Vessel of Worlds

While Andy's killing intent gathered, the three Demon Gate cultivators—entirely unaware—continued walking the island, talking as they went.

"From Young Master's words—among Recluse Ximen's legacy, is there a treasure of particular use to five-root cultivators?" the old man asked, his expression sharpening.

"Just so. Did you know? Recluse Ximen was himself a five-root cultivator!" the young man said with a slight smile.

"What!" The other two started violently. "A five-root cultivator—at late-stage Core Formation? How is that possible?" the middle-aged man murmured.

Kilometers away, Andy's heart lurched—he very nearly leapt out to demand the truth himself.

The two men's shock was exactly as the young man had anticipated. He said mildly: "The information comes from a Core Formation senior who met Recluse Ximen in person, all those years ago. There is no mistake."

"No wonder Young Master has hunted his dwelling so relentlessly," the old man said in tones of dawning understanding. "For Recluse Ximen to have formed a golden core, he must have possessed some special method. If Young Master can borrow even a fraction of it, the great Dao will surely open before you! Your subordinate offers his congratulations in advance!"

"Congratulations are premature. Who knows how many secrets the man actually left in that dwelling? If he burned everything clean before his passing, then this young master has squandered years of effort for nothing." The young man sighed quietly.

The possibility was real enough.

High-ranked cultivators with neither descendants nor disciples often destroyed all their treasures before passing, lest greedy eyes covet their legacy after death—and lest their very corpses be pawed over and searched.

Recluse Ximen had enjoyed some renown in these Outer Star Sea waters two or three hundred years ago—rumor said he had single-handedly hunted a good number of rank-six and rank-seven beasts—but nothing was known of his origins, disciples, or heirs. In all likelihood he had been a rogue cultivator without a single attachment, and the chance that he destroyed his treasures before his passing was far from small.

The three Demon Gate cultivators fell silent, each holding a square jade plate seven or eight cun across, pacing different parts of the island.

Each was deep in his own thoughts.

The young man, needless to say, worried only about drawing water with a bamboo basket—years of effort ending in nothing.

The middle-aged cultivator was dreaming of the rewards awaiting him back at the sect—above all, a few furnace-cauldrons, each lovelier than the last. The furnace-cauldrons trained by their Blood Intent Gate were exquisite creatures, every one, ordinarily reserved for the enjoyment of Core Formation seniors alone.

The old man, meanwhile, had begun scheming over Recluse Ximen's legacy itself. If the man had truly possessed some method that greatly improved the odds of Core Formation, then he too might borrow it—and in the not-many years left to him, make his own attempt. Success would buy him another two or three centuries of life. Once the treasure was found, he would find some way to pass it through his own hands before surrendering it to the Young Master—for once it reached the Young Master's grip, there would be no studying it ever again.

Andy, for his part, was strung tight. The three were plainly searching for something, and searching with great thoroughness, sweeping the island zhang by zhang. Sooner or later they would walk right up to him and discover his presence.

And then he would face three against one.

With his methods, he had no real fear of the three together—but if they were alert enough to scatter and flee in different directions, he had no confidence of killing them all.

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And if even one escaped alive, his earthshaking secret would very likely be laid bare before the high-ranked cultivators of the Star Sea.

In that worst case, he would be condemned to drift through the Outer Star Sea forever, nerves strung tight, never able to return to the Inner Star Sea at all.

For now, there was nothing to do but watch and adapt. If discovery became truly imminent, he would strike first—hit the two weaker Demon Gate cultivators with sudden, overwhelming force, leaving only the "Young Master" standing alone. If the ambush landed, his odds of destroying all three remained excellent.

With his puppets in their numbers, plus the Blazing Heaven Blade—a high-grade spirit tool—handling this so-called Demon Gate young master should be well within his power.

His plan set, Andy rested both hands lightly on the storage pouches at his waist, ready to move the instant the moment came.

Without anyone quite noticing, the island's atmosphere had turned deathly quiet and oppressive. Apart from wind and waves, the only sound was the three Demon Gate cultivators' footsteps.

"Young Master! Mine is reacting!" The middle-aged cultivator's cry, brimming with delighted surprise, shattered the silence.

"What!" The young black-robed cultivator was overjoyed and sprinted toward him.

The late-stage old man was no slower. In an instant both had reached the middle-aged man's side, eyes fixed on their own jade plates.

Sure enough, on each plate a red point of light had appeared, blinking steadily.

"Ha ha—somewhere close! Found at last!" Following the red point's guidance, the young man set about pinpointing the target's exact position. The other two did the same without being told.

Moments later, the three came to a halt around a boulder several zhang across.

"It seems Recluse Ximen's dwelling lies beneath this boulder!" the old man said.

"Indeed. All three Blood Aura Compasses point here without deviation. This must be it!" the middle-aged cultivator agreed.

"Mm." The young man nodded. With years of effort on the verge of fruition, he had turned remarkably calm. "These Blood Aura Compasses were forged for this young master by an elder of our gate, refined from the essence and blood aura extracted from a dharma treasure Recluse Ximen used in life and bound with his own blood. They ignore all other restrictions and can detect Recluse Ximen—or his remains—within several hundred zhang. Which means his dwelling very likely lies beneath this stone. Yet this young master can see nothing unusual about the boulder at all. Have either of you found anything?"

"In answer to Young Master—your subordinate sees nothing unusual either," both replied.

"This boulder weighs tens of thousands of catties. Shattering it with artifacts would be easy enough—but if that destroyed the dwelling's entrance, everything would be ruined at the final step. We three will join our demonic qi instead and shift the stone aside." The young man seemed caution itself, speaking only after long thought.

"Yes!" the other two answered together.

The three began chanting, hands weaving seal after seal, and dense black mist poured from their bodies, converging into a single enormous black hand a zhang across, which pushed the boulder aside inch by inch.

The labor was clearly enormous—all three faces went taut with strain, and the mid-stage middle-aged cultivator dripped fat beads of sweat.

After half an incense stick's time, the great hand of condensed mist finally moved the boulder several zhang aside, exposing a passage several chi wide, slanting down into the earth.

"Strange—your subordinate swept this very spot carefully with spiritual sense just now. How did I find no passage?" the middle-aged cultivator asked, astonished.

"Your subordinate did the same—and likewise found nothing!" The old man was equally shocked.

"Heh. Recluse Ximen was a late-stage Core Formation cultivator, whatever else. What difficulty would he have had arranging some uncanny trick beyond the sight of Foundation Establishment cultivators like us?" The young man gave a dry laugh, plainly in high spirits. The passage's sudden appearance had startled him—but it argued all the more strongly that this place was no trifle, and raised the odds again that it was truly the dwelling of a late-stage Core Formation cultivator.

With the plan he had nursed for years about to bear fruit—with the secret of a five-root cultivator's Core Formation possibly moments from his grasp—even the young man could not entirely master his excitement. Naked greed flickered across his face as he stared down the narrow passage. He drew a long, deep breath before his composure returned.

"Senior Brother Li, Junior Brother Tian—the two of you will scout the hidden cave first. There should be no danger, but be careful all the same," the young cultivator instructed.

"Yes!" The two exchanged a glance and a shared bitter smile. What could they do? They were the subordinates and he the Young Master—cannon-fodder work like this naturally fell to them.

As though catching their flicker of discontent, the young man added with a smile: "If the dwelling holds any treasures beyond the secrets of Core Formation, they'll be split between you two—this young master's compensation for your loyalty and hardship on this long road!"