"A treasure accumulated over a thousand years!" Even the usually steady Mu Wang felt his heart quicken.
The Duanmu Continent was embroiled in ceaseless warfare, a scramble for supremacy among a hundred clans. As the saying goes, what peaks must decline; no single family can remain ascendant forever. Therefore, every great house in the world maintains contingency plans, reserves for rising again. The 'Fu Family' of the Divine Axe Mountain lineage, for instance, has endured for six thousand years precisely because of their myriad preparations, capable of returning their clan to glory after centuries, even millennia!
The Tianfeng Family—currently the foremost house on the entire Duanmu Continent! A family that has dominated for over a millennium!
They, too, would certainly have secured a path for resurgence.
For a family to stage a comeback, precious artifacts, secret manuals, and staggering wealth are indispensable!
"The Tianfeng Family rules the North Cold Territory. As the world’s number one family, just how astonishing must their thousand-year accumulated treasure be?" Mu Wang's blood boiled at the thought.
"With the Tianfeng War God dead! Though the Tianfeng Family commands vast armies, without a War God... they have no legitimate right to monopolize the entire North Cold Territory," War God Yunmeng stated in a low voice. "The Tianfeng Family never expected their War God to die. The treasure is, in all likelihood, still in the Helian Residence. Let's go there immediately."
With that, the figures of War God Yunmeng and the Great Elder 'Mu Wang' flickered and vanished into the crowd.
The Undying Phoenix, 'Xiao Qing,' after incinerating the Tianfeng War God, hung suspended in mid-air, letting out an unrestrained, exhilarated cry looking skyward—
"Yooo~~"
The sound was piercing and resonant, shaking the very souls of those present. The tens of thousands who witnessed this spectacle were utterly awestruck by the Undying Phoenix; many were simply paralyzed with shock. Especially the members of the Helian Family—hardly one person wasn't staring wide-eyed, their gazes filled with disbelief that their War God had perished so easily!
"Hahahaha..." Teng Qingshan laughed heartily, walking towards the Undying Phoenix. Li Jun, Teng Beast, Yang Dong, and Fu Yuping followed closely behind.
"Xiao Qing!" Teng Qingshan approached and called out with a smile.
The Undying Phoenix turned its head, a flash of delighted surprise crossing its eyes. It moved as if teleporting, instantly appearing beside Teng Qingshan and his companions.
"Xiao Qing, you are truly formidable," Li Jun couldn't help but stroke the phoenix's feathers. The flames covering the Undying Phoenix's body completely receded and lay dormant, as it let out a series of chirps directed at Li Jun.
"Qingshan, Xiao Qing says thank you; it was because of you that she reached the Void Realm and transformed into the Undying Phoenix," Li Jun chuckled. Teng Qingshan sighed profoundly, "Thanking me? Without it, killing the Tianfeng War God would have been utterly impossible. So, we should be thanking Xiao Qing profusely."
Li Jun also chirped softly toward the Undying Phoenix, 'Xiao Qing.'
The Undying Phoenix lowered its head and gently touched Teng Qingshan, a gesture of gratitude. Most experts in the Void Realm had grasped the Dao, yet they lacked the ability to articulate it. But Teng Qingshan had perfectly expressed his 'Dao' through his martial arts; internal martial arts were fundamentally about cultivation through practice.
Teng Qingshan naturally converted his enlightenment into combat forms.
"Hmm?" Teng Qingshan frowned, turning to look behind him, "What is Old Brother Mu up to?" He clearly sensed War God Yunmeng's aura rapidly receding within his domain.
...
The Iron Sword Martial Saint, 'Helian Haoyan,' his eyes bloodshot, rushed toward Tianfeng City with astonishing speed.
"How could this happen?"
"How could Teacher die? Impossible!" The clamor of thousands of onlookers reached the Iron Sword Martial Saint's ears, amplifying his agony. "No! Teacher is a War God, he shouldn't die, he shouldn't die!" The Iron Sword Martial Saint would forever remember his teacher's words—
"Haoyan, once you reach the Void Realm, first achieve 'Spirit Fusing Heaven and Earth,' and then 'Body Fusing Heaven and Earth.' By then, even if you are weaker than other War Gods, they still won't be able to kill you."
