Chapter 76

(Thank you to 'I Dream of Zhuangzi' for the generous tip, and to 'swm1211' for the update vote.)

The dark corridor leading downward was quite long, and Ding Qi turned several corners within it. However, when he turned another corner and saw the scene before him, even though he had anticipated the strange occurrences in this secret realm, he still couldn't help but be taken aback and look up.

Above his head, fist-sized night pearls were embedded in the ceiling, emitting a soft glow. These night pearls, which had been placed there for who knows how many years, still shone brightly like lamps, illuminating the vast hall as if it were daylight.

At the same time, Ding Qi realized that this long corridor led to an underground palace. The people from the Qingyun Sect who had entered the palace all had stunned expressions, looking up with greedy looks on their faces.

More people from the Qingyun Sect entered after Ding Qi, but they also froze when they saw the night pearls above their heads. These night pearls, each the size of a fist, would be priceless treasures if they were in the outside world. Now, in the underground palace, there were dozens of them.

How could the disciples of the Qingyun Sect not be tempted? For a moment, the shadow of the three people who had died mysteriously in the forest, which had loomed over everyone's hearts, vanished instantly when they saw the night pearls. Everyone looked up with intense interest.

Even if they didn't know what other gains they would make in this underground palace, just these dozens of night pearls were already an incredible windfall. Very few people at the scene could remain calm.

Even the Sect Leader Zuo was stunned. However, Ding Qi, who looked equally stunned, had a different focus. The sharpness in his eyes revealed that he wasn't paying attention to the priceless night pearls but was thinking about something else.

Ding Qi had noticed that after entering the hall, two people's reactions were quite different from the others, which was very strange. He subtly glanced at Vice Sect Leader Sha, realizing that Sha's attention wasn't on the night pearls but was often directed towards an exit in the hall.

On the way, Vice Sect Leader Sha's face had been quite gloomy, clearly dissatisfied with being forced to participate in this Qingyun Sect mission. This was evident from the resentful looks he occasionally gave to Zuo and Elder Guan.

However, now, Sha's expression was different. Another person who behaved differently was Zhang Tao. After entering the hall, Ding Qi, unsure if it was his imagination, noticed that Zhang Tao had a mocking look in his eyes when he saw Zuo and others staring at the night pearls.

While pretending to be as stunned as the other Qingyun Sect disciples, Ding Qi was actually pondering the unusual behavior of these two people. At this moment, Zuo and Elder Guan, along with a few other high-ranking members, were the first to recover from their shock.

"Everyone, it seems our Qingyun Sect will have a good harvest this time. But this is just the beginning. There should be many more treasures to come. This might be the opportunity for our sect to grow stronger. Everyone, please do your best. When we return to the sect, we will reward everyone according to their contributions," Elder Guan said solemnly to the still stunned Qingyun Sect members.

Elder Guan's words drew everyone's attention. Ding Qi, however, inwardly scoffed. He now knew that this Elder Guan's real name was Guan Qiu. Guan Qiu was clearly reminding everyone that this was a collective action for the sect, and all gains would belong to the sect. He was warning some of the Qingyun Sect members not to have any ulterior motives due to the temptation of the treasures.

Of course, Guan Qiu, who understood the importance of rewarding his subordinates, also knew the significance of rewarding them. Hence, he made this statement.

After Elder Guan spoke, Zuo gave him a meaningful look and then said, "Indeed, exploring this underground palace is the priority. As for these night pearls, we can search for them after we have fully explored the palace."

"Yes!"

Following Zuo's instructions, the Qingyun Sect members reluctantly shifted their attention from the night pearls and responded in unison. Zuo had high prestige in the sect, and with his instructions, they dared not have any other thoughts. They could only wait until the exploration was complete to be rewarded. Now, they only hoped to find something valuable in the palace to gain an advantage in the future rewards.

In fact, the underground palace was quite large, but there wasn't much to search. In the center of the palace, there was only a kind of altar. The rest of the area was empty.

However, the palace wasn't just this one hall. The open stone door suggested that there were other areas connected to this hall. These areas likely contained more treasures.

Elder Guan's earlier words were more of a reminder to the Qingyun Sect members not to have any ulterior motives during the subsequent search.

On the altar in the center of the hall, there was a three-tiered rack with some items scattered on it. Since everyone had just entered the hall and hadn't checked the items yet, the fact that the hall was lit by dozens of night pearls suggested that the items on the rack wouldn't be simple.

On the altar, besides the items on the rack, there was an inkstone, two brush holders, a small incense burner that had been extinguished for many years, and a few books.

At this moment, the Qingyun Sect members began to examine the items on the rack. When a few of them touched the old books, the books instantly crumbled into dust, causing Ding Qi to frown. He wondered if the books were already extremely old and had deteriorated due to lack of maintenance, or if there was another reason for their complete destruction.

This made the Qingyun Sect members, who had hoped to understand the origin of the ruins through these old books, quite disappointed. At the same time, a few others picked up the inkstone and brush holders, but after finding nothing of value, they lost interest and put them back on the table.

Ding Qi, who had entered the hall and was near the altar, scanned the items and suddenly had an idea. He reached out to take the small incense burner, but someone else got to it first.

This person carefully examined the incense burner and, finding nothing of value, put it down. However, he then seemed to realize something and picked it up again, turning it over and pouring out all the ashes inside.

Seeing that there was nothing hidden in the ashes, this person's face showed disappointment.

Seeing this, Ding Qi smiled bitterly. This person's attention to detail was no less than his own. It was none other than Guan Qiu.

After finding nothing in the incense burner, Guan Qiu glanced at Ding Qi and then walked towards the three-tiered rack.

"Let this be a lesson."

As he left, Elder Guan warned Ding Qi. Guan Qiu had already seen through Ding Qi's attempt to secretly check the ashes in the incense burner, just as he had done later.

Ding Qi gave Elder Guan a deep look and then turned his gaze elsewhere.

At this moment, some of the Qingyun Sect members examining the items on the rack were already exclaiming, clearly having found something.

"Actually, it's silk from the Heavenly Silkworm... I've only heard that one appeared in the martial world two hundred years ago..."

...

"This armor... Could it be the legendary Soft Hedgehog Armor, which is impervious to blades and swords..."

...

"Look at this sword, it seems to be the lost martial treasure, the Green Moon Sword, from over a hundred years ago."

...

From the continuous exclamations of the Qingyun Sect members, several valuable items were discovered on the rack. This drew the attention of the other Qingyun Sect members, who gathered around to examine them.

The high-ranking members of the Qingyun Sect were also excited by the discoveries. While ordinary people might not understand the value of these items, as martial artists, they knew that these items were far more precious than the dozens of night pearls hanging above.

Any of these items, if placed in the martial world, would cause a storm of bloodshed and were priceless treasures.

After half an hour, the Qingyun Sect members had identified the items on the rack. Apart from some items of no value, they had found two martial treasures, including the Green Moon Sword, a Soft Hedgehog Armor, another unknown piece of armor, and several strands of Heavenly Silkworm silk. These discoveries made everyone in the Qingyun Sect extremely excited.

As martial artists, the Qingyun Sect members were more interested in these martial treasures than in the luxurious night pearls. After tallying their gains, the Qingyun Sect members excitedly discussed and admired these martial treasures.