Chapter 151: Taking the Treasure and Leaving

"If sword intent entering the bones is not enough, then let us add half a body of sword intent bleeding!"

A loud shout suddenly exploded.

Fang Junmei's jet-black hair flew wildly into the air, and his whole body radiated a rare, fierce, and domineering aura. His gaze was even more resolute and firm!

Hearing this, neither Chaos-Cycle Blade-Wolf nor Lightning was anything short of dumbfounded.

In the late stage of Floating Dust, sword intent bleeding—could this really be true?

A split second later, Fang Junmei provided the answer!

Puff!

As if oil had been poured onto a fire, the golden radiance on Fang Junmei's body flared up by yet another layer. This time, it was different from before, seeming to bloom from every single inch of his skin, and the sharpness was even more intense than before.

"Sword intent bleeding? How could this fellow be so monstrously powerful? Such a rapid comprehension speed—I have never even heard of it... No, this level doesn't seem to be complete sword intent bleeding... Half a body of sword intent bleeding, what does that even mean?"

Chaos-Cycle Blade-Wolf was already rambling incoherently.

Hum—

That humming sound grew abruptly louder by several notches after Fang Junmei released half a body of sword intent bleeding, as if making a final desperate struggle.

Fang Junmei gritted his teeth, gripping the dark green treasured sword tightly without daring to let go, fresh blood trickling down continuously from his hand.

After who knows how much longer, the dark green treasured sword's struggle suddenly slackened and vanished abruptly. The struggling, ringing hum of the sword transformed into a joyful resonance, as if it had finally waited for its true master!

The subjugation was successful.

A look of wild elation appeared in the eyes of the two men and one steed.

Fang Junmei held the dark green treasured sword horizontally, staring at it intently with a gaze filled with deep gratification as the golden glow on his body gradually faded.

...

"Lightning, it's my turn. I want that saber!"

Chaos-Cycle Blade-Wolf could no longer contain his impatience.

Lightning cast a peculiar glance at him, offering no other reaction.

"Junmei, what does he mean?"

Chaos-Cycle Blade-Wolf hurriedly asked Fang Junmei as he walked over.

Fang Junmei smiled faintly and said, "He wants you to wait. Half a day from now, he needs to heal and recover."

Hearing this, Chaos-Cycle Blade-Wolf's face darkened instantly. However, knowing the severity of the situation and feeling helpless, he didn't rush Lightning. Instead, he walked over to him, fed him the finest medicinal pills he had, and began channeling his magical power to help him heal.

As for Fang Junmei, he sat down cross-legged on the ground and began refining this top-tier magical treasure—his very first in life. What had happened earlier was merely subjugation; true refinement was starting now. Although Chaos-Cycle Blade-Wolf was close by, Fang Junmei harbored no worries. Throughout this trip to the secret realm so far, Fang Junmei was convinced that Chaos-Cycle Blade-Wolf was a man worth befriending.

Not to mention that Lightning was right beside them; even for the sake of that saber, Chaos-Cycle Blade-Wolf would not choose to make a move at this moment.

The value of a top-tier magical treasure was simply incomparable to superior-grade magical treasures.

If an inner sect elite disciple from a sect the scale of Peach Blossom Sword Sect would receive a superior-grade magical treasure from their master, then the entire sect could at most produce one or two top-tier magical treasures—perhaps not even a single one.

The forging of a top-tier magical treasure was extremely rigorous regarding both materials and craftsmanship, and could only be forged by a Grandmaster of Artifact Refining. Almost every single one possessed an overwhelming advantage over superior-grade magical treasures.

With the dark green treasured sword laid across his knees, Fang Junmei channeled his divine soul power from his sea of consciousness, poured it into his hands, and began striking the dark green treasured sword. Golden runes emerged from his palms and sank into the weapon.

Refining a top-tier magical treasure required extraordinarily formidable divine soul power.

Before entering the Bottomless Light Realm, Fang Junmei could be almost certain he wouldn't have been able to refine it. But having now consumed the Dark Jade Honey, there might just be a glimmer of hope.

Time ticked away second by second.

The divine soul power Fang Junmei poured into the sword grew increasingly vast, reaching near exhaustion, yet it never once produced a connection of heart and mind with the weapon.

"Damn it!"

By the end, Fang Junmei's divine soul power was completely drained without successful refinement. He couldn't help but curse out loud, poked the ground with the dark green treasured sword, and lay flat on his back with an expression of utter frustration!

Chaos-Cycle Blade-Wolf burst into roaring laughter at the sight.

"Whoever laid out this place must have thought these three treasures would be taken by fellows in the middle or late stages of Dao Seed, never imagining it would be the three of us."

Chaos-Cycle Blade-Wolf walked over to him and said, "From my perspective, although you've consumed the Dark Jade Honey, you'll likely still need to cultivate your divine soul quite fiercely."

Fang Junmei nodded in agreement.

"Junmei, what about me?"

Chaos-Cycle Blade-Wolf glanced at the saber, his expression instantly turning gloomy.

"What about you?"

Fang Junmei looked bewildered.

"I haven't achieved saber intent bleeding yet! How am I supposed to subjugate that saber?"

Chaos-Cycle Blade-Wolf's expression was even more bitter than Fang Junmei's had been earlier.

Fang Junmei thought for a moment and said, "Do you have a long scabbard on you? Once Lightning shatters the barrier later, grab the saber and seal it inside a scabbard first. You can come back and subjugate it after you achieve saber intent bleeding."

Hearing this, Chaos-Cycle Blade-Wolf's eyes lit up, and he immediately began rummaging through his belongings. Of course, he remembered clearly that he didn't own a scabbard that long, but having looted quite a few other cultivators, perhaps someone else did.

