Chapter 350: The Sword Intent Painting
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Mo Wen was a half-baked immortal cultivator, but he had actually obtained a Calamity Subst.i.tute Talisman. One could imagine the ecstasy he felt inside. This spell talisman was rumored to be able to subst.i.tute a person who encountered danger. Those who were struck down could be resurrected. It contained the mysterious power of the Law.
In his Immortal Cultivation world, let alone on Earth, it was a most valuable treasure. It was rumored that only ancient immortals could concoct such a divine item. It was a true treasure of the immortals.
Aside from the spell talismans, the jade box had a few bottles with pills stored inside. However, due to the pa.s.sage of time, the pills inside had all decayed. Even if they used to be worth a fortune and were rare treasures, now they were but a pile of useless mud.
Mo Wen exclaimed in pity. If the forbidden land actually had such unbelievable treasures like the Calamity Subst.i.tute Talisman, other things would certainly not be too bad. Unfortunately, very few things could have survived until now.
Mo Wen paced around the secret chamber. He discovered that there were still two things with spiritual energy that had not become completely normal items. The two items were both hanging on the wall. One was a painting and another a tattered straw cape. The painting was preserved quite well, having been framed expertly. As for the straw cape, its appearance was a little ugly, as it was somewhat damaged.
Mo Wen took the straw cape down from the wall. He noticed that it had a rich spiritual aura fluctuation on it. It was a treasure of the immortals. However, it was severely damaged and no longer had the splendor of old. It could only be considered a spiritual weapon level treasure.
The treasures of the immortals were divided into ranks: spiritual level weapon, profound level weapon, treasured level weapon, sacred level weapon, and immortal level weapon.
A spiritual weapon for an ordinary immortal cultivator was something that they could dream of but not get their hands on. However, treasures of the Immortal Cultivation world were rare and precious. Not every immortal cultivator had the qualifications to own one. As for immortal level weapons, they were the stuff of legends. Most likely even the Divine Pill Sect that Mo Wen belonged to did not have one. The appearance of an immortal level weapon was enough to shake the world.
As for what rank the straw cape had been back in the day, Mo Wen also did not know. However, now it could compare with a spiritual weapon. It wasn’t any worse than the Ming Jiang Sword, as both were difficult-to-obtain treasures.
This item was different from attacking type treasures. The Jiang Clan patriarch did not know how to use it, and hence it was left in the secret chamber. Mo Wen kept the straw cape right away. Later, when he had time, he would inspect it properly. He then s.h.i.+fted his gaze onto the painting that was hanging on the wall.
It was an ink painting. It was a seemingly endless sea of clouds. On top of the clouds was a mountain. It was not an ordinary mountain, but a Sword Mountain formed from endless Qi of Sword converging together.
Mo Wen’s gaze had barely come in contact with the painting, when a loud roar sounded in his mind. The sky and earth went dark, and he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. The scenery in the painting seemed to have appeared in front of him for real. It caused his mind to enter the world inside. Above the clouds, the Qi of Sword was heavy, rolling in constantly, shredding clouds to pieces as far as the eye could see. The heavens and the earth seemed to collapse and crack under the terrifying Qi of Sword. ( Boxno vel. co m )
“Such frightening sword intent.” Mo Wen’s face was pale. He reached out his hand to wipe away the trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth. Just looking at the painting had actually injured him! Luckily, he had retracted his mind in an instant. If he had delayed a bit, it would have most likely caused him to be heavily injured.
In an instant, he knew that this painting was no ordinary item. It was certainly not simple. If his guess was correct, there was most likely a remarkable sword technique recorded inside the painting. It was a remarkable sword technique from the Immortal Cultivation world and not an ancient martial arts world teaching. Its power was enough to cleave the heavens and split the earth, causing the sky to collapse.
Mo Wen slowly let out a breath. He carefully stowed the painting away. This item was really not simple. Although he was now just an ancient martial art pract.i.tioner and could not learn the remarkable sword technique, all things shared an origin. If he could comprehend even a little snippet of the sword technique of the immortal cultivators, it would benefit him for life.
He went once more around the secret chamber. After he was sure he had not missed anything, only then did Mo Wen leave the secret chamber and exit the treasure trove. Although the treasure trove still had piles of good stuff, there was nothing else that caught Mo Wen’s eye.
For example, there was still a pill store filled with a.s.sorted ready-made pills. They had all been traded by the Dafang Sect over the years with other factions. Every bottle was priceless. They could speedily increase an ancient martial art pract.i.tioner’s cultivation or treat serious internal injuries. However, Mo Wen was an alchemist, so he naturally would not bother with ordinary pills.
It was the other people from the Three Aristocratic Families who started drooling after seeing the pill store. How they wished they could just gobble the pills down right there and then.
The reason why the Jiang Clan could be far more prosperous than the other Three Aristocratic Families was because they had h.o.a.rded the Dafang Sect’s resources. The panaceas and medicines exchanged using the Dafang Sect’s resources, divine weapons, and martial arts teachings all ended up in the Jiang Clan’s hands. The people from the Three Aristocratic Families did not gain anything. As time went on, naturally there would be a difference between them and the Jiang Clan.
The pills h.o.a.rded in the pill store were enough for the members of the Three Aristocratic Families to practice for the next five to six years. It could help the clans raise their capabilities by a tier. Who wouldn’t be moved? However, even though they felt compelled, no one dared to covet. After all, Mo Wen was there. Who dared step into that minefield?
