Chapter 75: Wait a Little Longer

Jiang Yu affixed an invisibility talisman, looked around, staying on high alert, because the valley was littered with corpses and shattered artifacts.

Moreover, aside from the barrier sealing both ends of the valley, everything else had been destroyed.

She tied her spiritual sword with a cloth behind her, holding the practice sword in her hand, and said, "Senior, can your divine sense detect anyone inside the valley?"

Heh, the little girl now calls me senior; how pragmatic.

Xuantang Xingjun strained to extend his divine sense, but having been away from his body for too long, he could only scan a hundred‑li radius.

But on looking, he saw a cultivator running from the far end of the valley, heading straight for here.

"Min Wu?" he recognized at a glance.

Jiang Yu, hearing that, quickly suppressed her aura and slipped into an inconspicuous corner; before long, she saw two cultivators entering the valley.

Moreover, the masks on their faces were ones she had just seen earlier.

Unfortunately, her gaze could not stay on them; she silently watched them rush toward a mountain slab on the valley's east side, feeling around for something.

One of them halted and said, "Here."

Thus the two of them performed several intricate hand seals on the seemingly ordinary slab.

Then a stone door opened there and rose with their combined effort.

"The opening method only the secret‑treasury elder knows—interesting," Xuantang Xingjun's voice reached Jiang Yu's ears.

Jiang Yu wanted to ask: Was the Min family formerly a clan of the Cloud Mist Immortal Sect?

She heard Xuantang Xingjun say, "Unfortunately, they were just making a wedding dress for someone else."

Jiang Yu's internal alarm rang loudly; the urge to follow and investigate stopped instantly.

She carefully surveyed the surroundings, and after a long while spotted a vague silhouette flashing from a valley mouth.

When that person raised the jade tablet in hand and the barrier opened a circular aperture for entry, she only glanced and sensed great danger.

Even though the other's aura was as restrained as a mortal's, she not only dared not look again but instantly slipped into the void.

After becoming a Foundation Establishment cultivator, one can immediately discern a Golden Core aura a realm higher than oneself, though cannot tell whether it is early, middle, or late stage.

And that person was most likely a Nascent Soul cultivator, which is why she couldn't see through his cultivation and felt fear.

When she just flashed into the Dragon Pearl Space, the Nascent Soul cultivator's divine sense had already swept to the spot where she had stood.

"Senior, is the secret treasury you mentioned only this one?" Jiang Yu glanced at the Dragon Tablet with the corner of her eye; the Nascent Soul cultivator hadn't entered.

Is he waiting for the two ahead to clear the path before he goes in?

"If you want the Continental Star Transfer Command, only this spare little secret treasury here has it.

The Cloud Immortal Sect's other spirit‑stone treasure secret treasuries have probably already been stripped clean," Xuantang Xingjun glanced at the cultivators outside, feeling an urge to borrow a body for a moment.

But he cannot, for if his primordial spirit left this way, there'd be no chance to return to a body; a soulless body for temporary use would be ideal.

While his thoughts raced, Jiang Yu had already given up watching the outside Nascent Soul, lest a careless glance get her discovered.

"And Ao Ze, don't keep staring at the Dragon Tablet; wait until the Nascent Soul leaves before looking.

I'll go cultivate for a while to replenish my spiritual power."

As soon as she exited the barrier she clashed with a Foundation Establishment cultivator; although brief, she'll need to review the experience later.

Xuantang Xingjun saw her walk toward the wooden hut without hesitation and emerged from his sword, saying, "You really lack patience."

"Facing a Nascent Soul cultivator, all patience and schemes are illusion," Jiang Yu, valuing her life, quickly entered the hut's quiet chamber to meditate.

First she inscribed her advanced insights and the revelations from her first Foundation Establishment duel into a blank slate.

Then she closed her eyes and perused the newly refreshed, no‑longer‑tattered Chaos Primordial Talisman; several symbols that once eluded her now seemed less difficult.

After a while she tried it out.

Jiang Yu flipped pages rapidly, fast‑forwarding to the final page where the Mixed Origin Enlightenment Manual was hidden.

The verbal formula remained unchanged, only a few lines of annotation were added below.

"So it turns out it draws the power of stars, sun and moon to forge a cultivation path for those without a spiritual root.

The first layer is merely basic, but perfecting it to the second layer makes one's body capable of matching a Foundation Establishment cultivator."

In short, for cultivators it's a body‑refining technique.

However, practicing it requires opening a new spiritual vein and using special spirit herbs as a conduit.

Jiang Yu stared at the names of several spirit herbs, three of which were absent from the complete spirit‑herb compendium.

Of course, the names might have changed; she'd need to visit a pill shop and consult an expert for clues.

When Jiang Yu opened her eyes and placed the insight jade slip into her satchel, she spotted another technique jade slip and murmured, "Could the Ancient Star Refining Divine Technique that trains divine sense be related?"

Ao Ze's voice came through as she took out the Star Refining Divine Technique to reread it, saying, "Those two Foundation Establishment cultivators have emerged, bowed to the Nascent Soul, and left together."

"???", Jiang Yu dashed to the Dragon Tablet and saw the valley unchanged.

Even the cave the two earlier cultivators opened had reverted to its original state.

Ao Ze asked, "I've recorded their seal techniques; shall we go in together to take a look?"

"Just left?"

"About half a teacup's worth of time."

"Wait a bit longer." Jiang Yu didn't believe the Nascent Soul would leave so cleanly after spotting a flaw.

She silently watched the motionless Dragon Tablet together with Xuantang Xingjun, who sat beside the spiritual sword, and asked whether the Min family were vassals of the Cloud Mist Immortal Sect.

"How could I possibly remember all the families attached to sects; they rise and fall for many reasons.

Some even become extinct, never producing descendants again."

"Oh." Jiang Yu didn't fully believe; cultivators have excellent memory, and as a senior elder of a sect, though not handling mundane affairs, he should be well aware of all internal factions.

Xuantang Xingjun saw she asked no further and felt a sigh; the Min family, likely the Min Shi nephew clan that runs the inner affairs hall.

Seeing that they now hold a foothold in the Ten Thousand Immortal Sect and Pan Star City, one can infer what the Min family did when the sect collapsed.

The roots all came from within.

He had not finished sighing when the previous Nascent Soul cultivator returned to the valley and scanned every spot twice with his spiritual perception.

Then she gathered spiritual energy in her right hand and, Boom— struck the side of the mountain that had a cave; the solid mountain instantly collapsed.

The opponent did not stop there; before leaving, he destroyed all the seals at both ends of the valley.

Jiang Yu: "This leaves nothing for anyone behind to scavenge."

Once the seals are removed, it won't take long before this valley is found by cultivators who wander here year‑round.

A moment later, Thus: Xuantang Xingjun spoke, "He has completely left; it's time for us to go down."

Ao Ze reasonably questioned, "The cave has collapsed; the stuff inside must have been cleared out by them already, right?"

Thus: Xuantang Xingjun glanced at him, "Whether they cleared it out or not, we have to explore to know."

"The incoming teleportation array is intact; don't you want to know where it came from, where it goes out?"

"Wait a bit longer, we'll investigate after nightfall." As Jiang Yu concealed the Dragon Pearl into the earth, she saw cultivators flying toward this side.