20: Chapter 20 The Descent of the Spiritual Treasure

The lingering playfulness had not yet faded before Zhang Wen and Chen Nianchu tacitly divided the work, efficiently processing the corpse of the Frost Roar Lion.

A sharp short blade danced nimbly in Zhang Wen's hands, precisely peeling off the lion hide that shimmered with a silver-blue luster—this kind of exotic beast hide was impervious to water and fire, making it an excellent Materials for forging high-grade protective gear;

Chen Nianchu carefully used a jade box to collect the lion's claws and fangs. The curved hooks at the tips of the claws flashed with a cold light, and the frost Spiritual Qi contained within the fangs was a rare auxiliary ingredient for Alchemy.

After scavenging all the valuable parts from the Vicious Beast, the two exchanged a glance, patted the bulging Storage Pouch at their waists, and wore smiles of satisfaction.

"Let's go. There must be even rarer things deeper in this Secret Realm." Zhang Wen weighed the long blade in his hand and cast his gaze toward the depths of the dense forest.

Chen Nianchu nodded. Just as she was about to step forward, the corner of her eye caught a blinding stream of light falling from the sky.

The two turned their heads simultaneously. They saw a seven-colored pillar of light piercing through the clouds above a valley not far away, thrusting straight into the earth like a jade pillar supporting the heavens. Auspicious Qi faintly swirled within the halo, causing the surrounding vegetation to seem to tremble slightly.

"That is..." Surprise flashed in Chen Nianchu's eyes. She raised her hand to shade her forehead to look closer. "The aura wrapped within that pillar of light is so dense; it is definitely no ordinary spiritual object."

Rustling sounds soon came from the surrounding forest, and several figures darted out from different directions, clearly attracted by this phenomenon. Someone could not help but whisper: "A Heaven And Earth Treasure is about to be born! Judging by this commotion, it is at least a thousand-year-old spiritual object!"

Zhang Wen's gaze sharpened, and his hand tightened around the hilt of his blade: "Opportunity must not be missed. Let's go!"

"Mm!" Chen Nianchu responded, her footsteps taking the lead, her skirt sweeping across the grass and kicking up a breeze. "First come, first served. Don't let others seize the initiative!"

The two hesitated no longer, rushing one after another toward the valley where the pillar of light was located. Their figures quickly disappeared into the cover of the dense forest, leaving behind only the growing sound of chaotic footsteps, echoing in the distance with the magnificent pillar of light that spanned heaven and earth.

Following the guidance of the pillar of light, the two traveled quickly for a while, soon arriving at the edge of a mountain hollow filled with mist. The pillar of light shot straight into the sky from a crevice in the center of the hollow. Seven-colored light flickered in the mist, and faint swirls of Spiritual Qi could be seen circling the crevice, clearly indicating that the spiritual object was nearing its time of birth.

Zhang Wen raised his hand to press against the long blade at his waist, his Divine Sense quietly spreading out, sweeping across the surroundings like a fine net. In the dense forest on both sides of the hollow and behind the rocks, at least a dozen obscure auras flickered in and out of existence. Some had deliberately restrained their Spiritual Qi fluctuations, leaving only a trace of their aura vigilantly locked onto the pillar of light; others could not hold back, their Spiritual Qi stirring restlessly within their Meridians, clearly all holding their breath, waiting for the best moment.

"There are at least a dozen people hiding." Zhang Wen withdrew his Divine Sense, his brows slightly raised. "Judging by their positions, it seems they have been eyeing this place for a long time; they might have arrived even earlier than us."

Chen Nianchu condensed a wisp of breeze at her fingertips to blow away the thin mist before her, her gaze sweeping over those hidden corners: "They are all just small fry. I sensed them before entering the Secret Realm; the strongest among them has only just stepped into the Initial Blooming Realm. Their auras are very weak, but there are many of them, and it would inevitably be troublesome if we really had to clash head-on." She turned to look at Zhang Wen, her voice lowered extremely low, "Are we going to wait it out with them, or..."

Before she could finish, Zhang Wen chuckled, a hint of defiance flashing in his eyes: "Wait? That is not my style." His fingertips moved slightly, and a wisp of subtle Lightning Radiance danced between them. "For a Heaven And Earth Treasure like this, the key is 'speed'. Rather than letting them get there first, it is better for us to rush in and take the spiritual object first."

"But what if they swarm us..." Chen Nianchu paused, then smiled as well, "That is true. With our abilities, even if we really had to fight, escaping would be easy." She looked up at Zhang Wen, her tone playful, "Especially that Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder of yours. Earlier, when dealing with the Frost Roar Lion, a single bolt of purple lightning scorched its fur black and made it howl endlessly, until it had no strength left to struggle. Even if those people had the guts to snatch it, I am afraid that as soon as they recall that thunderous might, they will feel terrified. How would they dare to truly step forward?"

Zhang Wen raised an eyebrow and drew his long blade an inch from its sheath. The blade reflected the flowing light of the pillar, emitting a cold luster: "Then let them weigh it again. Let's go, we are going in!"

Before his voice had faded, he had already taken the first step, and Chen Nianchu followed closely behind. The two figures were like two wisps of light smoke, rushing straight toward the crevice in the center of the pillar of light. The deliberately released Spiritual Qi fluctuations were like a stone thrown into water, instantly startling everyone in the dark—a struggle surrounding the spiritual object was about to begin.

"Brother Wang, look, those two just rushed straight in. Should we... follow them to join in the fun, or should we continue to squat here?" A lean man rubbed his hands, his eyes full of uncontrollable restlessness, his gaze darting toward the two figures deep in the hollow approaching the pillar of light, with a hint of dread.

Wang Kun, the leader, was staring at the backs of Zhang Wen and Chen Nianchu. Hearing this, his brows twisted fiercely, and he raised his hand to slap the back of the man's head hard: "What are you panicking about! Didn't you see their style? They land without a sound, and their Spiritual Qi is controlled with ease. Just now, I tried to probe them with my Divine Sense. The man's aura was like thunder hidden in the clouds; as soon as I touched it, I was bounced back by an overbearing thunder force. The woman is even worse; her body is surrounded by a faint chill. As soon as my Divine Sense approached, it was like touching ten-thousand-year-old ice, freezing my Sea of Consciousness until it ached—such cultivation is definitely not below mine!"

He took a deep breath, his knuckles turning white: "Rob them openly? That is purely courting death. The long blade at the man's waist has faint lightning arcs dancing on it; one look and you know he is a Thunder Element expert. When the woman's sleeve swept across the grass earlier, the edges of the leaves instantly froze with a layer of thin frost. Her ice-type talent is so pure that I fear if she were to make a move, she could freeze this entire hollow into an ice cellar."

The lean man shrank his neck: "Then... we just watch them take the treasure away?"

"What's the rush." Wang Kun's eyes flickered as he scanned the surrounding dense forest. "It is not just us hiding in this hollow. I just counted, and there are at least four or five other groups. Even if they get the spiritual object, it won't be that easy for them to leave smoothly."

He lowered his voice, his tone full of calculation: "We have many people. Let's first quietly contact that group in black shirts to the east, and then talk to those few people behind the giant rock to the north—they all came for the spiritual object; there is no reason to let the two of them take advantage. If we really unite, seven or eight good hands surrounding them, even if their Thunder and Ice dual elements are powerful, two fists are hard to match against four hands. We might just have a chance to fight!"

The few people around exchanged glances and nodded one after another, shrinking back behind the rocks where they were hiding. However, their gazes locked onto the center of the pillar of light with increasing intensity, and the air seemed to be filled with the silent smoke of war.