You, a living person, are telling me I've served in the underworld for ten years?

Even after countless years of silence, the air around the sword seemed to be slightly distorted, emanating a restrained chill that seemed capable of cutting through everything.

"nice one!"

Chen Yang's eyes lit up; he could sense the extraordinary nature of this sword.

He first cautiously used his piercing eyes and divine sense to repeatedly examine the area around the bronze cauldron and sword, and only after confirming that there were no hidden traps or malicious restrictions did he extend his right hand and firmly grasp the cold sword hilt.

A chill ran through him, and a sharp aura seemed to seep into his body through his palm. Chen Yang activated the Pure Subtle Yuan Descent Technique, channeling pure spiritual energy along his arm into the sword hilt, attempting to establish a connection with the ancient sword, while also testing its limits.

"Om..."

The ancient sword emitted an extremely faint yet seemingly soul-piercing melody! The blade trembled slightly, and rust chips fell from the cauldron. Chen Yang felt a powerful, pure, and incomparably sharp sword intent return along with the spiritual energy. This sword intent was far stronger and purer than the Xuan sword he had previously obtained!

Although the Xuan Sword is sharp, its superiority lies more in its materials and craftsmanship. However, the sword in my hand seems to have been born with the law of "cutting," and its sharpness is almost piercing through the body!

"A fine sword! An absolutely fine sword!"

Chen Yang was overjoyed.

The quality of this sword is probably the best among all the weapons he has ever seen! Without hesitation, he exerted force and slowly pulled the sword out of the bronze cauldron.

The sword was fully revealed before my eyes. It was about three feet long and two fingers wide. The blade was a dark silver-gray color, without any patterns or decorations. It had only a kind of simplicity and sharpness that had been washed away by countless killings and the passage of time.

Even in the dim light, the blade's edge gleamed with a chilling light that sent shivers down one's spine.

Chen Yang swung the sword twice with great affection, and the sword energy cut through the air, emitting a deep whistling sound. Even the tips of the stalactites hanging not far away seemed to be stimulated by the invisible sharpness and trembled slightly.

He put away the newly acquired sword with satisfaction and placed it in the storage bag, in the special place for storing weapons.

Having obtained the sword, Chen Yang was in high spirits and carefully searched the top of the altar. Besides the skull, the bronze cauldron, and the sword, there was nothing else.

He jumped down from the altar and scanned the space once more. Behind the altar, near the stone wall, he discovered the entrance to a narrow downward passage!

This passage was not one of the six restricted doors, but rather carved into the stone wall, sloping downwards. There were rough steps at the entrance, and inside it was pitch black and bottomless.

As Chen Yang walked to the entrance of the passage, a deathly aura, even more intense and chilling than that at the altar, mixed with a faint smell of decay, surged out from below.

He activated his Fiery Eyes of Truth and looked down, but his vision could only penetrate a few dozen meters before being blocked by the churning, almost tangible, gray-black death energy. Within that fleeting glimpse of a few dozen meters, he vaguely saw piles of white bones, numerous and varied in shape, not all of them humanoid.

"The aura of death is so strong... There's probably a mass grave down there, or some extremely ferocious creature sealed inside."

Chen Yang frowned, alarm bells ringing in his mind.

He could sense something below, but he had no idea what it was or how dangerous it was. Curiosity was understandable, but reason told him that he had already obtained a treasure like the sword here, and exploring the unknown depths of a place that was clearly fraught with danger would be a risk that was not worth the reward.

He still has responsibilities on his shoulders and companions outside; there's no need for him to gamble his life here.

"That's enough, contentment is happiness. Let the things below remain buried."

Chen Yang turned around decisively, not looking at the downward passage again.

He came here to find treasure and enhance his strength, not to engage in life-threatening adventures.

Following the passage he had come from, Chen Yang quickly returned. He didn't stop as he passed the murals and corpses. Soon, he was back at the entrance to the secret passage beneath the dragon throne. He found an inconspicuous protruding stone inside and pressed it down hard.

"Crack... Boom..."

The ground beneath him spun again, carrying him and the dragon throne back to the top of the hall. The dragon throne slowly returned to its original position, fitting perfectly, as if it had never moved.

Chen Yang stood up from the dragon throne, dusted off non-existent dust, and quickly walked down the nine steps, leaving the empty and eerie main hall.

Standing atop the mountain, a cool mountain breeze swept away the chilly atmosphere from below. Chen Yang gazed at the white jade mountain gate opposite and soon spotted Gu Jinghui and Uncle Li; they seemed to be near a building on the mountaintop as well.

