Chapter Fifty-Two: The Emergence of the Mountain Treasure

"Alas! In the capital, those princes are preoccupied with vying for the position of crown prince and have paid this matter no mind at all. As for the other factions, it depends on which side they choose. If nothing else works, we may have to call upon some old friends, though the time is not yet ripe, and accidents might occur!"

Fifth Lord stood up, his face calm, betraying no emotion, as if discussing a matter entirely unrelated to himself.

Hearing this, Ye Tianya's expression changed drastically, disbelief written all over his face as he looked at the elder before him.

Fifth Lord's strength was among the top three in the entire Tianwu Empire; looking across the East, there was not a single person on the surface who could confidently claim to suppress him. Not even the Lord of the Sacred Land could manage that.

"You need not worry too much. Tonight, Feng deliberately revealed his strength, which has already greatly shocked those nobles and lords. If they still refuse to recognize the situation, then we'll have no choice but to eliminate them. We must never let the Sacred Land meddle in the Tianwu Empire; otherwise, our plan, which has been a century in the making, will surely be discovered by the Celestial Star Palace. At our current strength, the gap between us and the Star Palace is still far too great."

A sharp glint flashed in Ye Tianya's eyes.

...

While Fifth Lord and Ye Tianya were deep in discussion, far away in the Luoyan Mountains, waves of radiant light erupted without warning, the beams so bright they could be seen from miles away.

"So, it has finally emerged!"

The instant the radiance spilled forth, both Fifth Lord and Ye Tianya turned in unison to gaze at the direction of the Luoyan Mountains.

This was a place steeped in spiritual energy; even in late autumn, the vast mountains remained lush and verdant.

On a distant peak, the summit was already crowded with people, and many were either mounted upon spirit beasts or, relying on their own power, suspended in mid-air.

Not far away, atop a lesser peak, a seven-colored light shot skyward, piercing the clouds.

Around the small mountain, all trees and undergrowth had vanished, leaving only wood chips scattered across the ground—evidence that some expert had already destroyed them.

Within a hundred meters of the seven-colored light, countless spirit beasts, each exuding a powerful aura, watched the human cultivators in the distance with fierce, greedy eyes.

To humans, the inner cores of spirit beasts were the best of tonics; similarly, to the beasts, the human bodies, saturated with spiritual energy, were a most delectable fare.

At that moment, Ye Feng stood on a mountain top about a hundred meters from the source of light, gazing in astonishment at the formidable assembly in the distance, his heart roaring with shock: "Where did so many experts come from all of a sudden?"

Being of the Innate realm, he could sense the presence of Spirit King-level cultivators with clarity. Yet among the dense crowd of over a hundred ahead, he could only sense a few dozen.

In other words, of nearly a hundred cultivators, only a few dozen were below the Spirit King level.

What’s more, there were several hundred spirit beasts occupying the most advantageous positions.

For a spirit beast to contend with such a vast number of high-level cultivators, its own rank must be exceedingly high. Yet Ye Feng did not spot the three peerlessly powerful beast kings.

He glanced at Fifth Lord in confusion, his mind full of questions. Was this contest at such a level meant to broaden his horizons? Wasn’t he afraid it would shatter his confidence?

He could not understand why Fifth Lord had made such a show of force, grabbing him from afar to bring him here. In such a setting, his presence was no different from that of excess baggage.

"Great powers have already tested it: only cultivators below the Spirit King level can enter the treasure-laden cave dwelling. Should a Spirit King or higher enter, they would be instantly reduced to dust." As if reading Ye Feng's doubts, Ye Tianya explained.

"Even you can't force your way in?" Ye Feng asked, looking at Fifth Lord.

Fifth Lord's expression remained serene as he replied, "If I enter, the cave dwelling will collapse."

...

"The situation here is now delicately balanced. Both humans and spirit beasts harbor their own schemes, each plotting against the other. Even within their own camps, individuals nurse hidden agendas. Before long, a bloody battle will erupt," Ye Tianya said coldly, his eyes fixed on the unfolding scene.

Within the human camp, dozens of factions like Ye Feng's occupied separate peaks, coolly observing the battlefield.

To Ye Feng's left, not far away, a middle-aged man in a black robe exuded a terrifying aura that enveloped the entire mountaintop, deterring anyone from approaching.

Glancing down at his own mountain, Ye Feng noticed dozens of corpses strewn at its base, all with crushed skulls, their brains and blood splattered across the ground.

Ye Feng gave a slight smile. The old fox truly had experience. Though his methods were not as ostentatious as the black-robed man's, they were more than enough to intimidate everyone present.

Pop, pop, pop...

From the void came a series of faint sounds. Before the assembled experts on dozens of peaks, the air shimmered like rippling water.

The next moment, young figures began to appear before each of these experts.

Roar...

Suddenly, a beast’s roar echoed from the spirit beast camp. The beasts launched their assault.

Boom, boom, boom, boom...

A barrage of bestial spells rained down upon the human camp like a storm. Screams filled the air, and in the blink of an eye, dozens perished.

"Hmph!" The attacked human camps immediately retaliated.

Boom...

A blade light, tens of meters long, crashed down upon the spirit beasts, cleaving the earth and fracturing the sky as if it were a spider's web. Any beast caught in its path, regardless of size, let out a pitiful howl before vanishing into nothingness.

Roar...

From the void emerged a colossal spirit beast, with wings on its back, a tiger's head, and a body sheathed in black scales.

The moment it stepped from the void, its massive left claw swept through the air, conjuring a giant claw shadow.

Boom...

The giant claw descended with the force of wind and thunder, shattering the mountain within a span of several dozen meters. The blade light and claw shadow collided with an earth-shattering crash...

The shockwave swept out, and those cultivators too close were instantly pulverized, unable even to cry out.

"A ninth-rank Black-Armored Mystic Tiger..."

"Black-Armored Mystic Tiger. Good, my Sunset Sect is in need of a new gate beast—you're perfect..." In the distance, a figure shot through the air like a meteor, stopping ten meters before the Black-Armored Mystic Tiger.

Roar...

The tiger glared at the diminutive human before it, issuing a low growl. Its eyes, as large as bells, blazed with bloodlust as it coldly regarded the challenger.

"Well now... quite the temper... Let me show you!" the newcomer shouted. Before him, a massive tornado materialized.

Howling winds tore through the air, shredding space like paper. Anything caught within was instantly devoured by tens of thousands of wind blades.

Roar...

Facing the oncoming tempest, the Black-Armored Mystic Tiger let out a thunderous roar and spat a ball of flame from its mouth. The fire, as dazzling as a red sun, shot into the heart of the tornado.

Boom...

In the next instant, a blinding light rendered all sightless. For a moment, the world turned white, and countless wind blades flew in all directions.

Among the screams and the sound of boulders shattering, chaos reigned. When the glare faded, Ye Feng beheld a scene of utter devastation.

Within a radius of nearly a kilometer, apart from the areas held by the most powerful, all other peaks had been shorn of their summits. In the distance, giant trees and vines lay severed and strewn haphazardly across the earth, the land a picture of ruin...

Directly beneath the blast, not a single intact corpse could be found—only fragments of flesh scattered in pools of blood.

"Ah... spirit beasts..."

Roar...

The ferocious shockwave scattered both lesser spirit beasts and humans from their camps.

Some cultivators, regaining their sight, found themselves face to face with anxious spirit beasts, who immediately attacked, unleashing carnage.

Others, still reeling from the aftermath, opened their eyes to discover they were already surrounded by spirit beasts.

In an instant, the battlefield erupted into chaos, with roars and cries intermingling in a tumult of violence.