Zhou Hao had been inside the palace for a full day. More and more people had gradually entered the palace now; he did not know whether the number had already reached thirty.
It probably had. A day had passed, and with a palace sitting here, cultivators would surely swarm toward it like bees. A day was enough for those powerhouses to arrive.
Though there were more people, and they would run into one another from time to time, everyone seemed to share an unspoken understanding. The moment they met, they would basically turn around and leave. Finding treasures was what mattered.
Of course, there were also people who wanted to seize treasures. Zhou Hao had witnessed it with his own eyes.
When they had first arrived, one of the two people fighting had been killed by the other.
The killer immediately grew wary upon seeing Zhou Hao and the others, afraid that Zhou Hao would make a move to rob him.
However, Zhou Hao had no such intention. He merely glanced at the corpse on the ground before taking Wang Yue away to continue searching for treasures.
Zhou Hao did not know what had happened between them, but there was no need to think too hard about it. They had definitely fought over a treasure.
No matter who was right or wrong, he did not want to interfere, because such things would continue happening.
When a treasure capable of drawing everyone's gaze appeared, a chaotic melee would be unavoidable. After all, everyone who had come here was seeking better treasures.
Of course, Zhou Hao was an exception. He had too many good things already and did not care about such trifles.
After Zhou Hao left, that man immediately let out a sigh of relief. It was two against one, and he had expended quite a lot already. If they had truly fought, he would undoubtedly have lost.
Time ticked by second by second. After two days of sweeping through the place, Zhou Hao had finally cleared out every Mysterious Grade Treasure.
The instant the sweep was complete, Zhuba immediately wilted. It had been in a constant state of excitement, and once it relaxed, exhaustion instantly swept over its entire body, leaving it looking sickly and weak.
Zhou Hao fed it a drop of Mysterious Sun Immortal Grass Liquid, then held it in his arms and let it rest properly for a while.
Zhuba soon fell asleep in Zhou Hao's embrace, giving off faint snores.
"Good, good." Zhou Hao looked at Zhuba in relief.
He had been worried that Zhuba might be so tired that it would snore loudly, but now it seemed to be all right.
"Senior, where are we going next?" Wang Yue asked.
Nearly all the treasures they had found over the past two days were on him. If he went out onto the street now, he would have to worry at any moment that someone might rob him. He felt both excited and uneasy.
Zhou Hao looked at the three-way intersection ahead and casually pointed in one direction. "Let's go that way!"
Seeing that he had already started walking, Wang Yue hurried after him.
Boom—
A deafening explosion suddenly came from the two o'clock direction.
Zhou Hao halted and turned to look toward the two o'clock direction.
All he saw was a wall.
But in the next moment, with a bang, the wall burst apart. A person flew out, then smashed through another wall.
Just then, a seven-zhang sword radiance slashed toward the person who had been sent flying.
Blood Explosion. Bronze Bell Body Protection!
Zhou Hao followed the direction of the sword radiance and saw a massive illusory bronze bell emerge.
The sword radiance collided with the bronze bell.
Clang—
A lingering bell chime rippled outward, spreading throughout the entire palace. Not only did it reach the palace, but even the outside heard it.
Outside the palace
Numerous powerhouses floated in the air. Upon hearing the bell chime, someone immediately guessed which family's martial skill it was.
"The secret technique of the Zhu Family of Golden Peak—Bronze Bell Body Protection." The middle-aged Li Luo said it lightly.
The white-haired old man beside Li Luo, Wan Tiancheng, stroked his white beard and said with a chuckle, "Looks like they've run into serious trouble. This is a secret technique that greatly consumes one's blood essence; it would not be used lightly."
"This is what happens when people lack self-awareness. How could a palace like this be a place for children like them? What a waste of an opportunity." Li Luo snorted coldly.
"Who told us to arrive late?" Wan Tiancheng seemed unconcerned.
"Hmph." Li Luo snorted again and swept his gaze over the surroundings. "This place is too remote. Otherwise, those juniors would not have been allowed inside to waste the opportunity."
