanded by a hundred Black Killing Insects, one would need to kill at least five people every month. The text stated that in the early stages, they could be fed the blood of ordinary mortals rather than Qi Refining cultivators, but...
This is a bit much.
Even for Jin Somyeong, who valued becoming stronger above most things, this was difficult to accept.
Of course, the Black Killing Insects were as powerful as they were difficult to raise. Once mature, they carried a lethal poison so vicious it could threaten even a ninth-layer Qi Refining cultivator.
When they die, poisonous smoke bursts out like a bomb?
If the Black Killing Insects had already been fully grown, he would not have won so easily just now.
"Hmph."
Stroking his chin, Jin Somyeong carefully committed the contents of the jade slip to memory. Not because he intended to raise Black Killing Insects, but so he would know how to deal with them if he encountered such creatures again.
Either kill them before they get close, or raise the realm of the Five Viscera Hundred Refinements Art as quickly as possible. Then my resistance to poison should increase tremendously.
Jin Somyeong nodded and tossed the jade slip into a corner of his subspace. He no longer had any interest in the Black Killing Insects.
Once a person crossed that line, there was no telling how far into the abyss they would fall. Besides, he was confident he could become strong without relying on insects like these, so the temptation was not particularly compelling.
Screech!
Perhaps unsatisfied even after devouring the corpses of their kin, the larvae began wriggling toward him. He cut them all apart.
After that, with a heart full of expectation, he absorbed the beast pouch and strengthened his subspace.
Let's see.
The subspace was an ability derived from the Mental Secret Realm. Since it was a divine ability engraved upon his soul, he naturally understood how to use it.
...For now, I can't enter it myself.
After combing through the information in his mind, Jin Somyeong moved swiftly. He caught a random insect nearby and placed it inside the subspace. After waiting about a minute, he took it back out, and when he saw it still alive and moving normally, a smile rose to his lips.
Good. With this subspace, growing spiritual herbs in the Mental Secret Realm will become much more convenient.
Smiling in satisfaction, he moved on to his next harvest. He searched through another storage pouch and found a Red Gauze Fruit first.
So he'd already taken his own share and was trying to destroy the tree afterward?
Either way, it was good news. Including the one he had picked himself, he now had two Red Gauze Fruits in total.
Jin Somyeong was pleased as he examined the assorted dharma artifacts next, but then his eyes lit up. He had discovered a jade box wrapped tightly in talismans.
A Foundation Establishment spiritual object?
He opened it in haste. He was right. Inside the jade box lay a Purple Yang Jade Essence Flower, from which he could feel blazing heat and vitality.
The corners of his mouth rose as if they might split his face.
Good. Very good.
He had already gathered three Foundation Establishment spiritual objects. Now, as long as he could find a skilled alchemy master, producing a Foundation Establishment Pill would not be difficult.
If I collect just two more, I can trade with the Giant Sword Sect, too.
According to Jin Somyeong's investigation, the Giant Sword Sect was fairly trustworthy. If one gave them five Foundation Establishment spiritual objects, they really would exchange them for a Foundation Establishment Pill.
The question was whether to trust in the dignity of a Golden Core-level immortal sect and collect five spiritual objects for an exchange, or to trust in the thirty-percent success rate and commission an alchemist.
...I'll think about that later.
For now, he properly secured the Foundation Establishment spiritual object. He placed it into his subspace, where no one could steal it, and examined the next item.
A wooden box?
He took out the gold-inlaid wooden box and inspected it from every angle for prohibitions. Then, when he carefully opened it, his eyes narrowed.
Inside the wooden box was a single talisman. Geometric patterns glowed faintly across its surface, making it look special at a glance.
...A first-tier Restriction-Breaking Talisman!
It was his first time seeing one in person, but the item was so famous that he recognized it immediately.
What was the core defense protecting the bases of forces like the Red Yang Sect? Formations. The Restriction-Breaking Talisman was a specialized talisman for piercing through such formation barriers, making it a kind of strategic resource.
With this talisman, breaking through the ice wall would not be difficult either, since it was effective against physical barriers as well.
It was immensely useful, but so rare that most factions could not even dream of obtaining one. Only talisman masters who had reached the level of great masters could craft them, and even then only in extremely small quantities.
A Restriction-Breaking Talisman... He really was suspicious.
Hidden in the corner of the storage pouch was a nameplate. It continuously emitted spiritual energy, as though transmitting its location to someone.
After thinking quietly for a moment, Jin Somyeong waved his hand.
Splash!
He threw the nameplate into a distant river. He watched it drift away with the fierce current, then nodded. Afterward, he purified the entire storage pouch with the Boundless Great Ability.
He cut off any possible tracking methods, then placed all the treasures, including the Restriction-Breaking Talisman, into his subspace.
I need to hurry.
Judging by the time, the ice wall would soon be breached. Competitors would come pouring in before long, so he had to move deeper into the secret realm.
Three days later, Jin Somyeong arrived at a steep ravine and let out a sigh.
Nothing here either.
According to the map, there should have been a Foundation Establishment spiritual object here, but there was nothing. Only broken and scorched traces of battle filled the place. That meant someone had already been through.
Another miss today?
Considering he had barely slept and had been racing around without pause, the result felt hollow. The competition was too fierce. Only a few days had passed since the secret realm opened, yet all kinds of places had already been plundered.
As time passed, obtaining Foundation Establishment spiritual objects would only become harder.
Still, I'm lucky I managed to secure three.
If he had not seized the Foundation Establishment spiritual objects on the first day, he would have been extremely anxious by now.