Without delay, Chen Yang took to the air, flew over the middle of the canyon, and landed on the mountaintop plaza of the White Jade Mountain Gate on the opposite side.

"Chen Yang! Over here!"

Gu Jinghui, with his sharp eyes, spotted him immediately and waved to him.

Chen Yang walked over and saw Gu Jinghui and Uncle Li walking out of a side hall, their faces beaming with the joy of their success.

"How's it going, Chen Yang? Judging by your appearance, you managed to snag something good in that dark mountain gate?"

Gu Jinghui asked, winking at him.

Chen Yang smiled and didn't hide anything.

"Hmm, some gains. I found dozens of high-quality pills in a secluded alchemy cave, and they were very well preserved. I also got a sword."

He briefly described the sword's sharpness, but didn't go into detail about the altar and the passage below.

"Pills? Swords? Not bad!"

Gu Jinghui slapped his thigh.

"We had a good haul here too! We found two bottles of 'Spirit Gathering Pills' in what looked like a warehouse. Although some of the spiritual energy had been lost, they were still usable. We also found about a hundred mid-grade spirit stones, which were much better quality than the cheap spirit stones we're currently using!"

As he spoke, he took out two jade bottles and a bulging bag from his storage bag and shook them.

Uncle Li also chimed in with a smile.

"I was a little luckier and found a set of armor buried in dust in a corner of what appeared to be a weapon-forging room or armory."

As he spoke, a flash of inspiration appeared on his body, and a set of light armor, entirely pale silver in color, with a smooth design and ingenious joint connections, emerged, covering most of his body except for his head and hands.

The armor's surface was engraved with intricate cloud patterns. Although its radiance was subdued, it faintly exuded a spiritual aura, clearly indicating that it was no ordinary item.

"This armor is made of a special material; it's lightweight yet tough, and it also has a good amplification and protective effect on spiritual energy. I tried it on, and when I wore it, I felt that my speed and defense increased by 20% to 30%."

Chen Yang carefully examined Uncle Li's armor and nodded in approval.

"It is indeed a set of precious armor! Judging from the craftsmanship and the fluctuations of spiritual energy, it is at least a magic weapon. Moreover, it is so well preserved, which is rare! Uncle Li, this armor is destined for you. You must take good care of it, as it will surely be of great use in the future."

Upon hearing this, Uncle Li's smile widened, but then he had a sudden thought and began to remove his armor, saying as he did so.

"Commander Chen, thanks to your help along the way, we were able to enter safely and find these opportunities. This set of armor should rightfully be yours to use and to maximize its effectiveness."

He genuinely wanted to give Chen Yang the best. Chen Yang quickly waved his hand, his tone resolute.

"Uncle Li, please don't! We're exploring together, each relying on our own destiny. You discovered this armor; it's your fate. I already have the Xuan Sword, and now I've obtained a new one, so I have no shortage of weapons for offense."

With this armor, your defenses are greatly enhanced, making our team's overall strength more balanced and providing us with more protection in dangerous situations. This armor is the most suitable for you; don't refuse it anymore.

Seeing Chen Yang's serious expression and the reasonableness of his words, Uncle Li knew that he was genuinely refusing. Moved, he stopped insisting and put the armor back on. The spiritual light disappeared, and the armor transformed into a close-fitting inner armor.

"In that case, I'll accept it without hesitation. Thank you, Commander Chen."

"We're all on the same side, so let's not talk about these things."

Chen Yang waved his hand and then asked.

"By the way, have you finished exploring this area? Besides these, have you found anything else? Like cultivation techniques or manuals?"

Gu Jinghui replied.

"Yes! In the ruins of what looked like a martial arts transmission pavilion, we found two jade slips containing martial arts techniques. They were pressed under a stone, but luckily they weren't damaged."

"I haven't had time to look at it closely yet, but the content should be pretty good. Our main task now is to scavenge; take everything valuable and portable, and we can sort and categorize it later."

Chen Yang wholeheartedly agreed.

"Yes, that's the right approach. I've also gotten some odds and ends, and I'm keeping them all. This place is huge, there must be a lot of good stuff, but we need to know our limits."

He looked at the massive ruins of the mountain gate, and then gazed at the countless islands floating in the distance.

Uncle Li asked with some concern.

"Commander Chen, what do you think we should do next? Although we've already searched the core areas of these two mountain gates, it would take months to thoroughly search every corner and every ruin. Besides, there are so many islands outside..."

