Fate of the Immortals and Demons

Chapter 395 Selecting Treasures

"Fellow Daoist Mo, this is the ancestral treasure trove of my Shishan tribe. Please come in."

As the heavy stone door was opened by the combined force, Shi Na, without losing her manners, made a gesture of invitation.

Shi Tian, ​​Shi Yihao, and three clan elders who accompanied them also made respectful gestures of invitation.

Mo Hei looked into the treasure vault and saw that it was indeed filled with many treasures.

Especially on each shelf, items are neatly categorized and displayed in a dazzling array.

Judging from the size of its treasure vault, it is quite similar to the Dragon Pill Cave Heaven where the little evil dragon is located.

Mo Hei nodded slightly in acknowledgment before stepping inside.

Shi Na, Shi Tian, ​​and others accompanied them into the treasure vault.

"I wonder what kind of treasures Fellow Daoist Mo prefers? This area is filled with ancient books and similar items, the other area is filled with minerals, and that area is filled with artifacts."

Shi Na, who was accompanying them, seemed particularly attentive and took the initiative to introduce and guide Mo Hei.

It seems that they are determined to obtain the Flame Flower, a superior herb that Mo Hei has shown them.

Mo Hei listened silently, nodding only in response.

“Young Mo, the items in this treasure vault are of varying quality. It’s like panning for gold in the sand. If you keep picking and choosing like this, you’re unlikely to find anything good.”

The little evil dragon, hidden in the Dragon Pill Cave, saw that Mo Hei was just glancing at the shelves like a passerby, without any ability to recognize the value of the goods.

"This treasure vault seems to be protected by some kind of restriction. To be precise, the items in this treasure vault are more or less tainted by demonic energy, making it impossible to explore them with divine sense."

After failing to find anything through his divine sense, Mo Hei was quite helpless and could only helplessly complain to the little evil dragon.

However, in order to cover their tracks and avoid revealing their whereabouts, the Candle Dragon Spirit Fire and the Little Evil Dragon had already emerged from the Dragon Pill Cave.

The Candle Dragon Spirit Fire, hidden in the Dragon Pill Cave, suddenly said:

"Since that's the case, it's inconvenient for my old friend and me to show ourselves. We might as well use this wisp of alchemy furnace spirit to appraise treasures with Mo boy. That way, we can show off our status and avoid being looked down upon."

"The spirit of the alchemy furnace!?"

Mo Hei was slightly startled upon hearing this, but then suddenly remembered the spirit of the alchemy furnace that the Candle Dragon Spirit Fire had mentioned.

It was the spirit that was formed from the shattered Creation Furnace in the underwater dragon palace.

Although Mo Hei still doesn't fully understand the spirit of this alchemy furnace, he imagines it to be no different from a soul.

Without much thought, Mohei had no choice but to try anything, even if it seemed hopeless, it was better than being completely clueless and left to fend for himself.

"now!"

Having made up his mind, Mo Hei pretended to perform magic, making hand seals and softly calling out, and indeed summoned a wisp of phantom image of a pill furnace, resembling a thin mist, from the Dragon Pill Cave Heaven, which floated in front of him.

"This is... a spirit of an artifact!?"

Unexpectedly, Shi Tian, ​​who was traveling with him, recognized him at a glance and looked at Mo Hei with a very strange expression. In a shocked tone, he hesitated and asked:

"May I ask...may I ask if...young friend Mo...are you...are you an alchemist?"

After a moment of surprise, Mo Hei didn't deny it, and smiled modestly:

"I am unworthy of the title of alchemist. My skills in alchemy are only at the very beginning."

"This really is a spirit of a vessel. Judging from its shape, it is actually shaped like a pill furnace."

The lean old man, known as Elder Shi Xing, stared intently at the spirit of the floating alchemy furnace with gleaming eyes, then turned to Mo Hei with even greater respect and said:

"Young friend Mo is too modest. Anyone who possesses a spirit in a pill furnace must be a renowned alchemy master."

The Cloud Clan Elder also looked at Mo Hei with newfound respect, and, with the demeanor of a kind and amiable old grandmother, smiled gently at him, saying:

"You are a promising young man! I wonder if you are married? I have a granddaughter who is in her early twenties and is a beauty of unparalleled grace."

"cough……"

The rather short and stout elder accompanying them coughed lightly to interrupt:

"Now that young friend Mo has openly summoned this artifact spirit, he must want to help me choose my desired treasure as soon as possible."

"Exactly."

Mo Hei quickly picked up the conversation, adopting a humble tone:

"Unfortunately, I was blind and had no choice but to resort to this inferior strategy. Please forgive me."

"Fellow Daoist Mo is too kind."

Shi Na finally spoke up at this moment:

"In that case, Fellow Daoist Mo, please do as you please. Shi Na has one more request afterward."

"Yes, yes."

Shi Tian then spoke up:

"Young friend Mo, please feel free to do as you please. This is a treasure trove, and we should not linger here. The sooner the better."

Mo Hei nodded and then communicated with the spirit of the alchemy furnace floating in front of him through divine sense.

But then they saw that the spirit of the alchemy furnace, which looked like a wisp of mist, was indeed sentient and flew toward the bookshelves in front of them, which were filled with ancient books.

Strangely enough, as the spirit of the alchemy furnace flew by, the demonic aura attached to the ancient book dissipated, unlike something seen through a fog.

Taking advantage of this brief moment, Mo Hei acted decisively, quickly scanning the area with his divine sense before anyone could react, and in an instant, he had already gained some insight.

