Chaos Airflow surged like a tide as Lin Yue and Su Qingyan raced between the jagged rocks. The beam of treasure light that had shot into the sky moments ago was like a beacon in the dark. It not only lit up the dim Chaos space around them, but also stirred the most primal greed and obsession in their hearts.
"Don't even think about getting away!" Su Qingyan's voice came from behind, carried on a wave of scorching air. The flames at her fingertips had gathered into a whip three inches long. As its tip cut through the air, it sizzled, scorching the already sparse energy in the Chaos. The two had fought dozens of exchanges over the source of the treasure light, and Lin Yue had barely held his own thanks to the Chaos Little Light Orb's nimble versatility. Yet he still couldn't shake the relentless assault of her flames.
Lin Yue pushed off hard, using the momentum to spring from a boulder as large as a millstone. His body swept through the air in an arc, narrowly dodging the fiery whip. The instant the whip grazed the rock, nearly half of it melted like snow beneath the sun, revealing a hard, gray-black core. "Fellow Daoist Su, treasures have a will of their own. We should each rely on our own fortune. Why press me so hard?" He kept running as he tried to reason with her, though the corner of his eye remained fixed on the treasure light descending ahead.
The treasure light gradually slowed, then drifted down like a feather onto a relatively level patch of ground. The clearing was about ten zhang across, with fist-sized Stone Shattering scattered around it. Yet the center was strangely clean, as if some unseen force had swept it clear. As the treasure light touched down, its dazzling radiance slowly receded like the tide, revealing an unusual plant lying quietly beneath it.
The plant stood about half a foot tall, with a crystalline jade-colored stalk and three palm-sized leaves at its crown. The leaves were golden all over, with faint streams of light flowing along their edges. Looking closely, one could see countless tiny golden patterns moving slowly through them, pulsing as if alive. A rich vitality beyond words radiated from the leaves. Just looking at them from afar made the Chaos Energy in Lin Yue's dantian grow more active, and even the stagnation that had built up over days of cultivation eased considerably.
"Three-Leaf Golden Ganoderma!" Lin Yue's heart jolted as the name exploded in his mind like a thunderclap. He had heard of this spirit grass among the rare treasures of Chaos that Pangu had occasionally mentioned. It was a top-grade Innate Spirit Grass, born of the primordial heavens and earth. It grew a leaf every three thousand years and took another three thousand to mature. Once ripe, it released treasure light to point the way. Consuming it could not only greatly improve one's cultivation, but also nourish one's foundation, making it far easier to break through to a higher realm. For him, having just reached the early stage of High-level Chaos, the Three-Leaf Golden Ganoderma was undoubtedly the ideal aid for consolidating his cultivation and striving for an even higher realm.
In the instant Lin Yue lost focus, Su Qingyan had already reacted. She almost instinctively gave up the chase and shot toward the Three-Leaf Golden Ganoderma like an arrow loosed from a bow, moving nearly thirty percent faster than she had during their earlier fight. Just as her fingertips were about to touch the golden leaves, Lin Yue snapped back to his senses. Chaos Energy surged through his body, and he pushed off hard, rushing toward the spirit grass.
"I locked onto this spirit grass first. Try taking it from me!" Su Qingyan sensed the movement behind her and whipped around, a sharp glint in her eyes. At the tip of her other hand, a fist-sized ball of flame appeared in an instant. The fire leapt and roared, its heat distorting the air around them. Clearly, she was ready to fight at any moment for the Three-Leaf Golden Ganoderma.
Lin Yue stopped a zhang from the spirit grass, his gaze fixed on the alluring gleam of the Three-Leaf Golden Ganoderma as his thoughts raced. He knew that if he fought Su Qingyan with everything he had, the outcome would be uncertain. More importantly, if they both ended up badly wounded, the spirit grass might fall into someone else's hands—or be destroyed in the fighting. The damage the fire whip had done to the rock had shown him just how destructive Su Qingyan's flames were.
