"This Skull Divine Sect has such a grand name, yet I haven’t seen anything of value,"

Lu Yang and another person brought Tang Chuanwu and his three people to scavenge the treasures of the Skull Divine Sect, but they didn’t find as much as the legacy left by the Three-eyed Ghost Monk and the Hollow Shadow.

While looting, Meng Jingzhou grumbled discontentedly, "Why would you call yourselves the Skull Divine Sect, making me think you’re on the same level as the Ruthless Sect and the Eternity Sect, about to catch a big fish, yet this is all there is?"

Lu Yang and the other were worldly, having seen much already, and there were few things that could catch their eye, but it was different for Tang Chuanwu and his three companions.

Any single item from the Skull Divine Sect was viewed by them as a treasure of considerable value.

For instance, the Marrow Cleansing Pill that Tang Chuanwu had taken before: Lu Yang had scrounged up several bottles, all of which were worthless trinkets.

A single drop of blood from him or Old Meng was more effective than the Marrow Cleansing Pill.

By the Divinity Transformation Stage, after many purifications of impurities, their bodies had become as natural as those born from the earth, free of any impurity, and their blood, flesh, and bones contained an exceedingly terrifying amount of spiritual essence, precious treasures to any Qi Refinement or Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Not to mention Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou; their physiques had even reached the Body Integration Realm level, even more terrifying.

"Right, that Protector Jiao mentioned you took something of theirs, what did you take?"

Tang Chuanwu was conflicted, uncertain whether to tell Lu Yang and the other person the truth. The Marrow Cleansing Pill wasn’t a big deal, but that artifact shard was no ordinary item. Although its origins were unknown, it was incredibly sharp, definitely not ordinary.

Although Lu Yang and his companion had far-reaching reputations, what if they were tempted by wealth?

He gritted his teeth and decided to try, thinking that even if they were tempted by wealth, he could start over.

"Once, when I was out gathering medicinal herbs, I happened upon people from the Skull Divine Sect and got a wooden box from a dying man. There was Marrow Cleansing Pill and an artifact shard inside the box."

"An artifact shard?"

"I’ve hidden it somewhere else, not on me," admitted Tang Chuanwu. He was worried that the people from the Skull Divine Sect would search him and find the shard on him directly. If the shard was kept elsewhere, he could buy some time.

"May I take a look?" Lu Yang was primarily concerned that the shard might be some dangerous item that could pose a risk to Tang Chuanwu.

After dealing with the Skull Divine Sect, the group followed Tang Chuanwu to a large banyan tree within Kaihuang City.

Tang Chuanwu briskly retrieved the artifact shard from a bird’s nest in the tree. The shard had complex patterns on its inner side, indicative of some unknown Array Method.

Lu Yang scanned the artifact shard with his Spiritual Sense and consulted with the fairy, soon coming to a conclusion: "It looks like a part of a cauldron, the main material being Sky Star Copper. The complete cauldron must be a magic artifact of a Pass Tribulation Cultivator."

Meng Jingzhou looked at Lu Yang in surprise. You, kid, are not supposed to know Refining, yet you could discern so much?

A small force like the Skull Divine Sect, with a leader only at the Nascent Soul Early Stage, could not possibly possess anything belonging to a Pass Tribulation Cultivator, not even a shard.

"It’s likely an artifact obtained by a stroke of luck; even the Skull Divine Sect themselves didn’t know the origins of this object."

Lu Yang handed the shard back to Tang Chuanwu: "Keep it, this shard has some history. It’s a nice find. If you can locate the other pieces, they should automatically assemble into the complete cauldron."

A Tribulation-Passing Level magic artifact, nothing worth making a fuss over, as long as it was not dangerous.

Tang Chuanwu carefully stored it away. This was a fragment of a powerful magic artifact from a Pass Tribulation Cultivator, incredibly valuable. If he was lucky enough to find the other fragments in the future, he might even obtain the complete cauldron.

"Then, please, Miss Cui, lead us to a place to dine."

