Chapter 346: Gone. All Gone!

Chapter 346: Gone. All Gone!

Li Ziping ignored Chen Huaian’s weird expression and silently walked off with his transmission jade.

He made a half-hearted attempt at setting up a sound-isolation barrier—though he knew it was pointless against someone like Chen Huaian.

“What now? I’m out on official business. Didn’t I say not to contact me unless it was urgent?”

Li Ziping frowned and muttered into the jade, rubbing his foot nervously against the ground. The eyes boring into his back made him want to dig a hole and crawl in.

【Elder Li, can you reach Elder Zhang? You both need to come back right away—Yaoshi Holy Land has launched an attack!】

“What?!”

Li Ziping’s voice rang out, no longer bothering to hide it.

“An attack? Yaoshi Holy Land? When did this happen? What’s the current situation?”

【Five elders on duty have already gone to delay them. Although Real Person Yuyao didn’t come herself, Yaoshi still outnumbers us in Void Fusion cultivators by two. They won’t last long—we need you and Elder Zhang back, urgently.】

“Alright. Hold them off as best you can. I’ll return immediately!”

He shut off the jade, canceled the barrier, stood still for three seconds—

Then did a smooth knee-slide across the ground and slammed into a kowtow in front of Chen Huaian.

“Sword Sovereign Chen, Yaoshi Holy Land is attacking Zhenwu Holy Land!

Elder Zhang is missing—we only have you who can help us!

For the sake of the Patriarch, please lend your strength! I, Li Ziping, will follow your lead from this day forward!”

Thud!

A loud, crisp head-bang to the floor.

“Brother Li, please rise!”

Chen Huaian hurried to lift him up and said solemnly,

“You’re a member of the Sword Pavilion now. As the Sword Pavilion Ancestor, how could I not help?”

Li Ziping: “…”

Wait—when did he become a member of the Sword Pavilion?

This Sword Pavilion Ancestor was something else…

How could he say such cruel things with such wide, innocent eyes?

But now he was asking for help.

Even if his heart was full of bitterness, he could only swallow it.

“You’re not saying anything? I’ll take that as agreement.”

Chen Huaian patted his shoulder with a grin that showed two rows of perfect white teeth.

“Junior Brother Li~”

“…I humbly request Patriarch’s assistance.”

Li Ziping pursed his lips and changed how he addressed him—appropriately.

“Hahahaha! Excellent!” Chen Huaian beamed. Another fierce general acquired.

“Junior Brother Li, lead the way. I don’t actually know where Zhenwu Holy Land is—it’s too mystical.

But once I’m there, I’ll let those Yaoshi b*tches know exactly how sharp my mighty sword is—heh heh!”

Li Ziping’s scalp went numb at that sly grin.

He mounted his sword and took the lead, heart muttering silently the whole way:

Patriarch… are you absolutely sure this is the right person to inherit your legacy…?

Meanwhile—

Burning Purity Holy Land.

A handsome young novice monk knelt outside the temple, bowing deeply.

“Real Person, urgent news. Real Person Yuyao requests your aid in jointly exterminating Zhenwu Holy Land.”

Inside Heaven’s Flame Hall, Reverend Karma was slouched on his Vajra Throne.

He suddenly cracked one eye open, the murky orb slowly turning, revealing a rare flicker of surprise.

“Wipe out Zhenwu Holy Land? So suddenly?”

He’d wanted to team up with Real Person Yuyao for this before.

But she’d always had one excuse or another—delaying, avoiding. Eventually, he let the idea go for the time being.

Now, out of nowhere, she changes her mind?

Something smelled fishy.

Especially lately, Real Person Yuyao had been… acting strange.

She used to be cold and untouchable.

Now she was out here… flirting with monks?!

Was this even real life?

Good thing he wasn’t into women.

He leaned a little more toward men.

Otherwise, who on this continent could possibly resist Real Person Yuyao—the most enchanting female cultivator in all of Cangyun?

“Did she give a reason?” he asked.

The young monk replied, “She only said, ‘The time has come.’”

“…The time, huh? Very well.”

Reverend Karma stood up and rolled his shoulders.

He was willing to attack Zhenwu Holy Land—but he’d need to prepare.

More specifically, he’d need to arm himself with his best spirit treasures.

He had many, but the ones he openly displayed were mostly low-grade.

His true trump cards—mid and high-grade spirit treasures—were always locked away in his treasure vault.

It had been a long time since that vault was last robbed.

They never found the thief.

But just because they couldn’t catch the culprit didn’t mean he hadn’t done something about it.

Since then, he’d beefed up the vault’s security with thousands of barriers and killing arrays.

Now, standing at the vault’s entrance—

The young monk beside him was already trembling from the sheer aura leaking out.

“You wait here. This Venerable One won’t be long.”

Reverend Karma stepped into the teleportation array and entered the vault.

Not long after—

A soul-piercing, blood-curdling shriek echoed from within.

The young monk froze.

That… that had to be the Real Person.

He recognized that duck-like voice instantly.

He could even hear clear terror in that scream.

But… the Real Person was already Mahayana Stage.

What could possibly scare him that badly?

A chill ran down the young monk’s spine.

Could it be… the real Buddha?

Inside the treasure vault.

Reverend Karma stared at three empty boxes.

His lips trembled.

His hands shook.

His entire body trembled.

“Gone… all gone…!”

Those three boxes had contained his three most powerful spirit treasures—

his trump cards against Real Person Yuyao and the heavenly tribulations to come.

Now the boxes were empty.

He tore through the vault, digging like mad, searching every corner.

Nothing.

He knew full well—

even if a spirit treasure had an artifact spirit, it wouldn’t just run off without its master’s command.

“My Sunfall Vajra Pestle…! My Buddha’s Finger Bone…! And my Twelfth-Rank Silk Kasaya…!”

Each one had taken millennia to acquire.

Some were inherited from ancient cultivators.

Others he painstakingly forged from treasure embryos himself.

Each was his heart and soul.

“WHO?! WHO DID THIS?!”

Reverend Karma roared to the heavens.

His bloodshot eyes burned with rage, veins popping on his ancient face.

After some time—

He stepped out of the vault.

The young monk rushed over. “Real Person, what now? Shall I gather the temple masters to rendezvous with Yaoshi Holy Land?”

“…No.”

Reverend Karma cast a cold, sidelong glance at the novice—

so cold that the poor boy’s legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground.

“Starting today, this Venerable One will enter closed-door cultivation in the treasure vault.

Also… spread the word.”

“All mission teams are to return immediately.

From now on, your one and only task is this—

FIND THE THIEF who dared steal from this Venerable One!”

With that, he turned, hunched over, and returned to the vault.

He still had a few treasures left.

He’d place them all in the vault and sit guard.

They would serve as bait.

He didn’t believe—not for a second—that he wouldn’t catch the thief this time.

…

…