"Fellow Daoist Su," Lin Yue said, taking a deep breath and trying to keep his voice calm. "The Three-Leaf Golden Ganoderma is precious, but keeping the whole plant to yourself would be wasteful. Why don't we split it and each take half? That way, we avoid needless hostility and make the best use of its effects. What do you say?"
His proposal might have sounded like a concession, but it was the safest option available. The Three-Leaf Golden Ganoderma's value lay in the vitality and energy it contained. Even a portion would be enough for him. Besides, he could sense that the plant's vitality was exceptionally potent. Even divided in two, each half would be far beyond an ordinary spiritual treasure.
Yet when Su Qingyan heard his offer, she seemed to take it as a joke. A mocking smile curled her lips. "Split it? Lin Yue, you've got some nerve." She slowly drew back the hand she had reached toward the spirit grass and held the ball of flame in her palm instead, her gaze icy as she stared at him. "From the moment the treasure light appeared, I was the one chasing it. If you hadn't gotten in my way, I'd have claimed the spirit grass already. And now you want me to hand over half just because you said so? What kind of logic is that?"
She stepped forward, and the fiery aura around her grew more intense. It seemed she would attack the instant Lin Yue took another step. "This Three-Leaf Golden Ganoderma belongs to me. If you know what's good for you, get out of my way right now. Otherwise, don't blame me for showing no mercy!"
Lin Yue's expression darkened as well. He understood why Su Qingyan didn't want to share, but her domineering attitude had thoroughly stoked his competitive spirit and resentment. The path of cultivation was like rowing upstream, and opportunities vanished in an instant. If he gave up such a precious treasure just because she threatened him, how could he ever hope to survive in the perilous Chaos?
"Fellow Daoist Su, that's not how it works." Chaos Energy began to circulate slowly within Lin Yue. The faint Golden Vortex in his dantian trembled, ready to form a Chaos Little Light Orb at any moment. "In the Chaos, treasures belong to no one. The capable claim them. Seeing it first doesn't mean you get to take it. Since you won't split it, then we'll have to rely on our own abilities."
As soon as he finished speaking, the last trace of hesitation vanished from Su Qingyan's eyes. She snorted, and the flames in her palm surged, instantly turning into a long fiery whip that cracked through the air toward Lin Yue. At the same time, she reached for the Three-Leaf Golden Ganoderma with her other hand, clearly intending to fend him off while claiming the spirit grass.
Lin Yue was ready. He shifted his footwork and slid several feet to the side like a phantom, dodging the fiery whip as he flicked his right hand. Three walnut-sized Chaos Little Light Orbs shot out like meteors, aiming for Su Qingyan's wrist, shoulder, and waist. Their angles were tricky and their speed tremendous, clearly meant to force her to abandon the spirit grass and turn to defend herself.
"Child's play!" Disdain flashed in Su Qingyan's eyes as her left hand swept quickly across her front, tracing a streak of fire that formed a fiery shield. Three muffled thuds rang out as the Chaos Little Light Orbs struck it and instantly burst apart, scattering into specks of Chaos Energy that vanished into the air. The fiery shield merely rippled a few times before returning to normal.
But that brief delay slowed her attempt to pluck the spirit grass. Lin Yue seized the opportunity and surged forward again, coming within five feet of the Three-Leaf Golden Ganoderma. He could even clearly smell the vitality rising from its leaves, sweet and faint.
Seeing this, Su Qingyan flew into a rage. She pulled back the fiery whip and wrapped it around Lin Yue's ankle, while leaning forward herself. Her fingertips were less than an inch from the Three-Leaf Golden Ganoderma's leaves.
"Not a chance!" Lin Yue barked. He stamped his left foot hard against the ground, sending a wave of Chaos Energy spreading across the surface and making the nearby Stone Shattering jump. Using the force of the recoil, he leapt upward again, barely evading the fiery whip as it curled around him. In midair, he reached out with his right hand, aiming straight for the thickest golden leaf.
At almost the same moment, both of them reached for the Three-Leaf Golden Ganoderma. Scorching flames and dense Chaos Energy clashed and mingled in the air, hissing as the battle for the Innate Spirit Grass reached its fiercest moment.
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