Chapter 273 : A Bountiful Harvest

Chapter 273: A Bountiful Harvest

“In regard to today’s matter, I must ask for your discretion, Senior Sisters—”

Chen Beiwu had just opened his mouth when Senior Sister Zhu Qiong’s expression turned serious and she cut in sternly:

“Junior Brother, rest assured. I saw nothing today.”

At her side, Senior Sister Yun—her lips darkened—also nodded in agreement. “Senior Sister is right. There were no Golden Armored Corpses in the corpse-refining ground, only a group of Silver Armored Corpses.”

At that, Yun Yishu paused briefly and glanced at her severed arm. “It was my own carelessness. I underestimated the trap of a Third-Tier formation, which is why I lost an arm.”

Chen Beiwu: “……”

Before revealing the Fourth-Tier Treasure Talisman, Chen Beiwu had already prepared an explanation.

Such as, ‘The Fourth-Tier Treasure Talisman involves sect secrets and cannot be disclosed,’ and various other reasons.

Yet the two senior sisters had already filled in the gaps with their own assumptions, sparing him the need to explain at all.

Seeing Chen Beiwu silent, Yun Yishu thought he still had concerns and immediately took an oath upon her Dao Heart.

‘Is this really necessary for such a small matter?’ Zhu Qiong cast a sideways glance at Junior Sister Yun.

Junior Brother Chen was the sect’s Dao Child, highly valued by the sect. That the Patriarch would favor him with a Fourth-Tier Treasure Talisman was not unusual.

Wait—since Junior Brother Chen had become the Dao Child, he would very likely become a thorn in the side of the other Four Great Sects.

If word of the Fourth-Tier Treasure Talisman were to leak, it would reveal the trump card he kept hidden away. That would certainly compromise his safety.

‘Junior Sister Yun is truly wise and cautious.’

Realizing this, Zhu Qiong quickly followed Yun Yishu’s lead and likewise swore an oath upon her Dao Heart, guaranteeing that today’s events would not be spread.

Seeing the two senior sisters so understanding, Chen Beiwu gladly went along, offering a cupped-fist salute. “Many thanks, Senior Sisters, for your understanding.”

The more you say, the more mistakes you make.

The fact that he didn’t even need to utter the excuses he had prepared was undoubtedly a good thing—it meant fewer chances for any flaws to show.

The only thing that pained Chen Beiwu was that the Yuqing Demon-Subduing Profound Talisman could only be used three times.

Each use reduced its power. Now, he had only two uses left.

Still, he had not come out of it too badly.

Chen Beiwu’s gaze turned to the Golden Armored Corpse Core and storage ring in his palm—then suddenly paused.

A typical Golden Armored Corpse Core was no larger than a pigeon egg, ink-black in color, with cobweb-like patterns across the surface.

But the one in his hand was as large as a longan fruit, entirely dark gold, with countless golden threads flowing across it, brimming with intense vitality.

According to the Three Tablets Corpse Scripture, a regular Golden Armored Corpse Core was wrapped in Corpse Baleful Energy, ink-black in color, filled with poisonous Yin energy. It could be refined into a Third-Tier Yin-Fiend artifact but was unsuitable for internal use—doing so would lead to backlash, or even death.

However, the Golden Armored Corpse King Core was entirely different—coming from a Golden Armored Corpse King.

It was dark gold throughout, Yin on the outside and Yang within, with four revolutions of life-giving golden threads, in accordance with the transformation of death into life.

If consumed by a cultivator, it could extend lifespan by five hundred years; for a body cultivator, it could temper a Fourth-Tier body. If a Companion Beast refined it, it could seize fortune itself, reversing bloodline fate.

‘So that’s how it is. Qian Buhuan also had his own stroke of fortune!’ Chen Beiwu’s eyes gleamed faintly.

One had to know, a Golden Armored Corpse was already among the elite of the corpse race—troublesome even for Golden Core cultivators.

As for the Golden Armored Corpse King—just as the name implied—it could reign among corpses and was comparable to a Nascent Soul True Monarch among humans.

The Three Tablets Corpse Scripture recorded that the Golden Armored Corpse King had golden wings sprouting from its back, capable of effortless transposition (similar to the spatial art of a Nascent Soul True Monarch, allowing teleportation across a thousand li).

