Atlas of Heaven and Man.

Chapter 1453 Ya Er Opens the Precious Letter

The Heaven Beyond the Body erected by the Duanchen Sect, when viewed from the sky, appears as a small island mountain situated in a lake or sea.

The island is covered with all sorts of strange plants with an ethereal appearance, making it seem like a paradise on earth.

The hidden treasures are located on a three-fingered peak, with a stone pillar rising atop each peak, corresponding to the three hidden treasures buried there.

Pi Lingzi led Chen Chuanxian to the first secret treasure location. Since the island was only so big, and the surrounding areas were not far apart, with beautiful scenery everywhere, the two chose to walk.

On the way, Pi Lingzi said, "I have been to all three of these secret treasures. The first two have more treasures, and the things hidden deep inside must also be of great value."
The last treasure trove contained slightly less valuable items, mostly ancient and modern Chinese and foreign classics, as well as calligraphy and paintings by famous figures from the time of Emperor Changzong. Therefore, I speculate that what was sealed deep within the third secret trove was most likely a token of personal favor.

Chen Chuanwei was slightly surprised: "Human relationships?"

Pi Lingzi said, "Every dynasty and every imperial family has some connection with the ancient gods. If I am not wrong, those should be the covenants between the imperial family and the gods, so that they can intervene in times of crisis and help the Cao family to continue their dynasty."

He shook his head and sighed, "But whenever the court is on the verge of collapse, it is always a time when the situation is beyond saving. Even if these ancient gods are summoned, it is not certain that they will sincerely help."

Chen Chuan thought of the gods who protected Emperor Wenguang and agreed with this point. Even if they were really coerced into coming, their role would still be limited under the circumstances.

Not to mention, since ancient times, there have been almost no more dynasties that worship ancient gods. They have always been highly vigilant and guarded against by the Xuanzang and Chan religions, and they will suppress them whenever they appear.

After the prosperous dynasty, there were also some short-lived local regimes during the wars, and their downfall was mostly related to this.

Pi Lingzi continued, "Emperor Taizong of Dingchao may have guessed this possibility, so his request for wealth from me was a pretense, and his real intention was to take these things out and destroy them. However, even without these things, could Dingchao last for thousands of generations?"
Dynastic changes inevitably bring internal problems and external threats, but if one's own virtue remains steadfast, why worry about these things?

At this point, the two had arrived at a precipice, and the sound of rushing water could be heard in their ears.

Pi Lingzi looked ahead and said, "Xuanji, the first secret treasure is right here."

Chen Chuan stood there and looked ahead, where a pier suspended between two high cliffs appeared.

About 20 or 30 meters to his left was a waterfall cascading down, and rainbows could be seen in the mist rising from it.

Opposite the suspended walkway is a stone gate half-embedded in the mountain wall, which, from the outside, does not look like a secret entrance at all.

Pi Lingzi said, "If you want to obtain the secret treasure, you must pass through here. This is the order of the ritual. Please follow me through here."

As he spoke, he made a few gestures in the air, unlocking a protective ritual, and then walked towards the bridge.

Chen Chuan glanced at it a few times. The ceremony here looked simple on the surface, but it was actually connected to the entire airspace.

If it weren't for Pilingzi, the local guide, even if the exact location of the secret treasure were known, it would probably take a lot of effort, and it's hard to say whether the contents could be opened without damaging them.

The two walked across the pier, and Pi Lingzi stepped forward and pushed open the door of the grotto. After passing through a narrow path of about ten feet, they finally arrived inside.

Inside is a relatively large cave with a smooth floor paved with bricks and stones. The first thing that catches the eye is a row of neat stone figures of people and horses, all of which look just like real people.

This kind of place wouldn't have useless things placed there, so it's not hard to see that it must be related to some internal ritual.

Chen Chuan looked around at the other places. There were stacks of boxes piled up on the walls and the floor, with seals on the edges. The ones against the walls, in particular, were piled up to almost touch the top.

Pi Lingzi said, "The earlier batch of goods was taken away long ago. These were sent by the Dingchao Dynasty later. The most recent batch was sent by Emperor Wenguang. Because they are from different eras, they are not categorized and are all piled up here. However, I think Xuanji has no patience to look at such things for long."

He gestured behind him, "That's where the things beneficial to our cultivation are kept." As he spoke, he turned to the side and made a gesture of invitation, "Xuanji, please come in."

Chen Chuan nodded and followed him through the passageway left by the box. After thirty or forty steps, a double stone door appeared in front of them, with a pair of animal head door knockers.

"The true relics of the previous dynasty are all here. Because a unique ritual is required, I have never been inside before. The secret can be unlocked with a token. I will wait outside. After we have seen it, we will go to the next place."

