The Preaching Squad believed they had already uncovered most of the truth behind this trial.
However the enemy tried to conceal it, their underlying foundation probably would not change much.
Whatever happened, they should not be able to escape Jindou Mountain's established rules.
Yet no one truly relaxed.
Beneath the tranquil surface, a cold gleam lay in wait.
Those earlier opponents' abilities had been too swift, too impossible to counter.
The five members of the Preaching Squad were no longer greenhorns who had only just faced their first tribulations. They had long since gouged the word "luck" out of their lives.
Nothing they encountered while preaching was a matter of luck.
Only by accounting for every possibility could they reach the far shore safely.
The Nine-Toothed Rake and the Moonlight Shovel were their bonded spiritual treasures, companions throughout their journey of proving their Dao and slaughtering their foes.
They matched their Dao foundations, bore the imprints of their souls, and were one with their wielders.
They answered a thought, as natural to command as fingers on a hand.
Yet treasures like these had been silently stripped away in an instant.
Their mental links had snapped, their control over the principles of existence had vanished, and the weapons had disappeared into thin air without a trace.
At that thought, the heartstrings everyone had barely begun to loosen pulled taut once more.
A trial that seemed like a free gift concealed the deepest trap. The more it resembled an old game, the less it was anything of the sort.
"We must not be careless."
Tang Sanzang spoke gravely, exposing the hidden worry in everyone's hearts with a single remark. His gaze swept across the Zhu-Sha Duo's empty hands before dropping to himself.
"Old Zhu and Old Killer had their spiritual treasures taken.