Contesting the Treasure

"Pure Yang Creation Fruit—I wonder what kind of treasure it is. Please explain it to me in detail, Fellow Daoist Fang," Song Daokun asked Fang Wen anxiously.

No one knew what Fang Wen was scheming. Expressionless, he said, "This item is a supreme treasure for Qi Transformation cultivators. It possesses the power to remake heaven and earth. As long as one consumes this fruit, one can break the limits of the body. Originally, a Meridian Opening Stage cultivator can accumulate at most nine-times-nine, eighty-one drops of Essence. After taking this fruit, one can be reborn from the marrow outward and push the limit of accumulated Essence to one hundred and eight, the number of the Heavenly Stars and Earthly Fiends. At that time, upon stepping into the Innate Realm, one can communicate with heaven and earth and refine a wisp of true Innate Qi."

Only then did everyone understand where the true might of the Pure Yang Creation Fruit lay. It was not in remolding the body, nor in increasing the upper limit of Essence, but in that wisp of Innate Qi. Legend had it that when heaven and earth first opened, all things were born innate, and countless mighty beings roamed unhindered across the world. Yet now, no one with great divine abilities had appeared again. Why? Because the vital energy of heaven and earth had leaked away; the innate was no more, and all living beings were stained by Acquired Qi. From then on, the world had never again produced a true mighty being, and even becoming an immortal and attaining the Dao had grown ever more difficult.

Now that they heard there was a chance to return to the innate, everyone's breathing could not help but quicken.

Wang Ding stared at Fang Wen's expressionless face, his eyes flickering with thought. This man probably has something to rely on. He wants to stir up a fight among us and then reap the fisherman's profit. I have to keep an eye on him at all times. I absolutely can't let him get his chance.

Wang Ding's thoughts raced, and a plan came to him. He said to the others, "How about this? First, we pick the treasure and place it in the middle. Then everyone has a match. The victor takes the treasure, and the loser receives a cherished item from the victor as compensation. What do you think?"

Song Daokun knew he could not possibly monopolize the treasure at this point. Given the current situation, he could only agree, and he could not help looking toward Shi Mei. After the two exchanged a glance, he said, "Then who will retrieve the treasure?"

"How about Fellow Daoist Fang? Since he understands the characteristics of this treasure so clearly, he will surely be able to accomplish it."

At these words, a thread of killing intent flashed through Fang Wen's eyes. Wang Ding had been watching him the entire time, and now, seeing killing intent blaze in his eyes, he became even more certain that Fang Wen had something to rely on.

"Fine. That works," Fang Wen replied.

Hearing this, Song Daokun and Shi Mei pondered for a while, then both nodded in agreement.

Fang Wen took out a jade box and walked forward to the edge of the pool. With a light step, he crossed over to the small stone island, opened the jade box, picked the Pure Yang Creation Fruit, and gently placed it inside.

Then he stepped back and jumped to the shore. At this moment, everyone had gathered by the bank, and when Fang Wen jumped back, they happened to block him off. Fang Wen glanced at them, then slowly placed the jade box in his hand on the ground. Only then did everyone let out a breath of relief, slowly retreating backward together with Fang Wen.

Song Daokun spoke at this point. "Now, shall we begin seizing the treasure through martial skill?"

At this moment, Wang Ding stood by the cave entrance, Shi Mei and Song Daokun each stood to one side, and Fang Wen was in the center.

"Then who will go first?" Shi Mei asked.

"How about Fellow Daoist Shi and Fellow Daoist Fang together, while Fellow Daoist Song and I pair off?" Wang Ding rushed to say.

The four looked at one another and said, "Good."

Wang Ding and Song Daokun moved to the left, while Fang Wen and Shi Mei moved to the right.

"Fellow Daoist Song, this concerns our futures, so I won't hold back. Take this move—Dragon Travels the World!" Wang Ding struck out, his entire body transforming into a wandering dragon as he stepped with mysterious footwork. In an instant, he was before Song Daokun, one claw grabbing toward Song Daokun's chest.

Seeing Wang Ding's claw strike at him, the claw wind biting cold and carrying the power to tear gold and split jade, Song Daokun hurriedly circulated the strange skill he had learned, the Primordial Body. His whole body transformed into a ball of flesh and bounced toward Shi Mei's side.

