The treasures stored on the first floor of the pagoda, undoubtedly the most powerful was the Nine Palaces Divine Sword used by the Yellow Emperor during the battle against Chi You. However, Shi Feiyang did not take it out; instead, he set it up inside the pagoda to form an array, using it to trap and kill Cai De.

Of course, this array could also guard against others; if someone were to sneak in during his absence or use the Golden Spider Crane to steal treasures, they too would face the assaults from the Eight Gate Inverted Nine Palace Sword Formation.

Besides these, there was a golden axe and a treasure halberd.

The halberd was called the Five Directions Divine Halberd; the axe was known as the Five Ding God Axe.

Guang Chengzi was born twelve hundred years before the Yellow Emperor and ascended after him.

The Yellow Emperor adhered to the "Human Path", unified the world, pacified the four quarters, and as the Human Emperor, in regulating Yin Yang, setting the Five Elements, and governing the nation, his merit increased massively day by day. He quickly achieved perfection in cultivation, mounted a dragon, and ascended directly to Heaven.

Although Guang Chengzi served as the Emperor's Master, the Yellow Emperor only sought his advice a few times, received guidance, and was taught the Dan Book. Their interaction was merely temporal, and afterward, they cultivated separately.

Thus, the Yellow Emperor had his path, and Guang Chengzi had his; although their cultivation techniques were the same, the paths they took were not the same.

After the Yellow Emperor ascended, Guang Chengzi lived for many more years and predicted the Qi fortunes of the "Human Path" for thousands of years hence, gathered many magical treasures, and made many preparations for future generations.

The Five Directions Divine Halberd was used by the Yellow Emperor to slay demons and suppress evil spirits. The great demons on Chi You's side were usually trained to have iron heads and brains; ordinary weapons couldn't harm them. Therefore, he specially ordered his ministers to forge this divine halberd to slay the demons of the five directions. No matter if they had horns on their heads or scales on their bodies and regardless of hundreds of thousands of years of Daoist cultivation, once this halberd was deployed, all would crumble as if made of paper.

The treasure halberd could slay the demons of the five directions and awe all quarters.

Another item was the Five Ding God Axe, which in this world was forged by Guang Chengzi to help the Yellow Emperor open mountains and suppress demons. Although it was made of gold and mainly used to break the earth, no matter how tough the soil or stone, it could split them open when deployed. The Yellow Emperor once used this axe to split a great mountain in two and used it to split the earth to create springs.

Apart from this axe and halberd, there was also a pair of Gefus.

They were a pair of short weapons in the form of halberd heads, divided into Yin and Yang, which could be combined or separated. They could ward off evil spirits, protect the mind, and could also resonate with each other, communicating between Yin and Yang for mutual support.

Beyond these three items, there were more than fifty other weapons including knives, halberds, spears, and swords.

The first floor contained all these various ancient weapons.

These were all collected from the golden ship and obtained from enemies on the battlefield.

Xiong Man received four Formless Divine Demons from Hagenib. These creatures lacked physical offensive power, but they severely disrupted people's minds and could always spy on their master's thoughts, seeking to exploit their master's mental weaknesses. Everybody wanted to utilize these demons for tasks, and these demons were always thinking about using the cultivators to turn them into their puppets. The struggle between the two sides depended on whose Daoist power or demonic power was greater.

Shi Feiyang informed Xiong Man of the dangers involved: "You have overcome your emotional hurdle, and with the Demon Refining Treasure Dragon Sparrow Ring protecting your mind, you can indeed try refining and controlling demons. They will continuously attempt to exploit your mental weaknesses to control and dominate others. If you can remain alert at all times, it can indeed serve as a motivation for you to keep striving and remind yourself to make progress.

"However, until you completely manifest your Yang God, you must always keep a tight string in your mind, not letting your guard down even during rest. Although fast-paced cultivation can be exhausting over long periods, a moment's carelessness could lead to deviation or even force you to reincarnate and start over."

Xiong Man was a strong female immortal; after hearing this, she immediately decided to refine these four demons as her subordinates. Even if she could not use them to attack enemies and injure others, having them around would allow her to be more courageous and diligent. Otherwise, as the senior sister, her current strength was embarrassing.

