Immortality and Cultivation: This old man seeks enlightenment through mere survival.

The crimson glow of Jiuyou's burning blood slowly faded, leaving his face slightly pale, but his eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.

Looking back—

The enormous labyrinth was still shrouded in chaotic energy and miasma, with faint flashes of magical light and desperate cries echoing within.

"Although the formation has been reduced, it can still trap some low-level cultivators. Those who are filtered out are the strong or those with special abilities."

"Those two Core Formation stage cultivators, Qingming and Huangtian, must have come in too. I need to hurry and search for treasures!"

Jiuyou took a deep breath.

He knew that because the maze's teleportation exits were different, he hadn't seen anyone else yet.

But I'm sure I wasn't the only one who came in.

This ancient sect's ruins have remained hidden in the Black Miasma Forest for so long without being discovered; there must be many good things here!

go!

Jiuyou's body blurred as he swiftly darted among the broken walls and ruins, his sharp eyes scanning for places where treasures might be hidden.

Soon, a stone temple that was relatively well-preserved compared to its surroundings caught his attention.

The palace gates had long since collapsed, revealing a deep and dark interior...

"This is... a weapon, a magical artifact?"

Jiuyou's eyes lit up, and he cautiously stepped inside, discovering that it seemed to be a side hall for storing weapons and magical treasures.

The hall was covered with a thick layer of dust, and the air was filled with a musty smell.

On the ground, on the walls, or hanging on stone platforms, all sorts of weapons and magical treasures are displayed—

Swords, spears, halberds, axes, hooks, and even some strange magical treasures—the variety was vast. Though their spiritual brilliance had faded, their ancient and simple forms still hinted at their former extraordinary nature…

Jiuyou's heart stirred slightly, and he reached out and picked up the nearest bronze battle axe.

The battle axe felt cold and heavy to the touch, and ancient cloud patterns were engraved on its blade.

However, the instant his fingers touched it, a slight "crack" sounded, and cracks appeared on the axe blade at a visible speed—

Then, as if weathered over millions of years, it turned into a handful of verdigris powder and slipped through my fingers!

"Ugh……"

Jiuyou sighed softly, a hint of regret mixed with relief.

He had expected this to happen.

Over the course of countless years, unless they are of extremely high quality or have special preservation methods, the internal rune structure of these magical artifacts has long since collapsed, lost all their spirituality, and become extremely fragile.

Undeterred, Jiuyou tried several more things, with the same result each time.

Whether it's a seemingly sharp longsword or a powerful seal with a dense aura, they all turn to ashes with the slightest touch...

Until he picked up a dark, black ruler that seemed to be made of some strange metal.

This black ruler is extremely heavy. Its surface has no luster, and it feels solid to the touch, as if it has withstood countless tribulations.

He tried to inject a trace of magic power, but the ruler did not react at all, and the internal rune array was obviously ineffective.

"Black meteorite iron...the material used in second-tier magic weapons!"

A hint of joy flashed in Jiuyou's eyes.

Although its spirituality has been lost and its power is gone, the main materials used to forge it have withstood the test of time and remain intact.

Such material, if taken back and remelted and forged into the original body, would also be quite valuable!

Jiuyou carefully put the black ruler, which had lost its spiritual power, into his storage bag.

Then, he searched through the ruins again and finally found only three more second-tier artifacts that were still usable with only the materials left. The rest had turned to ashes.

Although the gains weren't huge, they were still a considerable sum of money.

Passing through this side hall, there is a downward passageway at the back.

Jiuyou's heart stirred, and he ventured into it without hesitation.

At the end of the passageway, a heavily damaged metal door stood open, and the scene behind it made even the seasoned Jiu You catch his breath!

This is a huge underground warehouse!

In one corner of the warehouse, there was a small mountain of spirit stones piled up!

Most of them were low-grade spirit stones, but mid-grade spirit stones were also mixed in, shimmering with a captivating light. A rough estimate puts the number at over 100,000!

The dense spiritual energy was almost impossible to dissipate, causing every pore on his body to open up.

On the other side, there were various rare second-tier mineral materials, as well as some top-grade minerals that were rarely seen in the outside world, piled up like mountains.

"We've struck it rich! We've struck it rich! There are so many spirit stones and minerals..."

