Intercepting the Deal

The animal hide book was a foot square, emitting a silver sheen. It was covered in hundreds of densely packed characters, not written with ink, but carved with a knife.

Wang Xuan ran his hand over it. The patterns were clear and the texture distinct, indicating extremely exquisite knife work. Each character possessed a certain artistic conception and was full of aesthetic appeal.

However, he didn't recognize a single character!

What kind of gibberish is this? The strokes were numerous and incredibly complex. He tried to associate them with ancient Chinese bronze inscriptions, but found no similarities.

He looked left and right. This wasn't oracle bone script either. What era's writing was this, that he couldn't recognize a single word?

Wang Xuan employed his shorthand method, his eyes fixed on the hundreds of characters, treating them like a photograph, trying to imprint them into his mind.

It didn't matter if he didn't recognize them now. He could research them later, find someone to decipher them, and eventually figure them out. The most crucial thing was to memorize them firmly.

For secrecy, no one was allowed to bring mobile phones or other communication devices on this mission. Otherwise, Wang Xuan could have just taken a picture.

Although he had a button-sized micro-scanner on him, it was provided by the exploration organization and would likely have to be handed over in the end.

Wang Xuan memorized them, finding it quite difficult. He couldn't recognize hundreds of complex characters and had to resort to rote memorization, like studying a foreign language.

Fortunately, he had trained himself over the years. When practicing the Root Method from the Old Arts, he had to visualize various complex scenes without any room for error.

He now treated the entire silver beast skin book as a complex scroll, engraving it in his heart and constantly visualizing it.

Wang Xuan was confident he had it all memorized.

But in the end, he still activated the micro-scanner and scanned the characters from different angles, fearing that different perspectives might hide hidden meanings.

"Even if I have to hand it over, I hope Qing Mu will allow me to make a backup."

Wang Xuan didn't consider keeping it for himself. Firstly, he felt it was something everyone had contributed to obtain.

Secondly, he believed that hoarding good fortune rarely ended well. Since he had a scanner on him, it might have already automatically activated and recorded the entire process of this mission.

There were many wondrous techniques in this world, and too many valuable items. The consortiums had scoured every corner of the old lands, even obtaining peculiar items like golden bamboo slips, but no one had heard of anyone successfully mastering them.

The key lay in the person, in who could comprehend and truly practice what was recorded. That was the fundamental issue.

Wang Xuan strongly suspected that no one would be able to practice this scripture scroll in the short term, and perhaps no one could even decipher its profound essence.

After all, even that figure clad in feather clothing, considered an ultimate expert among Daoist practitioners, had been studying this beast skin scroll until the day he died. His immense power still being dedicated to its study was telling.

Next, he took out the Jade Casket.

The so-called Jade Casket was a jade box, mostly pure white and smooth, made of fine jade. Only on one side were there splotches of bloodstains, indicating it was an ancient artifact.

Inside were several gold foil sheets, fastened together, resembling thin pages of gold paper forming a slim Golden Book.

Wang Xuan counted. There were only five pages. Each gold foil page depicted humanoid figures without any textual annotations. The diagrams were continuous and sufficiently detailed.

He was certain this was a Body Art. It appeared profound, involving intricate movements to activate the internal organs, and was likely not simple.

He began memorizing again. Overall, these familiar humanoid diagrams were much easier to remember than the characters on the silver beast skin scroll.

Finally, he used the scanner to record the entire Golden Book.

He knew that the beast skin scroll might not yield any immediate insights. He wasn't expecting anything from it in the short term; it was something for top-tier Daoist practitioners to study.

Perhaps, the Golden Book held greater value for him at the moment than the beast skin scroll.

Wang Xuan found a hidden spot, leaning against the stone wall, energy gun in hand. He then carefully examined the Golden Book and the silver scroll again.

Time slipped by quietly. Qing Mu, Black Tiger, and the others had not returned yet. It was evident that the underground passage was complex, dug by predecessors into a spiderweb-like network, making pursuit difficult.

After an unknown amount of time, Wang Xuan suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. Without thinking, he raised his energy gun and swept it horizontally. The dazzling beam shattered rocks, sending debris flying everywhere.

A figure, as agile and fierce as a tiger or leopard, moved with incredible speed. With a few dodges, it managed to evade the crisscrossing beams of the energy gun. Then, like an eagle, it leaped behind a rock, its form disappearing.

Wang Xuan became extremely serious. That was definitely a master!

