Chapter 714 - 691: Treasure of the Ankong Sect
Chapter 714: Chapter 691: Treasure of the Ankong Sect
Shen Han didn’t have too many contribution points, and the news about the treasure had already spread far and wide.
If he went, that place might have already been explored by others.
Sitting in the hollow of a dead tree, Shen Han hesitated for half a day.
He decided to go have a look anyway.
With his unique abilities, resolving those problems was something almost no one in the world could compete with him on.
If the treasure hadn’t been found by others, he would have a great opportunity.
After nightfall, Shen Han set off again.
According to the information, the treasure was located in a place called Heqiu Mountain.
The location is north of Five Immortals City.
In the vast Southern Heaven Continent, traveling to a place indeed takes a lot of time.
From the information received, using a magical artifact to travel there within about twenty-five days is considered very fast.
This world is indeed quite large.
Heqiu Mountain is relatively close to Five Immortals City, but those sects further away would take at least more than two months to reach.
The cultivators in this world often gain nothing from their journeys, spending nearly half a year just on travel time.
If a young person wastes a few times, three to five years could be squandered just like that.
The years between ten and thirty are when a cultivator has the most vigor and highest comprehension.
Though there are those who gain wisdom late, most people need these years to rapidly advance.
After thirty, it’s about accumulation, steady progress.
If one wastes five years of youth, trying to make up for it in their thirties is different mentally; it’s not so easy to make up for it.
Shen Han thought, speculating that maybe Heqiu Mountain wouldn’t have many people.
There was still a long road ahead.
Shen Han sat on the traveling boat, his mind tranquil.
To go from Second Grade to First Grade, one must comprehend the Power of Laws.
Purely refining the body has lost its meaning.
He still had a considerable amount of Spiritual Liquid, and previously, when staying at an inn, Shen Han consumed some more.
He could now endure the excruciating pain brought by the Spiritual Liquid, gritting his teeth and bearing it without any issue.
But the benefits reaped were obviously much less.
One could even say the benefits gained were just a tiny bit.
After stepping into Second Grade, the enhancement from body refining was truly minimal.
It’s better than nothing, getting even a small improvement is something.
During his rest, Shen Han communicated with Shi Yuezhu to check on recent events.
He received bad news.
The whereabouts of Yun Mansion and Xiaoyao Peak had been exposed.
Tiger Peak Manor, in a desperate gamble, offered benefits to enlist the help of various forces in Great Wei to search for them.
As long as the information was found, they or their sect’s people could go to Tiger Peak Manor to train and improve.
This initiative, which didn’t expend many resources, surprisingly yielded results.
"Did you encounter danger?"
Shen Han asked with some nervous concern.
"We discovered the people tracking us, and after realizing we were exposed, we quickly withdrew."
Shi Yuezhu spoke softly, with a hint of fatigue in her voice.
As long as Tiger Peak Manor exists, they could only keep hiding.
In his heart, Shen Han’s resolve strengthened several degrees.
"The person who passes information to Tiger Peak Manor must not be allowed to live.
He must pay a price so that they would have reservations and not everyone would come to find us."
Upon hearing this from Shen Han, Shi Yuezhu clearly paused for a moment.
After a long while, she spoke again.
"In the past, you would have let them go."
Indeed, Shi Yuezhu was not wrong at all.
But Shen Han now was no longer as soft-hearted as he once was.
"Through these years of trials, I’ve come to understand a lot.
I let them go, but they won’t let us go.
If I had eliminated Shen Ao back then, we wouldn’t have today’s troubles.
The price of being soft-hearted is truly hard to accept.
I can only do this..."
"I know, we all know.
You can just rest assured in Southern Heaven Continent, I’ll handle everything here."
Shi Yuezhu’s gentle voice had a calming effect.
It was like a string that had been tense and never relaxed finally receiving comfort.
Shen Han also relaxed and chatted with Shi Yuezhu easily.
They talked about what to do together once these troubles were over.
The two had long since opened their hearts to each other, leaving all defenses behind.
When talking with Shi Yuezhu, Shen Han was much bolder and more casual.
Shi Yuezhu, always gentle, was full of shyness when hearing what Shen Han said, responding even more hesitantly.
Occasionally, she would hum lightly in a coquettish manner, somewhat adorably.
At this moment, Shi Yuezhu’s pretty face was as red as her ears.
...
After a month of sailing, they finally reached Heqiu Mountain.
Shen Han took out the map to check and confirmed it was the place.
