The treasure-hunting cultivators who had previously entered the various passages of the treasury were now almost all out.

Only the Cao clan faction remained in the Wood Repository, taking a long time to emerge.

The other Golden Core cultivators had either perished in the central hall of the treasury or died within the various passages.

Cultivator Pang greeted the other cultivators, his eyes shifting, but he mentioned nothing of his own gains, nor did he inquire about theirs. However, even without his words, others knew that the Fire Repository he entered contained a large quantity of top-tier talismans and extremely potent consumable treasures, making it exceptionally formidable.

As for the Water Repository entered by Kong Shi, it held supreme-grade refining and pill-making materials that Ren Ren had desperately sought. The specifics of what he obtained were known only to him.

No matter the treasures housed in any other repository, none could compare to the Nascent Soul Pills within the Wood Repository.

Breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm—that was the fundamental goal for this group of mid-to-late stage Golden Core cultivators.

The treasure-hunting cultivators, who had been fiercely fighting over tokens moments before, were now gathered together, completely omitting any mention of their previous mutual attacks.

Sun Xing articulated the matter concerning the Cao clan.

"The Cao clan—they must be slain!"

Cultivator Pang, upon hearing this, responded with just four words in a deep voice.

"Although this ancient treasury cannot be plundered further, we have no urgent affairs requiring us to depart immediately. Moreover, there might still be rogue cultivators from the Savage Isles outside. It won't be too late to leave after we kill the Cao clan."

Kong Shi did not object.

Since no one raised an objection, this course of action was decisively settled.

As for how the Nascent Soul Pills would be distributed after the Cao clan was eliminated, that was the real trouble. However, after some deliberation, the cultivators ultimately agreed that whoever struck the killing blow against the Cao clan would receive one Nascent Soul Pill, and the remaining two would go to those who contributed the most.

"Wishing to kill them is one thing; being able to kill them is quite another."

Cultivator Pan said this, glancing at Ye Qin with an amused look, before continuing, "You are all already aware of the conditions within these treasury passages. Without the protection of a Wood Repository access token, attempting to force entry into the Wood Repository to kill the Cao clan might result in one's own demise first... I wonder how Fellow Daoist Sun and Fellow Daoist Ye plan to deal with the Cao clan?"

This statement caused the assembled cultivators to frown, though they knew it was true.

"What if the Cao clan attempts to forcefully achieve Nascent Soul formation inside the Wood Repository? If he succeeds in becoming a Nascent Soul cultivator, we will all be in grave danger if we remain here."

Cultivator Sun hesitated for a moment before asking.

"He dares!!!"

A sharp glint flashed in Sun Xing's eyes, and a cold smile tinged with killing intent appeared at the corner of his mouth. "Achieving Nascent Soul is not something one can decide on a whim; it requires at least several months, or even years, of secluded cultivation. If the Cao clan focuses entirely on forming a Nascent Soul within the Wood Repository and dares not come out, then we can forcefully rush into the Wood Repository and kill him! While the Wood Repository contains a large number of Wood-element spirits and monsters, they might not be able to stop us! We will take his life before he can form his Soul."

Sun Xing made a fierce declaration, but the others did not take it entirely seriously, viewing it merely as a way to boost morale.

All the cultivators now knew that the various passages of the treasury were teeming with spirits and monsters formed from spiritual energy—over a hundred of them, all possessing strength equivalent to late-stage Golden Core cultivators or higher. Their group of a dozen or so Golden Core cultivators rushing in would simply be sending themselves to their deaths.

At least a significant portion of them would have to perish before they could possibly reach the Wood Repository.

If they could pass through easily, they wouldn't need to wait for anything.

Cultivator Fan, who had remained quiet and low-key, suddenly spoke up, "The Cao clan absolutely dares not attempt to form a Nascent Soul within this ancient treasury."

"Why?"

The others were surprised and curious, quickly inquiring about the reason.

"The reason is actually quite simple. The breakthrough to Nascent Soul, crossing the celestial barrier, will inevitably trigger a wide-ranging fluctuation of spiritual energy in the world, generating a Great Celestial Tribulation, sending down immensely powerful Heavenly Thunder. However, this ancient treasury is located deep underground, and the Heavenly Thunder likely cannot tear through the crust. Furthermore, this treasury has various protective measures; the tribulation lightning simply cannot penetrate. Therefore, there is no Heavenly Thunder inside the treasury."

Cultivator Fan stated plainly.

"Then isn't the Cao clan perfectly positioned to use this Wood Repository to evade the Great Celestial Tribulation? In that case, wouldn't his chances of forming a Nascent Soul actually be greater?"

Kong Shi was even more perplexed, and after speaking, he seemed to realize the implication, "In that scenario, the Cao clan's opportunity to become a Nascent Soul cultivator might actually be easier. That would truly be troublesome!"

"Dream on! Fellow Daoist Kong seems to have forgotten about the Thunder Orbs within the Wood Repository!!"

Cultivator Fan glanced at Kong Shi and said indifferently, "If he attempts to undergo the Great Celestial Tribulation inside the repository, while he won't summon Heavenly Thunder, he will certainly invite the bombardment of the numerous Wood-element Thunder Orbs within the repository. The power of these Thunder Orbs is far more terrifying than the Great Celestial Tribulation; even a Nascent Soul cultivator would face certain death, unable to withstand them. If he dares to form a Soul inside, he is purely courting death. Therefore, if he wishes to form a Soul, he absolutely must come out and choose another location."

Cultivator Sun was ashamed, realizing he hadn't considered this point.

