The very first thing almost every Xiantian expert did was erect a barrier of Xiantian True Essence. Without sufficient air, their physical conditioning alone wouldn't allow them to remain submerged in the lake water for long.

"What's inside this cauldron?" Ying Haojiang clutched a cauldron, scrutinizing it. He could barely make out that it was **. He immediately moved to lift the lid, figuring the surrounding barrier would protect against the water rushing in anyway. "Huh, this lid is really hard to lift!" Such was the strength of a Xiantian Golden Core expert, yet the first attempt failed to budge it.

With a sudden surge of force.

"Whoosh!" The lid finally gave way. Ying Haojiang reached in, dabbed a bit, examined it closely, then took a whiff.

"It's the Spirit of the North Sea! The Spirit of the North Sea from Yu Huang Sect!" Ying Haojiang gasped in shock. "So... so much Spirit of the North Sea? How many drops must be in here?" Even though it only covered the bottom of the cauldron, the Spirit of the North Sea was measured in 'drops.' To cover the entire base of a cauldron was astonishing enough.

In the past, the Ying clan had exchanged treasures with the Yu Huang Sect for the Spirit of the North Sea.

"There are a full nine cauldrons!" Ying Haojiang grew agitated.

He understood perfectly the importance of the Spirit of the North Sea! It could instantly elevate someone with high comprehension but poor physical conditions to the peak of the Houtian realm. If this continued... the probability of producing Xiantian experts within a major sect would be much higher.

"I must not reveal that it is the Spirit of the North Sea," Ying Haojiang reacted instantly. "If others find out what it is, it will be difficult for my Ying clan to acquire even a few more."

...

The forces from She Ri Divine Mountain, Hong Tian City, and others, who had been wandering aimlessly through the passageways, were now intensely excited by the collapse of the Tianhong Water Palace.

"Quick, quick, find the treasures!"

"The Tianhong Water Palace has collapsed; the treasure must have been taken. Hurry and seize it."

Everyone was thrilled and ecstatic.

Suddenly, a hearty laugh echoed through the lakebed: "Haha... I never thought that one of these cauldrons would contain the unique 'Spirit of the North Sea' of the Yu Huang Sect! This single cauldron must hold at least ten thousand drops of the 'Spirit of the North Sea.' There are nine cauldrons in total... I must snatch a few more!" The laugh was loud, audible to everyone.

"It's the Spirit of the North Sea!"

"It's actually the Spirit of the North Sea? Ten thousand drops in one cauldron? Nine cauldrons?"

"Quick, there's golden light over there, hurry up!"

Chaos erupted. The Xiantian experts who heard the voice were all extremely excited.

"It's the Beast King 'Wu Hou,'" muttered Ying Haojiang, who was searching for other cauldrons, cursing inwardly. "That Wu Hou, fine if he gets one cauldron... but why announce it so everyone knows? Does he have problems with his brain!" With that shout, everyone became aware, and things below were about to get troublesome.

However, very few present dared to provoke the Beast King 'Wu Hou.'

This individual belonged to no sect or faction, possessed immense strength, and had an eccentric temper.

"There's a cauldron over there, quickly." Gu Yong, Zhao Danchen, and others from Qinghu Island spotted a very dazzling golden light in the dark lake water, clearly emanating from a cauldron. Each cauldron lid was inlaid with a golden pearl, and the light from the golden pearl was dazzlingly bright.

From afar, it was visible to everyone.

Not only the people from Qinghu Island saw it, but the forces from Xiaoyao Palace accompanying them did too.

"This cauldron belongs to my Xiaoyao Palace." With a great laugh, Elder Shi of the Xiaoyao Palace, having a better position, was the first to charge forward. His speed was such that the Qinghu Island group couldn't catch up.

"Haha!" Grabbing the cauldron, Elder Shi was overjoyed.

The Qinghu Island members stared intently at the cauldron.

