The secret compartment was in Zag Boya's study, hidden behind a row of bookshelves. The shelves had been moved aside, revealing a dark passage.
"Let's go in and take a look!" Xiao Yunlong glanced and took the lead, stepping inside.
At his current level of martial arts cultivation, he could already see in the dark, able to discern objects clearly even without a light.
However, out of caution, Xiao Yunlong secretly circulated his divine kingdom power, forming a faint, invisible energy shield around his body to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances.
In the end, Xiao Yunlong found that he had been overly cautious. The secret room had no traps set up.
After lighting the oil lamps inside, everyone could finally see the secret room clearly. It wasn't very large, only about five or six square meters. What astonished everyone was that the room was filled with three large chests overflowing with gold, silver, and jewels.
These treasures, illuminated by the lamplight, emitted beautiful and enchanting colors.
"It seems this secret room was Zag Boya's treasure vault!"
Xiao Yunlong shook his head inwardly. He wasn't particularly interested in these riches, but he was drawn to a small row of bookshelves in the corner.
As he walked over, to his surprise, his divine kingdom within him stirred. He fixed his gaze on a black inkstone on the bookshelf.
"This inkstone can actually cause my divine kingdom to react!"
Xiao Yunlong was astonished but remained outwardly calm, picking up the inkstone.
It felt incredibly smooth and lustrous to the touch, with a bone-chilling coolness. Furthermore, the inkstone contained a vast amount of spiritual energy.
"No wonder. This inkstone is made of ancient black jade, and its quality is exceptionally good. The spiritual energy it contains is also the densest I've ever encountered!"
Xiao Yunlong was immensely excited. This was an unexpected bonus for him.
"Your Highness North King, it seems you are quite fond of this inkstone?"
Deputy Commander Zhou Yun, who had just entered the secret room, couldn't help but ask when he saw Xiao Yunlong examining the black inkstone.
Xiao Yunlong nodded slightly and smiled, "This inkstone has excellent material, and its design is ancient and grand. I like it very much. It just so happens that my study is missing such an inkstone. Deputy Commander Zhou, may I take it back?"
"Of course. Not to mention just this small inkstone, you can take anything you fancy from all the treasures in this vault, Your Highness North King!" Zhou Yun said with a smile.
"No need, this inkstone is enough. Oh, and remember to take some of these treasures later to reward those who have contributed, especially those who were injured or killed in battle, with double compensation and rewards!" Xiao Yunlong said.
"Yes, Your Highness North King, I will strictly follow your orders!" Deputy Commander Zhou cupped his hands in acknowledgment.
Xiao Yunlong pointed to the scattered letters on the bookshelf and instructed, "You all carefully examine these letters, and also search other hidden corners for any useful clues!"
With that, he took the black inkstone and left first. The secret room wasn't large, and having so many people inside made it a bit cramped.
The cleanup was completed quickly. For the sake of caution, Xuan Yuan Qingfeng and the others even pried up the floor tiles one by one to inspect them, but they found nothing suspicious.
"What about the letters from the bookshelf? Is there any useful information?"
Xiao Yunlong, seated in the main seat of the main hall, asked with a furrowed brow after hearing the reports from Zhuge Wushuang and the others.
Zhuge Wushuang replied, "Reporting to the Lord, those letters are correspondence from decades ago with the Old Southern King, recording only trivial matters of daily life. They are useless. It seems that before this, that old fellow Zag Boya had already burned other important letters, as we found a pile of ashes in a corner."
"Have you used high-tech scanning on the ashes?" Xiao Yunlong immediately asked.
"We are already doing so, and the results should be available soon!" Zhuge Wushuang replied.
As they were speaking, Deputy Commander Zhou Yun hurried in from outside, cupping his hands and saying, "Your Highness North King, the scan has yielded results. Only some faint characters can be seen from the pile of ashes, but two words are particularly prominent and clear!"
"Which two words?" Xiao Yunlong asked.
"Imperial Capital, Wang Family!" Zhou Yun finished speaking and looked up at Xiao Yunlong, likely waiting to see his reaction.
"Imperial Capital Wang Family?" Xiao Yunlong merely smiled and gave a soft哼, "As expected, this Lord of Canggu Ridge did indeed have connections with the aristocratic families of the Imperial Capital during his lifetime. However..."
At this point, Xiao Yunlong suddenly stopped speaking.
"However what?" Deputy Commander Zhou asked.
Xiao Yunlong shook his head and smiled, "Never mind. The person is dead, and discussing this further is meaningless. Is there any other useful information, for example, any mention of the Miaoyin Sect?"
In fact, Xiao Yunlong wanted to say that since the Lord of Canggu Ridge, Zag Boya, had connections with the aristocratic families of the Imperial Capital, why would the Imperial Capital not send powerful individuals to participate when such a good opportunity presented itself today? This seemed illogical.
