Chapter 3489: The Spirit Treasure Society

Upon seeing Old Tao hesitate, Lu Yin’s eyes focused sharply. "Tell me."

"There is some word, but the Phantom Reach has shared that Bao Qi is hiding within the Spirit Treasure Society, beneath the nine steps of the Grandmaster's Trial," Old Tao reported.

Lu Yin grew confused. "The nine steps of the Grandmaster's Trial?"

Old Tao explained, "The Grandmaster's Trial is the most prestigious feature of the Spirit Treasure Society. Anyone who wishes to become a Spirit Treasure Grandmaster is required to climb the Grandmaster's Trial. If there is only one Spirit Treasure Grandmaster in the Spirit Treasure Society, then the trial will consist of just one step. If there are two Grandmasters, there will be two steps, and so on and so forth.

"At present, the Spirit Treasure Society has nine Spirit Treasure Grandmasters, which is why there are nine steps.

"Only by reaching the top step of the Grandmaster's Trial can one qualify to become a Spirit Treasure Grandmaster, and also obtain the right to create their own step.

"The Phantom Reach’s people have learned that Bao Qi is hidden beneath the nine steps of the Grandmaster's Trial. The staircase itself is already located in the innermost depths of the Spirit Treasure Society, and approaching the staircase indicates that a person is challenging the Grandmaster's Trial. They are attempting to force you into becoming the Spirit Treasure Society’s opponent, Third Boss.

"For the Spirit Treasure Society, approaching the Grandmaster's Trial and not challenging it, or even just not being a Spirit Treasure Master, is offensive enough to draw out the hostility of the entire Spirit Treasure Society."

Cai Keqing could not stay silent. "That’s too vicious."

Old Tao let out a sigh as he shrugged. "This is how the Phantom Reach handles things. The domain has a vicious reputation throughout the entire Spirit Nidus. While they did create and maintain the White Spirit List, people tend to see the domain as a place for assassins. The Phantom Reach has caused countless slaughters in all parts of the Spirit Nidus, but because the domain is so powerful as one of the seven major powers, no one has the courage to stand up against them, especially since they are supported by the Ascendant Hall.

"The Phantom Reach doesn’t always take overt action. It’s quite normal for them to use outsiders as well."

Lu Yin chuckled. "Such as with Qian, the Worryless Elder, and Hu Wu and Tian Ya, right?"

Old Tao said nothing at all.

There was no denying that Lu Yin had been used by the Phantom Reach, but it had been entirely voluntary on his part. Now that the Phantom Reach had gotten what they wanted from the Third Boss, they were attempting to force him to become an enemy of the Spirit Treasure Society, pushing him to do something that would force the society to take action. One trap after another had been laid. The assassins were truly vicious.

Unless Lu Yin decided to ignore Bao Qi, he would have no choice but to go against the Spirit Treasure Society, and that would provoke Su Shidao into taking action.

This scheme was in no way at all subtle.

Lu Yin stood up. "Well, let's go."

"Where?" Old Tao was taken aback.

Lu Yin stared off into the distance. "The Spirit Treasure Domain."

Old Tao and the others were all astonished. "Third Boss, are you really going to go against the Spirit Treasure Society? They are far from weak. While they might not be equal to a major power, they are very close, especially with Su Shidao. There is no doubt that he’s at least as strong as Qi Zun, and his Spirit Treasure Arrays are beyond terrifying. You should reconsider this."

Palace Master Yao also cautioned Lu Yin. "It would be best not to antagonize the Spirit Treasure Society. Their countless Spirit Treasure Arrays are a completely different kind of threat compared to powerful cultivators."

Lu Yin stretched lazily. "What else can I do? I need to find Bao Qi. However, Old Tao, are you sure that the location you’ve been given by the Phantom Reach is accurate?"

Old Tao answered confidently, "The Phantom Reach excels at scheming and assassinations, but they do not lie when scheming. That is precisely why the White Spirit List is trusted so much. If they say that Bao Qi is hiding beneath the nine steps of the Grandmaster's Trial, then there is no doubting its veracity.

"This is about the Phantom Reach's honor."

Lu Yin laughed. "So an organization of assassins has honor? How interesting.

"Let’s go to the Spirit Treasure Domain. I also want to see the Spirit Nidus’s sourcebox arrays."

Astral Anura stuck out his tongue.

These people have no idea what they should be worrying about. This brat is the most powerful Array Grandmaster in the entire Tianyuan Megaverse. Oh right, they don’t know about that

.

