Li Derong studied the flickering energy barrier. “Although the grand formation’s power has diminished, we are only early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators. Breaking through it will still take a considerable amount of time!” She looked at Wang Hao. “Wang Hao, release your two spirit beasts to help. That will speed things up.”

Wang Hao nodded and summoned Xiaobai and Yaya from his spirit beast bag. Over the past few years, the two beasts had frequently assisted in hunts, so their presence surprised no one. The others simply felt a pang of envy that Wang Hao could raise two second-order spirit beasts.

“Let’s attack together!”

Everyone immediately deployed their magical instruments or cast spells. A barrage of attacks struck the light screen, creating a series of booming explosions that echoed across the mountaintop.

This area was open and exposed, unlike the secluded cave where Wang Hao and Wang Wenmei had broken the restrictions earlier. The noise traveled far.

Inside the Pill Cauldron Sect’s treasure vault, Ji Xiaotang and the others were startled by the distant thunder. They turned their heads sharply toward the sound.

Relying on maps passed down from their ancestors, they had successfully located the sect’s main vault.

Unfortunately, time had been cruel. The spiritual essence of many treasures had dissipated over thousands of years. Seeing once-glorious third-tier artifacts reduced to piles of rust and dust was painful to witness.

Still, some items had survived. They had already divided a dozen spiritual artifacts amongst the three families, along with caches of crafting materials and precious ores.

Qin Hu’s eyes flashed with anger. “It must be those people from the ship making that noise! Let’s go, quickly!”

Compared to the reckless Qin Hu, his companions were more cautious.

Qi Li shook his head. “They have nine Foundation Establishment cultivators. If we rush over blindly, I’m afraid we won’t be a match for them.”

Ji Xiaotang added, “Perhaps it’s just demonic beasts causing the commotion. This place is crawling with them.”

“Hmph, you’re just deceiving yourselves,” Qin Hu sneered. “If all of the Pill Cauldron Sect’s remaining treasures fall into their hands, don’t come crying to me later!”

Qi Li waved his hand dismissively. “There are plenty of treasures here. If you insist on fighting them for every scrap, go ahead by yourself. This old man and Miss Ji will search elsewhere.”

“You… The Qi family demands forty percent of the gains but refuses to put in the effort…” Qin Hu sputtered.

“Enough,” Qi Li interrupted, his tone sharp. “Think. The other side is not weak. If we fight now, regardless of the outcome, the noise and blood will attract the demonic beasts. Under siege, we’d have to retreat, abandoning the remaining treasures and herbs. Is that what you want?”

He stroked his beard, eyes narrowing. “Even if we must clash, it should be after we’ve cleared most of the ruins. By then, their storage bags will be full. If we intercept them then… what have we lost?”

Qin Hu wasn’t convinced. “You think that way, but perhaps they think the same—planning to fatten us up before seizing our storage bags!”

“Then it depends on who is stronger,” Qi Li said coolly. “Although they have numbers, we have two late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators. As long as we plan an ambush and instantly kill two of them, victory is ours.”

Seeing the two men still arguing, Ji Xiaotang turned and walked away.

“Ji Xiaotang, where are you going?” Qin Hu barked.

“The outsiders are plundering the mountain while you waste time bickering. This lady won’t keep you company.” With that, she led her clansmen toward a distant building without looking back.

Qi Li signaled his own people. “Let’s go.”

“Big Brother, they’ve both left. What do we do?” a Qin clansman asked nervously.

“What do we do? We follow them!” Qin Hu snapped. “We can’t let all the treasures fall into their hands.”

Without the support of the other two families, Qin Hu knew he couldn’t confront Wang Hao’s group alone. Attacking now would be suicide.

At the mountaintop, a loud boom signaled the collapse of the light screen surrounding the Scripture Pavilion. The barrier shattered into motes of light, and the group cheered.

Wang Hao kept his expression serious. “That commotion was too loud. We need to check inside and grab whatever we can, then leave immediately.”

Li Dedao chuckled lightly. “Aren’t we being too cautious? I don’t think they dare to make a move against us.”

Li Derong frowned. “Hard to say. They probably understand this place better than we do. It’s possible they want to secure the best treasures first, or perhaps they’re using us to clear the path before playing the oriole behind the mantis.”

“To play the oriole requires strength,” Li Dedao scoffed. “As long as we eight stick together, they can’t touch us. Come on, let’s see what’s inside.”

The group exchanged glances and nodded. “Right.”

The eight cultivators entered the building together, weapons ready, alert for traps.

The Scripture Pavilion was a four-story structure. While the surrounding single-story buildings had crumbled into ruin, this central pavilion remained remarkably intact.

Wang Hao led the way through the main doors.

They entered a main hall the size of a basketball court. It was spacious, with a row of rotten wooden tables on one side—likely a registration area for disciples.

Passing through the hall, they entered the archive rooms. Rows of bookshelves stood in various states of decay; some had collapsed completely, spilling their contents across the floor. Paper books, wooden slips, and rotted cloth scrolls lay in heaps of debris.

Li Derong bent down to pick up a book. As soon as her fingers touched the page, it disintegrated into dust.

“Too much time has passed,” she sighed, dusting off her hands. “None of these books are usable.”

“This is only the first floor,” Wang Hao said, scanning the debris. “According to custom, this level likely held basic cultivation techniques for new Qi Refining disciples. Look at the ground—not a single jade slip. Good quality jade slips can last tens of thousands of years. Paper doesn’t stand a chance.”

“Alright, let’s head to the second floor.”

The group returned to the main hall and ascended the stairs.

The second floor was similar to the first, cluttered with the remains of paper books, but here and there, jade slips glinted among the refuse.

Wang Hao checked a few. The quality was poor, and some contents were fragmented due to spiritual decay.

“Everyone, pick through the debris,” Wang Hao ordered. “Take any usable jade slips. Once we clear this floor, we move to the third.”

The floor was a mess. Collapsed shelves had buried many of the jade slips, making the search difficult.

Wang Hao waved his hand, creating a precise gust of wind that blew away the layers of rotted paper and wood dust. Beneath the grime, jade slips were revealed. Some glowed with faint spiritual light, others were dim, and some were dead stone.

Wang Hao ignored the dead ones. Anything with the slightest glow was swept into his Storage Bag.

The second floor had four large archive rooms containing hundreds of shelves. The eight cultivators worked quickly, stripping the floor bare.

They proceeded to the third floor, but were blocked at the stairwell entrance.

“There’s actually still a protective formation here?” Wang Wenmei exclaimed in surprise.

Wang Hao examined the barrier. “The power is only equivalent to a top-grade Tier 1 formation now. This is actually a good sign—it means the Pill Cauldron Sect’s legacy is likely preserved inside.”

Hearing this, everyone smiled. They attacked the light screen with renewed vigor.

Within a few breaths, the weak formation shattered.

The group rushed onto the third floor, expecting rows of glowing shelves. Instead, they were greeted by an empty room.

Only a few lonely jade slips lay in the corner.

“How could this happen? Did someone else get here before us?” Wang Wenwu asked, unable to accept the result. They had worked hard for half a day, yet hadn’t found a single high-value technique. The second-floor scraps were useful for Qi Refining disciples, but useless for Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Wang Hao walked over and picked up the discarded slips.

“It doesn’t look like looters beat us here,” he said thoughtfully. “If they did, why leave these behind? This looks more like a hasty evacuation.”

Li Derong nodded in agreement. “When the Pill Cauldron Sect was under attack, they would have prioritized preserving the sect’s legacy. Taking the core secret manuals with them isn’t strange at all.”