Zhu Chen quickly stopped her.
"Why rush? Look carefully at what Zhu Yan is doing."
Reminded by his words, Huo Ling'er suddenly noticed something strange.
Ever since arriving, Zhu Yan had been squatting at the bottom of the dried lake, repeatedly stirring the mud with its arms, as if it were burying something.
"Could it be hiding a rare treasure?"
A glimmer flashed through Huo Ling'er's eyes.
A few days ago, an extraordinary treasure had appeared in the Cangmang Mountains, attracting countless ancient ferocious beasts.
Now, Zhu Yan....a Venerable-level existence...had fled here, badly wounded, and was hurriedly burying something in the mud.
It was very possible that it had seized that mountain treasure.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Zhu Yan seemed to sense something. Its massive eyes, like bronze bells, turned sharply toward their hiding place.
"What rat dares hide its head and tail?"
"Come out!"
As the words fell, Zhu Yan stomped the ground and leapt into the air. Divine light surged around its right arm as it hurled a massive punch toward Zhu Chen and Huo Ling'er's position.
"Oh no—it's found us!"
Huo Ling'er turned and ran without hesitation.
Faced with such an existence, she couldn't even summon the courage to resist.
But just as she turned...
Zhu Chen decisively dispelled his transformation and returned to his original form.
Two divine ring-shaped grotto-heavens manifested behind him, and from one of them stepped forth a primordial spirit wrapped in surging blood energy, instantly merging with his body.
His wings spread wide, and he transformed into a streak of light, charging straight at Zhu Yan.
"Vermilion Bird Treasure Technique—Third Strike: Heaven-Splitting!"
...BOOM!
Man and ape collided violently in mid-air.
Compared to Zhu Yan's mountain-like body, Zhu Chen was no larger than an ant.
Yet at the moment of impact, a colossal Primordial Vermilion Bird manifested behind him, opening its beak and releasing a deafening cry that shook the heavens.
"The Primordial Vermilion Bird Treasure Technique?!"
Zhu Yan's expression changed drastically.
Though the Vermilion Bird was merely a spiritual phantom, the pressure it emitted was far more terrifying than the one Zhu Yan had previously encountered.
Fortunately, this brat's cultivation was only at the Cave Heaven Realm, preventing him from unleashing its full power.
Otherwise, already on the brink of collapse, Zhu Yan would have undoubtedly died on the spot.
"Brat… if your cultivation were just a little higher, I might have truly suffered a crushing defeat today. Unfortunately—"
Before it could finish—
Zhu Yan froze.
Because the instant its fist shattered the Vermilion Bird phantom, an even more terrifying force surged directly from the boy before it.
How could a human possess such monstrous physical strength?
Without time to react, Zhu Yan's body was blasted away like a cannonball, smashing into a barren mountain thousands of meters away and carving out a massive crater.
"Damn it—!"
Zhu Yan struggled to push away the rubble pinning it down, attempting to rise once more.
But its shattered Dao body had already reached its limit.
With a roar filled with unwilling fury, its colossal form disintegrated into countless motes of crystalline light.
"My heavens…"
"Zhu Chen—you actually defeated Zhu Yan with only Cave Heaven Realm cultivation?"
Huo Ling'er stood rooted to the ground, utterly stunned.
Even gravely injured, with its Dao body collapsing and cultivation plummeting, Zhu Yan was still an existence that ordinary Inscription Realm cultivators couldn't withstand.
Yet Zhu Chen had sent it flying with a single punch.
If she hadn't witnessed it herself, she would never have believed it—even in her dreams.
"Don't just stand there," Zhu Chen called after landing.
"Go check the mud pit."
He immediately rushed toward the lakebed.
Huo Ling'er hurried after him.
After searching briefly, they quickly found what Zhu Yan had buried.
It was a box forged from celestial bones.
Radiant light flowed around it, exuding an immortal aura—it was clearly no ordinary item.
"Is this the extraordinary treasure Father Emperor mentioned?"
Huo Ling'er asked excitedly, eyes sparkling.
"This box is made from exceptional material. It must contain a powerful inheritance," Zhu Chen said calmly as he put it away.
"With our current strength, we can't open it."
Back then, even Shi Hao had needed six different methods at the Supreme Realm to open this box.
There were only two ways to open it now:
Either find an immensely powerful expert to help—or wait until their cultivation improved.
Zhu Chen preferred the former.
As the saying goes, good things shouldn't be kept overnight.
If you get something good, you should open and use it while it's still fresh.
It's like dating—if you can sleep together, do it early.
Otherwise, someone else might take your place.
Unless you enjoy drinking leftovers.
"Then let's hurry back and find Father Emperor," Huo Ling'er suggested eagerly.
"He's at the peak of the Venerable Realm—he should be able to open it."
Zhu Chen smiled and shook his head.
"Even Father-in-law can't open this."
"Ah? Even my fa—wait!"
Huo Ling'er froze, her face instantly turning crimson.
"What nonsense are you talking about?! Who's your father-in-law?!"
"Haha. Didn't you elope with me?" Zhu Chen laughed.
"Aren't you my wife now?"
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