Chapter 316: Iconic Sect Treasure—Dragon Phoenix Cauldron
Chapter 316: Iconic Sect Treasure—Dragon Phoenix Cauldron
In front of the two was a set of plain bronze doors. There were two oil lamps on each side of the gates. The purple flames swayed in the oil lamps, somewhat illuminating the surroundings.
Chu Chaoyun smiled faintly, “Interesting; the old lamps are still lit.”
There was a huge three-legged cauldron carved above the door. There were dragons and wind engraved on it, covering it with decorative designs.
There were four white clouds of fire above the cauldron. This was the first time Xiao Chen had seen white flames; he felt it was strange.
The gates were tightly shut; it felt historical. He felt a changing aura from inside.
“Dong! Dong! Dong!”
The sounds of people landing echoed. The other cultivators all landed one after another. They immediately made a beeline for the big bronze doors.
In an instant, the crowd buried Xiao Chen and Chu Chaoyun’s figures. Everyone gazed at the carved images. Many sighed in amazement.
“It really is the Fire Li Sect remnant. The three-legged cauldron was the Fire Li Sect’s iconic sect treasure—the Dragon Phoenix Cauldron. The clouds above the cauldron should be the Lunar True Flame. This branch hall had four clouds of Lunar True Flame. It seems like it was quite important.”
“Yes, the Main Hall of the Fire Li Sect has nine clouds of Lunar True Flame. The other branch halls had varying numbers of clouds, from one to eight. This place has four clouds of flame; this means that this is not the lowest grade.”
“Haha, it seems like Duanmu Qing did not lie. However, how do we open these gates? Can we push them open?”
These people were the outstanding talents of the younger generation. Many of them had ancient books in their clan library or elders with a lot of experience. They could immediately tell what the carvings represented.
However, when they looked at the tightly shut bronze doors, they did not dare step forward to push them open. The greatest strength of the Fire Li Sect was the creation of Secret Treasures.
Refining Secret Treasures required research into the relevant formations. Could there be a formation on these bronze doors? Attempting to force them open could result in death.
One of the young Dongming Province experts stepped forward and said, “Let me try!”
This person wore sky-blue cultivator robes. He had thick eyebrows and large eyes. He was tall with a strong back and stout figure. The muscle of his chest bulged, like small meat mountains. A thick saber hung on his back; it was clear that he was a cultivator focused on strength.
“He is Wen Yanbin. I head that he is the strongest amongst those who cultivate the physical body in Dongming Province. Without using Essence, his palm strike can reach 7,500 kilograms of force.”
“These bronze doors weigh, at most, five thousand kilograms. He might be able to open them. Furthermore, he might not even need Essence. It’s possible he could avoid a rebound from the formations.”
The crowd recognized Wen Yanbin and quickly ushered him forward. Given that there was someone who wanted to open the doors, the crowd was naturally pleased.
Wen Yanbin stretched out his right hand and placed it on the left door. He rubbed it for a while before switching to the right door, rubbing it as well.
Seeing as nothing special had happened, he calmed himself and took a deep breath. He quickly pulled back his right hand and smashed it forward on one of the big bronze doors.
“Bang!”
The entire underground space shook. However, the bronze door did not move at all.
“Again!” Wen Yanbin shouted. The muscles of his right arm bulged, and he relentlessly smashed the bronze door.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
The continuously banging reverberated in the underground space. The huge force caused the ground to shake violently. Rocks repeatedly fell from the roof.
However, the huge bronze door still did not move; there were no signs of anything happening. It did not even open a trace.
“How can this be? There is not even little movement. Is there no way to open these doors?” the crowd exclaimed in astonishment as they watched.
The consistent strikes caused Wen Yanbin to grow somewhat pale. This was the effect of physical body attacks. At least thirty percent of the force that struck the opponent would rebound.
Every strike of Wen Yanbin’s palm contained a force no less than 5,000 kilograms. When the rebounded force accumulated and attacked his internal organs and meridians, it became a threat.
From the very start, Wen Yanbin saw no movement. Wen Yanbin steeled himself; a look of ruthlessness appeared in his eyes.
Suddenly Wen Yanbin’s right palm grew larger, and he clenched his fingers, making a fist and punching out.
When Wen Yanbin punched, even the air exploded. This punch carried his full strength behind it. It reached ten thousand kilograms of force.
“Bang!”
There was a loud sound, and a huge force rebounded back. The internal injuries Wen Yanbin previously suppressed erupted out. He vomited a mouthful of blood and flew back.
The entire space trembled for a long moment before slowly coming to a stop. However, the massive doors still did not react. There was not even a crack.
When the crowd saw the pale-faced Wen Yanbin sit to circulate his energy, they could not help but feel anxious. Someone said, “Since we are unable to use brute force to open these doors, there could be some sort of switch somewhere. Once we find the switch, we can easily open them.”
“I don’t think it is necessarily so. Perhaps the strength had not reached the required level. Maybe we should try using Essence.”
“Duanmu Qing is here; let her take a look!”
Just as the crowd discussed intensely, Duanmu Qing, Ji Changkong, and the others behind slowly walked over.
