Chapter 119 Spiritual Treasures and Dual Cultivation

The Spirit Treasure Vault was located in the Forbidden Ground of the Qingyun Sect's back mountain, enveloped by layers of three-tier Spirit Gathering Arrays and a Nine-Turn Soul-Locking Formation. Seen from afar, the entire palace hall floated above a sea of clouds, its glazed tiles reflecting the rosy glow of the sunset, swirling with dense Spiritual Qi.

The vault-keeping Elder, Immortal Master Xuantie, had long been waiting outside the doors. Seeing Liu Qingyan arrive with the Sect Leader Token, his gaze swept over the pure spirit light that had yet to dissipate from her plain white Daoist robes. He sighed softly, "Elder Liu, by going to Tianyan City this time, you are wading into a mess. The Thousand-Year Spiritual Crystal hidden within the ancient Spiritual Vein that the seven great Sects are fighting over is the key to breaking through to the Late Golden Core Stage. The Yujian Sect has come with the foundation of four Nascent Souls; the Body Cultivators of Black Wind Mountain can directly clash with the Golden Core Stage; the Poison Cultivators of the Xuanyue Sect are impossible to guard against; and there are the bizarre secret techniques of the Demon Cult's Saintess. Any slight carelessness will result in death and the end of your Dao. Furthermore... who in the Sect doesn't know the intentions of Elders Wu and Mo? This is clearly a move to eliminate you and Lin Yue by using the hands of others."

These words struck right at the heart of Liu Qingyan's concerns. Her public demand for the rights to the thirty-six islands of East Huangmu Reef and the Zizhi Garden in the Sect Head's Hall was intended to cut off the designs of Wu and Mo first. However, she would be fighting alone on this mission, as the Sect had not dispatched any assistance. She could only rely on Spirit Treasures and her own strength to resolve the situation.

She nodded in thanks, her fingertips tightening around the Sect Leader Token. "The Sect's righteousness comes first. The mineral vein must not fall into the hands of others, and Lin Yue and I will not allow ourselves to be manipulated by anyone."

Immortal Master Xuantie said no more, raising his hand to form a seal and undo the first Formation. "The Spirit Treasures within the Spirit Treasure Vault are divided into three grades: Heaven, Earth, and Human. The Sect Leader Token allows entry into the Heaven Grade Pavilion. All Spirit Treasures in the Heaven Grade Pavilion possess spiritual awareness and must choose their own Revered Masters. Also, remember—this competition is a clash between Disciples on the surface, but a confrontation between Elders in the shadows. When choosing a Spirit Treasure, you must consider escape and concealment to deal with both open attacks and hidden arrows."

Liu Qingyan stepped into the Spirit Treasure Vault. In the first level, the Human Grade Pavilion, the spiritual light of the ordinary Magical Artifacts was dim, and they were completely unable to withstand the poison techniques of the Xuanyue Sect or the brute force of Black Wind Mountain. Although the Golden Core Spirit Treasures in the second level, the Earth Grade Pavilion, were powerful, they would find it difficult to resist a sneak attack from a Nascent Soul Elder. It was not until she stepped into Tianyan City that a majestic ancient aura rushed towards her. Nine Spirit Treasures in the hall were flowing with brilliant colors, their Spiritual Qi condensing into substance. Her gaze instantly locked onto two Spirit Treasures in the corner—these were the keys to resolving the current crisis.

The first was a pale golden lotus pedestal the size of a palm. Its petals were layered, each engraved with complex flight runes. At the center of the lotus lingered a very faint golden light; it was the ancient Spirit Treasure, the 'Nine Heavens Light-Chasing Lotus.'

This lotus was formed from the essence of an ancient Spiritual Vein. After merging into the body, it could move according to one's will, soaring up into the sea of clouds in the nine heavens or diving down into the depths of the ocean. It could even traverse through spatial rifts, and its speed far exceeded that of ordinary flying Spirit Treasures. Even if a Nascent Soul Cultivator pursued it with all their might, they might not be able to catch it.

Liu Qingyan touched it with her fingertip, and the lotus pedestal instantly transformed into a streak of golden light, entering her Dantian and resonating with the spiritual light of the pure spirit immortal flute. A feeling of weightless power flowed through her entire body. She thought to herself: With this lotus, even if we encounter a pursuit from a Nascent Soul Elder of the Yujian Sect, I can immediately flee with Lin Yue, resolving the danger of life and death.

Next, her gaze fell upon the second Spirit Treasure—it was a seemingly ordinary greenish-gray cloak with fine cloud patterns embroidered along its edges. It felt as light as a feather in her hand, yet it exuded an indescribable aura of concealment. This was the top-tier concealment Spirit Treasure, the 'Thousand Shadow Illusory Dust Robe.'

This robe could absorb the Spiritual Qi of the surrounding environment, completely merging the wearer's aura, spiritual power fluctuations, and even their physical form into it. Even the Divine Sense of a Nascent Soul Cultivator would mistakenly identify them as a wisp of dust between heaven and earth. Unless they suffered a direct attack, there was no way they would be exposed. Furthermore, it could change its form at will and did not take up any storage space. Liu Qingyan understood clearly: Wu and Mo must have planted spies in Tianyan City. This robe could guard against the investigations of the Demon Cult's Saintess and the tracking of the Xuanyue Sect, and even more so, it would allow her and Lin Yue to lay out their plans in the shadows.

