180: Treasure House Blind Box

Chapter 179: Treasury Blind Boxes

"Alright, let Consort Chan open hers first."

"Great, great, great!"

Yuechan excitedly jumped down from the wooden box, turned around, and opened it with utmost care.

The chest was somewhat heavy, and as Yuechan pushed it open, it emitted a creaking friction sound.

The moment the wooden box lid was opened halfway, she suddenly let out a shrill scream and hastily leaped back. With a loud 'bang,' the lid slammed down fiercely once again, echoing with a massive crash through the spacious treasury.

"What's the matter, Consort Chan?"

Zheng Yi took a step forward and hurriedly pulled the startled Yuechan into his arms.

Meanwhile, Chen Liancang flashed forward at the very first moment, shielding Zheng Yi.

Consort Cui and Consort Yu also formed hand seals with both hands, ready for action at a moment's notice.

"N-No, this concubine is fine."

Yuechan said in a low voice, "Th-That's not a wooden box, it's, it's a coffin!"

"Inside... there's a corpse!"

"Hmm?"

Zheng Yi frowned and raised his chin to signal.

Chen Liancang nodded, quietly walked up to the coffin, placed one hand behind his back, and stealthily opened it with the other.

With a harsh creak, another unpleasant friction sound rang out. After pushing it halfway, Chen Liancang gave it a forceful upward shove.

With a 'bang,' the coffin lid was pushed open, revealing the contents inside.

After waiting a few breaths and seeing no movement whatsoever, Chen Liancang said, "Your Majesty, it's not a corpse. It seems to be a Puppet."

"A Puppet?"

Zheng Yi leaned in to take a look, and sure enough, although the figure inside the coffin had human form, it was not a corpse.

Rather, it was a Puppet made of special Materials.

Its entire skin presented a blackish-red hue, and its eyes lacked pupils, being instead crafted from special black crystals.

Its mouth was tightly shut, looking like some kind of mechanical mechanism.

The surface of its skin was etched with dense, intricate special patterns that would be truly impossible to spot without a closer look.

"A Puppet?"

Yuechan poked her head over to inspect it carefully, then patted her ample chest, which jiggled with a tremble.

"It's not a corpse! This concubine thought it was a dead person; who would have thought it's actually a Puppet?"

The other two women also crowded around, looking it up and down.

"This Puppet looks so much like a corpse; no wonder it gave Sister Consort Chan such a scare."

"Indeed, if you don't look closely, you really can't tell. These mouth, eyes, and ears all look like some sort of mechanical contraption..."

Yuechan glanced toward the innermost part and suddenly said, "Eh? Your Majesty, look, there is a piece of paper here!"

Chen Liancang picked it up and respectfully handed it to Zheng Yi.

Zheng Yi unfolded it to take a look, his eyes lighting up slightly.

"This item... is actually a Golden Core Realm Puppet!"

"What?"

All four of them were stunned, and they exclaimed one after another, "A Golden Core Realm Puppet? Really or fake?!"

"Wow! What I picked is truly amazing!"

"Golden Core Realm..."

Indeed, this item was indeed a Puppet possessing the combat strength of the Golden Core Realm!

The records on this piece of paper clearly indicated that it was one of the treasures left behind by the Grand Ancestor for his descendants.

This Puppet was named 'Xuan Ye', and its entire body was refined from precious spiritual marrow essence. It could automatically absorb Spiritual Qi to repair and operate the Puppet's main body.

Its skeleton was fused from a Tier 4 Yao Beast, the Four-Footed Gold-Swallowing Beast, making it extremely sturdy and flexible in operation. It could move under any harsh environment, traveling a thousand miles a day with ease.

Its eyes were crafted from Five-Element Dazzling Colored Crystals, capable of causing hallucinations and dazing opponents, making it utterly unpredictable and hard to guard against.

Aside from these basic functions, the interior of this Puppet also possessed three High Grade Magical Artifacts.

They were respectively: the Dragon Slaying Sword, the blazing fire banner, and the Wind-Walking Boots.