"What are you looking at? What, are you planning to fight my Xiaoyao Palace for this cauldron?" Elder Shi’s gaze was icy. Beside him stood four Xiantian experts. If a real fight broke out... Qinghu Island might win, but the losses would be substantial.

The five from Xiaoyao Palace had set their sights on this cauldron and would not back down!

One cauldron, over ten thousand drops of the 'Spirit of the North Sea,' was enough to ensure a sect's prosperity for a long time. With this Spirit of the North Sea, they could better cultivate outstanding disciples.

Zhao Danchen’s eyes turned cold.

"Hmph," Gu Yong grumbled in anger. "Let's go." As an Island Master, he absolutely could not sacrifice his personnel in a reckless fight; their losses had already been significant enough. They couldn't afford more losses now.

The woman beside Gu Yong said unwillingly, "Our Qinghu Island, of the nine cauldrons, we must get at least a few."

"Of course, we deserve more," Zhao Danchen also felt unbalanced.

The Yu Huang Treasure Map was obtained by Qinghu Island. This Tianhong Water Palace was also found by them. By now, they had suffered the greatest losses in experts! If they didn't obtain enough treasure, how could they be appeased?

The Qinghu Island group departed.

The five from Xiaoyao Palace, however, let out triumphant smiles.

"There are nine cauldrons in total, and too many experts are here. Getting one cauldron is quite enough," Elder Shi remarked. "We should leave the lake bottom immediately to avoid unforeseen accidents."

"Yes, Senior Brother is right."

These individuals were self-aware.

Just then—

"Senior Brother, watch out!" A sharp shout rang out.

Elder Shi coldly snorted and retreated like lightning, his long sword stabbing backward simultaneously. The speed of a Xiantian Golden Core expert drawing his sword was indeed terrifying, leaving only a blur in its wake.

"Clang!" The air vibrated violently.

A fierce claw, after repelling the sword strike, suddenly flipped, like an eagle snatching a viper, piercing directly through Elder Shi's chest. In terms of speed, this grab was actually significantly faster than Elder Shi's sword thrust.

"You, Wu, Wu Hou..." Elder Shi stared wide-eyed at him. "You dare kill me?"

Wu Hou held a freshly extracted heart in his hand, a look of sheer satisfaction spreading across his face. "I kill whomever I want!" With a sudden squeeze, the heart shattered with a snap, and Elder Shi’s body went limp, collapsing heavily. Wu Hou immediately snatched the small cauldron from his grip.

"Wu Hou!" The other four members of Xiaoyao Palace watched in shock.

"You dare kill someone from my Xiaoyao Palace? Aren't you afraid of our Old Palace Master coming to kill you?" They were furious, but the four of them dared not attack.

In terms of strength, Wu Hou had ranked first on the Heavenly Ranking for over thirty years, holding the spot for thirty consecutive years. This naturally meant his strength was overwhelmingly superior to the Heavenly Ranking second place. Even the second rank was far from Wu Hou’s match... It was easy to imagine that an ordinary Xiantian Golden Core meeting Wu Hou was certain death.

Be it speed, defense, offense, or stealth and lurking, Wu Hou seemed utterly flawless.

"Your Old Palace Master has lived for four hundred years, right? It's about time he died," Wu Hou smiled faintly.

"You, presumptuous," the four exclaimed in fury and panic.

Their Old Palace Master was a Void Realm expert, one of the most renowned figures in the world. No matter how powerful Wu Hou was, he had not yet broken through to the Void Realm. Yet, he was acting so arrogantly.

"You don't believe me? I guarantee your Old Palace Master has at most ten or twenty years left to live. Well... killing one is killing, killing five is also killing... none of you need to leave either," Wu Hou said with a faint smile, already moving. Despite holding two large cauldrons, his speed remained astonishing.

"He, run!"

These four never expected Wu Hou to be this reckless. In the past, although Wu Hou was arrogant, he dared not openly oppose the Eight Great Sects like this. But today...

The four fled in different directions.

"Boom!" "Boom!"

The moment they fled, two Xiantian experts were kicked by Wu Hou, exploding instantly—both dead miserably!

