Chapter 555: Treasure Trove

Seeing how strongly Tushan Shanhe and Fu Young were reacting, Xiao Shou was astonished. Even the fragmented souls outside the barrier were crashing against it frantically. The ghostly creatures within the range of his divine sense were flying toward them, while others beyond its range were rushing into it and heading in their direction.

Sensing all this, Xiao Shou hurriedly placed the few pieces of Sixth-Grade Soul Nourishing Jade into his storage ring.

The instant the jade entered the storage ring, its soul attracting aura vanished. The fragmented souls outside the barrier returned to their previous state, drifting lazily around it. The numerous ghostly creatures rushing toward them could no longer sense the aura, so they could only wander around where they were.

Once the maddening aura disappeared, Fu Young finally relaxed. Wiping away the cold sweat that had just formed on his forehead, he said, "It really is ridiculously exaggerated. But this reaction proves just how precious a treasure you’ve created, Master! We’re inside a secret realm, and we were randomly teleported here. Fortunately, there are no other cultivators nearby, only a bunch of mindless ghosts. But if other cultivators had been here..."

"Then things would have been truly outrageous. Ah Shou, what do you intend to do?" Tushan Shanhe finished for him, never forgetting to remain wary of Fu Young even as he spoke.

Xiao Shou sensed the surroundings and thought about the reactions of his beloved disciple and Great Granduncle Shanhe. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "The Soul Nourishing Jade attracts you both too? Is the attraction really that strong? What benefits does it offer you?"

Why hadn’t he felt any attraction toward it himself?

Previously, when he fusion demonic spirit cores, he could clearly sense their attraction to him. Why was it different this time?

Thinking of this, he tentatively took out a demonic spirit core. To his surprise, he discovered that he no longer felt any attraction toward it either.

When had this happened? He could clearly remember still feeling its attraction when he consumed one during the Heaven Origin Grand Competition.

A series of events had occurred since then. Sometimes he hadn’t had time to consume them, and other times he had simply forgotten. That was why he had only just noticed the change.

Could it be because his ability had advanced in rank when he fusion the Star Demon Mother Tree?

Xiao Shou could only settle on this explanation. He couldn’t think of any other reason.

But what did it mean that the things he created no longer attracted him?

Could it be that his ability had become ineffective on himself?

Thinking of this possibility, Xiao Shou hurriedly popped the demonic spirit core he had taken out into his mouth. However, it did not become ineffective as he had feared. Just as before, it transformed into a stream of warmth that flowed into his stomach and spread throughout his body.

The effect was still there. Only its influence on his senses had disappeared. This was another manifestation of his ability advancing to a higher rank.

While Xiao Shou was conducting this experiment, Tushan Shanhe sensed another enticing aroma coming from Ah Shou. It was an aroma that made his mouth water, yet it disappeared almost immediately.

He felt so aggrieved that he nearly wanted to cry. How could this child have so many good things on him?

Fortunately, he was an elder of the family. The Tushan Clan’s rules strictly prohibited its members from robbing or killing one another. If Xiao Shou had been an outsider, however, possessing so many treasures would practically tempt people into committing crimes.

Thinking of this, Tushan Shanhe glanced at Fu Young again.

Unexpectedly, when Fu Young noticed him looking, he took out an object that gave off the same mouthwatering aura as the one from earlier. Right in front of Tushan Shanhe, he casually tossed it into his mouth and swallowed it. Then he raised an eyebrow at him.

That brat! He was definitely provoking him!

Tushan Shanhe was so furious that he nearly lost his mind. He really wanted to beat the little brat up right then and there.

"Great Granduncle Shanhe, Young’er, why aren’t you saying anything? What do you think?"

Just then, Xiao Shou finished his experiment and noticed that his beloved disciple and Tushan Shanhe were glaring at each other without speaking. They seemed not to have heard his earlier question at all, so he couldn’t help asking again.

His voice made the two men freeze for an instant.

Fu Young immediately returned to his usual obedient expression. His dark eyes blinked beneath his long, curled eyelashes as he replied, "Master, I was thinking about how to describe it. That thing called Soul Nourishing Jade isn’t merely attractive. Its allure is practically irresistible! The energy inside seems to offer endless benefits to the soul. The more of it, the better. No amount would ever feel like too much!"

"Exactly. That’s why I asked what you intend to do about it."

That brat was pretending to be innocent again!

Tushan Shanhe cursed him silently, though his expression had already returned to its usual cool composure.

Completely unaware of the silent feud between his great granduncle and his beloved disciple, Xiao Shou extended an index finger and tapped his chin repeatedly as he thought.

After a long while, he finally spoke. "Since the materials needed to refine Soul Nourishing Jade seem to grow only here, they’re probably connected to this place’s unique environment. That means the entire Myriad Ghosts Grotto is practically a natural treasure trove for us."

"And what do you intend to do with this treasure trove?" Tushan Shanhe asked, raising his silver eyebrows.

Xiao Shou answered seriously, "I currently have two ideas, though neither is fully developed. My first idea is to find a way to pay a substantial price to persuade the Murong Kingdom to hand over the entire Myriad Ghosts Grotto Secret Realm. After clearing out the cultivators staying inside, we could use Soul Nourishing Jade to repair all the souls here and send them into reincarnation. Then, we could transform the secret realm into something like the Heaven Origin Realm, a portable secret realm that we could carry with us. We could cultivate the materials needed to make Soul Nourishing Jade there in the future."