"Hahaha..." Wan Tiancheng laughed as he stroked his beard. "You should be thankful this place is remote. Otherwise, we would be the juniors."
The disturbance caused by the palace's emergence had only spread within a radius of a thousand li. Otherwise, there would be far more than just these people here now.
Li Luo fell silent at those words. Wan Tiancheng was right. Strictly speaking, someone at the Nascent Domain Realm, even a pseudo one like him, could only be considered an expert, not a powerhouse.
But without question, within this thousand-li radius, the Nascent Domain Realm was the ceiling. He truly had the right to be proud.
Bronze Bell Body Protection blocked the sword radiance, and it had only swayed slightly. This showed just how formidable the secret technique was.
"If you had discovered it first, I could have given it to you. But stealing... that was your fault." A steady, honest voice drifted over unhurriedly.
The moment Zhou Hao heard it, he raised an eyebrow slightly. He had heard that voice before—it belonged to Jiang Jun, the one whose speech twisted the tongue.
Just as he recalled this, Jiang Jun walked past him.
Jiang Jun suddenly noticed that Zhou Hao was here as well and was visibly stunned for a moment. However, he only glanced at Zhou Hao before continuing toward the bronze bell.
"What powerful pressure." Wang Yue looked at Jiang Jun and muttered to himself.
"Hmph, he's only at the Spirit Consciousness Ninth Order. I could destroy him with a lift of my paw." Zhou Yuanbao crossed his front claws over his chest, his face full of disdain.
Wang Yue smiled and chimed in, "Naturally. How could the strength of a senior like you be compared to that of a mere Spirit Consciousness Ninth Order?"
He said it with complete sincerity.
But Zhou Hao felt a little embarrassed upon hearing it. Brother, I'm only at the Spirit Consciousness Sixth Order. Don't praise me so highly. I can't even defeat someone at the same level.
Not only could he not defeat those at the same level, he might not even be able to defeat someone two levels below him. After all, the Metamorphosis Power he cultivated had no offensive power whatsoever; he relied entirely on his physical body for damage.
As Zhou Hao thought about it, he paused. This was a reminder—since he relied on his physical body, he should ask Murong about any good body-tempering methods next time!
At this moment, voices came from that side once again.
"Hehe, if you want to kill me, you'll have to break my bronze bell first!" Zhu Shaoyuan, protected by the bronze bell, taunted provocatively.
Zhou Hao turned to look, watching them with interest. He did not know what had happened, so he might as well stand by and enjoy the show.
Jiang Jun lightly turned the sword hilt. The blade hummed, and he said softly, "There is no enmity between the Jiang Family and the Zhu Family. I will not kill you, but you must hand over the item."
"What if I refuse?" Zhu Shaoyuan smiled.
"Then don't blame me for being impolite." Jiang Jun shook his blade, and an arcane aura rippled from the sword.
In the next instant, a flash of light vanished in a blink, and the bronze bell was sliced in half.
Zhu Shaoyuan was dumbfounded, his mouth hanging wide open.
Zhou Hao saw that strike as well. He raised his brows, the corners of his lips curving upward slightly, and thought, Myriad Transformations Divine Ability is awesome.
At the instant Jiang Jun struck, he used the Myriad Transformations Divine Ability to replicate Jiang Jun's sword strike.
The moment Jiang Jun's Sword Intent emerged, Zhou Hao knew Jiang Jun was about to unleash a major move.
He had never found a martial skill suitable for the Myriad Transformations Divine Ability to replicate. The instant Jiang Jun drew his sword, Zhou Hao knew his opportunity had come.
He decisively circulated the Myriad Transformations Divine Ability and replicated Jiang Jun's strike. When he tried it, it actually succeeded.
Zhou Hao turned his gaze toward Zhu Shaoyuan. If possible, he actually wanted to replicate Zhu Shaoyuan's Bronze Bell Body Protection as well. Unfortunately, the Myriad Transformations Divine Ability required him to witness the entire process of the move, and he had not seen Zhu Shaoyuan execute it just now.
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