Chapter 4784: Treasure Hunting

Seven days later, a golden streak of light appeared in the distant sky. It flashed once and stopped. As the light receded, a constantly shimmering golden shuttle became visible. This was a low-grade flying Dao artifact, and Han Long and Dao Ancestor Qihong stood on its surface.

"This is the place," Han Long said.

He took out a small mirror shimmering with green light, a low-grade Dao artifact. The mirror's surface glowed with a dazzling green light, emitting a beam of azure light that landed in the void. There was nothing unusual about the void. The azure light slowly moved, scanning the entire area, but still found no anomalies.

"That's strange, there's nothing unusual!" Han Long said, frowning.

Dao Ancestor Qihong attacked the void. The void shattered, and numerous cracks appeared, only to heal quickly. They didn't find any areas particularly rich in immortal energy.

"Who's there, hiding secretively?" Han Long said with a frown, then punched out, sending a golden fist-shadow flying towards the distant void.

The sea churned and surged, raising colossal waves that blocked the golden fist-shadow. A colossal wave rose from the sea, with two men and one woman standing atop it. Wu Yueying was among them; all three were Dao Ancestors.

"Oh, it's Daoist Jin." Wu Yueying recognized Dao Ancestor Qihong.

"You're Wu Yueying of the Wu family! Has your Wu family been living in seclusion all this time?" Dao Ancestor Qihong recognized Wu Yueying.

"Did Daoist Wang tell you we were coming here to find someone?" Han Long asked, frowning. He suspected the Wang family had betrayed them. Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence? What was even stranger was why the Wang family would inform the Wu family.

"Daoist Wang also sent you here? Are you also looking for someone?" Wu Yueying asked, puzzled. Both sides exchanged glances. After some communication, they suddenly understood.

"My Dao companion and your clansmen are both here. It seems Daoist Wang's divination was correct. This might be an ancient immortal court's hidden treasure or ruins, which is why they've been trapped for so long," Han Long said.

"Since we have a common goal, let's work together to break through the restrictions and go in search of treasure!" a white-robed man with proper features suggested.

"Who are you?" Dao Ancestor Qihong looked puzzled. He knew some of the Wu family's Dao Ancestors but did not recognize the white-robed man.

"I am Wu Nianhong. It's a pleasure to meet Daoist Jin," the white-robed man stated his name.

"Nianhong is a newly promoted Dao Ancestor of our Wu family. He's responsible for gathering intelligence outside. It's normal that Daoist Jin doesn't know him," Wu Yueying explained.

Dao Ancestor Qihong nodded and said, "Without further ado, let's search for the entrance together! I hope Madam Han and Daoist Wu are safe."

The five Dao Ancestors worked together for half a day before finally locating the entrance and jointly creating an opening.

"For safety, let's enter on the immortal vessel! That way, we won't get separated," Han Long suggested. The five individuals stepped onto the golden shuttle. Han Long formed a hand seal, and a golden light barrier appeared, enveloping all five of them. The golden shuttle flew inside, and the opening closed up.

A vast and boundless dense forest lay before them. As far as the eye could see, towering trees thousands of feet high were everywhere. From deep within, loud booming sounds echoed. Large numbers of trees were uprooted by powerful airwaves, then turned into countless splinters.

A colossal staff swept towards them, striking the giant's chest. The giant let out a scream, its arms went limp, and it was smashed to pieces by the Immortal Suppression Peak.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan stood in an open area, their expressions indifferent. They had been here for half a month, encountering creatures like chaotic beasts, immortals, demonic beasts, extraterrestrial devils, and zombie-corpses. Their cultivation levels varied; some were Grand Unity Golden Immortals, others Dao Ancestors. Without exception, all these creatures were illusions. They had found quite a few fifth-tier immortal materials, mostly refining materials, but also some immortal medicines.

