74: I only want the pig! You can have the rest!

At the end of the treasury corridor, the atmosphere was eerie.

Su Chen, Ye Linghan, Liu Ruyan, and Ling Qingzhu.

The four of them sat in a circle in a posture that would make a court historian snap his brush in disbelief.

"Alright, since we're all seated, let's have a brief meeting."

Su Chen cleared his throat and leaned back, forcing himself into a leadership pose.

"The pre-battle mobilization and loot distribution planning meeting officially begins now."

(Damn, these three women are more troublesome than the last. If I don't set the rules now and they start fighting over some scrap metal later, how am I supposed to eat?)

"First, let's clarify our goals."

Su Chen held up a finger.

"We're here to get rich, not to fight. Our core philosophy: peaceful coexistence and mutual prosperity. Any objections?"

Liu Ruyan was the first to respond; even through her mask, one could tell she was smiling.

"This humble servant has no objections. Harmony brings wealth, after all."

Ye Linghan looked him over with great interest. She didn't speak, but her expression, as if watching a play, said it all.

Only Ling Qingzhu remained as still as an ice sculpture.

"I am here to stop the Demonic Technique," she said coldly, attempting to maintain her dignity.

"Fine, fine," Su Chen waved his hand impatiently. "You're here to maintain world peace, alright? Don't sweat the details; we're all here to 'take' things anyway."

He didn't feel like arguing further and pointed directly at Ye Linghan.

"You, Imposter, are here for the Heaven Swallowing Demonic Art."

Then he pointed at Liu Ruyan.

"You, vixen, are just here for the show and to pick up any scraps."

Ye Linghan's phoenix eyes narrowed, a dangerous aura flashing briefly. "You seem... to know us very well?"

"Duh," Su Chen said confidently. "With that Devilish Qi of yours, you're glowing like a searchlight in the dark. It's obvious you're not a good person."

Ye Linghan: "..."

She was actually speechless.

Finally, Su Chen's gaze landed on Ling Qingzhu.

"As for you... you're here for the fragments of the jade pool mirror, aren't you?"

Boom!

Ling Qingzhu's delicate frame shuddered, and the color drained from her face.

How did he know?! This was a top secret of the Jade Pool!

Seeing her reaction, like her tail had been stepped on, Su Chen curled his lip.

"Tsk, so it's true."

(Boring. I thought she had some high-minded ideals, but after all that, she's just here for some junk.)

This casual disdain, however, caused Ling Qingzhu's Dao Heart to tremble violently.

(He... he actually looks down on a fragment of a Jade Pool Imperial Weapon? In his eyes, it's just 'junk'?)

She suddenly understood!

His perspective had long since transcended the constraints of mundane treasures!

"Alright, I understand all of your needs now."

Su Chen patted his chest, his expression instantly becoming incredibly solemn.

"Now, for mine."

He took a deep breath, his eyes bursting with the most fervent longing for fine food.

"I only want the 'Nine-Revolution Golden Scale Pig' that's been raised for eight thousand years in the Myriad Dao Merchant Guild's Hall of the God of Food!"

"And those three jars of hundred-thousand-year-old 'Immortal Drunk Brew' in the cellar!"

"Everything else—Imperial Weapons, divine materials, supreme scriptures—is yours!"

"I only want the pig!"

His voice was resolute.

The world went silent.

Ye Linghan, Liu Ruyan, and Ling Qingzhu—three pairs of beautiful eyes, three different kinds of shock—were fixed intently on Su Chen.

A ridiculous thought occurred to all of them at once.

—We went through all this trouble to sneak into this dragon's den just to... accompany him to steal a pig?!

(A pig?) Chaos filled Ling Qingzhu's mind. (No! Impossible! The Great Dao is simple; it returns to the source! While the world goes mad for divine materials and Imperial Weapons, he seeks the supreme truth within the most fundamental desire for food! That pig... is the manifestation of the 'Dao'!)

At this thought, Ling Qingzhu's awe of Su Chen deepened further.

Beneath her mask, Liu Ruyan's red lips curled into an understanding arc.

(A diversion! What a clever trick! The true Legacy of the Heaven Swallowing Demonic Art isn't in the void immortal gold at all, but inside that pig's belly!)

Only Ye Linghan's smile grew more sinister.

(Interesting Little Liar. Is he using this ridiculous excuse to test which of us will lose our composure first?)

(Or is this pig really the... key to a secret that even I don't know about?)

Su Chen felt his skin crawl under those three predatory gazes.

(Crap! They want to eat my pig too!)

His survival instinct flared, and he coughed loudly.

"What are you looking at? That's no ordinary pig. That is... the Dao! One pig, one Bodhi! You wouldn't understand even if I told you!"

He wore a look of desolation, as if playing a lute to a cow.

"Fine." Ling Qingzhu was the first to stand, her voice solemn. "Since His Highness the Divine Son only wants... the vessel of the 'Dao,' the other treasures will be contested based on our own abilities."

A bizarre alliance was formed.

The four of them stood up and walked toward the end of the corridor.

The hundred-zhang-tall Colossal Starry Gate radiated a pressure that would make even a Saint King's heart skip a beat.

"Playing tricks."

Ye Linghan had lost her patience. She looked at Su Chen with a sinister smile.

"Your plan, your turn. Show me what your 'key' is."

Before she finished speaking, a terrifying demonic pressure locked onto Su Chen. If he dared to say no, she wouldn't mind tearing him apart first.

"Sigh, you violent maniac."

Su Chen yawned and lazily walked past her to stand before the colossal gate.

"I told you to be more civilized. If you break it, you'll have to pay for it."

He reached out and patted the gate, making a "bang bang" thudding sound, as if he were picking out a watermelon.

"Don't let its scary looks fool you; it's just a... voice-activated lock."

Ye Linghan's demonic pressure almost spiraled out of control on the spot.

Under the suspicious gazes of the three women, Su Chen cleared his throat and shouted at the hideous Gold-Swallowing Beast head on the gate!

"All Daos return to one! Money is king, get lost if you're broke, no credit allowed!"

Total silence.

Ling Qingzhu covered her face in shame.

Liu Ruyan trembled with laughter.

*Click—*

A faint mechanical sound rang out.

*Rumble—*

That eternally immovable Colossal Starry Gate actually... slowly began to open inward.