271: Chapter 269 Star Sea Underground Vault

"Revered Master, since you want to see them, you should naturally see Qiuyue's most core trump cards."

A proud smile curled at the corners of Gu Qiuyue's mouth. "Revered Master, your disciple will take you to see the [Star Sea Treasury] today."

"Star Sea Treasury?" Su Lin raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Mhm." Gu Qiuyue lowered her voice, her tone carrying a hint of mystery. "Outsiders all think the wealth of my Jiuzhou Chamber of Commerce is kept within this Luoxian Pavilion, but that's not actually the case."

Thirty thousand zhang beneath the ground of Tianzhou City, your disciple used a Supreme Formation to hollow it out and build an underground treasury even more massive than the city itself."

"Let's go then."

Su Lin did not refuse.

After the absurd farce in the Illusion Moon Secret Realm just now, he urgently needed something normal to distract himself.

The three of them did not ride that flashy purple-gold flying carriage. Instead, like an ordinary wealthy Young Master with two peerless servant girls, they blended into the bustling crowds of Tianzhou City.

"Seventh Junior Sister, can you tone down your cold aura?" Gu Qiuyue sent a somewhat helpless voice transmission. "This is my territory; you'll scare away all my customers like this."

"I am only responsible for Revered Master's peace and quiet."

Mu Qingxue responded coldly, "The turbid air of these commoners is not worthy of touching the hem of Revered Master's robes."

Soon, the three arrived in front of the main branch of the Nine Provinces Bank.

This was a magnificent fortress built from a mixture of pure Top-Grade Spirit Stones and Ten-Thousand-Year Warm Jade.

The guards at the entrance were all Cultivators at the Peak of the Void Refining Stage, and there were even two giant mechanical Puppets emitting fluctuations of the Body Integration Stage.

"Greetings, Great Proprietor!"

Upon seeing Gu Qiuyue, the guards knelt on one knee in unison, their eyes filled with fanatical awe.

Gu Qiuyue ignored them, simply taking out a specially made purple-gold token and making a light stroke in the void.

The heavy Spirit Stone gates did not open; instead, an extremely complex teleportation Formation pattern emerged on the ground beneath their feet.

"Revered Master, the entrance to the Star Sea Treasury changes every day. Only someone holding the Revered Master Token can open it at a specific time node," Gu Qiuyue explained.

With a flash of light, the three figures instantly disappeared from the spot.

...

The intense sensation of spatial weightlessness lasted for only a moment.

When Su Lin opened his eyes again, even as someone as well-traveled and knowledgeable as he was, he couldn't help but be shocked by the sight before him.

How was this an underground vault?

This was clearly an independent small world!

Above them was an artificially created simulated starry sky emitting a soft glow.

Beneath their feet, there was no ground, only suspended walkways paved with transparent crystal.

Below the walkways was a bottomless, massive abyss. Floating within this abyss were countless enormous, transparent spheres emitting multicolored light.

Each sphere was as large as a mountain!

"Revered Master, every one of those light spheres you see contains a complete, sealed Top-Grade Spirit Vein!"

Gu Qiuyue pointed to the spectacular sea of Spiritual Veins below.

"Besides the Spiritual Veins, there are mountains of rare Ores, ancient Magic Treasures, Peerless Grade Medicinal Pills... Seventy percent of the circulating wealth in the cultivation world eventually gathers here, becoming the foundation of my Jiuzhou Chamber of Commerce."

Su Lin looked at the wealth below, which was enough to buy dozens of top-tier Sects, and took a deep breath.

"Qiuyue, your scale of operations is indeed staggeringly large."

"Heehee, as long as Revered Master likes it, all of this is yours." Gu Qiuyue took Su Lin's arm and led him deeper along the crystal walkway.

However, before Gu Qiuyue could finish speaking, Su Lin's footsteps abruptly stopped.

His deep eyes stared fixedly at a patch of void ahead of the walkway, the gentleness on his face instantly vanishing.

"Revered Master, what's wrong?"

Mu Qingxue noticed Su Lin's abnormality immediately. The [ice soul concentration tassel] on her sword hilt moved without wind, and a bone-chilling cold Domain of the Middle Stage Mahayana instantly expanded around Su Lin.

"Qiuyue." Su Lin's voice was terrifyingly low. "Besides you, who else can enter this Star Sea Treasury?"

Gu Qiuyue was stunned and answered subconsciously, "No one else. I am the only one who holds the key to this teleportation Formation. Even the deputy presidents of the Chamber of Commerce are not qualified to set foot here."

What is it, Revered Master?"

"Then..."

Su Lin slowly raised his hand, pointing toward the end of the crystal walkway that appeared to be empty.

"How did they get in?"

"What?!"

Gu Qiuyue's face paled in shock as she followed Su Lin's finger.