After achieving 'Body Fusing Heaven and Earth,' Void Realm experts possessed comparable speeds. Even if someone held a slight advantage, moving slightly faster—when attempting to flee, one could change direction without constraint... Recall that a mere flicker of a Void Realm expert covered a mile or two; a sudden change in trajectory would leave a pursuer caught completely off guard. As long as the speed difference wasn't vast, it was nearly impossible to hunt down and kill a Void Realm expert!
Alas...
The Tianfeng War God had encountered the Undying Phoenix this time! The undisputed king among avian demonic beasts, its speed surpassed even typical divine flying beasts by a significant margin. The Undying Phoenix was one to two times faster than him! The gap was immense. Furthermore, the Undying Phoenix's flames weren't a specific technique; it was a blanket of fire that scorched everything, impossible to evade.
"I must survive."
"Escape thirty-four li away from War God Yunmeng and the Flame War God, then hide carefully. Only when I reach the Void Realm will there be hope for my Tianfeng Family to rise again," the Iron Sword Martial Saint thought in agony, yet his mind remained lucid. Without the Tianfeng War God holding sway, their Tianfeng Family would inevitably be carved up by every great house in the world!
The most ruthless among them would undoubtedly be the Mu Family!
"Helian Haoyan." A hoarse voice echoed.
Whoosh!
A blurred, phantom shape materialized before the Iron Sword Martial Saint before solidifying—it was War God Yunmeng, carrying a massive wolf-headed war blade on his back.
"War God Yunmeng!" Seeing the man before him, the Iron Sword Martial Saint's face turned ashen, then he forced a smile, "War God Yunmeng, what—what are you doing?"
"Helian Haoyan, you know what I'm doing," War God Yunmeng smiled faintly. "Tell me, where is your Helian Family's treasure hoard?"
Hearing this, the Iron Sword Martial Saint knew he had no escape left. He erupted into manic, defiant laughter, "Old Man Mu, you want to covet my Helian Family's treasure too, haha... Dream on! Even if you kill me, you won't get it! My Helian Family will still rise again in the future!" Before the words fully left his lips, with a 'Puchi' sound, a streak of blade light sliced across the Iron Sword Martial Saint's neck.
A blood-soaked head flew into the air, its eyes still blazing with madness.
"Truly courting death," War God Yunmeng shook his head and chuckled lightly. The Iron Sword Martial Saint was the Helian Family's greatest hope for reaching the Void Realm, so naturally, he could not be left alive.
Just as War God Yunmeng was about to depart—
Swish!
The power of heaven and earth trembled slightly, and a figure appeared beside War God Yunmeng—it was Teng Qingshan.
"Qingshan," War God Yunmeng called out with a smile.
"Old Brother Mu, where are you going?" Teng Qingshan glanced at the corpse of the Iron Sword Martial Saint on the ground. In this chaotic era, even a Tianfeng War God could be killed; the death of a Martial Saint was hardly surprising. Teng Qingshan fully understood... the two most powerful families on the Duanmu Continent, the 'Mu Family' and the 'Helian Family,' were locked in a secret rivalry. The Mu Family would naturally seize any opportunity to kick someone while they were down!
"Qingshan, with Helian dead and the Iron Sword Martial Saint also dead! Without top-tier experts guarding them, how could the Tianfeng Family possibly continue to dominate the North Cold Territory?" War God Yunmeng smiled. "Moreover, the death of Tianfeng War God Helian was witnessed by tens of thousands; the Tianfeng Family can't hide it even if they wanted to. Therefore, the Tianfeng Family will immediately transfer their ancestral treasure hoard."
"Treasure hoard?" Teng Qingshan instantly understood.
When he first arrived on the Duanmu Continent, the Liu Family of Black Iron River, massacred on the island, was considered a minor family here, yet they possessed so much gold. Even the Fu Family, after millennia of stagnation, could still train a thousand Divine Blade Guards! As the world's number one family, which had ruled for a thousand years, the Tianfeng Family's treasure must be staggering!
"Qingshan, shall we search for it together?" War God Yunmeng smiled. "If we don't go today, finding it later will be much harder."
"Agreed," Teng Qingshan nodded with a smile.
"Let's see who finds it first," War God Yunmeng grinned. "Whoever finds it gets to keep it."
