Chapter 436

Chapter 436: Treasure Vault

The moment Wang Chen struck the City God statue with his palms, signs of softening appeared on the surface of its head.

It rapidly permeated toward the interior!

Turn Fossil to Mud was effective!!

However, before Wang Chen could feel joy, a profound and powerful force surged from within the City God statue.

The mudified area solidified once more.

Two opposing yet originating forces clashed within the head of the City God statue!

Wang Chen pressed his palms tightly against the back of the statue’s head, pouring in his magic power recklessly while continuously activating the Perfected Level Earth and Stone Technique.

The City God statue stood still, battling him with primal force.

At that moment, Wang Chen felt trapped on a tiger’s back.

His instincts warned him that if he withdrew his hands or exhausted his magic power, he would face an overwhelming counterattack from his opponent, a force strong enough to shatter his Invulnerable Vajra body!

With no other choice, Wang Chen could only channel all his energy into the Qi Sea, continuously feeding his magic power into his palms.

Although his cultivation level had reached the second layer of the Purple Palace, such a massive drain was hard to sustain for long.

Terrifyingly, the strength from the City God statue seemed endless, showing no signs of diminishing.

Watching his magic power plummet, Wang Chen made a swift and decisive move—he activated the Heavenly Net for Exorcising Evil, which was wrapped around his arms.

He intended to draw on the spiritual energy contained within the Exorcising Net to win this prolonged battle!

Wang Chen felt relieved; earlier, he had eliminated numerous Evil Spirits, allowing the Exorcising Net to accumulate a vast amount of spiritual energy inside it.

Otherwise, he would undoubtedly lose this battle!

The two forces stood in a deadlock, transforming the previously earth-shaking clash into a silent war of attrition.

A more perilous shadow battle!

Time passed quietly. Wang Chen’s palms remained glued to the City God statue, as if they were welded there, leaving him suspended in the air.

His magic power within the Qi Sea had already been nearly exhausted, with all supporting strength coming from the reserves of the Exorcising Net.

But the spiritual energy within the Heavenly Net for Exorcising Evil was not endless either, slowly being drained away.

Beyond the loss of magic and spiritual energy, such a confrontation was an enormous test of Wang Chen’s mental fortitude.

The City God statue countered wave after wave, invisible yet constantly assaulting the forward line he had constructed; even a slight oversight could lead to failure.

As time wore on, with relentless impacts and counterattacks, Wang Chen gradually fell into a state of profound mystery.

He let go of life and death, ignoring the enemy that was so close, as his spirit seemed to escape his body, observing the battle from a higher vantage point with absolute calm.

The Cave Truth Technique activated quietly.

A miraculous scene unfolded.

Wang Chen’s "sight" penetrated the thick shell of the City God statue, revealing its intensely beating "heart" within.

A massive, yellow-brown crystal continuously released earth-based power.

This was undoubtedly the core of the ancient mechanical puppet!

It needed to be destroyed!

Wang Chen’s instincts warned him that the longer the deadlock lasted, the more unfavorable it would become for him.

The primal force of the City God statue was too strong; by the time the Exorcising Net exhausted its spiritual energy, it might be too late to stop it.

Wang Chen’s mindset raced, and he gradually reduced the magic power he infused.

As one diminished, the other grew; the counterforce from the City God statue surged, and the previously soft area rapidly solidified, seeping back into Wang Chen’s skin, eroding his bones and flesh.

If Wang Chen’s Heavenly Dragon Vajra True Method hadn’t reached the sixth level, his hands would have turned to stone in an instant.

But even the Invulnerable Vajra body had its limits; while he could still hold on with effort, prolonged exposure would yield the same result!

At this moment, Wang Chen had gathered his divine sense.

Suddenly, he unleashed an impact toward the yellow-brown crystal within the City God statue!

Thanks to his exceptionally high soul attributes, Wang Chen’s divine sense was far more powerful than that of other cultivators at the same level; he had mastered the technique known as "focusing the mind into a bundle."

Focusing the mind into a bundle was somewhat akin to Yang Yi’s Soul Piercer, but far less sharp and vicious. In simple terms, it was a mental shockwave that could influence and disrupt a cultivator’s spirit and mindset.

It shared a similar effect to oppressive force!

Wang Chen didn’t expect this technique to destroy the core of the City God statue; that was simply impossible.

He only sought to disrupt its normal operation.

Having locked onto his target, his divine sense struck the yellow-brown crystal with pinpoint accuracy.

The City God statue shuddered violently, and the released power immediately became chaotic.

The pressure on Wang Chen significantly decreased.

Overjoyed, Wang Chen quickly gathered all his strength into his palms and slammed them into the head of the City God statue.

This strike exceeded Wang Chen’s limits, causing blood to seep from his nose, mouth, and eyes.

With a dull boom, the back of the City God statue exploded, sending half its head shattering apart.

Smack!

Wang Chen pressed his palms together, resembling a sharp blade, and effortlessly cut through the thick shell on the back of the City God statue.

In the next moment, he landed on the ground.

Just as his feet touched the ground, Wang Chen leaped up, raised both palms, and struck the already cracked lower abdomen of the City God statue.

Crack!

That strike seemed to be the last straw for the camel; accompanied by a crisp shattering sound, the massive body of the City God statue split open from the middle, all the way to the top!

This ancient puppet left by the ancient immortal sect fell apart and toppled to the ground.

Boom!

It shattered into countless stones.

Wang Chen landed again, hardly believing that this formidable opponent had been destroyed so easily.

A large yellow-brown crystal rolled to rest at his feet.

Wang Chen let out a long breath and reached down to pick up the crystal.

This trophy was truly hard-earned.

Having destroyed the City God statue, he did not gain any Virtue or Heavenly Merit.

This confirmed his earlier suspicion: it was a mechanical puppet, the boss guarding the gate.

This crystal was undoubtedly the reward for passing!

The crystal was the size of a melon, heavy in his hands, weighing at least a hundred pounds and appearing beautifully translucent.

Wang Chen could sense the enormous power contained within it.

Remarkably, despite enduring centuries, it still looked brand new.

What could such a crystal be worth?

Wang Chen couldn’t estimate, but it certainly wouldn’t be cheap; selling it for dozens or even hundreds of thousands of spirit fragments would be normal.

After all, it was a treasure from the ancient immortal sect.

Boom!

Just as he pondered, the ground suddenly shook violently.

With a loud rumble, a bronze-colored stone door rose from the ground just where the City God statue had been!

This stone door rose to a height of ten feet and stopped, revealing three true seal characters on its surface.

Treasure Vault!