148: Third-level elixir

Wu Guohua looked back at the gradually darkening valley, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

The last ray of the setting sun cast a bloody hue over the entire valley, and the trees destroyed by the battle's aftermath stood like countless sharp claws pointing towards the sky, appearing exceptionally menacing in the twilight.

He knew that this unexpected gain might completely change the fate of the Wu Family.

The carved jade box felt heavy in his arms, not just because of its weight, but more so because of the infinite possibilities it contained.

As he ran, Wu Guohua couldn't help but touch the jade box in his arms.

He could feel the heavenly golden ganoderma inside the box emitting a warm energy, transmitting through the jade box to his palm.

"Don't stop! Keep running!" Wu Jiulong's voice came from ahead, interrupting Wu Guohua's thoughts.

Although the old man was aged, his running speed at this moment was no less than that of a young person, his graying beard and hair fluttering in the wind like a battle flag.

"People from Azure Cloud Sect and Blood Fiend Sect could come looking for us at any time!"

The exit of the Secret Realm was bustling with people, Cultivators in various attires formed a long queue, winding like a snake for over a li.

Disciples from the Five Great Sects had set up multiple checkpoints at the exit, and every Cultivator leaving had to undergo strict inspection.

Azure Cloud Sect Disciples held treasure- Treasure Appraising Mirror, its surface emitting an eerie green light that could reveal the outlines of items within a Storage Pouch;

Blood Fiend Sect Cultivators, on the other hand, led spirit-sniffing dogs—the dogs were entirely blood-red, hairless, with visible pulsating blood vessels beneath their skin, their nostrils constantly twitching, able to sniff out the aura of any Spirit Medicine they had come into contact with within three days.

Wu Guohua had already changed into a coarse cloth outfit, the fabric so rough it could abrade the skin, and carried a half-worn bamboo basket on his back, casually filled with a few common purple Spiritual Plant and withered hemostatic vines.

He deliberately hunched his back, letting his face be hidden in the shadow of a wide straw hat, and intentionally dragged his left foot when walking, looking exactly like a poor Loose Cultivator who had been gathering herbs for years.

While queuing, he noticed that Azure Cloud Sect Disciples paid extra attention to lone Cultivators, especially those carrying Spirit Beasts, who were all taken to a small tent nearby for repeated questioning, with some even being asked to open their Spirit Beast bags for inspection.

"Next!" A Azure Cloud Sect Disciple shouted impatiently, casually waving the treasure- Treasure Appraising Mirror in his hand.

It was a young Cultivator in his early twenties, with an Inner Sect Disciple jade token hanging from his waist, his face filled with arrogance and fatigue.

Wu Guohua slowly stepped forward and proactively opened his bamboo basket.

A few ordinary purple Spiritual Plant lay at the bottom of the basket, their leaves still bearing morning dew, shimmering with fine light in the sunlight.

The treasure- Treasure Appraising Mirror swept over them, the green light showing no change, only reflecting the blurred outlines of a few Spiritual Plant on its surface.

"Go on, go on." The Qingyun Disciple waved his hand in disgust, as if shooing flies, his gaze already turning to the next person.

That was a burly man carrying a huge Sword Qi box, immediately drawing their vigilance.

After walking out a hundred meters, the clothes on Wu Guohua’s back were already soaked, clinging to his skin, chilling to the bone.

He had temporarily tried putting several Storage Pouches into his talent space, and unexpectedly, it succeeded.

This gave him a great surprise—the talent space could not only store Spiritual Plant, but also accommodate Storage Pouches!

If not for this, it would have been difficult for them to bring out the Storage Pouches of Senior Liuhua and Chou Tian Shangren, as well as the large amount of purple iron ore.

Three days later, deep within the Ten Thousand Mountains.

A hidden cave was perfectly concealed by vines, the thick vines like arms, their surfaces covered with barbs, glinting with a purplish-black luster in the sunlight.

