Kneeling atop the Six-Legged Saber Cicada, Teng Qingshan pursued the fleeing Six-Eared Earth Drill Rat while silently making notes: "Thirteen li above, there’s a large concentration of life auras; possibly a snake's lair. Five li to the left, there are also three relatively strong life signatures. Perhaps some sort of subterranean creature."

Teng Qingshan mentally recorded the approximate depth and bearing of each location.

"Hmph, I've noted the approximate resting places of every Divine Armor piece that You Shi Jin tossed away," Teng Qingshan mused. "No time to retrieve them now. Once this is settled... when I have leisure, I'll traverse this underground route. Spending some time to assemble a full set of Divine Armor—even a Void Glimpse expert would fight to do that."

Along the way, Teng Qingshan silently cataloged landmarks.

Occasionally, he would even swing his axe, leaving markings in the subterranean rock layers to serve as reference points. With so many markers, retracing the route would be easy later.

"This is another leg armor piece," You Shi Jin's voice carried across, and another component of the Divine Armor, enveloped in the power of Heaven and Earth, flew past Teng Qingshan at a distance of about a hundred zhang, eventually stopping somewhere deep underground.

Teng Qingshan did not give chase, but silently fixed the approximate location in his mind.

The moment You Shi Jin flung the 'leg armor' piece, his body convulsed violently, his face draining of all color.

"Pfft!"

A mist of blood erupted, and You Shi Jin managed a bitter smile. "I didn't realize I was so fragile that merely gathering some Heaven and Earth power to throw a Divine Armor component would cost me my life." You Shi Jin felt that by continuously discarding the armor pieces, the condition of his internal organs had worsened significantly.

Waves of dizziness struck him, forcing You Shi Jin to grit his teeth.

"No matter what, even if I die, the Primordial Heaven Divine Armor absolutely cannot fall into the hands of the Heavenly God Palace. Otherwise, I will be the sinner of Primordial Heaven City." While still mounted on the Six-Eared Earth Drill Rat, You Shi Jin suppressed his internal injuries and rapidly stripped off the crimson battle armor he wore—the 'Primordial Heaven Divine Armor'.

The complete set of the Primordial Heaven Divine Armor was laid out neatly.

"The founding ancestor of our Primordial Heaven City was an unparalleled figure who once conquered most of the Nine Provinces," You Shi Jin took a deep breath. "Ancestor, your descendant has failed to protect the legacy; I am ashamed. Ancestor... if your spirit lingers, I hope this set of Primordial Heaven Divine Armor finds its true destined inheritor!"

Whispering these thoughts, You Shi Jin, holding the entire set of the 'Primordial Heaven Divine Armor' with both arms, swung them forcefully to the side. This time, he did not use the power of Heaven and Earth, but relied purely on his physical strength.

Swish!

The entire set of the 'Primordial Heaven Divine Armor' smashed directly into the surrounding sand and soil, being silently and completely buried. This peerless treasure, second only to the Supreme Divine Armor, was hidden right there, known only to You Shi Jin.

Because no Heaven and Earth power had been used to shield it, Teng Qingshan, who was pursuing from behind, noticed nothing at all. After all, both the Primordial Heaven Divine Armor and the Mountain-Splitting Divine Axe were fundamentally artifacts; the domain of a Void Realm expert could not sense them.

Hiss! Hiss-hiss!

The Six-Eared Earth Drill Rat suddenly increased its subterranean speed, reaching a pace equivalent to that of the Six-Legged Saber Cicada.

"This Six-Eared Earth Drill Rat..." You Shi Jin, already severely weakened, gave a wry smile. "It was injured before and refused to exert itself. After resting for so long... only now is it slightly picking up speed." Although You Shi Jin secretly resented the rat for not accelerating earlier, he also understood... the creature had been heavily wounded and was likely only now stabilizing.

Even at this speed, the Six-Eared Earth Drill Rat had only matched the speed of the Six-Legged Saber Cicada, clearly unwilling to risk worsening its injuries.

"Enough, enough."

"The Primordial Heaven Divine Armor is buried scores of li deep underground; who knows how many years it will take to reappear." You Shi Jin now only had the final piece remaining—the outer shell of the dark green Divine Armor. He struggled to put this outer piece on. "Tian Chang, Big Brother is coming to see you."

