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"Go and tell Ling Xiao that if he can cure him, he may take whatever he wants from the Song Family’s treasure vault!" The Tier Six Sword Emperor, Song Qi, looked at Song Mingyue kneeling before him, his bright eyes fixed on him as he spoke in a deep voice. "Get up. He is your father, but he is also my son. What parent in this world doesn’t love their child? Possessions are merely material things. No matter how valuable, can they compare to a human life? As long as Yi’er... can return to normal, so what if he loses his martial power?" As Song Qi spoke, he lowered his gaze, his expression calm as he fell into deep thought.

Song Mingyue slowly stood up and quietly excused himself. He had never imagined that his grandfather, who was always in seclusion and seemed so imposing in his memory, could have such a loving side. For the sake of his father, he had actually agreed to open the Song Family’s treasure vault. Opening the vault to an outsider was, in effect, a clear statement: take whatever you want.

Indeed, if Ling Xiao were a greedy person, the Song Family wouldn’t say a single word of protest even if he took every valuable item from the vault. Of course, doing so would do his own reputation no good.

Song Mingyue led Ling Xiao along a lush, tree-lined path on the island for over an hour before they arrived in front of a building that was half-buried in the ground.

Unlike the other lavish and bright buildings on the island, this rectangular, box-like structure was built from massive stones. The exterior had no ornamentation whatsoever. The original color of the stone walls was barely discernible, giving it a profound sense of history.

Song Mingyue walked forward with a solemn expression. Suddenly, two men appeared without any warning. They both looked to be in their seventies or eighties and were identical in appearance—they were twin brothers!

Both men were thin, with deep-set eyes and many wrinkles, but they seemed full of vigor. Seeing Song Mingyue, the man on the left said, "It’s Xiaoyueyue, what brings you here?" As he spoke, he glanced at the tall, handsome Ling Xiao and asked, "And he is?"

The corner of Song Mingyue’s mouth twitched slightly; he seemed rather displeased with the nickname "Xiaoyueyue." Nevertheless, he bowed and said, "Thirteenth Master, Fourteenth Master, I am here on Grandfather’s orders to open the Song Family’s treasure vault. This is the token." With that, he handed a dark, ancient-looking token to the man.

A strange light flashed in both of the old men’s eyes. They scanned Ling Xiao and Song Mingyue back and forth repeatedly. Only when they saw Song Mingyue’s face begin to change color did the two elders grin, turn around, and press a stone on the wall.

A RUMBLE echoed out, and the entire ground trembled slightly. The rectangular building before them actually began to sink into the ground!

A huge cloud of dust rose from the ground. With a casual wave of their hands, the two old men deployed a protective barrier that enveloped the four of them, preventing even a speck of dust from landing on them. Then, with a childlike air, the two elders flashed an eager-to-please smile at Song Mingyue, as if showing off a treasure.

Song Mingyue just huffed and ignored them. The dust quickly settled. When Ling Xiao looked again, a dark, deep tunnel entrance had appeared where the building once stood.

Song Mingyue walked ahead and said, "The entrance is a bit dark, but there are lights further inside. Don’t be afraid, Brother Ling."

Ling Xiao smiled faintly, guessing the structure was a relic left over from the Ancient Era, which the Song Family’s ancestors had discovered and repurposed. ’Back in my day in the Cultivation Realm,’ he thought, ’I traveled to many places, but I never had the good fortune to find a single treasure.’

’If that weren’t the case, why would I have gone after my Martial Grand-Uncle’s things? Thinking back, if not for that impulse, I’d probably still be just a Mid-Golden Core Stage Cultivator, with ascension... a distant dream.’

The two of them descended the stairs in the pitch-black darkness. Ling Xiao felt Song Mingyue’s body subconsciously drifting closer to his own. He chuckled inwardly, ’He told me not to be afraid, but it turns out he’s the one who’s scared of the dark.’

After walking through the ink-black passage for a while, Ling Xiao felt they must have already gone deep beneath the sea. Strangely, the air was still fresh, and he didn’t feel any difficulty breathing.

They descended for another few dozen meters before the path leveled out. A faint light suddenly appeared ahead. Only then did Song Mingyue subconsciously move a little farther away from Ling Xiao. He chuckled and said, "When I was little, the treasure vault was my favorite place to visit, but it was also... the scariest! You have to walk through this long, dark passage, and we weren’t allowed to bring torches down. Honestly."

Ling Xiao smiled and followed Song Mingyue down the passage toward the light. It turned out to be an ever-burning lamp that had been lit for who knows how many years. Its flame, the size of a fava bean, still burned tenaciously.

As they drew closer, they saw a narrow Stone Gate, barely more than a meter wide. Some dried moss grew on the walls on either side, though the air was quite dry, making him wonder when it could have possibly grown.

Song Mingyue reached out to the Stone Gate, holding the dark, ancient token, and pressed it into a recess that was the exact same size. The Stone Gate trembled slightly, then, with a heavy grinding sound, it receded into the wall.