"Whoosh!" Wu Hou’s speed was breathtakingly fast. In the blink of an eye, he caught up to the third person and delivered another simple kick!

This kick was so fast that even the Xiantian Solid Core Elder didn't have time to defend before being pierced straight through the chest.

"Only one left, stop running." Wu Hou’s speed was incredible, almost double that of the fleeing elder. Furthermore, he held two cauldrons, and the dazzling light from the golden pearls on the lids clearly illuminated the distant figures. Combined with the light shields on their bodies, Wu Hou caught up in moments.

"You, why did you kill my Xiaoyao Palace people? We wouldn't have resisted if you had just forcefully taken the cauldrons," the purple-robed elder stopped. His aged face was filled with shock; he knew escape was impossible. But he couldn't understand... Facing Qinghu Island, they dared to fight back because Qinghu Island also had weaker Xiantian Solid Core experts, and even one Xiantian Void Core. A clash would not be without heavy losses for Qinghu Island.

However... facing Wu Hou, if Wu Hou insisted, they dared not fight.

Because with Wu Hou’s speed, he could slaughter them easily.

Wu Hou looked at him and smiled lightly. "You dared not resist, but I just wanted to kill you... But don't worry, your Xiaoyao Palace won't exist for much longer either."

"What?" The purple-robed elder's eyes bulged wide; he realized... there was a massive conspiracy.

"Boom!"

The same foot lightly tapped the purple-robed elder’s brow. It seemed gentle, and there wasn't even a mark on the elder's brow, but the elder’s external light shield dissolved, and his entire body dropped limply.

"You are just the first wave of deaths in the Xiaoyao Palace," Wu Hou smiled brilliantly.

...

Teng Qingshan darted rapidly through the water.

"Troublesome. Holding two cauldrons with both hands, I can't swim quickly using just my hands. To go fast, I have to rely on the burst of Xiantian True Essence." Teng Qingshan had only been fleeing underwater for a short while when he heard shouts.

"Quick! Teng Qingshan is over there, catch him!" The Ying clan, who had already seized two cauldrons, remained insatiably greedy. They were unlike Xiaoyao Palace, wary of attracting too much attention. With the Ying clan's strength... even if they took a few more cauldrons, other sects wouldn't dare provoke them.

"Quick! Chase him."

"That's Teng Qingshan? Why is Teng Qingshan here?" The forces from She Ri Divine Mountain and other sects also rushed over.

"Qin Lang is Teng Qingshan, and Teng Qingshan is Qin Lang! That's Teng Qingshan disguised with a human-skin mask."

"How is that possible? Teng Qingshan, a seventeen-year-old kid, how could he reach the Xiantian Solid Core realm?"

"Are you saying what I saw with my own eyes is false?"

Teng Qingshan couldn't hear the arguments of the people behind him.

But Teng Qingshan did hear shouts and saw approaching 'lanterns.'

"Damn it, it was these golden pearls that exposed me," Teng Qingshan looked at the golden pearls on the lids of the two cauldrons in his hands. The pearls were too bright. "But these cauldron lids are hollowed out; without the golden pearls blocking the water flow... the lake water will rush into the cauldrons and wash away the Spirit of the North Sea."

Ignoring everything else, Teng Qingshan gritted his teeth and quickly stripped off the two golden pearls. These pearls were too bright; even concealed in a pouch, their light could penetrate the wrapping.

Moreover, there was no time to waste.

"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!"

Teng Qingshan threw the two golden pearls far away, while his hands were already enveloped by Xiantian True Essence, encasing the two large cauldrons.

"Although the glow of this Xiantian True Essence is weaker, mine is fiery red." Teng Qingshan still felt a headache. In the pitch-black lake water, relying on this glow, ordinary people could only see a few zhang away. However... in the dark lake water, others could spot the sphere of light from a great distance.

"What, Qin Lang is Teng Qingshan!!!" A voice filled with extreme anger rang out—it was Gu Yong from Qinghu Island.