Chapter 78: Dividing the Treasures

Di Xin's attainments in array formations were indeed high; everyone had underestimated this Formation Guest's ability to break arrays.

When the fake Long Xuan arrived, he discovered that Di Xin had already broken the array. On the surface of the magma, one stone pillar after another had appeared, visible to the naked eye, forming a dense, vast expanse that connected to a stone door on the distant cliff wall.

Unsurprisingly, this stone door was the cave abode that Li Laodao had spoken of.

By this time, the group, led by Di Xin, was already walking toward the stone door and had covered half the distance.

Hearing the commotion behind them, the few turned their heads in unison. Upon discovering that he had returned, expressions of disappointment immediately appeared on their faces.

To think he had caught up; he returned at such a timely moment. How did he return so quickly? Was he simple-minded?

"Sorry to have kept you all waiting. I'm not late, am I?"

Long Xuan offered a greeting, uttered a piece of nonsense, and followed after them.

Since the array had already been broken, there was naturally no need to worry about triggering mechanisms, so he walked straight over.

"You broke the ancient array so quickly? How on earth did you do it?"

After catching up to the group, Long Xuan asked impatiently.

He hadn't actually gone to the latrine just now, which was why he had returned so quickly, but for Di Xin to have broken the array in such a short time was something that forced him to look at her with new eyes.

Judging from the surface alone, this ancient array was definitely not something easy to break.

Di Xin raised a token in her hand and waved it before Long Xuan's eyes, saying with a somewhat smug expression, "Of course this ancient array isn't easy to break. I merely forged an array token."

"This Cave Master went to great lengths to set up this deadly array, considering every situation, but he had one lapse in judgment: he never imagined that there would be someone in this world capable of forging an array token."

Hearing this, Long Xuan suddenly realized. An array token was essentially a remote control for an array; if one had the token, one could fully control the grand array, making it unnecessary to exert effort to break it.

He truly hadn't expected that passing through this deadly array would be so simple; he had thought this stage would hold them up for a long time.

Li Laodao also revealed a look of surprise and asked, "Since you already have the array token, does that mean the dangers within the cave abode will no longer pose a threat to us?"

"That's right!" Di Xin nodded and said, "It's fortunate you didn't push open that stone door at the time. Your caution was correct."

"If you hadn't resisted the temptation in your heart back then and had rashly opened that stone door, what would have greeted you would have been a waterfall of magma, drenching you into a drowned chicken."

Hearing this, Li Laodao couldn't help but shiver uncontrollably. Thinking of the scene of being scalded by magma, he felt a lingering fear.

Heaven knows that at the time, relying on the undying ability of his Cockroach Gu as a backup, there had been a fifty-percent chance he would have opened the stone door.

In the end, it was purely through drawing lots that he decided not to open it; that extraordinary luck had actually saved his life once again.

Thinking about it now, it was as if he had walked through the gates of hell. No matter how strong the Cockroach Gu was, it couldn't take a bath in magma.

When the time came, he would surely have been burned to ashes by the magma; even having eight Cockroach Gu wouldn't have saved him.

He had to be thankful that he had sought out Di Xin; otherwise, no matter who he teamed up with today, he would have been unable to escape death.

While the group was chatting, they had already walked to the stone door. Di Xin, having no doubts about her technique for forging the array token, pushed the stone door open without the slightest hesitation and was the first to walk inside.

Long Xuan followed firmly behind her, as if she could provide him with a sense of security.

The journey was safe and without incident, unexpectedly smooth. No mishaps occurred at all; the group walked all the way to the end and reached the Cave Master's residence without encountering any danger, so smoothly that everyone felt it was inconceivable.

Shouldn't there at least be one battle to obtain the treasures? Yet there wasn't. They had arrived at the treasure-dividing stage just like that. What had they come in such large numbers for? Clearly, Di Xin alone would have been enough.

At the deepest part of the passage was a secret chamber, and behind the chamber was a stone door with a combination lock, looking like the Cave Master's treasure vault.

In the very center of the secret chamber sat a skeleton dressed in black clothes, in a meditative posture, sitting on a straw mat with a storage bag hanging from its waist.

Seeing this storage bag, everyone's eyes lit up.

"It seems this senior failed in breaking through a life-and-death barrier and passed away," the Little Medicine Boy said after taking a look.

He forcibly shifted his gaze away; he understood that regardless of what was in that storage bag, it had nothing to do with him.