"Even so, purely for self-preservation, what if he remains inside the Wood Repository, neither forming a Soul nor coming out? Must our group of cultivators truly waste time waiting here indefinitely? That's no solution either. In that case, we still have to enter the Wood Repository and kill him!" Cultivator Pang frowned. "At that time, which of you fellow Daoists dares to enter with me? The Wood Repository passage is mostly filled with Wood-element spiritual energy elementals. Once we clear them out, we can proceed."

The others turned their gazes in surprise, secretly guessing where his confidence came from to pass through the Wood Repository passage.

Cultivator Pan making such a declaration clearly indicated he possessed sufficient means.

Perhaps he had acquired some top-tier talismans in the Fire Repository that could assist him in getting through.

The assembled cultivators were momentarily moved.

If there were top-tier talismans capable of forcibly opening the Wood Repository passage, they could consider going in.

Sun Xing was unaware of what means Cultivator Pan possessed or what his plan was, but with his own small divine-ability artifacts, he didn't oppose the idea. While the Wood Repository passage was perilous, it might not necessarily cost him his life.

Ye Qin certainly wasn't afraid to enter the passage either; his offensive and defensive methods were no less than those of Sun Xing or Cultivator Pang.

"Rushing into the Wood Repository is extremely dangerous; that should be the last resort we consider!"

Sun Xing pondered for a moment. "The Cao clan's actions are all just our speculation. Perhaps the Cao clan will proactively come out, and we won't need to force our way in. Let's set up an ambush here in the main hall and wait for a few days. If they don't emerge, then we will consider forcing entry."

"This main hall is too open; how can we set up an ambush?"

Ye Qin surveyed the hall, puzzled. This hall offered no cover; the spiritual sense of a Golden Core cultivator could sweep through and discover anyone. Even those skilled in concealment techniques probably couldn't hide in such a place.

"Fellow Daoist Ye, do not fret!"

Sun Xing smiled, taking an artifact from his storage pouch and shaking it. A shimmering white halo, nearly ten feet long, floated out.

"This is the Azure Silk Curtain, a defensive small divine-ability ancient artifact I obtained from the Gold Repository. When deployed, this item can cover an area of several hundred feet and completely conceal the movements of up to several hundred high-rank cultivators simultaneously. The defensive power of this ancient artifact is also extremely strong, impervious to high-level spells of water, fire, lightning, and other elements. Even Nascent Soul cultivators cannot see through the concealment."

This type of small divine-ability artifact automatically enveloped the dozen or so Golden Core cultivators present without requiring the consumption of magical power to activate it, which is why Sun Xing could use it. If he needed to enlarge it to cover hundreds of people, Sun Xing couldn't manage it unless he was willing to expend a great deal of his own vital energy to drive it.

"A small divine-ability artifact!"

The eyes of the crowd were filled with amazement. Hearing about a small divine-ability artifact was completely different from seeing one firsthand.

"Fellow Daoist Sun has excellent taste and skill! With this item in hand, you could move freely in and out of the Wood Repository without disturbing those elementals! Why bother setting up an ambush outside? In future treasure hunts, Fellow Daoist Sun will be able to go anywhere, and your harvests will undoubtedly be incredibly rich."

Cultivator Pang stared at the Azure Silk Curtain with a touch of jealousy.

The talismans he obtained from the Fire Repository, while extremely powerful, were single-use items. They were not as valuable as this small divine-ability artifact, which could be used repeatedly and would last even until the Nascent Soul stage.

"Not at all. This artifact has a small drawback: it cannot be moved. The moment it shifts, its aura is revealed, and the concealment fails."

Sun Xing noticed Pang's jealousy, a sharp glint flashing across his eyes, but he still chuckled, "The Cao clan rogue cultivators could appear at any moment. Fellow Daoists, please enter quickly. The Cao clan cannot undergo the Great Tribulation within the Wood Repository; they will eventually come out to investigate. As long as we remain hidden within the Azure Silk Curtain, they will not find us and will certainly try to use this ancient teleportation array to leave. The moment they exit the Wood Repository passage and appear in the main hall, that will be the time of their demise!"

Sun Xing unfurled the "Azure Silk Curtain" and covered all the cultivators from above, concealing their forms.

After a moment, he suddenly remembered something and said to the Wang uncle and nephew, and Cultivator Fan, "If the hall appears completely empty, it might arouse the Cao clan's suspicion, making them hesitant to come out. You three should speak out to lure them toward the ancient teleportation array."

The Wang uncle and nephew immediately jumped up in alarm. "How can that be allowed? My uncle and nephew only have mid-stage Golden Core cultivation; we are no match for them at all. Those ruthless Cao clan rogue cultivators could kill us both with a mere wave of their hands. Sending us out would be suicide!"

"With the strength of you three fellow Daoists, the Cao clan will likely not be overly vigilant toward you; you are the best candidates. With so many Golden Core cultivators here, we will certainly ensure your safety. After this is done, I will certainly reward you handsomely!" Sun Xing said impatiently. "Fellow Daoist Sun's considerations are meticulous; I shall go out."

Cultivator Fan spoke, stepping directly out of the cyan light barrier.

The Wang uncle and nephew glanced at each other, hesitated for a moment, and then, seeing that so many cultivators had set up an ambush, figured nothing disastrous would occur, so they reluctantly followed suit, sitting down far off in a corner, their expressions somewhat unhappy.

Everyone held their breath and quieted down, their gazes fixed on the entrance to the Wood Repository passage.

For a time, the hall was so silent that only the breaths of the three cultivators—the Wangs and Fan—could be detected.