Thirteen Golden Core cultivators to divide five small tokens; any clear-eyed person knew that it was simply impossible to distribute them fairly.

"I, Ma Mouren, have a suggestion. Let's not divide the tokens, but only the treasures. The five Dao friends who took the Inner Treasury Great Tokens earlier, once you secure the treasures within the treasury, bring them out for everyone to share equally. That way, everyone gets a share—it's the fairest method!"

A coarse voice shouted loudly from the crowd.

Ye Qin turned his head in surprise and saw a middle-aged brute in a dark brown robe, his face completely blackened, stirring up trouble among the throng. He vaguely recalled this person seemed to be the leader of a small faction of cultivators, possessing a certain imposing manner and audacity, daring to provoke Sun Xing and the other five.

"Exactly! Everyone risked the same danger to seek treasure here, so the rewards must also be divided equally! No dividing the tokens, but rather taking out all the treasures obtained from the Ancient Treasury to be split!"

"That's exactly right!..." Seeing someone take the lead, other cultivators immediately responded, stirring up the commotion.

Sun Xing, Cultivator Pang, Great Cultivator Cao, and the others all changed expression upon hearing this.

This black-faced cultivator was certainly bold, actually daring to set his sights on them, demanding they hand over the Inner Treasury Great Tokens they had already obtained. Setting aside what treasures the Inner Treasury Great Tokens might yield.

Just considering the treasures of the Inner Treasury versus the Outer Treasury, they were clearly merit-based rewards designated for Nascent Soul cultivators and Golden Core cultivators, respectively. It was obvious there would be a vast difference in the quality of the two types of treasures. Which one of them would willingly share top-tier treasures with others?!

"Pah! Ma fellow, what are you shouting about? Dreaming in broad daylight!!"

Great Cultivator Cao roared furiously at the black-faced cultivator, his voice sharp with severity.

The black-faced cultivator’s expression shifted, and just as he was about to flare up, he saw a fierce glint flash in Great Cultivator Cao’s eyes.

"Squabbling endlessly over dividing a mere small token. What's the fuss about? Whoever has the ability can snatch it. Move to snatch the tokens!"

With a sharp shout, Great Cultivator Cao erupted, casting his Demon-Suppressing Hammer Barrier for protection, his figure vanishing from the spot as he lunged toward the few small tokens lying several dozen feet away on the ground.

Great Cultivator Cao's two accomplices, Cultivator Li and Cultivator Hu, had long been anticipating this moment. Shouting excitedly, they charged out together, unleashing magical nets, flying swords, and other artifacts from their storage bags to cover Great Cultivator Cao’s attempt to seize the small tokens.

"Bastard, Cao clan, you dare to snatch the tokens!"

"Die!"

"Kill! Kill them for this Daoist friend!"

The treasure-seeking cultivators had long been tense, prepared to fight if negotiations failed. Great Cultivator Cao's sudden, explosive attack instantly snapped the taut string in everyone's minds, exploding like a drop of oil hitting a scorching pan.

Eighteen Golden Core cultivators were dividing five small tokens, and any clear-eyed person knew it was simply impossible to divide them fairly.

"I, Ma Mouren, have a suggestion: Let’s not divide the tokens, but only the treasures. The five Dao friends who previously held the Inner Treasury Great Tokens, after acquiring the treasures within the treasury, must bring them out for everyone to share equally. This way, everyone has a part—it’s the fairest!" A coarse voice shouted loudly from the crowd.

Ye Qin turned his head in surprise and saw a middle-aged brute in a dark brown robe, his face completely blackened, stirring up trouble among the throng. He vaguely recalled this person seemed to be the leader of a small faction of cultivators, possessing a certain air of dominance and audacity. Daring to provoke Sun Xing and the other five.

"Exactly! Everyone risked the same danger to seek treasure here; the benefits must naturally be shared equally! Not dividing the tokens, but taking out all the treasures obtained from the Ancient Treasury to split them!" "That's precisely right!" Seeing someone take the lead, several other cultivators immediately followed suit, stirring up the commotion. Sun Xing, Cultivator Pang, Great Cultivator Cao, and the others all changed expression upon hearing this.

This black-faced cultivator was incredibly daring, actually setting his sights on them, demanding they spit out the Inner Treasury Great Tokens they had already secured. First, not to mention what treasures the Inner Treasury Great Tokens might yield. Simply put, the treasures of the Inner Treasury and the Outer Treasury were merit rewards designated for Nascent Soul cultivators and Golden Core cultivators, respectively. It was obvious that the quality grade of the two types of treasures must have a vast difference. Which one of them would be willing to give top-tier treasures to others?!

"Pah! Ma fellow, what are you stirring up? You wish too well!!" Great Cultivator Cao roared at the black-faced cultivator, his voice sharp and severe. The black-faced brute’s expression changed, and just as he was about to erupt, he saw a fierce light flash in Great Cultivator Cao’s eyes. "Arguing endlessly over dividing a small token. What's the point of all the chatter? Whoever has the ability can snatch it. Move to snatch the tokens!"

With a sharp yell, Great Cultivator Cao burst forth, unleashing his Demon-Suppressing Hammer Barrier. His figure vanished from the spot as he shot toward the few small tokens on the ground several dozen feet away. Great Cultivator Cao's two accomplices, Cultivator Li and Cultivator Hu, had long been waiting for this moment. Shouting excitedly, they rushed out together, unleashing magical nets, flying swords, and other artifacts from their storage bags to cover Great Cultivator Cao’s attempt to seize the small tokens. "Bastard, Cao clan, you actually dare to snatch the tokens!" "Die!" "Kill! Kill them for this Daoist friend!"