Li Laodao was the first to look at the stone door with the combination lock. He was the initiator of this treasure-hunting operation, and the cave abode had been discovered by him; according to the rules, the most valuable item in the cave abode should rightfully belong to him.

But now, anyone could see that the Cave Master's most valuable items were definitely in that treasure vault with the combination lock.

This is a matter that doesn't even need thinking about; if there were a pile of junk inside, why bother with a combination lock? Wouldn't that just be like taking off one's pants to fart—an unnecessary extra step?

Therefore, there must be heaven-defying treasures behind that door; anyone could see that.

Following his gaze, the others also turned their eyes toward the stone door.

Li Dashan looked at Di Xin and spoke first: "The Town-Securing Treasure must be inside that stone door. Shall we open this stone door first?"

"According to the rules, the Town-Securing Treasure belongs to Li Laodao, but I am very curious about what is inside. How about we open it to let everyone broaden their horizons?"

The others also looked at Di Xin in unison, all revealing looks of anticipation for what lay behind the door.

Di Xin rolled her eyes at them and said helplessly, "Can't you see? The combination is a mechanism, not an array. My array token cannot break that door at all."

"Unless someone knows the combination, I am powerless against this door."

"You must not think about breaking it by force. If this stone door could be broken by force, there would be no need to set a combination lock at all."

"If you mess with it, what you trigger won't be an array, but an unknown mechanism."

"Mechanism arts are already beyond my scope of expertise; they are my blind spot, and I have no way to deal with them."

"I don't know what will happen if you mess with that door, but in any case, it won't be anything good."

"It's even possible that magma might suddenly flood the entire cave and bury us all."

Her words were like a basin of cold water splashed over everyone's heads, instantly sobering them all up.

Put that way, didn't it mean that the door couldn't be opened, and the things inside were destined to have nothing to do with them?

At this, Li Laodao finally became anxious. He was the beneficiary of the Town-Securing Treasure; if the door didn't open, he was the one suffering the loss. The Town-Securing Treasure was right before his eyes, yet he couldn't take it away—how could he be willing? How could he not be anxious?

However, the Cave Master had already been dead for who knows how many years; where were they supposed to get the combination?

As long as the Cave Master wasn't stupid, it was impossible for him to foolishly leave the combination in this secret chamber. In other words, there was no way they could get the combination, unless the Cave Master came back to life.

"Is there really no other way? How about we try a few more times? I have good luck; last time, I almost walked in with just one life."

"Maybe this time my luck will explode, and I'll accidentally guess the combination?"

Di Xin looked at him with the eyes one would use for an idiot. He still wanted to accidentally guess the combination? Was he running a fever? What was he thinking?

"If you were the Cave Master of this cave abode, would you give others unlimited opportunities to enter the combination?" Di Xin countered.

Hearing this, Li Laodao froze for a moment and finally calmed down. There was no need to think twice; definitely not. Any normal person wouldn't.

This combination definitely had a limit on the number of attempts; it could be three times, or perhaps just once.

Once the combination was wrong consecutively, it was possible to trigger the mechanism and cause unknown danger.

He became somewhat irritable. There was a treasure mountain placed right in front of him, yet he couldn't touch it; this had to be said to be a quite maddening thing.

Long Xuan had by now walked to the combination lock and looked at it carefully. Good heavens, there were actually twenty gears, and each gear had ten numbers, from one to ten.

Anyone who had studied mathematics understood how many permutations this would have; it was simply an astronomical figure. How were you going to guess? Guess one for me and let me see!

Still wanting to accidentally guess it? I'll guess his big head! Was he taught math by his physical education teacher?

Even if he were a Child of Fortune, he wouldn't be able to guess it.

Long Xuan had already made up his mind: as long as Li Laodao dared to go up and guess, he would immediately turn around and run. He didn't want to be buried with him.

"Forget it! Forget it! Since this treasure has nothing to do with us, we don't need to force it. Safety above all else." Li Dashan stood out at this moment to console him.

Even if the treasures behind the stone door were astonishingly valuable, they belonged to Li Laodao; they definitely had nothing to do with him.

Since that was the case, he was naturally unwilling to risk his own life, so he would naturally stand out and suggest not opening the stone door. He wasn't the beneficiary, after all.

Presumably, everyone held the same view. It was human nature; even if Long Xuan wasn't, wouldn't he run too?