Before him, Heqiu Mountain wasn’t overly steep.
But it was noticeably taller compared to the hilly terrain.
On the mountain, there were many pits.
Some couldn’t even be called pits anymore; they should be called pools.
It is said that on Heqiu Mountain in the past, these pits were filled with countless lotuses, which is how it got its name.
With several dozen miles left, Shen Han no longer stayed on the boat.
Nowadays on the Southern Heaven Continent, there are countless people trying to catch him.
If he continued to stay on the boat, he would attract too much attention.
The upcoming journey passes through the forest, which would not only be more secretive but might also allow him to find something useful.
Shen Han changed his attire, replacing all his clothes with ones he had never worn before.
He donned a cloak, covering his face, revealing only his eyes.
He concealed his aura and disguised his appearance.
Besides, the people from Tiger Peak Manor probably wouldn’t guess he dared to come treasure hunting.
He approached Heqiu Mountain.
At the foot of the mountain, Shen Han finally understood just how widely the news had spread.
In the deserted wilderness, there was originally no one around.
The nearest city to Heqiu Mountain is almost two days away.
But upon reaching the foot of the mountain, Shen Han already found nearly a hundred people present.
During his journey, Shen Han spent a whole month.
When he received the news, he didn’t even know how long it had been circulating.
Frowning slightly, Shen Han felt there was a chance his trip might be in vain.
At the foot of the mountain, some savvy businessmen were selling goods.
Common Pills and consumables, surprisingly, everything could be purchased.
Shen Han approached, bought some items, and made some inquiries.
The rumor of treasures hidden in Heqiu Mountain had been circulating for almost half a year.
Yet in this half-year, nothing groundbreaking had happened.
No one had found the location of the treasure.
Or perhaps, it was still uncertain whether there was a treasure at all.
At the end of last month, someone seemed to have found an entrance that might contain treasures.
A group of younger individuals actually cracked the secret of the entrance.
But going further inside, they were at a loss.
Some astute young people immediately informed their elders.
They seemed to have discovered something remarkable.
These days, Elders, and top figures from sects started arriving.
Shen Han didn’t rashly advance and instead rested at the foot of the mountain.
In the following days, more and more people arrived.
Elders from Nine Heavens Palace and Qianjin Hall came.
These were sects Shen Han knew by name, but there were over ten others unfamiliar to him.
People kept arriving here, something Shen Han hadn’t expected.
On the seventeenth day at the foot of the mountain, Tiger Peak Manor people arrived.
You Wanying, Shen Han had only seen her portrait before.
This time, it was the first time seeing her in person.
Beside her were disciples Wu Ke and Shen Ao.
Nowadays, she never went anywhere without her two disciples.
Among those from Tiger Peak Manor, You Wanying wasn’t the only Elder present this time.
An Elder who looked middle-aged stood by her side.
Their aura was on par with You Wanying’s.
Seeing their appearance, Shen Han frowned, remaining vigilant.
The current Tiger Peak Manor was a threat to him.
The sect expended considerable resources attempting to capture him.
Rumor had it the elders of Tiger Peak Manor were leading teams to track his whereabouts.
Despite this, people still came from Tiger Peak Manor.
And not just one, but two Elders arrived.
This could only mean that Tiger Peak Manor placed enormous importance on the potential treasure.
The manor could forgo so many resources, yet still came here.
The more powerful individuals arrive, the greater the indication the treasure within is extremely valuable.
Shen Han made no rash moves, choosing instead to remain inactive.
Occasionally, at the right moments, he would eavesdrop on the conversations among those gathered at the mountain’s base.
Through snippets of information from these chats, Shen Han gained a rough understanding of the situation.
After the young people broke through the entrance, they found a carved totem inside.
Many recognized this totem.
It was the totem symbol of the Ankong Sect.
With a history spanning tens of thousands of years, Ankong Sect is hailed as the foremost sect of the Southern Heaven Continent.
However, being the foremost doesn’t mean Ankong Sect is mighty.
It just means the sect has a long history.
In fact, the Ankong Sect today has long since declined.
Though labeled as the foremost, the sect’s strength is extraordinarily average.
In reality, it might not even qualify as a third-rate sect.
Yet upon seeing the totem symbol of Ankong Sect, everyone knew there must be mysterious treasures hidden within.
The ancestors of Ankong Sect were genuinely powerful once.
For Ankong Sect to hide treasures so discreetly, whatever is inside must be extraordinary.