Chapter 223: Unexpected Gain

Though the Southern Wilderness has towns, most are clustered along the periphery or near sect outposts; between its hundred thousand mountains, ferocious beasts abound, and it’s common to travel a thousand li without seeing a soul.

Meiqiu flew high ahead to scout, while three figures followed close behind, crossing the open, exposed desert before plunging into the dense, sky-blocking Southern Wilderness forest.

Nangong Ye had been consuming Nourishing Qi Pills to recover, but after prolonged exertion, she was now at her limit; after entering the mountains, her speed slowed, and she moved among the towering trees, searching for shelter.

Xie Jinhuan, carried without exertion, now held the soft, plump body in his arms, his gaze constantly fixed behind him; only when he was certain they couldn’t be caught did he check on the person in his arms.

He had already scanned her condition on the road: Sister Hua’s spiritual soul had been struck hard, knocking her unconscious, but fortunately, the Witch Cult specialized in spiritual cultivation and also trained as martialists—she was exceptionally resilient; with rest, she should recover soon.

Now, studying her closely, he realized the serene beauty in his embrace had her full chest pressed against his arms, soft and yielding…

?

Xie Jinhuan sensed something wrong, lowered his grip slightly, and glanced upward at the ice lump.

Seeing the ice lump hadn’t noticed this breach of propriety, he exhaled in relief—though a strange feeling stirred in his chest.

After all, what image did Nangong Immortal hold in his mind?

A legendary beauty swordsman famed across the Dajiangnanbei, the second-ranked peak elder of Danzhou, the strongest first-rank cultivator who slew countless demons and monsters, the dream bride he’d heard of since childhood…

He couldn’t say for sure before, but now, the ice lump’s demeanor matched Nangong Immortal perfectly…

Xie Jinhuan had once harbored doubts, but the ice lump had skillfully concealed it; he hadn’t dared be certain—only now did he understand why past oddities had felt so awkward.

Given the situation, he accepted it easily—but Mo Mo would likely find it unbelievable, and the ice lump herself couldn’t possibly accept it…

What should he do now…

Maybe ask the White Hair Immortal to issue a “Sacred Edict”—a master’s command is heaven’s will…

Xie Jinhuan knew the ice lump’s nature; if he called her “Nangong Senior” now, she’d immediately flee ten thousand li in shame and fury—so he thought, then looked up:

“Lady Du, did Qixia True Person secretly teach you Thunder Art?”

“?”

Nangong Ye, focused on surrounding threats, had also begun to feel uneasy after entering the forest, unsure how to explain.

Hearing Xie Jinhuan suddenly say this, she froze slightly:

“Hmm… yes.”

“I knew it! Last time on Zihui Mountain, Qixia True Person deliberately sent me away—I wondered what she was up to. You just said it had to do with Qingming Sword Manor’s legacy. I guessed she saw you looked like an Immortal and favored Thunder Art, so she taught you a few moves, right?”

“…”

Nangong Ye hadn’t expected this brat to be so imaginative; she nodded like Meiqiu:

“Exactly.”

Xie Jinhuan turned his gaze to the fairy in his arms:

“Then how did Sister Hua, a martialist, learn Poison Mist? Was that also taught by Qixia True Person?”

Seeing her disguise still intact, Nangong Ye felt a flicker of relief and quickly fabricated:

“I’ve always competed with her—I leaned toward Daoist arts, she toward Witchcraft. I dabbled a bit in the past. Sect matters are hard to explain in detail; let’s find a place to rest first.”

“Oh…”

Xie Jinhuan said no more, weaving through the forest until he found a recessed crack beneath a cliff.

They slipped inside; Xie Jinhuan placed the fairy on the ground and checked her pulse.

Nangong Ye’s heart pounded as she watched Xie Jinhuan’s expression.

But Xie Jinhuan’s posture and bearing, honed since age three, could never betray a flaw.

Seeing this, Nangong Ye could only assume she hadn’t been exposed, and gently held up Huayuehua:

“Rest a while—I’ll watch over her.”

Xie Jinhuan didn’t object; he moved to the perimeter and gazed upward at the canopy.

Pupu pupu~

Meiqiu had taken another Grain Grain Bigu Pill, but after flying all day, she was hungry; landing on his shoulder, she shook her head and opened her mouth wide—clearly demanding her share!

But Xie Jinhuan had no way to secure another divine gift for Meiqiu; he fed her a handful of dried meat strips, then told her to resume sentry duty, before sitting down and pulling out two objects to examine.

The items were taken from the last unknown old ghost: one was a black cylindrical tube, finger-length, containing several scraps of paper with unusual texture—contents were cultivation methods.

The ghost bride, Yingsui, appeared before him, glancing briefly:

“Fragments of the Zhu Man Sacrificial Witch Scripture—a culmination of ancient Witch Cult techniques, compiled by the Corpse Ancestor, destroyed entirely after the war. The Qiyue Manor’s techniques seem derived from this forbidden book.”

Xie Jinhuan knew Wanyi’s techniques were powerful, but their side effects were extreme—someone had tampered with them, possibly turning her into a vessel for evil.

If these were all fragments from the Corpse Ancestor’s compilation, then he likely designed this divine art as a curse; after the war, various factions, unaware, fought over it—and Qiyue Manor’s ancestors got lucky and acquired a portion…

Xie Jinhuan judged this item, though rare, was no blessing; he stowed it away, then turned to the other object—a broken iron shard.