Li Laodao scanned everyone's faces one by one and finally sighed. He knew that risking everyone's lives was truly too selfish.

If he really did that, the others would definitely stop him, and by then, he would likely provoke public anger.

But if he just gave up like this, how could he be willing? Li Dashan was standing and talking without back pain; if the ownership of the Town-Securing Treasure belonged to him, would he say give up and give up?

So be it. If he didn't want it, he didn't want it. At worst, he would just sell the location of this treasure vault; it could also sell for a sky-high price.

Thinking of the matter of someone selling a treasure map at an auction a few years ago, his heart suddenly burned with heat, and he no longer felt the dejection from just a moment ago.

Since someone could make a fortune by selling treasure locations, he could completely imitate that.

What if he took the location of this treasure vault to an auction? The transaction price definitely wouldn't be low; it would absolutely allow him to make a big profit, which was better than coming away empty-handed.

Long Xuan's actions could be considered to have thoroughly given him inspiration, making him no longer struggle. The unwilling emotions vanished instantly, and his mood also suddenly brightened.

"Sigh! Originally, I was determined to open this stone door, but how could I not consider the safety of my teammates? Wouldn't that make me a selfish person? So I can only sacrifice my small self to fulfill everyone else and decide not to open this door."

"No choice, who told me to be kind-hearted? Sigh..."

Li Laodao sighed and lamented, looking like a saint, which left everyone staring in a daze.

Was this speed of changing faces too fast? He decided not to open it so quickly? What exactly was it that made him make a decision so fast?

Everyone was puzzled and looked at him with suspicious eyes. Was he really that easy to talk to? Could there be a trick? Everyone thought this in their hearts.

"Hey! What kind of expression is that? Are you doubting me? In the entire market, who doesn't know that I, Li Laodao, have always meant what I said? If I say I won't open it, I won't open it. If I open it, I'm a dog!"

"I just thought that the Cave Master left a storage bag outside, didn't he? It must contain rich treasures, so this trip of mine won't be a total loss. Since I already have gains, I'll quit while I'm ahead. It's fine not to open this door!"

Li Laodao spoke with a very magnanimous appearance. Those who didn't know would truly think he was very open-minded and viewed treasures as dirt.

Because he said this, the suspicion on everyone's faces lessened slightly, and then they shifted their gaze to the storage bag at the skeleton's waist, their eyes becoming hot again.

Everyone subconsciously forgot about the previous matter and focused all their attention on this storage bag, their eyes filled with anticipation.

This storage bag was what concerned everyone's interests; what gains they could have from this trip all depended on this storage bag.

The tense and exciting treasure-dividing stage was about to arrive; how could they not be excited?

"This person must be someone proficient in array formations. Presumably, there must be books on array formations in the storage bag. How about all books on array formations belong to me?" Di Xin was the first to speak.

However, Long Xuan also wanted the array books. His Entering the Subtle Faction array formations hadn't even begun to be researched, and he was in urgent need of supplementing his knowledge of array formations.

This Cave Master's attainments in array formations were clearly not low, and he didn't want to let such an array inheritance slip by.

Thus, Long Xuan spoke up: "There might be cultivation methods, spirit techniques, body techniques, and Gu formulas in the storage bag. I suggest that everyone copy a set of all knowledge inheritances. That way, everyone's interests can be maximized."

Although he didn't mention array books, his words directly included them as well. He truly had a good plan.

Di Xin glared at him secretly.

As soon as he finished speaking, the Little Medicine Boy was the first to raise his hand and shouted loudly: "I agree! I raise both hands and feet in favor!"

Of course he would agree immediately. Originally, according to the agreement, the portion of treasures belonging to him would all go to Long Xuan.

But if everyone copied a set of all knowledge inheritances, then Long Xuan having two identical inheritances would be useless, and there would be no need to snatch his manuscript. In this way, he wouldn't come away with nothing from this trip.

After the Little Medicine Boy responded first, the others also expressed their agreement one after another. After all, this was a good thing for everyone, maximizing everyone's gains, so they had no reason to disagree.

Seeing that everyone agreed, Di Xin ultimately didn't say anything in opposition.

Come to think of it, since she could sell the array books she swiped from others as soon as she wanted, there was naturally no reason for her to insist on monopolizing the array inheritance here.

