A chaotic battle broke out, yet everyone seemed to be subtly surrounding the God-Beating Whip, encircling it completely.
The key was, Zhang Chen discovered these old guys were deliberately clearing the battlefield, four of them occupying four directions, setting up battlefields on each side. The fluctuations of the Qi mechanism from their exchanges spread out, and within a hundred miles, all cultivators carrying mysterious Qi mechanisms were struck dead by the residual waves before they could even get close.
Zhang Chen’s eyes watched over the eight directions of heaven and earth. Within a hundred miles, all Bloodline Practitioners and Incense Divine Spirits dared to approach and were all slain by that mighty force.
"Damn it, this isn’t just fighting, it’s clear they’re clearing the field!"
"Such a fake fight! I want to expose this!" Zhang Chen watched as everyone scrambled back and forth, secretly cursing, realizing they weren’t fighting to the death, but merely putting on a show.
Zhang Chen witnessed firsthand an eighth-tier deity rise into the air within Jinling City, heading towards the birthplace of the God-Beating Whip, but just as they approached within a hundred miles, a terrifying residual wave spread from the battlefield’s center. Before the eighth-tier deity could react, they were already turned to dust.
Some clever deities, upon seeing this, quickly retreated while cursing, withdrawing beyond the hundred-mile perimeter. Those who were less quick-witted and slow to react were targeted unintentionally by the powerful individuals, dissipating into blood mist.
Seeing this, cultivators arriving from all directions hastily retreated, jumping around at the battlefield’s outer edges without daring to curse loudly, fearing they’d be heard by the opposition.
For a distance of merely a hundred miles, to those eleventh and twelfth-tier old folks, even the sound of ants screaming could be heard by them.
"Shameless! These old geezers are utterly shameless!" Zhang Chen cursed furiously in his heart: "These guys aren’t fighting to the death; they’re clearly clearing the field. I mean, why do heroes in those novels manage to snatch treasures under the noses of countless old fogeys, turns out it’s all fake. These old guys possess wisdom beyond belief, each of them has lived for who knows how many years; how could they not be cautious? If they weren’t careful, they’d have died countless years ago; how would they make mistakes for the hero to exploit?"
Though Zhang Chen cursed internally, his Qi mechanism became increasingly restrained, with Buzhou Mountain suppressing his Qi mechanism, no one could detect Zhang Chen’s presence.
Amid the terrifying Qi mechanisms spreading across heaven and earth, numerous eighth and ninth-tier deities approached from various directions, watching from afar with hatred but helplessness.
Zhang Chen’s Law of Sound activated, and voices from all directions entered his ears, hearing a deity murmur: "How did such a powerful and mysterious artifact suddenly emerge in the human race’s heartland?"
"By such fluctuation, this mystery should belong to the twelfth tier. Just not sure if the old ancestor of the Great Victory Dynasty will come. For tens of thousands of years, all twelfth-tier mysteries have been under the control of the Great Victory Royal Family. With a new supreme treasure emerging now, the Great Victory Royal Family shouldn’t just sit by, right?" someone else said.
"Jinling is hundreds of thousands of miles away from Kyoto. Kyoto’s cultivators might not even detect the emergence of the Innate Spiritual Treasure, and even if they do, crossing hundreds of thousands of miles to get here, they should be too late!" Noble family members discussed fervently.
Hearing the discussions, Zhang Chen realized only those nearby from various vassal states, and experts from Jiangnan, lurking within Yellow Heaven Dao and Demon Race, could possibly arrive. Kyoto is hundreds of thousands of miles away from this place, detecting the anomaly itself is challenging, let alone arriving quickly.
And his God-Beating Whip can complete the heaven and earth refinement within a quarter of an hour; there’s no way Kyoto’s experts could react in time, unless the Great Victory Royal Family uses an Innate Spiritual Treasure to shorten the spatial distance and then use the treasure’s power to descend here.
As for Yang God level masters? Even with Yang God level power crossing the void, it would take them at least half a day to arrive.
Currently, several elderly folks continued their skirmishes around the God-Beating Whip, clearing the field, not bothering with the God-Beating Whip in the center of the battlefield, all mutually restraining each other, exchanging moves back and forth.
The Qi mechanisms of the Innate Spiritual Treasure became more intense, its spectacle grew larger, attracting countless cultivators to hide in the shadows watching, but seeing the fierce clashes overhead, none dared approach, waiting for the Innate Spiritual Treasure to settle before attempting to seize it.
The Innate Spiritual Treasure was undergoing heaven and earth’s laws refinement, naturally shielded by mysterious power, preventing even the old ancestors from approaching the God-Beating Whip.
As time slowly passed, after a quarter of an hour, colorful clouds in the sky gradually retracted, and the Qi mechanism in the void became more stable. Finally, at a certain moment, the God-Beating Whip’s light coalesced, transforming into a jade whip, quietly suspended in the void.
"It’s done!" Hu Li the Immortal’s eyes brightened upon seeing the God-Beating Whip formed and immediately abandoned his adversary, rushing towards it.
"Creature, don’t think of it!" Zhou Qiucheng swung the Treasure Tower at Hu Li the Immortal on the opposite side.
