Chapter 161: The Treasure of the Wandering Immortals - Ah? The Wives I Abandoned Turned Out to Be Real

Chapter 161: The Treasure of the Wandering Immortals That night, the brother of the Yue Manor Master returned, accompanied by a pair of cultivators—a man and a woman, who were his son and daughter. Upon understanding the situation, the brother was immensely grateful to you all, insisting on hosting a banquet to express his thanks. During the feast, he revealed to you the name of the cultivator who had abducted his master to forge swords. That person was Mao Fang, infamously known as Ghostfire True Person. Mao Fang wielded a Ghostfire Bag, which released ghostly flames that burned only flesh. Once the flame touched the barest spot, it would relentlessly consume the entire body, reducing it to ashes. These ghostly flames couldn't be extinguished with water; the only remedies were to either remove the affected area or employ specific magical tools and techniques to counteract them. Fortunately, Bai Ningshuang was adept at handling such situations. She told you she possessed a Purifying Bottle, filled with Primordial Heavy Water used in alchemy. This water was incredibly cold and dense, a single drop weighing three thousand jin, and exceedingly rare to obtain. Even a wandering immortal required half a month to extract a single drop from deep within the Azure Sea. One drop of this heavy water held enough chill to extinguish all the ghost fires in Mao Fang's bag. The Yue Manor Master's brother was elated hearing this and promptly led you to a secret chamber within the Yue family estate. In the chamber lay a stone table cluttered with various treasures—swords, arrows, rulers, scissors, golden needles, tokens, and more, numbering over thirty. Without being activated, the treasures were dusty, hiding their true magnificence. The manor master's brother stood aside. "These are the magical tools my master left behind. In preparation for the battle in three days, each of you may select one as a token of my gratitude." After hearing this, you examined the artifacts diligently, knowing full well that their quality varied and only with the right handling and magic could their mysteries be unlocked. Zhang Cangfeng chose a bead, Bai Ningshuang picked a silk net, and you selected an ancient-looking sword engraved with dragon patterns. With only a single gold sword forged from earth sands, you desperately needed more swords to expand your arsenal. After selecting, the manor master's brother chuckled with a mix of admiration and regret. "Ah, truly worthy disciples of Shushan, blessed with fortune." "In his day, my master, the Fire Dragon True Person, relied on three exceptional treasures to vanquish demons: the Fire Dragon Sword, the Thunderfire Bead, and the Scorching Needle. Later, he subdued a beast and from its cave acquired an archaic treasure left by an ancient immortal—the Ice Silk Net." "Susu, you have the Fire Dragon Sword. Zhang, you hold the Thunderfire Bead. Bai, yours is the Ice Silk Net. I hope my master forgives me for only leaving him the Scorching Needle." The revelation left you all with peculiar expressions, but fortune was necessary even to enter Shushan, let alone to encounter such opportunities in your adventures. The manor master's brother then explained how to use the Fire Dragon Sword, Thunderfire Bead, and Ice Silk Net. The Fire Dragon Sword contained the spirit of a fire jiao, which could be summoned to fight autonomously. The Thunderfire Bead could be thrown or slammed, unleashing explosive thunderfire upon impact. The Ice Silk Net, once deployed, emitted a chilling aura capable of freezing everything. Fire Dragon True Person's cultivation focused on the Bing Fire Talisman, which refined the Bing Fire Spirit, rendering the treasures with incompatible attributes mostly inscrutable to him. Still, through experience, he knew their basic usage, powerful in their own right. With the treasures bestowed upon you, the manor master's brother urged you to refine them quickly to bind them to your spirit, preventing them from being forcefully taken away. Even if others did seize them, the treasures' locations could be rapidly tracked, leaving them unusable. Should you wish to lend them, you could temporarily relinquish some control. The night passed