Jin Somyeong looked at the empty site, then dashed toward his next target. He had no time to waste complaining. Always doing his utmost was simply his nature.
Yet reality was cold, regardless of his will. After coming up empty several more times, he was frowning when a faint scream reached him from far away, beyond the horizon.
Let's go.
His instinctive calculations were completed in an instant. Concealing his presence, he headed toward the disturbance.
He saw two Qi Refining cultivators, one chasing and one fleeing.
The Red Yang Sect?
The fleeing woman's attire looked familiar. Though torn in many places and reduced to rags, it was unmistakably the uniform of a Red Yang Sect disciple.
Her hair was disheveled from her desperate flight, and she cried out in a trembling voice.
"Why do you keep chasing me? I already gave you my storage pouch!"
"Heh!"
The burly rogue cultivator with a thick beard sneered. He drove her forward like prey in a hunt, then took a rope-shaped dharma artifact from his robes and threw it.
Whirrr!
The rope swam through the air as if alive, flying quickly before snaring the Red Yang Sect disciple's ankle.
"Aaaah!"
With a piercing scream, the disciple crashed to the ground. In the next instant, she was bound. The rope climbed from her ankle and wrapped tightly around her body, leaving her unable to flee any farther.
"Heh heh. Finally caught you."
"Hic!"
As the Red Yang Sect disciple lowered her head in utter despair, the rogue cultivator licked his lips as though savoring the moment.
"Girl, what are you so aggrieved about? If you need a reason to die, this lord will tell you."
Flinching, the trembling Red Yang Sect disciple cautiously raised her head. Though she feared death, she could not suppress her curiosity.
The rogue cultivator leisurely savored the sight, then grinned.
"The reason is that you're weaker than me! Hahahahaha!"
"Ah."
Only then did the Red Yang Sect disciple realize she had been mocked, and she bit her lip. But with no means to resist, all she could do was glare at him with reddened eyes.
Then, at that moment, a calm voice rang out from the air.
"Then you should have no complaints either."
A pale sword light brushed past the rogue cultivator's neck.
"...!"
"Even if you die."
The rogue cultivator's eyes bulged, and his head dropped to the ground. He had not even managed to react before becoming a headless corpse.
One strike. With a single swing of his sword, Jin Somyeong ended the situation and revealed himself.
He collected the two storage pouches hanging from the rogue cultivator, then looked down at the Red Yang Sect disciple, who was still bound tightly by the rope.
"Th-thank you for saving me!"
At present, Jin Somyeong had changed his face with the Faceless Mask. Naturally, the Red Yang Sect disciple could not recognize him. Yet the first thing she did was offer thanks. He could not tell whether she was quick-witted, or simply desperate to survive.
"Which of these storage pouches is yours?"
"The one with the blue flower engraved on it. But..."
After hesitating for the briefest moment, she smiled awkwardly and said,
"If there is anything you need, Senior, you may take it all."
"Hm."
He saw no reason to refuse when she offered. He quickly searched through the storage pouch engraved with the blue flower.
Nothing much.
It was the typical storage pouch of a poor cultivator. Frankly, with Jin Somyeong's current wealth, there was not a single thing inside that tempted him.
Having lost interest, he tossed the storage pouch to her. Then he retrieved the rope dharma artifact and freed her from its restraints.
"Ah! Thank you so much! If you could at least tell me your name, Senior, I will be sure to repay this grace!"
Only now did she seem truly relieved, bowing her head again and again.
"No need. I saved you because I have a connection with the Red Yang Sect. Don't concern yourself with it."
That was the literal truth. It had not been especially difficult, so he had helped. He had no intention of revealing his identity.
Whoosh!
Jin Somyeong left at once and searched through the rogue cultivator's storage pouch. He sincerely hoped there would be something useful inside.
Oh!
Perhaps his desperation had been rewarded. A red flower inside the storage pouch welcomed him. A Foundation Establishment spiritual object that the rogue cultivator had obtained from somewhere was now in his hands.
Finally, four!
Four Foundation Establishment spiritual objects. For someone gathering them alone, that was an enormous amount. There were surely only a handful of people in the realm who had collected more spiritual objects than Jin Somyeong currently had.
Of course, he could not be satisfied with this. The more Foundation Establishment spiritual objects he had, the better.
As he chose his next destination, Jin Somyeong furrowed his brow. It was troublesome. There were still many Foundation Establishment spiritual objects marked on the map, but judging which locations had not yet been plundered was difficult.
Haa.
It was not as though there were no other way to obtain Foundation Establishment spiritual objects. He could simply kill everyone he encountered and seize their storage pouches.
That was the method most cultivators used. But honestly, it was not a particularly pleasant solution.
...Should I go to the deepest region instead?
A place even deeper than the central area. The innermost region held so many secrets that even the Red Yang Sect had failed to complete a map of it.
It was full of unexplored territory. Countless fortuitous encounters were bound to remain there.
Wait.
Suddenly, a location he had seen on the map flashed through his mind. Most cultivators knew of it, but its barrier was so sturdy that no one had ever managed to enter. It was practically a treasure vault.
Jin Somyeong even stopped walking as he took the Restriction-Breaking Talisman from his subspace.
If I use this talisman and the Boundless Great Ability at the same time?
He might be able to enter the treasure vault that no one had opened for so many years. Just what was hidden in the core region of the Red Cloud Secret Realm?
If I can obtain even a second-tier cultivation art that continues beyond Foundation Establishment, it'll be a huge win.
Habitually stroking the Boundless Divine Sword, Jin Somyeong agonized fiercely for the briefest instant, then made his decision.