Chapter 183: Dao Scripture

These items are all treasures that Duan De obtained after visiting various ruins and great tombs.

Although he doesn't fully understand some of them, relying on his ruthless eyesight, he dares to assert that these items' origins are absolutely extraordinary.

"Daoist Priest, aren't you afraid of suffering a loss?"

Yang Zhu reminded, given Duan De's character of treating wealth as life, if the value of these items far exceeds that of holy weapons, he'd probably feel a pang of pain.

"What nonsense, we're brothers; even if I give these to you, what's the harm?"

The unscrupulous Daoist patted his belly, slightly adjusted his Daoist robe, presenting an imposing and dignified appearance.

"Alright."

Yang Zhu, without hesitation, his finger flashing with divine light, lightly drew and cut the stone block.

In the next instant, it was as if the gates of Yanluo Hell had opened; a stern aura surged forth, a cold wind blew from somewhere, making everyone feel a chill down their backs.

After the stone was cut open, a piece of blood jade was revealed; its strong bloody smell rushed straight to the crown of the head, almost causing the person to choke and hold their breath.

The blood jade seemed to be formed by being soaked in endless blood; its grim, sinister aura was like countless sharp blades—just getting close caused the soul to feel a tearing pain.

"What exactly is this thing? It looks rather sinister..."

The big black dog's fur stood on end from fright, trembling, and it instinctively retreated a considerable distance.

"Could this be the Myriad Souls Jade?" Duan De clapped his hands, recognizing the item, somewhat shocked.

"It is said that on the ancient battlefield, which was extremely tragic, corpses lay everywhere and blood flowed like rivers; among them there was a kind of..."

According to Duan De's introduction, because the ancient battlefield was often extremely tragic, the flowing blood accumulated over tens of thousands of years would condense into a kind of strange stone.

It is formed by nourishment from countless people's blood, more or less stained with the souls of the deceased; although it is a piece of jade, faint wails of evil spirits can be heard, making it an ominous object.

However, extremes reverse; although the Myriad Souls Jade belongs to extreme yin, representing calamity and licentiousness, it nevertheless has the effect of dispelling demons.

"This is a good thing; that... can the poor Daoist exchange other items for it with you?"

The unscrupulous Daoist's eyes lit up, his heart stirred; he wanted to obtain this item, for it would be of great use to him.

To show sincerity, Duan De rummaged through his belongings and finally produced a bronze fragment, intending to use it for exchange.

"How do you also have this?"

Yang Zhu was very familiar with that bronze fragment; its source was the same as the one he obtained in the Immortal Ascension Pool—both were fragments of the Emperor's Cauldron.

"Ah? This is what the poor Daoist initially took from a sage's corpse, but after researching it for a long time, he found no clue at all."

Duan De stroked his chin, pondering for a while before recalling.

He had thought the bronze fragment was a treasure, but after researching it for years he still gained nothing; thereafter he rarely took it out.

"Take it."

Yang Zhu took the bronze piece, confirmed it was correct, and then stored it together with the other four pieces.

"This Golden Crow Ancient Jade isn't particularly special; it seems like a kind of trust token... the stone carving bears Daoist markings, but it appears activation requires meeting certain conditions."

After carefully weighing the Golden Crow Ancient Jade and the stone carving, there wasn't much gain; Yang Zhu had no choice but to shift his gaze to the last item.

That was a sheet of paper covered in dirt, about twenty centimeters long, rough in texture, with no writing on it, appearing no different from scrap paper.

"Woof! Dead fatty, you won't try to fool us with trash, will you?" The big black dog stared fixedly at Duan De, baring a mouthful of white teeth; looking at his posture, he seemed ready to bite down hard at the slightest disagreement.

"Impossible! Once, when the Daoist priest passed by a cliff, this paper reacted, turning golden; it is definitely a treasure!"

Duan De puffed out his chest, fully confident that his items were problem-free.

"This is..."

A purple-gold divine light flashed between Yang Zhu's eyebrows, entered the paper; subsequently, under the astonished gazes of everyone, the paper changed! The dirt-covered paper emitted a dazzling golden radiance, and then its ordinary appearance faded away, revealing a golden sheet.

The golden page seemed to be forged from immortal gold; its whole body was crystalline, divine light shining brightly, emitting a holy golden radiance, brilliant and dazzling! Originally light and airy, it suddenly became immensely heavy, comparable to a great mountain, feeling weighty in hand.

On the golden page were densely packed ancient characters, each as brilliant as stars, possessing profound mysteries.

Moreover, the number of ancient characters was enormous, front and back; on a palm-sized area, tens of thousands were crammed in.

"The Dragon Transformation Scroll and Immortal Platform Scroll in the Dao Scripture..."

Yang Zhu's mind sank into them, comprehending the profundities of those ancient characters; soon he astonishedly discovered that these were actually the last two volumes of the Dao Scripture! Although incomplete, being imperial scriptures, their value is immeasurable! "Where did you obtain this golden page?" Yang Zhu asked.

"Let me think..." Duan De stroked his chin, again falling into deep thought; he had visited too many ancient tombs to recall at once.

After a full quarter of an hour, Duan De's eyes lit up and he exclaimed: "I remember now, this was obtained from the Ji family ancestral tomb!"

He had been keeping watch on Ji Shui for years; once he seized the opportunity, he quietly slipped into the great tomb where the Ji clan's ancestors were buried.

"Damn it, thinking about this makes me angry; after finally getting in, I hadn't even started before triggering the defensive formation patterns; in the panic, the poor Daoist only managed to grab this thing afterward."

As the memory gradually cleared, Duan De cursed repeatedly; he had expended the strength of nine oxen and two tigers to dig in, yet who knew that place was filled with formation patterns everywhere.

A slight mistake would have triggered it; fortunately his methods were superb and his fate tough, allowing him to barely escape; otherwise they might all have perished there.

"However, speaking of which, the Daoist priest's skills have improved considerably; with the Black Emperor joining forces, even the Great Emperor's relics can be approached!"

Having just finished cursing, Duan De's eyes rolled, and he immediately burst into loud laughter.

"Exactly! Then we'll have two moves to dig up a Great Emperor..."

The big black dog wore a lecherous expression, wicked and vile; its large black paw naturally rested on the unscrupulous Daoist's shoulder.

"You guys..."

Seeing this, the Holy Maiden of Yaochi was speechless; these two fellows truly fear neither heaven nor earth, daring to dig up even the Great Emperor's relics.

Yang Zhu paid no attention to those two, instead immersing himself completely in the Dao Scripture; for a moment he entered a very wondrous state.

Tens of thousands of ancient characters, profound and mysterious, at this moment came alive from the golden page, floating in his mind; their profundities were comprehended one by one.

"Do not disturb him."

The Holy Maiden of Yaochi made a silencing gesture, indicating that the big black dog and Duan De should not speak to disturb him.

Although these two usually frolic about, facing Yang Zhu they were unusually obedient; in an instant they fell silent, making no sound.

Finally, being utterly bored, they tiptoed away a bit, running off to stroll nearby.

(End of Chapter)