Shi Feiyang admired her resolute nature and thus taught her the Demon Refining Technique, showing her how to use the Dragon Sparrow Ring to subdue and control the four demons, making them serve her.

With the help of Shi Sheng, Lin Han used the Xuan Guang Ruler to capture Brooyinca's eighty-one Asura Blades and forcibly took them.

Shi Feiyang highly praised him; over the years, Lin Han had grown into a handsome and sturdy young man. His temperament had become increasingly stable and profound, and his Daoist power had rapidly increased. If the three immortals and two elders were considered the strongest first-tier practitioners in this world, then Brooyinca would be considered between the weaker first-tier and the stronger second-tier, with several hundred years of Daoist experience.

He harbored deep anger and planned to seek revenge on Shi Feiyang. The Asura Blades, which he took ten years of hard work to refine, were indeed extraordinary, yet they were forcefully taken by Lin Han, much to his master's satisfaction.

However, Lin Han was humble and credited Shi Sheng for the success, saying it was all due to Shi Sheng's hard work and help. Using the Heavenly Heart Ring, he covertly suppressed Brooyinca's Lifebound Divine, relying on the advantages of the Nanming Leaving Fire Sword and the Xuan Guang Ruler. Without these, he would not only have been unable to seize the Asura Blades but would have had to flee upon encountering them.

Shi Feiyang laughed heartily, "You have only cultivated for a few years! His Asura Blades are indeed formidable, capable of severing a person's Primordial Spirit. If you didn't have the right Flying Sword Magical Treasure, even the Green Robe Ancestor would have had to flee for his life. However, magical treasures are inanimate after all, while people are alive; owning a good magical treasure is one thing, but how you use it matters more. If someone else had the same treasures, they'd hardly be able to reach your level."

He understood Lin Han's character well; the young man had his own standards for judging all people and things and wasn't one to get carried away with praise, hence he did not skimp on his compliments.

He taught Lin Han a method to refine swords: "This blade is of exceptional quality and has formidable uses, although its demonic techniques have obvious flaws. Follow the refinement method I teach you from the Mysterious Sect's righteous path for forty-nine days, and in the future, even if you encounter Brooyinca again, he won't be able to reclaim it."

After a pause, he laughed and added, "Brooyinca killed countless people to forge this set of blades, using their Life Souls and Essence Blood to sacrifice the blades. In the future, he'll probably end up dying by these very blades."

Lin Han wanted to give the blade to Shi Sheng, but Shi Feiyang stopped him: "He already has plenty of magical treasures. I'll give him something else later. This blade will be very useful for your future path; do not be too modest."

Zhu Changyuan and Bai Guanhong stayed at home and eliminated Zen Master Yuan Jue and Master Wanshi. Among them, the Five Cloud Stone was a treasure, so Bai Guanhong kept it. Shi Feiyang also transmitted to him the method to refine it, teaching him to properly cultivate and nurture it. It could be used to suppress and control myriad Gu within the Primordial Spirit, and in the future, it could also be used to hold his Second Primordial Spirit.

These two Demon Cult Elders, along with numerous Barbarian Monks of the Western Demon Cult who were killed, had many Flying Swords, treasure pestles, and Golden Wheels fall from them, which Shi Feiyang then distributed among everyone on the spot.

Each person received two or three items, some even received five or six, all beaming with joy.

This time, Shi Feiyang's exploratory treasure acquisition accomplished the goals he had set in advance, achieving a relatively complete success.

He spent just over three months successfully refining the newly acquired treasures and enhanced his Effort of the Five Elements Essence Qi by twelve years; everyone else also managed to refine their new treasures.

Shi Feiyang then began planning for the second treasure acquisition.

His plan was to take control of this place and then continuously hunt for treasures, seizing them when possible and if not, no matter, he would try again next time. The main goal wasn't just to acquire treasures but to "encircle and support", continuously eliminating incoming enemies, ensuring that each endeavor resulted in gains and strength enhancement for his side.

Since he had occupied Bitter Bamboo Temple, he was prepared for a prolonged war, having enough patience to fiercely contest with the forces of both the Righteous and Evil Paths, even if it meant repeating the process a hundred times.

It was simply a matter of killing each batch as they came until all were eliminated, which would finally bring peace.

