The Royal Secret Treasury.
This place served as the foundation of knowledge and power for the Great Yu Dynasty. Ordinary princes and princesses couldn't set foot inside without special permission.
Li Mengze, holding a token, slowly entered under the guidance of an expressionless old eunuch. The hustle and brightness outside were completely cut off.
The ceiling wasn't adorned with ornate carvings but dotted with countless luminous pearls emitting a soft glow. The floor was paved with dark jade tiles, making no sound when stepped upon.
Rows of towering ebony bookshelves reached the ceiling, neatly filled with countless jade scrolls, animal skin manuscripts, and ancient texts.
The air carried the scent of old books mixed with faint spiritual energy fluctuations.
"You have three days," the old eunuch said hoarsely. "After three days, you must leave regardless of your progress. Remember, you can only read - no copying or removing any texts. As for selecting treasures, someone will take you to the Treasure Pavilion after you finish reading."
Having said this, he stood silently by the entrance like a statue.
Li Mengze took a deep breath to calm his excitement and respectfully placed the token on the jade platform at the entrance. The token flashed briefly as an invisible barrier dissipated.
Without delay, he headed straight for the geographical records section."Blood Maple Forest."
As his divine consciousness entered the jade scroll, lines of ancient text flooded his mind:
[Blood Maple Forest, located deep in the 'Lost Mountains' bordering the Great Qian Dynasty, perpetually shrouded in bloody miasma. The maple leaves, saturated with baleful energy, appear crimson like blood, hence the name.]
[Records indicate this was an ancient sect battlefield and a disposal site for *filth* throughout successive dynasties...]
At this point, the text suddenly blurred as if erased by an invisible force.
The following content was entirely different:
[...During national upheavals or great calamities, emperors would perform *Nation-Pacifying Ceremonies* here to appease heaven and earth, praying for national prosperity and peace.]
"Filth? Nation-Pacifying Ceremonies?"
Li Mengze frowned. These seemingly detailed records abruptly stopped at critical points, deliberately obscured.
This further confirmed his father's suspicions—the so-called "nutrients" and "harvest" were likely hidden within these erased secrets of "filth" and "ceremonies."
Suppressing his doubts, he began searching for second-tier spirit materials required for the [Nine Suns Spirit Refining Formation].
This time, the information was clearer:
"Earth Core Fire Marrow, produced in the magma core beneath the Black Fire Mountain Range. Note: The Black Fire Mountains were the main battlefield of the 'Crimson Flame War' three hundred years ago, where thirteen Foundation Establishment cultivators and countless Qi Refining cultivators perished. Their resentful energy lingers to this day."
"Nine Heavens Divine Iron, occasionally found in Thunder Valley. Note: Thunder Valley once housed an ancient thunder cultivation sect that was exterminated. The valley is perpetually stormy, with remnants of magical artifacts and unyielding obsessions lingering in the air."
"Ten-Thousand-Year Warm Jade, occasionally found in the 'Immortal Burial Pit' of the Extreme Cold Ice Plains. Note: The Immortal Burial Pit..."
As he reviewed these clues, a chill ran down Li Mengze's spine.
Without exception, all locations yielding second-tier superior spirit materials were deadly ancient battlefields or forbidden zones.
His father's theory was proven once again—
This world truly "cultivated" resources for upper-level cultivators through bloody means.
Committing this information to memory, Li Mengze moved to another section—the cultivation techniques and divine abilities area.
Three days passed in a flash.
Before leaving the treasury, Li Mengze visited the Treasure Pavilion.
For himself, he selected a protective treasure called "Heart-Subduing Jade," which could ward off soul attacks—perfect for his needs.
For his younger brother Li Mengjin, he chose a sword technique manual titled "Phantom Division Sword," which could create illusory clones, making attacks and defenses unpredictable like moonlit reflections on water.
For his younger sister Li Mengyue, he picked a pearl containing a wisp of "Lunar Essence." This pure, pristine item could nourish her soul and greatly enhance the healing power of her Moon Goddess's Spring.
Loaded with gains, Li Mengze declined Prince Yong and Elder Zhao's attempts to make him stay. He needed to return quickly to deliver these crucial findings and treasures to his family personally.
............
At Prince Yong's mansion, a team of elite guards composed of mid-to-late Qi Refining cultivators stood ready.
"Nephew," Prince Yong personally saw him off, patting his shoulder with concern in his tiger-like eyes. "Your achievements have brought glory to the capital but also made you enemies. That Wei family girl was spoiled rotten by her mother—she holds grudges fiercely. Take my token and let these 'Tiger Guards' protect you. Remember, survival comes first outside these walls."
Grateful, Li Mengze bowed respectfully. "Thank you for your generosity, Your Highness."
He didn't refuse—this might be his only chance to leave the capital alive.
The carriage slowly exited the city gates, heading toward the official road.
At an unavoidable pass called "Soul-Severing Slope,"
Wei Linger stood atop a cliff in black martial attire, wearing a ferocious ghost mask, coldly watching the approaching convoy below.
Behind her stood a dozen similarly dressed black-clad figures—their auras icy, their eyes devoid of human emotion, like ghosts risen from hell.
