The Desolate Era (Web Novel)

Ji Ning, feeling incomparably delighted, walked out of the treasure storeroom. “This was a tremendous stroke of fortune. No wonder so many Immortal cultivators, despite knowing some places are dangerous, insist on going into them. It is because they hope for strokes of fortune like this. With such wealth…my power will increase tremendously, and my ability to stay alive will improve tremendously as well.”

As long as he had enough treasures, he would be able to trade for what he needed at the Heavenly Treasures Mountain.

Life-saving items, fleeing items, support items, Ki Refining techniques, divine abilities…as long as he was willing to pay a high enough price, he could acquire them all!

Although Ning currently had those two extremely powerful life-protecting items from the underwater estate, one of which had even been personally created by Daoist Threelives…two wasn’t enough. The likes of young master Youngflame definitely carried more than ten life-saving items by his side.

“If I had so many treasures to begin with, my earthfire and dire-ice would’ve been raised to the first grade long ago.” Ning continued to advance through the corridors at high speed, pushing open the doors to one study after another.

Rumble. “Nothing here.”

“Nothing here either.” Ning continued to search.

Given how enormous the Vault of Treasures was, aside from the items treasure storeroom he had located, there might be other treasures present. Just as Ning was continuing to relaxedly search, suddenly…

BOOM!

The entire region seemed to tremble, causing Ning’s skin and hair to begin to shake. Ning couldn’t help but turn his head to look at the corridor behind him. Deep from the ends of that corridor, an incomparably powerful ripple was surging forth.

“A magic treasure ripple.” Ning, having seen so many magic treasures earlier in the treasure hall, immediately came to this conclusion. “In addition, this ripple is far more powerful than the ripples that were given off by the Heaven-ranked magic treasures in that storeroom!”

Instantly, a thought flashed past Ning’s mind. Immortal-ranked magic treasure! “It has to be an Immortal-ranked treasure.” Ning instantly swept forward, moving towards the direction of the ripple at high speed.

……

“This material is excellent. I can use it to create constructs.” Northson was searching within the palace as well, and he didn’t hold back at all. He immediately collected all of the drapes, tables, and prayer mats he found on his path through. “Just now, I discovered long-decayed corpses with magic treasures that even I am unable to bind. I imagine they must be Heaven-ranked, while the dead were Primal Diremonsters. Heh heh, one more corpse, please, one more corpse!”

When Immortal Witchriver had died, the palace had instantly become sealed off.

Generally speaking, those granted access to this palace were experts of high status. However, trapped within, they had no escape, eventually dying of old age! They left behind their corpses, and all of the treasures next to the corpses were extraordinary.

“One more corpse, please…” Northson’s gaze was blazing as he continued to search.

Rumble!

A powerful ripple surged forth. Northson was momentarily stunned, and then he immediately turned to face a sideways, curving corridor, letting out a surprised howl. “It must be an Immortal-ranked magic treasure.” And then, he immediately transformed into a streak of light, flying over.

…….

“Why doesn’t this Vault of Treasures have anything? I wonder if the others found anything.” Adept Vastriver had nothing to show for his efforts, finding nothing on his path.

“Eh?” Adept Vastriver suddenly came to a halt, sensing that powerful ripple.

“Such a powerful ripple…it must be an Immortal-ranked magic treasure.” Given that he had fragments of memories from his past life, some naturally involved Immortal-ranked magic treasures. Adept Vastriver’s eyes instantly turned red with desire, and he immediately transformed into a streak of light, hurrying forward.

……

All of them, scattered throughout the palace, advanced at high speed towards the source of the ripples.

The Immortal-ranked magic treasure was within an extremely large and quiet secret room. The room was very large. The insides, however, were quite empty. The red-robed youth, Xue Hongyi, was currently staring, mouth hanging open, at a nearby oil lamp. Above the lamp, there was an azure, blazing flame. The area around the tiny lamp was filled with circles upon circles of flames, all of which emanated powerful ripples, forcibly preventing Xue Hongyi from reaching out to seize it.