’It seems this token is the key,’ Ling Xiao thought. ’Also, those two gaunt old men guarding the gate must be powerhouses at the Sword Emperor level. Casually deploying such a large protective barrier requires at least a High-tier Sword Sect expert. But in the instant that old man created the barrier, he leaked a tiny bit of Spiritual Power, which I caught. That’s how I judged that they are far stronger than a Sword Sect expert—their Spiritual Power is at the Sword Emperor Level, at the very least!’

As the Stone Gate opened, the space within was revealed to be vast and open!

Even Ling Xiao was somewhat astonished as he gazed at the scene. It was a great hall, a hundred meters square and over ten meters high. Row upon row of massive, heavy wooden shelves assaulted the senses. The shelves were placed every two meters, arranged in rows stretching away from their line of sight. Each shelf was over three meters tall, laden with all sorts of items sorted by category.

"So this is what you call a treasure vault!"

Ling Xiao couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration. Back when he was with the Beast Race’s High Priest, he had seen the vast number of Crystal Cores they had accumulated over thousands of years. While that sight had also been visually striking, it was nothing compared to the breathtaking scene before him now!

Song Mingyue smiled. "Our family has resided here for over a thousand years. There are many powerful Magical Beasts both on and under the sea, so we’ve managed to accumulate quite a few Magical Beast Crystal Cores."

He then led Ling Xiao to the left, saying, "This way... these dozen or so rows are all filled with Magic Beast Crystal Cores. Of course, most of them are below Tier Five. Magical Beasts above Tier Five are not only incredibly strong, but also extremely cunning and not easy to come by."

Ling Xiao walked up to a row of shelves. From top to bottom, they were all lined with Magic Beast Crystal Cores that emitted a faint glow. From the outermost row, he could still smell a faint, fishy odor.

"Heh, these are the most recently hunted ones. Our family’s main source of income relies on these Crystal Cores. They are also used to supply Martial Artists at the Demon Sword Master level and above for their cultivation."

Song Mingyue explained in a gentle voice, watching Ling Xiao’s expression out of the corner of his eye. He was very satisfied to see that while Ling Xiao’s face showed admiration, there wasn’t the slightest hint of greed. He led Ling Xiao to the very back and said, "In here, we actually have a few Tier Seven and Tier Eight Magic Beast Crystal Cores. Oh... and the Crystal Core from that Deep Sea Poison Dragon from all those years ago! This is it!" He walked forward, picked up a fist-sized Crystal Core that glowed with a faint cyan light, and handed it to Ling Xiao. "If you have a use for it, Brother Ling, please take it!"

Ling Xiao looked at the Crystal Core in his hand, smiled faintly, and placed it back where it was. "This item will be of no help to your esteemed father’s condition," he said.

Song Mingyue was taken aback for a moment, and a hint of gratitude flickered in his eyes. "If it’s useful to you, Brother Ling, you can still take it as you please," he said.

Ling Xiao smiled, shook his head, and then asked, "May I have a look around?"

Song Mingyue nodded hastily. "Of course. Please, feel free, Brother Ling."

Ling Xiao looked at the items on the rows of wooden shelves. There was no need to look at the Crystal Cores again; they were good items, but Ling Xiao didn’t want to leave the impression that he was insatiably greedy. ’If I want Crystal Cores, I can just make another trip to the Beast Race,’ he thought. ’The Crystal Cores here in the Song Family’s vault aren’t necessarily that much higher-grade than the ones the High Priest has.’

The vault also contained many weapons. From long to short, it had everything: sabers, spears, staves, and clubs. Although this world primarily focused on sword skills, many soldiers, including Knights, did not exclusively use swords.

One could tell from the material of these weapons that they were all forged from the finest refined iron. Every single one could be called a masterpiece!

Among them were several dozen swords, placed in the very back. Their designs were ancient and simple, and you could clearly feel the sharp edge of their Sword Qi even through their scabbards.

’Good swords!’ Ling Xiao thought. Suddenly, his expression shifted, and his gaze fell upon a shelf up ahead. This particular wooden shelf was perhaps the most disorganized one in the entire vault. It was completely disordered; all the items seemed to have been placed on it haphazardly, and a thick layer of dust covered everything!

The other shelves were clearly cleaned regularly and were spotless.

Seeing Ling Xiao’s gaze fixed on that shelf, Song Mingyue smiled and explained, "This underground vault is a relic from the Ancient Era. Everything on that shelf was already here when it was discovered. We have no idea what some of the things are or how to use them. Since there’s plenty of space here, we just left them there. It’s just that no one pays them any mind. It seems the disciples in charge of cleaning have gotten lazy, leaving only this area untidy. I’ll have to have a word with them later."

Song Mingyue thought Ling Xiao was simply drawn by the dust on the shelf, so he offered a lighthearted explanation.

Ling Xiao, however, frowned slightly and walked straight toward an object covered in a layer of cobwebs. The object was a dingy gray, dark and unremarkable. It looked something like a ritual cauldron.

Ling Xiao walked up to it and, ignoring the dust, reached out to pick up the half-meter-tall object. Just as his hands touched it, he heard Song Mingyue cry out in alarm, "Don’t!" (To be continued. If you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com for more Chapters and to support the author and authentic reading!)