380: Chapter 380 Looting

At this moment, Nangong Xiao's face held nothing but boundless terror.

He was shaking like a leaf, and the crotch of his pants was wet; he had actually pissed himself in fear. He looked at Ye Tian as if looking at a demon god crawling out of Hell.

"Don't... don't kill me, Ye Tian... Grandpa Ye... Ancestor... have mercy... have mercy..."

Tears and snot flowed down his face as he begged for mercy incoherently, struggling to crawl backward, but he was too severely injured to move.

Pei Tieshan, Feng Xuan, and the others arrived at the platform at this moment. Seeing Nangong Zhuo's corpse on the ground and then looking at Ye Tian standing with his sword, they were all so shocked they were speechless.

A Fourth Stage of Sea Transformation! Killed by Junior Brother Ye?!

This strength... is just too monstrous!

Ye Tian carried his sword, walking toward Nangong Xiao step by step.

Each step felt like it was treading on Nangong Xiao's heart.

"No... no... I am the Young Lord of the Nangong Family, you can't kill me... my elder brother Nangong Zhaotian won't let you off!

"His talent is even higher than Bei Minghong's, he's at the Sea Transformation Third Stage... he will avenge me!" Nangong Xiao screamed hysterically, bringing up his final backer.

"Nangong Zhaotian?" Ye Tian didn't stop, his tone indifferent. "I'll be waiting for him."

As his voice fell, a sword light flashed.

A head filled with terror flew high into the air before rolling onto the ground.

Nangong Xiao was dead.

Ye Tian flicked his wrist and sheathed his sword.

Only then did he look at his fellow disciples who had arrived, a smile appearing on his face. "Senior Brother, Senior Sister, you've arrived. How are your injuries?"

Pei Tieshan and the others finally snapped out of their shock. Looking at Ye Tian, they felt their throats go dry, unable to speak for a long time.

Finally, Feng Xuan suppressed the shock in his heart and stammered, "Junior Brother Ye... you... this... oh well, it's good that you're not hurt."

"Just luck, I took advantage of a Divine Soul attack." Ye Tian shook his head, walked over, and skillfully began searching the bodies of Nangong Zhuo and Nangong Xiao.

Killing and looting was the norm in a Secret Realm.

Nangong Zhuo didn't have much on him—one Storage Pouch containing some Spirit Stones, Medicinal Pills, Materials, and a few Jade Slips, likely Cultivation Techniques.

The most valuable item was a High Grade Profound Rank earthy-yellow shield; its defensive power should be decent, though he hadn't had time to use it. There was also his identity spirit pendant and two taichu seals.

Nangong Xiao, however, was dripping with wealth. Various bottles of Medicinal Pills, heaps of Spirit Stones, several Spiritual Artifacts of good quality, and three taichu seals!

It seemed this fellow had good luck or had robbed many people.

Ye Tian collected the seals, Spirit Stones, Medicinal Pills, and useful Spiritual Artifact Materials, giving the other miscellaneous items and unusable Spiritual Artifacts to Pei Tieshan and the others.

The others couldn't refuse, so they had to accept, feeling even more grateful to Ye Tian.

"That kid Qian Buduo ran away, and there are also the Nangong Family's reinforcements..." Yu Miaoqing reminded.

"No matter." Ye Tian wrapped Nangong Xiao's head in cloth and put it into a separate Storage Pouch for future use, or perhaps to "send" back to the Nangong Family.

"Qian Buduo is nothing more than a petty person who forgets righteousness for profit; he's not worth worrying about. As for the Nangong Family's reinforcements, if they aren't stupid, they should have run away by now after hearing the commotion."

He looked up at the gallery leading to the eighth level, where mist swirled in silence.

"We'll rest here for a moment to recover. Then, we'll head to the eighth level and go to the Peak of Wendao Mountain!" Ye Tian said.

With Nangong Xiao eliminated and the obstacles cleared, it was time to see the clues regarding the "key to the ancient ruins."

Pei Tieshan and the others nodded, their eyes also filled with anticipation.