However, before he proceeded, he performed a divination with the Heavenly Numbers to predict the outcome, and to his surprise, the results were rather alarming.

According to the Gua Xiang, if he were to seek treasures again, the Emei Sect would mobilize en masse, with figures like Xuan Zhenzi, Qi Shuming, and the Ascetic Monk hurrying back from the East Sea, even bringing along Master Changmei's unascended disciple, Shui Jingzi.

From the side of the evil sects, Xuanyuan Dharma King would personally intervene, bringing his three major disciples to avenge the Five Lascivious Venerable.

In such a scenario, he would be "weak and declining", and once caught in such a situation, all past bad karma "suppressed" by him would erupt.

For instance, Shenjun Zhenyue from the East Sea, Xie Shan from Wuyi Mountain, Ye Bin from South Sea, Huashan Sect... including enemies like Deng Bagu and Huo Wuhai, and particularly, Huo Wuhai's nemesis within the Demon Cult, Jiulei God, would swarm in, both seeking revenge and competing for the treasures inside the Golden Ship.

This was the point of "calamity"; if he sought the treasures, it would shape the calamity and lead to its swift eruption!

Previously, when he calculated this, the "calamity" had not yet formed, and consecutive treasure hunting was feasible.

It seemed that the first treasure acquisition also introduced many variables that accelerated the formation of this "calamity"!

The most crucial treasures Shi Feiyang needed were the two Cosmic Treasures within the Holy Mausoleum, the Heavenly Mirror and the Nine Suspicions Tripod, relics left by the Yellow Emperor, which were decisive in his potential to achieve the pathway to ascension. If he could not acquire them, he was inevitably bound to be manipulated by both Buddhist and Daoist sects, ending in obliteration.

If he could secure the Heavenly Mirror and the Nine Suspicions Tripod, acquiring the treasures from the Golden Ship would be much easier; similarly, if he could obtain the Golden Ship, golden basin, and the Kongtong Seven Treasures inside, acquiring the former two would also be simplified. Unfortunately, both sides were now at an impasse...

Treasures of such caliber were infused with cosmic destinies, attainable only by those with great wisdom, great magic power, and great fortune, and required the alignment of time, geography, and human relationships, missing none!

The timing refers to the future third swordfight.

The first swordfight involved just the Emei and Wutai schools, perhaps also involving Qingcheng and Hua Mountain.

The second swordfight saw participation from both Western and Eastern Demon Cults, with more involvement from the Buddhist sect on the Emei's side, and many Loose Cultivators caught in the mix.

The future third swordfight would be on an even larger scale, involving more people, representing a severely intense "Calamity of a Thousand Immortals."

That would be the optimal timing for treasure retrieval!

Now that he had set a mortal feud with the Emei Sect, it could essentially be considered a fight to the death. The Wutai and Hua Mountain Sects were no saints either; Shi Feiyang disdained any association with them.

He needed to focus on strengthening his own forces... but not excessively so. He could be a key minority, but shouldn't establish a tripartite balance with those two, as a triangle has inherent stability. Should a third unprecedented power emerge beyond the division of Righteous and Evil, achieving a balance among the three, the other two would cease their conflict.

In all endeavors, finding the right measure was crucial, just like controlling the fire in alchemy—too old or too young wouldn't do; it had to be just right.

He reined in his patience and continued his Cultivation at Bitter Bamboo Temple with his disciples. That day, Jiang Shu arrived, accompanied by three disciples.

Having not seen each other for many years, Jiang Shu had completely recovered his memory of his past life and had summoned his three disciples back to his side.

His appearance hadn't changed, but his eyes held the depth of centuries of quiet Cultivation, no longer possessing the youthful fervor they once had when together.

Now, Jiang Shu was truly Demon-suppressing True Master Jiang Shu!

Shi Feiyang had prepared for the worst, his face still adorned with a smile, he had Zhu Changyuan serve them their finest tea and fruits.

He first had his three disciples formally pay respect again to express gratitude for Shi Feiyang's lifesaving grace, then he handed over the Circulation Hunyuan Umbrella: "Master Tian Can ascended recently; before his departure, he tasked me with returning this Hunyuan Umbrella to you. He... intended to mediate your dispute with the Emei Sect seeing you do not follow the path of the demonic; he hadn't expected..."

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