Only now did Mo Hei truly realize that this artifact spirit possessed such wondrous power, enabling the artifact to reveal its true nature.

"Huh? This is... a soul cultivation technique?"

Suddenly, Mo Hei's divine sense detected a tattered ancient book on the top shelf. A sense of déjà vu washed over him, and without thinking, he strode over, picked it up, and examined it, secretly surprised and wondering:

"No wonder it felt strangely familiar. The soul cultivation technique recorded in this fragment of an ancient book is exactly what the chief of the volcano tribe showed me."

"Young friend Mo, do you value this scroll of soul cultivation technique highly?"

Before Mo Hei could respond, Shi Tian continued:

"If you like it, young friend, you may make a copy and keep it for future study."

Mo Hei, however, asked instead:

Is this ancient book the original?

Seeing that Shi Tian and the three elders hesitated to answer, Shi Na replied in a very sincere tone:

"Fellow Daoist Mo, you can rest assured that all the items in this treasure vault are original. As for this ancient book, according to records, it was salvaged by our ancestors from the bottom of the Valley of Death after going through many hardships. It is because of this that we obtained this incomplete scroll."

"Death Valley? Recovered through joint efforts?"

Mo Hei was startled and repeated the words he had been hesitantly, then seemed to realize something and asked:

"Where is the bottom of this Valley of Death?"

Shi Na hesitated for a moment before answering:

"To be honest, Fellow Daoist Mo, this Valley of Death has now evolved into the border area between the Great Northern Wilderness and the Demon Flame Wilderness, and it can be described as extremely dangerous."

"Is that really true?"

Having received the reply, Mo Hei's mind was now clear. He put the incomplete manual of the Divine Soul Cultivation Technique back in its place and continued to select treasures.

After temporarily setting aside the incomplete manual of the Divine Soul Cultivation Technique, Mo Hei didn't even bother with the other ancient cultivation manuals after exploring them.

Even if it were a complete cultivation technique, it would be incomparable to the numerous cultivation techniques from various sects that he had studied in the Demon Spirit Realm.

Moreover, in Mo Hei's view, most of these techniques were merely superficial and had no real use, and were incompatible with his own cultivation. Only this incomplete manual of the Divine Soul Technique was barely worth his attention.

After thoroughly examining the bookshelves filled with cultivation techniques, leaving none untouched, and using his divine sense to search them all, he placed the last scroll, titled "Star-Absorbing Claw," back in its place before moving on to explore other areas.

"What a large piece of amethyst! It's perfect for forging and repairing the damaged Yuanhong Sword."

In the darkness, the target was locked on the area where various minerals were piled up. With the assistance of the alchemy furnace spirit, it was as if a flashlight had been provided in a pitch-black room, allowing for a clearer view of the objects' true nature.

"Huh? This is... isn't this the Crystal of the Desolate Darkness Ore? That old guy, judging from his appearance, is quite cunning..."

After shifting their focus to the mineral area, with the help of the alchemy furnace spirit, Mo Hei immediately discovered two ores whose exteriors were covered in dust, concealing their true nature.

Without the spirit of this alchemy furnace to unveil the outer veil, relying solely on Mo Hei's own eyesight would be like an amateur buying and selling rough stones, relying entirely on luck.

After discovering two useful minerals in a row, Mo Hei felt that the trip was worthwhile. Then he found a large piece of dark cloud ore, which was perfect for reforging the Yuanhong Sword.

"This...this is...how come there are even Chi Blood Crystals here..."

After finding the black ore, Mo Hei continued his exploration and was shocked to discover a piece of mineral, only the size of a quail egg, that looked as if it had been peeled off, an irregular piece with an uneven surface.

After carefully observing the clues, Mo Hei was greatly alarmed and asked:

"Where did this small piece of crystal come from?"

"This……"

Faced with Mo Hei's sudden question, the six people accompanying him looked at each other and were speechless.

Ultimately, Shi Na, who was acting as the clan leader, shook her head and replied:

"Fellow Daoist Mo may not know this, but most of the treasures in this clan's treasury were accumulated by the clan members over the generations. Therefore, it is unknown when or by whom this crystal was placed here, and it is now impossible to find out."

Is that so?

A hint of disappointment was hard to hide on Mo Hei's dark face, but this time he did not put the small piece of Chi Blood Crystal back in its original place.

At this moment, Shi Yihao, who was accompanying them, saw this and spoke uncertainly:

“Brother Mo, regarding this crystal, I…I vaguely remember…Grandma Shi Lin mentioned it to me specifically when I was young…”

Upon hearing this, Mo Hei was overjoyed and quickly asked:

"Grandma Shilin...where is she?"

Shi Yihao's expression darkened, and he replied in a low voice:

"Grandma Shilin is now nearing the end of her life and doesn't have much time left, so she probably doesn't remember things very well anymore."

Shi Na added:

“Grandma Shi Lin is indeed quite old. If Fellow Daoist Mo really wants to inquire about the origin of this crystal, Shi Na can introduce you later.”

"Thank you."

After expressing his heartfelt thanks, Mohei noticeably sped up the screening process. Just as it was nearing its end, a piece of deadwood branch once again caught Mohei's attention.

"What a huge piece of Chaos Wood!?"

Amidst a silent gasp, Mo Hei moved to the table where the withered wood was placed, picked it up, and placed a piece of bone beside it.

This made Mo Hei very suspicious. The chieftain of that volcano tribe must be hiding a shocking secret from him.