Yang Ling found it hard to regain her composure after finding out that they were located in Vajra’s national treasury.

Her clan has been officials in the court for generations. If her intrusion was known, her clan might face extermination.

“Scared?” Li Qiye smiled after seeing her appearance.

“It’s a crime worthy of clan extermination, my dad will break my legs.” She smiled wryly.

The hug mouse twitched its mouth, clearly showing contempt for Vajra Dynasty.

“To soar is to face the various risks accompanied with it. If you only want peace and safety, forget about cultivation. Just go back to the farm and plant some seeds.” Li Qiye said.

“Thank you for your teaching, Young Master.” Yang Ling calmed down and accepted his guidance.

Her fate along with her clan would be doomed just by the fact that she was here. It didn’t matter if she were to grab any item or not.

On the other hand, this was also an opportunity. She and the clan would be able to soar if she took advantage of this.

She thought about another problem - this wasn’t the mouse’s treasury.

It meant that the mouse didn’t give the chosen ones anything. It actually took them to other treasuries by bypassing the seals and defensive measures.

“What about the dean back then…” She eventually asked.

The last one chosen was a student from Duality or their current dean - Five-colored Sacred Sovereign.

He never told outsiders about this matter. People only knew that a student from Duality got this fortune.

“Was it just like this…” She stared at the mouse.

The mouse proudly raised its chin at her. The answer became obvious.

She smiled wryly in response, understanding what Li Qiye meant back then. No wonder why the dean kept it a secret.

Telling the truth meant facing backlash from the owners of the treasuries. This was especially true for Vajra since they were in charge of the land.

“Take a look and take wherever you want.” Li Qiye smiled.

She nodded in agreement. At the start, she was as excited as can be, not only because of the treasures but because her curiosity was being sated.

Now, she became nervous after finding out the truth. Just one wrong move could result in losing everything and dragging her clan down with her.

On the other hand, Li Qiye didn’t mind at all and strolled through the treasury.

They arrived at the weapon storage. Those at the lower level couldn’t be seen at all. The starting point was the grand dao level.

They varied in shape and form. One saber had a chilling glint; another sword had a five-colored radiance. One pagoda had waves emanating from it…

Yang Ling became dizzy while looking at the treasures. A few of them had an unbearable divinity; this made it hard for her to walk.

They stopped in front of a massive painting depicting magnificent sceneries - an endless mountain range and a river looking like a dragon. Trees blotted out the sky and various wondrous animals could be seen roaming about.

A majestic power assaulted the spectators, akin to being hit by the momentum of all the places and things depicted.

The mountain range resembled a suppressive pagoda. The river issued draconic roars. The beasts also howled in an intimidating fashion.

“The mythical Archaic Sun World Diagram! This was once the strongest defining treasure of Archaic Sun. As the dynasty grew stronger, they obtained greater treasures and it stopped being the symbol.” Yang Ling was shocked.

Before Archaic Sun became Vajra, it wasn’t that strong. This painting was left behind by a top Heavenly Sovereign in that generation. It helped Archaic Sun weather many storms, allowing them to eventually establish a strong foundation.

Yang Ling heard stories about it from the seniors in her clan before. Today, she got the chance to see it in person.

“The coloring is okay.” Li Qiye quickly assessed.

She was at a loss for words. If people from the court were to hear this assessment regarding their once-defining treasure, what would be their reaction? Some princes might go crazy.

After all, this used to be their pride for a long time. They only became stronger later on, especially after the appearance of Vajra Dao Lord. They obtained better and stronger weapons later and the diagram stopped showing up.

“Clank! Clank! Clank!” The trio moved on. They didn’t get far before hearing loud bells.

The sounds came from a gigantic golden bell usually seen in ancient temples. It was made from precious and heavy bronze metal. The outer wall of the mouth was engraved with beast dao bones.

It still made sound without anyone beating on it. The sounds could reach the mind of listeners - a testament to its power.

“This is Devourer Bell, one of the strongest weapons during the Era of the Eight Saints. It appeared in the crusade to the south, completely unstoppable.” Yang Ling stated the history of the bell. She didn’t expect to find it here.

“Monkeys are kings when there are no tigers around.” Li Qiye chuckled and wasn’t interested.

“Young Master, the Era of the Eight Saints is the strongest period of Buddha Holy Ground, with two from Vajra. The holy ground wanted to conquer the south. The eight saints and nine venerables joined the expedition and were unstoppable. This bell was quite famous then, able to slay several famed Heavenly Sovereigns from the south…” Yang Ling elaborated.

“They just didn’t find the right opponents yet. Later on, they pissed their pants in fear anyway.” Li Qiye smiled.

“You’ve heard about this war?” Yang Ling became surprised.

Li Qiye chuckled in response.

“I heard the Wild South Eight Kingdoms managed to invite an ancient empress.” Yang Ling knew this history quite well: “The world changed color due to her appearance; realms started floating up and down around her. No one in the holy ground could stop her. The eight saints and nine venerables joined forces and still lost. The great army was utterly defeated.” [1]

She paused for a moment and murmured: “What kind of existence is this ancient empress?”

“Just an old woman.” Li Qiye replied.

“But people say that she’s very pretty, not old at all.” Yang Ling hurriedly replied.

Li Qiye naturally knew who she was, the same with the so-called Worldly Immortal.

Yang Ling was right. The ambitious holy ground wished to conquer the south in the past. They would have won if it wasn’t for the ancient empress.

1. It was east in the older chapters. South makes more sense. I’ll change it to south if the next mention is south too