Imperial Treasure

Chapter 1454: Chapter 848: Peach Blossom Barrier

The Peach Blossom Forest seemed to have shifted position, as if it had been reorganized once, revealing a pathway at a glance.

Surrounded by peach blossom woods, yet strewn with numerous items along the path...

Treasures!

Many people immediately thought of the Spirit Coffin, their expressions becoming peculiar one by one.

Some couldn’t resist their curiosity or greed, but since the people of Peach Blossom Villa hadn’t spoken, they didn’t dare to rashly enter, fearing there might be some mechanism inside.

Nevertheless, many stood up, eager to take a closer look at the rotating Peach Blossom Forest.

"Where does this formation come from, it’s so powerful, suddenly changing locations mysteriously, I almost thought we had time-traveled."

"Peach Blossom Barrier, Shape Shifting Shadow, Revolve Stars Shift, considered one of the strongest legendary formations of the Array Technique Masters, second only to peerless formations like the Nine Curves Yellow River Great Array... generally used to protect secret realms, preventing outsiders from entering... here, it’s likely used to conceal the area where the Spirit Coffins are stored."

Mo Ke had somehow arrived and was conveniently explaining to Gong Jiu and the others.

Gong Jiu was suddenly enlightened, thinking that Peach Blossom Villa indeed had high prestige, but perhaps it was orchestrated by the other families...

Flower Demon patted Mo Ke on the shoulder, smirking: "Mo Ke, the beauty is putting in quite the effort, aren’t you worried about falling behind?"

Since many had already finished eating, some stood up to observe the rotating Peach Blossom Forest, while Mo Tu was chatting warmly with Zhou Yu and others, seemingly more animated than Mo Ke had been.

Indeed, not a good sign.

Mo Ke smiled softly: "I’m not in a hurry. After all, it wouldn’t do to let down you old friends."

In truth, Miss Sui wasn’t around anymore, so they hadn’t interacted much because both sides operated in different circles, randomly intersecting wouldn’t benefit either. However, Gong Jiu and the others knew well enough that over the years, apart from Ye Zixu, Yi Chilian, and Su Zimu supporting them openly and secretly, Mo Ke had been lending a hand behind the scenes. Otherwise, Sui Tang Square wouldn’t be as prosperous and mighty as it is today, but would have faded into obscurity long ago.

So Mo Ke’s initiative for friendliness was deeply appreciated by the two, thinking that same goddesses, this girl has more conscience than Jiang Chenyu, that little bastard!

Even Gu Sansi was better than her!

—Of course, the two didn’t know Lord Cangwu had calculated against Sui Yi countless times long ago...

In conversation, those unable to withstand temptation were itching to try, occasionally eyeing the big shots at the first table, calmly relaxed beyond Gong Jiu and their own, willing to stay for Sui Yi were those truly capable of controlling the situation.

For instance, those at the first table, also the second, third, fourth, fifth and so forth were actually in no rush.

If that so-called Spirit Coffin truly had the ability to choose its owner, there was no difference in order, and what if it did choose an owner, displeasing it meant killing it anyway, after all, this was Peach Blossom Villa’s territory, and ultimately, Peach Blossom Villa was merely a collaborator hired by several powers.

The situation, still in hand!

Thus Zhou Yu and the others weren’t anxious, but rather coldly watched as the eager ones went inside, thinking that if there was any danger, these cannon fodder could test it out first...

"Delicious, mmm, delicious!"

"Hey, why aren’t you eating? There’s still plenty left!"

"Zhou Yu, hey, you’re not eating, it’s just me eating too, how embarrassing!"

Jin Laifu kept stuffing various delicacies into his mouth while urging Zhou Yu and others drinking tea nearby.

Seeing him like this, everyone felt conflicted inside; how could this person possibly speak with sustained vigor while his mouth was completely stuffed? It simply defies reason.

As for feeling embarrassed... ha ha~~

Once the Peach Blossom Forest completely quieted down, with no more signs of rotation, One Eye looked at the first table, accurately speaking, at Jhiang Song and the Patriarch of the Mo Family.

This glance left everyone pondering deeply.

After all, it’s the Noble Clan who are truly hosting the Thousand Years Martial Birth.

But between the Mo Family and the Jhiang Family...

Jhiang Song’s eyes flickered, waiting for One Eye to speak, yet.. the Patriarch of the Mo Family simply set down his wine cup, calmly stating: "The formation activation is complete, and the Spirit Coffins and extraterrestrial treasures retrieved from the ancient tomb beyond the sky by us, the Noble Clans of the Central Plains, have been placed inside. As fellows of the Central Plains Martial Arts World, we should together protect these extraterrestrial treasures, a duty we cannot shun."

With these words, the room immediately echoed with agreement, even though many harbored personal interests, they noticed the spirit and responsibility of the Central Plains Martial Arts in the simple words of the Patriarch of the Mo Family, realizing that should outsiders attempt to snatch these Spirit Coffins, they’d first have to pass through them!

Damn, the Mo Family beat us to it!

The Jhiang Family was inwardly frustrated but had no recourse; nobody expected that they would act first.

Perhaps the Jhiang Family and Seo Family considered the Mo Family shameless, but Shen Ci believed this demonstrated the Mo Family’s potential as the foremost noble family and showed they weren’t limited to petty squabbles with the other few families...

