The true importance at this moment lay in the treasures hidden within the great hall. The owner had gone to such lengths solely to cultivate spiritual herbs and grasses...
One could only imagine the true value of the treasures the hall's owner had concealed. Those who survived and thrived in the cultivation world were rarely fools, and would certainly not be so foolish as to discard the watermelon for a sesame seed.
...
In truth, given the scale of this great hall, it should have been called a place for cultivators to practice and reside.
Measuring over a hundred zhang in circumference, though weathered and damaged by time, the hall still hinted at the exquisite elegance and grandeur of its decorations from tens of thousands of years ago.
Were it not for the numerous accoutrements designed for refined living such as the cloud beds, stone tables, incense burners, and cold jade tea sets within the hall, it would be difficult to conceive how such a vast space could have served as a single person's daily residence and cultivation sanctuary.
The group of seven halted, observing everything with a critical eye, and could not help but exclaim in admiration.
From these subtle details, one could discern the fundamental differences between cultivators of the Primordial, Desolate, and Ancient eras and those of the current era.
Luxury, splendor, indulgence, and refinement were not highly valued by cultivators of the present day. Modern cultivators devoted nearly every ounce of their energy and spirit to cultivation, whether for longevity or the pursuit of the Dao. Few wasted effort on such pleasures and artistic pursuits.
Even paired cultivation was not as prevalent as it had been in the Primordial, Desolate, and Ancient eras. In those days, nearly every cultivator had a Dao companion and practiced paired cultivation. In stark contrast, in the current era, to dedicate oneself wholeheartedly to arduous cultivation and attain the supreme Dao, finding a Dao companion was a rarity, occurring in less than one in twenty cultivators.
However, all of this was also dictated by the circumstances of the current cultivation world. Who would not choose comfort and enjoyment if it were possible?
But under the pressure of impending death, with no hope of eternal life, modern cultivators were forced to make choices.
The numerous great wars that occurred during the Primordial, Desolate, and Ancient eras resulted in the loss of countless cultivation techniques, divine abilities, and secret arts, as well as the depletion and destruction of immense amounts of spiritual energy, myriad spiritual materials, and treasures.
These factors also contributed to the vastly different attitudes towards cultivation among present-day cultivators compared to those of the Primordial, Desolate, and Ancient eras.
...
However, after a brief moment of internal reflection, the group refocused their attention. Their gaze shifted to the fields of spiritual herbs and grasses planted before the great hall.
Having endured the baptism of tens of thousands of years, exposed to the elements without any protection, even the finest spiritual herbs and grasses would have lost their spiritual essence, withered, and died.
Otherwise, it would not be the case that this vast expanse of spiritual fields was devoid of even a single spiritual herb or grass, presenting a bare and barren landscape.
"This is no longer tens of thousands of years ago. No matter how rare the spiritual herbs or precious the spiritual trees, they will turn to dust, or even vanish completely, under the relentless erosion of time."
"This plot of spiritual land is what is legendarily known as a 'barren grave'."
"In the current cultivation world, 'barren grave' signifies a place that was once a treasure trove but, due to years of corruption by time and the failure of its formations and restrictions, has seen everything turn to dust. No matter how great the sect, how powerful the inheritance, or how fine the cave dwelling, it cannot escape the tragic fate of becoming barren and tomb-like."
The concept of a "barren grave" was known to all cultivators on the Nine Provinces Continent, whether Immortal, Demonic, Buddhist, Ghost, or Monster.
After all, the Nine Provinces Continent had historically been the center of cultivation realms across various regions.
Although countless years had passed since the Primordial, Desolate, and Ancient eras, many ruins, such as great halls, cave dwellings, secret realms, and small worlds, still remained.
However, within some of these ruins, in their cave dwellings and great halls, due to the passage of time and the failure of their restrictions and formations, all the treasures inside had lost their spiritual energy, becoming mere remnants and dust.
Including Wu Tao and the others, everyone let out a sigh. They were not sighing out of lament for the ruthlessness of time.
Rather, they lamented the regret that they had encountered a treasure land, only to find it had become a "barren grave."
...
After the group of seven had divided the remaining broken treasures in the main hall of the great hall, they proceeded further inside until they encountered a pavilion.
