“ shào yé suǒ yán bù cuò ， zhè jǐ wèi qián bèi dōu shì dù jié jí bié de xiū xiān zhě 。”
“少爷所言不错，这几位前辈都是渡劫级别的修仙者。”
"Master, what you said is correct. These seniors are all cultivators who have passed through the Tribulation."
“ shén me ？”
“什么？”
"What?!"
jí biàn yǐ lín xuān de chéng fǔ ， yě bù yóu de dà jīng shī sè 。
即便以林轩的城府，也不由得大惊失色。
Even with Lin Xuan's composure, he couldn't help but be shocked.
zhè yě shì nán guài ， zài shàng gǔ zhī shí ， líng jiè xiū shì suī rán ǒu ěr huì qián wǎng xià wèi jiè miàn ， dàn dōu bú huì shì rú hé liǎo bù qǐ de cún zài 。
这也是难怪，在上古之时，灵界修士虽然偶尔会前往下位界面，但都不会是如何了不起的存在。
This was no surprise. In ancient times, Spirit Realm cultivators occasionally ventured to lower planes, but they were never notable figures.
dù jié qī ， yǒu méi yǒu gǎo cuò ？
渡劫期，有没有搞错？
Tribulation Stage? Are you kidding me?
zài líng jiè ， tā men dōu shì shén lóng jiàn shǒu bù jiàn wěi de cún zài 。
在灵界，他们都是神龙见首不见尾的存在。
In the Spirit Realm, they were elusive and hard to encounter. Why would they come to the human world where resources were scarce and thin in essence energy?
xiǎng yào yù dào yī wèi ， zhe shí jiān nán ， rén jiè líng qì xī bó ， zī yuán yì pín fá dào jí chù ， tā men pǎo dào rén jiè qù zuò shén me ？
想要遇到一位，着实艰难，人界灵气稀薄，资源亦贫乏到极处，他们跑到人界去做什么？
His mind was filled with astonishment. Such a high-ranking cultivator acting this way couldn't be without purpose. What secret did this entail? Unfortunately, despite his intelligence, Lin Xuan had too few pieces of information at hand.
chú le chà yì hái shì chà yì 。
除了诧异还是诧异。
He was at a loss.
yǐ dù jié qī de shēn fèn rú cǐ zuò ， jué bú huì shì wú dì fàng shǐ 。
以渡劫期的身份如此做，绝不会是无的放矢。
However, soon, he recalled something. Before ascending to the Spirit Realm, he had discovered some secrets in the human world. Not far from Drifting Cloud Valley, there was an ancient city's ruins beneath the stream Leap Creek. It was also where he met Qin Yan for the first time.
zhè zhōng jiān jiū jìng yǐn cáng zhe shén me yǐn mì ？
这中间究竟隐藏着什么隐秘？
She used an ancient teleportation array and disappeared somewhere unknown.
kě xī lín xuān suī rán cōng míng yǐ jí ， kě shǒu zhōng de zī liào zhe shí tài shǎo le xiē 。
可惜林轩虽然聪明以极，可手中的资料着实太少了些。
That was their last meeting before the Ten Thousand Mountains. When they met again, she had transformed into a Heavenly Demon.
máng wú tóu xù ！
茫无头绪！
These were scattered pieces of information, but when combined, it wasn't hard to deduce that demons from other worlds had appeared in the human world, and these Tribulation Stage seniors likely came here for extermination.
bù guò hěn kuài ， lín xuān yòu huí yì qǐ le yì diǎn 。
不过很快，林轩又回忆起了一点。
Unfortunately, their efforts ended in failure, and the human world became their final resting place.
jì de zì jǐ fēi shēng líng jiè zhī qián ， céng zài rén jiè fā xiàn le yī xiē yǐn mì ， jù lí piāo yún gǔ bù yuǎn de xī yuè jiàn xià miàn ， jū rán yǒu yī zuò gǔ chéng de yí jì 。
记得自己飞升灵界之前，曾在人界发现了一些隐秘，距离飘云谷不远的溪跃涧下面，居然有一座古城的遗迹。
Indeed, this was his guess. He doubted he would be wrong.
