Chapter 360

Chapter 360: Spoils of War

The trio hadn’t anticipated that the magical artifact in the Spirit Ape’s hand was a Foundation Establishment magical artifact, and judging by its quality, it was at least high-grade.

It seemed the treasure of this cavern was precisely that magical artifact in its grasp.

At this moment, with the emergence of that high-grade Foundation Establishment magical artifact, Qi Chuan, who had originally held the upper hand, was instantly thrown into a passive situation.

The thorn whip in his hand was merely a mid-grade magical artifact. Combined with his strength being roughly equal to his opponent’s, there was still a noticeable gap when they clashed head-on.

Especially since the ape had thick and rough hide that could essentially withstand his magical assaults.

Roar—

The Spirit Ape bellowed wildly. Its immense roar was carried by sonic waves that shook the entire cavern. The magical artifact in its grasp became even fiercer and more terrifying.

With each swing, spiritual light flashed, fierce winds arose, and it stirred up a violent aura of attack.

Qi Chuan gritted his teeth. His whole body’s mana erupted, enveloping him in a dense spiritual glow as he nimbly evaded that heavy swing.

Thud—

The large white jade cudgel slammed into the ground with a thunderous crash, gouging out a massive crater.

Qi Chuan narrowly avoided it, his gaze shifting towards the other two.

Long Yunshuang remained still. Zhou Luo, however, stepped forward. With a sweep of his Fu Yao magic sword, Xuan Huang-colored mana shot forth, transforming into a massive earthen wall that smashed towards the ape.

Beneath the sword light, the earthen wall crashed down – powerful and heavy – upon the Spirit Ape.

Boom—

Another deafening blast resounded. The Spirit Ape was flung back several paces, yet its body showed not a single wound.

It roared and charged viciously towards Zhou Luo, its ferocious momentum looking truly terrifying.

Qi Chuan reacted instantly, unleashing another powerful technique.

He brandished his spiritual whip, churning a wide expanse of radiant light. A torrent of sharp, formidable power erupted violently. A golden tiger burst forth from within, roaring as it charged forth, its blood-thirsty maw aimed directly at the Spirit Ape.

Sensing the imminent danger, the Spirit Ape immediately dashed sideways.

A top-grade tier-1 talisman abruptly materialized in Zhou Luo’s hand and shot out.

The talisman exploded mid-air. Rays of light converged and formed a golden prison cage that enveloped the Spirit Ape.

The Spirit Ape swung its magical artifact, smashing against the prison bars. The force binding the cage instantly shattered.

This action, however, bought Qi Chuan’s attack a crucial moment.

The golden tiger was already upon it. The beast let out a roar like the king of the mountain forests striking the Spirit Ape.

Bang—

A massive explosion boomed. The Spirit Ape’s body jolted. Its once smooth fur revealed charred black patches, and rivulets of blood surfaced on its hide.

It was injured.

Zhou Luo and Qi Chuan pressed their advantage, both surging forward to attack.

The Spirit Ape gripped its white jade cudgel, wanting to counter-attack.

But faced with the pincer assault of two Foundation Establishment cultivators, despite its robust physique and ferocious magical artifact, it could not withstand the successive waves of explosive mana bombardment.

A quarter of an hour later, with a loud rumble, the Spirit Ape fell to the ground and lost its vitality.

Qi Chuan and Zhou Luo landed one after another.

The former smiled faintly and said, "Friend Zhou, your reputation is indeed well-deserved, your ability is truly strong."

Qin Chuan could sense how formidable the other’s control over the sword path was during the previous battle, especially since he seemed to be using Qi Refinement techniques, yet he could still unleash such a powerful force.

Thinking that the other had once killed two Foundation Establishment cultivators, Qi Chuan felt he could not be underestimated at all.

"This is all thanks to friend Qi," Zhou Luo said modestly.

He had not exerted much force earlier; mostly, it was Qi Chuan who did the work, while he was merely a supporting figure.

Standing next to the Spirit Ape, Qi Chuan continued, "Friend Zhou, how about leaving this eight-hundred-year-old Spirit Ape to me? I will give you that Foundation Establishment magical artifact."

Since the Spirit Ape was jointly killed by the two of them, it was naturally their responsibility to share it between them.

Long Yunshuang had no qualification to intervene; this was the default understanding among everyone.

As the person in charge of Zhen Yuan Tower, in Qi Chuan’s eyes, the value brought by this eight-hundred-year-old Spirit Ape far exceeded that of a high-grade Foundation Establishment magical artifact.

Facing such a distribution, Zhou Luo chose to accept.

Although he had many industries under his own command, there was no need to give up a high-grade Foundation Establishment magical artifact for the sake of a Spirit Beast.

With this high-grade Foundation Establishment magical artifact, even if he did not use it, it would be excellent for tempering his body.

After the distribution concluded, everyone looked towards the other six passageways; no one moved.

Zhou Luo took out his tortoise shell again and began divination.

Although divination could make errors, it was still better than walking aimlessly and recklessly.

…

On the other side, the two groups following Shangguan Qianxue had also entered the cave.

They had been trapped by Song Zhan’s formation for quite some time.

Now, they had just arrived before the first cavern.

Seeing the coffin at the exact center, the two groups exchanged glances.

The three loose cultivators immediately rushed towards the coffin without hesitation, while the other two headed for a passageway on the opposite side.

As soon as they approached the coffin, the three Foundation Establishment loose cultivators triggered the formation.

The originally calm space rippled, with formation patterns appearing within it, followed by countless wooden stakes protruding from the ground, blocking their path.

Before they could react, the four-dimensional space warped, and countless light blades condensed before attacking them in waves.

The trio were well-prepared and immediately activated their magical artifacts to block.

The might of this offensive formation was strong;

it was also a Second Level attacking formation, with astonishing continuous attacking power—had it been Qi Refinement cultivators, they would likely have perished instantly.

However, precisely because it was an offensive formation, as long as one endured its assaults, there was still a chance to escape.

The three Foundation Establishment loose cultivators had the weakest foundations among the ten, but they had battled countless times and had acute combat instincts; thus, relying on their practical fighting ability, they barely managed to approach that coffin.

As a result, they all suffered various degrees of injuries, more or less.

Though not fatal, it was quite troublesome.

"Damn it, I hope there’s something useful in this coffin," one of the burly men cursed rudely.

They were loosely cultivated and naturally grew without many refinements; coming here, they were not like those Immortal Sect disciples with clear objectives.

They only sought to gain some treasures suitable for themselves here.

Therefore, after discovering this coffin was extraordinary, they chose without hesitation to break through the formation to get closer,

intending to take the treasures inside the coffin.

Standing before the coffin, the attacks from the formation had vanished.

One of the Foundation Establishment loose cultivators placed his hand on the coffin and exerted force, pushing the heavy lid slightly ajar.

Boom—

With a heavy thud, the coffin lid was pushed open, revealing darkness inside.

The three were staring inside.

Suddenly, something seemed to wriggle in the darkness; they released their mental strength, wanting to investigate further.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh—

At that very moment, countless dark insects suddenly flew out of the darkness.

These flying insects were extremely fast, like black lightning, pouncing upon the three in an instant; moreover, their numbers were overwhelming, covering the sky like moths.

The three looked horrified; one panicked and shouted,

"It’s black gu, run!"