Treasures Delivered to Your Doorstep Were Never Meant to Be Returned

Xiao Sheng was completely dumbfounded.

His mission here today had been simple.

Take down Zhao Gongming's magic treasures.

As long as the twenty-four Sea-Calming Pearls were taken away,

the Explanatory Sect experts would naturally take over afterward.

As for Lin Yuan?

A Profound Immortal.

From beginning to end, no one had considered him a primary target.

Who could have expected

that Zhao Gongming himself had not even panicked yet,

while Lin Yuan came charging over as though someone had stolen his wife.

The Qingxuan Sword was astonishingly fast.

Xiao Sheng had no choice but to divert part of his focus to block it.

Clang!

The two magic treasures collided.

Xiao Sheng's cultivation was higher than Lin Yuan's.

Naturally, he held the advantage in this exchange.

Lin Yuan was knocked back.

But he had never intended to defeat Xiao Sheng head-on.

Wind-Thunder Escape activated once more.

The lightning flashed.

He had already closed in from another direction.

Xiao Sheng's expression gradually darkened.

"Just a mere Profound Immortal!"

"Do you really think this old Daoist has no way to deal with you?"

A blast of magical power surged forth.

Lin Yuan's Innate Spiritual Perception warned him in advance.

The Thick Earth Sword switched in an instant.

The Blackstone Dao Body was fully unleashed.

Boom!

His entire body was sent skidding sideways.

But at the same time,

Xiao Sheng's control over the Treasure-Dropping Coin loosened for an instant.

The Sea-Calming Pearl's descent immediately slowed.

Zhao Gongming finally reacted.

"You dare take down this old Daoist's treasure?"

His expression turned utterly cold.

The remaining Sea-Calming Pearls stopped attacking the others.

He poured all his magical power into recalling the one pearl being drawn away by the Treasure-Dropping Coin.

The two forces tugged against each other.

The Sea-Calming Pearl hung suspended in midair.

One moment, it fell toward Xiao Sheng.

The next, Zhao Gongming forcibly pulled it back.

Lin Yuan saw this scene.

He became even more certain.

The key to breaking the deadlock was not the Sea-Calming Pearl at all.

It was Xiao Sheng.

As long as Xiao Sheng could not spare a hand to control the Treasure-Dropping Coin,

the problem would resolve itself.

"Leave Xiao Sheng to me!"

Lin Yuan shouted.

Zhao Gongming froze.

The next instant, he understood Lin Yuan's meaning.

"Good!"

He immediately drove his magical power to seize the Sea-Calming Pearl by force.

Lin Yuan charged at Xiao Sheng again.

Naturally, Cao Bao could not just watch his companion get attacked.

He stepped forward.

Preparing to make it two against one.

Yet Lin Yuan was not flustered in the least.

From the start, he had never intended to fight alone.

"Senior Brother Qin!"

As his voice fell,

Qin Wan, who had followed them from afar long ago, raised a formation flag.

"Coming!"

A small trapping formation instantly rose from the ground.

After the battle of the Ten Ultimate Formation,

the coordination between Lin Yuan and the Ten Heavenly Lords had long become second nature.

While it was impossible to carry the complete Ten Ultimate Linked Formation around with them,

using several formation flags to temporarily set up a simple trapping formation

was no problem at all.

Cao Bao had only just taken a step.

Formation patterns around him abruptly lit up.

"A formation?"

His expression changed slightly.

This formation could not trap him for long.

But Lin Yuan had never wanted to trap him to death.

A few breaths.

That was enough.

Xiao Sheng could now only face Lin Yuan by himself.

"You are courting death!"

His temper flared as well.

He brought a palm directly down upon Lin Yuan.

The gap in their realms was right there.

If Lin Yuan met him head-on, he would absolutely be at a disadvantage.

But the abilities he possessed now were already nothing like when he had first entered the Primordial World.

Innate Spiritual Perception locked onto trajectories.

Battlefield Killing Intent Perception caught lethal moves.

Supreme Clarity Battle Intent judged the timing of attacks.

Wind-Thunder Escape handled evasion.

The Blackstone Dao Body and Vajra Immortal Bone served as the final margin for error.

Winning was still difficult for now.

Stalling him?

He knew that game all too well.

Back then, he had even forcibly stalled Nezha for a long time.

Lin Yuan's figure flickered repeatedly.

Several of Xiao Sheng's moves missed in succession.

His face turned black with rage.

"You only know how to run?"

Lin Yuan found time to return a sword strike.

"Then why don't you stand still and let me chop you?"

Xiao Sheng: "..."

In the gap created by that single exchange,

the Treasure-Dropping Coin lost its stability again.

Zhao Gongming's gaze sharpened.

"Come back!"

Boom!

Daluo Realm magical power erupted completely.

The Sea-Calming Pearl that had been pulled halfway away suddenly shot back.

