Chapter 132: The Treasure Map 3

They arrived at another stone chamber. The stone door at its entrance no longer bore the landscape painting from before; instead, it featured an abstract animal. Looking at the long, winding body, Wang Keyue tilted her head and asked, "A snake?"

Xiao Hongyu gazed at Wang Keyue as she tilted her head, his brow smoothing out and his eyes softening with affection. *Ah! The way this little girl tilts her head is just too cute!*

"This isn't a snake; it should be a dragon!" Xiao Hongyu instinctively reached out and pointed at the carving. "Look, these are dragon claws."

Following his lead, Wang Keyue studied the creature in the pattern—it looked like a snake, yet not a snake; a dragon, yet not a dragon. Suddenly, a strange sensation flooded her entire body. Before she could even process it, the feeling vanished.

At that same moment, her fingers touched the stone door again. The moment she made contact, the pattern emitted a soft white glow, and then, both the light and the door vanished.

Both were left feeling bewildered. With the stone door gone, a stone palace was revealed before them. The contents were astonishing; compared to the night-pearl walls of the previous cave, even the floor here was made of solid crystal.

On a throne inside the palace sat a skeleton in a cross-legged position. Beside the remains was the massive, coiled skeleton of an animal. Beneath the animal's coils, the ground was covered in piles of rocks of varying sizes.

Wang Keyue and Xiao Hongyu walked in cautiously. Finding no immediate danger, they drew closer, only to realize with a shock that the two skeletons were unusual—they were emitting a faint green light.

"Xiaobao, what... what is going on?" Wang Keyue felt a chill down her spine.

"This should... probably be the treasure!" Xiaobao checked the treasure map again, finding it equally unbelievable.

Wang Keyue didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She had never imagined that the treasure on the map would turn out to be two skeletons.

"I am the God of Thunder and Flame from the Heavenly Realm. You mortals, how do you possess the power of the Thunder God?" Suddenly, an ancient, majestic voice echoed in their ears.

*Good heavens!* "A ghost! It's a ghost!" Wang Keyue was so terrified she nearly turned to run, but Xiaobao called her back with a dose of logic.

"Don't be afraid! It's just a recording—a recording, that's all!" Xiaobao reassured her.

"This remnant of my soul has been sealed on this desolate continent for thousands of years. If you are willing to take me as your master, I will bestow my remaining divine power upon you, and my contracted divine beast will also serve you." The voice clearly possessed its own consciousness, contradicting Xiaobao's theory.

"Senior, what are your terms?" Xiao Hongyu sensed a trap and dared not agree easily.

"Hahaha! This young man has decent aptitude; he possesses a Fire Spirit Root. As it happens, I possess both Thunder and Fire Spirit Roots. If you both take me as your master, I can pass all my skills to you!" The voice sounded genuinely pleased.

"Senior, you needn't trouble yourself! We stumbled upon this place by accident and disturbed your rest. We shall take our leave now!" Xiao Hongyu and Wang Keyue exchanged glances, seeing the same wariness in each other's eyes.

"Uh... wait a moment. Won't you reconsider?" The previous, lofty tone suddenly lost its edge.

"Senior, our abilities are too weak to bear such a great responsibility. Why don't you try finding someone else?" Wang Keyue said, preparing to retreat with Xiao Hongyu.

She couldn't shake the feeling that this "Senior" was hiding something. As the saying goes, "better safe than sorry." They needed to ensure they were absolutely secure.

As the two feigned departure, a ball of white light suddenly flew out from the animal skeleton. It flew straight toward Wang Keyue and, to her surprise, began rubbing against her.

"What... what is this thing doing?" Wang Keyue had never seen such a strange ball of light.

"It seems to be acting affectionately. Why don't you accept it and see?" Xiao Hongyu felt no malice from the light and encouraged her.

Sensing no danger, Wang Keyue reached out to catch it. The light flashed and was immediately stored away by the system, Xiaobao.

"Little Yue, congratulations! You have received a contracted dragon egg!" Xiaobao’s voice rang out in her mind.

"Heavens! It really is a dragon!" Wang Keyue exclaimed.

"Do you believe now that I harbor no malice? I entrust this Thunder Dragon egg to you to raise with care. I am but a remnant soul; my final wish is to see this egg safe, and now that it is in your hands, I have no regrets. If you are willing to take me as your master, I will pass on my last shred of cultivation. If you are not, I will no longer force you." The voice faded, growing heavy.

After receiving the egg, Wang Keyue read a fragment of memory extracted by Xiaobao. The owner of the skeleton had indeed come from the outside world—a cultivator who, severely wounded, had crossed into this realm and been sealed away. As for who sealed him, the egg held no record. Regardless, for thousands of years, he had been waiting for someone fated to arrive.

Confirming there was no danger, Wang Keyue nodded at Xiao Hongyu. Since this cultivator was willing to accept them as disciples without condition, they could not afford to be overly coy or ungrateful.

Besides, they had already accepted such a precious gift!

"Disciples Wang Keyue and Xiao Hongyu pay respects to Master!" The two knelt before the skeleton and bowed three times in unison.

"Good! Very good! Now the Tianji Sect has a legacy! You must remember: I am the 42nd Sect Leader of the Tianji Sect, Master Xuan Ming." The voice sounded tinged with melancholy. "I hope my disciples will carry forward the Tianji Sect!"

As he spoke, two balls of white light gathered from the skeleton and flew toward them, vanishing into their minds in the blink of an eye.

"May my disciples bring glory to the Tianji Sect! I..." The voice echoed through the palace one last time before the two skeletons crumbled into stardust and dissipated into the air.

In their minds, Wang Keyue and Xiao Hongyu found new memories of the cultivation world and advanced techniques.

Xiao Hongyu received a fire-attribute technique that progressed from simple to complex, including three advanced fire-based skills. Wang Keyue gained a thunder-attribute skill set; while the beginner skills felt redundant, the advanced thunder skills were incredibly tempting.

Among them, the "Thunder Rain Art" could trigger large-scale rainfall, which held immense significance for the nation's agriculture. The "Thunderstorm Art" had the destructive power of twenty or thirty bombs—a truly terrifying weapon.

Overall, the harvest was bountiful. Once this trip to Changbai County concluded, they would return and master these skills.

As they turned to leave, Wang Keyue’s sharp eyes noticed something. Now that the animal skeleton had vanished, the pile of rocks beneath it revealed its true form.

"Wait! This is...?" Wang Keyue gasped in surprise.