uneventfully. With your millennia-old cultivation, taming the fire jiao’s spirit in the Fire Dragon Sword took only two hours. Once summoned, it moved at your command, spitting flames that could melt stone and metal alike. Bai Ningshuang and Zhang Cangfeng, having learned orthodox Shushan refining methods, quickly mastered their treasures too. Three days later, at dawn, you set off with the manor master's brother towards Distant Separation Plains where Mao Fang awaited with two other dark cultivators. Upon seeing you four approach, Mao Fang furiously quipped, "Yue Longcheng, is this your plan—to pit four against three? Even if you defeat us, you won't secure your master's spirit!" "Knowing my own lack of skill, I’ve called upon these Shushan disciples. Thus, today I won’t fight," Yue Longcheng declared, deliberately embellishing your status to level the odds. The mention of Shushan disciples sent shockwaves of fear through Mao Fang and his companions. Mao Fang cursed silently, frustrated that Yue Longcheng somehow enlisted Shushan disciples against them. Victory or not, facing repercussions from Shushan was inevitable. The other two dark cultivators regretted attending Mao Fang's feast, now fearing Shushan's wrath, possibly leading to their anonymous deaths. Mao Fang quickly proposed terms. "Should you lose, none of you may summon Shushan seniors for retribution! Otherwise, we refuse to compete." The two relaxed slightly but still plotted their inevitable defeat, wary of repercussions even if Shushan didn’t hold a grudge. Unaware of these nuances, you assumed a fair contest and agreed to the terms. Mao Fang stepped forward, challenging, "Which Shushan disciple would like to go first?" Eager to test your newfound skills, you volunteered, "Let me take on this old geezer." Offended by the term "geezer," Mao Fang's anger flared as it reminded him of childhood taunts and the nickname "little brat." After gaining power, his first act was to destroy that village with ghostfire. Thus enraged, he summoned a poisonous dragon sword to attack you. Your Fire Dragon Sword acted on its own, transforming into a fire jiao to battle the poisonous dragon. Meanwhile, you wielded your gold sword, creating a flurry of sword shadows against Mao Fang, who then vanished, leaving only a shadow in his place. Mistaking his evasion for fear, you redirected your attack on the poisonous dragon until Bai Ningshuang yelled a warning. Turning, you saw a ghost fire hurtling toward you—greenish-blue, seemingly harmless but clearly the notorious ghostfire. Employing divine techniques from the White Sun True Interpretation, you repelled the ghostfire with a single gesture. The ghostfire you scattered was indeed the essence of the Ghostfire Bag itself, effectively destroying both the fire and the bag in one move. Simultaneously, the poisonous dragon sword, unable to withstand the assault from two swords, began to falter. Just as the sword was on the verge of breaking, Mao Fang's voice echoed with desperation. "Stop. I concede!" Hearing this, you retracted the two swords. Mao Fang, his face ghastly and devoid of color, appeared gravely weakened but still turned to the two dark cultivators for aid. "Friends, I plead for your assistance!" Witnessing this, the two dark cultivators exchanged looks of resignation. Obliged by their prior agreement and not wanting to lose face, one of them, wielding a trident, reluctantly stepped forward. Addressing Bai Ningshuang and Zhang Cangfeng, he asked, "Which of you will face me?" With confidence, Zhang Cangfeng stepped up, but instead of using his sword, he grasped the Thunderfire Bead. "I'll do it!" The dark cultivator hurled his trident at Zhang Cangfeng at an astonishing speed. Calmly, Zhang threw the Thunderfire Bead in response. With a crack, a chain of fire erupted upon contact with the trident, causing the dark cultivator to cough up half a liter of blood and recall his weapon in defeat. "I concede, I concede!" You and Bai Ningshuang exchanged surprised glances, taken aback by how easily the dark cultivator was defeated—even more so than Mao Fang. Yue Longcheng, seeing the dark cultivator's swift defeat, couldn't suppress a smug grin as he approached Mao Fang. "Mao Fang, now what do you have to say? Hand over my master's spirit at once!" (End of the Chapter)