Chapter Fifty-Five: The Contest for the Treasure (Part Two)

Mu Baiyun shook his head with a bitter smile. He had no idea what connection this silver wolf had with him. He had never seen this beast before, yet witnessing the silver wolf fight fiercely against Chong Kun for his sake and sustain such grievous injuries, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of inexplicable pity for it. Lifting the Rainbow-Cleaving Sword in his hand, he leapt to the wolf’s side, ready to join forces against their enemy.

When the silver wolf saw the sword in his hand, a flicker of astonishment, excitement, and inner conflict flashed through its silver eyes. Ultimately, as its gaze settled on Mu Baiyun, those emotions melted into something akin to affection. Mu Baiyun, feeling that look fixed upon him, was left both bewildered and uneasy, unable to fathom why the silver wolf harbored such complex emotions for him.

Ji Mo glanced at Mu Baiyun and the silver wolf, then at Chong Kun, who now hesitated because of the wolf’s actions, and the young cultivator wielding the square seal. Her eyes narrowed briefly before she darted to the entrance of the stone-wall cave. Chong Kun and the young cultivator seemed tempted to lunge after her, but in the end, made no move, remaining where they were to observe.

Seeing that no one came to bother her, Ji Mo felt at ease. She stabbed the White Jade Flood Dragon Whip into the stone wall to steady herself, and began to study the cave entrance. The opening was about half a meter in diameter, but at its center a stone nearly the size of the entrance itself blocked the way, its irregular shape leaving several bowl-sized gaps around its edges.

“Little Gold, go in and take a look,” Ji Mo said, her gaze landing on the Lightning Beast crouched stubbornly on her shoulder. Communicating with her mind, she called the name “Little Gold,” which, after some time, she had grown accustomed to.

“I’m not going. Why should I?” retorted the Lightning Beast, entirely uncooperative. Whether it had grown resigned to being called Little Gold or simply didn’t care anymore, it no longer seemed to mind the name as much as before.

“Afraid, aren’t you? Everyone talks about how formidable the Lightning Beast is, but when you’re really needed, you only know how to cower like a turtle. With a beast pet like you, I truly don’t know what good you are.” Ji Mo eyed it sideways with undisguised disdain.

“You—hmph!” The Lightning Beast flared in anger, its golden fur bristling. It seemed about to launch itself at her, but fortunately its mind was clear enough to recall the spirit contract binding it to Ji Mo. Unable to attack its master due to the contract’s rules, it could only leap from her shoulder and dart into the cave with a swish.

In the brief moments that followed, another man and beast climbed up the stone wall. The reason only one man and one beast managed this was largely because of the perilous terrain, though the prowess of Ji Mo and Mu Baiyun played a part. Here, no one could be certain of victory in single combat against them, and group attacks were hard to execute—a single misstep could send one plunging into the lake below. Anyone daring enough to come up was a master among masters; otherwise, those left near the lake’s edge, like Chen and Jiang, would never have held the others at bay.

The newcomer was a middle-aged black-bearded cultivator, also at the peak of Qi Refinement. But it was the beast that climbed up with him which made Ji Mo’s eyes narrow: a second-rank Scarlet Cloud Leopard, its fiery red fur gleaming as it bounded swiftly forward. Just as it was about to collide with the black-bearded cultivator ahead, the man leapt aside, allowing the leopard to overtake him.

The Scarlet Cloud Leopard soon reached the young cultivator holding the square seal. As the two’s auras met, the young man’s face changed slightly; he too dodged aside, yielding the path.

Now, only a dozen meters separated Ji Mo from the Scarlet Cloud Leopard. The leopard glared at Ji Mo, who stood firmly at the cave entrance, showing no intention of stepping aside. With a deep, rumbling roar, it dug its claws into the stone, ready to pounce at any moment.

But at that instant, a drawn-out howl echoed from within the cave. The leopard, poised to strike, froze; a flicker of dread crossed its eyes. Its taut body gradually relaxed, though it continued to watch Ji Mo warily, making no further move. Ji Mo’s heart pounded—she had no idea what creature was roaring inside, or whether Little Gold could handle it.

With the Scarlet Cloud Leopard held at bay, Chong Kun and the other two cultivators dared not act rashly. Seeing Ji Mo had already sent the Lightning Beast into the cave, they decided to wait and see what would happen before making their next move. For a time, the battle atop the stone wall came to a halt, and all eyes turned to Ji Mo.

Ji Mo knew that as soon as the Lightning Beast returned, this fragile peace would shatter. Yet she had no alternative—having come this far, she couldn’t simply walk away from the treasure. While she herself cared little, she couldn’t justify abandoning it to her companions, especially Zhao Hu. Now, the arrow was nocked and could not be unstrung; she would have to see things through and worry about escape only after retrieving the treasure.

Her attention remained focused on Little Gold inside the cave. The roar she’d heard unsettled her, but fortunately, the Lightning Beast didn’t take long—about half a cup of tea’s time passed before it strolled out nonchalantly. Much to everyone’s frustration, it emerged holding an unknown herb in its paw, munching it with great relish. Ji Mo jumped in alarm and couldn’t help but scold, “Don’t tell me the only herb inside was this one, and you’ve gone and eaten it?”

Not only Ji Mo had this thought; at the sight, everyone’s minds turned to the same suspicion. Instantly, all eyes—save those of Ji Mo and Mu Baiyun—fixed on the Lightning Beast, and most were filled with murderous intent.

“Nonsense. There are a dozen precious spirit herbs and medicines inside. I simply took the least remarkable one. Besides the herbs, there’s also a sword, a saber, and a spear,” the Lightning Beast snapped, its words ringing clearly in everyone’s ears.

The little creature could actually speak! For a moment, everyone on the stone wall was stunned, then overjoyed. According to the sect’s records, after the Blue Moon Lake’s tides, an Earth-rank spirit weapon had once appeared. Judging by the glow from the cave, the three weapons inside were likely Earth-rank treasures.

Moreover, that one time an Earth-rank spirit weapon surfaced, it brought with it a corresponding Earth-rank cultivation technique. The value of such a weapon was immense, but an Earth-rank technique—even an ordinary one—could help a cultivator reach the Nascent Soul stage. Such a technique was simply beyond words for those present.

Of course, to reach Nascent Soul, one needed both a superior technique and outstanding talent. But still—this was a rare opportunity. In Moonwatching Sect, there were only two Earth-rank techniques: one passed down through the sect, the other obtained during the lake’s tide.