350: I need to be patient and develop quietly.

After speaking, without waiting for Xue Wuhen to react, the Third Old Ancestor gave the back of his head a firm but not overly heavy slap with his large hand.

"What are you dawdling for? Hurry up! Otherwise, I'll throw you over there!"

Xue Wuhen stumbled from the slap, knowing he had no choice.

He gripped the warm, smooth jade pendant in his hand tightly, gritted his teeth, and bit the bullet, inching step by step toward that hidden compartment.

With every step he took, his heart hammered wildly.

Finally, he trembling extended his hand, his fingertips touching the cold edge of the hidden compartment...

"Hummm—!"

The moment his fingertips made contact, the stone wall surrounding the hidden compartment suddenly lit up with a circle of blinding blood-red patterns!

A cold, violent energy, filled with a destructive Aura, erupted instantly, transforming into several sharp crimson beams that shot toward him like venomous snakes!

The speed was extreme!

Xue Wuhen's soul nearly left his body in terror; he subconsciously tried to retreat, but it was far too late!

"I'm done for!"

At this critical moment, the dull, grey jade pendant in his hand suddenly erupted with a soft yet resilient white halo, instantly forming an egg-shaped light barrier that enveloped him completely.

"Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!"

The crimson beams slammed fiercely against the white light barrier, producing a teeth-grinding cutting sound.

The light barrier fluctuated violently, flickering unsteadily, and even developed fine cracks on its surface, but in the end, it did not shatter, tenaciously withstanding this lethal blow!

"It blocked it? It actually blocked it?! This old guy didn't lie to me this time?!"

A massive impact force transmitted through the light barrier; Xue Wuhen let out a muffled grunt, his chest feeling as if it had been struck by a heavy blow. A sweet taste rose in his throat, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, his entire body sent flying and crashing heavily onto the ground.

The jade pendant in his hand also let out a "crack" and split into several pieces, losing all its spiritual light.

But just before he was sent flying, aided by the light from the pendant, he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye of a faint shimmer deep within the hidden compartment.

The instinct to survive and the fear of failing the mission forced him to endure the sharp pain, and as he was being thrown back, he reached out and snatched blindly into the hidden compartment!

His hand met something warm and cool.

He crashed to the ground, coughed up two more mouthfuls of blood, his face turning pale once again, and the hand clutching the jade pendant fragments and the cool object trembled uncontrollably.

"Oh? You actually managed to grab something?"

The Third Old Ancestor's eyes lit up. He strode over in a few steps and snatched the object from Xue Wuhen's hand.

It was a bead the size of a pigeon egg, perfectly round, and translucent.

The interior of the bead was not solid, but rather a tiny, seemingly boundless space swirling with hazy starlight.

Even more strangely, the surface of the bead naturally radiated a pure, gentle Dao Rhyme. Just holding it in one's hand made one feel calm in spirit, and the circulation of spiritual energy within one's body seemed to quicken slightly.

"This is..."

The Fourth Ancestor also leaned in, sensing it carefully, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes.

"This bead contains a universe within, capable of holding living things! Moreover, the Dao Rhyme it radiates is of great benefit to enlightenment and cultivation! This is at least a Saint King-level spatial Magic Treasure!"

"Saint King-level? Hahaha! Good! Good!"

Upon hearing this, the Third Old Ancestor laughed heartily and slapped Xue Wuhen's shoulder hard.

"Well done, kid! Old Ancestor has known since you were little that you were the most promising one!"

The Second Ancestor, observing Xue Wuhen's miserable appearance and the shattered jade pendant, also walked over.

He took out a jade bottle from his storage Magic Treasure, poured out an emerald-green, crystalline Medicinal Pill that exuded a refreshing fragrance, and handed it to Xue Wuhen, a kind smile on his face.

"Good child, you've worked hard. Quickly take this 'Life-Generating Creation Pill' to heal your injuries; it is important not to leave behind any lingering ailments."

Xue Wuhen was stunned.

Looking at the precious healing Medicinal Pill before him, and then at the Second Ancestor's "concerned" gaze, an indescribable bitterness and a faint, warm current surged into his heart for no reason.

Following that unreliable Old Ancestor, he had endured too many inhumane "pathfinding" torments, barely surviving nine deaths for every one life.

This Old Ancestor was the kind-hearted one after all!

His hand trembling, he took the Medicinal Pill, his nose stinging, his eyes growing hot, and just as he was about to say some words of gratitude...

He heard the Second Ancestor turn his head and say to the Third Old Ancestor, who was playing with the bead as if he couldn't put it down, in an excited and expectant tone:

"Old Three, this pathfinding stone—oh, no, this kid Xue Wuhen—is really quite good! Next time you encounter a dangerous place that might have treasures, remember to let me borrow him to play with!"

Xue Wuhen: "..."

The touch of emotion and warmth that had just surged up instantly froze into ice shards and shattered all over the ground.

At this moment, the Third Old Ancestor keenly sensed many greedy gazes cast from the shadows, fixed firmly on the glowing bead in his hand.

Clearly, the appearance of a Saint King-level spatial Magic Treasure had attracted quite a bit of covetousness.

"Hmph!"

The smile on the Third Old Ancestor's face vanished instantly, replaced by a savage and overbearing Aura of ferocity.

He suddenly raised his head, his bell-like eyes revealing a fierce light. He scanned his surroundings, and the terrifying pressure of the Saint Realm swept out like a volcanic eruption!

"What are you looking at?! A bunch of spineless cowards! You dare to covet your grandfather's things? Tired of living, are you?! Get lost, all of you!"

A roar, like a thunderclap, accompanied by surging blood Qi and sound waves, shook the entire passage until it hummed, causing rocks to rain down.

Those figures hiding in the shadows, ready to make a move, were shocked to their cores by this sudden, violent Aura. Their expressions changed, and they subconsciously retreated several steps, suppressing their presence, not daring to peek blatantly anymore.

The Third Old Ancestor snorted in satisfaction, carefully put the bead away, and then picked up the still-dazed Xue Wuhen as if he were a chick.

He shouted to the Second Ancestor and Fourth Ancestor: "Let's go, let's go! This damn place seems to have plenty of loot; hurry up, don't let others snatch all the fat meat!"

Xue Wuhen was shaken until he was dizzy. He silently stuffed the emerald-green 'Life-Generating Creation Pill' into his mouth and chewed it with a crunch, as if he were chewing on the bones of a certain Old Ancestor.

Feeling the rapidly recovering injuries within his body and his quietly rising cultivation, a firm thought inexplicably formed in Xue Wuhen's heart.

"I must endure, I must endure, developing silently. When the time comes, I will stun you all and suppress you all!"

Further away, amidst the crowd.

Gu Changge and Xuan Yangzi were still walking at a leisurely pace.

Their presence was suppressed to the extreme, as if they had merged with the surrounding environment. The chaotic slaughter, the triggered traps, and the screams before death seemed unable to cause even the slightest emotional fluctuation in them.

Gu Changge's gaze swept calmly across the scene, occasionally pausing slightly on scenes like Xiao Ruobai and the others cleverly avoiding traps, or the Third Old Ancestor using Xue Wuhen as a shield.

As they delved deeper, everyone clearly felt that the Emperor Might permeating the air was steadily increasing at a slow pace!

The vast Emperor Might in the air was no longer just a mental pressure, but had transformed into a viscous substance, seeping into every inch of skin and Divine Soul.