A group of Dafang Sect elders surrounded the pill store and couldn’t stop looking as they were unwilling to leave. Mo Wen, on the other hand, didn’t even look at the pill store and directly turned to leave the underground treasure trove.
This visit to the treasure trove had reaped a bountiful harvest. Mo Wen was in a very good mood. He had never imagined that the Jiang Clan’s treasure trove would store so many good things.
However, this was only true for the Dafang Sect. If it were any other ancient martial arts world sect, it would be impossible for them to have so many treasures of the Immortal Cultivation world. After all, only the Dafang Sect had an ancient, deserted Immortal Cultivation world ruin. The other ancient martial arts sects did not have such a resource.
“Sect leader, how should we deal with the items in the Jiang Clan’s treasure trove?” Zhou Honglu asked respectfully as he followed behind Mo Wen step by step. Just now, Mo Wen had only retrieved some medicinal herbs from the treasure trove. He had basically left the rest of the things untouched. Mo Wen had not said anything, so they naturally would not simply deal with the items.
“Why has an ancient martial art pract.i.tioner’s sect like yours h.o.a.rded so much gold and jewels?” Mo Wen gave Zhou Honglu a strange glance. Half of the items in the treasure trove were gold and jewels. What use could they be for the practice of an ancient martial art pract.i.tioner? If this were an immortal cultivator’s sect’s treasure trove, there would be absolutely no gold or jewels. Instead, there would be all kinds of precious materials that could be used to concoct pills, forge weapons, create spell talismans, stratagems, and so on. All would be things with practical use.
The Jiang Clan’s treasure trove reminded him of the Ming Cult’s historical abode. Inside it, there was also such a treasure trove. Who knew how much more wealth was h.o.a.rded inside there compared with the Jiang Clan’s treasure trove. If all of it was his personal property, the wealth could even match that of a nation’s. It wasn’t just hyperbole, but actual reality.
“Um…” Mo Wen’s question made Zhou Honglu’s expression stiffen. He looked at Mo Wen, not knowing how to answer him. This youth was too strange. He actually asked what use gold had? What answer was he expecting?
From olden times until now, gold had been a currency. No matter where it was used, it could become wealth. Not just their Dafang Sect, but any sect in the ancient martial arts world would h.o.a.rd gold. It was the foundation of a sect’s wealth.
This young sect leader actually asked what this gold was for. Zhou Honglu really wanted to give him the look he would give an idiot, but he did not dare to actually do so. It really put him in a dilemma!
Mo Wen could not be blamed for this. After coming in contact with the Immortal Cultivation world, he had long forsaken things like gold as being useful. In this treasure trove, he had again encountered Immortal Cultivation world treasures. He had almost subconsciously ignored everything else.
“We can use it to exchange useful items with other sects. It can also help sustain the sect’s day-to-day life and practice.” Zhou Honglu could only explain it that way. He felt a pang of despair.
“Exchanging items with other sects?” Mo Wen’s eyes lit up. He looked at Zhou Honglu with a grin and said, “Then, can we exchange it for medicinal herbs?”
“Of course we can. We can exchange it for anything of value,” Zhou Honglu said as he smiled radiantly. He secretly thought though, Could it be that this youth came from deep in the mountains and ancient forests? No, he should be from a prehistoric tribe!
Zhou Honglu recalled that the Dafang Sect was also deep in the mountains and ancient forests. He immediately debunked his own idea.
“Later, arrange some men to exchange all the things in the treasure trove for precious medicinal herbs. The more precious, the better when buying the medicinal herbs. We are not short of money.” Mo Wen grinned. How was it he had not thought of this? Although gold was worthless in the Immortal Cultivation world, in the ancient martial arts world, it still had high purchasing power.
“Uhm… all of it?” Zhou Honglu looked incredulously at Mo Wen. Why did he need to buy so many medicinal herbs? He even wanted to exchange all the wealth in the treasure trove for medicinal herbs. Could it be that he wanted to eat medicinal herbs every day for the rest of his life?
Although he also knew that some medicinal herbs were very precious, even having great use for the practice of ancient martial art pract.i.tioners, it would be hard to have any sort of effect from just purely eating medicinal herbs. It may even have side effects. It could be said to not bring any benefit.
Only by concocting the medicinal herbs into pills could one bring out the effect of the medicinal herbs. Otherwise, even if they bought them all, they would not know how to use them, and they would serve no purpose. In the Dafang Sect, there was no alchemist who could concoct pills. Although they had quite a few doctors of Eastern Medicine, alchemy and medicine were two different things.
Alchemy was particular in many aspects, such as the mixture of pill recipes. Not just anyone knew the technique of concocting pills. Only by pa.s.sing down alchemy arts from generation to generation could they master such things. Even if they had unlimited medicinal herbs, they could still be totally useless.
Usually, only factions like the Medicine Manor and the Ghost Physicians Hu Clan that had alchemy arts heritage would buy medicinal herbs in bulk. That’s because they could concoct medicinal herbs into precious pills, unleas.h.i.+ng the maximum value of the medicinal herbs. Other factions usually would not do so.
Normally, if the Dafang Sect came across precious medicinal herbs, they would sell them to others, or exchange it with the Ghost Physicians Hu Clan for ready-made pills. There was no precedent for them buying medicinal herbs. Mo Wen’s actions truly befuddled Zhou Honglu.