The warning Formation at the cave entrance was faintly visible; even if an ordinary person stood in front of it, they wouldn't notice anything unusual.

Wu Guohua tapped the stone wall lightly according to the agreed rhythm—three long, two short, a pause, then three short, one long.

Only then did the three layers of Restriction open in sequence, like invisible curtains being lifted one by one.

"We're safe." Wu Wenwu put down the last Formation Plate, letting out a long sigh of relief, his tense shoulders finally relaxing.

Under the soft glow of the night-luminescent pearls inside the cave, fine beads of sweat were visible on his forehead, sparkling in the light.

This usually composed third uncle could not hide his excitement at this moment, his fingers trembling slightly.

Only then did Wu Guohua take out two Storage Pouches, and under everyone's expectant gaze, he gently tilted the openings downwards.

"Clatter, clatter—"

Spirit Stones poured out like a waterfall, their clinking sound crisp and pleasant, like countless crystal beads falling onto a jade plate.

Over thirty thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones quickly piled into a small mountain, shimmering with dazzling light under the illumination of the night-luminescent pearls, making the entire cave as bright as day.

The Spirit Stones were uniform in size, with sharp edges, and subtle Spiritual Qi patterns faintly visible on their surfaces.

Occasionally, a few Mid-Grade Spirit Stones were mixed in the pile, larger in size, with significantly stronger Spiritual Qi fluctuations, dotting the pile like stars.

Next were twelve second-tier Magical Artifacts: a completely emerald Flying Sword, with faint bamboo patterns on its blade, its edge as thin as a cicada's wing, capable of stirring up green Sword Qi with a gentle flick;

A bronze treasure mirror, its frame carved with intricate cloud patterns, its surface smooth as water, capable of reflecting human outlines;

A white jade ruler, with scattered golden sand forming peculiar patterns on its body, capable of emitting a clear, melodious sound when lightly tapped…

Each item had a restrained spiritual glow, clearly not ordinary.

Wu Wenwu carefully picked up the emerald Flying Sword, its blade trembling slightly in his hand, emitting a pleasant hum.

"This is… the Complete Manual of Azure Cloud Sect's 《Evergreen Art》!" Wu Zhang suddenly exclaimed, holding up a green Jade Slip manual.

The Jade Slip was entirely emerald, its surface smooth as a mirror, glowing faintly in his hand, revealing dense golden characters that flowed like living things on its surface.

"A legitimate Cultivation Technique that goes all the way to Foundation Establishment Great Perfection! It's even more complete than our family's Hun Yuan Art!"

His voice trembled slightly with excitement, his fingers carefully turning the Jade Slip, afraid of damaging this precious Legacy.

Wu Wenwu, however, was more interested in another blood-colored Jade Slip: "《Blood Fiend Scripture》…"

He carefully enveloped the Jade Slip with his true essence; the Jade Slip was entirely blood-red, its surface covered with fine black patterns, like dried bloodstains.

"Although we cannot cultivate it, some of the secret arts recorded within might be worth learning from."

He cautiously opened the first page and was immediately engrossed by its contents, his brows furrowing and relaxing in turn.

When Wu Guohua took out the jade box sealed with a golden Spirit Sealing Talisman, the air in the cave seemed to solidify.

Everyone's gaze was fixed on this palm-sized jade box.

He lightly tapped with his fingertip, and the Talisman fell without a breeze, burning into a wisp of green smoke in the air.

The moment the lid opened, a refreshing fragrance permeated the air, invigorating those who smelled it and sweeping away days of fatigue.

Inside the jade box, a golden Spirit Medicine, shaped like a ganoderma, lay quietly.

Its naturally formed cloud patterns on the surface slowly flowed like living things, sometimes converging, sometimes dispersing.

Most remarkably, these cloud patterns actually formed tiny runes, appearing and disappearing, emitting a faint golden light.

A thin layer of golden mist enveloped the Spirit Medicine, gently rising and falling with the rhythm of breathing.