Chapter 24: The White Jade Thumb Ring

The storage space, resembling a jade bracelet, opened up, revealing a vast and boundless domain before Lin Jiufeng's eyes.

It was like a massive floating island, suspended in the void, surrounded by a misty white expanse. The island itself was not large—its boundaries could be seen at a glance. Lush green grass covered the ground, and at its center stood a towering cherry blossom tree in full bloom. A gentle breeze carried the delicate fragrance of the blossoms, sending pink petals fluttering down to blanket the ground.

Not far from the cherry blossom tree, a beautifully crafted wooden cabin stood, its structure exquisite and refined. Inside, several large chests were neatly arranged.

The sacred beast Qilin, standing beside Lin Jiufeng, gasped in astonishment. "This is a living storage artifact! An absolute treasure!"

"What do you mean?" Lin Jiufeng asked, puzzled. A living storage artifact?

Qilin explained, "Most storage artifacts function by using immense magical power to carve out and contain a fragment of space. Since this space is forcibly severed from the natural world, it becomes lifeless—a dead void. Only inanimate objects can be stored inside; anything living that enters would perish instantly."

"But this one is different. This storage space is alive. When it was refined, the creator must have poured immense effort into it. That cherry blossom tree is still thriving, absorbing spiritual energy from the outside world. That means we can enter and even hide inside if we're ever in danger."

Hearing this, Lin Jiufeng immediately pulled Qilin into the storage artifact.

As his feet touched the island's grassy surface, he was astonished by the soft, lifelike texture. Qilin, excited beyond measure, retracted its holy flames and began rolling around in the grass with unrestrained joy. "I was right! This storage artifact is top-tier. It might be the most valuable treasure the Little Shura King possessed."

Lin Jiufeng nodded in agreement. He took in the sight of the grass, the cherry blossom tree, the elegantly crafted wooden cabin, and the spiritual energy permeating the air. Then, extending his divine sense, he tested whether he could perceive the outside world from within.

To his surprise, he could.

His divine sense effortlessly pierced through to the outside, yet the connection was only one-way. From the outside, no one would be able to probe into this space.

"That explains why it's such a perfect hiding place," Lin Jiufeng remarked with satisfaction.

"Let's check out the cabin!" Qilin wasted no time, rushing in and flinging open the chests. Moments later, its voice rang out in sheer delight, "Boss! There are tons of storage artifacts here!"

Lin Jiufeng strode over and looked inside the chests. Sure enough, they were filled with various storage items—rings, pouches, necklaces, belts...

Qilin eagerly inspected them one by one, exclaiming with excitement each time it opened one.

"This one holds thousands of pounds of divine essence!""This one is filled with rare herbs!""This one contains refined pills!""This chest has magical artifacts!""...More divine essence here!"

Qilin continued its enthusiastic inventory.

With meticulous care, it tallied up the findings and reported, "We have 200,000 pounds of divine essence, along with numerous pills, artifacts, rune scrolls, and formation banners..."

Lin Jiufeng wasn't particularly interested in anything except the vast quantity of divine essence. "With this much divine essence, your cultivation will improve significantly."

Qilin was taken aback. "Boss, you're not using any of it?"

Lin Jiufeng shook his head. "I have my own cultivation methods. My comprehension is strong enough that I don't need external resources as much. You should absorb it instead. If you can break through, that would be ideal—it would extend the duration of your innate divine abilities."

Qilin hesitated for only a moment before agreeing. "Alright! I really do need to power up. I'll stay here and refine the divine essence. You be careful out there, Boss."

Lin Jiufeng nodded. "I'll continue using the identity of the Nightshade Prince. No need to worry."

That identity had proven incredibly useful, and now that his cultivation had reached the mid-stage of the Twelve Seals Realm, it would be even harder for anyone to see through his disguise.

"Why not use the identity of the Little Shura King instead?" Qilin asked curiously.

"His reputation is too terrible—it would make things difficult," Lin Jiufeng replied flatly.

Qilin then asked, "Boss, are you still planning to find Sword God Emperor Liu?"

"Of course," Lin Jiufeng answered firmly. "He's a mighty figure of the human race. I have to find him."

"Then you better hurry," Qilin urged. "The longer you wait, the greater the risk."

Lin Jiufeng shared the same concern. Without further delay, he exited the storage artifact, returning to the small island in Yunmeng Great Marsh.

Once outside, he refined the storage artifact, engraving his divine imprint onto it. Only then did he relax and examine the item closely.

"A jade bracelet is still too large. If only it were smaller." Lin Jiufeng sighed.

Buzz!

The jade bracelet trembled and suddenly shrank, transforming into a white jade thumb ring.

Lin Jiufeng was astonished. "You can understand me?"

The ring remained silent.

Lin Jiufeng decided to test it further. "Enlarge."

The thumb ring expanded, returning to its original bracelet form.

"Make it even bigger."

Nothing happened.

"Shrink."

The bracelet once again turned into a thumb ring.

"Even smaller."

Again, there was no response.

Lin Jiufeng concluded, "So it only has two states—a white jade thumb ring and a bracelet. But that's good enough."

Satisfied, he stored the ring and turned his attention to an object lying quietly on the grass—the key to the Taiyuan Immortal Palace.

Sword God Emperor Liu had stormed the Nightshade Clan's stronghold in pursuit of this key, causing immense upheaval. The Little Shura King had schemed tirelessly to obtain it, only to meet his own downfall. Countless prodigies from various races had also set their sights on it.

And now, that very key lay in Lin Jiufeng's palm.

The moment he grasped it, a wave of refreshing energy surged through his body—not just physically, but spiritually as well. His jumbled thoughts cleared, his exhaustion vanished, and even his divine soul felt reinvigorated.

"As expected, the Taiyuan Immortal Palace is extraordinary," Lin Jiufeng mused. "Even its key is remarkable."

Without hesitation, he began sealing the key's aura.

Forming intricate seals with his hands, he channeled his true energy, layering powerful restrictions over the key.

The Little Shura King had used this key's aura to locate Sword God Emperor Liu. Lin Jiufeng had no intention of repeating that mistake.

Once the key was fully sealed, he stored it within the white jade thumb ring and immediately set off in search of Sword God Emperor Liu.

He had a strong feeling that the legendary swordsman was in dire straits.

If not, given the small size of this island, Sword God Emperor Liu would have already dealt with both Lin Jiufeng and the Little Shura King the moment they arrived.