They respectively enhanced this Puppet's offense, defense, and speed—truly an essential Divine Artifact for murder, arson, and pillaging!

Furthermore, besides recording the manufacturing Materials and usage methods of this Puppet, the paper also contained a method on how to refine the core of this Puppet.

Once the core of this Puppet was completely refined, Zheng Yi would be able to manipulate it at will.

Of course, if Zheng Yi wanted to fully and smoothly control this Puppet right now, he would still need two preconditions.

First, his cultivation must reach the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Only Cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage could possess Divine Thought to fully control this Puppet.

Second, every time he controlled this Puppet, a Mid-Grade Spirit Stone must be placed inside its body.

Each Mid-Grade Spirit Stone could allow the Puppet to move for a quarter of an hour.

Casting Spells, manipulating Magical Artifacts, and the like would consume even more.

Of course, the best choice was still to use High-Grade Spirit Stones.

Regrettably, right now Zheng Yi didn't even have spiritual sand, let alone Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.

If he wanted to control this Puppet, he would still have to wait a bit longer.

"Alright, stop looking at it."

Attracting everyone's attention, Zheng Yi said, "Let's keep this item for now. None of us have Spirit Stones in our hands; even if we refine it, there's no way to use it."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Whose chosen item shall we look at next?"

"Let's look at this concubine's next, right?"

Consort Cui smiled and said, "Although the wooden box in this concubine's hand doesn't look large, it is very light."

"This concubine has heard from Revered Master that any treasure in the Cultivation World with a very light weight possesses extremely special attributes."

"It is either a Jade Slip recording certain contents, or special Artifact Refining Materials."

"It's just unknown what on earth is inside this wooden box in this concubine's hands."

At this moment, Yuechan recovered her lively and bouncy interest, leaning over to say, "Just open it and see."

Amidst the expectant gazes of several people, Consort Cui slowly opened the wooden box.

Yuechan and Consort Yu poked their heads over and looked inside.

"These are... silver needles?"

"Such exquisite silver needles."

"There's a piece of paper here too!"

Consort Cui took out the paper from the wooden box, unfolded it, and began to read aloud.

"Seven Fiends Soul Extinguishing Needles, High Grade Magical Artifact, refined by mixing spiritual marrow essence with the evil Qi of heaven and earth. It has miraculous effects in shattering Cultivators' protective shields and protective Magical Artifacts."

"Furthermore, it also possesses an extremely strong corrosive effect on a Cultivator's Physical Body. Its movements and traces are hidden, allowing it to evade a Cultivator's Divine Thought detection... Hiss..."

Before she finished reading the contents on the paper, Consort Cui drew a sharp breath.

Even the eyes of the other few people held a trace of shock.

Consort Yu added even further, "Revered Master once said that among all categories of Magical Artifacts in the Cultivation World, needle-type Magical Artifacts are the most insidious and treacherous, making them impossible to guard against."

"Moreover, the Artifact Refining Materials capable of forging needle-type Magical Artifacts are extremely rare. To think there is a complete set here, and it's even a High Grade Magical Artifact!"

"Your Majesty, even thousands of years ago, this item could have sold for a sky-high price of at least one hundred thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones!"

As soon as her voice fell, Consort Cui felt the wooden box in her hand weigh thousands of catties, and she hurriedly placed it on the platform.

"This item is far too precious, this concubine still..."

"I'll bestow it upon you instead."

Zheng Yi interrupted Consort Cui's words, saying, "This item is named the Seven Fiends Soul Extinguishing Needles, and the Cultivation Technique you practice is the Su Nü Yin Sha Gong, which matches you extremely well."

"Besides, this item was also obtained by you. It has a fated affinity with you, and it is only right that you wield it."

Consort Cui was somewhat moved, but she still shook her head and said, "Your Majesty, it's still too precious. This concubine..."

Zheng Yi directly picked up the wooden box and shoved it into Consort Cui's hands: "Take it if I tell you to take it. Why are you being so coy and hesitant?"