Not far behind them, a Nine Palace Transformation Dao Fruit tree could be seen, with six Nine Palace Transformation Dao Fruits hanging on its branches. A blue light barrier enveloped the entire Nine Palace Transformation Dao Fruit tree. The surface of the blue barrier was covered with profound runes. Wang Ruyan formed a hand seal, and the blue light barrier disintegrated, transforming into a blue command flag that flew into her sleeve. Wang Changsheng changed his hand seal, and the Immortal Suppression Peak quickly returned to its original size. A massive pit appeared on the ground, filled with a pile of minced flesh. He paid no attention to it, and walked towards the Nine Palace Transformation Fruit tree with Wang Ruyan.

"The ancient giant was another illusion. Fortunately, the Nine Palace Transformation Dao Fruits aren't illusions," Wang Ruyan said with a smile. They picked the Nine Palace Transformation Dao Fruits and placed them into a jade box. Wang Changsheng manifested a treasure and transplanted the Nine Palace Transformation Dao Fruit tree.

"This place feels more like a secret realm. It's different from the secret realms and forbidden lands we've visited before. Powerful illusory creatures attack us, but the restrictions are real. Could this be a Dao Ancestor's cultivation ground?" Wang Ruyan analyzed. Immortal fruits, immortal medicines, refining materials, immortal wood, and restrictions are real. Other creatures are illusions, at least for now.

"It's hard to say. Truth and falsehood are intertwined. The creatures we've encountered so far are fake, but perhaps we'll encounter real creatures later. It's a mix of reality and illusion, truth and deception," Wang Changsheng said.

"How to leave here is a problem. It seems we need to find the control hub to exit this place," Wang Ruyan said with a frown.

"We can only take one step at a time," Wang Changsheng said. They walked forward, disappearing into the dense forest.

A vast and boundless yellow desert lay ahead. Fierce winds howled past, and yellow sand danced in the wind. With a deafening roar, a massive black light shot into the sky, and dust filled the air. Immediately after, two streaks of light flew out from the depths of the desert, leaving the desert and landing in a green bamboo forest. As the light receded, Ye Haitang and Wang Yingjie appeared.

They had become separated from Wang Changsheng and the others. After trying various methods without being able to contact them, they had to give up.

"We've finally escaped! The restrictions are actually real. I thought they were fake, just like those creatures!" Wang Yingjie said with a relieved tone.

"This place is too strange. It's like a dream realm, yet not entirely. There are many good things here, including quite a few immortal medicines that are hundreds of millions of years old," Ye Haitang said. Her gaze swept across the area, and her expression became excited. "Eight-Treasure Golden Jade Fruit!" Ye Haitang exclaimed excitedly.

Following her gaze, a golden-green fruit tree could be seen. Dozens of golden-green oval fruits hung on its branches. The surface of the fruits had eight natural patterns. The Eight-Treasure Golden Jade Fruit has a growth cycle of six hundred million years. It is suitable for Dao Ancestors to consume, saving them a period of arduous cultivation. If refined into a pill, its effects are even better.

They repeatedly examined the area, finding no anomalies. Only then did they approach the Eight-Treasure Golden Jade Fruit tree, picked all the fruits, and placed them into jade boxes.

"There are many good things here. I wonder if there will be any innate Dao artifacts," Wang Yingjie said curiously.

"It's hard to say. Perhaps we are inside an innate Dao artifact. Or maybe it's a secret realm. In any case, after so many years of cultivation, this is the first time I've encountered such a situation," Ye Haitang said, frowning. Generally, illusion formations have a certain coverage area. They had been here for half a month and still hadn't exited the illusion's range. This was strange. Could this entire space be sustained by an illusion formation?

"We haven't found any remains of other cultivators, so it doesn't seem like an ancient battlefield. Perhaps we're in the outer area, and we'll only know where this place truly is once we reach the core," Wang Yingjie guessed.

"I hope so!" Ye Haitang said. She set up a grand formation. Wang Yingjie manifested a low-grade Dao artifact, assisting Ye Haitang in transplanting the Eight-Treasure Golden Jade Fruit tree.