161: Royal Treasury, Celestial Dynasty Laws

On the Martial Arts Square, the great downpour of blood had finally ceased.

The air was filled with thick smells of blood and char, mixed with the stench of burned and melted Spiritual Qi, pungent enough to make one nauseous.

Shen Yuanmo's figure slowly descended from the air, stepping onto the White Marble ground soaked in fresh blood, his green robe spotless.

He raised his chin, pointing toward the remaining Wang Family Cultivators on the high platform who had fallen into chaos and despair following the deaths of Wang Teng and the others.

"Wang Family remnants, leave none alive."

"Make it clean."

Upon hearing this, the two Patriarchs Chen and Zhang felt as if they had received a great amnesty, and the heavy stone weighing on their hearts finally dropped.

They understood that this was the first pledge of allegiance, and the only Opportunity, given to them by their New Master.

"Senior, rest assured! We will certainly root out the remnants of the traitorous Wang clan, leaving none behind!"

The two men roared out their military pledge almost simultaneously, then spun around abruptly, the humble fawning instantly gone from their faces, replaced by savagery and determination.

They let out a hysterical roar directed at their clansmen behind them, who were equally terrified.

"Why are you all still standing there stunned! The Wang Family committed treason, a crime punishable by ten thousand deaths! All Chen Family (Zhang Family) disciples heed my order: follow me to execute the traitors and rid Qingzhou of this scourge!"

At this command, the Cultivators of the two great Families awoke as if from a dream. Seeing the madness of their own Patriarchs, and the god-like figure in the green robe at the center of the square, how could they dare hesitate even slightly?

They summoned their Magical Artifacts, eyes bloodshot, and surged forward like two packs of wolves that had smelled blood, frantically pouncing on the Wang Family Cultivators who had long lost all will to fight.

The light of Spells and the cold gleam of sharp blades intertwined into a net of death. Screams, pleas for mercy, and curses rose and fell, only to be quickly drowned out by new roars of battle.

Their viciousness and ruthlessness surpassed the Wang Family's earlier treatment of Shen Yuanmo.

The fall of every Wang Family Cultivator seemed to add merit for themselves and their Families before the New Master, washing away a fraction of distrust.

This was not just a massacre; it was a naked, bloody declaration of loyalty.

They intended to use the blood of the entire Wang Family to offer the most sincere pledge of allegiance to that lofty god-like figure.

However, Shen Yuanmo had no interest in even glancing back at the bloody farce unfolding behind him.

From the moment he decided to step into Qingzhou Prefecture City, the fate of the Wang Family was sealed.

His figure passed through the collapsed gate tower, stepped over the debris, and walked step by step into the depths of the Wang Family manor.

After completely annihilating the four Nascent Soul Cultivators of the Wang Family, Shen Yuanmo's vast Divine Sense, comparable to the Nascent Soul Middle Stage,

had already swept through the massive architectural complex, which covered thousands of acres and was known as the foremost manor in Qingzhou, thoroughly inspecting every corner, inside and out.

The Wang Family had a Legacy spanning thousands of years, setting up countless overt and hidden sentries, layer upon layer of defensive Formations, and complex Restrictions that could give even Nascent Soul Cultivators a headache.

Yet, under Shen Yuanmo's golden eyes, which possessed the ability of Insight into Origin, they were like sandcastles built by a three-year-old child—simple, crude, and full of ridiculous flaws.

The trajectory of Spiritual Qi flow, the core nodes of the Formation energy, and even the trigger mechanisms for every hidden Restriction were clearly reflected in his mind.

He strolled leisurely, as if walking in his own backyard.

A seemingly casual step landed precisely on the array eye of a Fourth-tier Low Grade Maze Formation, and the Spiritual Qi circulation of the entire great Formation instantly stalled and collapsed with a crash.

He lightly tapped a finger on a passing rockery wall, and a Restriction powerful enough to strangle a Golden Core Cultivator silently vanished into nothingness.

He didn't even need to use any magical power to forcibly break them.

He simply walked past, took a look, and then used the simplest, most direct method to dismantle the structure of these Formations from the inside.