As luck would have it, he actually dug one out, causing him to beam with delight all over again.

When asked about the matter of sword intent bleeding, Fang Junmei didn't elaborate much, simply claiming he had comprehended it through a fortuitous coincidence, and urged him not to mention it to others. Chaos-Cycle Blade-Wolf naturally patted his chest in promise.

Without further ado, the two men also began to meditate.

...

Half a day later, Lightning made his move once more, shattering the shell of the snow-white saber magical treasure.

True to expectations, Chaos-Cycle Blade-Wolf was unable to subjugate it. Following the plan, he sealed it into the scabbard to be dealt with at a later date. In any case, this fortuitous opportunity had been secured, leaving Chaos-Cycle Blade-Wolf as gleeful as a mischievous monkey, showering Lightning with endless flattery.

Lightning cast a disdainful look, yet inwardly enjoyed it immensely.

However, having sustained secondary injuries, he required even more time to recover.

Meanwhile, Fang Junmei noticed that after taking the saber and the sword, the entire space showed no abnormal changes. Whether this was good or bad, no one could tell for the time being.

Spending another day on healing, Lightning finally began retrieving the imperial seal-like magical treasure.

The appearance of this seal was also somewhat bizarre, looking as if it were carved from golden-yellow jade, exuding a noble and exquisite hue. Its base was square, while the top featured a sculpture of four figures in a circle bowing outward in reverence. Whom they were bowing to remained a mystery to all.

After Lightning shattered the invisible spatial shell, he opened his mouth and swallowed the seal whole, and then—there was no further reaction.

Before Fang Junmei and Chaos-Cycle Blade-Wolf had time to feel surprised, the abnormal sensation finally arrived.

The earth shook and the mountains quivered!

The entire hall began to sway, and rumbling, earthquake-like sounds echoed from all directions.

The two men and one steed looked at each other in dismay.

"The space along the path we came from is very strange; it feels as though it's collapsing!"

Lightning was the first to sense it, adding, "The situation is ominous. That collapsing force is spreading toward us. This power is not something the three of us can resist."

Hearing Lightning's words, Fang Junmei quickly turned to Chaos-Cycle Blade-Wolf.

"Could it be that we really got the order wrong?"

Chaos-Cycle Blade-Wolf's pupils constricted.

Rumble—

Rolling billows of smoke and dust had already begun to surge from the direction of the path they had come from. The naked eyes of the two men and one steed could see that the brilliantly lit halls further back were undergoing a bizarre and sudden darkening, as if swallowed by an invisible monster.

Cold sweat dripped unconsciously down the foreheads of Fang Junmei and Chaos-Cycle Blade-Wolf.

Fang Junmei's eyes flashed with brilliant light, his brain working at lightning speed. There must be a way out; there must be a way out! As his gaze shifted, he suddenly caught sight of the passage lying further ahead of the hall. If that passage had no peculiarity or purpose, there would be no reason for it to exist in the design.

"That way, run!"

Fang Junmei shouted loudly and flew toward that direction.

Chaos-Cycle Blade-Wolf and Lightning quickly followed, having no time to think or ask questions.

Behind them, dust rolled in billows as an unseen force devoured every tangible existence.

...

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

Moving at lightning speed, the two men and one steed quickly reached the end of the long passage, right above which hung the string of unfamiliar characters.

Apart from that, no other anomalies had occurred nearby so far.

Rip—

The sound of shattering walls echoed from the direction of the Three Treasures Hall. That area had already begun to be devoured, and the invisible swallowing force was heading straight for the two men and one steed.

The passage walls showed faint cracks that were rapidly widening. Bizarrely, behind those cracks was not any real substance, but an eerie, pitch-black void.

The eyes of the two men and one steed narrowed further; by now, they could no longer ignore the birth of this anomaly.

Spatial ripples lashed against the three of them.

The cracks spread closer, and blinding light suddenly flashed!

The wall inscribed with characters at the end of the passage, having suffered the onslaught of the nameless force, finally let light stream through from those fractures!

"Break it open!"

Noticing this, Fang Junmei shouted loudly.

The two men and one steed launched a frantic onslaught, and a deafening explosion resounded.

Boom!

Following a massive blast, the wall was finally shattered completely. A bright expanse of void appeared ahead, and the three of them didn't hesitate for half a second, shooting forward like lightning!

Rumble—

The space behind them collapsed entirely.

...

Having narrowly escaped with their lives, the two men and one steed let out a long sigh of relief before turning to observe the outside world.

They found themselves floating within the void, while the place they had just escaped from showed not a single trace of substantial existence—only a rolling mass of clouds and mist. This sight left the two men and one steed completely bewildered: exactly where had those halls and passages been built? Were they real or illusory?

Casting their gazes downward, they beheld a deathly black wilderness world filled with sect ruins and city-like remains. Large portions had already been reduced to ruins, bearing the scars of some apocalyptic catastrophe across a radius of a hundred miles.

Yet amidst those vast ruins, five locations still retained intact palatial structures!

Southeast, Northwest, and the Center!

All of them were built grandly and magnificently, looking as though carved from white jade. The central complex was noticeably larger and taller, exuding an aura that looked down upon all directions!

Apart from these, there were no living creatures to be seen, nor any skeletal remains. Yet despite the profound silence, the entire space seemed caught in a subtle, continuous tremor.

"Let's go there!"

After exchanging a few glances, Fang Junmei and Chaos-Cycle Blade-Wolf shouted in unison and darted toward the central location.