“This, this…Immortal-ranked magic treasure?!” Xue Hongyi felt that this really was his lucky today. Just now, when he had entered, he had seen that to the side of the room, there was a seemingly ordinary decorative lamp. Only, a fire was blazing within the oil lamp, causing him to feel intrigued. What he had thought to himself was, “Given that Immortal Witchriver has died countless hundreds of millions of years ago, for this lamp to remain burning means that it must be extraordinary.”

He immediately had stretched his hand out to collect it into his storage-type magic treasure, but as he was about to do so, the lamp suddenly exploded with awe-inspiring might. Circles of fire blazed out from within the lamp, emanating a powerful, rippling energy aura that easily deflected him.

“Hahaha, who says Ji Ning is the only lucky one around? I, Xue Hongyi, can be lucky as well. This Immortal-ranked magic artifact is mine.” Xue Hongyi was incomparably excited. He produced a horsetail whisk within his hand, then swept out with it. The white threads on the whisk immediately flew out, moving to surround the oil lamp.

The oil lamp remained where it was, but the flames around it began to blaze even greater, forcibly keeping the threads at bay.

“What?” A look of amazement appeared on Xue Hongyi’s face. “I can’t take it, even when I’m using a magic treasure?”

“A puny Wanxiang wants to be my master?” The flame atop the oil lamp suddenly transformed into the face of a child, which then stared angrily at Xue Hongyi. “You had best know your own limits and quickly depart.”

Xue Hongyi, however, only felt all the more delighted. According to the legends, Immortal-ranked magic treasures would give birth to treasure-spirits which could speak in the human tongue.

“It is as the legends say. They really are capable of human speech. An Immortal-ranked treasure!” Xue Hongyi’s eyes were shining. The entire Snowdragon Mountain was not in possession of a single Immortal-ranked magic treasure, but now, he had a chance to acquire one! A tremendous bit of luck had befallen him; it would be a sin to to anything besides seize it.

“Magic treasure, you had best obediently follow me.” A snowy white ribbon appeared in front of Xue Hongyi, the power of it clearly much greater than the previous treasure. This was one of Xue Hongyi’s most favored magic treasures, and it went sweeping in an entangling manner towards the lamp.

The lamp remained where it was. It was, after all, only an Immortal-ranked magic treasure; it wasn’t yet able to fly about and move about on its own. However, it was capable of manifesting a bit of its might…and even just a small portion of the might of an Immortal-ranked magic treasure, was not something which an ordinary Wanxiang Adept could handle. The circles of fire around it began to grow even larger, and the ripples it manifested grew even stronger, managing to forcibly block Xue Hongyi’s white ribbon.

“You aren’t able to collect me. Your power is lacking, lacking by far.” The blaze-turned-toddler face sneered, “You had best leave now. If someone who is weak acquires an Immortal-ranked magic treasure, it will only be a disaster, not a blessing.”

“Hmph. I can take you and trade you for top-grade Heaven-ranked magic items and many other treasures. Alternately, I can go to the local Raindragon Guard branch and immediately enter secluded meditation, only leaving once I reach the Primal level…by then, my power will greatly expand, and Snowdragon Mountain will hold me in reverence.” Xue Hongyi’s eyes were filled with madness. “I refuse to believe I can’t collect you, an inanimate object!”

Xue Hongyi used magic treasures repeatedly, attempting to capture it.

However, he simply could not.

He didn’t dare use his own hand to snatch it; after all, he wasn’t a Fiendgod Body Refiner. Upon doing so, he would probably be burnt to ash.

“Swoosh.” Ripples of power suddenly came from outside, and the stone door began to be pushed open.

“Someone’s coming in.” Xue Hongyi could no longer afford to wait. “GET OVER HERE!” Xue Hongyi let out a howl, then executed a forbidden technique. His face turned completely red, and a series of flying needles flew out, exploding with power and transforming into a gigantic hand that grabbed the lamp, smothering and breaking the flames surrounding it.

