The Golden-Furred Long-Armed Ape's heart was crystal-clear, almost like a translucent gem, still faintly pulsing with life.
Song Changsheng quickly took out a jade box and sealed it away. Then he picked up the wooden staff the ape had wielded, which turned out to be an extremely rare Tier-2 Goldenthread Spiritwood.
This spiritual wood grew incredibly slowly, only an inch every ten years. Yet this staff was over ten feet long and as thick as a grown man's thigh, meaning it had to be over a thousand years old.
Such a treasure would be more than sufficient as the core material for a top-grade Tier-2 magic tool. If not for the incomplete laws of this world, it might have already matured into a Tier-3 material. Sadly, it had been reduced to a simple club by a monkey, truly a case of casting pearls before swine.
"This must've been that ape's territory. I wonder if there's any Monkey Wine around here."
After cleaning up the battlefield, Song Changsheng licked his lips in anticipation.
The territory of a Tier-2 beast was vast, and searching it would certainly take time, meaning he'd likely fall behind Xia Qingxue and the others.
Still, in his mind, the choice was clear. The mysterious treasure might be tempting, but so was the competition.
"Better one bird in hand than ten in the bush," he thought.
Might as well take what he could for now.
"Hopefully, you'll help me save some time."
He plucked a tuft of golden fur from the ape and held it to his nose, memorizing its scent. Then he closed his eyes, sensing the traces of its aura in the air.
Just as he suspected, this entire area was saturated with the creature's essence, meaning it had roamed here often.
Most areas had only a faint scent, but several specific directions had strong concentrations. Following the trail, Song eventually arrived at a massive tree several arm-spans wide, its thick trunk requiring five or six people to encircle.
About five feet above the ground was a large hollow in the trunk, sealed by a chunk of tree stump. From within drifted a faint fruity aroma.
"Jackpot."
Grinning, Song removed the stump. Inside, the tree had been hollowed out, filled halfway with murky liquid.
Floating on the surface were various spiritual fruits and herbs. The rich aroma was intoxicating.
"So this is the legendary Monkey Wine…"
Honestly, it was a little disappointing. The brewing process was crude, and even common folk could probably make better moonshine.
"Guess I expected too much. A Tier-2 beast might have human-level intelligence, but at the end of the day, it's still a beast."
Chuckling and shaking his head, Song raised his hand. A stream of the golden liquid flowed into his mouth.
To his surprise, the taste was excellent, fragrant and smooth, with layers of fruity flavor that lingered on the tongue.
"It's nothing like the spirit wine Mother brews, but it's still impressive. While not as miraculous as the legends claim, it holds tremendous spiritual and medicinal power. Even Foundation Establishment cultivators can't drink too much of it."
He was more than satisfied. The wine was aged, there was no way that ape he killed had brewed this on its own.
"Turns out, Monkey Wine is just rough fruit liquor. I wonder what special ingredients they throw in to give it that mystical effect… Maybe I should try making my own with rare herbs and fruits someday, it might even turn out better."
Inspired, Song formed a blade with his fingers and sliced off the upper half of the tree. Then he pulled the entire tree up by the roots and stored it in a separate storage pouch. It weighed at least a ton.
After confirming that there were no other wine-producing trees nearby, Song didn't linger. He resumed his journey deeper into the miniature world…
...
After a long while, nourished by an unending flow of energy, the vine gradually regained its vitality. But this time, it stopped growing. Instead, a white flower bud the size of a thumb appeared beneath each of its nine leaves.
There were nine buds, one beneath each leaf, and they all bloomed simultaneously. The flowers were plain, nothing remarkable about their appearance, emitting only a faint fragrance. Everything seemed so ordinary.
Yet it was destined to be extraordinary.
Lightning surged within the dark clouds above, rumbling like an enraged thunder god. A powerful, destructive aura gathered in the sky, as if prepared to annihilate those fragile little flowers in the next instant.
Sensing danger, the vine frantically absorbed nutrients. The flowers withered rapidly, transforming into grape-sized green fruits, which then began to swell at a visible rate.
"BOOM!"
"RUMBLE!!"
The thunder god roared.
Nine thick golden bolts of lightning came crashing down from the dense clouds, striking directly at the fruit shielded by the leaves.
"Rustle…"
The leaves began to tremble even without wind. Glowing veins lit up within them, and the once-delicate leaves became the fruits' most solid shields.
The golden lightning struck the leaves, releasing plumes of greenish smoke. A sound like weeping echoed through the valley, as if nature itself were mourning.
But how could such fragile leaves withstand such brutal divine thunder?
After just a few heartbeats, the leaves disintegrated into ash one by one. The fruits they had protected were also reduced to dust.
The crying grew louder, and drizzling rain began to fall from the sky like the heavens were weeping.
"BOOM!!"
In an instant, eight of the fruits were destroyed, leaving only the final fruit and its protecting leaf still barely surviving in the sea of lightning.
This last fruit absorbed all the vine's remaining energy and began ripening rapidly from a raw green to a bright red, glowing with an inviting sheen, almost begging to be tasted.
At the moment it reached the size of a fist, the thunderclouds overhead suddenly vanished, leaving only a soft, almost imperceptible sigh echoing through the valley…
...
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Two streaks of light shot toward the three mountains. But just as they approached, they were abruptly halted by an invisible barrier.
"What the hell? Why is there a formation here?"
Hou Tianming cursed, stunned by what he saw.
From the other streak of light, Xia Qingxue's figure appeared. She frowned slightly and extended her slender jade-like finger, gently tapping the space before her. Ripples like water spread out through the air.
"A protective formation?"
She wasn't skilled in formations, but her sharp eyes instantly recognized it as a naturally formed protective array, covering all three mountains.
