Chapter 70: Relics of the Ancients

But would Toma and Tos give him such a chance? Clearly impossible. They had come today solely for revenge; no matter what Matt said, they would never let him go.

“Heh, asking us to spare you? Dream on. That’s out of the question. Today, you must die.”

Toma shouted fiercely, continuing to tear at Matt’s flesh. Originally, Toma and Tos’s fangs could not break through the northern bear’s hide, but Chu Han’s attack had given them this opportunity.

Chu Han’s qilin had opened a gaping wound in Matt’s back, and the two followed this opening, ripping at his flesh. In no time, the hole became a bloody cavity, exposing even the bone.

“Ha ha, die!”

Toma cried out with a savage grin. His claws plunged deep into Matt’s body, crushing his heart in a single grasp. Matt died instantly, beyond saving.

Seeing Matt dealt with, Chu Han finally breathed a sigh of relief. The man’s power was terrifying; if not for his surprise attack, it would have taken considerable effort to handle him.

“Chu Han, thank you. This really felt satisfying. That guy was arrogant every day—I’ve been sick of him for ages. Finally, vengeance is done.”

Chu Han walked over. Tos and Toma hurried forward to thank him, then dragged Matt’s corpse away. Toma, cruel by nature, could not rid himself of hatred even after killing, and insisted on tormenting Matt’s body further.

“All right, you two get on with whatever you need to do. The rare herbs should all be inside, right? I’ll go take a look.”

Chu Han nodded, not troubled by Toma’s brutality. After all, Toma and Tos were magical beasts; their actions couldn’t be judged by human standards.

Chu Han had dealt with great magical beast clans before and understood their ways well. Magical beasts were generally vengeful and unforgiving; Toma was hardly unique in this regard.

“Of course. Just follow this path—you’ll see them. Giving these rare herbs to that fellow was a waste. Only a skilled alchemist like you can truly make use of them.”

Tos nodded, flattering him before leaving. Chu Han couldn’t help but chuckle, waving his hand and heading inside.

The mountain was not large. Chu Han had already caught the scent of high-grade medicinal herbs. He followed the fragrance inward, stopping before a cave.

As expected, at the cave entrance, rare herbs were everywhere. Diverse medicinal plants dazzled the eye: some common, others exceedingly precious, even some extinct in human lands but still thriving here.

Seeing these herbs, his joy knew no bounds. With them, his future cultivation would be twice as effective. Yet each herb had its own unique nature and required a specific method of harvesting; he couldn’t rush and had to proceed carefully.

He handled each herb according to its characteristics and harvesting technique. This took the entire day. By dusk, he was still not finished. Tos and Toma, long since vented their anger, sat bored atop stones, waiting for him.

Though bored, they didn’t have the heart to interrupt Chu Han, seeing how focused he was. They waited quietly.

As time passed and night descended, Chu Han finally completed harvesting all the herbs. Most would need centuries to regrow, so there would be no reason to return here in the future.

He stretched. Just as he was about to leave, he sensed something unusual on the ground. He hurried over, brushed aside the dirt, and found a palm-sized stone etched with strange symbols.

Chu Han quickly took the stone. It was small and not thick, about three centimeters, perfectly shaped. Though he didn’t recognize the glyphs, he had seen similar ones in ancient texts—they belonged to the ancient era.

In those times, this place was formidable, with experts everywhere, even sky-revered masters as common as clouds. But for reasons unknown, they all perished, leaving behind only those who now lived here.

Thus, items from the ancient era were always left by powerful masters; none were useless. If he could decipher them, he could uncover their secrets.

“Jadeite, can you understand these ancient symbols?”

After pondering for a while, Chu Han was still baffled. He could only call upon Jadeite, the living spirit in his jade pendant, hoping she’d recognize them.

After repeated calls, Jadeite’s voice finally sounded, irritated and muttering complaints. But since Chu Han needed her help, he didn’t argue, waiting for her to identify the symbols.

“Well, well, this is indeed an ancient relic. Your luck is truly remarkable. I’ll need some time to decode it—give it to me now.”

Satisfied by her response, Chu Han nodded and placed the stone in his spatial ring, awaiting Jadeite’s analysis. He wondered what it could be.

In his previous life, he’d obtained an ancient artifact—a lamp. Once deciphered, it turned out to be a treasure map, which led him to a trove containing the recipe for a mid-grade celestial pill. With that pill, he reached the peak of half-step sky reverence and eventually broke through, though whether the pill was responsible remained uncertain.

So he was very eager about this stone. If it was another pill recipe, he would be delighted, as he’d have time to study its connection to sky reverence and uncover its secrets.

After all was done, Chu Han smiled and spoke, “You must be impatient by now. There’s no helping it—these herbs require careful handling. Let’s head back.”

Hearing this, Tos and Toma breathed a sigh of relief, quickly leading the way toward the cave they’d visited earlier. Chu Han glanced back at the mountain, thinking he’d likely never return.

Yet unbeknownst to him, not long from now, he would set foot here again—but that is another story, to be told later.

When the three returned to the cave, they found the princess still unconscious. Chu Han was surprised; according to Tos, she should have awakened today.

Before he could ask, the princess slowly woke, opened her eyes, and saw Tos and Toma. Instantly, she was terrified, shrinking into a corner, trembling.

“Don’t come near me—don’t eat me!”

Her pitiful appearance made Chu Han feel a pang of sympathy. She had clearly been badly frightened; who knew what Tos and Toma had done to scare her earlier.

Tos and Toma gave Chu Han an embarrassed smile, then discreetly left the cave, leaving the space to Chu Han and the princess alone.

“Princess, my name is Chu Han. Old Master Zhang Yinshan sent me here to find you, so don’t be afraid. I’ve already made peace with Tos and Toma. We’ll set out for East Wilderness at dawn.”

Chu Han approached, speaking gently, but did not kneel. After all, in his previous life, he was a sky-revered master; before him, a princess of Great Chu was nothing, so there was no need to kneel.

“Hm? You’re human, yet you don’t kneel before me? Do you wish to be executed? Since you were sent by my master, I command you to kill those two magical beasts outside. Then I’ll be lenient with you.”