Within a radius of a thousand feet, it formed its own corpse king domain (hindering spell circulation of cultivators within, disabling the use of Dharma Bodies and external artifacts), immune to Pure-Yang treasures, and without lifespan limitation.

Obtaining a Golden Armored Corpse King Core explained how Qian Buhuan could overcome the three calamities of Corpse Transformation, Yin Corrosion, and Metal-Fiend, becoming a paragon among Golden Armored Corpses—causing even Uncle-Master Yu’s divination to go awry, nearly leading them to perish here.

“Ahem ahem.”

Just then, Senior Sister Yun let out a couple of soft coughs, the black qi on her face growing thicker.

Chen Beiwu’s intent stirred. Behind him, the Cold Pool Spirit Sword unsheathed, and he gently scraped the surface of the corpse king core.

“Senior Sister, forgive me.”

Chen Beiwu flicked the sword tip, letting the scraped corpse king powder fall onto Yun Yishu’s wound.

“Sss!”

In the next moment, a surge of poisonous smoke erupted from her wound. Beads of cold sweat rolled down her forehead—clearly the pain was extreme.

“Will this work?” Zhu Qiong asked softly.

“From the peak of death comes life. The corpse powder from a Golden Armored Corpse Core can neutralize the Corpse Baleful Qi—it’s an excellent antidote to corpse poison,” Chen Beiwu explained.

Not long after, the blackness on Yun Yishu’s face began to fade. She suddenly coughed up a mouthful of black blood, and a flush of healthy color returned to her cheeks.

“Many thanks, Ziang,” Yun Yishu said gratefully.

Without the erosion of Corpse Baleful Qi, her severed arm was no real issue.

Back at the sect, a few high-grade Second-Tier spiritual pills would be enough to regenerate it entirely.

“As long as you’re alright.” Zhu Qiong, carefree by nature, didn’t notice Yun Yishu’s change in address—but Chen Beiwu did.

After fighting side by side, Senior Sister Yun seemed to hold more trust and closeness toward him now.

“Gulp!”

Golden Egg stared fixedly at the corpse king core, saliva dripping from the corner of his mouth, eyes full of longing.

“Woof!”

Iron Egg had a slightly better reaction—his nostrils flared, mouth opened slightly, saliva hanging like threads. Then he turned his head aside, seemingly suppressing his inner desire.

‘You two little guys sure have good taste.’

With a thought, Chen Beiwu looked toward the two senior sisters. He took out the corpse king core and storage ring and spoke, “As per our prior agreement, the spoils of this battle shall be divided equally among the three of us, but—”

He had not finished when Senior Sister Zhu Qiong interrupted him.

“No need to say more, Junior Brother. The only reason we were able to slay the Golden Armored Corpse was because of your Fourth-Tier Treasure Talisman. Without it, even the three of us together might not have escaped unharmed.”

“That’s right. A Fourth-Tier Treasure Talisman is priceless—not even Nascent Soul True Monarchs would use one lightly.

If we were to allocate merits, you alone would deserve ninety percent. Senior Sister and I merely helped as support—how could we claim an equal share?” Yun Yishu added.

Zhu Qiong nodded in agreement with Yun Yishu’s words.

A Fourth-Tier Treasure Talisman was an extremely rare life-saving treasure—even she wasn’t qualified to possess one.

She wasn’t exaggerating—the entire inheritance left behind by the Golden Armored Corpse likely didn’t equal the value of a single Fourth-Tier Treasure Talisman.

Upon hearing this, Chen Beiwu frowned slightly, wanting to suggest they still take a share.

After all, Senior Sister Yun had used two Third-Tier talismans and two Luminous Formation Disks to assist—they weren’t without cost.

But Yun Yishu raised a hand to stop him, speaking earnestly. “Ziang, there’s no need to decline. We’re all fellow disciples—there’s no need to be so calculative.”

She understood Ziang’s nature well.

Compared to the inheritance left by the Golden Armored Corpse, what Yun Yishu cared more about was the favor owed by Junior Brother Chen.

After all, for Qian Buhuan to shift his cultivation path to the Corpse Dao and refine himself into a Golden Armored Corpse, he must have exhausted a vast amount of cultivation resources during his life. How much inheritance he actually left behind was hard to say—he might’ve been dirt poor.

Senior Sister Zhu Qiong likely thought the same.