The foremost family in the Martial Arts World?

Shen Ci narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

Jhiang Song observed the demeanor of those present, grasping their sentiment, he frowned, while inwardly sneering, thinking it’s merely a slight advantage and not decisive for the big picture?

Mo Du dreams beautifully!

"Does this also mean that if a Spirit Coffin acknowledges an owner, it’s then owned by that person?"

At this moment, it was the Lord of Qiu Mountain who spoke, his words also aligned with the thoughts of most.

At this moment, many people have wild ambitions in their hearts, especially the young ones. They have been told since childhood that they must practice diligently to obtain extraordinary power. But martial arts is highly dependent on talent. A day’s effort from a gifted individual far exceeds that of those who practice arduously, like Mo Ke and his peers, who have all made remarkable progress, leaving their contemporaries far behind. Yet, they have all seen the various boards of the Adventure Guild: Those who possess the Spirit Coffin can become dragons and phoenixes...

With so many people watching intently, Mo Du smiled faintly: "Naturally."

This was something recognized by several noble clans, and the Imperial Guards knew of it too.

Just like the Ghost Party and other forces have to do—they may have elites, but their numbers are ultimately insufficient to let all these Spirit Coffins recognize a master.

If they can’t recognize a master, what use is holding onto them?

Make the most of everything!

Because of Mo Du’s affirmative response, the people present were in an uproar, and some could not wait any longer.

One Eye was the first to walk inside, followed by Mo Du and others, with the rest trailing behind.

Most of the people left, Gong Jiu and others intending to inquire about Sui Yi’s whereabouts...

A servant arrived just in time.

"Miss Sui asked me to tell everyone to go ahead; she will follow soon."

Gong Jiu and others thought that Sui Yi probably had something to deal with related to the recent incident, but surely her safety was not in jeopardy.

Then there’s nothing to worry about.

No one hesitated, and they proceeded to explore the so-called Spirit Coffin foundation.

A group of people sparsely walked towards the Peach Blossom path...

At this time, inside the residence, Sui Yi, who was initially set to go out together, stood on the wooden board corridor, looking at the watermarks spreading across the wooden boards on the ground.

These were footprints.

Non-human footprints.

They resembled claws or paws, a size larger than human types.

The footprints extended from the pool into the house, then from the house to the corridor, but some had faded, and their path was unknown...

Apparently, it was not a one-way route.

Meanwhile, the steward was reporting to Mr. Tao about the clothes arranged by the maid earlier... which indeed were not the set Sui Yi was wearing.

After questioning around, the maid confirmed that she placed two sets of clothes on the table.

However... when Sui Yi saw them, there was only one set.

There are only two possibilities: either someone openly went in while Sui Yi was bathing and exchanged the clothes, or someone entered to switch the clothes during the interval between the maid delivering the clothes and Sui Yi and the steward arriving...

If it’s the latter, it’s less concerning. But if it’s the former.... it not only means Sui Yi’s bathing process was exposed but also indicates this person is more formidable than Sui Yi, able to evade her detection and share a close space...

Is it possible?

Mr. Tao looked indifferent and dismissed the steward and maid, saying, "I can’t think of a second possibility... It can only be said the other side is really lucky, or too clever."

Though the marks on the ground don’t seem exclusively human... it’s really a predicament.

——Could it be that a creature more intelligent and cunning than a human has appeared in Peach Blossom Villa? Or is it a voyeuristic evil path?

Sui Yi was not impressed by Mr. Tao’s gentlemanly attitude in dismissing the first possibility. In truth, her concern wasn’t over whether she was seen, but....

Why did someone or something go to such great lengths to make her wear this set of clothes?

"Mr. Tao, could you tell me the origin of these garments?"

Mr. Tao did not answer directly but turned his wheelchair, "Follow me to the true Peach Blossom Source, and you’ll know... Time has passed, and I suppose they have already gone in."

"As for this intruder, which might cause some inconvenience to the Sect Master... If it doesn’t appear, it remains a matter of Peach Blossom Villa. If it appears again..."

He didn’t finish his sentence, his wheelchair rolling forward. Sui Yi with hands behind, fingers hooked, and the water stains from the creature’s footprints rose, converging at the tip of the Beak of the Golden Crow.

Only to see a fleeting purple light in the dark golden pupils of the Beak of the Golden Crow.

Sui Yi’s brows furrowed.

Dragon energy?

Could that creature be a dragon?

————————

Beyond the Peach Blossom Barrier is the Peach Blossom Forest, truly giving a sense of Pharmacist Huang’s Peach Blossom Island formation maze. Everyone dared not wander randomly, fearing they might get lost inside, which would be quite troublesome, as One Eye from Peach Blossom Villa had warned. Therefore, everyone followed single-file along the straight peach blossom path, as Gong Jiu and Flower Demon looked left and right, checking the artifacts unearthed from the ancient tomb placed every seven or eight peach trees...

At times like this, Su Zimu and Ye Zixu seem to be the experts, while Gong Jiu and Flower Demon’s advantage lay in their rich tomb expedition experience. Together, the four encountered.... no results!

"I can’t figure out its origin. All the characters, as Sui Yi said, are sense inscriptions. See, these photos I’ve taken..."