Seeing that his scheme had succeeded, Long Xuan immediately said to Li Laodao: "Since everyone has agreed, let's start dividing the treasures. Li Laodao, will you do it, or shall I?"

"Of course it's me. I am the initiator of the mission." He immediately ran to the skeleton, rubbing his hands and laughing excitedly, finally pulling the storage bag hanging from the skeleton's waist and holding it in his hand.

Then, without even checking what was in the storage bag, he poured out all the treasures inside right in front of everyone.

Instantly, a dazzling array of treasures piled up on the ground, various treasures piled up like a mountain, and many treasures were still glowing, dazzling everyone's eyes.

There were pills, books, spirit swords, clothing, and various kinds of materials... Among them, spirit stones were the most numerous, occupying one-half of the treasures, and more than half were actually medium-grade spirit stones, with even upper-grade spirit stones present.

After seeing clearly what was in the storage bag, the Little Medicine Boy's heart suddenly skipped a beat. It's over; it was actually a Gu King's storage bag. This was a huge loss.

How could a scattered cultivator in this region cultivate to become a Gu King? One had to know that scattered cultivators had no inheritance, and even cultivation methods to reach the Gu King stage were hard to obtain. He was completely baffled and thoroughly confused.

This storage bag was very fat, very fat, with numerous treasures, and all kinds of treasures, making everyone's eyes dazzled.

However, if one had to say which of the treasures all over the ground had the highest value, it was naturally the various kinds of books.

The most valuable thing in this world was knowledge. Any knowledge in this world was cherished like a broom and never passed on to outsiders; in this world, knowledge was priceless.

Everyone's breathing became rapid, and their eyes revealed incomparably greedy gazes.

"This senior was actually a Gu King! The cultivation method he practiced is a cultivation method sufficient to reach the Gu King stage! We've struck it rich this time; none of us need to worry about subsequent cultivation methods anymore!"

Seeing the cultivation methods on the ground, Li Laodao's eyes turned red, and he was about to weep with joy.

This was a cultivation method practiced by a Gu King, a cultivation method sufficient to support him in cultivating to the Soul Departure stage.

As a scattered cultivator, what was the hardest thing? Naturally, it was the lack of inheritance. In this world, no matter what knowledge it was, it was kept secret and not passed on, and the concept of cherishing one's own broom prevailed.

As a scattered cultivator in this world, it was truly too difficult. One couldn't learn anything and had to rely on one's own exploration for everything, which made it extremely difficult for scattered cultivators to grow.

Being able to cultivate to the Spirit Sea stage was already quite a difficult thing; being able to cultivate to the Gu King stage was enough to shock everyone.

It wasn't just because of the problem of resource shortages; it was entirely because there was no inheritance. You didn't even have a cultivation method to reach the Spirit Sea stage, so how could you talk about breaking through the Spirit Sea?

Each family's cultivation methods were kept secret and not passed on, becoming the biggest constraint on the growth of scattered cultivators.

Yet now, a Gu King's cultivation method was placed before him; the biggest problem constraining scattered cultivators had been solved. How could he not be excited? How could he not be thrilled?

He was so excited he was almost going crazy.

It wasn't just him; everyone was ecstatic, as if possessed, feeling only that a great road leading to the Gu King stage was placed before everyone.

The path of Gu cultivation from now on would be smooth sailing. Just thinking about it made their breathing rapid; they couldn't control their moods at all.

Only the Little Medicine Boy had a mournful face, his intestines turning green with regret. However, thinking of the agreement everyone had just made to copy a set of all knowledge inheritances, it meant he had a chance to learn the Gu King's cultivation method, and he wouldn't have to worry about cultivation methods in the future.

Having a complete Gu King inheritance meant he had the possibility of cultivating to the Gu King stage; this was a heaven-sent opportunity.

His gains from this trip could definitely not be considered small. Thinking this way, he didn't know whether he should cry or laugh.

Li Laodao looked at the mountain of treasures before him with hot eyes and said very excitedly: "Alright! According to the rules, I, the discoverer of this cave abode, will take away one-half of the treasures, and I have priority in picking the most astonishingly valuable treasures here. The remaining treasures will be divided equally among the others."

"If you all have no objections, then I will distribute the treasures."

Li Laodao scanned the few people's faces one by one. Seeing that no one objected, he began to distribute the treasures on the ground.

He wasn't stupid. Wealth moves people's hearts. In the face of huge interests, there were simply too many examples of teammates turning against each other.