The favor of the Mirror Moon Sect's Dao Child was not something inferior to a few Third-Tier magical treasures. On the contrary, its value would only grow over time.

“Since that’s the case, then I’ll follow Senior Sisters’ wishes,” Chen Beiwu gave a slight nod and didn’t press the matter.

Just the Golden Armored Corpse King Core alone was enough for him to recoup everything.

Still, since the two Senior Sisters had been so gracious, once he finished sorting through Qian Buhuan’s inheritance, he could select a few cultivation resources from the storage ring suitable for them and send them as gifts. That would count as reciprocal exchange.

Bringing it up now, however, would be inelegant and might hurt their fellowship as sectmates.

…

After Senior Sister Yun finished adjusting her breath and stabilizing her injury, Chen Beiwu’s group ventured deeper into the tomb.

Without the main formation master’s control, and with the Formation-Breaking Jade Slip providing intel, the three encountered no resistance along the way and soon reached the core burial chamber of the Coffin of Heaven, Corpse-Suppressing Three-Calamity Formation.

There, seventy-two black coffins surrounded a golden coffin set in the dome’s center, arranged in a ring. Three purple talismans on the golden coffin were especially eye-catching, continuously drawing in Blood Fiend Qi and radiating intense pressure.

‘This golden coffin is actually a Fourth-Tier Supreme Treasure!’ The three exchanged glances, each showing a shift in expression.

Golden Core treasures and Fourth-Tier Supreme Treasures were fairly easy to distinguish.

The former had fledgling spirituality but required a Golden Core cultivator’s mana to unleash their full power.

The latter possessed unmatched might and could even give birth to an artifact spirit that carried Heaven-and-Earth Dao Rhythms, ascending into a Supreme Dao Treasure, capable of defending its master and slaying enemies on its own.

Even without being wielded by a Nascent Soul True Monarch, a Supreme Dao Treasure could actively absorb the Spiritual Essence of Heaven and Earth, erupting with near-Nascent Soul power—easily suppressing an average Golden Core cultivator.

However, the golden coffin before them, though a Fourth-Tier Supreme Treasure, faintly exuded a decaying aura. Even the coffin lid was missing, causing its power to be greatly diminished—barely qualifying as half a Fourth-Tier Supreme Treasure, let alone comparable to a Supreme Dao Treasure.

“What a shame. This Golden Coffin is of little use to Junior Brother,” Yun Yishu shook her head.

This type of Fourth-Tier Supreme Treasure was typically used for refining evil corpses, not combat—otherwise, Qian Buhuan wouldn’t have left it unused here.

“Not entirely useless. If this coffin is melted down and reforged by Master, perhaps he could craft a custom Fourth-Tier Supreme Treasure for Junior Brother,” Zhu Qiong remarked.

Her father was a renowned Fourth-Tier artifact refiner within the sect. Reforging a Fourth-Tier treasure was well within his means.

The only problem was that her father’s forging fees were prohibitively expensive—Junior Brother might not be able to afford them.

“A Fourth-Tier Supreme Treasure is a bit out of reach for me,” Chen Beiwu wasn’t too tempted.

Yu Zhaohua had chosen the Sun-and-Moon Devourer Wheel because she possessed an Innate Dao Body, allowing her to wield even a Supreme Dao Treasure’s power.

But Chen Beiwu did not have such a body. Even if he had a Fourth-Tier Supreme Treasure, he wouldn’t be able to bring out much of its power. Better to trade the golden coffin for more practical cultivation resources.

Next, Chen Beiwu and the two Senior Sisters thoroughly searched the burial chamber. After confirming there were no hidden treasures, they left together and returned to Biyuan Market, then took a teleportation array back to the sect to receive rewards from the Grand Elder.

That’s right. Because Shu You had discovered the Hollow Gold Marrow vein and Chen Beiwu reported it, earning merit, and also performed outstandingly in the battle between the two sects—slaying many Foundation Establishment cultivators—

Not to mention, together with Senior Sister Zhu Qiong, he had uncovered the Heavy Gold Sect’s formation trap and pinned down a Golden Core True Person.

In this sect-wide merit evaluation, Chen Beiwu’s contributions ranked just below True Person of Myriad Treasures and True Person Nine-Palace.

“Vice Hall Master of the Formation Hall. Thirty thousand contribution points. One Golden Palace Pill.”

