Chapter 1031: Hundred-Treasure Pavilion

Chapter 1031: Hundred-Treasure Pavilion

"Eldest Senior Brother! Senior Sister Hong!" Su Nu descended from the sky, her evasion light dimming as she landed atop a sand dune. She took a moment to compose herself, forced a smile onto her face, and greeted them warmly. "I didn’t expect you both to arrive ahead of me."

Two figures descended one after another before her. One was a long-bearded old man, one of the two who had first found her on the Mystic Ice Plains.

The other was a seductive woman who appeared to be in her early thirties, her figure alluring and her charm effortless. Both radiated complete and steady auras, their expressions calm and composed.

They were both experts at the late stage of the Core Formation Realm. As long as they weren’t surrounded by a beast tide, their safety was essentially assured. By comparison, Su Nu looked utterly disheveled.

She had exhausted most of her true essence in her rush to reach the Hundred-Treasure Pavilion before anyone else. Her injuries had only been forcefully suppressed with pills, leaving her no time to properly recover.

Her robe was scorched in several places, and she looked rather unkempt. Seeing her current state, both of them were visibly shocked.

The long-bearded old man frowned. "Junior Sister, how did you get so seriously injured? Did you run into other immortal cultivators?"

Su Nu’s wounds from the Mystic Ice Plains had long since healed. If she had simply focused on self-preservation and waited for the others to regroup, she shouldn’t have been this battered.

The seductive woman pinched Su Nu’s cheek with a teasing grin and chuckled. "Which handsome young cultivator fell for our adorable junior sister and wouldn’t stop chasing her? I told you before, even I find our little junior sister hard to resist. It’s fortunate the alliance leader foresaw this and never allowed her to train outside alone. Otherwise, those young men would be driven mad again."

"Little Junior Sister doesn’t practice charm arts. We’re all cultivators of the Dao. Must you always talk nonsense?" The old man sighed helplessly and scolded her before turning serious again. "Anyone who’s reached the final trial is no ordinary person. Junior Sister’s strength is indeed lacking compared to others. Don’t forget our Third Junior Brother; his strength ranked among the best of us, yet he went missing the moment he entered the trial realm and hasn’t been seen since."

Su Nu’s cheeks flushed as she lowered her head in shame. "It’s all because my cultivation is shallow and my strength insufficient. Those fire spirits restrained my arts, and they even controlled ferocious beasts to attack me. If not for Eldest Senior Brother and Senior Sister Hong arriving in time, I truly don’t know how much longer I could have held on."

As the seductive woman had said, she looked pitiful enough to evoke sympathy. Who would have imagined that the "Third Junior Brother" they spoke of had perished by her hands?

"Don’t worry, Eldest Senior Brother. Third Junior Brother is blessed by fate, he’s likely just delayed by some unexpected mishap. Aside from him, all of us have reached the final trial. Once the others arrive, we’ll have enough to fulfill Master’s orders," the woman said reassuringly.

At that, Su Nu’s heart abruptly clenched. She suddenly realized she had no idea what the order from their master was. In that instant, it felt as if she had fallen into an icy abyss. She had been kept completely in the dark!

Su Nu quietly clenched her fists, suppressing the unease rising in her chest so the other two wouldn’t notice.

"Eldest Senior Brother, did Master give us some important task to complete? Why didn’t I know about it?" she asked softly, her brows knitting in confusion.

The seductive woman also appeared disgruntled and huffed. "You’re not the only one, Junior Sister. Before Eldest Senior Brother told me, I didn’t know a thing either! And even now, he still refuses to tell us the truth, keeping it sealed tighter than a treasure chest."

The old man gave a bitter smile. "It’s not that I wished to keep it from you. Master forbade me to say anything. Before we left, he emphasized repeatedly that this matter concerns something of great importance. I dare not disobey. He even instructed me not to tell either of you, in case something went wrong. Rest assured, once the other junior brothers arrive, I’ll explain everything in full."

Seeing that he was firm, the seductive woman stopped pressing and laughed instead. "Then let’s hurry up! I want to see what other treasures this trial realm holds besides the Soul-Cleansing Liquid that could possibly attract Master’s attention."

The three of them took to the air again, their evasion lights streaking forward.

"It’s said that this place was once a hidden realm within the inner hall. Our human predecessors later transformed it into a trial realm. There might indeed be ancient treasures still hidden within..." the old man remarked as they flew.

He gazed toward the distant Hundred-Treasure Pavilion and continued, "We can’t go directly to the pavilion. Master warned that entering recklessly could cause too much commotion and draw others’ attention. We’ll first find a hidden place nearby and wait for the others to arrive. We must complete Master’s task before contending for the Soul-Cleansing Liquid."

Su Nu remained silent, her mind racing.

Is Master’s order related to me? Is that why I have felt uneasy all along?

The two beside her were both stronger than she was; with them guarding her, she had no chance to scheme as she had done against her Third Senior Brother.

By the time they neared the Hundred-Treasure Pavilion, another senior brother caught up to them, and Su Nu knew her last chance was gone.

***

Hundred-Treasure Pavilion was the very heart of the trial realm and was also the final destination of the entire trial.

Qin Sang was cutting through the Spiritual Water Region like a blade through thorns.

He had adapted completely to the Spiritual Water Toads’ assaults. Neither the water spirits nor the ferocious beasts could hinder him in the slightest. His progress was far swifter than anyone else’s. Naturally, his speed was unmatched.

After flying for an unknown distance, a towering mountain silhouette appeared faintly on the horizon, piercing the clouds. Even from afar, he could tell that it was where the Hundred-Treasure Pavilion stood.

Finally confirming his destination, Qin Sang’s lips curved upward. Controlling his sword, he flew straight toward it.

Before long, he reached the water’s edge and stepped onto solid ground. The view ahead became even clearer.

The mountain was steep and jagged, like a stone sword stabbing into the heavens. Only streaks of green vegetation peeked from between the cracks of the rock.

A white stone staircase spiraled upward along the mountain’s side, still clearly visible even after countless years.

Along the way, scattered stone pavilions and towers stood silent and desolate, their loneliness thick after ages without human presence.

At the end of the staircase stood a pavilion directly at the mountain’s summit, impossible to miss. That pavilion was the Hundred-Treasure Pavilion.

Standing atop a nearby peak, Qin Sang gazed across at the stone mountain. There wasn’t a soul in sight. Judging by that, he was likely the first to arrive.

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

If he wanted to seize treasures from the pavilion, he could choose freely, but it was not yet time for the Soul-Cleansing Liquid to appear.

He and Ming Wei had agreed to meet at one of the pavilions on the mountain path. Without hesitation, Qin Sang continued upward and soon reached the base of the stone peak.

The mountain was deathly quiet, not a single movement in sight. He ascended swiftly along the stone steps, arriving at the pavilion where he and Ming Wei had agreed to meet. He left a mark there and kept going upward.

There was still time, and he wanted to take a look at the Hundred-Treasure Pavilion itself.

He had expected some kind of trial or guardian beast awaiting him at the summit, yet none appeared. Qin Sang reached the pavilion effortlessly. The entrance was sealed by a shimmering light curtain. It was a clearly powerful barrier.

He paused, studied it for a while, and tested it cautiously. Finding no danger and discovering that the light curtain allowed passage, he stepped through and entered the Hundred-Treasure Pavilion.