Volcanic Age

Guiyang.

"This is the location of the Three-Eyed Godly Thief's treasury. Spread rumors that there is treasure here," Zhou Xuchuan instructed.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Wang Yi and the other cultivators. However, he couldn't trust what they would say while they were drunk, especially men, who might end up drinking and sleeping with women. When sober, they might show him endless trust, but alcohol could change things.

In the first place, no secret could stay hidden forever. That was why he decided to reveal the existence of the treasury.

A few days later, a rumor spread throughout the entire martial world.

"Hey, have you heard?"

"The Three-Eyed Godly Thief's treasury, right? Who in their right mind would believe that?"

The treasury of the Three-Eyed Godly thief! Naturally, no one seemed to believe it at first. Everyone just dismissed the rumor as nonsense. Although the Three-Eyed Godly Thief did exist around three hundred years ago, thanks to the unreliable stories of his feats, he was almost considered a myth. According to the stories, he supposedly stole not only from the imperial palace but also from the Orthodox Faction, the Evil Faction, and even the two Demonic Factions.

"Yanchang is nearby… I don't have anything to do anyway, so I might as well visit."

However, humans were naturally curious beings; no matter how unbelievable it was, someone was bound to be interested enough to investigate.

"Hey, about the Three-Eyed Godly Thief's treasury that you talked about…"

"Huh? That false rumor is popular again?"

"It looks like the rumor is not false this time."

Li Yicai spread the rumors, including the precise location of the treasury, just like Zhou Xuchuan had said. Anyone could visit it if they wished to. Naturally, there existed people who visited that place. Some died in the traps, and some were lucky enough to survive.

When latecomers brought out valuable things and became rich, everyone believed the rumor.

*

Kaiyang Town.

"The Three-Eyed Godly Thief?" Shen Tujun frowned. In his hands was an order that came from the Anhui province.

"Tsk, tsk." He clicked his tongue in displeasure. "They know that we're always short on men here, yet they want us to investigate the treasury? They're being excessive."

The north of the Guizhou province was the domain of the Orthodox Faction. Just northwest of here was the supposed location of the treasury. The investigation order came because they were graphically close. Shen Tujun wasn't pleased about it, but he had no choice but to dispatch some men.

Shortly after, he couldn't help but suspect his ears.

"What? The treasury is really there?"

"Yes. We don't know if it truly belongs to the Three-Eyed Godly Thief, but apparently, the three-symbol was discovered on the floor of that underground dungeon.

"Whoa!"

Shen Tujun immediately reported to Martial Alliance headquarters.

*

"It's actually real?" Even the elders of the Martial Alliance were taken aback by the news.

The reason they sent men to investigate was because they were worried that it might be a trap from the Evil Valley or the two Demonic Factions. However, not only was it not a trap, but the rumor also turned out to be true, leaving them puzzled.

"What are you doing! Call in all the absent elders!"

*

Evil Valley.

"The Three-Eyed Godly Thief? That rogue from three centuries ago?" The Valley Lord was flabbergasted. "What are the movements of the Martial Alliance and the two Demonic Factions?"

"Even they don't seem to know. In the case of the Martial Alliance, they officially sent an investigation team some time ago."

"Where did the rumor start?"

The rumor truly came out of nowhere. Out of the blue, the Three-Eyed Godly Thief's treasury was apparently discovered. It would be strange if he wasn't suspicious.

"About that… it's hard to trace now. The rumors spread widely, and too much time has passed."

When the rumors about the treasury first spread, everyone dismissed it. No one thought deeply of it. If they had tried to trace the source back then, they could have discovered where the rumor originated from. However, it was too late.

"The Two Demonic Factions?"

"They seem to be observing for now."

"Sure enough."

Both the Demonic Cult and the Blood Cult had their headquarters located outside the Central Plains. They would have to invade if they wanted to come all the way to Chongqing City, but doing that would trigger a war.

Apart from that, they had plenty of resources thanks to the money they got from their believers, and their martial arts prowess was formidable and destructive due to their demonic nature. They had no reason to put so much effort into raiding the Three-Eyed Godly Thief's treasury.

"What about the Eighteen Bandit Gangs?"

"They're staying low because of their conflict with the Mount Hua Sect and the Zhuge Family. They also seemed to be concerned that many wandering cultivators and orthodox cultivators were gathering in Chongqing."

Even if Chongqing City was the domain of the Eighteen Bandit Gangs, they would be under too much pressure to confront all the cultivators that came for the treasury.

The Nine Water Gangs never left the Yangtze River, so even if they could mobilize their forces, it would be from the Nine Forest Gangs. They could risk getting wiped out if they spread their forces thin to search the treasury, so they were not stepping in.

"Send our men," the Valley Lord ordered.

"Will that be okay?"

A misstep could easily cause a war between the Orthodox and Evil Factions.

"Prepare a letter for the Head of the Martial Alliance. He should be expecting a treaty proposal from me."

There were only two factions that could search the treasury—the Martial Alliance and the Evil Valley. Bringing both factions together would result in obvious consequences, and neither side could go to war through this matter.

Chongqing City happened to be the domain of the Eighteen Bandit Gangs, which could be considered a neutral region. This meant that the conditions were suitable for an agreement between the two factions.

"It might be troublesome, but if the treasury is real, we cannot let the orthodox sects monopolize it. Proceed."

"Yes, sir!"

*

People gathered in Chongqing City, not just cultivators but also tomb raiders aiming to strike it rich.

The Martial Alliance and the Evil Valley signed a treaty to avoid conflict until the exploration of the treasury was over. They decided to punish anyone who didn't comply severely.

With the two major factions making their move, the rumor about the treasury practically became true. People aiming to strike it rich flooded into Chongqing City from all corners, including merchants. Yanchang, which was usually unpopulated, suddenly became one of the most populated places. The villages and towns nearby naturally all thrived in business.

Li Yicai had anticipated this and had set up inns in places he calculated would be profitable.

Cultivators, whether orthodox or evil, as well as wanderers, merchants, and even simple onlookers flocked from everywhere. There were a large number of them, across all ages and genders.

"Big brother, why can't I go back to the clan?" Zhuge Shengji asked.

"The exploration just began. If you suddenly appear in front of them, the Zhuge Family will probably try to take you away, their eyes red with envy, you know?"

"I'll stay put then," Zhuge Shengji said, expressing his displeasure.

"It won't take that long, so you should digest the Lesser Circulation Pill that you ate."

Zhou Xuchuan had given Zhuge Shengji two Lesser Circulation Pills, which were equivalent to forty years of internal qi. Zhuge Shengji had consumed just one and trained earnestly while circulating his qi. As promised, he decided to treat Zhou Xuchuan as his big brother.

Thanks to everything that Zhou Xuchuan had done until now, he didn't feel any sort of rejection. Although he hadn't lived for a long time, no one had given him so much acknowledgement in his whole life. Even Zhuge Xiang, who treated him relatively well, advised him to abandon everything he had studied and start doing something else.

However, Zhou Xuchuan was different. Zhou Xuchuan told him not to stop or give up and continue his path. That touched him.

"Things are complex because of the maze, and there are a lot of traps left, so they'll need time to raid the treasury."

Zhou Xuchuan and his group were swift. There was a reason Zhou Xuchuan took Zhuge Shengji with him. Aside from a few traps that couldn't be avoided, they proceeded while dismantling every single one of them. They escaped the maze as well.

This couldn't be said for the other groups. Whether it was the Orthodox Faction or the Evil Faction, they would need at least two or three months to explore.

"I'm not planning to send you back after this. Well, then. I've said everything I need to tell the head merchant, so let's leave."

Although Guiyang was the domain of the government, cultivators could freely visit, but they couldn't cause a fuss unless they wanted to risk getting tossed out.

Among those cultivators might be some people who recognize either one of them, so they had to leave as soon as possible.

"Then I'll pray for your well-being. If you need help, please reach out to me anytime." Li Yicai saw them out.

"Head Merchant. There's something I must give you before we leave." Zhou Xuchuan took out two books from his clothes. They were the martial arts manuals he obtained from the treasury—Agility Sword Art and Storm Steps.

"These are?"

"If Wang Yi and the other nine cultivators that came with me are reliable, and you plan to have them by your side, give them these techniques. You should not make copies of them. They should both be at the level of First-Class arts."

"I'll bear that in mind."

"Then, see you next time."

Zhou Xuchuan had Li Yicai handle all the martial arts manuals except for a few.

The two of them left Guizhou Province and arrived at Hunan Province. There, they found a rather secluded mountain and hid themselves for a while.

For about a month, Zhou Xuchuan and Zhuge Shengji focused on cultivating. Most of the time, Zhou Xuchuan helped Zhuge Shengji.

"I know I shouldn't say this but…" Zhou Xuchuan groaned. "Shengji, you really don't have a talent for cultivation."

"You said I'll be an expert if I have a lot of qi! You liar!" Zhuge Shengji snapped back.

During this time, Zhuge Shengji absorbed both of the Lesser Circulation Pills with Zhou Xuchuan's help. He had obtained forty years' worth of qi thanks to that.

"That's partially true. As proof, your physical abilities have improved significantly, and your cultivation realm has increased a little."

Internal qi was the source of power. Having a lot of it improved all physical attributes, including muscular strength, agility, and reflexes. Zhuge Shengji also improved his cultivation from Third-Class to Second-Class. However, this was purely thanks to the help of his internal qi.

Conversely speaking, using up his internal qi meant that he was no different from an ordinary civilian.

The Zhuge Family weren't known for their talent in cultivation in the first place. Zhuge Shengji, in particular, had an even tougher time. Not only did he have no interest in cultivation itself, but he lacked understanding and did not put in the effort, so naturally, he didn't improve.

Zhou Xuchuan pointed that out.

"You should've originally become an expert after consuming the Lesser Circulation Pill, but you did not put in the effort. It's all your fault."

"Didn't you say that just eating one will make me an ex—"

"There is no one more petty than someone who blames other people for their own shortcomings. Surely, you aren't someone like that, right, Shengji?"

"Of course! I'm not that petty!"

He fell for it.

"Really? Then whose fault is it that you couldn't become an expert?"

"It's my fault for being lazy about cultivation!"

"Right!" Zhou Xuchuan clapped in accordance. For some reason, he looked like he was mocking him.

"Urgh, I feel like I'm being deceived…"

"It's just you."

The two lived together like that. For nearly a month, they trained hard in martial arts. Zhou Xuchuan also helped Zhuge Shengji with his cultivation from time to time. Aside from that, he also put effort into his own cultivation.

The Violet Haze Divine Art is in the fourth stage, and I've just started the Violet Haze Sword Sutra. I'm still too slow. No, am I fast?

The Violet Haze Divine Art was the only divine cultivation art that the Mount Hua Sect had in its possession since its founding. It would be strange if it was easy to train in it.

Even with Zhou Xuchuan's enlightenment at the Harmony Realm, the cultivation art itself was so profound that it took Zhou Xuchuan a longer time to learn it. However, his progress was remarkable from an ordinary perspective.

There's no need to hurry.

He wasn't running out of time like before, nor were there any risks of getting exposed. Unless he had almost reached full mastery, no one would be able to tell if he trained in the art or not.