Furthermore, the Wang Family of the Imperial Capital was not weak; they were one of the four major aristocratic families in the Imperial Capital. Some direct descendants of the family even held important positions in the Tian Ce Fu. It was likely that the Wang Family was involved in the ambush outside the capital a year ago.
However, Xiao Yunlong suddenly remembered that Zhou Yun's conduct was unique and peculiar, especially his mysterious background. Therefore, he swallowed the words that were about to be spoken.
It could be said that to this day, Xiao Yunlong had not seen through Deputy Commander Zhou. This person appeared to be diligent and conscientious, and loyal to the Southern King, but it was precisely his perfection and flawlessness that made him seem somewhat unreal.
Therefore, Xiao Yunlong had to be cautious about what he said!
Deputy Commander Zhou shook his head and sighed, "I must say that old fellow Zag Boya was extremely cautious and cunning. It seems he had already made the worst-case scenario plans in his mind, and thus destroyed all the useful evidence in the secret room in advance. There was no information related to the Miaoyin Sect!"
"I understand. You may withdraw. If you find any further clues later, remember to report them to me!"
Xiao Yunlong waved his hand and then got up. Following that, they boarded a special plane and returned to the Southern Border military camp.
For the next three consecutive days, Xiao Yunlong chose to remain in seclusion, not leaving his residence, as he needed to seize the time to absorb the spiritual energy contained within the ancient black inkstone to improve his cultivation.
The situation in the Southern Border had largely stabilized. Xiao Yunlong would naturally not interfere with the remaining minor matters. Moreover, the Southern King's health had gradually recovered, and with his capabilities, he was fully capable of handling and responding to them.
Three days later, Xiao Yunlong emerged from seclusion. After three days of continuous absorption and cultivation, the spiritual energy contained within the black ancient inkstone was finally completely absorbed by him.
The number of divine kingdoms opened within Xiao Yunlong's body had increased to one hundred and eight!
"Hoo... I've finally broken through the hundred mark. My Three Thousand Divine Kingdoms Art has finally truly begun!"
Xiao Yunlong exclaimed inwardly, a hint of unconcealed excitement in his eyes. He could clearly feel that his cultivation had doubled compared to before he entered seclusion.
"With my current cultivation and combat power, I can easily crush even the peak of the Innate True Yuan Realm, and I can fully contend with the Yin-Yang Realm above the Innate True Yuan Realm. It's time to return!"
As Xiao Yunlong spoke, he pushed open the door of the secret room with both hands.
It was a bright winter day, and the brilliant sunlight on his body made him feel exceptionally good!
Xiao Yunlong sent messages to Zhuge Wushuang and a few other trusted subordinates, asking them to come to the hall for a meeting.
"How has the situation in the Northern Territory been these past three days?" Xiao Yunlong asked with concern as soon as he entered the hall.
Zhuge Wushuang stood up, cupped his hands, and replied, "Reporting to the North King, yesterday, the vanguard of the three Northern Desert countries, led by the Snow Wolf Kingdom, entered the Northern Territory and engaged in a probing skirmish with the Northern Territory defenders. Currently, neither side has gained a clear advantage, but with the ten thousand troops of that Northeast Tiger, it will be difficult to resist the thirty thousand troops of the three Northern Desert countries!"
Xiao Yunlong asked in a cold tone, "What about the Imperial Capital? Are there any signs of troop reinforcements?"
"None. The Tian Ce Fu of the Imperial Capital, including the Wen Tian Pavilion, has shown no intention of providing support."
Zhuge Wushuang paused and then continued, "My Lord, based on my estimation, the Imperial Capital is likely observing, waiting for your reaction!"
Xiao Yunlong let out a cold laugh, "These old foxes, it seems they want to use this opportunity to see who wins between me and that Northeast Tiger. I had no intention of competing with that Northeast Tiger, but it concerns the safety of the Northern Territory, so I cannot stand by. Prepare yourselves, we will depart this afternoon and return to the Northern Territory!"
Just then, Tang Bowen stood up and said, "There is an important matter, My Lord. You have been in seclusion these past three days and have not been informed."
"What matter?" Xiao Yunlong asked.
"Yesterday, we received news from the Imperial Capital that the Mistress has started her holiday. Hearing that you were in the Southern Border, she booked a flight to the Southern Border for tomorrow!" Tang Bowen said.
Xiao Yunlong was taken aback, then smiled wryly, "I didn't expect Ruyan to be on winter break already!"
"If that is the case, we will wait here for one more day. We will return to the Northern Territory together after Ruyan arrives!"
"Yes, My Lord!" Zhuge Wushuang and the others cupped their hands and responded in unison.