The group took some Medicinal Pills and began to meditate.

Ye Tian also sat cross-legged, quickly recovering his consumed Chaos True Essence and Divine Soul.

Although the previous battle was short, the consumption was significant. The upcoming eighth and ninth levels, as well as the other Prodigies that might appear at the mountain Peak, required him to stay in Peak condition.

After nearly an hour, Ye Tian's aura had returned to its Peak.

"Let's go."

Leaving the seventh-level gallery, the pressure increased the higher they went, as if several great mountains were weighing on their shoulders.

The mist in the air turned a light gray, making it feel oppressive.

The mental interference in their ears grew stronger as well, at times manifesting as mountains of gold and silver or peerless beauties to tempt them, and at other times as scenes of their Sect being destroyed or their relatives dying miserably.

"Damn it, this ghostly place really isn't for humans!" Pei Tieshan leaned on his saber, panting heavily, the veins on his forehead bulging.

His physique was strong, but his Divine Soul cultivation was relatively weak among the group. He was being driven to distraction by the illusions, nearly falling for them several times.

Feng Xuan's face was also somewhat pale, clutching a Heart-Clearing Jade Pendant to help stabilize his mind.

Yu Miaoqing and Dongfang Xinghe also had their brows tightly furrowed, clearly struggling to resist.

Shui Qingdie, who practiced an illusion-based Cultivation Technique, was doing better than the others, but she was also drenched in sweat.

Only Ye Tian walked in front with steady steps.

Those mind-bewildering illusions automatically dissipated as soon as they came within three feet of him.

His Divine Soul had been nourished by the chaos bead for a long time and tempered by the Illusory Sea Heart Sutra; mental attacks of this level were like an itch to him.

" Guard your mind， Don't be led astray by illusions. Consider it a chance to temper one's Dao heart.."

Ye Tian turned back to remind them, flicking a strand of Chaos True Essence into Pei Tieshan's brow.

Pei Tieshan shuddered, feeling his mind clear up significantly. He gave Ye Tian a grateful look.

"Junior Brother Ye is still the most impressive, acting as if nothing's happening."

Dongfang Xinghe smiled bitterly; his chest was wrapped in bandages, and his face was still a bit pale. "That battle just now... it still feels like a dream. A Fourth Stage of Sea Transformation—you just cut him down like that, Junior Brother Ye."

"Junior Brother Ye's strength is probably already on par with the likes of Li Xuanxiao and Qin Pojun." Yu Miaoqing's cold eyes also held shock and a hint of admiration.

"Hehe, of course! Look whose Junior Brother he is!" Pei Tieshan said with pride, grinning as if he were the one who killed the Fourth Stage of Sea Transformation.

Ye Tian shook his head and didn't say much.

He knew that killing Nangong Zhuo was due to the opponent's underestimation and his own unexpected Divine Soul attack.

If it were a fair and square fight, even if he could win, it would never have been this easy.

Furthermore, Nangong Zhuo only excelled because of his higher cultivation and seasoned experience.

But in terms of talent, he couldn't be compared to those young Prodigies!

After walking for a while, the mist ahead suddenly thinned out, revealing a circular plaza several times larger than the seventh-level platform.

At this moment, over twenty people were standing on the plaza, divided into several groups.

This was the eighth level.

As soon as Ye Tian's group appeared, they immediately drew the gaze of everyone on the plaza.

When they clearly saw it was Ye Tian and the slightly disheveled but still-breathing members of the Liuli Xuan Sect behind him, a wave of low whispers broke out across the plaza.

"It's Ye Tian!"

"They made it up? What about Nangong Xiao and the people from the Red Hand Hall?"

"Looking at them, they don't seem to have any injuries? Could it be..."

"That's impossible, right? The Nangong Family went all out this time; I heard they even invited a Guest Elder at the Middle Stage of the Sea Transformation Realm..."

"Look at Ye Tian's waist! Are those... Storage Pouches? Did he have that many hanging there before?"

Everyone's eyes fell on the Storage Pouches at his waist, which were clearly much more bulging than before, their expressions varied.