How could the people of the Spirit Nidus possibly guess at how many things Lu Yin had mastered?

Old Tao had no choice but to lead the way to the Spirit Treasure Domain, no matter how nervous he felt.

He incessantly prayed in his heart that Lu Yin would not go against the Spirit Treasure Society. The society might look like a loose association of Spirit Treasure Masters, but in truth, they were extremely united. If the Third Boss really did antagonize the society, it would become a massive problem.

At the same time, in the Ascendant Hall’s Apex Palace, the High Seraph stared off into the distance, his hands clasped behind his back. "Su Shidao."

From the High Seraph’s perspective, far in the distance, there was a domain called the Spirit Treasure Domain. The domain was different from all others. While outsiders were allowed to enter, no one would dare to recklessly charge in because the entire domain was filled with danger zones.

The Spirit Nidus had a unified cultivation system, and that had led to a portion of its resources also being unified.

All spirit treasures were stored in the Spirit Treasure Domain.

However, that did not mean that the spirit treasures were properly stored. The Wisdom Domain allowed all spirit treasures that were collected throughout the Spirit Nidus to be carelessly tossed into the Spirit Treasure Domain. It had been said that, if a day came when the Spirit Treasure Domain no longer had any danger zones from spirit treasures, then that meant that the Spirit Nidus was no longer limited by spirit treasures. A person would be able to freely unlock or arrange spirit treasures, and this path would be fully mastered in time.

How many spirit treasures existed throughout the entire Spirit Nidus? No one had any idea.

Despite all the spirit treasures that were stored in the Spirit Treasure Domain, the danger zones did not permeate through the entire domain. Danger might not exist for one step, but then appear suddenly at the next.

This was also what made the Spirit Treasure Domain a sacred place for any Spirit Treasure Master. They had no choice but to go to the Spirit Treasure Domain, as they could not find any spirit treasures anywhere else.

This tactic of the Wisdom Domain meant that the overall level of the Spirit Nidus’s Spirit Treasure Masters was constantly rising.

The Spirit Treasure Society had nine Spirit Treasure Grandmasters, but the Spirit Nidus actually had more Grandmasters. The total number amounted to at least fifty Spirit Treasure Grandmasters.

"More than fifty?" Lu Yin was surprised.

Old Tao affirmed the number. "At least, and that is not even including Su Shidao."

Lu Yin was amazed. "The Wisdom Domain really is quite clever. Every spirit treasure that is found in the Spirit Nidus has to be sent to the Spirit Treasure Domain. Not only does this mean that Spirit Treasure Masters do not need to search for spirit treasures, but it also concentrates all of the Spirit Treasure Masters into a single domain. There, they can practice, compete, and learn from each other, which must greatly elevate their overall level."

With more than fifty Spirit Treasure Masters, the Spirit Nidus had far, far more such experts than the Tianyuan Megaverse.

In total, Lu Yin’s megaverse had somewhere between ten and twenty Array Grandmasters. That was less than half of what the Spirit Nidus had. This was also an optimistic estimate. If the Cyclic Universe only had a few Array Grandmasters, then the megaverse’s total might actually be less than ten.

The Spirit Nidus had pulled ahead at the first step, and they had increased that gap with every subsequent step.

Old Tao warned Lu Yin yet again. "Third Boss, while most Spirit Treasure Masters haven’t joined the Spirit Treasure Society, they still have a positive relationship with the society. If we offend the Spirit Treasure Society…"

Spirit Treasure Masters were skilled at lockbreaking, rather than combat.

In a one-on-one fight, a Spirit Treasure Master might not be able to defeat a sequence powerhouse, or possibly even a Spirit Ancestor. Rather, Spirit Treasure Masters excelled at using spirit treasure formations. Given sufficient time, they could create formations that could trap and defeat nearly anyone.

Between dozens of Spirit Treasure Grandmasters, they might have more than a hundred spirit treasure formations, maybe even more than 200.

That was a terrifying number. Just the thought of all those formations targeting the Grandverse Manor would make one’s head ache.

Lu Yin let out a breath. He felt like when he had first entered the Consciousness Domain and learned of Qi Zun’s existence.

The Spirit Nidus’s depths were incomparable to the Tianyuan Megaverse’s.

After all, this megaverse had a unified cultivation system and distributed resources accordingly.

The Tianyuan Megaverse was more like a madman, whose limbs and brain were focused on their own independent actions. In contrast, the Spirit Nidus was like a normal person, whose wisdom directed their actions.

However, the line between madness and genius often lay in a single thought.

