"The only reason this Ghost Cultivation technique of the Soul Transformation stage is placed here is likely due to the very words 'Ghost Cultivation'!"

Ye Qin secretly surmised, shaking his head. "When this Grand Netherworld Art fell into the hands of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, perhaps no Sect Master or paramount figure found this Soul Transformation stage Ghost Cultivation technique appealing enough, which is why it was relegated to this treasury as a reward."

"Should I use the token to lift the restriction and retrieve that storage bag?"

The moment Ye Qin considered this, a hesitation surfaced.

The large token in his hand could only be used three times, allowing him to claim three items usable by Nascent Soul cultivators from this Earth Treasury. Every use diminished the chance to acquire something else. Most importantly, this Ghost system cultivation technique was almost entirely useless for his personal cultivation path. Unless he unexpectedly perished, destroyed his physical body, and transitioned into a Ghost Cultivator, it served no purpose.

Its potential utility, perhaps, lay in using it for his Corroding Bone Crocodile Skeleton Demon, allowing it to cultivate.

But then again, once the Corroding Bone Crocodile reached the Nascent Soul realm and achieved physical manifestation, would it truly be able to utilize the Grand Netherworld Art? Skeleton Demons, while categorized as ghostly entities, still differed significantly from true Ghost Cultivators. Ye Qin was uncertain if the Corroding Bone Crocodile could make use of the scripture.

"No more second-guessing; I'll take it! A text containing a Soul Transformation stage Ghost Cultivation technique like this is impossible to purchase in the East Sea Cultivation World, no matter how many spirit stones one possesses. General Nascent Soul tier texts, however, can still be bought with sufficient spirit stones. If I miss this opportunity, I may never find a technique of this caliber again."

Ye Qin pondered for a long while, his expression shifting between light and shadow. Finally, he resolved his hesitation and decisively acted. He slapped the large token in his hand onto the restrictive light barrier covering the stone table.

The restriction enveloping the stone table emitted a wave of yellow light, which then shattered into motes of yellow luminescence, vanishing into the air as the restrictive formation was withdrawn.

Having dispelled the restriction, Ye Qin swiftly seized the storage bag containing the Grand Netherworld Art from the stone table. However, upon opening the bag and probing it with his divine sense, Ye Qin’s expression immediately darkened, becoming quite unpleasant. Inside the storage bag lay only a palm-sized, fractured piece of oracle bone, seemingly crafted from the skeletal plate of some ancient monstrous beast. This bone appeared incredibly ancient; dense, minute runes and inscriptions were carved directly onto the shard. This method differed from the current cultivation world, where runes were typically recorded on jade slips for divine sense viewing.

This incomplete oracle bone was clearly a fragment torn from a complete specimen, and the runes upon it were equally fragmented—certainly not a complete cultivation scripture.

"This isn't the complete Grand Netherworld Art at all. It's just a fragmented piece! No wonder a scripture claimed to contain a Soul Transformation stage technique was kept in this location, offered up as a mere reward! Incomplete texts are prone to errors; perhaps even Ghost Cultivators would hesitate to practice using this shard. This lack of interest from the great Sect Masters and paramount figures is likely due to this bone fragment."

Ye Qin’s demeanor grew cold as he retrieved the palm-sized oracle bone fragment, which radiated a chilling, sinister, dark sheen. The moment it touched his hand, he felt tendrils of yin energy invading his body. Even his protective barrier failed to block this energy. It pierced straight through, enveloping him in a bone-deep chill, as if he had plunged into the deepest netherworld.

"What kind of oracle bone is this, to possess such potent, tyrannical yin energy? ... Even the Thirteenth-rank Great Divine Ability ancient artifact, the Kui Ox Drum, which I saw at the Langya Secret Realm of the Earth Clan Holy Land, wasn't this formidable. The origins of this bone fragment are likely even more profound than the Kui Ox Drum."

Ye Qin was startled and hastily wrapped the bone fragment in a silk cloth artifact resembling a handkerchief, isolating its aura. He used his magic power to disperse the residual energy within his body, finally beginning to feel somewhat better.

"However, since it was placed in this treasury to serve as a reward for Nascent Soul cultivators, it must possess some utility! The contents inside should justify the reward."

Ye Qin frowned, taking a deep breath to calm his agitation, and began to scrutinize the tiny runes etched on the fragment. These ancient runes were profound and obscure, making them difficult to decipher. Nevertheless, a significant portion of the script used characters familiar in the current common tongue, allowing him to grasp the general meaning. Most immediately, he recognized it as an alchemical formula.