The iron shard, seemingly chiseled from something larger, bore fine patterns on its flat side, its texture extremely dense.

Ye Hongshang examined it closely, her eyes slightly puzzled:

“This appears to be Fishscale Copper, from Qilin Cave—like Purple Gold Stone, it can forge Immortal Artifacts, but this piece has already been refined.”

Xie Jinhuan, just by texture, knew it was chiseled from a pre-forged Immortal Artifact. But Immortal Artifacts were prohibitively expensive—usually palm-sized tools like Yin-Yang Rulers, Exorcism Maces, or Imperial Fire Edicts; raw ore required a full cartload.

For something like the Zhenglun Sword, a large Immortal Artifact with two runes, the materials were even more extreme; only the White Hair Immortal could have seized them—no one else could have gathered them.

Yet this iron shard was fist-sized, and he couldn’t tell what it came from—meaning the original object must have been enormous.

Could it be the Emperor’s Cauldron…

Xie Jinhuan had never seen the Emperor’s Cauldron; he turned to the ice lump:

“This seems to be Fishscale Copper—can you tell what artifact it came from?”

Nangong Ye, distracted, had been pinching the demoness’s cheek; now she turned back, her gaze sharpening as she studied the iron shard:

“It does look like Fishscale Copper. Where did you get this?”

“Just now, after eliminating that unknown old ghost—I picked it up.”

“You had time to pick up things then?”

“Practice makes perfect—can’t let a fight go to waste…”

Nangong Ye was impressed by Xie Jinhuan; she studied it carefully:

“Immortal Artifacts are more valuable than the Five Divine Gifts, but this piece… its fracture lacks array patterns—it seems chiseled from an unimportant spot. I can’t tell what the original was.”

Xie Jinhuan casually wrapped his arm around Nangong Sword Immortal’s waist:

"Then we’ll investigate later. Can such a large piece be forged into an Immortal Artifact?"

Nangong Ye stiffened—but remembering his earlier behavior, she let him hold her:

“When forging an Immortal Artifact, you must add various materials at once—it’s extremely difficult, and once destroyed, it can’t be repaired.”

“This Fishscale Copper has already been refined—it can’t be recast into another Immortal Artifact, but it can be forged into armor. Armor made from Immortal Artifact fragments can withstand even Exorcism Maces.”

Xie Jinhuan understood—it was a special alloy; after an Immortal Artifact broke, remelting it couldn’t reforge the rune array—it lost its properties but retained its durability.

A fist-sized iron shard, melted and flattened, could become a breastplate or arm guards—small in area, but utterly invulnerable, worthy of top-tier equipment.

“Why didn’t that old ghost melt it into a breastplate? If he had this, we couldn’t have shattered it.”

“Without Yan Yan’s True Fire, how do you melt it? Put it in a furnace—the furnace burns away, and this thing remains.”

“Oh, right…”

“By the way, where did you get that Huang Lin Seal you pretended to use for fire art? That’s a tool from Huanglin Temple.”

“I acquired it while killing… exterminating demons.”

…

Huhuhu~

Outside, the night wind howled; three figures sat and lay, chatting idly.

Nangong Ye studied the iron shard for a while, puzzled—why had so many ultra-grade experts appeared today?

Lu Wu said the world was a poison pot because resources were scarce and cultivators too numerous, yet breakthroughs depended heavily on resources.

Herbs like Fengyu Grass and Tigerbone Vine grew one per year—originally five, but after the Witch Cult, only four remained; without these, only cultivators like Xie Jinhuan and Ye Sheng, with similar talent, could cross the Heavenly Threshold on their own.

Thus, over the past 120 years, the world had produced at most five hundred ultra-grade cultivators; accounting for natural death, losses, and unused opportunities, the actual number was far lower, and density extremely low. Even in Daqian, where top cultivators were most numerous, divided among thirty-two provinces, each province had only one or two.

If news spread after Winter Solstice, it wouldn’t be strange if Fire Phoenix Valley produced many ultra-grade cultivators—this item appeared only once every sixty years, offering cultivators a chance to enter the fifth realm; any ultra-grade who learned of it would rush to seize the opportunity.

But it wasn’t even October yet—Lu Yan, using divination and the Imperial Fire Edict, had arrived early to seek treasure—but how did the other three get here…?

…

Nangong Ye pondered silently, unable to fathom the truth, when suddenly she felt a hand slowly slide down her waist, kneading and rubbing.

?

Nangong Ye glanced at Huayuehua—seeing the demoness hadn’t awakened—her eyes turned cold:

“What are you doing?”

Xie Jinhuan was just bored; seeing the ice lump turn, he immediately leaned in.

Pop pop pop~

?!

Nangong Ye pulled back, gesturing toward the demoness:

“Sister Hua is still here—she saved you and got hurt. Are you heartless?”

Xie Jinhuan realized he couldn’t kiss Sister Hua—she was resting; he couldn’t just stare. He sighed:

“After surviving this ordeal, I’m just excited. We’ll talk about it later.”

Talk about what later?

Nangong Ye felt the brat would drive her mad with his demands later—but she’d taken so many good items she couldn’t just deny him; she merely showed a faint look of annoyance, shifting slightly away.

After this playful exchange, half an hour passed; their dantians recovered over half their energy through pills.

Still in danger, they dared not linger; Xie Jinhuan once again lifted Sister Hua into his arms, while Nangong Ye carried both, speeding northward…

(End of chapter)