"Remember your orders?" Wei Linger's voice was piercingly cold. "Leave no survivors, especially that Li bastard. I want him dead without a whole corpse! After completion, disappear without a trace."
"As you command," the lead assassin rasped, gripping a serpentine curved blade wreathed in dark energy.
They were death warriors secretly trained by Princess Zhaoyang for dirty work. To them, there were no nobles or alchemy prodigies—only targets.
"They're coming," Wei Linger licked her lips, eyes gleaming with bloodlust.
Li Mengze, your death has arrived!
As the convoy entered the narrow slope flanked by steep cliffs—a perfect ambush site—
"Danger!" Li Mengze sensed imminent peril simultaneously inside the carriage.
He grabbed the Heart-Subduing Jade beside him, pushing his spiritual awareness to its limits.
"Stop! It's an ambush!"
Almost as he shouted—
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Pre-placed boulders tumbled down from both cliffs, perfectly crushing the convoy's front and rear, cutting off retreat.
"Formation! Protect the alchemist!" the Tiger Guard captain roared.
A dozen guards instantly drew swords, forming an impenetrable circle around Li Mengze's carriage.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
A rain of poisoned arrows descended like locusts.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The Tiger Guards' blades became a seamless wall deflecting the arrows.
But then a dozen shadowy figures slid down the cliffs like hunting panthers, charging into the formation!
These assassins were all at least Qi Refining Stage Seven, their leader half-step into Stage Eight!
Their ruthless, coordinated attacks showed seasoned killers.
Though elite, the Tiger Guards were caught off-guard. Two fell immediately, throats slit by the eerie curved blades before they could scream.
A gap opened in the formation!
"Kill!" The lead assassin's eyes burned with murderous intent as he charged toward Li Mengze's carriage.
"Not so fast!" The Tiger Guard captain intercepted desperately.
"Clang!"
A tremendous impact sent the captain staggering back, his hands bleeding from the force.
"Pathetic," the assassin sneered, sidestepping to bypass him.
Suddenly—
The ground beneath the assassin's feet turned into quicksand without warning!
Caught off-guard, he sank waist-deep, momentarily immobilized.
"What—?" Before he could react, thick vines and thorns erupted from the ground like living snakes, entangling his limbs!
"Parlor tricks!" The assassin roared, dark energy surging to break free.
But this momentary delay gave the Tiger Guard captain time to recover.
"Die!" He swung his blade fiercely at the assassin's neck.
Simultaneously, Li Mengze leaped from the carriage, calmly flicking several black pills toward the front attackers.
The pills exploded mid-air, releasing vile green poison mist.
Assassins inhaling it felt dizzy, their energy circulation sluggish.
"Poison! Hold your breath!"
They retreated in shock—this seemingly frail alchemist was a poison master too!
The inexplicable quicksand, rampant vines, and now poison—
Everything felt unnaturally sinister!
Several miles from Soul-Severing Slope, on an inconspicuous hill,
Li Pingcan sat cross-legged, eyes closed. Through his ubiquitous fungal network, he monitored the entire battlefield.
"Buzz—"
A massive hornet's nest near the slope erupted.
Thousands of thumb-sized killer bees blotted the sky, swarming the assassins!
"Ah! What are these?!"
"My eyes! Help!"
The assassins were engulfed. Swinging weapons uselessly, the bees targeted exposed eyes and necks.
Screams of agony filled the air as their formation collapsed utterly.
On the cliff, Wei Linger gaped in disbelief.
Quicksand? Vines? Poison?
Now killer bees?!
What...what was happening?!
"Useless! All useless!" She trembled with rage. "Attack! Everyone attack! Kill him at all costs!"
Her remaining death warriors exchanged glances, then determination flashed in their eyes.
Slapping their chests, they reversed their blood flow, crimson patterns surfacing on their skin as their power multiplied instantly!
"Blood Sacrifice Art! They're going all out!" the Tiger Guard captain exclaimed in horror.
"Protect the alchemist! Retreat!"
But Li Mengze shook his head calmly, watching the empowered assassins with terrifying composure.
"No need."
With two simple words, he leaped from the carriage. Calmly flicking his wrist, a dozen dragon-eye-sized pills shot toward each guard.
Trusting their prince and this alchemy genius implicitly, the guards swallowed them without hesitation.
"Roar!"
The pills unleashed volcanic energy within them!
The guards roared uncontrollably as muscles bulged visibly, armor creaking from expansion.
Veins swelled like coiling dragons beneath their skin as golden light enveloped them, flames burning in their eyes!
Their Qi Refining late-stage cultivation skyrocketed, forcibly breaching bottlenecks to reach terrifying peak Stage Nine!
"What...what kind of pill is this?!" Wei Linger's mind reeled on the cliff.
The lead assassin was equally stunned—he'd never seen pills that could instantly boost cultivation!
This bordered on demonic methods!
No time to think—his curved blade slashed lethally at the recovering Tiger Guard captain.
"Die!"
But the captain, eyes blazing gold, welcomed the strike head-on with an earthshaking roar!
"Clang——!!!"
A deafening metallic crash!
To the assassin's horror, his peerless blade shattered against the captain's standard-issue sword!
An overwhelming force sent him flying, arm bones fracturing as he smashed into the cliff!
"Kill!!!" The tide of battle turned instantly!