It returned to Zhao Gongming's side.

Xiao Sheng's expression changed drastically.

He had failed!

His first reaction was to activate the Treasure-Dropping Coin again.

But Lin Yuan had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

The Thick Earth Sword came crashing down.

It was not aimed at Xiao Sheng.

It was aimed at his hand!

Bang!

Xiao Sheng was forced to withdraw his hand.

With no one controlling it, the Treasure-Dropping Coin's flight abruptly stalled.

Zhao Gongming was quick-eyed and quicker-handed.

He raised a hand in summons.

A stream of Daluo Realm magical power swept directly over.

"Since you sent it over,"

"then don't think of taking it back!"

Xiao Sheng's face turned green.

"My Treasure-Dropping Coin!"

He controlled it desperately.

But Zhao Gongming had already freed up all his power.

How could Xiao Sheng possibly outfight a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal in a direct contest for treasure?

The golden copper coin shook violently in midair.

At last, with a whoosh,

it flew straight toward Zhao Gongming.

Zhao Gongming reached out and grabbed it.

The Treasure-Dropping Coin was in his hand.

The battlefield suddenly fell silent.

Even Lin Yuan was stunned for a moment.

His original plan had only been to preserve the Sea-Calming Pearls.

He had not expected Zhao Gongming to be so direct.

You wanted to take down my treasure?

Fine.

Then I'll take yours too.

It truly embodied the spirit of having come all this way.

You could not leave empty-handed.

Xiao Sheng's entire face flushed crimson.

"Give it back!"

Zhao Gongming lowered his head and looked at the copper coin in his palm.

Wings grew from both sides.

The Dao patterns upon it were exceedingly strange.

Judging by its aura alone, it did not seem to be a top-tier Innate Spirit Treasure.

Yet just now, it had truly managed to stir the Sea-Calming Pearls.

"Interesting."

Zhao Gongming casually put it away.

"In a battle of spells on the battlefield."

"If a treasure is taken, each relies on their own abilities."

"When you tried to make my Sea-Calming Pearls fall just now."

"You never asked whether I was willing."

Xiao Sheng was left speechless by that single remark.

Cao Bao finally broke free of the trapping formation.

But by the time he emerged, it was already too late.

The Treasure-Dropping Coin was gone.

Not one of the twenty-four Sea-Calming Pearls was missing.

And Zhao Gongming was still standing there completely unscathed.

West Qi's carefully prepared follow-up attack naturally became meaningless as well.

The expressions of the Explanatory Sect's Golden Immortals grew uglier than the last.

After preparing so meticulously.

They had failed to obtain what they wanted.

And instead gave away a treasure.

They had truly suffered a crushing loss.

Zhao Gongming did not continue fighting.

He was quite satisfied with today's outcome.

After returning to the Shang Camp.

He directly tossed the Treasure-Dropping Coin in the air twice.

Then he looked toward Lin Yuan.

"Martial Nephew."

"Your reaction today was quick enough."

"If you hadn't entangled Xiao Sheng at once."

"He really might have taken one of my Sea-Calming Pearls."

Lin Yuan waved a hand.

"This disciple merely sensed something through his spiritual perception."

Zhao Gongming did not press the matter further.

Instead, he took the initiative to hand over the Treasure-Dropping Coin.

"Take a look?"

Lin Yuan accepted it.

The instant it touched his hand.

An exceptionally peculiar treasure-suppressing Dao resonance flowed into him.

It was as though any Dharma treasure would naturally be drawn by it to some degree.

It truly was wicked.

But Lin Yuan soon handed it back.

For now, it was safer in Zhao Gongming's hands than in his own.

"Martial Uncle, keep it."

"It may prove useful later."

Zhao Gongming did not stand on ceremony either.

"Fine."

"Once I figure it out, we'll see how to deal with it."

Yet Lin Yuan did not relax completely because of this.

The system gave no prompt.

Zhao Gongming's death tribulation still remained.

Moreover, the vague danger within his Innate Spiritual Perception had grown even stronger than before.

The Treasure-Dropping Coin was only the appetizer.

The thing that would truly take lives—

Had yet to arrive.

Two days later.

Outside the Shang Camp.

A streak of crimson escaping light suddenly descended from afar.

The newcomer bore none of the Jade Clarity aura of the Explanatory Sect.

Nor was he any of the West Qi Qi Refiners they had seen before.

He cut a dashing figure.

Yet his aura ran so deep that Lin Yuan could not see through him at all.

Wen Zhong had been speaking with Zhao Gongming.

Upon seeing this man, he stopped as well.

The Daoist swept his gaze across the crowd.

At last, he smiled and spoke.

"I am Lu Ya."

"Today, I have come specifically to meet Fellow Daoist Zhao Gongming."

The ease on Lin Yuan's face vanished in an instant.