Inside the illusion array, the stone chamber spanned tens of thousands of feet. The ceiling was adorned with luminous pearls that illuminated the entire space. The ground was riddled with trenches and pits, clear evidence of a fierce battle that had taken place here.

  "This is indeed a cave dwelling. The ancient aura here is far denser than outside," Yang Tian murmured as he walked through the chamber, his eyes scanning the surroundings. When he spotted a medicinal garden, his eyes lit up, and he hurried over.

  "How is this possible? They're all withered!" As he approached the garden, Yang Tian noticed the trenches within, signs of a past battle. Most of the spiritual herbs had been destroyed.

  A dark expression crossed Yang Tian's face as he surveyed the scene. Feeling a pang of disappointment, he quickly stepped into the garden, his eyes darting over the remaining herbs.

  The garden was vast, spanning nearly a thousand feet, and had once been filled with spiritual herbs. Unfortunately, most of them had perished.

  "This is Purple Red Spirit Grass!" Yang Tian's eyes widened as he noticed one surviving herb. He rushed over, staring at the vibrant plant in awe. Its age was astonishing, and the medicinal energy flowing within it left him speechless.

  "What a pity. This herb grows to a certain age, then withers and dies, only to sprout anew. Who knows how many cycles it has gone through?" Yang Tian sighed, gazing at the Purple Red Spirit Grass. This cave dwelling had been sealed for who knew how long, and the herbs, like humans, had their own life cycles.

  Yang Tian quickly searched through the garden. Most of the herbs here were rare species, some thousands of years old. If brought outside, they would undoubtedly cause a frenzy.

  "What's this?" Yang Tian's gaze fell on a partially eaten herb, with only a corner remaining. A trace of crystalline liquid still clung to it. Suddenly realizing something, he began scanning the area.

  "Is this little guy trying to eat himself to death?" Yang Tian rolled his eyes when he spotted Xiao Bai lying on the ground, his small head drooping as he nibbled on a herb. Yang Tian quickly scooped him up.

  "Awu..." Xiao Bai looked up at Yang Tian with pitiful eyes, letting out a low whine. Ignoring him, Yang Tian stuffed the little creature back into his robe. Although Xiao Bai could absorb the medicinal energy, most of it was wasted.

  After spending some time searching the garden and gathering a dozen or so herbs, Yang Tian moved deeper into the cave.

  Following the battle scars on the ground, Yang Tian walked for about half an hour before stopping.

  Ahead of him lay two skeletons sprawled on the ground, surrounded by broken weapons. From the looks of it, the two had perished together in mutual destruction.

  "Even the strongest must face death one day," Yang Tian murmured, a hint of sorrow in his eyes as he gazed at the remains. These individuals must have been incredibly powerful in life, yet in death, their bones lay unburied.

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  "Huh?" Suddenly, Yang Tian's attention was drawn to a glint of black light.

  "What's this?" His eyes lit up as he crouched down and picked up a finger bone. Attached to it was a spatial ring. A smile spread across his face. "An ancient cultivator's relic. This should be quite valuable."

  With a thought, Yang Tian sent a wisp of his spiritual sense into the ring. After a few moments, he withdrew it, his face darkening. "Damn it, it's a high-grade spatial ring."

  High-grade spatial rings were rare treasures, with vast internal spaces. They required spiritual power to unlock, and Yang Tian's current strength wasn't enough to break through its defenses.

  Sighing, Yang Tian stored the ring and began searching the other skeleton. Soon, he found another spatial ring and a golden token.

  The token was a deep crimson-gold, as if cast from pure gold. Despite the passage of time, it showed no signs of wear. Engraved on it were the words "Dan Xuan Sect," exuding a faint pressure.

  "Dan Xuan Sect... I feel like I've heard of it before," Yang Tian muttered, examining the token. Its material was incredibly durable, remaining intact despite the countless years. Even a peak Profound-grade artifact would have lost its power by now.

  After storing the token, Yang Tian's gaze shifted to a stone chamber ahead. Noticing the characters carved above the entrance, a flicker of excitement crossed his eyes.

  "Treasure Hall. This must be where they stored their artifacts," Yang Tian said, pushing open the stone door and stepping inside.

  The chamber was about a hundred feet wide. Despite the passage of time, it remained remarkably clean. Shelves lined the walls, displaying various artifacts.

  Yang Tian quickly walked over and picked up a small cauldron-like artifact. Unfortunately, most of its energy had dissipated, leaving it as nothing more than an ordinary blood artifact.

  His attention then turned to the intricate patterns etched into the cauldron. Some of the patterns still retained a trace of power, though the spiritual energy woven into them had faded over time.

  "Some of these artifacts had begun to develop divine patterns, almost reaching the level of Dao artifacts. It's a shame the cave's master perished before they could be fully refined, causing their energy to dissipate," Yang Tian sighed, storing the patterned artifacts in his spatial ring. These patterns were remnants of ancient forging techniques, and studying them could provide valuable insights for future crafting.

  After searching several chambers and gathering a number of ancient artifacts—most of which were of little use to him now—Yang Tian finally arrived at the Pill Hall.

  "This should be the last one. It must be the treasure vault of the ancient cultivator," Yang Tian thought. Just as he was about to break through the door, a loud explosion echoed from outside.

  "Someone's breaking the illusion array?" Yang Tian's face darkened. Gritting his teeth, he kicked open the treasure vault's door. A wave of dense ancient aura rushed out, filling the chamber with a red glow.

  Before Yang Tian could react, a flood of pills surged toward him, burying him under a mountain of glowing orbs.

  "What is this?" Yang Tian's throat tightened as he looked at the sea of crimson pills surrounding him. The sheer quantity was overwhelming, and his eyes burned with desire.

  "These pills are refined from ancient aura. The cultivators of old were truly extraordinary," Yang Tian muttered, staring in awe. Each pill contained as much ancient aura as he could absorb in half a day.

  **Boom!** Outside, the explosions grew louder, accompanied by shouts. It sounded like more than one person.

  "Xiao Bai, hurry up and collect the pills!" Yang Tian urged, his palm emitting a powerful suction force. The vast number of pills in the chamber began to flow into his spatial ring.

  "Roar!" Xiao Bai opened his mouth wide, and the dense sea of pills began to shrink rapidly.

  At the illusion array, the three Jiang family members continued their assault. Three golden swords intertwined, their sharp energy radiating as they slashed at the array.

  With a final deafening crash, the outer illusion array shattered. The three golden swords hovered in the air, drawing in ancient aura and exuding an intimidating presence.

  "Let's move!" Jiang Ling barked, leading the charge into the cave.

  "Damn it, they're inside!" Yang Tian cursed as he watched the pills in the chamber dwindle. Less than half had been collected. With no time to waste, he slammed the door to the Pill Hall shut.