Surprise!

Huge surprise!!

Even Jiuyou couldn't help but feel his heart race at this moment. This was definitely one of the most important treasures of this ancient sect!

He strode forward and headed straight for the mountain of spirit stones, intending to collect them all.

However, the moment he stepped into the central area of ​​the warehouse—

hum!

Countless crisscrossing lines of spiritual light suddenly lit up on the ground and walls, forming a complex and ancient restriction!

The light flickered and was far from its peak, but it still instantly unleashed a powerful binding force that wrapped around Jiu You's legs like a quagmire.

Meanwhile, in the shadows of a corner of the warehouse—

Two humanoid sword-wielding puppets, each about ten feet tall and made entirely of dark gold metal, suddenly had their eye sockets glow with a bright blue light!

"Click...click..." The ear-piercing sound of the mechanism turning rang out.

The two sword-wielding puppets had clearly been buried here for countless years, covered in dust, and their movements were noticeably sluggish.

However, the energy fluctuations it emitted were surprisingly at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage!

They raised their stone swords, holding them upright in front of their chests, the mid-grade spirit stones embedded in their chests flashing wildly, providing power for these ancient creations.

The two sword-wielding puppets moved simultaneously, transforming into two dark golden afterimages, one on the left and one on the right, slashing towards the Nine Netherworld with their swords.

Before the stone sword even reached his body, its sharp light was already so intense that it was hard to breathe!

"I never imagined that after the erosion of time and the nourishment of spirit stones, these protective barriers and puppets could still move!"

Although Jiuyou was startled, he remained calm, as he had long suspected that such an important place could not be without any protection.

"Open it for me!"

He roared, and his powerful blood energy erupted, forcefully breaking free from the binding force of the array beneath his feet.

At the same time, he threw out both fists, fearlessly meeting the giant swords of the two puppets!

boom! boom!

A deafening clang of metal clashing resounded in the warehouse, sending shockwaves surging and kicking up all the dust on the ground.

Jiuyou's figure swayed slightly, and he felt a slight numbness in his fist.

The two sword-wielding puppets were forced back several steps by the impact, leaving shallow fist marks on the stone swords.

"What a tough guy! In his prime, he probably had the strength of the late Foundation Establishment stage!"

Jiuyou's eyes were solemn. As expected of an ancient sect, the puppet's material was incredibly hard. After so many years, it could still exert such combat power using the spirit stones in its inventory.

If it were two intact late-stage Foundation Establishment puppets, he would probably be in real trouble.

But thankfully, time is merciless...

Their core runes must have been worn down, energy transmission was no longer smooth, their movements had obvious flaws, and their strength was greatly reduced.

"Again, Savage Bear!"

Jiuyou charged forward again, his body engulfed in dark red flames, and with a series of powerful punches, he smashed away the two stone swords that were thrusting at him!

At the same time, he raised his right leg high, as if it had transformed into a giant axe and slammed down.

boom!

Under immense force, the puppet on the right was smashed away and crashed into the wall!

Meanwhile, the puppet on the left, wielding swords in both hands, used the force of Jiuyou's earlier collision with the stone sword to spin 360 degrees on the spot and then slashed at Jiuyou's waist.

Use your strength to fight.

Excellent swordsmanship! Excellent technique!

The speed and fluidity of this attack were such that if an ordinary mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator were to deal with it, they would probably be cut in half on the spot.

But Jiuyou is no ordinary person.

He curled his fingers into a claw, and his blood and qi burned, transforming into a flying crane phantom. In the blink of an eye, he deflected the menacing stone sword!

【Flying Crane Demon - Trying to Catch Fish by Parting the Water!】

In "Nine Fiends Demon Body", the Flying Crane Fiend, known for its "capture" ability, makes Jiuyou fearless in any close combat.

Before he could even breathe a sigh of relief—

The puppet that had just been knocked away rushed back up as if nothing had happened, and swung its sword at him!

Whoohoo! !

The two puppets were made of hard material and their swordsmanship was exquisite, making them seem nothing like inanimate objects.

They cooperated perfectly, and the binding power emanating from the treasure vault's restrictions further enhanced their effectiveness.

For a moment, they actually managed to stop Jiuyou!