On the other side, Jin Bao'er followed the Sect Master into the inner hall!
Around them were piles of gold and silver treasures, magical artifacts, spiritual tools, elixirs, cultivation techniques, array formations, spiritual herbs...
After all, this was the most mysterious treasury of the entire Misty Sect, a place many cultivators wished to glimpse! Xiao Baishan rarely showed a hint of pride.
"Junior Disciple Jin, have you seen anything you like? Don't be modest, take whatever you want!"
Jin Bao'er followed him without a word, not even glancing sideways. In her heart, she only believed that day was nearing its end, that the time was almost upon them. Would the Sect Master die again this time?
By the time they reached the very end, Jin Bao'er still showed no inclination to stop for anything. Xiao Baishan deflated. Could it be that this little girl wasn't interested in a single thing in his vast inner hall? Her standards were too high.
"Junior Disciple Jin, we've walked for an hour, and there isn't a single item you fancy?"
Jin Bao'er was startled and finally began to pay attention to her surroundings. She casually glanced around, thinking she might as well pick something randomly...
"Walk seven steps forward..."
Long Lixing, who had been silent all day, suddenly spoke, his tone rarely carrying a hint of seriousness and solemnity. This made Jin Bao'er swallow the words she was about to say, a flicker of surprise in her eyes...
Could it be a treasure that someone as powerful as Long Lixing would take seriously? She was curious, what could it possibly be?
Xiao Baishan stood rooted to the spot, watching Jin Bao'er walk forward. He looked confused; there was nothing there but the wall!
The next second, he was stunned speechless!
He saw Jin Bao'er reaching out and fumbling along the wall, suddenly touching a protruding stone and pressing it lightly...
The wall began to shake violently. Three square boxes, each twenty centimeters long, appeared on the wall. Their appearance clearly indicated a deliberately designed mechanism!
"Open the first box on the left!"
Jin Bao'er did as she was told. The moment she reached out, she touched something invisible, as if it were rejecting her approach.
"This is... a defensive formation??"
Xiao Baishan was taken aback by the sound. He strode over, and after noticing the pitch-black box in front of him, his eyes widened in astonishment. As if remembering something, he quickly took out a jade tablet and gently placed it on the box. The defensive formation instantly dissipated...
"Indeed! I once heard my master mention that this inner hall gathered all the wealth of the Misty Sect since its founding. Some of these items had unknown origins and were always hidden within the inner hall, but it was only passed down by word of mouth, and even my master didn't know where they were..."
As he spoke, he turned his gaze to Jin Bao'er, his eyes clearly showing confusion: How did you know there was something here?
Jin Bao'er paused. She thought the Sect Master knew there was something here. So he didn't know either? Even so, her expression remained unchanged, as calm as still water.
"I was tired of walking and wanted to lean against the wall to rest. I accidentally touched it."
She lied with a straight face, showing no sign of guilt. Even Xiao Baishan praised her for her luck.
Jin Bao'er didn't dally. She raised her hand and took out the item from the box: a jade hairpin?
"Senior, you like... this kind of thing? Hmm... it does look quite pretty."
The jade hairpin had a peculiar shape, milky green all over, as if something was flowing within it. It had no other adornments. A faint spiritual energy emanated from it, like a gentle, quiet drizzle.
Long Lixing chuckled upon hearing this, his tone carrying a hint of sudden realization.
"Ha... they were quite clever to use such a defensive formation to block the aura! No wonder I couldn't sense anything."
His words were cryptic. As Jin Bao'er was about to ask, Xiao Baishan spoke first.
"What is this? A jade hairpin? Why would our ancestors hide something like this?"
It seemed to have no use other than being somewhat pretty and possessing a bit of spiritual energy!
Hearing this, Jin Bao'er looked at the jade hairpin again, her brows furrowed. That's right! It didn't seem special! However, perhaps it was because their cultivation levels were too low to discern its true nature.
"Sect Master, may this item be gifted to me as a reward?"
Her words carried politeness and respect, without a trace of arrogance. One had to consider that at this moment, her cultivation was equal to the Sect Master's, and he had just celebrated his two hundredth birthday, while she was only seventeen years old! Her life was just beginning...
Xiao Baishan was taken aback. Her disposition was truly rare and valuable! Moreover, the future of the Misty Sect might very well depend on her strength... Thus, a relaxed smile spread across his face.
"Since you like it, then it's yours..."
Upon hearing this, Jin Bao'er quickly put the jade hairpin into her immortal abode and handed it to Long Lixing. In Xiao Baishan's eyes, however, she had put the jade hairpin into her mustard seed space. His mind couldn't help but recall the scene from a long time ago when Celestial Venerable Lou Yun forcibly erased her mustard seed space imprint and publicly humiliated her...
Who would have imagined that around this time last year, she was merely a disciple at the Golden Core stage? One year later, she was now a Nascent Soul cultivator! Her rate of progress was simply unheard of and terrifying!
At this pace, perhaps in a few more years, even Lou Yun...
His thoughts snapped back to the present, and he broke out in a cold sweat! Setting aside Lou Yun's complicated emotions, he couldn't control them! He knew all too well how difficult the transition from Nascent Soul to Spirit Transformation was. Even if Jin Bao'er was a peerless prodigy, it was impossible for her to advance another stage in just a few years!
Seeing Xiao Baishan standing alone, lost in thought, Jin Bao'er, who had already walked away, paused slightly. She turned back, her eyes filled with confusion.
"Sect Master?"
Could he have regretted it?
Xiao Baishan looked up, only then realizing he had overthought things. He followed her out.
As the two just stepped out of the inner hall entrance! A streak of purple energy rushed towards them, carrying the full aura of a demon race and a wild killing intent.
The moment Jin Bao'er reacted, she drew her Soul Slasher and blocked the direct attack of the purple energy! However, her body was forced back, her eyes wide with horror. The tiger's mouth holding the Soul Slasher felt numb, and her arm trembled faintly, revealing the immense power of that initial strike!
"Who are you?"
The purple energy seemed surprised that she could still stand unharmed, and another attack ensued!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The body of the Soul Slasher emitted crisp sounds under the direct impact. Despite her Nascent Soul cultivation, Jin Bao'er was helpless! She could only use her spiritual energy to protect herself!
Seeing this, Xiao Baishan quickly intervened, but was struck by the purple energy directly, spitting blood and falling unconscious, his life or death unknown! Jin Bao'er's pupils constricted instantly. Although the location was different, Xiao Baishan lying on the ground, silent and still, was just like in her past life!
In that instant, she had a sudden realization. In her past life, it was likely this very thing that caused Xiao Baishan's death and led to her being framed! But she had been tricked by Su Xianzhi, so could this purple energy be related to Su Xianzhi?
However, the opponent's attacks became increasingly fierce, forcing her to concentrate on fighting. After a prolonged battle, Jin Bao'er had consumed a large amount of spiritual energy but had not managed to strike the purple energy even once.