zì jǐ yě shì zài nà lǐ ， yǔ qín yán xiāng yù 。
自己也是在那里，与秦妍相遇。
"Xin'er, did none of these seniors leave any last wishes?" Lin Xuan wanted to know more about the origins of what happened.
tā tōng guò yī zuò gǔ chuán sòng zhèn ， bù zhī dào qù le nǎ lǐ 。
她通过一座古传送阵，不知道去了哪里。
"No."
nà yě shì zì jǐ zài shí wàn dà shān yǐ qián ， jiàn dào qín yán de zuì hòu yī cì 。
那也是自己在十万大山以前，见到秦妍的最后一次。
Liu Xin shook her head.
dāng liǎng rén zài cì xiāng yù ， tā yǐ jīng huà wèi le yù wài tiān mó 。
当两人再次相遇，她已经化为了域外天魔。
Lin Xuan sighed and decided not to mention it for now. The clues ended here.
zhè xiē xiāo xī dōu shì hěn líng sǎn de ， dàn ruò shì jiāng tā men jié hé ， què bù nán dé chū yí gè tuī cè 。
这些消息都是很零散的，但若是将它们结合，却不难得出一个推测。
---
rén jiè yě céng chū xiàn guò yù wài tiān mó ， ér qiě pǐn jí bù dī ， nà jǐ wèi dù jié qī qián bèi pò suì xū kōng dào xià jiè qù ， duō bàn jiù shì wèi le fú mó 。
人界也曾出现过域外天魔，而且品级不低，那几位渡劫期前辈破碎虚空到下界去，多半就是为了伏魔。
"How did things proceed?"
kě xī chū shī wèi jié shēn xiān sǐ ， rén jiè què chéng le tā men de mái gǔ zhī dì 。
可惜出师未捷身先死，人界却成了他们的埋骨之地。
"Afterward, we received the inheritance from Spirit Realm cultivators. Their techniques were incredibly divine, and some pills aided us. In just over a hundred years, we advanced to the Separation Stage."
ń ， duō bàn jiù shì rú cǐ 。
嗯，多半就是如此。
Such rapid progress was astonishing, but it made sense that several high-ranking cultivators helped junior disciples at the Core Formation stage. There was no difficulty in making such progress.
zhè suī rán shì lín xuān de cāi cè ， dàn xiǎng lái yě shì bú huì liào cuò de 。
这虽然是林轩的猜测，但想来也是不会料错的。
Barriers meant nothing; advancement was inevitable.
“ xīn ér ， nà jǐ wèi qián bèi ， nán dào méi yǒu liú xià shén me yí zhǔ ？” lín xuān xiǎng yào tàn jiū yī xià shì qíng de shǐ mò 。
“芯儿，那几位前辈，难道没有留下什么遗嘱？”林轩想要探究一下事情的始末。
Lin Xuan thought as he listened to the young woman's narration:
“ méi yǒu 。”
“没有。”
"We were overjoyed with this result and decided to break through the void, planning to ascend to the Spirit Realm."
liú xīn què yáo le yáo tóu 。
刘芯却摇了摇头。
"Mm."
lín xuān tàn le kǒu qì ， cǐ shì yě zhǐ hǎo zàn qiě bù tí 。 yīn wèi xiàn suǒ jiù duàn zài le zhè lǐ 。
林轩叹了口气，此事也只好暂且不提。因为线索就断在了这里。
Lin Xuan nodded: "Your luck is indeed good. You actually ascended directly to Rain Pine World."
“ hòu lái rú hé ？”
“后来如何？”
He couldn't help but show a touch of envy on his face. The environment and resources in the small interface he visited were far inferior.
