Chapter 242 The Lost Key
“If I could break it open, why would I ask them to carry it here?” Duanmu Sheng rolled his eyes.
“You have a point, Third Senior Brother,” Mingshi Yin said sheepishly.
Lu Zhou rose to his feet slowly with his hands on his back before he moved toward the box. There were many boxes inside the hidden chamber. He never paid attention to any of them. Many of the boxes had accumulated thick layers of dust on their surfaces due to prolonged periods of neglect.
“The other boxes were damaged when the hidden chamber was destroyed. This box is the only one that’s intact. I found it strange so I asked them to carry it here,” Duanmu Sheng said.
Mingshi Yin smiled. “It’s only natural for master’s items to be treasures.”
Lu Zhou ignored them. He bent down and studied the box. This must have been left behind by Ji Tiandao when he was still alive. However, it had been too long ago, and his memories were blurry. He could not recall anything about the box at this moment.
“Restriction.” Lu Zhou looked at the densely packed lines around the box and identified them immediately. This was an extremely unique Restriction. The lines covered all six surfaces of the box to form one complete pattern. If he did not study it carefully, he would have thought it was some exquisite ornamental pattern. The strange thing was Restrictions or Formations usually required an input of Primal Qi to be activated. How did this Restriction operate?
When Lu Zhou was cultivating in seclusion inside the hidden chamber, he had used the power from the Heavenly Writing. Under the power of Heavenly Writing, the boxes, cabinets, and lesser weapons were all destroyed without exception. Since this box remained unscathed, this meant that either its material was unique or it possessed an extremely powerful defense.
“Master, you’re knowledgeable in Formations and Restrictions. What Restriction is on the box?” Mingshi Yin could not make heads or tails out of it after looking at it for a long time.
Lu Zhou said nothing. Instead, he continued studying it. When he walked to the other side of the box, he noticed a small opening on the side. “A key...”
Mingshi Yin came over as well. He lowered his head and looked. Then, he exclaimed in surprise, “Indeed, we need a key.”
Duanmu Sheng saw the keyhole as well. “Master, I’ll go look for the key right away.”
“Go...”
Duanmu Sheng turned around and left immediately. The hidden chamber was too messy. He would need some time to find something like a key amidst all that mess.
Lu Zhou did not think the key was in the hidden chamber. He glanced at the system dashboard. As expected, there was an additional tip behind the ‘Search for the lost key’ mission; Can be used to open the lost treasure chest. He had never seen this tip before. It was obvious the box before him was the treasure box stated in the mission. He had traveled far and wide to look for it only to find it under his nose. He waved his hand and said, “Bring this to the east pavilion.”
“Yes, master.” Mingshi Yin brought the box away.
Lu Zhou waved his arm casually and put the Peacock Plume away before he returned to the east pavilion.
Seven days passed in just a blink of an eye.
After comprehending the Heavenly Writing for seven days, Lu Zhou felt that the extraordinary power contained within himself was replenished again.
Lu Zhou nodded. This meant he could use the power for a couple of times. At the moment, he had mastered two kinds of Heavenly Writing’s techniques. The first one was the power of speech that was similar to a sound technique. The second was the power of muting that was similar to a reflecting technique.
These two techniques required extraordinary power. There was only a single source of extraordinary power and that was from comprehending the Heavenly Writing.
Lu Zhou sighed inwardly. ‘Seven days, perhaps, even ten. That’s how long I have to comprehend the Heavenly Writing before I can unleash its powers once.’ He was slightly amazed at the high requirement of the extraordinary power. However, when he thought about the might of the powers, he felt that it was justified. ‘You reap what you
sow.’
“Master, a letter from Jiang Aijian.” Zhao Yue’s voice rang from outside.
Ever since Little Yuan’er became obsessed with her Nirvana Sash, the task of receiving letters fell upon Zhao Yue’s shoulders. However, Lu Zhou felt that this was a good thing as well. Zhao Yue was more mature than Little Yuan’er.
was n 1ore
“Read it.”
