Of course, William Clark was not truly disappointed. These points of light were definitely secret treasures; he just hadn’t grasped the key yet. In any case, there was no rush—he could study them slowly.

After Emily Carter and Henry Bolton disappeared, it caused quite a stir in Piaoyun Valley. Among the disciples in the Spirit Movement stage, Emily Carter was one of the top three experts. If nothing unexpected happened, she might have succeeded in Foundation Establishment within a few years. Her disappearance naturally drew the sect’s attention. As for Henry Bolton, there was even less need to elaborate. Piaoyun Valley was only a small sect; although Elder Elder Bolton, who was in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, wasn’t exactly the pillar of the sect, he was still one of the few top experts. Such a sudden and inexplicable disappearance shook the entire sect.

With Sect Leader Master Grant personally intervening, countless disciples in both the Spirit Movement and Foundation Establishment stages were sent out to search for the two.

However, after seeing the sect’s reaction, William Clark was not worried but rather pleased. These days, he appeared calm on the surface, but in reality, he had been quietly keeping an eye on the matter. From the sect leader’s response, it was clear that his concern was for the lives of Emily Carter and Henry Bolton, and there was not the slightest hint about the shell treasure.

Thinking further, the fact that Emily Carter dared to kill her master and swallow the treasure without fear of the sect finding out showed that they were not acting under the sect’s orders to seize the treasure. The two of them must have had secrets unknown to others and acted on their own.

Combining the information he had, William Clark came to the above conclusions and let out a huge sigh of relief. As long as Piaoyun Valley didn’t investigate the whereabouts of the shell treasure, it was fine. As for the bodies of Emily Carter and Henry Bolton, William Clark believed no one would find them. Even in the worst-case scenario, even if they were discovered, who would ever connect the deaths of two cultivation experts to a low-level disciple without a spiritual root like him?

He was safe.

Chapter 11: The Sect-Guarding Spirit Beast

William Clark lived his life as usual, boldly and without worry, and time soon proved his deductions correct. Although Master Grant was furious, there was still no progress in the search for Henry Bolton and Emily Carter. Some rogue cultivators or other cultivation sects were even listed as suspects, and Piaoyun Valley had some conflicts with them. Of course, none of this concerned William Clark. Being a low-level disciple had its advantages—he only needed to focus on his own cultivation.

On the surface, William Clark’s life was exactly the same as before: diligent, hardworking, but with little to show for it. In reality, he set aside time every day to study the mysterious points of light within his body.

In the blink of an eye, two weeks passed.

“It seems I need to look up some information and see if I can find any useful clues in the ancient texts.” Lying on his bed, William Clark muttered to himself. Actually, besides this, there was another option: to consult the elders in the sect. Those elders were knowledgeable and well-traveled—surely someone would know.

Of course, this was just a passing thought. William Clark had dismissed it long ago. It was no joke—he understood the saying, “an innocent man gets into trouble because of his wealth.” If those elders discovered the benefits of the blue points of light, wouldn’t they kill him to silence him and seize the treasure by force?

William Clark was not foolish enough to bring disaster upon himself.

Besides, by then, the matter of Henry Bolton and Emily Carter might also be exposed...

The blue points of light were his own secret. William Clark had long been clear about this. He would rather spend more effort to slowly figure it out himself than ever let this matter leak out.

With this decision made, William Clark went to sleep, planning to consult the ancient texts the next day.

Early the next morning, William Clark arrived in front of a grand hall.

This hall was built against the mountain, imposing and magnificent. It was where Piaoyun Valley stored its books. Such an important place was not only located in the heart of the sect but was also protected by multiple layers of restrictions.

There were guards every three steps and sentries every five, and various sect-guarding spirit beasts patrolled the area.

Sect-guarding spirit beasts were actually a type of demon beast. However, unlike wild ones, these spirit beasts were either tamed by experts in the sect or raised by Piaoyun Valley itself.

Simply put, they were domesticated animals raised by cultivators.

But one must never underestimate the power of spirit beasts. They could also manipulate the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and possessed abilities beyond ordinary imagination.

Moreover, spirit beasts were extremely loyal. Once they recognized a master, they would never betray them, and in battle, they fought fearlessly to the death. Therefore, every cultivation sect would raise spirit beasts to guard their gates and mountains.

Roar!

A thunderous roar echoed through the mountains. William Clark had just arrived about two hundred meters from the hall when he heard a warning roar. A flash of red light appeared, and a large, multicolored tiger materialized before him. Unlike ordinary wild beasts, this giant was entirely red, with a faint layer of flames covering its body. The grass nearby began to burn before even touching it.

And its aura was far beyond that of any lion or tiger—a terrifying, overwhelmingly powerful presence swept over, making one’s whole body go cold.

Blazing Flame Tiger, a Grade One Low-Rank demon beast!

Just as cultivators progress through eight stages from Spirit Movement to Tribulation Crossing, demon beasts are also divided into eight grades, each with four ranks: low, middle, high, and supreme.

The Spirit Movement stage corresponds to Grade One demon beasts, Foundation Establishment to Grade Two, and so on...

Although their strength is similar, in a real fight, cultivators of the same level are still stronger. After all, while demon beasts can also manipulate spiritual energy, they lack intelligence and naturally cannot defeat clever humans.