“ hòu lái ， wǒ men jǐ rén dé le líng jiè xiū shì de yī bō ， tā men chuán chéng de gōng fǎ shén miào yǐ jí ， hái yǒu yī xiē dān yào zuò wéi fǔ zhù ， duǎn duǎn bǎi yú nián de guāng yīn ， wǒ men jiù jìn jiē dào le lí hé hòu qī 。
“后来，我们几人得了灵界修士的衣钵，他们传承的功法神妙以极，还有一些丹药作为辅助，短短百余年的光阴，我们就进阶到了离合后期。
"We jest, Master. Although we had some luck, our perseverance can hardly compare to yours. In just a thousand years, you've advanced to the middle stage of Tribulation. Such speed has no precedent before or after. I couldn't even hope to catch up with your back."
zhè yàng de sù dù dàng zhēn lí pǔ ， bù guò xiǎng yī xiǎng ， zhè xiāng dāng yú jǐ wèi dù jié qī dà néng bāng zhù yuán yīng qī xiǎo bèi xiū xíng ， zì rán bú huì yǒu shén me nán dù 。
这样的速度当真离谱，不过想一想，这相当于几位渡劫期大能帮助元婴期小辈修行，自然不会有什么难度。
Liu Xin spoke with admiration.
píng jǐng suàn dé le shén me ， jìn zhǎn dāng rán shì shì rú pò zhú 。
瓶颈算得了什么，进展当然是势如破竹。
This wasn't flattery but from her heart.
lín xuān xīn zhōng rú cǐ xiǎng zhe 。 ěr biān zé jì xù chuán lái shào nǚ wěi wěi de jiǎng shù :
林轩心中如此想着。耳边则继续传来少女娓娓的讲述:
"Stupid girl, don't be too modest. You and the others have also achieved great things."
“ zhè yàng de jié guǒ ， wǒ men dōu huān xǐ yǐ jí ， yú shì biàn pò suì xū kōng ， dǎ suàn fēi shēng dào líng jiè qù 。”
“这样的结果，我们都欢喜以极，于是便破碎虚空，打算飞升到灵界去。”
Lin Xuan smiled slightly. Then his expression turned curious: "Peng'er? Where did she go? Why didn't she join you?"
lín xuān diǎn le diǎn tóu ：“ nǐ men de yùn qì ， hái dàng zhēn bù cuò ， jū rán zhí jiē fēi shēng dào yǔ tóng jiè lái le 。”
林轩点了点头：“你们的运气，还当真不错，居然直接飞升到雨桐界来了。”
The two women looked downcast. Wu Yun'er hesitated before speaking: "Uncle, we all ascended together with Sister Peng'er. But after arriving in the Spirit Realm, we couldn't find any trace of her. We don't know where she went."
lín xuān liǎn shàng liú lù chū yī sī xiàn mù ， dāng nián zì jǐ qù de xiǎo jiè miàn ， huán jìng zī yuán ， kě yào bǐ zhè lǐ chà shàng tài duō 。
林轩脸上流露出一丝羡慕，当年自己去的小界面，环境资源，可要比这里差上太多。
"Yes, over these years, we've searched everywhere for Sister Peng'er's clues but found nothing," Liu Xin sighed.
“ shào yé shuō xiào le 。 wǒ men jǐ gè ， suī rán yǒu yī xiē yùn qì ， dàn ruò lùn yì lì ， yòu rú hé néng yǔ nín xiāng bǐ 。 duǎn duǎn qiān zài ， nín yǐ xiū liàn dào le dù jié zhōng qī ， rú cǐ sù dù ， qián wú gǔ rén hòu wú lái zhě 。 xiǎo bì lián wàng qí bèi xiàng ， dōu zuò bú dào de 。”
“少爷说笑了。我们几个，虽然有一些运气，但若论毅力，又如何能与您相比。短短千载，您已修炼到了渡劫中期，如此速度，前无古人后无来者。小婢连望其背项，都做不到的。”
"Then it is as you say, Peng'er must have gone to another interface."
liú xīn yī liǎn chóng bài de shuō 。
刘芯一脸崇拜的说。
Lin Xuan smiled gently. He didn't believe Peng'er had perished.
zhè fān huà ， dào bìng fēi pāi mǎ pì 。 ér shì fā zì cǐ nǚ xīn dǐ 。
这番话，倒并非拍马屁。而是发自此女心底。
He'd seen such cases before; Moon had been even more extreme, ascending directly to the Netherworld.