“GET IN!” He immediately collected the Immortal-ranked magic treasure. Only now did Xue Hongyi turn his body, only to see that two figures had appeared from behind; Ji Ning and Yu Wei.

“Decisive and vicious,” Ning said softly. Xue Hongyi just grinned, seeming quite smug. At the critical moment, he had executed a forbidden technique and collected the Immortal-ranked magic treasure. He, too, felt that he had been quite decisive.

“Unfortunately, you were a step too late.” Xue Hongyi gave Ning a glance.

“That was an Azuresilk Godfire Lamp!” Yu Wei said softly, “It can be used to nourish skyfire and raise it to the first grade in power! In addition, the azuresilk godfire within it can be activated to attack enemies. It will pose a grave threat to even Loose Immortals, although it isn’t very effective against Celestial Immortals…still, it can be considered an excellent Immortal-ranked magic treasure. If it were to be sold to the Heavenly Treasures Mountain, it could fetch a price of 1.5 million kilograms of liquefied elemental essence!”

Ning’s heart shook. 1.5 million? And, according to what Yu Wei said, it seemed as though this Azuresilk Godfire Lamp was similar to the Earthfire Heartlamp in effect, capable of nourishing skyfire to the first grade! And it could also be used to fight against enemies…

Swoosh. Swoosh. Swoosh. A series of figures flew out; Ninelotus, Adept Vastriver, Northson, the Whitewater Hound, and Little Qing.

“The Immortal-ranked magic treasure? Where is it?” Northson hurriedly looked around, then stared at Xue Hongyi. “It wasn’t acquired by Xue Hongyi, was it?”

“It was him,” Yu Wei explained.

……

In the largest hall within the Vault of Treasures.

Youngflame Nong was seated in the lotus position, continuously working to bind the hall. He, too, could sense the powerful ripples emanating from the Immortal-ranked magic treasure.

“There actually is an Immortal-ranked treasure?” Youngflame Nong said, surprised, “Was Immortal Witchriver so wealthy that he wouldn’t keep all of his Immortal-ranked treasures by his side?”

Powerful experts would keep their most powerful artifacts by their side. A Celestial Immortal would generally have multiple Immortal-ranked magic treasures. Youngflame Nong had originally felt certain that the Witchriver Immortal Estate would have no Immortal-ranked magic treasures within, and so he didn’t care about the treasures here at all.

“Young master, are you going to take action?” Xiangliu Fang asked.

“No need.” Youngflame Nong shook his head. “I have, after all, made a promise in the name of the clan. In addition, they will be needed within this Immortal estate.”

Xiangliu Fang nodded.

“Once they are no longer of use…” Youngflame Nong’s eyes suddenly flickered with a bit of heat. “I have to say, that Rainbowflame Fairy, Yu Wei…she really is quite fine.”

Xiangliu Fang laughed. He knew exactly what his master was thinking about.

“Young master, when the time comes, you just need to give a few subtle hints, and Yu Wei will know how she should act. She’s merely a reincarnated Immortal; to Immortal cultivators, the most important thing is their cultivation paths. The pleasures of the flesh are, by comparison, a minor matter. For the sake of being able to proceed to greater heights on her path, she will yield to you, young master.” Xiangliu Fang spoke in a soft voice; his young master, in the imperial capital, was quite a lavish, generous spender.

He was the future Godplume Duke! Given his status, the types of pleasures he enjoyed were quite extravagant as well. It was actually quite common for reincarnated female Immortals to submit to being maidservants for him.

“Not the same. This Yu Wei isn’t like the others; she’s even better than those I had in the imperial capital.” Youngflame Nong licked his lower lip. “But as for that Ninelotus, heh heh…her demeanor and aura is quite extraordinary as well. People from large, top-tier clans like her know how to judge a situation. I imagine that it would be a bit easier to convince her to play with me a few times. Yu Wei will probably be harder.”

“How about…” Xiangliu Fang’s voice grew even softer.

“No need. I still need them.” Youngflame Nong shook his head. “Some matters are more important than others.”

“Right.” Xiangliu Fang nodded.