24: Breaking through the formation yielded astonishing results.

Shen Zongdao and Shen Qiming stared blankly at the Profound Iron gate, which had completely lost its spiritual light.

They looked back at Shen Yuanmo, who appeared as calm as ever, as if he had merely brushed off some dust. Their minds went completely blank.

"This... it's... broken?" Shen Qiming could hardly believe what was happening before his eyes.

That was the Tier 2 High Grade Mysterious Turtle Suppressing Sea Formation! A top-tier Formation renowned throughout Linjiang City for its peerless defense!

He had expected a world-shaking display of brute force to follow, and had even mentally prepared himself to return empty-handed.

But what was the result?

There was no loud noise, no explosion, and not even a single trace of spiritual power fluctuation had leaked out.

Shen Yuanmo had simply reached out his finger and tapped the gate seven times in a casual manner.

Then, this grand Formation that had troubled Shen Zongdao, an experienced Foundation Establishment Cultivator, was silently neutralized just like that.

"Yuan Mo, how... how did you do it?"

The way Shen Zongdao looked at Shen Yuanmo could no longer be described as looking at a monster; it was as if he were looking at an unknown, incomprehensible existence.

It was one thing for his cultivation talent to be Heaven-Defying, but where did this level of formation mastery come from?

Merging with the Formation, transforming the land into a domain, and seeing through a Tier 2 High Grade grand Formation with a snap of his fingers... could a twenty-one-year-old youth truly possess such means?

"Though this Formation is exquisite, it is ultimately a man-made creation. As long as it is man-made, there will inevitably be traces to follow and flaws to find," Shen Yuanmo explained briefly without going into detail.

[Insight into Origin] and [Perfect Deduction] were his greatest secrets, so naturally, he could not speak of them.

The more nonchalant he was, the more intense the shock in Shen Zongdao and Shen Qiming's hearts became.

Found the flaws? Easier said than done!

In this world, the number of Formation Masters who could see through the flaws of the Mysterious Turtle Suppressing Sea Formation at a glance was likely countable on one hand, and every single one of them would be a long-famous Great Master.

They asked no further questions, but the awe and respect they felt for Shen Yuanmo deepened by several more layers.

"Let's go inside and take a look," Shen Yuanmo said, stepping forward and placing both hands lightly against the cold Profound Iron gate.

*Rumble—*

Accompanied by a heavy grinding sound, the Profound Iron gate, several feet thick, was slowly pushed open.

A surge of Spiritual Qi so dense it had almost materialized, mixed with the unique scents of various Heaven And Earth Treasures, rushed out from behind the door, invigorating the spirits of the three men.

Behind the door was a massive stone chamber measuring several hundred square meters.

When they saw the scene inside the stone chamber, even Shen Qiming and Shen Zongdao, who were somewhat prepared, could not help but gasp.

On the left side of the stone chamber were piles upon piles of neatly stacked Spirit Stones.

The light from the Low-Grade Spirit Stones converged into a white ocean; a rough estimate suggested there were at least four hundred thousand of them!

The glow of the Mid-Grade Spirit Stones was softer, and their number exceeded two thousand.

And at the very top, inside a jade box, lay twenty crystal-clear High-Grade Spirit Stones radiating an astonishing amount of Spiritual Qi!

"My god..." Shen Qiming couldn't help but exclaim in wonder.

The total amount of Spirit Stones here was more than double what they had seized from the Lin Family!

These Spirit Stones alone would be enough to ensure the Shen Family had no worries about resources for decades to come!

On the right side of the stone chamber were rows of massive Treasure Racks.

Various items were arranged on the racks, categorized by type.

There were rare Spirit Medicines sealed in jade boxes, many of which had reached the third-tier level, their medicinal fragrance permeating the air.

There were cold, glinting Artifact Refining Materials, including Tier 2 High Grade Materials like 'Century Profound Iron' and 'Red Copper Essence.'

There were also over a dozen completed Spiritual Artifacts. Although most were Low Grade or Medium Grade, their sheer number was enough for every core member of the Family to have one.

Shen Yuanmo's gaze, however, did not linger long on these Spirit Stones and Materials.

He walked straight to a bookshelf at the innermost part of the stone chamber.

Dozens of Jade Slips were arranged on this shelf.

This was the true foundation of a Late Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator and a city lord of the Immortal Dynasty.