“ shǎ yā tou ， nǐ tài zì qiān le ， néng yǒu jīn rì de chéng jiù ， nǐ men yě hěn liǎo bù qǐ 。”
“傻丫头，你太自谦了，能有今日的成就，你们也很了不起。”
"Do you think so?" The two women sighed in relief despite still being skeptical about what Master said.
lín xuān de zuǐ jiǎo biān lù chū yī sī xiào yì ， suí hòu liǎn sè què yòu yǒu xiē hào qí ：“ píng ér ne ， píng ér yòu qù le nǎ lǐ ， zěn me méi yǒu yǔ nǐ men yì qǐ ？”
林轩的嘴角边露出一丝笑意，随后脸色却又有些好奇：“瓶儿呢，瓶儿又去了哪里，怎么没有与你们一起？”
"By the way, why did you conflict with others this time?"
“ zhè ge ……”
“这个……”
After reminiscing, Lin Xuan began asking about their current trouble.
liǎng nǚ què shì biǎo qíng yī àn ， wǔ yún ér lüè yī chí yí ， cái kāi kǒu le ：“ shī bó ， píng ér jiě jiě fēi shēng de shí hòu yǔ wǒ men yì qǐ ， kě dào le líng jiè yǐ hòu ， cái fā xiàn gēn běn méi yǒu tā de zōng jì ， wǒ men …… wǒ men yě bù zhī dào tā qù nǎ lǐ 。”
两女却是表情一黯，武云儿略一迟疑，才开口了：“师伯，瓶儿姐姐飞升的时候与我们一起，可到了灵界以后，才发现根本没有她的踪迹，我们……我们也不知道她去哪里。”
"It's all because of a treasure map."
“ shì a ， zhè xiē nián ， wǒ men sì chù dǎ tàn píng ér jiě jiě de xiàn suǒ ， dōu méi yǒu fēn háo shōu huò 。” liú xīn yě tàn le yì kǒu qì de shuō 。
“是啊，这些年，我们四处打探瓶儿姐姐的线索，都没有分毫收获。”刘芯也叹了一口气的说。
"Pfft..."
“ yuán lái rú cǐ ， nǐ men yě bù yòng zài yì ， fēi shēng de shí hòu yǒu shí shì huì chū cuò ， píng ér duō bàn shì dào qí tā de jiè miàn qù le 。”
“原来如此，你们也不用在意，飞升的时候有时是会出错，瓶儿多半是到其他的界面去了。”
Before Liu Xin could finish, Lin Xuan almost spat out his tea.
lín xuān wēi xiào zhe shuō ， tā kě bù xiāng xìn píng ér huì jiù cǐ yǔn luò 。
林轩微笑着说，他可不相信瓶儿会就此陨落。
In saying that, one is often haunted by a snake for ten years. Despite Lin Xuan's composure and intelligence, the experience in the Ten Thousand Mountains left an indelible impression on him. He had encountered a Heavenly Demon there. Without Rain Pine Fairy's sword, he might not have escaped.
zhè yàng de xiān lì ， lín xuān yǐ jīng jiàn guò hěn duō ， dāng nián yuè ér gèng lí pǔ ， zhí jiē fēi shēng dào yīn sī jiè qù le 。
这样的先例，林轩已经见过很多，当年月儿更离谱，直接飞升到阴司界去了。
A treasure map was just a trap.
“ shì zhè yàng me ？”
“是这样么？”
Lin Xuan had faced countless dangers since starting his cultivation journey, but this was one of them. To call it life-threatening would be accurate.
liǎng nǚ tīng le ， dōu sōng le kǒu qì ， suī rán duì yú shào yé suǒ shuō ， yī jiù yǒu xiē bàn xìn bàn yí ， dàn bù guǎn rú hé ， xīn zhōng hái shì hǎo shòu le xǔ duō 。
两女听了，都松了口气，虽然对于少爷所说，依旧有些半信半疑，但不管如何，心中还是好受了许多。
The mere mention of the word "treasure" made Lin Xuan uneasy.