The path was completely unobstructed.

Shen Yuanmo passed through layers of courtyards and finally stopped in front of an seemingly unremarkable ancestral hall, located in the deepest part of the Wang Family manor, dedicated to the ancestral tablets.

Inside the ancestral hall, the incense had long since ceased burning, and an aura of deathly stillness permeated the air.

Shen Yuanmo's gaze did not linger on the densely packed spirit tablets but fell directly onto the bluestone slab paving the floor in the center of the hall.

This stone slab was identical to the surrounding ones in both material and size, showing nothing extraordinary.

Even if a Nascent Soul Cultivator repeatedly scanned it with Divine Sense, they would find no anomaly.

But in Shen Yuanmo's eyes, an extremely complex and ancient pattern of energy lines was interwoven beneath this stone slab.

It was an ancient concealment Formation he had never seen before, and its subtlety even surpassed the Four Symbols Heaven Locking Array.

This Formation was perfectly integrated with the earth vein Spiritual Qi of the entire Wang Family manor, not leaking a single trace of Qi, like a non-existent ghost.

"How interesting."

Shen Yuanmo twitched the corner of his mouth.

He could sense that the method to open this Formation was extremely complicated, requiring not only a specific token.

It also required a set of incredibly complex hand Seals and incantations involving thousands of variations. The slightest mistake would trigger the Formation's self-destruction.

It was likely that even Wang Boan himself had to be extremely cautious every time he opened it, daring not to be careless in the slightest.

But for Shen Yuanmo, this was still not a problem.

He stretched out his finger, and a faint five-colored Spiritual Light lit up on its tip.

Then, with a dazzling speed, he tapped the bluestone slab seventy-two times in succession, seemingly haphazardly.

Every tap landed with unparalleled precision on a tiny node of energy flow.

There was no earth-shattering roar, nor any dazzling brilliance.

Buzz—

Accompanied by a soft hum, the bluestone slab rippled like water.

It slowly slid open to one side, revealing a bottomless black staircase spiraling downwards.

A stream of pure Spiritual Qi, more than ten times denser than the outside air, mixed with the unique medicinal fragrance of various Heaven And Earth Treasures, rushed out from the opening.

This was the true core treasury of the Wang Family.

Shen Yuanmo stepped inside, and his figure quickly vanished into the darkness.

The interior space of the treasury was not large, only about the size of a secret chamber.

It was completely different from the scene he had imagined—Spirit Stones piled up like mountains and Magic Treasures dazzling the eye.

It seemed somewhat empty here.

Only three items were placed on the central stone platform.

On the left was a Jade Slip entirely carved from deep purple warm jade, imprinted with a Family crest resembling a blazing sun that he had never seen before.

On the right was a white jade box wrapped in layers of Restrictions. Even through the Restrictions,

Shen Yuanmo could feel the vast and boundless life essence emanating from it, which was almost solidifying.

Placed in the very center was an ancient map, cured from the hide of an unknown Yao Beast.

The edges of the map were tattered, and a twisted, strange outline of a mountain range was drawn on it using blood-red cinnabar.

Shen Yuanmo's gaze first fell upon the Spirit Medicine sealed within the jade box.

The Golden Finger, Insight into Origin, was activated.

[Nine-Twist Soul Return Grass, Fourth-tier High Grade Lifespan extension Spirit Medicine. It grows in the Land of Nine Nether Yin Fiends, and only matures after experiencing nine cycles of flourishing and decay. Consuming one stalk can increase a Nascent Soul Cultivator's Lifespan by three hundred years.]

"Three hundred years of Lifespan..."

Shen Yuanmo's heart stirred slightly.

This item was a supreme treasure that could drive any old Nascent Soul monster whose Lifespan was nearing its end to madness, making them snatch it at any cost.

For the Wang Family to obtain this item, their Opportunity must have been considerable.

However, for him, the value of this item was only moderate.

His goal was the Dao of Immortal longevity; a mere three hundred years was nothing to him.

He shifted his gaze to the tattered beast hide map.

