“Thunder Preparation Immortal Jade! Thunder Preparation Immortal Jade! This is the supreme material for crafting Thunder Talismans! Heavens above! Heavens above! So much Thunder Preparation Immortal Jade! Who was the senior who left this place? What an astonishing display of generosity!” “Goodness! Ten years ago, a piece of Thunder Preparation Immortal Jade, significantly inferior in quality, no bigger than a human head, was auctioned in the black market for the astronomical price of one hundred and ninety million! My word, look at how much is here!” Several Daoists had already rushed forward in a frenzy, clinging to one of the palace pillars, grunting and straining with all their might, attempting to uproot it. Alas, the pillar stood over ten zhang high, three feet in diameter, and weighed tens of tons—hardly something they could move. These Daoists grew desperate, shouting in unison, “Daoist Penghua, hurry and help us! This is all Thunder Qi Immortal Jade!” “Pah!” Penghua spat, tilting his head to sneer, “The type of technique I despise most is any variation of Pure Yang Lightning Arts. Don't expect me to help you collect this Thunder Qi Immortal Jade.” Penghua’s face darkened. The disciples of the Nine Nether Path feared all forms of Pure Yang Lightning Arts and Pure Yang True Fire. This Thunder Preparation Immortal Jade was the supreme material for making Thunder Charms, the very bane of their Nine Nether Path rivals. For him to help these Daoists collect it? Only if Penghua had gone completely mad or become an utter fool!

Gu Xiechen was first startled by the prices the Daoists had shouted, then his very heart, liver, and lungs trembled violently. He stared dumbly at Zhao Yi and asked with a dry throat, “Why didn't you tell me this was Thunder Preparation Immortal Jade? A single piece, inferior to the quality of these pillars, could fetch nearly two hundred million at auction. How much is this entire palace worth?” The moment he considered that he had only bothered to dig up the gold, silver, and the paved gold bricks when he first arrived, Gu Xiechen felt as if his heart was bleeding. The value of this palace was likely over a hundred times more than all the jewels he had plundered. He felt like he had chased after a tiny sesame seed and abandoned a massive watermelon!

Zhao Yi looked at Gu Xiechen with genuine surprise. “Honored Superior, what value could Thunder Preparation Immortal Jade of such poor quality possibly hold? It cannot even bear the smallest charge of the One Qi Immortal Thunder—it is completely worthless! Frankly, even a hundred times this amount of Thunder Preparation Immortal Jade wouldn't equal the value of one corner of that Heaven-Quenched Blue Crystal!” “Ah!” Gu Xiechen stammered, pointing at Zhao Yi, suddenly realizing the immense chasm in their respective value systems.

Looking sincerely at Zhao Yi, Gu Xiechen let out a long sigh. “Zhao Yi, you must understand. This place… ah, this is not the Grand Sovereign Heaven of Supreme Eternity. This is… the Mortal Dust Realm! Therefore, even a tiny sliver of Thunder Preparation Immortal Jade, which you consider subpar, holds immeasurable value here. From now on, you must inform me about any rare or strange materials you find, do you understand?” Zhao Yi stared at Gu Xiechen, astonished. After a moment, Zhao Yi slapped his forehead abruptly.

“Your subordinate understands now, my lord. Ah, one of my sworn brothers, Brother Yihuan, was once fortunate enough to borrow a scroll from the Heavenly King Guangmu called the ‘Record of Myriad Heavenly Treasures.’ It documents countless spirit stones, spirit herbs, spirit birds, and spirit beasts! My lord could certainly ask Brother Yihuan to borrow that scroll.” Gu Xiechen’s eyes lit up slightly; he stood on his tiptoes and vigorously patted Zhao Yi’s shoulder, nodding with approval.

‘The Record of Myriad Heavenly Treasures’? Excellent, truly excellent! If this book were to be printed and published, how much would the Asian Dao Alliance, the League of Gods, or even the Vatican Curia pay for it? The thought was intoxicating!

Gu Xiechen stood there, chuckling sinisterly, while the Daoist Zhang and the others nearby had already begun a frantic demolition operation. They hefted all manner of weapons—precious swords, long spears, heavy hammers, great axes—and began striking the palace pillars, doors, window frames, and steps with strenuous grunts and heaves, smashing off slabs of Thunder Preparation Immortal Jade and stuffing them into their personal storage artifacts.

