Chapter 29: The True Treasure Vault

What? Why is this treasure vault completely empty?

Yao Yueli led Ahoge Dragon to a small mountain nestled in the center of a lake, situated behind the Bewitching Immortal Pavilion.

After unsealing a secret passage, they descended into a hidden underground vault.

However, the vault was already utterly barren.

Only the desolate shelves remained, silently testifying to the countless treasures that once resided within.

“Given that the Qian family had occupied this place for an entire year, it came as no surprise that they had discovered this location.”

Yao Yueli ran a finger over the thick layer of dust coating the ground.

It was evident that the Qian family had long since plundered everything of value.

“No treasures left! My precious items for upgrading, all gone! The Qian family… they must be even wealthier now, huh? Hehehe! When I get the chance, I’m definitely paying them a visit to reclaim everything they stole!”

Ahoge Dragon seethed with a mixture of anger and indignation.

A sly, wicked grin soon spread across her face.

Her synergy with Mao Yuxia was simply unmatched when it came to plundering enemy strongholds!

This time, the Qian family would undoubtedly experience the same anguish they had inflicted upon the Gudou family!

“Big Sister, look! They’ve dug a massive hole right here!”

Gazing towards the center of the expansive secret chamber, Ahoge Dragon noticed a colossal pit that had been excavated.

Upon approaching, she realized the hole plunged into unfathomable depths.

Whose wretched idea was it to dig this?

Gudou Ritien?

“They were clearly attempting to locate an even more concealed treasure vault. It appears this lower vault has also suffered the same fate.”

Yao Yueli shook her head ruefully, recalling that her Demonic Charm clan had once stood as one of the four great families.

Mountains of treasures that once filled this place had been utterly ransacked.

The contents of a *truly* hidden vault, however, would have been infinitely more precious!

She had foolishly believed it would remain undiscovered, yet she had clearly underestimated the ingenuity of the Qian family.

To think they had dug to such incredible depths.

“Do we have any treasures left?”

Ahoge Dragon’s worry mounted, for these very treasures were essential for her own cultivation and growth in strength!

They were of paramount importance!

She certainly had no desire to spend countless days and nights in arduous training just to compensate for a lack of crucial upgrade materials.

“Would you ever consolidate all your most prized possessions into a single location, or perhaps even just two?”

Yao Yueli retorted, a pointed meaning veiled within her question.

“Uhm…”

Ahoge Dragon still seemed to possess a considerable sum of money squirreled away at Mao Yuxia’s ‘Meow Meow General Store’.

Though she had ostensibly gifted it all to Mao Yuxia, now that Ahoge Dragon found herself in dire straits, reclaiming it seemed perfectly justifiable.

After all, Ahoge Dragon possessed a notoriously thick skin.

“If you were in such a position, where would you choose to conceal your most valuable treasures?”

“Hmm… Perhaps somewhere utterly unexpected?”

“Precisely! Follow me.”

With that, Yao Yueli led Ahoge Dragon out of the secret passage and ascended to the mountain’s summit.

There stood a house, outwardly unremarkable.

Yet, paradoxically, it was also strikingly conspicuous.

Who would be foolish enough to store priceless treasures in such an obvious location?

Upon stepping inside, they found it, predictably, deserted.

“Still nothing here?”

Ahoge Dragon’s expression was one of utter bewilderment, as if she were looking at a fool.

“Hmph hmph! It appears this place remained undiscovered!”

Yao Yueli, however, broke into a wide, triumphant smile.

She then approached the doorway, carefully moving a heavy stone lion and positioning it atop the threshold.

Inside the house, Ahoge Dragon suddenly perceived a resounding rumble from above, accompanied by a shower of falling dust.

“By the heavens! A hidden passage!”

Ahoge Dragon’s eyes gleamed as if she had already laid them upon a mountain of treasures!

She yearned to leap upwards.

Alas, Ahoge Dragon and the tiny wings on her back were mere ornamental features, utterly incapable of propelling her to such a height.

Fortunately, Yao Yueli scooped her up, and together they ascended.

“Wow! So many… it’s absolutely dazzling!”

Who could have ever imagined that treasures would be concealed in such an incredibly conspicuous location?

They had dug a hundred meters below, yet the openly exposed area above remained utterly untouched.

Ahoge Dragon observed that while this space was not as vast as the previous secret passage, its shelves were overflowing with an astonishing array of priceless artifacts!

