After walking for a while, they all arrived at a large mountain. Yasenia tilted her head, confused, her eyes scouring the large natural marvel. "Weren't we going to the treasury?"
Lan Shuyao smiled and pointed at the distant mountain. "That's the treasury. We've hidden it under this mountain, using illusion and concealing formations, so no one gets any strange ideas. It is also a secret only top-ranked Lan Family members know about…" Her gaze moved toward Tatyana and showed a wry smile. "And your mother."
Tatyana smiled. "The concealing formation is lacking, so I came across it while traveling around the Lan family's terrain."
The fact that it was hidden surprised Yasenia for two reasons. The first was that being so covert with it meant that it had previously been in danger of being robbed. For a family of the Lan Family's level, this was absolutely unthinkable. 'I guess anything can happen.'
The second reason for her surprise was that Lan Shuyao actually let her know. As if reading Yasenia's mind, Lan Shuyao smiled and explained. "You both are high above us. I would only blame myself for not knowing both of your personalities if this resulted in us being robbed."
Yasenia blinked and chuckled. "I am quite greedy, though."
Lan Shuyao nodded. "You are. However, before greediness, you are indifferent. Your exterior looks warm, but your heart is like a piece of ice for those who don't concern you. After we part ways, our connection will probably be severed."
She was not delusional enough to be deceived by Yasenia's two weeks of patience with her. The only reason Yasenia was warm and always relenting was to make the treatment process smooth-sailing and to achieve better results. That was one of the few reasons that she didn't hold back when teasing and tempting Yasenia. If it worked, well, she would have a great time. But as she had expected, every gesture was ignored.
Yasenia glanced at Lan Shuyao strangely, while the woman smiled at her. "Your type of coldness is very unique, though. You help others and are also somewhat merciful, but if you fail to save them or decide to kill, your heart won't even skip a beat. If I read you right, you only care for those you've accepted in your heart, while for others, you act rationally, never putting emotions in the way."
Tatyana was impressed. Lan Shuyao was probably one of the very few people who accurately discerned the type of thought process Yasenia usually went through.
The dragoness didn't answer to her words, not finding it strange that she read her so well. After staying together for two weeks straight without stepping more than three steps apart, it was natural that they would talk about a few things. Her opinions on different matters might've revealed her personality, and that was okay. She was not ashamed of how she behaved.
"Either way, we've arrived."
Yasenia and Tatyana refocused on the mountain ahead and saw a large cliffside. Lan Shuyao stepped forward, moving her hands to create a few symbols, and slapped them lightly on the cliff. Once she did so, a very small crack opened, enough to fit one person.
"Follow me."
The three moved through the narrow entrance at a decent pace for about 30 minutes before they finally arrived at an open space. The large space that opened before them was around thirty meters tall and wide, with a massive door carved with endless formations and symbols right in the middle.
Lan Shuyao landed on the ground, with Yasenia and Tatyana following right after. "This is the entrance. Once we are inside, be careful and don't touch anything without telling me first. The number of traps is innumerable."
Yasenia nodded, and soon, Lan Shuyao opened the grand doors guarding the treasury. They moved loudly, rumbling deeply as they dragged on the sturdy rocks below it. Once it opened enough for two people to move between them, it stopped.
Once inside, Yasenia's scent receptors started going crazy. She involuntarily took a few deep sniffs, her eyes squinting as the smell of treasures tingled her brain. "So nice~."
Both seniors chuckled at her antics, finding her cute. "The treasures here are nothing. You can find a Supreme Ranked treasure here and there, but nothing too extraordinary. The good stuff is deeper inside."
'As expected, a family with hundreds of thousands of years of history has really deep pockets. Even when maintaining the family is not cheap, the benefits far outweigh the losses.'
The inside of the treasury had high ceilings, and the white walls were all glimmering with a multitude of colors. The pillars were each more intricate than the other, and the marble floor created an audible echo with each of their steps.
On the sides, Yasenia could see some small mountains of miscellaneous treasures, while higher up from the ground, swords, cauldrons, herbs, and many other fantastical ones hung in an orderly manner.
"And this is just the entrance…"
Yasenia considered herself quite a rich woman. After all, she had stolen rings from many strong cultivators. However, she now understood that individual cultivation couldn't compare to having the backing of a large family or sect.
Thinking this, she couldn't help but glance at Tatyana resentfully. "Why was I not spoiled with treasures when I was little? I've always felt as if you barely gave me anything in the past."
Tatyana laughed and smiled at her. "Did you think Draheart fell in your hands randomly, love? Moreover, when you were a child, I used all types of medical soups and pills to enhance your mortal body. Even before you started your cultivation path, you already had the strength of one."
