The person at the front wore a long golden robe, was tall, and had his hands behind his back. There were no Lineage crests on the surface of the robe, only fine dark gold lines extending from the cuffs to the collar.
He didn't unleash any supernatural powers, yet the aura of his Fate Soul, belonging to the True Annihilation Realm · Peak, naturally spread out, affecting several nearby broken swords, causing their blades to tremble with a low, resonant sound. The man on the left wore a black ancient robe, was thin, and had a slightly gloomy expression.
A pair of narrow eyes swept over the six people, lingering for a moment on the storage items at their waists. The last one, a cultivator in white, appeared the calmest. His robes were spotless, and he held no divine weapon, simply standing there with his hands behind his back. Yet, his gaze was more direct than the other two.
All three were at the True Annihilation Realm · Peak, and Chen Yong's heart immediately sank.
Although there were six people on their side, only he himself had truly reached the True Annihilation Realm · Peak, while the other five were all at the True Annihilation Realm · Initial Stage. More importantly, they had just experienced the battle with the Nine Nether Dark Ruins Demon Dragon, Fate Soul injuries had only undergone a brief period of recuperation, far from being fully recovered.
The man in the golden robe sized up the six people for a moment before finally speaking, "What clan are you from?" Chen Yong showed no unusual expression, took a half step forward, bowed slightly, and performed the proper etiquette perfectly. "Reporting to the three seniors, we are from the Annihilation God Clan, merely passing through this place."
"The Annihilation God Clan?" The black-robed man frowned slightly, a cryptic smile quickly spreading across his lips. "How come I've never heard of the Annihilation God Clan in the Eternal Nonexistence Limitless Domain?"
The expressions of the five people behind him all changed subtly.
Chen Yong maintained his cupped-hands posture and said humbly, "Seniors, our clan has always been low-key, so we are not a famous or prominent clan. It is normal that you have not heard of us." The man in black robes did not reply, but the cultivator in white robes took two steps to the side at this moment.
His gaze passed over Chen Yong's shoulder, looking in the direction the six had come from. After a moment, he slowly said, "Judging from the direction you came from, it's towards the Nine Nether Cold Pool." Chen Yong's heart tightened suddenly.
The white-robed man's gaze returned to his face. "What were you doing there?" After these words, the atmosphere within the Ten Thousand Swords Golden Ruins clearly changed. Chen Yong knew that these three had not asked casually, but he maintained a respectful expression and cupped his hands, saying, "Reporting to the three seniors, we did not go to the Nine Nether Cold Pool."
The man in the golden robe did not speak immediately upon hearing this; he simply watched Chen Yong quietly. After a few breaths—"Hmph." A cold snort escaped from his throat. The man in the golden robe lowered his eyelids slightly, and a wisp of extremely subtle Fate Soul perception had already quietly crossed a hundred feet, sweeping over Chen Yong's body.
Chen Yong immediately noticed, but he didn't stop them. Actively blocking their divine sense probing would only make them more certain that they were hiding something. But the next moment, a strange light appeared in the golden-robed man's eyes. He sensed an extremely dense remnant of Fate Soul energy.
Those were traces left by Chen Yong after he activated the Primordial Mirror with his essence blood and was continuously tainted and eroded by the Nine Nether Dark Ruins Demon Dragon Nine Abyss Immersion. There was even a very faint trace of True Annihilation remnant mixed in. Ordinary travelers would never have such complex and strong Fate Soul fluctuations on their bodies.
The man in the golden robe raised his eyes again. "Boy." His tone had lost its previous probing. "You are also at the peak of the True Annihilation Realm · Peak, but why do I sense a very strong Fate Soul aura on you?"
Chen Yong immediately understood that trouble was unavoidable. He remained outwardly composed, but his left hand, hidden in his sleeve, subtly clenched, and his Fate Soul transmission reached the depths of the consciousness of the five people beside him at the same instant.
"Get ready." None of the five turned to look at him. "These three are up to no good; they probably want to steal our storage bags."
The woman with the sword subtly pressed her right thumb against the guard. The man with the heavy ruler slowly shifted his feet half a step. The other three also subtly adjusted their positions. To outsiders, the six people's formation still appeared loose, but in reality, they had quietly formed a basic formation capable of forming a battle array at any time.
Chen Yong's final telepathic message fell. "They absolutely must not know about the ancient box." All five of them simultaneously felt a chill.
They all knew what the ancient box meant. To obtain it, the six of them nearly perished in the Nine Nether Cold Pool, and even used the Primordial Supreme Treasure Primordial Mirror, personally entrusted to them by the clan elders. Whatever was inside the box, it absolutely could not fall into the hands of outsiders before they returned to the clan.
The white-robed cultivator took in the six people's subtle movements. His face showed no anger, but his gaze gradually turned cold. "Alright." He slowly took a step forward.