Upon hearing Chen Junior Brother’s reward, Zhu Qiong and Yun Yishu exchanged glances without any surprise in their eyes.

Normally, a regular inner disciple wouldn’t receive such rich rewards for a small-scale sect skirmish—but Chen Junior Brother was a special case.

Simply put, most of the sharp-minded inner disciples knew what the upper echelons of the sect were planning.

Striking back at the Heavy Gold Sect to boost the sect’s prestige was one reason—but letting the Dao Child gain achievements to win over the masses was another.

Barring any surprises, once Chen Junior Brother formed his core, under the Patriarch’s guidance, he would likely become a Main-Line Elder—and a top contender for the next Sect Master of Mirror Moon Sect.

Chen Beiwu could also feel the sect’s generosity toward him now. Still, before leaving the Elder Hall, he specially spoke on behalf of his subordinate, Shu You.

“Shu You discovered the conspiracy of the Heavy Gold Sect and has rendered great merit. She should be promoted to Inner Sect True Disciple.”

Elder Zheng pondered briefly and decided to give Chen Beiwu some face.

By rule, only Foundation Establishment cultivators ranked in the top hundred of the Mirror Moon Rankings qualified for True Disciple status—but rules had exceptions.

Since Shu You was the Dao Child’s person, making an exception for her to hold that title wasn’t unreasonable.

After leaving the Elder Hall, Chen Beiwu went straight to the Hall of Mysteries, spending eight thousand contribution points to redeem a high-grade Second-Tier spiritual pill that could regenerate limbs.

Then he spent another ten thousand Spirit Yuan to redeem a peak-grade Second-Tier spiritual pill beneficial to the Threefold Pure-Yang Multitreasure Heart-Lantern Calamity-Dissolving Scripture, personally delivering them to Senior Sister Yun and Senior Sister Zhu.

Only after finishing all that did Chen Beiwu return to Moon-in-Water Dwelling.

“Greetings, Dao Child.”

Seeing Chen Beiwu arrive, Shu You, who had been waiting at the cave residence entrance, quickly stepped forward and gave a respectful bow, eyes full of gratitude.

She was well-informed. The moment she learned she had been promoted to True Disciple, her first thought was to come express loyalty to the Dao Child—even feeling tempted to offer up the Secret Record of Fate-Bearing Qi Absorption and Longevity.

But after some hesitation, Shu You rejected the idea.

If the Dao Child turned out to be greedy and felt that a single fate technique wasn’t enough, suspecting she was hiding more and tried to seize everything related to fate, wouldn’t she be courting disaster?

After much thought, Shu You decided to play it safe—follow the Dao Child for a few more years, study his temperament, then consider whether to offer the fate secret technique.

“No need for formal thanks. Just serve me well in the future, and I won’t mistreat my own,” Chen Beiwu nodded slightly, his gaze subtly sweeping over Shu You’s head.

In the time since they last met, the scarlet-black Baleful Fate lingering around Shu You had significantly faded, but there were still one or two strands of crimson remaining—an ominous sign.

“By the way, I know a little divination. For your safety, you’d best not leave the sect for the next few years,” Chen Beiwu reminded.

No one was perfect.

Though Shu You was fond of women, her handling of affairs was always orderly—Chen Beiwu never had to worry about sect matters. He only needed to occasionally review the critical documents.

If such a useful subordinate were to die by accident, it would mean more work for him—a prospect he didn’t welcome.

“Yes.”

Shu You nodded seriously, with no doubt in her heart.

As a subordinate, she only needed to carry out the Dao Child’s orders with full effort.

Any disagreement or doubt would only damage the Dao Child’s opinion of her.

Watching Shu You’s silhouette fade, Chen Beiwu returned to the cave residence, activated the Cave Residence Grand Array, and triggered the Gate of Ten Directions to return to the Spirit Lake Corpse Refinement Grounds.

That’s right—so that the two Senior Sisters wouldn’t notice anything unusual about the Dragon Vein Site, Chen Beiwu deliberately circled back, rather than investigating on the spot.

In the depths of the tomb—

A dog, a fish, and a man stared silently at one another.

‘The guarding task will be left to you two.’

As Chen Beiwu’s voice fell, his consciousness sank, and his divine sense actively reached for the Nine-Breath Chaos at his heart, attempting to harness its power to seize the qi of the Dragon Vein.