…

In the deepest region of the Spirit Treasure Domain, there was a world that looked like it consisted solely of black and white. The mountains, rivers, flowers, birds, fish, and insects were all only black and white. It was a monochromatic world.

An old man sat on a fishing platform, alone and relaxing.

"Su Shidao," a deep voice rang out.

The old man opened his eyes. "High Seraph? What is it?"

"Are you satisfied with the battle back then?"

The old man calmly stared out at the lake. The water was black, but the fish swimming in it were white, which caused them to stand out vividly. However, despite how conspicuous the fish were, the old man failed to catch any.

"Does it matter if I’m satisfied or not?"

"If you're not satisfied, you can compete again for the title of Seraph."

"I'm old now. I no longer have such desires."

"There were hidden reasons behind the battle back then. You are well aware of this."

The old man’s eyes flickered. "What kind of hidden reasons?"

"They were hidden for a reason. Are you truly satisfied with how things ended?"

The old man put down his fishing rod. "So, if I’m not satisfied, then tell me. What are your terms?"

"The Grandverse Manor’s Third Boss is on his way towards you. Either subdue or kill him."

The old man picked his fishing rod back up. "That Third Boss is not someone who should be messed with."

"He is coming to find you."

"If he comes and finds me, then of course I will entertain him."

The fishing line fell back into the lake. The old man absentmindedly stared into the depths of the lake. The white fish occasionally swam close to the old man, only to quickly swim away again. Their tails flicked as they moved away, as the fish were deliberately splashing water onto the old man.

The old man smiled, unbothered, and continued fishing.

…

The Spirit Treasure Domain was in the lower half of the 灵 character that the megaverse’s thirty-six domains formed. It was one of the few domains that was not in the upper half.

The journey from where Hu Wu and Tian Ya had been was not far from the Spirit Treasure Domain, but that did not mean the two were close either.

After Lu Yin and his group left the landmass, his observers immediately started to guess at his next destination.

There were several domains in the direction that the Third Boss was headed in, as well as some interstellar cities and other strange places.

As soon as Lu Yin and his entourage headed in a direction, many cultivators fled before him. The higher a person’s cultivation, the faster they moved. No one dared to stay, as they all feared the Third Boss causing trouble for them.

The Phantom Reach felt relieved, as Lu Yin was moving closer to the Spirit Treasure Domain.

The closer they drew to the Spirit Treasure Domain, the more anxious Old Tao became.

Offending the Spirit Treasure Society was different from offending one of the seven major powers. Offending one of the seven major powers simply meant offending a single organization, and doing so might even improve their relations with another major power. On the other hand, the Spirit Treasure Society did not compete with any other factions’ interests. Everyone in the Spirit Nidus wanted to be on good terms with the Spirit Treasure Society.

Offending the Spirit Treasure Society would be just as disastrous as provoking the Ascendant Hall.

Of course, Old Tao did not dare to say this to Lu Yin. The old man had seen the Grandverse Manor’s actions, and they were clearly trying to challenge the Spirit Nidus’s bottom line.

Why else was Lu Yin traveling with Palace Master Yao and Cai Keqing? Why was Yu Shan still bound to a tree on

Boundless

? Everything was to provoke animosity.

If such words were said aloud, the Third Boss would likely be even more pleased.

Old Tao’s sorrows could not be spoken.

As they moved closer to the Spirit Treasure Domain, the mood started to change.

Lu Yin noticed some Spirit Treasure Masters. These people’s auras were different from typical cultivators, which normally made them easy to distinguish.

The Spirit Treasure Masters did not show any fear of Lu Yin. Some of them observed him with a gleam in their eyes, as though they were looking at a creature from an entirely different world.

Lu Yin felt a sense of nostalgia.

Long ago, when he had been an enemy of the Daynight clan, the Lockbreaker Society had protected him.

Lockbreakers helped each other, and they were quite united. That was what had kept Lu Yin alive.

In his heart, Lu Yin held a special fondness for Lockbreakers.

Several days passed, and one day, they encountered several young individuals blocking the way forward.

"Who are you? Why are you blocking our path?" Old Tao asked in a stern tone.

A young man at the center of the group stepped forward, staring at Lu Yin. "May I ask, are you the Grandverse Manor’s Third Boss?"

Lu Yin looked at the young man, and recognized him as a spirit treasure master. "That’s me."

"Where are you headed, Third Boss?" the young man followed up.

Lu Yin smiled. "Do I need to tell you?"

OMA's Thoughts

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA