Hundred Treasures Pavilion

"Eldest Senior Brother! Senior Sister Hong!" Su Nü lowered her light, landed on a sand dune, composed her emotions, and put on a smiling face. "I didn't expect you two to run into each other first." Two figures landed before Su Nü one after the other. One of them was an old man—the very long-bearded elder who had been one of the first two people to find her on the Mystic Ice Plain. The other was an alluring woman appearing in her thirties, with an enchanting figure and charming grace. Both possessed ample aura and composed expressions. They were both late Core Formation stage experts. Working together, so long as they were not besieged by a beast tide, they essentially had no need to worry about their safety. Compared to them, Su Nü looked in far more dire straits. Bent on reaching the Hundred Treasures Pavilion before the others found her, her true essence was heavily depleted. When injured, she had only swallowed medicinal pills to suppress her wounds by force, having had no time to tend to them quietly. Her robes also bore multiple scorch marks, looking unkempt and disheveled. Seeing Su Nü's state, both were exceedingly astonished. The long-bearded elder frowned. "Junior Sister, how did you get injured so severely? Did you run into other cultivators?" The injuries Su Nü had suffered on the Mystic Ice Plain had long since healed. As long as she focused on self-preservation and waited to rendezvous with the others, she shouldn't have been in such a sorry state. The alluring woman pinched Su Nü's cheek and giggled. "Which handsome talent took a liking to our Little Junior Sister and gave chase without letting up? I said long ago that Little Junior Sister is so lovely she'd arouse anyone's pity. Fortunately, Lord Alliance Leader had the foresight not to let her go out for trials, or else those young talents would have gone mad." "Little Junior Sister doesn't cultivate charm arts. We are all cultivators of the Dao—how could they be as unseemly as you describe?" The long-bearded elder felt helpless, rebuking the alluring woman before saying solemnly, "None who can reach the final trial are people to be trifled with, and Little Junior Sister's strength is indeed somewhat lacking. Don't forget Third Junior Brother—his strength was among the best of us, yet he vanished right after entering the Trial Realm and hasn't been heard from since." "It is all my fault for my low cultivation and meager strength. Those fire spirits just happen to counter my cultivation method, and they can even command vicious beasts. Thankfully, Eldest Senior Brother and Senior Sister Hong arrived in time, or else I really wouldn't know how much longer I could have held on." Su Nü's cheeks flushed red, her face full of shame. Just as the alluring woman had said, she truly aroused pity. Who could have imagined that the Third Junior Brother they spoke of had met his end at the hands of someone like her? "Eldest Senior Brother needn't worry. Heaven helps the worthy; Third Junior Brother might just have been delayed by an unexpected mishap. Regardless, aside from Third Junior Brother, all of us have successfully reached the final trial. Once we rendezvous with the other junior brothers, it will be enough to accomplish Master's orders," the alluring woman consoled. Hearing these words, Su Nü's heart tightened abruptly. She knew nothing about the Master's orders the woman mentioned. In an instant, Su Nü felt as if plunged into an icy cavern. She had been kept in the dark the entire time! Su Nü secretly clenched her fists, fiercely suppressing her deep unease to avoid letting the two notice anything unusual. "Eldest Senior Brother, does Master have some important matter for us to do? Why didn't he tell me?" Su Nü knitted her delicate brows, her face full of bewilderment. The alluring woman also looked disgruntled and said resentfully, "Not just you, Little Junior Sister—before Eldest Senior Brother told me, I was kept completely in the dark as well. What's more, Eldest Senior Brother still refuses to disclose the truth now, keeping it sealed tight." Unable to parry their complaints, the long-bearded elder gave a wry smile. "It's not that I intentionally concealed it from you, but rather that Master gave a strict order that I dared not disobey. Before our departure, Master repeatedly exhorted that this matter is of great consequence and must not be leaked in the slightest, not even to you two, just to be safe. Rest assured, Junior Sisters, once we rendezvous with the other junior brothers, I will lay out everything without reservation." Seeing that Eldest Senior Brother had made up his mind, the alluring woman pressed no further and laughed it off. "Then let's get moving! I'd like to see what else in the Trial Realm could catch Master's eye besides the Soul-Washing Liquid." The three took to their escape lights and continued on their journey. "It's said that this place originally consisted of secret realms located in the Inner Hall, which our human predecessors converted into the Trial Realm. It's quite possible that an undiscovered ancient treasure is hidden inside..." the long-bearded elder said as they traveled. Looking toward the direction of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion in the distance, he paused and added, "We cannot go directly to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion. Master said the commotion might be substantial and could easily alert others. First, let us find a concealed spot near the Hundred Treasures Pavilion to wait for our junior brothers. Before contending for the Soul-Washing Liquid, we must finish this matter first." Su Nü remained silent, her thoughts racing. Could Master's order be related to her? Was this the reason behind her unease? She was protected in the middle by Eldest Senior Brother and the alluring woman. Both of them were stronger than her; it would be very difficult to scheme against them as she had when ambushing Third Senior Brother. As they drew near the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, another senior brother caught up with them. Su Nü knew she would have no chance left. ... Hundred Treasures Pavilion. The core of the Trial Realm, and the end of the entire trial. Qin Sang hacked his way through obstacles in the Lingshui Region. Soon, he grew proficient at dealing with ambushes by the spirit water toads. The water spirits and vicious beasts in the Lingshui Region could not impede him in the slightest, making his journey far easier than for anyone else. His speed, naturally, was something no one could match. After flying an unknown distance, a mountain silhouette vaguely emerged at the edge of his vision, piercing straight into the clouds. Visible from afar, it was precisely where the Hundred Treasures Pavilion stood. Having finally confirmed the location of his objective, the corners of Qin Sang's mouth curved slightly, and he flew straight toward that direction on his sword. Before long, Qin Sang reached the shore of the marshland. Stepping onto land, he could see it even more clearly. The mountain was extraordinarily precipitous—a stone peak shaped like a stone sword, with only a touch of green nestled within the stone crevices. A flight of white stone steps wound around the mountain, spiraling upward, still clearly visible from where he stood. Along the way, stone pavilions and terraces were scattered here and there. Devoid of human presence for who knew how many years, they radiated sheer solitude and desolation. The end of the stone steps connected to the summit, leading directly to the front of a pavilion, exceedingly conspicuous. That pavilion was the Hundred Treasures Pavilion! Standing atop a mountain peak and gazing at the stone peak in the distance, Qin Sang scanned the surroundings. Not a single silhouette was in sight. Barring any surprises, he should be the first person to arrive here. If he wanted to claim a treasure from the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, he could choose freely. Unfortunately, it was not yet time for the Soul-Washing Liquid to manifest. He and Ming Wei had agreed to meet at a stone pavilion on the stone peak. Qin Sang hesitated no longer and continued on his way, arriving at the foot of the stone peak before long. The stone peak was utterly tranquil, with not a soul in sight. Qin Sang glided up along the stone steps and arrived at the stone pavilion agreed upon with Ming Wei. Without lingering, he left behind a mark and continued upward. With plenty of time to spare, he wanted to go inspect the Hundred Treasures Pavilion first. He had assumed reaching the summit would entail some ordeal, but unexpectedly, there were no guardian beasts on the stone peak, and Qin Sang easily reached the Hundred Treasures Pavilion. The interior of the pavilion was barred by a light curtain, clearly a powerful restriction. Qin Sang stood still, observed for a moment, and made a slight probe. Confirming there was no danger here and that the light curtain could be passed through freely, he stepped inside.