Because of one heavy treasure, a team killing each other was already the norm in this world; how could he not guard against it?

Therefore, he was extremely cautious in this treasure-hunting trip. The people he chose were all people whose character he could trust one hundred percent. Everyone on this trip was carefully selected by him; he didn't want anyone with even a slightly bad reputation.

He also believed in his own judgment of people; he believed that the people he chose would absolutely not have any problems.

In the end, it was indeed as he expected; the people he chose didn't disappoint him, and not a single one had any problems, making him reveal a satisfied smile.

Long Xuan still didn't know that he had already been given a "good person" card by someone, and it was by a "good old man" carefully selected by Li Laodao in the market. If he knew Li Laodao's thoughts, he wouldn't know whether to cry or laugh.

The title of "good person" in this world was definitely not a title worth praising. He didn't want to be labeled as a "good old man."

There were simply too many treasures on the ground. If they waited for Li Laodao to finish dividing them, who knows how long that would take?

Thus, Long Xuan immediately took out the paper and pen he carried with him and began to copy the various knowledge inheritances on the ground.

For someone who was often addicted to creation, paper and pen were must-haves in the storage bag; they belonged to the must-carry items.

Seeing his actions, everyone finally reacted and revealed looks of excitement, running over one after another to prepare to copy the books on the ground.

However, they soon realized a problem: what normal person would carry a pile of paper and pen when going out? Were they going out to sketch?

Even if someone had the habit of keeping a diary, a blank book would be enough. Who would be idle enough to carry a pile of paper?

Therefore, the other scattered cultivators either had no paper on them, or not enough paper, far from enough to copy so many books; many people didn't even have a pen.

When they saw Long Xuan pile a thick stack of paper on the ground, everyone was stunned on the spot, thoroughly confused.

"Why do you carry so much paper! Is this all for you to wipe your butt?" The Little Medicine Boy immediately exclaimed.

"Uh? Don't you all carry paper and pen when you go out? You're so unprepared."

Long Xuan finally discovered the situation of his teammates and looked at them in astonishment, as if it were they who were abnormal.

Everyone had black lines on their heads.

This weirdo!

Di Xin poked Long Xuan's shoulder with her slender finger and said without the slightest embarrassment: "Lend me some paper and pen; I'll return them to you when I go back."

The only Spirit Refining stage expert in the team had spoken; how could Long Xuan dare not obey? If she were to rely on her high cultivation level and forcibly snatch all the books because she didn't have paper, that would be a disaster.

Therefore, Long Xuan was more than happy to lend her the paper.

"Why say that? Why talk about 'lending'? Saying 'lend' is too distant. I'll just give them to you; they're all mortal things and aren't worth any money at all. Just take them and use them."

Long Xuan generously divided a stack of paper for Di Xin and also handed her a pen.

Seeing that everyone else was looking at him eagerly, Long Xuan was helpless and treated everyone equally, dividing some paper to the others as well, to save them from saying he favored the opposite sex over his friends.

Paper and pen were mortal objects; for a Gu cultivator, they were worth at most one spirit stone. Long Xuan didn't feel any heartache giving them away; using some insignificant things to exchange for a few people's favors was completely worth it.

Just like that, the few sat on the ground and began to copy books frantically, and the scene suddenly became quiet.

Only Long Xuan took out a table and chair from his storage bag and sat on the chair, copying books comfortably.

For someone who often used paper and pen to liver formulas, tables and chairs were naturally essential items. Him taking out a table and chair was reasonable, right?

However, his "reasonable" was a monster in the eyes of others. Who brings a table and chair when going out? Did he come here to study?

Long Xuan's actions once again made everyone's eyelids twitch, their faces filled with confusion.

They had to suspect, did this Long Xuan bring his bed too? What else was there that he didn't dare to bring? Where on earth did this master come from?

There was also a pile of delicacies like honey-glazed barbecue inside. Did he come here for a vacation? What was there in that storage bag that couldn't be packed?

Everyone was collectively speechless, thoroughly shocked by Long Xuan. Seeing him take out tea and a fruit platter from the storage bag and place them on the table, the expressions of the few could no longer be held back.

They forcibly turned their heads away, no longer looking at this weirdo, and finally began to copy the cultivation methods with peace of mind, but the fragrance in the air and the sound of eating coming from their ears always made it impossible for them to calm their hearts...

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 79 =====