"These Seven Fiends Soul Extinguishing Needles are most suitable for you to use. Who among Us, Consort Chan, Consort Yu, and Old Chen knows how to use needles?"

"Besides, right now in the entire imperial palace, only the four of us are Cultivators. If you don't use them, who else can?"

Consort Cui thought about it, and ultimately put the item away, saying with gratitude, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"This concubine will surely cultivate diligently to repay Your Majesty!"

"Beloved Consort, you flatter me."

Zheng Yi smiled and looked over at Consort Yu: "I wonder what good thing is in Consort Yu's hands?"

Consort Yu took out the wooden box from behind her. This wooden box was about three feet long and over a foot high, looking like a zither case.

"When this concubine got hold of this item, I only felt gusts of chilling yin winds. It should also be a yin-attribute Magical Artifact."

As she spoke, Consort Yu opened it.

Sure enough, placed inside the wooden box was a small banner measuring two feet square. Its entirety was a yellowish-brown color, looking very archaic and quaint.

However, densely engraved upon it were tiny rune scripts resembling tadpoles, looking just like a tangle of a hundred ghosts—extremely bizarre.

"This item..."

Consort Yu wore an as expected expression, and a folded piece of paper was also placed inside the wooden box.

Opening it to take a look, after a few breaths Consort Yu read aloud: "Yellow Springs Soul-Reeling Banner, High Grade Magical Artifact, a Magical Artifact that only Inner Sect Disciples of the Yellow Springs Sect are qualified to exchange from the Sect."

"Rumor has it that it is crafted from the pelts of ghost entities in the Yellow Springs netherworld, containing a miniature Sumeru world of ghosts inside. One can wield this banner to summon souls, gather ghosts, and drive ghost entities..."

Reading as she went, Consort Yu handed the paper over to Zheng Yi.

"Your Majesty, this item seems to be the signature Magical Artifact of Yellow Springs Sect Disciples."

After taking the paper, Zheng Yi pondered for a moment and casually handed it to Chen Liancang.

"Old Chen, this item is rewarded to you."

"Do not refuse. As long as you are loyal to Us, We naturally will not treat you unfairly."

"For so many years, you have been utterly loyal to Us, and the commands We issued have been meticulously and completely fulfilled. This item is a reward for you."

Chen Liancang's heart surged with emotion, and he hurriedly knelt on the ground, saying, "This old slave thanks Your Majesty!"

This item was infinitely precious; he never expected that Your Majesty would actually bestow it upon him.

For a moment, Chen Liancang's heart was extremely stirred, filled entirely with the sentiment of a warrior dying for one who truly appreciates him.

"Rise, Old Chen. It should be your turn next; I wonder what good thing you picked."

Chen Liancang stood up and said, "The item this old slave picked certainly cannot compare to those of the three imperial consorts and Your Majesty."

As he spoke, he opened the stopper of that jade bottle and poured something out from within.

Consort Cui said, "Revered Master once said that Medicinal Pills are always stored using jade bottles, which can preserve their medicinal efficacy for a long time."

"It's just unknown what on earth is stored inside the jade bottle in Old Chen's hands?"

As soon as her voice fell, a Medicinal Pill the size of a dragon eye rolled out from the jade bottle.

This Medicinal Pill as a whole presented a blackish-red color, but its surface lacked any radiance whatsoever, nor did it have any medicinal aroma.

Instead, tiny cracks appeared across the surface of the Medicinal Pill, looking extremely bizarre.

"What... what kind of Medicinal Pill is this?"

Everyone was filled with doubt. Old Chen directly flipped the jade bottle upside down and, with a bubbling sound, poured out ten nearly identical Medicinal Pills in one breath.

Apart from these Medicinal Pills, Chen Liancang also pulled out a piece of paper from the bottom of the jade bottle.

"There's a folded paper here too!"

"Old Chen, quickly take a look at what is written on it!"

Chen Liancang hesitated and said, "This pill is named... Foundation Establishment Pill."

"What? Foundation Establishment Pill!"