Wearing the outer armor, You Shi Jin, still on the Six-Eared Earth Drill Rat, closed his eyes and felt the life force slowly dissipating.

When Teng Qingshan sensed the speed increase of the Six-Eared Earth Drill Rat, he immediately felt uneasy.

"Hmm, You Shi Jin's aura is changing," Teng Qingshan started, alarmed. Within his domain, he clearly sensed the soul aura, once dazzling like the sun, rapidly diminishing. It quickly dropped to the level of an ordinary Innate Master, and continued to weaken... until it completely vanished from his perception.

"He's dead."

"You Shi Jin is dead," Teng Qingshan sighed inwardly. He held a favorable impression of this man. To him, the two brothers of Primordial Heaven City were true men of mettle... but the world of the Nine Provinces was inherently so; the strong preyed on the weak, and countless stories were likely unfolding moment by moment across the land.

"It's just bad luck that Primordial Heaven City wasn't strong enough. If your city had a Void Glimpse expert, or even a peak-stage Void Realm demonic beast, that would have been enough to make the Heavenly God Palace hesitate."

"In the Nine Provinces, whether it's an ordinary manor constantly threatened by bandits and raiders, or a secondary sect like Guiyuan Sect suppressed by the Eight Great Sects, or even Primordial Heaven City—they are all the same; they need to become stronger. A single peak Houtian expert can secure an ordinary manor. Two Void Realm experts are enough to deter Azure Lake Island. But Primordial Heaven City needs more to solidify its position—it needs a Void Glimpse expert or a peak-stage Void Realm beast."

"The higher the status one seeks, the greater the strength required."

"Otherwise, the result is annihilation."

Teng Qingshan realized this truth with increasing clarity. His own strength was still insufficient; relying solely on cultivation would take decades. The fastest way to bolster his own power now was: "Xiao Qing has been separated from me for over half a year now, nearly a year. Logically, Xiao Qing should be arriving soon."

"Hmm, rising?"

Teng Qingshan's expression shifted, tinged with pleasant surprise. "The Six-Eared Earth Drill Rat is drilling toward the surface?" Once at the surface, the Six-Legged Saber Cicada’s flight speed would absolutely surpass the Earth Drill Rat’s.

The Copper Ridge Mountains, located in the southwestern frontier of You Province, was an ordinary mountain range spanning forty li.

High in the sky, the enormous Void Realm demonic beast, the 'Wind-Rending Dragon Falcon,' tore through the air at incredible speed with its wings fully spread. On the back of the Falcon were two figures: Yu Tonghai and another square-faced middle-aged man clad in a loose, flowing robe, both chatting and laughing with each other.

"Tonghai, when the Six-Legged Earth Drill Rat fled earlier, I sent it a telepathic message, telling it to escape to the Copper Ridge Mountains to rendezvous with us. The rat agreed at the time," the square-faced man smiled.

"Haha, Senior Brother Liu, that You Shi Jin was carrying two full sets of Divine Armor! The crimson set on him was the legendary 'Primordial Heaven Divine Armor.' If my Yu Huang Gate could obtain it, truly—" Yu Tonghai sounded expectant. "Haha, we would have achieved a great merit!"

Back then, Primordial Heaven City had paid a great price to invite assistance from the Yu Huang Gate to retrieve the Six-Eared Earth Drill Rat. The person who invited the rat was this very square-faced middle-aged man, 'Liu Xia.'

"Just watch, the Six-Eared Earth Drill Rat will bring You Shi Jin right here to the Copper Ridge Mountains."

At this moment, the Wind-Rending Dragon Falcon swooped down from the clouds, landing directly within the Copper Ridge Mountains, choosing one of the peaks to rest.

High upon the mountain, Yu Tonghai and Liu Xia, these two Void Realm experts, stood side by side.

"Senior Brother, if You Shi Jin weren't injured, killing him would be quite troublesome," Yu Tonghai frowned.

"Relax. We'll ask 'Rend Wind' for help then. Hmph, the two of us joining forces—can we not even kill a single You Shi Jin?" Liu Xia smiled confidently. "Kill him, and both sets of Divine Armor will belong to our Yu Huang Gate. Just wait patiently... they'll be here soon."