After reading through it, Ye Qin’s expression became complicated—he didn't know whether to be pleased or disheartened. The content inscribed on this oracle bone fragment was indeed a small portion of the Grand Netherworld Art, specifically concerning Ghost System alchemy. Moreover, it was only a subset of Ghost System refinement techniques, detailing the preparation methods for about ten high-tier Ghost Pills.

Nascent Soul level Ghost Pills: Formulas for ten to over ten Eleventh and Twelfth-rank Ghost Pills. Soul Transformation level Ghost Pills: A single formula for a Thirteenth-rank Ghost Pill.

Thus, the description claiming it contained cultivation methods for the Nascent Soul and Soul Transformation stages was technically accurate. After all, consuming elixirs was one avenue of cultivation. No one could claim the introduction was outright false.

Yet, Ye Qin felt dejected. As an Alchemy Grandmaster, if he had acquired Nascent Soul or Soul Transformation stage human cultivator pill recipes, he would have been overjoyed. But these were Ghost System formulas. Who would consume the pills he refined? His Corroding Bone Crocodile Skeleton Demon, to speed up its cultivation?

Ye Qin couldn't help but force a bitter smile and rub his nose. The fortune of the Corroding Bone Crocodile seemed slightly better than his own. It had previously obtained a Thirteenth-rank supreme-grade Poison Dragon spirit root bone, and now it even had access to Ghost Pills, accelerating its cultivation pace beyond his.

However, refining these Ghost Pills presented a significant hurdle he needed to overcome.

"Alchemists in the cultivation world predominantly utilize Yang Fire to refine spirit elixirs by drawing upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, which nourishes the self or serves as a catalyst for breakthroughs. The Ghost Pills described in the Netherworld Formula fragment, however, must surely be refined using high-tier Yin Fire!"

"And this high-tier Yin Fire is exceedingly rare and difficult to preserve. While the Skeleton Demon can exhale Soul Enchantment Yin Fire, its potency is too low, sufficient only for refining Golden Core level Ghost Pills, but incapable of refining Nascent Soul level Ghost Pills, let alone the Soul Transformation level ones!"

Ye Qin pondered for a moment longer before carefully storing the oracle bone fragment in his storage bag. Time was pressing; he would examine the refinement process for these Ghost Pills once they departed. He had no time to wallow in frustration, focusing instead on the remaining two choices. This large token allowed him two more selections...

" Warship Artifact Refining Art, Minor Divine Ability Artifact Refining Technique, for Nascent Soul Cultivators!"

Moments later, Ye Qin paused, noticing the description on another storage bag. He recalled his arrival in the Blood Sea and the teleportation array at the Ancient Ship Stronghold—the array was situated on the deck of that massive, imposing ancient warship. That warship was a Minor Divine Ability artifact of the giant category. The crafting process and required raw materials for such colossal artifacts were extremely intricate. Often, only Nascent Soul cultivators of immense power possessed the substantial wealth and capability to forge such a vessel for use as their carriage.

The rows of cannon ports lining the warship—each heavy Heaven-Blasting Cannon could pulverize a physically powerful Demon Clan cultivator to dust, and its formidable armor defense was difficult for Demon Clan cultivators to breach. Such a ship could fly high into the sky, unbothered by the ferocious gale-force spiritual energy of extreme altitudes, which often prevented ordinary cultivators from maintaining sword flight. Yet, this warship could navigate the sea surface, and even dive beneath the waves, fearless of sea beast attacks.

An ancient warship of this scale, due to its sheer size, was ill-suited for one-on-one duels between cultivators; it truly excelled in organized naval or aerial combat. In large-scale engagements, these massive combat artifacts were ferociously effective, possessing powerful offensive capabilities, robust defenses, and even serving as temporary transit points. Against the Demon Clan, such ancient warships were mobile fortresses, the backbone of the battlefield. Even the derelict warship at the Ancient Ship Stronghold still functioned as a small base used by numerous Nascent Soul and Golden Core cultivators. Imagine the utility of a perfectly maintained warship artifact!

Only the Heavenly Dao Alliance, the Heavenly Demon Alliance, and Nascent Soul cultivators at the level of Palace Masters or higher could afford such vessels. The refinement methods were exquisitely complex, and the cultivators capable of mastering this art kept the knowledge highly secret; very few in the East Sea could craft them. Ye Qin had not anticipated finding the refining art for a Minor Divine Ability ancient artifact warship in this ancient treasury.

"Both the Heavenly Dao Alliance and the Heavenly Demon Alliance plan to campaign in the Blood Sea, expanding their island territories."

"The Demon Clan cultivators will inevitably react strongly, attempting to prevent the East Sea cultivators from seizing control of the Blood Sea and thereby halting the excessive expansion of East Sea power."

