Chapter 244: Tianyuan Sea

The Hunyuan Sword Sect is another top immortal cultivation sect closest to the Tianxuan Sect, and together with the Tongtian Sword Sect, they are regarded as the two most prominent swordsmanship schools in the cultivation world.

It took Su Che and his companion over three hours to traverse 50,000 miles and arrive at Tianyuan Sea, located within the Hunyuan Sword Sect’s territory.

Tianyuan Sea is an inland sea situated in the central area of the Tianyuan Basin. With relatively low terrain, it covers an area of about 2,000 square miles.

“Seventy thousand years ago, Tianyaha Pavilion was located on a large island in Tianyuan Sea. Later, for unknown reasons, the entire sect was destroyed, and the island sank beneath the sea, becoming completely sealed—what I refer to as those ruins,” Shui Yue explained.

“The exact reason for its destruction is impossible to determine, as too much time has passed,” she added.

Su Che nodded and replied, “The grudges from seventy thousand years ago have long since faded away. We don’t need to investigate their origins. As long as we can open those ruins and obtain what we want, that’s enough.”

He then asked, “What about those competitors you mentioned?”

“There are countless talented people in the cultivation world. Someone will surely find this place—such as experienced treasure hunters,” Shui Yue replied.

Su Che also knew that there were highly skilled treasure hunters in the cultivation world, who excelled at uncovering ancient secrets and exploring ancient sites in search of blessings. These hunters were not only skilled archaeologists but also possessed great perseverance.

Often, based on mere clues or vague legends, they would devote years, even decades, to solving mysteries and searching for treasures. Even if they achieved nothing after decades, they wouldn’t regret it, because even a single success in obtaining something left from ancient times would be enough to reward them.

If asked why ancient treasures are more powerful than those crafted in modern times, the answer is that no one in today’s cultivation world can create spirit treasure-grade artifacts anymore. There are two reasons: first, their cultivation levels are insufficient—even those at the Huashen stage are not qualified to create spirit treasures; second, resources are scarce, as the top materials needed for crafting such treasures have long been depleted and are nearly extinct.

Thus, true treasures are mostly those left from ancient times and represent the greatest blessings desired by cultivators.

Although Tianyaha Pavilion from seventy thousand years ago couldn’t be classified as “ancient,” the ruins of a large sect from that era must be extremely valuable and worth exploring. It’s no wonder they attract treasure hunters.

However, the key to unlocking the ruins had always been in the hands of successive generations of Shuiyue Dongtian, preventing those treasure hunters from gaining access. Thinking of this, Su Che asked again, “Is it possible to unlock the ruins quietly, out of their sight?”
“No,” Shuiyue shook her head. “Previous generations of Shuiyue Dongtian have all come here for secret investigations and agreed that unlocking the ruins would inevitably cause a huge disturbance, making it impossible to hide from those treasure hunters in Tianyuan Sea. For this reason, successive generations of Shuiyue Dongtian have not dared to unlock the ruins lightly, fearing that they might lose their lives while allowing others to benefit.”
Su Che smiled and said, “Then where did you get the courage to try to unlock it?”
“My courage comes from you! A remarkable person who can form a core at the age of twenty must be even more powerful than Tianyin from Wuji Gate. Within our sect, your good fortune has been described as extraordinary. With your blessing and your great luck, I believe I can succeed!”
A smile appeared at the corner of Shuiyue’s eyes. “Besides, I’m not someone who fears easily… What do you think of this explanation?”
“Reasonable, extremely reasonable,” Su Che laughed. He admitted in his heart that she was a woman with a clear mind and great intelligence. She not only relied on his strength but also took his luck into account…
Indeed, she was very smart.
After that, Su Che said, “Apart from your exaggerated praise for me, I guess you have other cards up your sleeve?”
“Yes,” Shuiyue nodded. “I can say I’m also fortunate to have discovered a secret that previous generations of Shuiyue Dongtian never found.”
“Oh?” Su Che asked curiously, “What secret?”
“The key to unlocking the ruins isn’t just a key—it also serves as a map of the ruins,” Shuiyue replied with subtle pride. “In other words, once inside, we’ll have a geographical advantage over those treasure hunters. Even if we can’t stop them from entering, we can still claim the majority of the treasures inside, right?”
“From what you say, it seems that key might do more than just act as a map,” Su Che said, recalling his own Mi Xian Ling flag. Perhaps that key had other functions as well.
He asked her, “Can I take a look at that key?”
“Hmm…” Shuiyue hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided to trust her partner. She took out a palm-sized purplish-red jade pendant from her Qiankun bag.