Just now, the person had closed in to within five meters of him before he sensed them, and then, with lightning speed, dodged his sweeping attack.

An ordinary person couldn't do that. This person was likely no weaker than Qing Mu, having mastered an extremely powerful Old Art, possessing terrifying strength.

"One of us!" a middle-aged man's voice came from behind the rock. Part of his body appeared, wearing the same type of protective suit as Wang Xuan.

Wang Xuan remained silent, hiding behind the rock, energy gun ready to fire.

That person was dangerous, especially since they had approached so close without a sound, making Wang Xuan's hair stand on end. The other party had clearly intended to attack him.

Shadows flickered. Over a dozen people appeared outside the underground palace, all holding energy guns and hiding behind rocks and at corners.

A woman spoke, "We are old acquaintances of Qing Mu. Don't misunderstand, and don't misjudge. Hand over the items quickly. The discoveries here are of great importance and cannot be lost. We are the reception team and will escort you out of the underground palace quickly. If we delay, the reinforcements from the Zhou family and the Ling family might arrive."

Wang Xuan asked, "If you are the reception team, why did you try to attack me just now?"

He was certain that if he hadn't kept his energy gun ready and reacted with extreme alertness, he might have been successfully ambushed by that master.

The middle-aged man who had attacked earlier spoke, "You've misunderstood. We need to be vigilant at all times when entering caves. I led them in stealthily, so naturally, I had to check for dangers. You were hiding in the shadows, and I didn't realize you were one of us at first. However, young man, your reaction speed is truly astonishing. Well done!"

Wang Xuan remained unmoved, using a hoarse, disguised voice. "Since we're on the same side, let's wait for Qing Mu and Black Tiger to return together."

The woman seemed impatient. "Why aren't you listening? We already told you, people from the Zhou family and the Ling family are arriving. If you're unwilling to leave, quickly hand over the beast skin scroll, and we'll take it away first."

Wang Xuan's distrust intensified. They had seen the beast skin scroll, and couldn't they see he was wearing the same protective suit? Yet, they had still approached stealthily, attempting to ambush him.

Without a word, he used the giant rocks for cover and began to move deeper into the underground palace.

Those behind him noticed and immediately quickened their pace to pursue. Wang Xuan didn't hesitate, firing his energy gun to issue a warning.

"Qing Mu, Black Tiger, are you back?" Wang Xuan shouted loudly, still using his hoarse, fake voice.

A commotion came from the distance. Clearly, after all this time, Qing Mu, Black Tiger, and the others were on their way back.

"Catch up!"

The woman behind them shouted, and a group of people immediately followed suit, speeding up.

The powerful middle-aged man was the most terrifying. He moved silently, and several times he almost got close to Wang Xuan, but Wang Xuan managed to repel him with his energy gun.

"Roar!"

From deep within the underground passage, Qing Mu's roar could be heard. He sensed that something had happened here and was rushing over with his people.

The underground passages were like a complex spiderweb. Wang Xuan suddenly stopped, quickly found a hidden spot to conceal himself, and then fired ahead.

Indeed, amidst the brilliant beams of light, the middle-aged man was seen again, having circled around from another fork in the road to the front. He had just been preparing to ambush him.

"Jin Chuan, what are you doing here?" Qing Mu's voice came. He was moving very fast and had already rushed over, confronting the middle-aged man.

Wang Xuan immediately spoke up, "Qing Mu, I obtained the silver beast skin scroll left by the Pre-Qin Daoist practitioners. These people claim they are here to meet us and want to take the scripture scroll from me."

He stated the process simply and directly.

"Jin Chuan, you're something else, coming here to intercept? Isn't that going too far?!" Qing Mu was instantly angered upon hearing this, his voice filled with rage.

At the same time, he was also somewhat pleased. They had only obtained an empty jade casket, while Wang Xuan, who had stayed behind, had actually found the true inheritance.

Jin Chuan expressed slight apology. "Qing Mu, you and I both know that this item is extraordinary. Please don't blame me."

"You brought your subordinates to rob me, and you want me not to blame you?!" Qing Mu sneered.

Jin Chuan was extremely serious. "Don't worry, I'll just take a look and return it immediately. I absolutely won't intercept. I can swear to it."

"No, you've crossed my bottom line. I absolutely won't let you look at it," Qing Mu refused outright.

Jin Chuan waved his hand, and the group he brought immediately surrounded Wang Xuan's hiding place.