"A new Immortal-Demon War is brewing; it is likely to erupt in the Blood Sea within a century."

"In a hundred years, I should have a high probability of reaching the Nascent Soul realm before the war breaks out!"

"If I possessed a warship like that, my safety would increase immeasurably. The small teleportation array onboard would allow for instantaneous transfers, advantageous whether holding a position awaiting reinforcement or abandoning ship to flee. I wouldn't have to fear being surrounded and killed."

"Conversely, without a warship, if I unexpectedly fell into a heavy encirclement by Demon Clan cultivators, death would be unavoidable."

A warship's utility far surpassed a pile of Minor Divine Ability artifacts or Nascent Soul cultivation texts.

"Of course, even among Minor Divine Ability artifacts, a colossal one like a warship demands hundreds of times the financial investment, raw materials, and complexity compared to smaller divine ability artifacts. Forging one is extraordinarily difficult."

Ye Qin muttered to himself, his thoughts racing as he rapidly calculated the pros and cons. The defeats suffered on the Immortal-Demon battlefront were matters for the Sect Masters and paramount figures; they didn't concern him. For his own part, ensuring personal survival was paramount. With such an ancient warship protecting himself and Bing'er, their chances of survival would increase dramatically. Even if the worst scenario unfolded on the battlefield—a total rout of the East Sea cultivators—he could use the warship's teleportation array to escape alive back to the East Sea Archipelago, the cultivators' main base. The Demon Clan cultivators would absolutely never manage to pursue them all the way from the Blood Sea to the East Sea Archipelago. Otherwise, even if they reached the Nascent Soul realm by then, in a massive Immortal-Demon War, they would only serve as cannon fodder.

Considering this, Ye Qin made his decision. He used his token directly to lift the restrictive light barrier on the stone table and claimed the storage bag.

"The last one."

Ye Qin scanned the remaining items and finally selected a Nascent Soul level Sword Array Art—the Ice Fire Sword Array Art, chosen specifically for Bing'er, as it was the sole Nascent Soul tier sword array art within the treasury suitable for Ice Fire spiritual root attributes.

After selecting three items, when Ye Qin attempted to use his token on another restriction, it remained completely immovable. Ye Qin gazed at the glittering array of storage bags in the inner treasury, then up at the Earth Thunder Pearls embedded in the vault ceiling, sighing with regret. He could only turn away and leave the inner vault, exiting the passage and returning to the outer vault.

"Husband!"

The moment Ye Qin emerged, Huangfu Bing'er, who had been waiting anxiously and worriedly, immediately rushed forward. Ye Qin handed Bing'er the storage bag containing the Ice Fire Sword Art, briefly explaining the situation in the inner vault and the three treasures he had acquired.

Seeing that Ye Qin had ventured deep into the treasure grounds yet still remembered to select an item for her, a warm current flowed through Huangfu Bing'er's heart as she quietly secured the storage bag. She then presented Ye Qin with the three items she had chosen: one was the top-tier Golden Core sword art, Complete Ice Severing Fire Sword Art, intended to replace her Ice Soul Fire Spirit Severing Art. The second was Records of Marvelous and Strange Things, an ancient text documenting numerous rare and exotic treasures, including the uses of many scarce spiritual items—its comprehensiveness made it exceptionally rare. The third was Essentials of Formations and Restrictions.

Huangfu Bing'er knew Ye Qin’s understanding of formations and restrictions was limited, especially given the pervasive ancient arrays and seals throughout the Blood Sea. If he were caught alone or if his companions lacked expertise in formations, he could easily find himself helpless. While this text didn't teach array construction, it thoroughly analyzed various formations and restrictions, greatly aiding in the understanding of array principles. Her foresight was meticulous.

Ye Qin immediately grasped Bing'er's thoughtfulness. He instructed her to safeguard the jade slip containing the Essentials of Formations and Restrictions, then glanced around, shaking his head with a sigh. "There are countless treasures here, but the token's selection limit is extremely strict! What a pity! This is only the Earth Treasury; the other vaults hold numerous items, equally valuable. The Wood Treasury is the most significant."

Ye Qin lingered no longer. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes. "Let's go. Although the haul is considerable, we've spent significant time here. Great Cultivator Cao has a high chance of acquiring a Nascent Soul Elixir! If he seizes the opportunity afforded by the treasury's location and manages to break through, no one inside this vault will be able to touch him. That poses an immense hidden threat; we must find a way to eliminate him as soon as possible!"

Huangfu Bing'er nodded in agreement. "Yes! However, those three Evil Cultivators only have two transit tokens to pass through the passage; there might be complications. We should still make it in time. Let's go!"

This chapter contains four thousand characters, rich with content. Happy April Fool's Day to all readers.