Zhao Yue produced the letter and respectfully read it aloud.
“Old senior, I have three things to tell you. First, Luo Xingkong, the former Sect Master of Heavenly Sword Sect, has sent out a summons to take down the Evil Sky Pavilion, but the other sects have yet to show any movements. Luo Xingkong is slightly flustered and exasperated by this. You must be careful. Second, Yu Zhenghai, your first disciple and the Sect Master of the Nether Sect, has assimilated another two minor sects. They’re the Tempered Sect and the Devil Sect. By the way, Yu Zhenghai seems to be active lately... Third, wait for my next letter.”
Lu Zhou frowned slightly. If he was not used to Jiang Aijian’s way of doing things, he would have been rendered speechless by this letter. ‘Can’t this fellow use a longer piece of paper for his letters?’
The report ended.
Zhao Yue felt awkward as well. She felt out of place, standing here, but it seemed inappropriate to leave.
Lu Zhou said indifferently, “You’re dismissed.”
“I’ll take my leave then. I’ll report again when the next letter arrives.” Zhao Yue left the east pavilion.
At this moment, Lu Zhou waved his arm. The Peacock Plume appeared before himself. He was secretly shocked when he had seen the Peacock Plume’s smooth and shiny surface earlier. His seventh disciple had been with this weapon for a significantly shorter time compared to the time Yu Zhenghai and Yu Shangrong had their respective weapons. It was clear Si Wuya had been frequently using the Peacock Plume.
Lu Zhou raised his hand and held the weapon. For some reason, the words ‘Refining Talisman’ surfaced in his mind. If he refined this weapon, what would Si Wuya think?
Lu Zhou waved his hand. The final Refining Talisman appeared in his hand.
Perhaps, it was due to his affinity with his weapon, Si Wuya, who was sitting cross-legged in a hut that was far away from the Evil Sky Pavilion, suddenly opened his eyes. A frown could be seen on his face. Two words escaped his mouth. “Peacock Plume.”
This was the way of heaven-grade weapons. When the bond between a weapon and its owner had reached a certain threshold, the two entities would form a connection that was akin to telepathy. This connection could not be explained.
Si Wuya did not know why the Peacock Plume suddenly appeared in his mind.
At this moment, a grey-robed subordinate who was nearby heard Si Wuya’s voice and decided to have a look. “Sect Master.”
“I’m alright,” Si Wuya said.
“Sect Master, should... should I make a trip to the Celestial Masters Sect?”
“There’s no need for that.” Si Wuya stood up slowly. “Eldest senior brother has already promised to send someone there. If I go, eldest senior brother would think I don’t trust him. Moreover, second senior brother has injured Bai Yuqing. At a time like this, it’s more appropriate to look for eldest senior brother.”
“Should I head to Pingdu Mountain, then?”
Si Wuya did not reply immediately. If this were the past, he would have given an order immediately. However, he was hesitating at this moment. “Wait.”
“Your orders, sect master?”
“Did the Heavenly Sword Sect make any moves lately?” Si Wuya asked.
“The Heavenly Sword Sect has sent out summons and has sworn to take down the Evil Sky Pavilion. Luo Xingkong is eager to make his move, but none of the other sects are with him yet. The Heavenly Sword Sect is too insignificant to mention in its current state.”
Si Wuya nodded and said, “Did Old Eighth send a reply?”
“There has been no news from Mister Eighth for ten days now.”
“That’s not unexpected. He must’ve been sent to the Cave of Reflection. I didn’t place much hope on him to provide us with information in the first place. Moreover, it’s probably safer for him to remain in the Cave of Reflection,” Si Wuya said, “Also, I suspect that there’s a spy among us... From this day on, anything related to the Evil Sky Pavilion, no matter how trivial, should be reported to me and inspected by me.”
“Understood!”
“One more thing... Tell Wushu that there’s no need to rescue Old Eighth. His current goal is to steal the Peacock Plume.”
“Yes, sect master!” The grey-robed subordinate replied before respectfully taking his leave.