As their feet landed, dozens of broken swords embedded in the metal rubble vibrated simultaneously. Clang! The concepts of swords, dormant for many years, awakened from the depths of the ruins, their sharp aura spreading rapidly along the earth, directly blocking the six people's escape routes on both sides.
The white-robed cultivator looked at Chen Yong, finally dropping his previous probing. "Stop wasting words with them." He slowly extended his right hand. "Hand over your storage bags."
The black-robed man behind them curled his lips into a sinister smile, while the gold-robed man lowered his hands from behind his back. Three auras of the True Annihilation Realm · Peak, one in front and two behind, completely locked onto the six people.
The white-robed cultivator's gaze swept over Chen Yong's waist, his voice turning cold. "Otherwise—" "Don't even think about leaving."
Chen Yong slowly straightened his slightly drooping back. The humility on his face had not completely disappeared, but the caution in his eyes had become completely calm. His right hand slowly gripped the gray-black spear, and at the same moment, the five people behind him quietly activated their Fate Soul essence. Deep within the Ten Thousand Swords Golden Ruins, more and more sleeping ancient swords were affected by the auras of both sides, and their blades trembled slightly.
The three ultimate Fate Soul auras of the True Annihilation Realm · Peak had been fully unleashed. The golden-robed man stood at the forefront, while the black-robed man and the white-robed cultivator were positioned to the left and right. Although the three did not seem to be deliberately occupying positions, after their auras overlapped, the area of several thousand feet around Chen Yong and his group was gradually compressed by an invisible aura.
The ancient broken sword, scattered among the ruins, trembled continuously. The conceptual sharpness that had been dormant within the sword for many years was drawn out by three primal forces, seeping out in strands from between the rust, cracks, and breaks. Even the dark gold sky above, which had been cut into pieces by countless sword marks, gradually sank down.
Chen Yong gripped the gray-black spear, his gaze slowly sweeping over the three men. He didn't attack immediately, but the Fate Soul essence of the five people behind him had already quietly activated according to his telepathic message.
The woman wielding the silver-gray short sword took a half-step to the left rear, the sword tip hanging naturally, appearing to have no offensive stance whatsoever. A wisp of True Annihilation Essence had already extended along the metal ground beneath her feet towards the other five people; the man wielding the black heavy ruler stood to Chen Yong's right rear, the broad ruler pressed against his leg.
His other hand was hidden in his sleeve, his five fingers moving silently; the remaining three also adjusted their positions, always maintaining a distance of more than ten feet between each other. The six people's auras were not connected, but deep within their Fate Soul, six points of convergence had already formed.
This was a tacit understanding they had formed during their previous battle against the Nine Nether Dark Ruins Demon Dragon. With just a thought from Chen Yong, the Six Lives Return to Annihilation True Formation could be reactivated at any moment.
However, Chen Yong knew very well that the current situation was completely different from that of the Nine Nether Cold Pool. Although the Demonic Dragon was strong, it ultimately had only one target, while the three True Annihilation Realm · Peak cultivators possessed complete intelligence and were able to cooperate with each other.
Apart from him being at the True Annihilation Realm · Peak, the other five on his side were only at the True Annihilation Realm · Initial Stage. They had also experienced a series of fierce battles, and their Fate Soul had not yet fully recovered from their injuries. If they could avoid fighting, he was willing to back down.
Chen Yong loosened his grip on the spear slightly, then solemnly cupped his hands towards the three men. "Three seniors," he said, his voice calm and his manners impeccable. "We are merely on official business as ordered by our clan today. We are complete strangers to the three of you, and have no prior grudges against you. The Ten Thousand Swords Golden Ruins are a vast region, and since you have no intention of creating enmity with our Annihilation God Clan, we naturally do not wish to needlessly incite conflict."
The man in the golden robe lowered his eyes and did not respond. Chen Yong continued, "If I have offended you in any way with my words just now, I apologize to the three of you. If you need any cultivation resources, I can also give you some, as a way to establish goodwill today. As for our personal belongings, some of them are private items belonging to our clans, which I cannot hand over."
As soon as he finished speaking, a faint sword chime echoed from the depths of the earth. The man in black robes suddenly laughed, a faint laugh, but his eyes held no warmth. "Are you trying to negotiate with us?"
Chen Yong looked at him. "I simply don't want either side to lose their lives needlessly."
"Life?" The white-robed cultivator repeated the word softly, then took a step forward. "You still don't seem to understand." His gaze swept over Chen Yong, then swept over the five people behind him. "From the moment you stopped, whether or not to hand over the goods is no longer your decision."
As the last word fell, the white-robed cultivator suddenly flipped his right hand. Buzz! A mixed white Dao seal appeared in his palm.