Chen Ku vanished beneath Treasure Distribution Rock.
Only then did Haotian walk over to Yaochi's side and say with a hint of reproach,
"Yaochi, you should not have paid attention to Chen Ku earlier."
"Much less pointed him in the right direction."
"Dao Ancestor said that everything depended on one's own fortune. What you did... wasn't that breaking the rules?!"
Haotian regarded Hongjun's words as sacred commandments and did not dare disobey them in the slightest.
What was more, he feared that Yaochi's actions might bring trouble and implicate him as well.
That was why he spoke up to reprimand Yaochi.
Yet upon hearing him, Yaochi retorted somewhat indignantly,
"Hmph, how was that breaking the rules?!"
"Besides, all these countless opportunities are meant to be divided among all living beings. Whoever takes them, what's the difference?!"
After pausing, Yaochi muttered in a very low voice,
"Besides, that Chen Ku seems rather nice!"
"At the very least, he is much better than those great powers who put on such imposing airs!"
As she spoke, a smile appeared on Yaochi's face.
Having followed Dao Ancestor Hongjun for so long, Yaochi had long grown accustomed to seeing countless great powers maintain stern, imposing expressions whenever they faced the Dao Ancestor.
Chen Ku's cheerful, smiling manner was instead quite rare, and Yaochi found it greatly refreshing.
Thus, rather than being offended by Chen Ku's earlier "presumptuous" question, Yaochi found it quite amusing.
It could be said that without realizing it, Chen Ku had already left a rather good impression on Yaochi.
Though she had spoken softly, how could she hide it from Haotian?
Upon hearing this, he was rendered speechless, his face darkening with exasperation.
After spending endless ages together day and night, he had never once heard Yaochi give him such an evaluation.
Who would have thought that little Yaochi was such a naive sweetheart?!
"Yaochi, aren't you far too innocent? Wouldn't that make you easy to deceive?!"
"Hmph, Chen Ku acts shamelessly. One look is enough to tell that he is trouble."
"If you associate with him, he may only bring trouble upon you."
That was what Haotian said.
As he spoke, he looked toward Chen Ku's direction with utter disdain and contempt.
His temperament was completely different from Yaochi's.
In Haotian's eyes, only those like the Three Pure Ones, solemn and dignified, with unsmiling faces, possessed the bearing of true powerhouses.
By contrast, someone like Chen Ku, who could shamelessly play the victim without restraint, was simply beneath contempt.
Yet Yaochi still refused to yield and said,
"Brother Haotian, we should treat others kindly and form good ties far and wide."
"Like you, secretly judging others behind their backs—how is that the conduct of a broad-minded person?!"
Perhaps Haotian's "lecture" had also made Yaochi rather unhappy.
Thus, her words carried a faint sharpness.
"You..."
Haotian had no answer. He merely glared at Yaochi irritably before turning away in a huff and returning to guard beneath Treasure Distribution Rock.
As for Chen Ku!
Following Yaochi's guidance, he flew toward a certain direction without stopping for even a moment.
He left all the other great powers behind him.
At the same time, Chen Ku released his divine sense, feeling out each mysterious and profound aura.
"This is... a top-grade Acquired Spiritual Treasure? No, no!"
"A mid-grade Acquired Spiritual Treasure? This is even worse!"
Chen Ku muttered to himself as he continued onward without slowing down.
If other cultivators had heard those words, they would surely have stared in disbelief and cursed Chen Ku for not knowing the immensity of heaven and earth.
Innate Spiritual Treasures were certainly excellent, but Acquired Spiritual Treasures were by no means worthless.
For ordinary cultivators, even a single Acquired Spiritual Treasure was an exceedingly rare opportunity.
What was more, since they came from the Dao Ancestor, how could they possibly be mundane objects?!
Yet Chen Ku did not even spare Acquired Spiritual Treasures a glance.
His master and Martial Uncle would eventually attain the Dao and become Saints.
By then, would refining a few Acquired Spiritual Treasures not be as easy as turning over a hand?!
Competing for those Acquired Spiritual Treasures was simply a waste of time.