Although the Yu Huang Gate had helped Primordial Heaven City before, it was only out of consideration for the many treasures Primordial Heaven City had offered. Now? Who wouldn't take the opportunity to kick a drowning dog or strike a man when he's down?

"They're here!" Liu Xia exclaimed, showing a flicker of delight.

"Hmm? Why is there only one aura from the Six-Eared Earth Drill Rat? Where is You Shi Jin's aura?" Liu Xia looked puzzled.

"Did he die?" Yu Tonghai felt doubtful. "Dying from a single palm strike by Pei San? Surely the Primordial Heaven Divine Armor isn't that weak." He didn't know... it wasn't that the Primordial Heaven Divine Armor was weak, but that Pei San's strike carried immense power.

Swish! Swish!

Immediately, Liu Xia and Yu Tonghai dove down from the high peak at extreme speed to meet the Six-Eared Earth Drill Rat.

"Not good." Liu Xia and Yu Tonghai’s expressions changed. They clearly sensed two auras rapidly ascending from beneath the Six-Eared Earth Drill Rat.

"It's Jing Yi and that powerful burrowing demonic beast," Yu Tonghai’s face changed.

"They actually caught up."

Liu Xia immediately tilted his head back and let out a sharp cry. The Wind-Rending Dragon Falcon resting on the mountain swooped down; Yu Tonghai and Liu Xia leaped onto its back. The highly intelligent Dragon Falcon was already hovering quietly above the ground, ready to strike.

The auras of the Six-Eared Earth Drill Rat, Jing Yi, and the Six-Legged Saber Cicada rapidly approached.

Twenty li underground, ten li underground, two li underground—

Boom!

The surface stones shattered, and the Six-Legged Saber Cicada burst forth, wreathed in the power of Heaven and Earth. The Wind-Rending Dragon Falcon, waiting silently overhead, along with Yu Tonghai and Liu Xia, dove down simultaneously.

"Roar~~" The Six-Eared Earth Drill Rat immediately hissed at Liu Xia, and simultaneously, the sharp spines on its back violently flung the body of You Shi Jin, impaled upon them.

"Whoosh!"

You Shi Jin's corpse was tossed into the air, and Yu Tonghai and Liu Xia seized the body almost at the same instant.

But at that moment, the surface rock exploded again. Teng Qingshan, wielding the Mountain-Splitting Divine Axe, half-stood on the back of the Six-Legged Saber Cicada as he rushed out.

"No." Yu Tonghai and Liu Xia, clutching You Shi Jin’s corpse, were completely dumbfounded. They saw that You Shi Jin was wearing only the dark green upper body outer armor. Forget the 'Primordial Heaven Divine Armor,' even the first-rate Divine Armor from this escape attempt was reduced to just one outer shell.

"Impossible." Yu Tonghai and Liu Xia frantically pried open the outer armor, peering inside the corpse, hoping to find the 'inner armor' of the Primordial Heaven Divine Armor.

But it was gone.

"Hmm?" Teng Qingshan, hovering nearby on the Six-Legged Saber Cicada, also frowned as he watched the scene. "That’s not right. I clearly saw him wearing the Primordial Heaven Divine Armor when he fled. Along this path... could it be?" Teng Qingshan was deeply shocked. "Yes, he must have quietly discarded the Primordial Heaven Divine Armor somewhere while tossing out the components of the secondary Divine Armor pieces along the way. Fortunately, I noted down the general pursuit route."

"Nothing, nothing."

"Not a single component of the Primordial Heaven Divine Armor is here." Yu Tonghai and Liu Xia were growing frantic.

"It's impossible that it's not here; he dove underground with two sets of Divine Armor," Yu Tonghai and Liu Xia glared almost simultaneously at Teng Qingshan nearby.

"Jing Yi!" Yu Tonghai roared suddenly. "Don't think we won't know you took it just because you hid the Primordial Heaven Divine Armor! Hand over the Divine Armor immediately, and we'll drop the matter. Otherwise, don't blame me, Yu Tonghai, for disregarding our past friendship!" In the eyes of the Yu Huang Gate, what did Jing Yi even matter?

"Hurry, hand it over," Liu Xia shouted as well.

The cold, green eyes of the Wind-Rending Dragon Falcon were also fixed on Teng Qingshan.