In the originally empty void, a ripple of spiritual power suddenly surged.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

A slow and rhythmic sound of clapping hands rang out.

"As expected of Su Lin Supreme."

"This keen perception still leaves this old man in awe."

As the voice fell, that patch of space seemed to be torn open by a pair of invisible giant hands.

Five figures slowly stepped out from the spatial rift, blocking the way in front of Su Lin's group in a fan Formation.

The leading grey-robed old man had an aura as deep as the sea. The surrounding space distorted violently under the pressure he emitted; he was shockingly a top-tier powerhouse of the Tribulation Transcendence Stage!

The four people standing behind him also radiated terrifying spiritual fluctuations; they were all experts of the Mahayana Stage!

"How did you get in?!"

Gu Qiuyue's face was as cold as frost, her Golden Abacus making rapid clacking sounds.

This was an absolute forbidden zone she had spent countless efforts to build, yet this group of people had managed to sneak in silently!

"Great Proprietor Gu, the Formations of the Jiuzhou Chamber of Commerce are indeed exquisite."

The leading Tribulation Transcendence old man let out a raspy chuckle. He raised his withered palm, and a broken talisman Seal glowing with an eerie grey light hovered in his hand.

"Unfortunately, before the [boundary-breaking divine talisman], any spatial barrier is as good as non-existent."

"boundary-breaking divine talisman..." Gu Qiuyue stared fixedly at that talisman Seal, her eyes nearly spitting fire.

That was a legendary Formation-breaking treasure left over from ancient times, used once and gone forever. The other party was actually willing to pay such a high price for her underground vault!

"This old man has waited for this day for a long time."

The old man looked down upon the three of them, his eyes greedily scanning the endless Top-Grade Spirit Veins and mountains of rare treasures below.

"Leaving such vast wealth in the hands of a little girl is simply a waste of heaven's gifts."

Today, this Star Sea Treasury, this old man shall graciously accept it."

"Just with you few rats who can't stand the light?"

Mu Qingxue stepped forward half a pace, firmly shielding Su Lin behind her.

Her extreme cold Domain erupted. Thick ice instantly formed on the crystal walkway beneath their feet, the temperature of the surrounding air plummeted, and countless sharp ice cones quickly took shape in mid-air, pointing directly at the five people ahead.

"An ice Cultivator of the Middle Stage Mahayana is indeed a bit troublesome."

The old man glanced at Mu Qingxue, his eyes full of contempt.

"However, since this old man dared to come today, I have naturally made full preparations."

You only have two Mahayana Stage experts, while on our side... there are a total of four Mahayana experts, plus myself, a Tribulation Transcendence Stage expert!"

The old man's gaze finally bypassed the two women and landed on Su Lin, his tone carrying heavy mockery: "As for this Revered Master who is only at the Perfection of the Body Integration Stage... Heh, with a burden like him by your side, you are destined to be buried here today."

"You're looking for death!"

Gu Qiuyue went completely ballistic.

Daring to steal her money and insulting her Revered Master—these two combined were enough for the other party to die ten thousand times over!

She violently tossed the Golden Abacus into the air, her vast Mahayana Stage spiritual power pouring into it without reservation.

"A thousand pieces of gold scattered will return again! Kill!"

The abacus instantly disassembled in the air, turning into a sky full of golden beads. Each bead was like a meteor burning with raging flames, carrying terrifying kinetic energy that tore through the void as they bombarded the five masked men.

At the same time, Mu Qingxue's ice sword suddenly unsheathed. Her extreme cold Sword Intent transformed into a roaring snow dragon, coordinating with the sky of golden beads to Seal off all of the enemy's paths of retreat.

"Attack!"

The Tribulation Transcendence old man barked coldly.

The four Mahayana Stage experts behind him erupted simultaneously. Various powerful Magic Treasures and Divine Abilities wove into a massive net of destruction, violently clashing against the two women's attacks.

The violent collision triggered a terrifying energy storm in this underground world.

Although Gu Qiuyue and Mu Qingxue's combat power far exceeded those of the same rank, the other party had the advantage in numbers after all.

The combined attack of the four Mahayana Stage experts forced a stalemate against the onslaught of golden beads and the ice dragon.

Meanwhile, the Tribulation Transcendence old man didn't pay attention to the battle in front at all.

His figure instantly blurred on the spot, crossing spatial distances like a ghost to appear directly above Su Lin's head!

"I'll slaughter you, this eyesore of a waste, first, to prevent these two women from being hindered!"

The old man's five fingers formed a claw, carrying the Tribulation Transcendence pressure that could crush stars, aiming straight for Su Lin's skull.

"Revered Master!!!"

Mu Qingxue and Gu Qiuyue noticed the danger behind them and were instantly aghast. They wanted to return to help, but were pinned down by the four Mahayana experts and couldn't break away at all.

Facing the devastating strike from above, Su Lin didn't even make a move to dodge.

