Chapter 236: It's All a Setup

Within the imperial palace of the Qin Spirit Dynasty.

"Long'er, has something been troubling you lately?" The Qin King had just emerged from a ten-year seclusion to comprehend the rules and break through to the Great Heavenly Rank, only to find someone had slaughtered his child, which filled him with rage.

Zou Tenglong was born to the Qin King and his most beloved woman. Unexpectedly, within a few years, that beloved woman died. The Qin King, grief-stricken, eventually turned his sorrow into motivation and went into seclusion.

A kingdom cannot be without a ruler for a day, so the Qin King used a secret art to control a person, forcibly提升 their cultivation, altered their appearance, and made them impersonate him.

Now that his most cherished child had been brought back from the dead, he was naturally overjoyed. Though he did not know the reason, the Qin King attributed it all to heaven's blessing on his son.

"Father, your son is fine, but I feel guilty for concealing something from you." Zou Tenglong was no longer the same Zou Tenglong as before.

After being possessed by the Jade-like White Bone, he was no longer the Zou Tenglong of old.

The Qin King gently stroked Zou Tenglong's head. "It's fine, Long'er. No matter what you conceal, your father will not be angry."

"Father, this is a fragmentary map I bought from a stall while traveling in the imperial city. The location marked is the forbidden land, the Burial Sea Demon Land." Zou Tenglong took out a map made of unknown material, but it appeared to be quite old.

Hearing the words 'Burial Sea Demon Land,' the Qin King was slightly startled. He then took the fragmentary map and examined it carefully.

On this fragmentary map, there was only one coordinate: the Burial Sea Demon Land.

And above the map, a few small characters were annotated.

"Seven Saints' Treasure Map."

The Qin King's expression shifted slightly as he looked at the map.

"Long'er, has anyone else obtained this map?" the Qin King asked.

"I don't know. After I got the map, I kept it on me. Originally, I planned to explore the Burial Sea Demon Land once I grew stronger. But now I've come to realize that such a treasure map, whether it holds treasures or not, should be handed over to you, Father." Zou Tenglong said.

"My good son." The Qin King nodded, then told him to rest well and left.

Watching the Qin King leave, Zou Tenglong's calm face suddenly revealed a sinister smile.

"Despicable wretch, the day I see the light again will be your death day." Zou Tenglong clenched his fists, and eerie flames flickered in his eyes.

...

At that moment, in an unknown forest.

A man and a bird walked cheerfully.

"One for you, one for me. Little Chick, you need to grow up quickly."

"Cluck cluck cluck..."

Lin Fan took out the pills from the storage rings and happily started popping them with Little Chick.

Little Chick stood on Lin Fan's shoulder, flapping its wings excitedly, and with its pointed beak, it quickly swallowed a pill.

Lin Fan was very satisfied with this robbery. Overall, the mission had gone smoothly, and he had plundered many good pills.

Especially Blood God, who had contributed a large amount of precious resources, enough for Lin Fan to have a good feast.

As for some strange pills, Lin Fan did not take them. For instance, a Three-Infant Pill, though of high quality, was somewhat inhumane.

This Three-Infant Pill was made by taking an infant from its mother's womb as soon as it took shape, then soaking it in herbs and refining it with various spiritual medicines.

Even if Lin Fan was desperate for experience, he would never take this pill—it was simply too harmful to the natural order.

At this moment, Lin Fan took out the Seven Saints Treasure Map and studied it carefully.

The next destination was the Burial Sea Demon Land.

Originally, Lin Fan had thought the Seven Saints Treasure Map was a good thing, but now, to him, it was something that would make the other party pay a price.

Lin Fan had many doubts in his heart. Although he understood that the Seven Saints Treasure Map was not a good thing, he didn't know exactly how many people the Seven Saints were.

From the moment he obtained that pill, Lin Fan knew that this was a trap set by someone.

That Heaven-Defying Fate-Altering Divine Pill was indeed a divine pill. No matter one's aptitude, even if it was extremely poor, it could transform it into top-tier aptitude. However, within the Heaven-Defying Fate-Altering Divine Pill, a wisp of divine consciousness was hidden. This divine consciousness was incomplete, only a part of the complete consciousness. If someone unluckily swallowed the pill, although their aptitude would improve, they would be possessed by this incomplete divine consciousness.

If it weren't for the system's ability to detect and warn him, Lin Fan would have fallen for it.

But thinking about it, it made sense.

This damn ancient treasure and all that—it was all a scam. Which great cultivator would willingly distribute their lifelong treasures, draw a map, and leave it for future generations to obtain?

Unsolicited kindness is either treacherous or thieving.

This saying was a famous maxim; there was no such thing as a free lunch.

Even after experiencing this, Lin Fan began to doubt his own system, wondering what its purpose was.

But as for the system, Lin Fan was too lazy to guard against it. After all, his current strength was entirely given by the system. If the system wanted to do something bad, what could he use to resist?

So, for things that couldn't be resisted, it was better not to think about them.

Now, the great cultivator behind the Seven Saints Treasure Map had drawn it as a map for future generations to retrieve, leading them step by step into an abyss from which they couldn't extricate themselves, eventually becoming the cultivator's cauldron.

Thinking of this, Lin Fan couldn't help but laugh. If he hadn't experienced this personally, he would have believed the nonsense in those novels.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo..." The chick had just refined a pill and started urging again.

"What's all that noise? Do you think I'd shortchange you?" Lin Fan tossed a pill over, and the chick immediately caught it in its beak, then showed a satisfied expression with a chicken-like face.

Lin Fan also threw a handful of pills into his mouth.

"Ding, congratulations on consuming the Earth-grade lower-tier pill, Refining Spirit Pill. Experience increased by two million."

...

As each pill turned into experience, Lin Fan's heart was also quite delighted.

The sky gradually darkened, with thunder and lightning flashing, a sign of impending rain.

Lin Fan couldn't help but quicken his pace. He needed to find a place to settle down first. After walking more than ten miles forward, a cave appeared before him.

Inside the cave, Lin Fan looked around. On the ground were remnants of burnt black wood, indicating that someone had spent the night here before.

Lin Fan tidied up a bit, took a blanket from his backpack, and spread it on the ground.

At that moment, the heavy rain outside began to pour down.

Lin Fan couldn't sleep. Remembering the leftover items in his backpack from his past robberies, he thought that since they were just sitting there, he might as well use them.

Lin Fan hadn't refined artifacts in a long time. Now that the thought came to him, he felt a bit eager.

The divine artifact, the Ninety-Five Big Red Brick, was the product of that desperate struggle back then. He wondered if he still had that kind of luck now.