Yasenia blinked, and Tatyana poked one of her proud mountains. "Silly girl, the best gift a senior can give a junior is not a Supreme Ranked treasure, which, by the way, I gave you. The best thing is building a solid foundation where they can build their towering cultivation later."
Yasenia blinked and remembered her spatial ring. As Tatyana had said, Yasenia had always been in possession of a Supreme Ranked treasure. Moreover, her weapon had not changed once after she got Draheart, which is one of the biggest headaches for most cultivators.
Lan Shuyao agreed with Tatyana. "I think that Lady Tatyana gave you more than enough. Don't you have some life-saving treasures with you as well?"
The dragoness felt a bit embarrassed now that they pointed out everything. Moreover, she could also remember the pills and many other miscellaneous items that she never missed.
"Ahem… You could've given me a bit more, no?"
Tatyana rolled her eyes gently. "Greedy little thing. Now that you've reached the Transcendence Realm, I can spoil you rotten, but before that, I had to be careful so that I didn't deviate from your fate. Plus, I am not afraid to confess that you not only had a Supreme Ranked treasure with you, but an Ancient Ranked one as well."
Yasenia hugged Tatyana's arm with a smile. "I knew you treated me the best… Wait. Ancient Rank? Which one?"
"As if I'd tell you." Tatyana snorted once, but there was a smile at the corner of her lips. Then, her gaze became a bit complicated. "I am just glad that you never had to use it, and I wish that it keeps being that way. Best case scenario, that item becomes a forgotten one and keeps on gathering dust in your spatial ring for all eternity."
Lan Shuyao commented. "As you may well know, Yasenia, treasures beyond Heaven Rank are divided into Transcendent, Supreme, Ancient, and Immortal ranks. While there are legends of treasures going beyond that, they probably only appear in the Ancient Heavenly Layer, two layers above us."
Lan Shuyao pointed to the left of the forked road in front of them. "Tatyana has entered here without our permission, so she probably knows the depth of our wealth. Down that road, there are the top 20 treasures of our Lan Family: two Immortal Rank ones and eighteen Seven to Nine-Star Ancient Rank Treasures. Those treasures are sealed behind doors because if they were known to the outside world, many powers would start targeting us to find a just cause to rob us."
Our dear Yasenia, who owned several Immortal Ranked cultivation techniques, blinked her eyes innocently. 'Perhaps I am not that poor.'
Tatyana knew exactly what Yasenia was thinking and almost rolled her eyes.
Not noticing the faint gestures between mother and daughter, Lan Shuyao guided them down the right path. "Along this path, we have a few Supreme Ranked treasures that might interest you. Saving me is something invaluable. So, I will allow you a quota of either twenty Supreme Ranked treasures or two low-starred Ancient Ranked ones. Of course, you can mix it around as you please."
Before going to select, she turned toward Tatyana, but Lan Shuyao stopped her. "Yasenia, for your own good, I do recommend that you choose for yourself. Sometimes, there are treasures we are fated to encounter, and involving other parties in the decision-making might make you miss them."
Tatyana agreed. "While you've removed yourself from Fate's influence, love, I do agree that sometimes, there are things predestined even for us. This time around, it might not happen, but who knows if in the future, it will?"
Yasenia paused and pondered. Then, she nodded and left to investigate.
Lan Shuyao glanced at Yasenia strangely. "She removed herself from Fate? Isn't that too dangerous, Lady Tatyana?"
Tatyana sighed and allowed Yasenia to move about on her own. "It is, but she had no other choice. The spirits of two gods targeted Yasenia since birth. Without removing herself from Fate, she would never be able to fight against her destiny of becoming the sacrifice for those two gods."
Lan Shuyao's face became serious. "Is she still under the influence?"
Tatyana shook her head. "When she immortalized her body, she absorbed and got rid of all influence. While they left a curse on her body, something I can't remove yet, she has finally managed to overcome that part of her journey."
Lan Shuyao sighed softly. "From your wording, it seems that there are still some ties with some beings."
"Indeed. However, they can forget about doing what they did before. If they dare, I'll make them cough up a lung or two."
While Lan Shuyao and Tatyana exchanged some words, Yasenia looked around with eager eyes. "Do I choose a battle dress?"
While her innate [Celestial Cosmos Dress] was powerful, it would lack in comparison with an Ancient Ranked robe. Of course, eventually that robe would become useless as her innate dress grew stronger with her. 'But I doubt that my dress will be as tough as such a treasure until I reach the middle levels of the Seventh Realm, right?'
In the end, she shook her head. "Let's look for other things. What do I lack? There are so many things to choose from…"