My low-key cultivation of immortality was discovered by the emperor in my diary.

Chapter 342 Knowing the Secret, Staying Out of the Trouble

A few days later.

Xiandu Mountain Cave.

Chu Lengyu put down the jade slip in her hand and murmured repeatedly, "Qingyang Earth Ghost, Qingyang Secret Palace?"

It turns out that such a secret was hidden beneath the misty mountain.

The "corpse" was surrounded by numerous formations, indicating that it was not dead, but merely in a state of suspended animation.

She stroked the jade slip, lost in thought. Although she didn't know how that old demon Huang had seen through the clues, this message was indeed extremely valuable.

However, when she thought of Huang Laomo and Ji Ying, who had already perished and had not left behind any soul beads, a trace of regret flashed through her heart.

If she could obtain their soul beads, she might gain even more from them.

However, the storage bags and rings left behind by these two are quite valuable, enough to tempt any cultivator.

These two were indeed very wealthy and powerful.

There were hundreds of thousands of low-grade and mid-grade spirit stones piled up like mountains, and several thousand high-grade spirit stones as well.

There are nearly a hundred top-grade spirit stones in total. Each one is filled with spiritual energy, extremely pure, and without any impurities. You can absorb them with confidence.

Although Chu Lengyu had long heard of the name of top-grade spirit stones, this was the first time she had actually seen one.

Besides spirit stones, there were also a dazzling array of magical treasures, more than ten in total, each one of which was extraordinary.

In particular, the sword pellet left behind by Ji Ying and the Five Elements Flood Dragon Banner, Huang Laomo's natal magic weapon, are among the best.

As a sword cultivator, Ji Ying's natal spirit sword exploded along with him when he died, so this sword pellet clearly did not belong to him.

Although this sword pellet is of the fifth rank, it was damaged and its spiritual energy was dormant. It is estimated that Ji Ying obtained it using a secret method after killing the enemy.

The Five Elements Dragon Banner of Old Demon Huang was also greatly damaged in its spiritual power.

Chu Lengyu felt that this treasure had great potential and could be nurtured in the future. She happened to have accumulated quite a few spiritual items of the five elements.

If it can be successfully trained and advanced, when the banner is unfurled, five Nascent Soul level dragons will roar out, serving as henchmen capable of dealing with some ordinary enemies.

In addition, there are hundreds of talismans of various kinds, including trapping and killing aids. These are all Huang Laomo's treasures, and their quality is slightly better than those previously seized.

As for elixirs, they were also plentiful and varied.

Aside from elixirs used for cultivation, there are countless other elixirs for healing, detoxification, restoring energy, and cultivating vitality.

However, the two of them had already used up all the best healing and restorative pills before this, leaving the medicine bottles empty with only a faint medicinal fragrance.

Chu Lengyu looked at the pills, planning to catch some animals later to test them, and then put the pills into her possession for future use.

Old Demon Huang was skilled in all kinds of cultivation arts, and Chu Lengyu also seized three sets of formations from his storage bag, including two concealment formations and one trapping formation.

She was curious, so she spent some time figuring it out and discovered that the three sets of formations could be nested together, providing excellent concealment. Once inside, they were almost impossible to find.

However, upon further reflection, she understood why Old Demon Huang had never used this formation in front of her before.

While concealment formations are effective, they are merely a temporary measure; one can evade capture for a while, but not for an extended period.

Most of these formations were prepared for ambushing others or escaping pursuit.

After retrieving the array plate, Chu Lengyu carefully examined everything she had obtained from Huang Laomo. She couldn't help but sigh inwardly that although Ji Ying was wealthy, she was not much different from Huang Laomo.

However, Old Demon Huang's reserves were so abundant that they were simply breathtaking!

Aside from his skills in controlling insects, creating puppets, and making poisons, Old Demon Huang was clearly also proficient in making talismans.

Several storage bags contained thousands of talismans of various kinds, and he used them without any hesitation. Chu Lengyu also found blank talisman paper, as well as talisman ink, talisman brushes, and other items, which further confirmed this.

The three newly discovered formations aroused a sense of surprise and doubt in Chu Lengyu's heart.

These three formations, nested within each other and exquisitely crafted, were clearly the work of a single person. Considering Huang Laomo's previous understanding and application of formations, Chu Lengyu couldn't help but wonder if Huang Laomo had designed, or even personally crafted, these three formations.

Even disregarding the array formation, Old Demon Huang's methods still seem far too comprehensive.

