The Lord of Void and Real-Chapter 1715 - 1711: The Ins and Outs

Shen Luo raised an eyebrow but wasn’t surprised. Since this was a treasure hiding place, the defenses were naturally strict.

He flicked his finger, and a red flying sword shot out like lightning, slashing fiercely at the white light shield.

With a crisp "crack," a shallow mark was left on the white light shield, while the Pure Yang Sword was rebounded.

A trace of surprise flashed in Shen Luo’s eyes. The Pure Yang Sword was already formidable, and its sharpness had been significantly enhanced after integrating with the Vermilion Bird Stone. Yet, it couldn’t shake this barrier. Clearly, this shield was no ordinary prohibition.

His guess was correct. Before infiltrating with others, Chief Strategist You Su had activated the restrictions on many critical areas of the Qingqiu Fox Clan. This treasure vault was the most important of all, and every restriction within had been pushed to its maximum power.

This seemingly ordinary white light shield was actually an ancient restriction known as the Primordial Barrier. It was incredibly robust and couldn’t be broken through ordinary means.

Shen Luo tried several other techniques, but none could break the light shield.

Frowning, he shook his head and stopped trying, turning to walk outside.

His wealth was already immeasurable, and although the treasures in the Qingqiu treasure vault were precious, they didn’t hold much weight in his eyes. Finding Nie Caizhu and Hu Bugui was more important at the moment.

After taking a few steps, the corner of his eye caught a somewhat familiar red glimmer, prompting him to turn his head.

He immediately stopped in his tracks, his face lighting up with joy. In a flash, he appeared in front of that red glimmer.

The red glimmer turned out to be two pieces of fiery Spirit Wood. One was several feet long and as thick as a thigh, while the other, though slightly smaller, wasn’t much thinner. Both pieces emitted a flame-like crimson glow—it was unmistakably Fire Scale Wood.

The age of these two pieces of Fire Scale Wood was on par with the ones Tu Shanxue had traded to him before, undoubtedly reaching the ten-thousand-year grade. They lay quietly on a stone table, radiating a scorching aura even through the light shield.

Shen Luo’s three sets of Pure Yang Sword Arrays had yet to be fully refined, as he had been searching for Fire Scale Wood to forge new flying swords. He hadn’t expected to find some here.

The abundant amount of Fire Scale Wood here could easily forge over a dozen Pure Yang Sword Embryos. Using the plentiful Six Ding Divine Fire he had collected in the Qiankun Xuanhuo Tower, those sword embryos could be upgraded to become Pure Yang Swords.

With an additional dozen Pure Yang Swords, his strength would see a significant boost, and the second set of the Pure Yang Seven Kills Sword Array might even be completed.

At this thought, Shen Luo was secretly delighted. With a flip of his hand, he summoned nine Pure Yang Swords and performed the Nine Swords Unity technique, transforming them into a single red giant sword. He then swung it fiercely at the white light shield surrounding the Fire Scale Wood.

With a resounding "boom" akin to a thunderclap, a massive crack was left on the white light shield. Yet, the shield still didn’t shatter.

Shen Luo frowned and summoned a green treasure sword with a flip of his hand—the Hongming Saber. With a single-handed wave, the Hongming Saber turned into a green streak, striking the crack in the shield fiercely.

With a tearing sound, the white light shield split into two halves.

Shen Luo nodded slightly. The Hongming Saber had lived up to its reputation, although Fire Spirit Child had warned that the blade was sinister and shouldn’t be overused.

With a flick of his sleeve, Shen Luo unleashed a surge of golden light, sweeping up the two ten-thousand-year Fire Scale Wood pieces. He then extended his Divine Sense to explore the rest of the treasure vault but, unfortunately, found no more Fire Scale Wood.

Seeing this, Shen Luo didn’t linger further. He retrieved his Pure Yang Sword and Hongming Saber, then used the Shrinking Earth Ruler to break through the treasure vault’s restrictions, appearing outside the Green Stone Gate.