Several disciples from the Iron Threshold Temple of the Asian Dao Alliance were the most powerfully built and immensely strong; the Iron Threshold Temple’s signature technique was the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill, meaning all its disciples were robust, brawny heroes. Several bald monks, having conjured up some heavy-duty shovels from somewhere, aggressively hacked and smashed at the palace, breaking off enormous chunks of Thunder Preparation Immortal Jade and stuffing them into their storage bags.

Gu Xiechen took a deep breath and roared, “Brothers, get to work!” Streams of violet light poured forth as Gu Xiechen, accompanied by Zhao Yi and a hundred other strapping men, charged into the underground palace left by Fairy Jin.

“I can’t use magic, I can’t use lightning arts, and I certainly can’t craft Thunder Talismans, but I know how to auction!” Gu Xiechen shouted, directing Zhao Yi and the others to dismantle the palaces and pavilions while continuously stuffing massive blocks of Thunder Preparation Immortal Jade into his Qiankun Pouch. “This is all money! This is all cash!” Penghua, standing nearby with his arms crossed, looking quite relaxed, suddenly saw his face darken. He stomped his foot furiously and roared up at the sky, “Damn it, how did I forget that brat? I’m a zombie, I hate lightning arts, but cash… I have no quarrel with cash! Oh gods, how much cash is here? Heavens above… funding a top-tier federal star for a year costs peanuts! Any random stone here could let me sponsor ten or eight top stars!” Penghua rolled up his sleeves and joined the vigorous demolition team.

Working together in unison, the group spent about three hours successfully tearing down Fairy Jin’s nine-courtyard palace until not a single tile remained. The Dao Alliance disciples, however, were not done; they carefully scoured the ground, picking up every shard of Thunder Preparation Immortal Jade larger than a thumb, placing them painstakingly into their storage bags.

By the end, Fairy Jin’s underground palace was completely stripped bare, so clean that not even a speck of dust remained on the ground.

“Heh heh, my lords, a fine haul, a fine haul!” Daoist Zhang chuckled, patting his belt.

The Dao Alliance disciples also laughed heartily, hands on their hips. They were all drenched in sweat from exertion, but their hearts were filled with a sense of profound accomplishment. Bringing back this much Thunder Qi Immortal Jade to their sects meant their rewards would certainly not be small. For the various sects of the Asian Dao Alliance, the Thunder Charms made from Thunder Preparation Immortal Jade were equivalent to modern firearms in the mortal realm—offensive weapons that were both highly destructive and easy to use. Naturally, the more the better. Every piece of Thunder Qi meant an increase in a sect’s actual strength!

“Hey, keep working hard, my brothers! There should be more treasures in this underground palace, heh heh, let’s see if we can find anything else!” Penghua wiped the sweat and dust from his face, making his pale complexion look patchy black and white. Penghua too had been stimulated into an ecstatic frenzy by the sheer volume of Thunder Qi Immortal Jade. He eagerly scanned his surroundings, hoping to discover even more priceless artifacts.

It wasn't just Penghua; the eyes of every Dao Alliance disciple gleamed with greedy, verdant light. This haul was far too immense. Such ancient cave dwellings could never remain on Earth; virtually every famous mountain and great river had already been excavated bare. This harvest alone was enough to double the overall strength of the Asian Dao Alliance!

Human desire knows no bounds; everyone wanted to secure a little bit more treasure for themselves.

Gu Xiechen’s face was stern, but his heart was pounding, his heart was bleeding. This fellow Zhao Yi had caused him to lose so much! Nevertheless, Gu Xiechen forced himself to squeeze out a faint smile; otherwise, he wouldn't fit in with this frenzied crowd of Dao Alliance disciples, would he?

As the group was tapping and searching throughout the underground palace, the rock strata directly above them suddenly sank downwards. In the next instant, accompanied by a terrifying sound of fracturing, the hundred-meter-thick layer of rock overhead collapsed with a massive roar.

An overwhelming, suffocating wave of spiritual energy blasted down from above, causing Gu Xiechen, Daoist Zhang, and the others to simultaneously vomit blood.