“ duì le ， zhè yī cì ， nǐ men jiū jìng shì wèi le shén me ， yǔ bié rén chōng tū ？”
“对了，这一次，你们究竟是为了什么，与别人冲突？”
Could there be another trap waiting for him?
xù jiù zhì cǐ ， suàn shì gào yí duàn luò ， lín xuān kāi shǐ xún wèn qǐ yǎn qián de má fán lái le 。
叙旧至此，算是告一段落，林轩开始询问起眼前的麻烦来了。
He thought to himself as he saw the two girls' worried expressions.
“ āi ， hái bú shì wèi le yī zhāng cáng bǎo tú 。”
“唉，还不是为了一张藏宝图。”
Seeing Lin Xuan's pained expression, they were confused. Wu Yun'er quickly asked: "Uncle, what happened? Have you been in the Ten Thousand Mountains?"
“ pū ……”
“噗……”
"Ha ha, if I hadn't gone there, how could I be so wary?"
liú xīn huà yīn wèi luò ， lín xuān chà diǎn yī kǒu chá shuǐ pēn chū 。
刘芯话音未落，林轩差点一口茶水喷出。
Lin Xuan sighed.
sú huà shuō ， yī zhāo bèi shé yǎo shí nián pà jǐng shéng ， yǐ lín xuān de xīn xìng chéng fǔ ， běn bù gāi yǒu xīn lǐ yīn yǐng yī shuō ， rán ér zhè cì shí wàn dà shān de jīng lì ， gěi tā de yìn xiàng tài guò shēn kè 。
俗话说，一朝被蛇咬十年怕井绳，以林轩的心性城府，本不该有心理阴影一说，然而这次十万大山的经历，给他的印象太过深刻。
"Oh, that makes sense."
jū rán yù jiàn le yù wài tiān mó 。
居然遇见了域外天魔。
The two women understood and admired him. Over a dozen Tribulation Stage cultivators had perished in the Ten Thousand Mountains, including late-stage figures like Thunder Cloud Venerable and Princess Ten Thousand Jiaos, causing shockwaves across the three worlds.
zuì hòu ruò bú shì yǔ tóng xiān zi nà yī jiàn ， zì jǐ shì fǒu néng táo chū lái ， hái zhēn bù tài hǎo shuō 。
最后若不是雨桐仙子那一剑，自己是否能逃出来，还真不太好说。
They hadn't expected Master to escape such a perilous place alive. Indeed, his reaction was understandable.
suǒ wèi de cáng bǎo tú ， bù guò shì yīn móu bà le 。
所谓的藏宝图，不过是阴谋罢了。
"Master, you don't need to worry. This treasure map is real; it's not some Heavenly Demon's plot."
lín xuān zì cóng tà shàng xiū xiān zhī lù ， suī rán jīng lì liǎo wú shù de jiān nán xiǎn zǔ ， dàn xiàng zhè yàng wēi xiǎn de jīng lì ， hái zhēn bù duō ， shuō jiǔ sǐ yì shēng yě bù wèi guò 。
林轩自从踏上修仙之路，虽然经历了无数的艰难险阻，但像这样危险的经历，还真不多，说九死一生也不为过。
Liu Xin said firmly.
cáng bǎo tú ， lín xuān tīng jiàn zhè sān gè zì ， xīn zhōng jiù yǒu diǎn fā máo le 。
藏宝图，林轩听见这三个字，心中就有点发毛了。
"Is that so?"
bú huì yòu shì shén me xiàn jǐng zài nà lǐ bǎi zhe ？
不会又是什么陷阱在那里摆着？
Lin Xuan remained uninterested.
