699: Tengri's Heart

Tengri's Heart

Part of her believed that it was just a normal key but if it was like anything else she's experienced, it wasn't.

"It must be a very heavy key". she thought to herself. 

But that no longer concerned her as she entered the Endless Peak Kingdom's treasury. Together with Xing Long, they followed the old man down a spiral staircase, dimly lit with torches. Along the way, Xing Long spoke about the treasury. 

"This treasury has existed since the inception of the Endless Peak Kingdom. When all of the clans chose to merge together, over half of everyone's resources were pooled together. And from then on, it would come to grow with annual contributions. It does get used for emergencies, funding for new projects, or aid when disasters arise. That could be beast attacks, avalanches, or devastating storms."

There didn't seem to be an end o the stairs but it slowly grew wider and wider before the stone walls pulled back revealing a massive cavern.  She felt a rush of power blow through her before seeing piles upon piles of both gold and varying treasures. 

Her eyes widened at the scene. 

"This is... just how much is in here?" she muttered to herself. 

Xing Pangde glanced over his shoulder and chuckled at the look on her face. 

"Luckily for us..." he said, "We haven't had any major incidents in the past few decades and very rarely need to dip into the treasury. Of course, we were ready to do so for the Frostflame Bear but thanks to you, we don't have to anymore."

"I see."

As the trio descended, the young cultivator had a much better look at the treasury, seeing it in its entirety. 

"This... is the entire mountain just hollowed out for the treasury?" she asked them. 

Xing Long shook his head. 

"Not all of it, about a quarter of the mountain had been dug up to create space for this. Preparations have been made to make sure that it doesn't collapse on itself", he told her. 

Finally, they reached the end of the spiral stairs, standing in the middle of the treasury, surrounded by wealth and treasure. 

Both Xing Long and his father turned to Ming Yue. 

"You are welcome to look around and pick a few things, anything in fact. Just don't go too far, there's still a kingdom to run", the king told her. 

The cultivator nodded. 

"Then, I won't take more than a day", she responded. 

"Alright then, once you've made your choice, you can leave whenever you'd like. I'll be waiting for you outside." 

Xing Long said his farewell, leaving her with his father. 

The old man chuckled.

"I'll show you around. Out of everyone, I am familiar with the treasury the most", he said. 

She nodded, taking a step back for him to lead. 

"Please, show me the way. In fact, if there is anything you'd recommend, I do not mind hearing you out."

"Likewise, is there anything that you are searching for? It could be equipment, pills, herbs, whatever you need, I'll see if we have it or not." 

Hearing his offer, she immediately thought back to the ingredients needed for the Crow Immortal's Pill. 

"In that case, is there something like a Dragon Eye Berries? Or a 10,000-year Penzai?" she asked. 

Xing Pangde furrowed his brow and he thought carefully, rubbing his chin. 

"Hmm, I don't believe that we have that. These might be items not from our kingdom", he said. 

The old man then looked at her. 

"You know, if you are in search of those items, there is a man near the Mountain's Ink. If it's him, he might know where you need to find them." 

Ming Yue stared back at him, feeling that he might be talking about the same person she was thinking of. 

"Are you talking about Wo Long?" 

Xing Pangde had a surprised expression when she said his name. 

"Oh! To think you are already acquainted with him. In that case, there is no need for me to do anything in that matter. But that man just loves to research even the most obscure treasures. There is no doubt in my mind that he'll lead you on the right path", he said. 

"However, is that all you are in search of? Is there nothing else that you'd want?" he asked. 

Ming Yue shook her head. 

"I've been traveling in search of these treasures. As far as what I have, I'm more than satisfied", she told him. 

"Hmm, this is going to be a bit difficult but I'm sure that there'll be something for you. What about a third sword, huh? Ever thought about using three swords at once? Eh?" 

He had a cheeky grin, poking a bit of fun at her. 

Ming Yue couldn't help but laugh a bit at his behavior. 

"Two is enough for me", she answered. 

"Mm, alright then, In that case, I'm not quite sure what to recommend. Everything that you have is in Divine Grade. We do have a few things above Divine, most are World Grade with the highest-ranked item a Lower Star Grade. We do have a Peak Star Grade item but someone already has that. Even then, they're all weapons and I don't think any of them trump your two swords."

As he muttered to himself, Xing Pangde walked her through the treasury, heading straight past the mounds of gold towards the treasures. 

"You are at the Sky Realm, maybe we can do something there. Perhaps strengthen your body? Advance your cultivation? Empower your affinities for the elements?" 

The old man glanced over his shoulder, giving her a quick look. 

"Wind and lightning, hmm." 

Ming Yue felt somewhat surprised, not expecting him to see through cultivation so easily. 

"Including him, the king and his wife are all in the Sky Realm. But they're definitely close to the Heaven Realm."

That was all she could glean from seeing them. 

"I wonder what the Heaven Realm is like for Body Cultivators?" 

She asked herself this only to snap out of it when Xing Pangde clapped his hands together. 

"Ah, yes! We do have this!" he said aloud. 

His pace quickened as he moved past piles and piles of treasures before stopping at a particular one. The young woman followed, stopping a few feet away from him and watching as he dug through it, searching for something. 

He did it quite casually, tossing things aside until he found what he was looking for. 

"Ah hah! Found it!"

Out from the pile of treasures, he took out and presented what seemed to be a glowing gemstone. Seeing it with her own eyes, Ming Yue knew immediately that it was incredibly powerful. It was so full of energy that it even made the Frostflame Bear King's core pale in comparison.

"What is it?" she asked. 

With an excited look on his face, he showed it to her. 

"This is known as Tengri's Heart. An ancestor discovered it while hiking through the mountain peaks and to this day, no one has dared to use it. The energy it contains is great and quite unique. Even among the many experts, there aren't many who are compatible with this thing. From what we've discovered over the years, it works well with those who practice the Wind and Lightning Dao. Since you have an affinity for both, this might be a good fit for you", he explained.  1

With Tengri's Heart in his hand, he moved it towards her, letting her take a closer look and even offering her to hold it herself. 

"You can attempt to absorb some of that energy if you'd like. At least, see if it can do you any good", he told her. 

Ming Yue gave him a look before examining the gemstone closely. Certainly, she felt the power emanating from it. It was quite powerful, having both aspects of wind and lightning, strong but flexible. 

"In that case, I will try it then."

And with both hands, she held it to her body. 

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