"Perfection of the Body Integration Stage?"

"Your intelligence is far too outdated."

The moment his voice fell, Su Lin didn't even grip his sword. He simply held one hand behind his back and met the withered ghost claw that could crush stars with his other hand, pushing upward lightly.

A terrifying pressure, as vast as the boundless star sea, erupted from within Su Lin's body and soared into the sky!

Mahayana Stage!

Moreover, that Chaos aura fused from the [world core] and the [Myriad Heavens Star Chart] made the quality of this pressure even slightly superior to an ordinary Early Stage Tribulation Transcendence!

"What?!"

The Tribulation Transcendence old man's face, like withered tree bark, changed wildly, his eyes bulging.

"Mahayana Stage?! This is impossible!!"

The two palms met.

There was no ear-splitting sonic boom, only an extremely muffled thud as Laws were forcibly crushed.

The old man felt an unstoppable chaotic force surge back through his arm like a tsunami!

Pfft!

The old man let out a muffled groan as his Protective Aura shattered. He was sent flying backward, taking over a dozen steps in mid-air before he could barely steady himself.

He looked with shock and uncertainty at Su Lin, who stood in the same spot without even a ruffle in the hem of his clothes. A massive wave of shock surged in his heart.

How was this a burden?!

"Old Third! Old Fourth!"

The old man gritted his teeth, knowing he had kicked a steel plate today. He roared, "The intelligence was wrong! This kid is too tough! Old Third, come and help me suppress him!"

"The rest of you, slaughter those two girls for me with the utmost speed!"

Following his command, among the four Mahayana Stage experts originally besieging Mu Qingxue and Gu Qiuyue,

a bald, muscular man wielding a blood-colored heavy hammer let out a furious shout and forcibly broke away from the battle,

carrying the momentum of Mount Tai pressing down. He and the old man attacked Su Lin from the left and right in a pincer movement.

The remaining three Mahayana Stage experts poured all their firepower onto Gu Qiuyue and Mu Qingxue.

"Do you really think this lady's money was spent for nothing?!"

Gu Qiuyue looked at the Spiritual Vein light spheres that were starting to shake from the shockwaves of the battle, her heart aching as if it were bleeding.

"Don't break my Top-Grade Spirit Veins! Mu Number Seven, cover me!"

She snatched the Golden Abacus from her waist, her Mahayana Stage spiritual power flooding into it madly.

"Taiyi Fine Gold Formation, rise! Myriad Phenomena, smash them for me!"

The abacus violently disassembled in the air. Thirty-six beads made of Peerless Grade immortal gold transformed into thirty-six golden, radiant projections of ancient divine mountains, brutally smashing toward the three Mahayana Stage Cultivators.

This wasn't a battle of techniques; it was a dimensional reduction strike using pure wealth!

Mu Qingxue naturally wouldn't let this opportunity pass.

Her white robes fluttered in the gale as the [ice soul concentration tassel] in her hand radiated brilliant blue light.

The temperature of the entire Star Sea Treasury plummeted below absolute zero at a terrifying speed.

Between the gaps of the golden mountain projections, tens of thousands of ice-blue Law swords condensed, like a world-ending rainstorm, madly shredding toward those three people.

"Arrogant girl!"

In the enemy camp, an old Mahayana monster enveloped in crimson flames grinned hideously, directly transforming into a hundred-zhang-tall Fire Spirit Dharma Projection.

"Before this old man's Heaven-Burning Profound Fire, ice Cultivators have nothing but to melt! Break!"

Surging flames transformed into a sea of fire, attempting to melt all of Mu Qingxue's ice swords.

The other two Mahayana Stage experts also used their Divine Abilities. For a time, poisonous miasma, Sword Qi, and flames clashed wildly with the golden mountains and ice and snow, as if the entire underground world was about to be torn in two.

"Sixth Senior Sister, trap the one playing with fire!"

A flash of extreme killing intent crossed Mu Qingxue's cold eyes, her voice ringing in Gu Qiuyue's Sea of Consciousness.

"I know! My Spirit Stones! I'll have to charge them for all of this later!"

Gu Qiuyue gritted her teeth, her hands snapping together.

The thirty-six golden beads flying through the sky instantly changed trajectory, forming a golden cage. It forcibly withstood the temperature that could melt the void, trapping the hundred-zhang-tall Fire Spirit Dharma Projection dead in the center!

"Think you can trap me? In your dreams!"

The Fire Spirit monster struggled madly, his flames burning the golden bead Formation until it let out a sizzling wail.

But in the single breath of time he was trapped, Mu Qingxue moved.

She seemed to transform into an ice-blue aurora without a physical form, directly piercing through the chaotic energy of the battlefield to appear directly above the golden cage.

The longsword in her hand left her grip.

The ice sword transformed into a beam of pure Law light, piercing through the forehead of the Fire Spirit monster.