lín xuān rú cǐ zhè bān de xiǎng zhe 。
林轩如此这般的想着。
Even if it wasn't a trap, what difference did it make? Despite their rapid progress over the years, compared to him, they were still insignificant.
jiàn lín xuān biǎo qíng fā kǔ ， liǎng gè yā tou bù yóu de yī è ， rú zhuì rù wǔ lǐ yún wù ， hái shì wǔ yún ér de fǎn yìng bǐ jiào xùn sù ：“ shī bó ， nǐ zěn me le ， nán bù chéng nǐ qù guò shí wàn dà shān le ？”
见林轩表情发苦，两个丫头不由得一愕，如坠入五里云雾，还是武云儿的反应比较迅速：“师伯，你怎么了，难不成你去过十万大山了？”
To be blunt, for them, treasures were precious; for him, they might not even be worth mentioning.
“ hēi hēi ， ruò méi yǒu qù guò ， wǒ zěn me huì rú cǐ jiè jù ne ？”
“嘿嘿，若没有去过，我怎么会如此戒惧呢？”
Despite his thoughts, Lin Xuan asked: "Do you know what the treasure is?"
lín xuān tàn le yì kǒu qì 。
林轩叹了一口气。
"This..."
“ yuán lái rú cǐ 。”
“原来如此。”
The two women hesitated. Liu Xin finally spoke up: "We're not entirely sure, but it seems to be something called the Seven Treasures of Māra."
liǎng nǚ liǎn shàng lù chū liǎo rán zhī sè ， hái yǒu pèi fú ， shí wàn dà shān zhōng yǔn luò de dù jié qī cún zài jiù yǒu shí jǐ rén zhī duō ， bāo kuò léi yún zūn zhě zhè yàng de hòu qī xiū shì ， hái yǒu wàn jiāo gōng zhǔ ， yǐ ràng sān jiè wèi zhī hōng dòng 。
两女脸上露出了然之色，还有佩服，十万大山中陨落的渡劫期存在就有十几人之多，包括雷云尊者这样的后期修士，还有万蛟公主，已让三界为之轰动。
Postscript: Happy New Year! Today is the first day of the lunar new year, and I've been writing this book early in the morning without rest. Seeing my efforts, fellow daoists, please give me more recommendations. Thank you!
"Master, what you said is correct. These seniors are all cultivators who have passed through the Tribulation."
"What?!"
Even with Lin Xuan's composure, he couldn't help but be shocked.
This was no surprise. In ancient times, Spirit Realm cultivators occasionally ventured to lower planes, but they were never notable figures.
Tribulation Stage? Are you kidding me?
In the Spirit Realm, they were elusive and hard to encounter. Why would they come to the human world where resources were scarce and thin in essence energy?
His mind was filled with astonishment. Such a high-ranking cultivator acting this way couldn't be without purpose. What secret did this entail? Unfortunately, despite his intelligence, Lin Xuan had too few pieces of information at hand.
He was at a loss.
However, soon, he recalled something. Before ascending to the Spirit Realm, he had discovered some secrets in the human world. Not far from Drifting Cloud Valley, there was an ancient city's ruins beneath the stream Leap Creek. It was also where he met Qin Yan for the first time.
She used an ancient teleportation array and disappeared somewhere unknown.
That was their last meeting before the Ten Thousand Mountains. When they met again, she had transformed into a Heavenly Demon.
These were scattered pieces of information, but when combined, it wasn't hard to deduce that demons from other worlds had appeared in the human world, and these Tribulation Stage seniors likely came here for extermination.
Unfortunately, their efforts ended in failure, and the human world became their final resting place.
Indeed, this was his guess. He doubted he would be wrong.
"Xin'er, did none of these seniors leave any last wishes?" Lin Xuan wanted to know more about the origins of what happened.
"No."
Liu Xin shook her head.
Lin Xuan sighed and decided not to mention it for now. The clues ended here.
---
"How did things proceed?"
"Afterward, we received the inheritance from Spirit Realm cultivators. Their techniques were incredibly divine, and some pills aided us. In just over a hundred years, we advanced to the Separation Stage."