Shen Yuanmo picked up a Jade Slip and probed it with his Divine Sense.

"Black Water True Art," a water-attribute Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivation Technique that could be practiced all the way to the Late Foundation Establishment Stage.

He shook his head and set it down casually.

In his eyes, this technique was full of errors and was far inferior to his Crimson Sun Glazed Scripture.

He picked up another one.

"Wind-Riding Escape," a rather exquisite escape technique... Shen Yuanmo scanned through them one by one. With his current Divine Sense strength and the talent of [Insight into Origin], he could completely analyze the contents of a Jade Slip almost instantaneously.

Most were common, run-of-the-mill techniques and Spells, of no value to him.

However, he soon discovered something useful among them.

"Introduction to Puppetry?" Shen Yuanmo picked up an old-looking Jade Slip, a hint of interest appearing in his eyes.

This was a method introducing how to refine and control Tier 1 and Tier 2 Puppets.

Although it was only an Elementary method, it was exactly what the Shen Family needed right now.

The Family was short on manpower. If they could refine a batch of Puppets, whether for guarding mineral veins and spirit fields or as cannon fodder in battle, it would greatly liberate their human resources.

"This is good; it can be given to the clansmen to study." Shen Yuanmo set this Jade Slip aside separately.

His Divine Sense continued to search the bookshelf.

Suddenly, his movements paused as he picked up an unremarkable black iron box from a corner.

There was no Restriction on the iron box. Upon opening it, there was only a palm-sized fragment made of a material that was neither metal nor jade, inscribed with some incomplete, talisman-like lines.

Shen Qiming and Shen Zongdao also walked over, looking at the fragment with curiosity.

"What is this? A map?" Shen Qiming asked doubtfully.

"I'm not sure." Shen Zongdao took the fragment and examined it carefully for a long time, but couldn't make heads or tails of it.

"The material is very special, and it seems to be from a very ancient era."

Shen Yuanmo did not speak; he simply immersed his mind into the fragment.

The two great talents, [Insight into Origin] and [Perfect Deduction], were activated simultaneously.

Countless lines and runes flashed, reorganized, and simulated rapidly in his mind... A moment later, an incomplete, three-dimensional image of mountains and rivers slowly took shape in his mind.

The end of the image pointed to a valley shrouded in thick mist. Deep within the valley, the outline of an Immortal Cave could be vaguely seen.

"A map fragment of an ancient cultivator's Immortal Cave," Shen Yuanmo instantly concluded in his heart.

Furthermore, according to the information he deduced, the level of the Restrictions on this cave was extremely high, left behind by at least a Nascent Soul True Lord!

The value of this item was immeasurable!

"Keep it safe." Shen Yuanmo handed the map fragment to Shen Zongdao, gesturing for him to keep it on his person.

This item might become a great Opportunity for the Shen Family in the future.

After scouring the entire treasury clean, the three men's gazes fell upon the last row of shelves.

What sat there were not riches, but rows of black archival scrolls.

Shen Yuanmo picked up a scroll at random, and upon opening it, his pupils constricted slightly.

"Linjiang City, Li Family. Patriarch Li Changqing, secretly trading with Black Wind Stockade bandits, purchasing stolen goods, paying three hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones to the City Lord's Mansion annually..."

He opened another scroll.

"South City, Zhang's Medicinal Pill Shop. Selling fake medicine, caught by the City Lord's Mansion, thirty percent of annual profits handed over..."

As he read through scroll after scroll, a cold smile appeared on Shen Yuanmo's face.

These scrolls were densely packed with dirt on all the various forces and well-known Loose Cultivators in Linjiang City, as well as the various dirty dealings between Zhao Wuji and them.

This wasn't just an archive; this was clearly a ledger of leverage, enough to control every single power in Linjiang City!

"What a Zhao Wuji, truly quite the strategist." Shen Zongdao was also shocked by what he saw.

With this material, the entirety of Linjiang City would have no secrets left before the Shen Family.

Just then, Shen Yuanmo's gaze was drawn to a locked box on the bottom shelf.

He easily broke the lock and opened the box. Inside was only a thick black ledger made of special beast hide.

Flipping to the first page, a line of bold, flamboyant characters met his eyes.

"Heavenly Fate Chamber of Commerce, Transaction Records."