Qichen slowly got up, all clothing on his body completely gone. Traces of colorful blood were oozing out from multiple wounds. Suddenly, something strange happened. All the blood that had fallen floated back into the air and flowed directly into his body through the very wounds it had escaped from. The moment the colorful blood returned, all his injuries healed instantly.
"That was close," Qichen muttered, his eyes filled with lingering fear. He hadn't expected that the clown would go so far as to sacrifice himself in order to kill him. You truly never know what someone is capable of. As he looked over his body, a headache crept in. He was completely naked. If he walked out like this and someone saw him, they'd think he was a madman.
"I should leave. People will come to investigate soon." With that, he dashed quickly in the direction of the campsite. After confirming that no one was around, he called out to Xiao Yu.
"Xiao Yu, take out the Boundless Storage Pagoda!" Qichen said, anticipation gleaming in his eyes.
"Okay, Master," Xiao Yu replied.
A second later, a pagoda appeared in front of Qichen. It was entirely white and had three floors. It looked exquisite, covered in countless runes that glowed faintly. It radiated an aura that felt all-encompassing, as if it could contain anything and everything.
Qichen's eyes lit up. He extended his right hand, and the pagoda floated toward him, slowly hovering above his palm.
"Yu'er, do I need to drip a drop of blood or something?" Qichen asked. He had heard that this was the easiest way to make a treasure recognize its master.
"No, Master. Treasures that have surpassed a certain level no longer require blood for recognition. And since I extracted it, it already belongs to you," Xiao Yu explained.
Qichen nodded in understanding. "So how do I enter it?"
The next moment, he vanished. The three-story pagoda disappeared with him, as though it had never existed.
In a vast, boundless land with the sun hanging high in the sky, a naked figure suddenly appeared.
"What..." Qichen muttered, looking around. All he could see were endless mountains and rivers.
"Master...!" a figure suddenly appeared before him.
"Who are you?!" Qichen exclaimed, quickly covering his private parts.
"Master, there is no need to be cautious around me. I am the weapon spirit of the Boundless Pagoda," the girl said calmly. She looked around sixteen, with long black hair, stunning features, and a small three-story pagoda pattern on her forehead. She was dressed in flowing white robes, her skin more radiant than the finest jade, and her eyes seemed to hold countless stars. Her lips were like the reddest cherries, and her figure was elegant and dignified.
"Weapon spirit?" Qichen repeated with confusion. Despite her stunning beauty, he seemed unfazed.
The girl smiled gently and began to explain. "Yes, Master, I am a weapon spirit. But I am not an ordinary one. Weapon spirits are also categorized by the level of the treasure they are bound to."
Qichen nodded in comprehension, curiosity building. He couldn't help but wonder what level the Boundless Storage Pagoda belonged to.
"Then, what are the functions of the Boundless Storage Pagoda?" he asked, anticipation in his eyes.
"Let me explain, Master. The Boundless Storage Pagoda is a Chaos-level treasure with three floors. The floor you're currently on is called the 'Boundless Floor of Mountains and Rivers,'" the spirit answered proudly.
Qichen's eyes widened in shock. Another Chaos treasure! He might not fully understand how far a Chaos treasure surpassed a regular one, but he knew it had to be extraordinary.
"The boundless land you're seeing is no ordinary land. The soil here has special properties. For instance, anything planted here will grow twice as fast as usual. Not only that, the plants will become richer in essence and develop unique flavors and effects when consumed. This also applies to livestock and demonic beasts raised here."
The spirit continued, her pride evident. "Herbs grown here for alchemy will produce pills of twice the effectiveness. These are just the current functions of the first floor. As you grow stronger, the items you cultivate here will grow even faster and more potent. The next enhancement will make growth three times as fast, and so on."
Qichen's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Besides that, there are additional functions you should know about," the spirit added.
Qichen was stunned. "More functions? What are they?"
"I think you'll like them, Master. One of the functions allows you to suppress anyone or any weapon brought into the pagoda, regardless of how much higher their cultivation level is than yours."
She was right. Qichen's eyes lit up with newfound joy. Just imagine being able to suppress unruly spirit weapons or those stubborn old cultivators who refused to show respect.
"The second function is that you can bring people inside. However, due to your current cultivation level, you can only forcibly bring them in when you're in direct contact with them"
Qichen nodded. "That's still very useful."