This pavilion was entirely carved from ten-thousand-year-old immortal purple sandalwood and phoenix wood. It stood over ten zhang tall, with only three stories, yet it was exceedingly exquisite, adorned with intricate carvings and a refined, simple yet grand design.
It was evident that the owner of the great hall had been a cultivator who enjoyed life immensely.
Above the pavilion's door, several zhang high, were inscribed four large, ink-black characters: "Jinling Wood Pavilion."
This time, Xue Yan impatiently pushed open the pavilion door. With a creak, it swung open.
Before Wu Tao, Xue Yan, and the rest of the group could enter, dazzling spiritual light shot out, blinding them for a considerable moment before they could recover.
Inside the pavilion, three crudely fashioned shelves made of adamantite ore were filled with items, emitting a dazzling and intimidating pure spiritual energy.
At this sight, Zhao Lei Yun, the Yun brothers, and the four cultivators Wu Tao, Xue Yan, Chang Ping Qian, and the ice maiden cultivator, all displayed expressions of joy.
However, they were all exceptionally intelligent and cautious, and did not immediately take any foolish actions that would be considered taboo or provoke lethal danger.
The entire group forcibly suppressed their inner excitement and slowly entered the pavilion, each examining the treasures on the adamantite shelves.
The shelves were arranged in three rows in the center of the pavilion, clearly visible at a glance.
The first row was filled with spiritual artifacts, treasures, and various valuable items of varying brilliance, numbering thirty to forty pieces.
The second row contained rare materials of diverse shapes and colors, including fist-sized essence of minerals and crystalline stones of various colors resembling gemstones.
The third row held the fewest items, consisting only of a few small jade bottles, each several inches in size.
It appeared that these bottles contained elixirs.
Wu Tao's gaze swept over these treasures, his expression unreadable, betraying neither joy nor sorrow. However, the spiritual energy within him suddenly condensed; he was prepared to make his move prematurely.
While the others maintained a calm facade and no one rashly approached to handle the treasures, their gazes became cautious of each other, and the distance between them subtly increased to four to five meters.
After a brief exchange among the seven individuals, Zhao Lei Yun stepped forward to represent the group in examining the treasures one by one, while the others engaged in seemingly amiable discussions about the origins and uses of these treasures.
As for their hidden intentions, that was a secret only they themselves could understand.
At this point, Chang Ping Qian began to look around, scanning the areas beyond the shelves. Besides a prayer mat and an incense burner placed by the pavilion window, there was nothing else.
A glint flashed in Chang Ping Qian's ordinary eyes. With a sudden thought, just as he was about to step forward, a figure flickered, and the ice maiden cultivator, moving faster, reached the prayer mat first.
With a wave of her hand, she drew the prayer mat to her. She examined it back and forth before giving Chang Ping Qian a apologetic smile.
Wu Tao, after a slight frown, walked to the window and began to carefully examine a scroll depicting the ancient era's story of Kuafu chasing the sun after ten suns burned the earth and all its inhabitants.
"Fellow Daoists, please come over. We have each finished inventorying the treasures."
Upon hearing this, Wu Tao immediately stopped looking. He snatched the scroll, like a bird of prey plucking its prey, and placed it into his storage bag.
Seeing this, the ice maiden cultivator, a beautiful maiden, smiled and casually placed the prayer mat into her own storage bag.
Chang Ping Qian saw this, shrugged as if oblivious, but at the last moment, he collected a spiritual artifact incense burner by his side into his own storage bag.
"Alright. We have counted. There are a total of forty-five spiritual artifacts. Twelve unknown treasures. Five magical treasures. The spiritual materials and elixirs have also been divided into seven portions based on their value. What everyone desires most are naturally the elixirs. After all, most of us are stuck at the bottleneck of nearly advancing to the Foundation Establishment stage, neither advancing nor retreating, in a very awkward position."
"Fellow Daoist Xue Yan, Fellow Daoist Ice Maiden, and Fellow Daoist Chang Ping Qian, the three of you can only each take one portion. As for Fellow Daoist Wu Tao, you can take a larger portion." Zhao Lei Yun had gathered all the items onto a single shelf and stated calmly to everyone.