That confirmed it, the treasure nurtured by this minor world had to be inside.
The only problem now… was how to get in.
Xia Qingxue had devoted herself to cultivation and wasn't well-versed in formations. Her only solution was brute force.
Although she was only at the early Foundation Establishment stage, she carried a powerful treasure bestowed by her sect. Breaking the formation wouldn't be difficult for her, but there was a bigger issue:
Could this small world even handle such a powerful force?
Though this minor world was strong, the spatial passage connecting it to the Zi Yu Realm was extremely fragile.
If the power she unleashed exceeded a certain threshold, it could shatter the passage.
At that point, there would be no going back; they'd be trapped here forever, essentially becoming the world's new native inhabitants.
No sane person would take that kind of risk.
Which meant… brute force was not an option, and the formation became a major headache.
Even though she didn't expect much, Xia Qingxue glanced at Hou Tianming nearby.
He was just as frustrated. His Heavenvein Sect had considered the possibility of encountering formations, so he had brought a top-tier Tier-2 Formation Break Talisman, which could break most Tier-2 formations.
But none of them had expected to run into a formation above Tier-2.
It didn't make sense. This was supposed to be beyond what this small world could support.
Against a Tier-3 formation, the Tier-2 talisman was practically useless.
Even if he had a Tier-3 one, he wouldn't dare use it. Breaking the spatial passage would be suicidal. No treasure was worth dying over.
Now they were stuck so close to the treasure, yet unable to even enter. The two could only stand there staring.
"Looks like you don't have a way either."
Just from his expression, Xia Qingxue already knew there was no point in hoping.
"Are we going to leave empty-handed?"
Hou Tianming's face darkened.
"Wait," Xia Qingxue said calmly. "I heard Niu Dazhuang inherited the Second City Lord's formation legacy. He's already a top-tier Tier-2 formation master. When they catch up, he might be able to help."
With that, she descended and sat cross-legged at the foot of the mountain, closing her eyes to rest.
The treasure was right before them, but they had no choice but to wait and possibly share it with others. This gnawed at Hou Tianming, who grumbled bitterly:
"Like hell I'll give up that easily…"
He summoned a spirit sword and slashed at the barrier with all his might.
"Boom!"
The sword strike dented the formation's barrier, but before Hou Tianming could even feel pleased, his sword was instantly rebounded.
In the next moment, a series of formation patterns lit up in the air. Hou Tianming's heart skipped a beat, and he felt a sudden surge of mortal danger.
"Swish!"
A golden light descended from the mountaintop, shooting straight toward him. It moved so fast that even with his mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation, he had no time to react.
"Pfft!"
The golden light struck his chest, and Hou Tianming immediately coughed up a mouthful of blood, his body flung backward like a ragdoll.
"Idiot,"
Xia Qingxue frowned slightly. Attacking a formation without first identifying what kind it was, how brainless could one be?
Meanwhile, Hou Tianming, who had crashed into the ground, staggered out of the crater, disheveled and pale. He pulled out a cracked bronze mirror from his chest, a look of lingering fear in his eyes.
If not for that protective mirror, that one strike might've ended his life.
"What kind of treasure is hidden in there, to be protected by such a powerful formation…"
He murmured, glancing toward the three towering mountains with unease.
To be fair, it wasn't entirely his fault.
Had he arrived just one day earlier and witnessed that thunderous, heavenly punishment with his own eyes, he never would've dared to act so recklessly.
Now that he had learned his lesson, Hou Tianming didn't dare make another move. He obediently sat down and began to meditate, healing his injuries while waiting for Niu Dazhuang and the others to arrive.
They had made no stops along the way, so their speed was the fastest.
Meanwhile, Song Changsheng, who had been looting along his path, was about two hours behind.
When Song sensed Xia Qingxue and Hou Tianming's auras nearby, he first assumed the treasure had already been claimed.
But as he drew closer, he noticed something was off.
Hou Tianming looked utterly miserable and weak, clearly badly injured. Xia Qingxue, on the other hand, sat calmly atop a large stone, her aura stable; there were no signs she had fought.
"What's going on here?"
Song Changsheng frowned slightly.
Hou Tianming's abilities weren't stellar, but he was more than capable of handling most late-Foundation cultivators.
Who could've left him in such a wretched state in this small world?
Since he wasn't close with the two of them, Song didn't ask.
Instead, his eyes turned toward the valley ahead. He could sense an intense vitality emanating from within.
"The treasure's still there!"
Joy surged in Song Changsheng's heart. He wasn't too late; there was still a chance.
"Eye of True Sight open!"
He didn't believe for a second that those two had just decided to sit back and give up on the treasure. There was something wrong.
Sure enough, with the help of his eye technique, he could now see the three mountains completely covered in intricate formation patterns.
"So it's a Three Talents Array based on the mountains themselves… somewhere between Tier-2 and Tier-3. No wonder no one has been able to get in."
Song immediately identified the type and rank of the formation.
However, his formation mastery wasn't strong enough to break through it easily.
"What did you see?"
Just as he was deep in thought, Xia Qingxue, who had seemingly been meditating, stood up at some point and was now staring coldly at him.
Song Changsheng's heart instantly tightened. Though he'd been watching the formation, he'd also been monitoring the two of them with his spiritual sense.
And yet he had no idea when this woman had moved.
"She's no ordinary Foundation cultivator. Can't underestimate her,"
He thought.
Though she was only at the early Foundation Establishment, he dared not take her lightly.
Still, Song remained outwardly calm and nodded as he replied:
"I did see something.
This Three Talents Array won't be easy to break…
But it's not impossible either."
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