What Chen Ku truly longed for were still those limited Innate Spiritual Treasures.
Fortunately, this search did not last long.
Before long, a faint aura caught Chen Ku's attention, and his eyes lit up.
Merit divine radiance?!
Indeed!
At that moment, he clearly sensed that a treasure contained merit divine radiance within it!
That was enough to prove that this was a Merit Spiritual Treasure!
Only then did Chen Ku slow slightly, fixing his gaze ahead as he pierced through the haze and saw its true essence.
When he saw the treasure clearly, he became even more overjoyed.
"Eight Treasures Merit Pool?!"
Before him was the legendary Eight Treasures Merit Pool, containing vast swathes of merit divine radiance that shone brilliantly.
For a moment, Chen Ku understood.
"I was wondering why the Dao Ancestor had not bestowed the Eight Treasures Merit Pool earlier."
"So it was here."
The Eight Treasures Merit Pool had originally belonged to the West, and Merit Spiritual Treasures were even rarer than ordinary Innate Spiritual Treasures.
Naturally, Chen Ku would not let it go.
"Break!"
Without hesitation, Chen Ku struck out with his palm, splitting apart the restrictive force suppressing the Eight Treasures Merit Pool and taking it for himself.
Ordinarily, the restrictive force upon a Merit Spiritual Treasure would be even stronger.
However, Chen Ku's physical body now rivaled that of the Witch Clan. His cultivation far surpassed others of the same realm, and every divine ability and great art he wielded was of the highest grade.
Therefore, he did not even need to deliberately execute any technique.
With a single palm strike, the Eight Treasures Merit Pool fell into his hands.
After taking the Eight Treasures Merit Pool, Chen Ku did not pause and continued probing the surrounding auras.
With just a slight sweep of his senses, he became even more ecstatic and excited.
The direction Yaochi had pointed out was indeed excellent!
At that moment, several incomparably profound auras billowed forth, divine radiance shimmering brightly.
Without exception, every one of them was at the level of an Innate Spiritual Treasure.
"Top-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, Asura Mirror!"
"Top-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, Creation Cauldron!"
"Mid-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure..."
"Haha, wonderful! I have truly struck it rich this time."
Chen Ku could not help laughing aloud as he thought to himself that asking Yaochi had indeed produced remarkable results.
Those other great powers put on airs and disdained asking a mere Dao child like Yaochi. Now, they could only stumble about like headless flies, relying entirely on luck.
The thicker your skin, the more you get to eat!
The saying was absolutely true!
Chen Ku plundered frantically, striking again and again to shatter innate restrictions and obtain all manner of spiritual treasures.
A moment later, his expression abruptly sharpened, and his eyes widened.
"Ancestor Dragon Pearl?!"
"Phoenix Fan?!"
"These two treasures are here as well?!"
Indeed!
Looking closely, he saw a pearl surging with the majestic aura of the Dragon Clan. Within it, the figure of the Ancestor Dragon flickered in and out of view, striking fear into one's soul. It was truly terrifying!
The other was a precious fan fashioned from phoenix feathers, its cold gleam shining brightly, as though Primal Phoenix were soaring within it.
Like the Qilin Seal Chen Ku had obtained earlier on Buzhou Mountain, these two treasures were supreme heirlooms passed down through endless ages by the Dragon and Phoenix Clans.
Finding them within Treasure Distribution Rock truly exceeded Chen Ku's expectations.
However, after giving it some thought, he was soon at ease.
The War of the Dao and the Demon and the Dragon-Han Initial Tribulation had originally occurred in much the same era.
One could even say that Luo Hou had secretly incited and bewitched the Three Races into waging their endless war.
The Three Races suffered grievous losses. Ancestor Dragon, Primal Phoenix, and First Qilin all perished, while Luo Hou too was buried between heaven and earth.
In the end, Hongjun became the greatest winner of that great tribulation, so naturally he could quietly collect numerous unknown supreme treasures.
And none of that mattered anymore.
Today, they would ultimately benefit him instead.
Chen Ku did not stand on ceremony and swept these two supreme treasures into his possession as well.
Before you continue