The Crane and the Clam Fight, Treasure-Snatching War Begins

"WUUM—!"

A resonant hum, as if from the dawn of time, shook heaven and earth.

Immediately after, a dazzling beam of golden light, like a sharp sword, pierced through the thick prohibitions and mist within the valley, shooting straight into the nine heavens!

Endless treasures and auspicious radiance instantly dyed the sky for tens of thousands of li in every direction.

A profound aura of an Innate Spiritual Treasure spread wantonly, as if proclaiming its birth to the entire Primordial Wilderness.

"An Innate Spiritual Treasure!"

"An Innate Spiritual Treasure has appeared!"

In an instant, this mountain range erupted into chaos.

Greed flickered in the eyes of the gathered cultivators!

In the Primordial Wilderness, an Innate Spiritual Treasure could change a cultivator's fate, even becoming a sect's foundation-suppressing treasure.

No one could resist such temptation.

Su Ming's figure silently appeared atop a mountain peak, watching the valley from afar with a calm gaze.

Like a beast lurking in the grass, waiting to strike.

"BOOM!"

The valley's prohibitions shattered completely.

"The treasure is mine!"

A Heavenly Immortal cultivator closest to the site, eyes bloodshot, roared and charged in first.

But fast as he was, others were faster!

"Get lost!"

A sharp sword-light struck from the side, instantly cleaving the Heavenly Immortal in two, blood staining the sky.

A bloody struggle for dominance had begun.

"Kill!"

"Anyone who dares fight me for it dies!"

"Leave it behind!"

Hundreds, even thousands of cultivators, like sharks drawn to blood, swarmed in.

The light of treasures, the roar of divine abilities, wove into a net of death within the small valley.

Screams and furious shouts rang out without end.

Cultivators exploded into clouds of blood mist midair, severed limbs raining down like a storm.

Greed had utterly consumed their reason.

Amid the chaos, a cultivator in a gray Daoist robe, eyes cold and vicious, struck with ruthless precision. He summoned a dharma seal, and with each slam, it claimed several lives.

In moments, over a dozen cultivators had died by his hand.

Seizing the opening as the seal forced others back, he moved like lightning and grabbed the Treasure-Dropping Golden Coin floating in the air!

"Hahaha! The treasure is mine..."

Before his ecstatic cry could finish, a fine, hair-thin black light shot silently from behind him, piercing straight through his back.

The gray-robed cultivator's joy froze on his face. He looked down at the bloody hole in his chest, disbelief and unwillingness in his eyes, as his life force swiftly faded. He toppled stiffly from the air.

The Treasure-Dropping Golden Coin flew free once more.

"Kill!"

After a brief moment of shock, an even more brutal melee erupted.

For this spiritual treasure that could decide life and death, everyone had gone blood-mad.

In the span of a single incense stick's burn, over a thousand cultivators had fallen, including several Golden Immortal great ones who had cultivated for countless years!

Inside and outside the valley, rivers of blood flowed, and Sha Qi surged to the heavens.

Just then.

A cold, violent, nauseating aura descended without warning, enveloping the entire battlefield.

"Hehehe... A bunch of ants, daring to covet a treasure like this?"

Accompanied by a grating, eerie laugh, a black-robed Daoist with a withered face appeared in midair.

In his hand, he held a black banner, its surface embroidered with a ferocious venomous dragon. Wisps of black Qi seeped from the banner, dizzying the mind and tearing at the soul with just a whiff.

"It's... it's the Poison Dragon Daoist!"

"That demon from Black Wind Mountain! Why is he here!"

Among the crowd, a knowledgeable cultivator recognized the newcomer, his voice trembling with utter terror.

The Poison Dragon Daoist, a fierce rogue cultivator at the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm, practiced venom arts, was ruthless and merciless, and had countless cultivators' blood on his hands—his infamy was well-known!

"Now you recognize This Seat? Too late!"

Poison Dragon Daoist let out a sinister laugh, swinging the Poison Dragon Banner in his hand with a fierce motion.

"Roar!"

A dragon's cry rang out as the poisonous dragon on the banner seemed to come alive, opening its gaping maw to spew a cloud of ink-green toxic mist.

Wherever the mist passed, the very air hissed and corroded with a sizzling sound.

"Ah—!"

"My body! My cultivation!"

Dozens of cultivators who failed to dodge were instantly engulfed by the toxic mist.

Their protective immortal light crumbled like paper, pierced through in an instant. Then, their flesh and Primordial Spirits, amidst wretched screams, corroded into pools of foul, stinking pus.

One strike—dozens of Mystic Immortals and Heavenly Immortals slain in an instant!

This horrifying sight made everyone freeze in place, their bodies cold as if plunged into an icy abyss.

The might of a Primordial Unity Golden Immortal was laid bare without reserve.

Poison Dragon Daoist gazed at the terrified expressions of the crowd, a look of pure enjoyment spreading across his face.

He extended his scarlet tongue, licking his cracked lips, and spoke in a sinister tone that carried across the entire scene:

"Leave."

"Or die."

Domineering, arrogant, leaving no room for negotiation.

The remaining cultivators exchanged glances, their faces pale as sheets.

Faced with such a ruthless figure, the greed in their hearts had long been replaced by boundless fear.

But just then, a Golden Immortal at the peak of his realm, seemingly unwilling to accept this, gritted his teeth and stepped forward, relying on his considerable strength.

"Fellow Daoist! This treasure was born from heaven and earth, masterless and for all to share. Your actions are far too overbearing!"

"Overbearing?"

Poison Dragon Daoist glanced at him as if looking at a dead man.

"In This Seat's domain, fists are the law!"

Before his words faded, he flicked his finger.

A condensed beam of ink-green poisonous light formed into a tiny venomous spike, shooting toward that Golden Immortal cultivator at an unimaginable speed.

The Golden Immortal's face twisted in shock and terror as he hastily summoned his defensive artifact—a golden shield gleaming with light.

But when the venomous spike struck the shield, it made no sound at all.

The golden shield's spiritual radiance dimmed visibly, black spots spreading across its surface. In an instant, it lost all its spiritual nature and clattered to the ground.

The spike, undiminished, pierced straight through the Golden Immortal's brow.

"Urgh..."

The Golden Immortal's eyes bulged wide. Before he could even let out a scream, his entire body dissolved into a pool of black blood, dripping to the ground with a nauseating stench.

One strike!

Another instant kill!

This time, the victim was a peak Golden Immortal grandmaster!

The entire scene fell into dead silence.

No one dared to raise any further objection.

Only awe and terror remained in everyone's eyes.

Poison Dragon Daoist withdrew his gaze with satisfaction, no longer deigning to look at these ants. He took a step forward, unhurriedly making his way toward the Treasure-Dropping Golden Coin, which radiated an alluring glow.

He walked slowly, each step as if stomping on the hearts of the crowd, making them twitch with every beat.

He reveled in this feeling of controlling everything, of dominating the life and death of others.

On a distant mountain peak, Su Ming took in the entire scene, his expression as calm as an ancient well.

Watching the insufferably arrogant Poison Dragon Daoist, the corner of his mouth silently curled into an imperceptible smile.