Standing there was Bai Xiaotian, with several treasures floating before him as he seemed to be attempting to crack the restrictions on the door.

"Brother Shen, it’s you..." Bai Xiaotian looked at Shen Luo with surprise, his gaze flickering oddly as it lingered on the Shrinking Earth Ruler in Shen Luo’s hand.

Shen Luo raised his brow. During his earlier rescue of Hu Bugui, he had inevitably revealed the aura of the Shrinking Earth Ruler. That was why, when bringing everyone into Qingqiu City earlier, he had Nie Caizhu use the Kunlun Mirror to conceal everyone. Still, it seemed the truth had come out now.

However, upon further thought, Shen Luo realized that Hu Bugui wasn’t exactly a secret that needed to be strictly kept.

"The one who approached the stationed place earlier was named Hu Bugui, a disciple of Pansi Cave and a friend of mine. Though he’s also of the Fox Clan, he is not a member of the Qingqiu Fox Clan. He’s been gathering intelligence around Qingqiu Mountain these past days. When he approached the stationed place earlier, he was trying to share what he had uncovered with me, but it led to a string of misunderstandings when Cai Zhu spotted him," Shen Luo explained concisely.

"Hu Bugui? I’ve heard of him—an outstanding junior disciple of Pansi Cave. So, he was Brother Shen’s agent in Qingqiu Mountain," Bai Xiaotian said, his expression softening as he became less guarded, knowing Shen Luo’s character.

"Not quite an agent. He chose to stay of his own volition, possibly for other reasons. Nonetheless, Hu Bugui harbors no ill will toward the sects," Shen Luo clarified.

"Did he manage to uncover anything significant?" Bai Xiaotian pressed.

Shen Luo didn’t hold back and shared the intelligence Hu Bugui had gathered, leaving Bai Xiaotian alarmed.

"Where is Hu Bugui now?" Bai Xiaotian asked with a deep breath.

"When Cai Zhu and I infiltrated this place earlier, Hu Bugui led the way. Afterward, we returned to the stationed place to request reinforcements, and Hu Bugui chose to stay behind to continue gathering intelligence. Strangely, he seems to have vanished now. I fear he may have been captured by the enemy," Shen Luo said, his tone tinged with concern.

"If Hu Bugui dared to stay, he must have some means of protecting himself. Brother Shen, you needn’t worry," Bai Xiaotian reassured.

"I hope so," Shen Luo replied, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, with a slight nod.

"Brother Shen, you just entered this door. What’s inside?" Bai Xiaotian asked, coughing lightly to shift the mood as he sensed the heavy atmosphere.

"Behind the door is the Qingqiu Fox Clan’s treasure vault. Unfortunately, the treasures inside are sealed by powerful prohibitions. I managed to break through one and took two urgently needed Spirit Woods, but taking everything would take a long while," Shen Luo said openly.

Bai Xiaotian was first overjoyed upon hearing this but soon smiled bitterly. Their primary task now was to investigate the situation of the Qingqiu Fox Clan; there was no time to slowly collect treasures.

"That’s about the gist of it. I must go find Cai Zhu and Hu Bugui. I’ll take my leave first," Shen Luo said before swiftly flying off.

Just as he flew out of the hall, a whistling sound came from behind him.

"Brother Shen, wait a moment." It was Bai Xiaotian, chasing after him with a peculiar expression.

"Brother Bai, is there something else?" Shen Luo paused in mid-air, looking puzzled.

"Brother Shen, the treasure fan you used earlier to assist in performing the Three-Star Demonic Extermination Technique—what is its name, and where did you acquire it?" Bai Xiaotian asked.

"That object is called the Starry Fan. I happened upon it accidentally in a secret realm. Brother Bai, do you recognize this treasure?" Shen Luo inquired in return.

"The Starry Fan? This fan gives me a sense of familiarity, as though I’ve seen it before. Could Brother Shen allow me to examine it?" Bai Xiaotian hesitated for a moment before cupping his hands and making the request.