Parasites can perfectly possess other beings. Could it be that Huang Laomo intentionally possessed some people who were proficient in making poisons, talismans, controlling insects, puppets, and formations in the past, so that he could have so many methods?

And his ability to recognize the Green Sheep Earth Demon—that's quite an impressive insight…

By any measure, he doesn't seem like a simple character.

Unfortunately, although Huang Laomo had a lot of jade slips in his storage bag, almost all of them were protected by restrictions.

Chu Lengyu needs some time to open them one by one.

Perhaps these jade slips contain Huang Laomo's secrets and past, which can answer her questions.

Chu Lengyu gently shook her head, putting those chaotic thoughts to the back of her mind.

The myriad arts of cultivating immortality are indeed infinitely mysterious and alluring, but they are also extremely profound and require dedicated study to achieve mastery.

However, her cultivation level advanced too quickly, and she simply didn't have the energy or time to learn those things, nor was it necessary for her to do so.

A state of mind is the foundation of everything.

While those skills may be tempting, they are ultimately just peripheral details and cannot be compared to the level of cultivation.

She could have waited until she reached a higher level of cultivation and had more free time before studying alchemy, talisman making, etc., which would have been much easier and less stressful for her.

Moreover, those at the higher levels have long lifespans and plenty of time; there's no rush.

After sorting through the spoils, there are three other items worth mentioning.

One of them is a sword manual, the "Return to One Sword Manual".

This sword-wielding jade slip came from Ji Ying's storage bag.

A faint sword intent flowed across the jade slip, as if it could transform into a sharp sword beam at any moment, cleaving through the void.

Just then, she felt that she had already perfected her commonly used "Moon-Slaying Sword Manual," and the power of her sword techniques could no longer keep up with higher levels. She needed to choose a new sword technique, and this "Return to One Sword Manual" was a good choice.

The "Return to One Sword Manual" states at the beginning that this sword technique consists of three volumes, enough to cultivate to the Tribulation Transcending stage, which clearly indicates that it is a technique from the Upper Realm.

Ji Ying had one or two scrolls in her possession, enough for her to use in the transformation into a deity and the fusion of the physical body.

Recalling the way he sighed when he introduced the information about the upper realm, Chu Lengyu had reason to guess that he had paid a considerable price to obtain this cultivation technique.

She cherished and kept it close to her.

The second is a magical artifact called the Blood Illusion Pearl.

This magical artifact comes from Huang Laomo and possesses some of the bizarre characteristics of the Parasitic Clan.

The power of this bead lies in its ability to transform one's appearance. By injecting it with the blood of a single person, the holder can instantly transform into that person's likeness. Not only is the appearance and voice perfectly replicated, but even the fluctuations of the aura are identical. The effect is long-lasting and stable, so even during combat, there is no need to worry about revealing one's true form.

This special magical artifact is best suited for concealing one's identity or impersonating someone else to secretly stir up trouble.

She had no idea what Old Demon Huang was planning to do with the Blood Illusion Pearl.

Thirdly, there are star charts and star shuttles.

Both Ji Ying and Huang Laomo carried a star map with them.

Chu Lengyu carefully compared the two star maps. The two star maps were roughly similar, with only slight differences in the details of the star fields. However, they complemented each other, making the appearance of the star fields more complete.

Although she has no immediate plans to travel far, strategically speaking, it's always good to have more maps than not.

Therefore, Chu Lengyu carefully put away the two star maps, just in case.

As for the Star Shuttle, its unique shape and faint glow clearly indicated that it was an extraordinary magical artifact.

However, even with her current strength at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, refining it would still require considerable effort.

Therefore, she did not rush to refine it, but carefully put it away, waiting for her strength to improve in the future.

As for the Qingyang Secret Palace?

She had no intention of getting involved in this mess.

According to Huang Laomo's brief description in the jade slip, this ancient secret place was famous and had produced several famous people.

Opportunities and risks always coexist. She can become stronger steadily simply by writing in her diary; there's no need for her to take such risks.

The deaths of Hong Ling, Huang Laomo, and others were all caused by greed. Aren't they enough to serve as a warning?

Gain and loss, prosperity and decline, are all determined by fate; all efforts to scheme and plot are in vain.

Human greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant; worldly affairs ultimately turn into a mantis catching a cicada.

(From the prologue of "Enemies and Creditors" by an anonymous author of the Yuan Dynasty)