At this moment, no one said anything about the agreement. The most important thing was to open the doors. As Duanmu Qing appeared, everyone saw hope.
They all moved aside and created a convenient path for Duanmu Qing to reach the front of the crowd.
When Duanmu Qing saw everyone’s eager faces, her expression did not change. She simply wore her usual expression, cold and frosty; she was a beauty without a trace of human emotion.
Duanmu Qing slowly stepped up to the huge bronze doors. She placed both her hands on the two legs of the Dragon Phoenix Cauldron, pushing her five fingers in.
The Dragon Phoenix Cauldron had three legs. One on the left, and one on the right. The third only formed when the two doors were closed and met in the middle.
What is going on? The crowd wondered if they witnessed the wrong thing. Each bronze door is about five thousand kilograms. How can she push her fingers in so easily?
When the crowd looked carefully, they realized Duanmu Qing had not stuck her fingers in using brute force.
Instead, there were five fingers holes around each cauldron leg. Because of the lighting and the carvings, it created a visual trick; it was very easy to miss.
“Creak…!”
Duanmu Qing pulled back gently. The big bronze doors, which troubled the crowd for a long while, which Wen Yanbin could not push open, even with ten thousand kilograms of force, easily opened.
“So these doors require one to pull, not push. I had a feeling,” someone commented in hindsight.
Wen Yanbin, seated on the ground and almost completely recovered, grew so angry that he nearly vomited blood again when he heard this. Then, he thought about his initial actions. It was extremely stupid.
A vast hall appeared before everyone near the doorway. In an instant, everyone rushed in, leaving behind a gust of wind.
There was an aisle down the middle of the hall. Stone pillars stood on each the side. A warrior in metal armor stood in between each pillar, the tip of its sword rested on the ground.
When examined carefully, this place did not appear broken down. It looked unaffected by the thousands of years that had passed.
Xiao Chen touched a stone pillar. It felt smooth to the touch; there was no trace of dust as if someone had cleaned it consistently.
At the end of the aisle sat a scarlet throne. There was a warrior in golden armor upon it. Standing on each side of the throne were two warriors in silver armor. A sheathed sword hung at their waists.
Xiao Chen looked at the warrior in golden armor. Golden armor completely covered the warrior; a golden mask hid its face. Its eyes seemed vacant and empty.
However, its gaze created an abstruse feeling. However, it was clearly a non-living object; it was somewhat contradictory.
Xiao Chen examined it and discovered that it really was a non-living object. It contained metallic parts. So, he withdrew his gaze.
This place should be the main hall of the Fire Li Sect branch. I have to reach their refining workshops and library. The good stuff should be there.
Xiao Chen thought to himself. His gaze swept through the hall, searching for other paths.
Excited expressions appeared on the faces of the fifty or sixty people. They rummaged through the place, hoping to find something useful. If they found a Secret Treasure, that would be even better.
“These armored warriors could be the Fire Li Sect’s special combat puppets. I wonder if they still can be used. A few years ago, Linlang Pavilion auctioned one and managed to obtain a sky-high profit,” said someone from the Royal Courts.
When everyone heard this person, they quickly set aside what they were doing and rushed towards the armored warriors. Some went for the swords, and others tried to remove their helmets to take a look.
“Pu ci! Pu ci!”
As the crowd investigated the armored warriors, all the armored warriors started to move. This started the crowd, causing them to scatter.
“Ka ca!”
All the armored warriors drew their swords simultaneously. Sword lights flashed towards the crowd, attacking.
“They are still usable. We struck it rich this time. These armored warriors are completely intact. They can fetch a sky-high price,” The cultivator from the Royal Court who spoke earlier exclaimed.
When the crowd heard his words, their fighting spirit immediately rose. They headed for the twenty-odd armored warriors, launching their attacks as well.
The armored warriors were about the equivalent of Inferior Grade Martial Saint in strength and could fire a rather dim sword Qi. However, because they were mechanical, they did not have any lifeforce. They were impenetrable and did not have a sense of pain.
Despite having the advantage of numbers, the crowd could not subdue these armored warriors within a short time.
Because Xiao Chen stood further away, the armored warriors did not attack him. Furthermore, the armored warriors had fewer numbers. Three or four cultivators surrounded every armored warrior.
The scene was quite chaotic. Xiao Chen could not be bothered to take part. He shifted his gaze back to the golden armored warrior sitting on the scarlet throne.
The ten people who fought the Scarlet Flame Chief earlier, as well as Duanmu Qing, had not made a move. They all similarly stared at the three puppets at the throne.
There was no special reason for this. The armored warriors’ combat prowess was not high. They did not hold any attraction to them. Since they came to this treasure trove, naturally, they had higher expectations.
“Hu chi!”
Eleven people, aside from Xiao Chen, made their move at the same time. They pushed off the ground and quickly headed for the scarlet throne. They all released attacks consisting of various colored lights; it was beautiful.
“Weng!”
Then, the two silver-armored warriors next to the throne felt the aura of the ten people; they opened their empty eyes. A scarlet light appeared in their eyes, and they suddenly came to life.