Chapter 23: The Key to the Heavenly Kingdom's Treasure!
The Eye of Gongyang!?
If Jiang Yan remembered correctly, when he previously killed Lady of the Mountain, the Taiping Army treasure she revealed in order to survive belonged to a prominent figure with the surname Gongyang.
Could it just be a namesake?
Jiang Yan suppressed the shock in his heart and asked calmly, “Was this also extracted from the Sick Domain? At the very least, it must be from a Dike-Break level dungeon, right?”
“That’s not the case. This is a historical relic from the present world, related to ancient History Walkers. As a local of Jiangnan Province, you should’ve heard of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, right? This was left behind by one of the major figures at the Old Talisman level after his death.”
Back then, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom happened to encompass areas like Jiangnan Province and Suzhou Province. It was lost for a while due to the chaos of war, but fortunately, we managed to recover most of it.
It’s just a pity that the [Eye of Gongyang] has gone out of control too many times. Especially just a few days ago, after a ritual was completed, it erupted again today without any reason. It feels like it’s on the verge of becoming a high-risk historical relic.”
Ba Lie shook his head, visibly troubled.
It had taken so much effort to obtain an Old Talisman-level historical relic, only for it to turn into a ticking time bomb.
The most frustrating part was that it belonged to the government. Otherwise, they could’ve traded it on the black market.
Unlike now…
It was tasteless to use, yet a pity to discard.
However, upon hearing this, Jiang Yan felt a storm surging within him.
It matched!
It matched perfectly with the treasure information mentioned by Lady of the Mountain!
Thinking back to the gray-blue aura that had leaked from her soul, and how she had ended up in Pan’an County—
And the fact that the Eye of Gongyang had erupted repeatedly in a short span—
Could all of this really be just a coincidence?
Had Lord Gaoshan failed to descend into the present world simply because he wasn’t strong enough?
Jiang Yan’s mind was filled with questions, but there was no further information to verify his suspicions.
‘Still, this is a treasure even Old Talisman-level monsters covet, a legacy from the fallen Heavenly Kingdom.’
Jiang Yan had to admit, his heart was stirred.
He had originally given up searching for it, only for it to come knocking again.
The Eye of Gongyang was very likely the key to finding the treasure.
Most importantly, even if he didn’t go treasure hunting, the Eye of Gongyang’s ability to seek out Earth Veins could help him plant spiritual rice.
But… wasn’t this a bit improper?
He hadn’t even officially started working yet and was already eyeing government property.
“All right, stop lingering here. Go sign your employment contract first.”
Ba Lie still remembered the lesson from the Northern Division and feared delays, so he quickly had Jiang Yan complete the onboarding, apologizing:
“It’s too late today. Tomorrow I’ll gather everyone to celebrate for you.”
“No rush.”
Jiang Yan shook his head and followed Ba Lie away, without requesting to stay.
But if he had asked, Ba Lie would’ve surely agreed.
Still, making such a request on the first day would draw too much attention and make people suspicious of his motives.
Secondly, relics at the Old Talisman level were hard to subdue without sufficient strength, making it difficult to absorb them.
And thirdly, most importantly—
He didn’t like owing others.
Ba Lie had treated him with genuine sincerity, and yet he was already scheming to steal something?
That would be too despicable.
Since Ba Lie had no use for the Eye of Gongyang, it would be better to wait until he grew stronger and then trade some extraordinary materials for it or borrow it for a while.
There was no need to betray his own conscience.
With the existence of the Dark God Embryo, so-called treasures and Old Talisman-level relics weren’t worth much to him.
That was his pride.
“I was too caught up in appearances.” Jiang Yan smiled, feeling at ease, and turned to leave.
He didn’t notice that, deep within his consciousness, the flame of the Ash Lamp quietly gained a new wisp.
...
...
Third floor of the Qing Shi Building, inside the Director’s Office.
The one handling the employment contract was still Tech‑Tired Bro.
He was in charge of the branch’s finances and logistics, so signing was quick, but he had to upload Jiang Yan’s information to headquarters to grant him access to cultivation methods.