"Those who block me will die!" Hu Li the Immortal roared angrily, his body turning into metallic luster, fearlessly punching out to clash with the Exquisite Tower.
With a resounding collision that shook the heavens and earth, Hu Li the Immortal staggered, but the Exquisite Tower was sent flying.
"Such powerful Hu Li the Immortal, that’s an eleventh-tier Innate Spiritual Treasure, transforming into Divine Daoist Power, allowing him to unleash power recklessly, its might no longer inferior to the dormant twelfth-tier Innate Spiritual Treasure." Zhang Chen sighed softly.
Though a twelfth-tier Innate Spiritual Treasure is complete, it is bound by heaven and earth, unable to manifest its full might. Meanwhile, the Exquisite Tower, albeit damaged, has no more flaws of origin leakage, allowing it to unleash all its power recklessly, and receiving the Power of Incense can even enhance its strength, repairing its damages—a perfect balance, the gap already apparent.
"First, kick out the Twelfth Tier beings. With these old Twelfth Tier guys around, how can we have any chance?" Chen Zhifei, holding the Profound Yuan Water Control Banner, shouted.
Hu Li the Immortal, standing nearby, was instantly displeased upon hearing this. Targeting Twelfth Tier experts? Who are you talking about? It was almost like pointing at his nose and naming him directly. The only Twelfth Tier on the scene, wasn’t it him?
Hu Li the Immortal looked at Chen Zhifei, his face showing a fierce glow, ready to strike with resentment. However, nobody was a fool here; knowing the means of a Twelfth Tier expert, they all attacked Hu Li the Immortal together.
Even though Hu Li the Immortal had superior cultivation, he couldn’t withstand being besieged by so many experts, could he?
With a single Innate Water God, the opponent, relying on the Celestial Dao Rank, could already contend with him for a while. Coupled with the Profound Yuan Water Control Banner, the Exquisite Treasure Tower, and the support of other experts, Hu Li the Immortal’s figure flickered and he instantly withdrew from the battlefield, standing at a distance to watch.
As for fighting to the death with them because of being targeted by everyone, only a fool would do that, something found only in novels. As an ancient being who had lived for countless millennia, his thoughts were profound. As long as he withdrew from the battlefield, once both sides fought, their alliance would naturally collapse, and that would be his opportunity to strike.
Sure enough, as Hu Li the Immortal withdrew, the allies in the field instantly fell apart, each fighting their own battles, all reaching for the God-Beating Whip, and chaos erupted suddenly.
Further away,
Zhang Chen looked at the battlefield, a mocking smile on his lips: "Want to seize my Innate Spiritual Treasure? Aren’t you afraid of biting off more than you can chew?"
Then Zhang Chen had the Celestial Measuring Ruler appear in his hand, he slashed at the void, a spatial passage appeared, and Zhang Chen casually grabbed, and the God-Beating Whip fell into his hand out of thin air.
Zhang Chen infused magical power into the God-Beating Whip, at the same time activating the Manipulation Mantra to control the God-Beating Whip, and then tucked it into his sleeve. In the next moment, he performed the Escape Technique, escaping into the mountain below him, and then concealed all his qi mechanism, hiding himself completely.
Zhang Chen did not use the Escape Technique to flee; his escape speed could never outpace these ancient beings, could it?
Moreover, using the Escape Technique, transferring energy from stillness to rapid movement, made it even easier for these old beings to catch him.
Once a cultivator reached the Yang God Level, they could see through the operation of energy between Heaven and Earth. The Five Elements Escape Technique essentially allowed one to traverse through matter in the form of energy. How could Zhang Chen hide under such circumstances?
A dozen breaths after Zhang Chen had taken the God-Beating Whip, Chen Zhifei suddenly exclaimed, "Stop fighting, that treasure has already been taken."
Everyone stopped upon hearing this, all eyes turning to the center of the field, and they were all dumbfounded.
"When did that treasure disappear? Is there someone in this world who can quietly snatch a treasure right under our noses?" Zhou Qiucheng’s eyes were filled with disbelief.
Even a Twelfth Tier expert couldn’t achieve that!
"The opponent must possess spatial power, or means to conceal their tracks." Zou Wenlong’s eyes were filled with gloom.
Fighting each other only to have someone else take advantage? Who could feel good about that?
"Hu Li the Immortal, was it you? You were observing from outside the battlefield, didn’t you notice the treasure being taken?" Gu Mingyue turned to look at Hu Li the Immortal, a trace of doubt in her eyes.
Hu Li the Immortal was immediately displeased upon hearing this: "An elder like me was just here, preoccupied with watching your methods. How would I notice the God-Beating Whip?"
"Besides, who are you to question an elder like me?" Hu Li the Immortal’s voice was filled with disdain.
Of course, he knew who took the treasure. Not only did he know, but he also saw it with his own eyes. However, after feeling the aura of that ominous star, he chose to watch indifferently.
His attention had always been on the God-Beating Whip, how could he not know when it disappeared?
But could he say it?
His weaknesses were in the hands of that ominous star, how could he dare!
Moreover, since the other party helped him regain his cultivation, how could he do such an ungrateful act?