Pi Lingzi smiled slightly, bowed to him, and then retreated along the way he had come.

Chen Chuan arrived alone before the stone gate, which was undoubtedly imbued with a layer of ritual power.

While a secret ritual may not necessarily be powerful and robust, as long as it can destroy the contents upon activation, it is sufficient to serve a defensive purpose.

He took out the ivory ornament that Empress Cao had given him, pulled on the bone chain, and shook it in front of him.

A small hole suddenly appeared on the stone door. This hole gradually expanded, and the heavy stone door slowly dissolved like an illusory object, finally disappearing completely and revealing a passage leading inside.

At the same time, Chen Chuan suddenly felt the lost item he was carrying become scorching hot, its temperature unprecedented. Clearly, what he needed was here.

He wrapped the ivory pendant around his wrist and went inside.

The passageway was only about twenty meters long, with small niches on it filled with eternal lamps, illuminating the area brightly.

After turning a corner, we arrived at a space of about 100 square meters. On the left and right were two huge red lacquered wooden pillars with carved dragons. The dragon patterns on them were extremely vivid and looked as if they were alive.

Directly in front of you is a huge bronze wall with a taotie pattern, and the pearls inlaid on it are radiating light.

Above the steps, there was a long table covered with red brocade, on which were placed two sturdy lacquer boxes of different colors. Both boxes had a lustrous lacquer color and were as delicate as silk. The edges were inlaid with gold and silver powder, which, upon closer inspection, formed clusters of tiny snowflake-like patterns. The craftsmanship was extremely superb.

Chen Chuan could sense that the heat was caused by those lacquer boxes. He stepped over the stone slab floor with relief carvings, walked up the steps, and came to the first black and red lacquer box on his right.

He sensed that although the box's material was unique, isolating it from spiritual and spatial prying, there was nothing special about it. However, just to be on the safe side, he still used the hand with the tooth ornament wrapped around it to lift the lid.

Suddenly something was revealed inside, and in that instant, a strong desire surged within him.

This is different from the hunger of alienated organizations; it is an urgent desire to gain great benefits for oneself.

His gaze fell upon a teardrop-shaped object resembling soft jade, with a shimmering blue light flowing within it. As he observed it, he noticed a white mist rising from its outermost edge.

The moment he saw it, he understood that it was a higher-level relic than a first-level relic, and an extremely rare "primordial relic" that had not yet fully solidified.

In the scriptures of the Tianji Sect, "Yuan Yi" refers to a wisp of primordial energy before a relic takes form. If one can use some unique methods and combine them with sufficient spiritual power, it is possible to condense it into the relic one needs.

Furthermore, the primordial energy can be gathered in multiple strands to enhance the final condensation effect. It is said that many treasures in the Xuan and Chan sects were crafted using this method.

However, he admits that he cannot do this now, because it might involve higher-ups.

For him now, this thing is the resource he needs to break through to the next realm.

He put the lid back on.

Then he looked at the box on his left. Since the two boxes were placed side by side, he figured the contents inside must be quite something.

What could it be?

He hoped to find another piece of the same primordial energy, so that, combined with the Cloud Lotus he had previously obtained, he would have enough lost items and wouldn't need to search for more.

Even a level one lost item is fine, but we need to see what its specific use is. If it helps in the battle, then we might keep it for now and see if there are any other gains later.

Walking to the other end of the long table, he opened the box and found a pill inside that resembled a pearl, only about the size of a goose egg.

This thing is...

Chen Chuan glanced at it a few times, and suddenly a thought struck him: this thing seemed to be the "divine embryo" recorded in ancient texts.

According to the Xuanjiao sect, these extraterrestrial gods, ghosts, demons, and monsters were born from the combined energy of heaven and earth. However, modern research suggests that these beings from another world, after falling into the material world, formed a unique, newly created, higher life form in order to better adapt to it.

Some of the local gods and spirits worshipped in the old days were born in this way. After they came into this world, under the influence of the material world, they would first transform into this kind of "divine embryo".

This process usually lasts only a moment, after which these gods and demons break free from their shells and transform. However, due to certain factors, some of them fail to transform and remain in that form for a long time.

It is said that this contains a wisp of divine energy brought from the other world, which was a necessary item for many emperors in ancient times when they sought immortality.

He just instinctively felt that this thing was not very useful to him. It wasn't that it was bad, but rather that it went against the path taken by others. Perhaps this thing was more suitable for the divine or otherworldly aspects.

However, just as he was pondering this, he suddenly felt that Hong Fu's mental activity level had increased significantly.

A thought flickered in his mind: Could this thing be useful to Hong Fu?

……

……

(End of this chapter)