In the center of the blood-colored mountain range on the map, a skull pattern was marked with an even deeper shade of red.

Next to the skull pattern, three twisted small characters were written in ancient Yao script—[Fallen Demon Valley].

"A map of an ancient Secret Realm..."

Shen Yuanmo pondered.

For the Wang Family to store it so solemnly here, the Fallen Demon Valley must conceal some earth-shattering secret.

He put away both the map and the Spirit Medicine, planning to study them later.

Finally, his gaze fell upon the purple Jade Slip.

This was the item he was most interested in during this trip.

He slowly extended his Divine Sense into it.

Boom!

A massive yet disorganized flow of information instantly surged into his mind.

It was neither a Cultivation Technique nor a secret art.

Instead, it was a series of extremely secretive "secret covenants" spanning hundreds of years!

The sender was the Wang Family of Qingzhou.

And the recipient was a name completely unfamiliar to him—Ziyang Song Family, a Third-Rank Noble Family from the Central Region!

The Jade Slip detailed how the Wang Family, starting five hundred years ago, managed to connect with this influential figure from the core region of the Immortal Dynasty.

How they became its vassal, and how every year they secretly transported seventy percent of the resources plundered from Qingzhou to the Central Region as an "Annual Tribute."

In exchange, the Ziyang Song Family promised to serve as the Wang Family's "backer" among the high-level officials of the Immortal Dynasty, ensuring the Wang Family's perpetual prosperity in Qingzhou!

"So that's how it is..."

Shen Yuanmo slowly withdrew his Divine Sense, a flash of realization crossing his eyes.

No wonder a mere Fourth-Rank Noble Family dared to be so arrogant and overbearing, forcing even the other two Fourth-Rank Noble Families in Qingzhou, the Chen Family and the Zhang Family, to bow their heads to the Wang Family.

No wonder they could produce an ancient killing Formation like the Four Symbols Heaven Locking Array and maintain four Nascent Soul True Lords.

It turned out that behind them stood a Third-Rank Noble Family from the Central Region!

Shen Yuanmo's mind raced.

He instantly grasped the stakes involved.

The Qingzhou Wang Family was merely a dog placed in the Southern Border by the Ziyang Song Family to accumulate wealth.

Now, by killing this dog, he had essentially slapped the Ziyang Song Family hard across the face!

Given the arrogant and conceited nature of those top Noble Families, they would absolutely not let the matter rest!

Compared to the Qingzhou Prefecture and the overt law of the Great Qian Immortal Dynasty, the Ziyang Song Family, hidden behind the scenes, was the truly massive potential threat that could endanger the entire Shen Family!

A Third-Rank Noble Family that could establish itself in the Central Region possessed a foundation and strength that the Wang Family, a local tyrant in a remote area, could absolutely not compare to.

Their Family likely had more than one Great Perfection of Nascent Soul Stage expert overseeing it, and perhaps even Half-step Soul Transformation existences!

A strong sense of crisis welled up in Shen Yuanmo's heart.

But instead of feeling fear, a cold curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Ziyang Song Family..."

He softly chanted the name, carefully placing the purple secret covenant Jade Slip into his Storage Ring.

This item arrived just in time.

How could this be a death warrant?

This was clearly a protective talisman! The most perfect "shield" capable of allowing him to deal with the Immortal Dynasty's upcoming inquiry!

The Wang Family wasn't destroyed by him, Shen Yuanmo.

Instead, they colluded with external forces and plotted rebellion, and were consequently "Purged of the Ruler's Entourage" by him, a loyal citizen of the Immortal Dynasty, acting on behalf of Heaven!

This bucket of dirty water, neither too big nor too small, was just right to splash onto the Ziyang Song Family far away in the Central Region.

Shen Yuanmo walked out of the treasury and looked up at the sky outside, which was stained red with blood.

He already had a preliminary plan in mind for dealing with the Immortal Dynasty.

But before that, there was one more important matter to attend to.

His figure flashed, and he disappeared from the spot.

It was time to return to Linjiang City.

It was also time for the Family to move to a larger, more imposing residence.