This jade pendant has a beautiful design, exquisite craftsmanship, and a strong spiritual presence—it’s clearly a magical artifact with special functions. On the front side of the pendant is a side portrait of a woman; on the back are eighteen strange characters. Once it falls into Su Che’s hands, it will disappear instantly without a word, sent straight to the Immortal Prison.
“Ah?”
Shui Yue let out a soft cry, shocked beyond measure. She never expected Su Che to do such a thing. Taking it without even looking at it—what did that mean? Did he plan to keep it for himself even before entering the ruins?
“Scared?” Su Che asked with a smile.
Shui Yue’s chest rose and fell, her fingers trembling, showing some kind of excitement inside. She didn’t know how to respond for a moment and could only stare at him blankly.
“Don’t be afraid,” Su Che said gently. “I’m using one of my innate abilities to carefully examine the key. Whether I find anything or not, I’ll return it to you soon.”
“Really?” Shui Yue’s voice trembled—she was indeed scared.
“Of course.”
Su Che flipped his wrist and took out the key again, holding it in front of her. “If you don’t believe me, I can return it to you now.”
Shui Yue instinctively reached out and took it—it was indeed returned smoothly. This reassured her, but she also felt annoyed inwardly. “This guy is too mean. Couldn’t he have told me in advance? Why did he have to scare me like this?”
Then, she shoved the key back into Su Che’s hands, turned away in frustration, and said nothing more.
The key was sent back to the Immortal Prison, falling into Lao Hei’s hands. Su Che and Lao Hei were the rulers of the Immortal Prison, possessing the ability to see everything. Deciphering the functions of such items should be relatively easy for them. Of course, it wasn’t absolute—only time would tell.
After a few breaths, Su Che returned the key to Shui Yue and said, “As expected, it’s not just a map and a key. It has another function as well.”
Shui Yue still wasn’t calm. She hadn’t planned to forgive him so easily, but she couldn’t help but feel curious and asked, “What function?”
“It seems to be an important component of some mechanism. I guess we’ll find out the truth soon after entering the ruins,” Su Che replied in a low voice.
Earlier, Su Che had indeed done it on purpose to scare her. His intention wasn’t to tease her, but to use this method to dispel any remaining wariness she might have toward him.

It must be said that this stimulating approach is indeed effective. After this trial, Shui Yue’s trust in Su Che grew even further. After all, Su Che had already obtained the key and even examined the map. If he had malicious intentions, he could have gotten rid of her and taken everything for himself. Yet, Su Che didn’t do that; instead, he returned the key to her, which should be sufficient to prove his sincerity and integrity. The Star Emperor Compass continued flying deeper into the Tianyuan Sea. After a brief silence, Shui Yue finally said softly, “Thank you.” She was an extremely intelligent woman. Once her mind calmed down, she understood Su Che’s good intentions and thus expressed her gratitude. “It’s nothing,” Su Che said, looking ahead, in a low voice. “Since we are partners, we should trust each other as much as possible. Otherwise, once we enter the ruins, we might make mistakes due to mutual suspicion, right?” “Mm,” Shui Yue nodded in agreement, feeling even more admiration for this senior brother. After all, the Tianyuan Sea was an inland sea, not very large in area. After flying for a while, they reached the central part of the sea. At this moment, Shui Yue took out the key again, and the purplish-red jade pendant showed a special reaction. The statue of a woman on the pendant actually produced a translucent illusion—a small figure about the size of a palm, slowly turning its head toward the east. “She’s indicating the direction!” Su Che and Shui Yue immediately understood. They adjusted their direction and flew eastward, though at a much slower pace to avoid overshooting. Despite having a guide, the journey wasn’t smooth. After flying another few dozen miles, they encountered a beam of light in the sky. It was a black-haired old man, tall and robust, with a red face, at the mid-stage of the Golden Core cultivation level. Judging from his robe, he seemed to belong to a sect, but not the Hunyuan Sword Sect of this region. Su Che guessed it might be some unknown sect nearby. Seeing him flying toward them, Shui Yue carefully put away the key. Whoosh! The old man flew up close and suddenly stopped, clearly intending to block their path. Su Che stopped activating the Star Emperor Compass and suppressed its spiritual energy to the utmost, so that it wouldn’t appear to be a precious artifact. He asked loudly, “Fellow cultivator, why are you blocking the way? Is there something?” According to the rules of the cultivation world, those at the same cultivation level could simply address each other as fellow cultivators. If the other party were at the Yuan Ying stage, Su Che would have to address them as senior. The black-haired old man didn’t respond but instead asked, “Fellow cultivators, what brings you here?”

Su Che also remained silent and countered with a question: “The Abyssal Sea is a land without masters. By coming here, do I need to explain my purpose to others?”
The black-haired elder’s expression immediately turned gloomy.
A few exchanges of questions quickly created a rather unfriendly atmosphere.