Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao

In the face of such formidable presence, the Goddess could only choose to retreat. Once back among the divine troops, she sighed softly, "My abilities are inadequate, I have become the butt of your jokes."

Had this been any other time, those few Divine Spirits would have already begun to scoff, their relationship always competitive, with frequent frictions and fights breaking out from time to time.

However, no Divine Spirit chose to mock her at this moment, for everyone knew the strength of the Harp Goddess; she was definitely one of the top-tier amongst the Divine Spirits of this world. If she couldn't handle it, no one present would dare to claim they could.

"This power is truly too bizarre; it's a pity that the Grim Reaper Yage has fallen many years ago. Otherwise, with his authority over death, he might have had a good method."

"Damn it, are we just going to sit by and do nothing?" The burly man started hopping madly, feeling his divine dignity completely lost, which deeply wounded his pride.

"For now, there is nothing much we can do but to set up a Barrier around here to prevent the Land of Death from expanding further," the God of Knowledge and Wisdom sighed, suggesting the only solution he could think of. He was aware, however, that it was only a temporary fix and they would need to find another solution later on.

This situation gave him a sense of defeat. As the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, hailed as the embodiment of intelligence by all creatures, he was at a loss in the face of this predicament, unable to come up with a single viable solution.

As the Divine Spirits silently lamented, Lu Yu and Arthur quietly sneaked into the depths of the Land of Death, into that ancient castle shrouded in darkness.

The heavy doors were slowly pushed open, emitting a deep sound, with years of accumulated dust falling off, making the entire view hazy.

Arthur waved his hands vigorously to dispel the dust in front of his eyes, and soon, a spacious hall came into view.

After eons of time, everything else in the hall had decayed into dust, save for the enormous stone sculpture hanging on the front wall still towering in place.

It was the emblem of a golden lion, the insignia and symbol of the Arthur Family.

"This is indeed the castle left by our ancestors, this is our family's crest," Arthur exclaimed with delight.

Even as they stood in the Land of Death, surrounded by bone-chilling cold, Arthur's heart was ablaze with excitement. With the items in this place, he would have the means to rise again, and he was determined to claw back the position that rightfully belonged to him with his own hands.

Lu Yu, meanwhile, looked around the castle with keen interest, everything from the sturdy stone walls of the Three Realms, to the lustrous glazed tiles and exquisite bas-reliefs, all indicating the lineage and power of the castle's master.

Yet, what Lu Yu found even more intriguing was the trace of a breath that lingered deep within the castle, an aura he was all too familiar with, the Power of the Human Path.

"Interesting, it seems that Arthur's ancestor was also quite the noteworthy person," Lu Yu thought to himself.

Coming to his senses, he saw Arthur's excited face and said with a smile, "This castle is quite impressive."

Arthur responded with a smile as well, "This is the castle my ancestor was most proud of; it took nearly ten years to build. It's just unfortunate that later the Forest of Death appeared, and we had no choice but to relocate to the territory we currently possess."

As he spoke, he looked all around, occasionally pressing his ear against the walls and tapping lightly, listening carefully for sounds that might indicate the legendary secret chamber.

"You don't know the location of the secret chamber," Lu Yu asked in surprise upon seeing Arthur's actions.

Arthur had sworn he knew where the treasure was hidden, and Lu Yu had thought he knew exactly where, but it seemed the other did not actually know.

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Arthur replied, "I saw this treasure mentioned when I was reading the records of our family. It was only briefly mentioned, without any details or location of the secret chamber. Nevertheless, my ancestor was a figure that shook the world at the time. Even the Divine Spirits of our current territory once received his favor, so there must be something valuable indeed."

"Searching this way, you'll never find the secret chamber even if it takes an eternity," Lu Yu said softly. He had just scanned the entire castle with his divine sense and now had a clear understanding of the chamber's location.

"Mr. Lu, do you know where the secret chamber is?" Arthur suddenly realized, with Lu Yu at his side, he had the great far-reaching Divine Skills of Mr. Lu to rely upon.

The more time Arthur spent with Lu Yu, the more he felt Lu Yu's strength, and he had come to the conclusion that Lu Yu was definitely not any so-called demon; otherwise, given Mr. Lu's abilities, even the general Divine Spirits would be no match for him.

Moreover, what was key was that Lu Yu had a gentle temperament, like a refreshing breeze upon one's face, which made one feel very comfortable. Thus, without realizing it, Arthur had grown to depend on Lu Yu.

Lu Yu nodded with a smile and said, "Stop looking, the secret chamber isn't here."

"Could you tell me where it is?" Arthur asked shamelessly. At this point, things like pride became insignificant as long as he could find the treasure.

"I could tell you, but you'd have to give me something in return," Lu Yu replied.

"What is it?" Arthur asked curiously, after all, given Mr. Lu's power, ordinary things should be beneath his notice.

"This castle, I quite like it," Lu Yu said gently.

It was really for the experience, after all, living in such a castle was a rare experience in memories of his past life.

Arthur hadn't expected Lu Yu to want the castle; no matter how he looked at it, he couldn't see what was so special about it and didn't understand why someone as powerful as Lu Yu would have any interest in a castle that had been abandoned for many years.

He examined his family's old castle closely, attempting to discern something different, but no matter how much he looked at it, it seemed like an utterly common castle.

"Don't bother looking; it's just an ordinary castle. The only reason I want it is a whim. If you're not willing to give it up, then never mind," Lu Yu said with a smile, seeing through Arthur's thoughts.

"Let's go, I'll take you to find your ancestor's treasure. Later, I still have to deal with the Land of Death," Lu Yu said as he took the lead.

Previously, he had hoped the deities of this world could properly deal with the Land of Death, but these Divine Spirits turned out to be all show and no substance, only able to delay the spread of the Power of Death by temporarily sealing it off with barriers.

But as time passed, the Power of Death grew stronger and the barrier couldn't withstand the erosion of the Power of Death.

Arthur hurried to keep up, looking at Lu Yu's figure with excitement. Having such a powerful character at his side was reassuring; he felt like any problem could be solved.

Lu Yu walked up to the lion statue, lightly pressed the lion's nose, and suddenly, light shone from the lion's eyes, casting onto the opposite wall. In an instant, a grand door appeared on the stone wall.

Upon seeing it, Arthur's heart leapt with joy. After enduring so much, he had finally come to see his ancestor's treasure. He wondered what kind of treasure was inside and whether it would help him regain control of his lands.

With a heart full of trepidation, Arthur pushed the door open, and immediately, a very spacious secret chamber appeared before him. Turning around, the door had vanished.

Looking up, he saw a treasured sword embedded in a large stone, with a golden lion-shaped hilt shining with golden light. A third of the blade was stuck in the stone, exuding an aura of authority.

"What is this?" Arthur muttered to himself in confusion. He recalled the information he had received but had never heard of such a sword, unsure of what kind of treasure it was and why it was embedded in a stone — and why his ancestor had placed it in such a conspicuous place.