Lu Yang and his companion were in such a hurry to deal with the Skull Divine Sect just to make it in time for a meal.

As night fell, Kaihuang City remained bustling. Cui Que’er led everyone to a lavish tavern adorned with colorful lights.

"Here we are."

Then Lu Yang and the others enjoyed a high-end congee.

Lu Yang really wanted to say, "Can’t you guys from Buddha Country come up with a different way? This stuff looks completely unappetizing."

"I even promised to bring Sister Mengmeng some specialties from Buddha Country; I can’t just bring back a bucket of slop, can I?"

Although the upscale slop wasn’t much to look at, it actually tasted quite good and wasn’t as hard to swallow as what he had eaten at noon.

After the meal, Cui Que’er, as promised, took Lu Yang and company on a tour of Kaihuang City, with the Tang siblings laughing and chatting by their side.

"Alright, it’s about time we headed back," said Lu Yang. Kaihuang City was very big, and one evening was certainly not enough to see it all.

He and Old Meng had plenty of energy to keep walking, but Cui Que’er and her companions did not. Their energy was limited.

Fearing any accidents on the way back, Lu Yang escorted each of them home one by one.

"We’ll be staying at Kaihuang Temple for a while longer, so if anything comes up, feel free to come find me."

Before parting ways, Lu Yang thought for a moment, then flicked his index finger, sending out three drops of blood into the hands of the three of them.

"I can’t let you introduce us around Kaihuang City for nothing. These three drops of blood can serve as payment. They’re more useful than Marrow Cleansing Pills. Remember to dilute them with water, otherwise your bodies won’t be able to take it," he said.

Old Meng’s blood wasn’t something to give away lightly due to its strong side effects, but Lu Yang’s blood didn’t have that concern.

"See you later."

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

...

Western Paradise Temple.

Meng Junzi triumphantly held the recently captured remnants of the Ruthless Sect, showing off in front of Abbot Master Mingyu.

"What did I tell you? With the Meng Family joining Buddha Country, we were bound to find people from the Ruthless Sect," he boasted.

Master Mingyu twitched at the corner of his eyes, admittedly having to concede that, ever since the Meng Family had joined Buddha Country and worked with the monks from Western Paradise Temple to hunt for the Ruthless Sect, the results had indeed been considerable. Was this the umpteenth Ruthless Sect Elder they had captured?

"Well done, I did not expect Benefactor Meng to take action personally," said Master Mingyu.

He had assumed that, being an Immortal of legend, Meng Junzi would maintain his dignity and not get involved, leaving the task to the younger members of the Meng Family.

Yet here he was, acting personally.

Meng Junzi threw the remnant of the Ruthless Sect aside carelessly and sat down boldly: "Little Ming, that’s what you don’t understand. I didn’t act before because I had to deceive Guan Shanhai. Now that we’ve captured Guan Shanhai, isn’t it time for me to make an appearance in the world?"

Master Mingyu joined his hands, saying nothing further.

The monks had already reported to him the details of Meng Junzi’s capture. It was indeed quite a spectacle.

When Meng Junzi captured the Ruthless Sect Elder, he displayed all manner of miracles between Heaven and Earth, as if the whole world had become his domain. People throughout the city knelt in worship, shouting praises of the Worldly Venerable’s divine presence.

At that moment, the Ruthless Sect Elder’s mind went blank. No matter how evil he was, he did not expect an Immortal to come after him personally.

Normally, those sent to capture him would have cultivation levels similar to his. But instead, it jumped straight past the Pass Tribulation Cultivator and Semi-Immortal stages. There was no need for such a force to capture a sect master!

As Meng Junzi recalled the reaction of the people throughout the city, a smile crept up his lips uncontrollably.

After enduring for a hundred thousand years, he was finally able to act openly and righteously.

All that talk about Immortals maintaining their dignity and rarely acting was nonsense.

Hadn’t he painstakingly cultivated all these years just for this moment?

"All thanks to the opportunity given by Junior Brother Yun Zhi," he said.