Seeing Wang Ding and Song Daokun start fighting, Shi Mei and Fang Wen did not stay idle either. Each drew a weapon and began a fierce battle. Their duel was far more pleasing to the eye than Wang Ding's. One was like a roaming swordsman dancing with a blade, Sword Qi Soars to the Heavens, bold and upright. The other's twin swords fluttered like a fairy descending to the mortal world, like the Gongsun Sword Dance, as though it were a painting.

In reality, however, every move aimed for a vital point, as if they shared some deep hatred and great enmity and had to put the other to death.

Wang Ding attacked Song Daokun move after move. Song Daokun seemed unable to match him and gradually retreated toward Shi Mei's side. Just then, Song Daokun suddenly vanished from before Wang Ding's eyes and appeared behind Fang Wen. Then he threw out a black object. Fang Wen seemed to sense something; with one sword strike, he forced back Shi Mei before him, then turned and thrust behind him. But he had not expected his sword to chop into a round, squat object. When he looked, his pupils shrank, and he cried, "Thunderbolt Fire!"

Boom, boom! A tremendous explosion erupted, and the entire mountain cave echoed with the deafening blast. For a moment, everyone's ears were filled with roaring. It sounded as if it took a long time to describe, but in truth, it had all happened in an instant. Thunderbolt Fire was an immensely powerful one-time-use Magic Tool, refined by Qi Training Realm cultivators after gathering thunderfire.

The moment Song Daokun disappeared, Wang Ding knew the opportunity he had been waiting for had arrived. At this moment, Shi Mei, who had been forced back by Fang Wen, shot several streaks of cold light toward him. One look was enough to tell they were poisoned hidden weapons. Wang Ding smiled coldly at her and activated an Earth Escape Talisman, arriving beside the jade box in one move. He snatched up the jade box, then activated another Earth Escape Talisman and escaped to the mouth of the cave in an instant. Without even looking back, he charged out. At this moment, the Thunderbolt Fire happened to explode, and those three were all shaken dizzy and dazzled. How could they still know where Wang Ding was?

Only Shi Mei knew what had happened, and her heart sank to the bottom with a thud.

As it turned out, Wang Ding had long since discovered something fishy between Shi Mei and Song Daokun. Along the way, Wang Ding had noticed that both Fang Wen and he himself had been secretly observing Song Daokun's method of identifying the route. Only Shi Mei had not. Moreover, throughout the journey, Shi Mei would sometimes unconsciously glance toward Song Daokun, and when they were outside the illusion, Song Daokun and Shi Mei had been standing too close while searching the surroundings. All sorts of signs showed that Shi Mei and Song Daokun definitely knew each other, and that their relationship was far from shallow.

That was why Wang Ding had set up a trap to lure the two of them into making a move, so that he could take the treasure amid the chaos and then leave.

They likely had no idea that Wang Ding carried so many Earth Escape Talismans. One had to know that life-saving items like Earth Escape Talismans were usually things with a price but no market. If Wang Ding had not been skilled at making talismans, it would have been impossible for him to have so many.

At this moment, the inside of the cave returned to calm. Fang Wen could be seen with a small bell above his head, his whole body covered in soot and dust. The protective treasure light around him flickered on and off, his face was covered in blood, and he was taking out a medicinal pill and swallowing it. Fang Wen could not help thinking that if he had not possessed such a Magic Tool, he would already be a dead man. Involuntarily, his rage made his hair stand on end, and he was about to charge toward Song Daokun when a woman's sharp cry suddenly rang out.

"Stop fighting! The jade box was snatched away by that Huang bastard! If we don't chase him, all our hard work will have been for nothing!" It was Shi Mei.

The three could no longer care about anything else and hurriedly rushed toward the cave exit. This time was unlike when they had entered the cave cautiously. The three charged out at full speed without stopping, and in less than fifteen minutes, they reached the cave mouth. Fang Wen was in front. With a Magic Tool protecting him, he was not afraid of a sneak attack from the two behind him, so he rushed at the very front.

The instant he stepped out of the cave mouth, several pillars of fire and earth spears attacked him. The dense assault shattered the shield of his Magic Tool in one blow. Just as he reacted and was about to strengthen his defenses, a streak of azure light pressed close to the earth spears and attacked into the shield along with them. In a flash, it split Fang Wen into two halves. The two people behind him were instantly scared out of their wits.