Chen Yang pondered for a moment before speaking.

"Uncle Li is right. There are endless treasures to be found, and we can't possibly waste all our time here. Trying to do too much at once will only lead to more problems later on."

My idea is that we should focus our search on a few more islands or ruins that seem most valuable and largest, and then prepare to leave once we've covered that much. Let's get out of here first.

He paused, a calculating glint in his eyes.

"After we leave, you can notify me to send someone from the Qingwei Sect over."

This place is rich in resources, which will greatly benefit the development of my sect. I will set a scope and time limit for their exploration, so that they can also get a share of the benefits, as a sect welfare.

When the deadline arrives, we'll do the Special Administration Bureau a favor by revealing the coordinates and general situation of this place to them, so they can organize a force to carry out 'official' excavation and cleanup.

In this way, we gained tangible benefits while also doing a favor; the Qingwei faction obtained development resources; and the Special Administration Bureau achieved political success and made new discoveries—all three parties benefited.

After listening, Gu Jinghui couldn't help but give a thumbs up.

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Chen Yang, it has to be you! You've calculated all the relationships perfectly, making sure everyone benefits and leaving everyone indebted to you! In the future, if we need anything, we can ask the Special Administration Bureau for help, and they definitely won't feel comfortable refusing!"

Chen Yang smiled.

"That's the point. On the path of cultivation, strength is certainly important, but connections and networks are equally crucial. It's never a bad thing to pave more roads and destroy fewer bridges."

Uncle Li nodded in agreement.

"Commander Chen is thoughtful and mature. What's next?"

"Continuing to split up and act separately is the most efficient approach."

Chen Yang said decisively.

"The same old rule applies: Jinghui, you and Uncle Li will go together and look after each other. I'll go alone. We'll each travel for one day, and regardless of our gains, we'll regroup at the outer edge of the Stone Gate Valley where we came in. If we encounter any danger that we can't handle, we'll retreat immediately and contact the others."

"no problem!"

Gu Jinghui and Uncle Li responded in unison.

The three parted ways again without another word. Chen Yang chose a different direction than he had come from, his figure transforming into a streak of light as he flew deeper into the Floating Wonderland.

Along the way, he passed several islands with villages, similar to those he had seen before, completely frozen in time, deserted and eerily silent. Chen Yang did not stop and continued onward.

After flying for about half an hour, the clouds and mist in front of us dispersed, and an exceptionally large island came into view.

This island is even larger than the giant island with two mountain gates! Moreover, the scenery on the island is completely different.

There were no precipitous peaks, no dense clusters of caves or imposing palaces. Instead, there was a well-planned and magnificent... city!
Yes, it is a city! Tall city walls, made of some kind of white jade, surround the entire island, and the city is crisscrossed by streets.

The city was meticulously planned, with its densely packed houses, pavilions, shops, and squares arranged in an orderly fashion. At the very center of the city stood a magnificent palace complex with upturned eaves and bracket sets—the Imperial City.

The entire city is beautifully constructed, with carved beams and painted rafters. Even though it is deserted and silent at this moment, one can still imagine its former bustling and prosperous scene.

"A city...and it's so luxurious!"

Chen Yang landed in his escape light and stood before the towering jade city gate, looking up. The city gate was wide open, revealing a broad main street wide enough for ten horses to ride abreast. The ground was paved with smooth white marble slabs, and various shops lined both sides of the street. Although the signs and banners were old, they were still faintly discernible.

He stepped into the city. Silence was the only theme. The wind blew through the empty streets, stirring up a few specks of dust.

All the shops had their doors and windows wide open or damaged, and were empty inside.

Those pavilions and towers, though exquisite, were covered with a thick layer of dust.

"It was truly extravagant... but alas, no matter how prosperous it is, it cannot withstand the passage of time."

Chen Yang sighed, but didn't stop walking.

His goal was clear: he headed straight for places that seemed most likely to contain valuable items—such as pawnshops and trading houses in prime locations, or the imperial palaces in the city center.

Soon, he saw a fairly large shop next to the main street. The words on the signboard above the door were blurry, but he could roughly make out that it was something like "Wanbao Pawnshop".

In ancient times, pawnshops were often well-informed places where all sorts of people gathered, and also places where all kinds of rare treasures and pawned items circulated. There might even be some good things left behind.

Chen Yang entered the pawnshop. The front hall was spacious, but behind the tall counter was no one; the antique shelves were overturned, covered in dust and debris—nothing else was there. (End of Chapter)