If the Undying Phoenix hadn't emerged, War God Yunmeng would never have said this... But after witnessing the terrifying might of the Undying Phoenix, Teng Qingshan's standing in War God Yunmeng's heart had risen dramatically!
"Haha, excellent! Let's see who wins!"
Teng Qingshan and War God Yunmeng vanished simultaneously, entering Tianfeng City.
**
The Helian Residence, the core stronghold of the Tianfeng Family, had never been this chaotic in over a thousand years!
Panic reigned supreme!
Since the news of the Tianfeng War God's demise spread, the once arrogant members of the Tianfeng Family felt their ultimate reliance crumble. Especially once the corpses of key figures like the Iron Sword Martial Saint 'Helian Haoyan' and the Clan Head 'Helian Haofan' were discovered one after another, the family was plunged into unprecedented disorder.
...
The heavy snow had stopped. On the roof of a palace within the Helian Residence, Teng Qingshan and War God Yunmeng stood side by side, with Mu Wang positioned to one side.
"Just where is this treasure hidden?" War God Yunmeng frowned.
"Old Brother Mu, didn't we just identify one location?" Teng Qingshan chuckled lightly.
War God Yunmeng frowned and shook his head. "No. The most vital treasures of a family are known to very few—perhaps only the Tianfeng War God knew. Or perhaps the Tianfeng War God, the Iron Sword Martial Saint, and the Clan Head knew. Helian Haoyan and Helian Haofan, who were killed, both died without revealing anything. Of the other elders, only one begged for mercy... but the hiding spot he named, by my estimation, is likely just an ordinary Tianfeng Family cache. The elders wouldn't know about the true treasure."
A sly rabbit has three burrows; the Tianfeng Family must have numerous hidden stashes!
"The hiding place of the treasure must be extremely difficult to find," War God Yunmeng murmured grimly. "Since the Tianfeng Family never expected their collapse, the vast majority of their treasures should be somewhere within the Helian Residence. But... we simply can't find it."
Void Realm experts possessed 'Domains.'
However, a Domain could only detect life signatures; it couldn't locate inanimate objects like wood or axes.
"The treasure hiding spot must be incredibly obscure," Teng Qingshan smiled. "After all, there must be many precious items here, like those nine Lotus Seeds I was robbed of last time."
"Old Brother Mu, I'll take the lead for a moment." Teng Qingshan's eyes lit up. His body flickered as he arrived some distance away, then he shouted out, "Xiao Qing!"
"Teacher, what is Qingshan doing?" Mu Wang asked, somewhat surprised.
War God Yunmeng watched the receding back of Teng Qingshan with confusion but said nothing.
...
Teng Qingshan looked up as the Undying Phoenix swooped down from the high sky. He immediately leaped some fifty to sixty zhang, landing squarely on the phoenix's back.
"Qingshan, did you find the treasure?" Li Jun inquired.
"Not yet," Teng Qingshan smiled, turning to Li Jun. "Xiao Jun, give me the wooden box you're carrying."
The large wooden box carried by Li Jun was opened, revealing a mountain-cleaving divine axe, a Black Flame Cudgel, and several small jade boxes, including the one preserving the Cloud Dream White Fruit. These were the items Teng Qingshan treasured most... He felt uneasy leaving them even in the Donghua Garden of Cloud Dream Ancient City, so he entrusted them to Li Jun.
"Qingshan, what are you planning?" Li Jun asked, puzzled.
"Finding the treasure," Teng Qingshan said, picking up the Black Flame Cudgel.
When the nine Lotus Seeds were mentioned just now, Teng Qingshan recalled: "The nine Lotus Seeds are the core of the Flame Red Lotus. I found the Flame Red Lotus by relying on the Black Flame Cudgel! Therefore, it might be possible to locate the nine Lotus Seeds using the Black Flame Cudgel as well. The nine Lotus Seeds are extremely valuable and must be in the Tianfeng Family's most critical treasure trove. Finding the location of the nine Lotus Seeds means finding the treasure!"
"Black Flame Cudgel, I'm counting on you." Holding the Black Flame Cudgel, Teng Qingshan leaped from the Undying Phoenix's back and plummeted toward the chaotic Helian Residence below.
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