Because he had just fallen asleep and was suddenly woken up, Tech‑Tired Bro sat in front of the computer exuding enough resentment to cultivate a Sick Domain.
“Double the overtime pay for you, don’t get emotional!” Ba Lie kept trying to appease him, showing no airs of leadership.
Jiang Yan also felt a bit embarrassed and was about to speak when Tech‑Tired Bro beat him to it:
“Jiang Yan, right? I’ll finish processing your file and upload it in a bit. Once headquarters approves it, you’ll be able to receive your cultivation method in a few days.”
“My name is Niu Tunan. From now on, we’re colleagues—no, you should actually be considered my superior. I’m decent with tech, so if you need anything involving the internet or dream interpretation, just say the word.”
“He’s not just decent—he’s our ace hacker. His ability is also related, so he can instantly collect Sick Domain intelligence and compile it into missions,” Ba Lie praised vigorously from the side.
Niu Tunan merely rolled his eyes and retorted:
“Spare me the flattery, just give me less work.”
“No can do.” Ba Lie suddenly switched faces like a Sichuan opera performer.
“Damn it…”
Niu Tunan had a whole arsenal of colorful phrases he wanted to unleash, but a feathered sleeve-arm covered his mouth, leaving his face flushed red.
“This kid just gets shy too easily. Jiang Yan, I’ll take you to the lounge to get through the night,” Ba Lie said with a smile and turned to leave.
Director Ba, I think our colleague might be a little dead.
Jiang Yan glanced at Niu Tunan’s increasingly bluish face and mentally quipped, then quickly followed after expressing thanks.
As for Zhao Yinman, she had been gone for a while now.
“Phew, I almost suffocated!”
A few seconds later, the feathered sleeve-arm disappeared from Niu Tunan’s body, and he began breathing deeply.
Looking at their departing figures, he complained, “Old Ba really forgets old friends the moment he gets new ones.”
He collapsed into his office chair and opened his phone. His lock screen was a string of quotes:
[If I had even a bit of skill, I wouldn’t be completely without any.]
[Instead of pushing myself, I’d rather let myself go.]
[No one supports my ambitions, so I remain mud that can’t stick to the wall.]
[The strong never complain about their environment. But I’m not strong—I complain about both the environment and the strong.]
“With a Grade A top boss joining the bureau, I’m one step closer to my goal of completely lying flat.”
Niu Tunan nodded in satisfaction, stretched, and leaned back in his chair to catch up on sleep, with no intention of working at all.
Click, click, click!
However, after he fell asleep, the computer and keyboard in front of him started working on their own, organizing and uploading the freshly compiled information, then responding.
A smile crept across sleeping Niu Tunan’s lips, as if he were having a rare beautiful dream, though his body gradually became translucent, and one could faintly see numerous faces connected by threads, emerging within him...
Inside the elevator,
Ba Lie pressed the button for the ninth-floor lounge and broke the silence first:
“Are you thinking I’m terrible, a heartless boss who exploits his employees?”
“Not at all. Director Ba is a visionary, the rudder of the ship. Since you made this decision, there must be a reason behind it. Our job is only to follow,” Jiang Yan replied earnestly.
Ba Lie laughed and cursed, “Cut the official talk. With your perception, you must’ve sensed it, right?”
Jiang Yan chuckled. He had long noticed that although Niu Tunan looked exhausted, the vitality in his body was unusually strong.
His Life Lamp was dreamy and illusory, as if detached from the present world.
It was hard not to suspect that if he wasn’t kept awake, he might ascend at any moment.
Ba Lie habitually took out a cigarette and bit it, but remembering that Jiang Yan didn’t smoke and that they were in the elevator, he put it back and said softly:
“I still don’t know what his first Sick Domain experience was, but he actually gained a dream-path legacy—something rare not just in Jiangnan Province, but across the whole Tianxia Alliance.”
“Even within the dream path, it’s considered an extremely rare and radical cultivation method, named…”
“[True Interpretation of the Woven Endless Reincarnation Dream]!”