Taking the two Spirit Treasures, Liu Qingyan turned and left the Spirit Treasure Vault. Immortal Master Xuantie reset the Formation, and the palace hall once again vanished into the swirling sea of clouds. As she looked at the moonlight on the horizon, her heart became increasingly clear: This time, she not only had to seize the mineral vein but also crush the conspiracy of Wu and Mo. Lin Yue was currently only at the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment; although he could directly clash with a Golden Core, he would struggle against top-tier experts. She needed to help him increase his strength as quickly as possible.

As the night deepened, the steam in the spirit spring stone chamber of the Lingyun Cave Dwelling was misty, and silver radiance spilled through the window lattice onto the stone bed. Liu Qingyan walked in carrying a carved wooden box. Inside the box, besides two sets of lightweight Daoist robes woven from Starfall Silk (which could conceal spiritual power fluctuations), also lay the Thousand Shadow Illusory Dust Robe—she had already refined the cloak and could gift it to others as she pleased.

"We must rush to Tianyan City tomorrow. These Daoist robes can guard against ordinary investigations; you should put them on." She placed the wooden box on the stone table, and just as her fingertips touched the lid, her wrist was grabbed from behind by Lin Yue.

Warm breath brushed past her ear, and Lin Yue's voice carried an unmistakable overbearingness: "Revered Master has come to visit so late at night just to deliver some clothes? Or are you worried about the dangers of Tianyan City and the schemes of Wu and Mo?"

Liu Qingyan's body stiffened. She tried to break free but was held firmly in Lin Yue's embrace. Her back was pressed against his solid chest, and she could clearly feel the burning aura around him and the power of the Ten Thousand Jun Dao Body.

"Let go. The Schools participating this time are all top-tier powers—the Yujian Sect, Black Wind Mountain, the Xuanyue Sect... we must respond with caution." Her voice carried a trace of nearly imperceptible trembling. Her fingertips tightened around her lapel, but she didn't truly struggle with any force.

"The identity of 'Revered Master' is for outsiders to see." Lin Yue lowered his head, his lips grazing her reddened earlobe. "At night, you are simply my woman."

He raised his hand and removed Liu Qingyan's plain white Daoist robes, his fingertips sliding across her delicate skin. The steam from the spirit spring clung to her skin, giving off a lustrous glow.

Liu Qingyan closed her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling violently. From her initial resistance to her gradual sinking into the sensation, her fingertips unconsciously gripped Lin Yue's arm, her nails leaving faint red marks.

Inside her Dantian, the golden light of the Nine Heavens Light-Chasing Lotus intertwined with the spiritual light of the pure spirit immortal flute, flowing along her Meridians and drawing toward the golden-red spiritual rhythm around Lin Yue. She knew that only when their spiritual rhythms merged could Lin Yue's cultivation take another step forward to deal with the dangers to come.

The gurgling sound of the spirit spring covered the soft gasps in the stone chamber. Lin Yue operated the Star-Moon Dao Body, his golden-red spiritual light intertwining with Liu Qingyan's pure spirit rhythm. Heart-Soul Marks lit up on both of their foreheads, and pale golden threads tightly connected their spiritual rhythms to one another.

Liu Qingyan quietly channeled her spiritual power, transferring the spiritual rhythm of the Thousand Shadow Illusory Dust Robe into Lin Yue's body. She said softly, "This is the Thousand Shadow Illusory Dust Robe. It can help you conceal your tracks. During the competition, it can both avoid sneak attacks and catch others off guard..."

Before she could finish her sentence, she was cut off by Lin Yue's kiss.

Sensing that cool, concealing spiritual rhythm, a hint of a smile flashed in his eyes as he deepened the kiss.

[Ding! Detected that Liu Qingyan's emotions of 'Submission + Dependence' toward the host have deepened; Favorability +10 (Current: 110)!]

[Heart-Soul Resonance has reached 100%, unlocking 'Golden Core Dao Companion Complete Feedback' permissions! The host's cultivation has broken through to the Late Foundation Establishment Stage, and his Physical Body strength is now comparable to the Foundation Establishment Peak!]

[Reward 'Breath-Concealing Camouflage' Advancement: Can perfectly hide the aura of Dual Cultivation and the Dao Companion bond; outsiders will be unable to detect any abnormalities!].

The warm Golden Core spiritual rhythm surged into Lin Yue's Dantian through the Heart-Soul Mark. His originally stagnant liquid spiritual power instantly boiled, and the Foundation Establishment patterns on the walls of his Dantian emitted a pale golden light. The Meridians throughout his body were nourished by the spiritual rhythm, becoming increasingly resilient.

He looked down at Liu Qingyan, whose eyes were rimmed with red, and his fingertips gently brushed her cheek. "From now on, with me here, Revered Master no longer needs to endure everything alone."

Liu Qingyan did not speak; she only buried her face deeper and tightened her arms around his waist. From her reasoned arguments in the Sect Head's Hall to her careful selection of treasures in the Spirit Treasure Vault, and finally to her complete devotion at this moment, she had long since understood that she and Lin Yue were not just Revered Master and Disciple, but also partners who would face life and death together.

Beside the spirit spring, the golden light of the Nine Heavens Light-Chasing Lotus intertwined with the clear radiance of the Thousand Shadow Illusory Dust Robe, reflecting their entwined figures. This was both the deep emotional bond between Dao Companions and a thorough preparation for the dangers of Tianyan City.

In the Dao-Seeking Great Competition three days later, she and Lin Yue were determined to obtain the Thousand-Year Spiritual Crystal and the ancient mineral vein. The conspiracy of Wu and Mo and the covetous designs of the various factions would all eventually be shattered one by one.