There was not a single, paltry magic stone to be found here!

Instead, vast quantities of gleaming magic crystals lay scattered casually across the floor.

Ahoge Dragon couldn’t even begin to count them all!

“It’s truly fortunate this place remained undiscovered. This is the Demonic Charm clan’s most prized treasury, holding a legacy spanning thousands of years.”

“Foolish Ahoge, your Dragon Eyes are exceptionally keen; swiftly seek out any materials you can utilize.”

With such an overwhelming abundance of items and treasures, Yao Yueli found the prospect of sifting through them individually far too arduous and time-consuming.

“They’ve been open this whole time! This one works! And there’s something on that armor over there, too…”

Faced with such an immense hoard of treasures, how could Ahoge Dragon not be tempted? If she were to take even a fraction of these, how many pineapple buns could she possibly acquire?

Before long, she had located several materials perfectly suited to enhancing her own abilities.

“Big Sister, this is a Gold-grade magic tool; may I use it?”

Ahoge Dragon currently wielded a Silver-grade magic tool, the Moon Wheel Flying Dagger, but its crucial moon gem needed to be consumed by her to unleash its full power.

Without that gem, the Moon Wheel Flying Dagger would be rendered virtually useless.

What valuable item would she then have left to wager against Yue Guangyao in the future?

Thus, her gaze fixed upon this particular Gold-grade magic tool.

Gold-grade items were, naturally, exceedingly precious! Moreover, this one took the form of a small flying dagger.

Ahoge Dragon could easily conceal it beneath her skirt.

“A Gold-grade magic tool? Even such a precious artifact is here?”

Gold-grade magic tools were indeed highly valuable, even if they couldn’t compare to the might of Dragon-grade artifacts.

However, Dragon-grade tools were exceedingly rare and difficult to acquire, making Gold-grade magic tools an excellent alternative once one reached Six-star strength.

“You don’t even engage in combat; what use would you have for it?”

Yao Yueli’s thoughts drifted to Blood Granny, who had recently broken through to Six-star cultivation. This Gold-grade magic tool would be perfectly suited for her.

“Ugh, I want it so badly! Please, give it to meee~”

Having set her heart upon it, Ahoge Dragon began to whine and cajole.

“Ugh… If not this one, then could you at least let me choose any usable weapon I fancy?”

Ahoge Dragon mumbled feebly, her demeanor suggesting she had been utterly wronged.

“Let you casually pick one? Hmm…”

Yao Yueli fixed her gaze upon Ahoge Dragon, who, feeling a pang of guilt, swiftly averted her eyes.

“Foolish creature, are you attempting to trick me? Quickly now, tell me what valuable items you’ve unearthed!”

“Ugh… Nothing! Absolutely nothing!”

Ahoge Dragon vigorously shook her head.

“No dinner for you tonight.”

“What? No! Please, I’ll tell you, I promise!”

Ahoge Dragon, loath to go hungry, sighed once more before producing a palm-length arrow from an otherwise unremarkable quiver.

“This is a Diamond-grade magic tool…”

Diamond-grade surpassed even Gold-grade in rarity and power, a fact well-known to anyone familiar with the ‘King’s Glory’ game.

However, as it was merely an arrow, without a suitable bow, its true potential would be difficult to unleash.

Nevertheless, the materials used in crafting Diamond-grade magic tools possessed the unique property of being able to withstand the baptism of dragon blood.

This diminutive arrow could, in fact, be transformed into a Dragon-grade magic tool through the infusion of Ahoge Dragon’s own blood!

Concealed upon her person, such a tiny artifact would undoubtedly catch any enemy completely off guard.

A mischievous grin then spread across her face as she regarded Ahoge Dragon.

“Why… why are you staring at me like that…?”

Ahoge Dragon felt a shiver of unease under her intense gaze, a premonition that something unpleasant was about to transpire.

“Little Ahoge, this Gold-grade magic tool can indeed be yours, but you must first agree to a single condition.”

“Wow! Really? Big Sister, just name your terms! I’ll agree to anything, no matter what it is!”

A Gold-grade magic tool! Imagine the prestige of wielding such an item!

Ahoge Dragon thumped her chest with gusto, presenting an image of absolute confidence, as if to say, ‘Entrust anything to me!’

“It’s actually quite simple: just a bowl of your dragon blood will suffice!”

“Huh?”