The treasure-seeking cultivators had long been on edge, ready to fight if talks broke down. Great Cultivator Cao’s sudden, aggressive move instantly snapped the taut string in everyone’s minds, exploding with a roar like a drop of water splashing into a vat of boiling oil.

The eighteen treasure-seeking cultivators unleashed their artifacts almost simultaneously, attacking those around them, frantically scrambling for the five small tokens while simultaneously preventing others from obtaining them.

"Ah, who, who sneak-attacked me~?" "Quickly grab the tokens!" "Cao clan, you dare!"

Seeing Great Cultivator Cao move to seize the tokens, Sun Xing immediately panicked, clapping his hands to unleash the Four Directions Earthen Array Flags, intending to sweep them toward Great Cultivator Cao. However, too many artifacts were shooting out from the surroundings, with several even flying toward him. He couldn't break through.

The space of this hexagonal underground palace was only about a hundred feet across. When eighteen mid-to-late stage Golden Core cultivators unleashed their artifacts together to fight, there was simply no room to maneuver. The ensuing chaotic scene left barely enough space even to dodge. Perhaps some unlucky treasure-seeking cultivator, caught in the chaos, was struck by a barrage of Primordial Spirit artifacts. A flying sword pierced straight through his chest with a "pu-chi" sound, spewing a large cloud of bright blood. With a miserable scream, he died instantly, becoming the first fatality.

Yet, the group of treasure-seeking cultivators had already become crazed and flushed with greed. The notion of cooperating to seek treasure was thrown to the winds; their eyes saw only those five small black tokens.

Great Cultivator Cao was the fastest. A distance of several dozen feet was nothing to him. With a sweeping gesture of his large hand, he ignored the other tokens, exclusively snatching at the two small tokens marked "Token Two" and "Token Five" on the ground, gripping them tightly in his hands. He hadn't gone completely mad to grab all five tokens at once—if he had seized all five simultaneously, it would only invite the frantic, combined assault of all cultivators, leading to certain death. Moreover, he had a purpose in grasping "Token Two" and "Token Five." Token Two was in his possession, while Token Five was in Ye Qin's hand. Therefore, he needed to snatch these two tokens simultaneously for his two subordinate brothers.

"Cao clan, you actually want to snatch two tokens? Dream on!"

Ye Qin had been observing the situation coldly, waiting for the optimal moment to strike. Seeing the scene descend into chaos, he knew the opportunity was fleeting. He opened his mouth, and five streams of flying swords of various colors shot out instantly, forming the Great Five Elements Sword Array to guard himself. Afterward, he rapidly performed water-attribute sword control hand seals, using the Heavenly One Gloomy Water Sword Escape to conceal his movements and aura, threading his way through the deluge of artifacts. He skillfully avoided numerous magical instruments, closing in on Great Cultivator Cao. The Corroding Bone Crocodile skeleton demon was also thrown out simultaneously, rushing toward the tokens on the ground to snatch them.

Huangfu Bing'er unleashed ice-fire dual-attribute non-divine artifacts, but her role was to protect Ye Qin and herself. Ye Qin held a Great Token and also needed to guard against surprise attacks and snatching from other cultivators. In such a chaotic scene, she dared not only attack and neglect defense. If she did, Ye Qin might have his small token stolen in an instant.

Ye Qin swiftly handed Small Token Five to Huangfu Bing'er and immediately charged toward one of the passages leading out of the hexagonal treasury hall. Huangfu Bing'er nodded quickly. The entrance to this passage was marked with a large character: "Earth" ($\text{}$). This was the fifth ranking among the five passages—Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. The entrance to the sixth passage in the hall bore no character; that was the core treasury of the Ancient Treasury.

Ye Qin held "Token Five," and Bing'er held "Small Token Five." Both tokens permitted entry into the fifth passage, from which they could obtain treasures required by Golden Core cultivators, or even Nascent Soul cultivators. As for who ended up taking the remaining three small tokens, it was none of Ye Qin's concern; he didn't have the time to worry about it.

Great Cultivator Cao and Ye Qin had successively snatched two of the five small tokens. The struggle over the remaining three naturally became even more intense. This situation—where negotiation had long failed—showed that in critical moments, personal strength was what counted. Only the strongest treasure-seeking cultivators could seize the tokens.

The treasure-seeking cultivators fought ferociously, scrambling for the tokens, not hesitating to risk their lives. Sun Xing wanted to quell the unrest, but he could no longer control it. Enraged by the bloodthirsty scene, he cursed a few times, shook his head, and gave up worrying about the rest. He retracted the Four Directions Earthen Array Flags and shot into the first passage, the "Gold" treasury.

In a short while, the tokens were all snatched away. Those who secured tokens rushed into the five passages.

"These passages contain restricting arrays set up by ancient cultivators. Rushing in without a token is seeking death!"

"We'll just have to wait for them to come out, and then we'll move to seize the treasures!"

In the center of the hall, three treasure-seeking cultivators who survived the brutal slaughter had not obtained the treasury access tokens. Their clothes were disheveled, their bodies stained with blood, their faces filled with unwillingness and resentment. They looked helpless but dared not venture into the passages. Several corpses lay scattered on the ground—these were the treasure-seeking cultivators who died in the preceding battle. Meanwhile, five Golden Core cultivators hiding in a remote corner far from the center of the hall had long avoided the disaster.

"If I had joined in earlier, I would probably be a cold corpse by now, possibly even without remains." "Indeed, it's good we retreated early!" Xu Ling and Zheng Chenghui exchanged glances, both showing lingering fear. The Wang uncle and nephew had already turned pale, breaking out in a cold sweat, unable to utter a single word.