Qing Mu said coldly, "You actually dare to attack us? Don't forget, our exploration organization despises internal strife and bloodshed the most. Anyone who dares to do so will be jointly hunted down by all the other factions. Whether you hide in the old lands or flee to a new star, there will be no escape!"

Jin Chuan shook his head and smiled faintly. "No, you misunderstand. I'm just sparring with you. My subordinates want to spar with Little Wang. There won't be any bloodshed."

Having said that, he commanded his men, "Don't use your guns. As a gesture of sincerity, place them on the ground."

Black Tiger, Feng Zheng, and the others were not far behind. They shouted from the passage, warning Jin Chuan's men not to act rashly.

Qing Mu shouted, "Little Wang, protect what you've obtained. According to our organization's agreement, you only need to hand over half of your exploration spoils. So, that's your personal trophy. Don't let anyone intercept it!"

Wang Xuan nodded. He was very unhappy with these newcomers. If he hadn't been vigilant enough, he would have been dealt with. He might have survived, but the golden book and silver scroll would definitely have been snatched by these people.

Wang Xuan certainly wouldn't indulge them. These people wanted to intercept his spoils, and now they didn't even ask him, wanting to look at the scripture scroll. Did they not take Little Wang seriously?

Those who had put down their energy guns and were using the terrain to advance surrounded Wang Xuan, getting closer and closer.

Wang Xuan said nothing, waiting quietly. Only when someone suddenly lunged at him did he raise his guns with both hands and unleash a barrage.

Thump! Thump!

Several people fell to the ground, unconscious, while some experts quickly retreated, successfully dodging.

"This young man is playing dirty! We said we'd just spar with our bare hands using the old arts, but he's using guns!" someone complained indignantly.

Wang Xuan ignored them. Play fair with you? Impossible!

These people had originally intended to ambush him and seize his spoils. What right did they have to speak like this now?

Finally, Black Tiger and Feng Zheng returned first. They "played fair" and charged forward, confronting those people with the old arts.

"Little Wang, you 'play fair' too and show them what you've got," Qing Mu called out. He was confronting Jin Chuan, seemingly confident about the situation here.

Wang Xuan observed for a moment. Among Jin Chuan's subordinates, there were still a few young people who hadn't been engaged, and they weren't holding any firearms.

Wang Xuan stepped out. Without a word, the sound of wind and thunder emanated from his hands. He used the Vajra Fist from the Body Arts and charged into the group of them alone.

Instantly, the area was filled with the roar of fist winds, and the ground cracked under his feet. Wang Xuan's attack power astonished several of them. Such a young master of the old arts was truly rare!

Bang!

In a moment, one of the women took a kick to the face, spitting blood, and flew out, crashing into the stone wall, collapsing motionlessly.

Crack!

Then, another young man was hit in the shoulder plate by Wang Xuan's Vajra Fist. His bones immediately broke. He grunted and fell into a pile of rocks.

Puff!

In the fierce exchange, a third person was kicked flying by Wang Xuan in mid-air. Three ribs were broken, and he continuously spat bloody foam from his mouth, unable to get up.

In a very short period, Wang Xuan made consecutive moves, taking down five people. He then charged towards the opponents of Black Tiger and Feng Zheng.

Black Tiger and Feng Zheng had run fast and arrived before the others, each fighting several opponents.

Now Wang Xuan charged over and sent one person flying seven or eight meters away, making him cough up large amounts of blood. He struggled for a long time but couldn't get up.

These were middle-aged men in their thirties and forties who had long mastered the old arts. Yet, Wang Xuan still took down several of them, some with broken arms and ribs.

"I'm not fighting anymore," Jin Chuan said, seeing that the situation was not good, and immediately called for a halt. "I didn't realize he was such a fierce newcomer. Most importantly, he's ruthless. A group of my seasoned fighters can't even handle him. This was a miscalculation. I didn't bring any top experts besides myself."

"Qing Mu, how about we let this go? I owe you a favor, and I'll repay you next time!" Jin Chuan lowered his stance.

Qing Mu nodded and said, "Alright, next time you show me your family's scripture, the White Tiger True Explanation, how about it?"

"Get lost!" Jin Chuan took his men and left.

"We're leaving too!" After gathering his men, Qing Mu quickly led everyone away from the Underground Palace. Not long after, they boarded a spaceship and successfully departed Qingcheng Mountain.

The double time period is about to end. Please vote for monthly tickets, fellow readers, if you have any.

Thanks to Alliance Leaders Wu Ma Xing and Bai Tang o for their support.