"Also, whenever you enter the pagoda, it activates its invisible and intangible mode. When this is active, it becomes completely undetectable, regardless of the strength of anyone nearby. Even if someone walks through it, they won't feel a thing."
Qichen was beyond satisfied. These functions alone were extraordinary, and he had only just scratched the surface of what the first floor could do. Two more floors still awaited him.
Looking at his naked body, a thought struck him. His gaze turned toward a nearby river.
"Can I bathe in the river?" he asked. Since regaining his memories, he had been constantly fighting, his body filthy and smelly.
"Of course, Master. All dirt within the Boundless Storage Pagoda is cleansed once per day. The river water here also has special properties. It can be consumed or used for bathing," the spirit replied with a kind smile.
Qichen sighed in relief. He looked at the spirit shyly. "Can you leave me alone for a moment?"
"Of course, Master," she replied with a smile and vanished.
Seeing that the spirit was gone, Qichen ran toward the river. It was crystal clear, shining with purity. The river extended as far as the eye could see.
Without thinking further, Qichen jumped in.
The moment his body touched the water, he felt complete relaxation. It was as though something invisible were massaging him. The aches in his body faded away, and the dirt that clung to him vanished without a trace.
Qichen gradually closed his eyes, his breathing slowing as he drifted into a deep and dreamless sleep. The gentle murmur of the river cradled him, and its current carried his body silently along the vast, boundless waters.
Far from the peaceful river, back in the real world, tension hung thick in the air.
Senior Brother Lin and a small group of disciples from the Purple Cloud Sect made their way cautiously toward the battlefield. Their steps were heavy, their expressions solemn. The path was littered with broken trees and torn earth, as if some wild, powerful beast had rampaged through. Blood splattered some of the nearby rocks and leaves, dried and darkened, whispering tales of a brutal conflict that had taken place only hours before.
As they drew closer, their gazes were drawn to a large pit carved into the earth at one side of the area and a deep, jagged crater that looked as if an explosion had torn it open.
"What… what happened here?" Liu Xinji murmured, wide-eyed and shocked.
They weren't the only ones who had arrived. More disciples, mostly those who fancied themselves brave or curious—had followed behind and now stood murmuring among themselves. Whispers spread like wildfire.
"It must have been Zhang Tianwei. He must've run into a powerful demonic beast," Senior Brother Lin said quickly, trying to make sense of the scene. "They must've battled fiercely… and in the end, realizing he couldn't kill it, Zhang Tianwei likely chose to sacrifice himself in order to take the beast down with him."
There was a long pause. The others looked at him, startled, then nodded slowly. A female disciple stepped forward, eager to win favor. "Yes, yes… that must be it. Just as Senior Brother Lin said."
But Liu Xinji narrowed his eyes, scanning the battlefield with suspicion. Something didn't add up. "If that's true," she said slowly, "then where is the body of the demonic beast?"
Senior Brother Lin didn't miss a beat. "It's possible the beast barely survived and escaped with its injuries. Demonic beasts have far more resilient bodies than humans. It's not strange that even an explosion couldn't kill it outright."
His calm tone and quick reasoning made it hard to argue. Even so, a flicker of doubt danced behind Senior Brother Lin's eyes.
Senior Brother Lin truly was a quick-witted man. His explanations sounded logical, and no one could refute them. The other disciples simply nodded along, uneasily accepting the narrative.
But inside, Senior Brother Lin was far from convinced. Could Zhang Tianwei really have been driven to sacrifice himself like this? Was it really just a demonic beast? Or… could it have been that Qi Condensation stage trash? The thought seemed absurd even to him, but it lingered stubbornly. No… that seems impossible. How could someone so weak push Zhang Tianwei to such a desperate end? Something else must've happened here. Something we don't yet understand.
Despite the questions in his heart, Senior Brother Lin's face remained expressionless. He glanced one last time at the battlefield before turning away.
"Let's return," Senior Brother Lin finally said. "We'll investigate more thoroughly tomorrow. If someone really dared to kill a disciple of our Purple Cloud Sect… then they are courting death."
Without another word, the group turned back, their footsteps fading into the night. The forest around them returned to silence, as if holding its secrets close, waiting for another day to reveal what had truly transpired.