Such rapid progress was astonishing, but it made sense that several high-ranking cultivators helped junior disciples at the Core Formation stage. There was no difficulty in making such progress.
Barriers meant nothing; advancement was inevitable.
Lin Xuan thought as he listened to the young woman's narration:
"We were overjoyed with this result and decided to break through the void, planning to ascend to the Spirit Realm."
"Mm."
Lin Xuan nodded: "Your luck is indeed good. You actually ascended directly to Rain Pine World."
He couldn't help but show a touch of envy on his face. The environment and resources in the small interface he visited were far inferior.
"We jest, Master. Although we had some luck, our perseverance can hardly compare to yours. In just a thousand years, you've advanced to the middle stage of Tribulation. Such speed has no precedent before or after. I couldn't even hope to catch up with your back."
Liu Xin spoke with admiration.
This wasn't flattery but from her heart.
"Stupid girl, don't be too modest. You and the others have also achieved great things."
Lin Xuan smiled slightly. Then his expression turned curious: "Peng'er? Where did she go? Why didn't she join you?"
"This...,"
The two women looked downcast. Wu Yun'er hesitated before speaking: "Uncle, we all ascended together with Sister Peng'er. But after arriving in the Spirit Realm, we couldn't find any trace of her. We don't know where she went."
"Yes, over these years, we've searched everywhere for Sister Peng'er's clues but found nothing," Liu Xin sighed.
"Then it is as you say, Peng'er must have gone to another interface."
Lin Xuan smiled gently. He didn't believe Peng'er had perished.
He'd seen such cases before; Moon had been even more extreme, ascending directly to the Netherworld.
"Do you think so?" The two women sighed in relief despite still being skeptical about what Master said.
"By the way, why did you conflict with others this time?"
After reminiscing, Lin Xuan began asking about their current trouble.
"It's all because of a treasure map."
"Pfft..."
Before Liu Xin could finish, Lin Xuan almost spat out his tea.
In saying that, one is often haunted by a snake for ten years. Despite Lin Xuan's composure and intelligence, the experience in the Ten Thousand Mountains left an indelible impression on him. He had encountered a Heavenly Demon there. Without Rain Pine Fairy's sword, he might not have escaped.
A treasure map was just a trap.
Lin Xuan had faced countless dangers since starting his cultivation journey, but this was one of them. To call it life-threatening would be accurate.
The mere mention of the word "treasure" made Lin Xuan uneasy.
Could there be another trap waiting for him?
He thought to himself as he saw the two girls' worried expressions.
Seeing Lin Xuan's pained expression, they were confused. Wu Yun'er quickly asked: "Uncle, what happened? Have you been in the Ten Thousand Mountains?"
"Ha ha, if I hadn't gone there, how could I be so wary?"
Lin Xuan sighed.
"Oh, that makes sense."
The two women understood and admired him. Over a dozen Tribulation Stage cultivators had perished in the Ten Thousand Mountains, including late-stage figures like Thunder Cloud Venerable and Princess Ten Thousand Jiaos, causing shockwaves across the three worlds.
They hadn't expected Master to escape such a perilous place alive. Indeed, his reaction was understandable.
"Master, you don't need to worry. This treasure map is real; it's not some Heavenly Demon's plot."
Liu Xin said firmly.
"Is that so?"
Lin Xuan remained uninterested.
Even if it wasn't a trap, what difference did it make? Despite their rapid progress over the years, compared to him, they were still insignificant.
To be blunt, for them, treasures were precious; for him, they might not even be worth mentioning.
Despite his thoughts, Lin Xuan asked: "Do you know what the treasure is?"
"This..."
The two women hesitated. Liu Xin finally spoke up: "We're not entirely sure, but it seems to be something called the Seven Treasures of Māra."
Postscript: Happy New Year! Today is the first day of the lunar new year, and I've been writing this book early in the morning without rest. Seeing my efforts, fellow daoists, please give me more recommendations. Thank you!