Chapter 528

Chapter 528: Unexpected Surprise

After choosing his target, Fang Lie wasted no time. Being deep within the enemy’s core territory inside their treasure vault meant every second counted!

He immediately contacted Old Bird and sprang into action.

The magic spirit rooster split from Old Bird silently breached the outer restrictions before sharply pecking the void to open a small Space Channel.

Simultaneously, the Ninth-Rank Treasure Old Bird exerted terrifying power upon the Sword Gu Nest, yanking it into the Space Channel with lightning speed.

Fang Lie’s blood clone swiftly followed into the channel.

But it was already too late.

Though the entire process—opening the channel, stealing the nest, and Fang Lie’s entry—took mere moments, the vault’s guardians had been alerted.

The Void Gu reacted instantly when the Space Channel opened, moving like lightning. Yet despite their speed, they failed to prevent the Sword Gu Nest’s theft.

Fang Lie’s blood clone wasn’t so fortunate. Halfway through the channel, Void Gu erupted from the void like steel needles, piercing his body.

Though the clone managed to enter the channel, it arrived at the Cycle of Fire barely alive—most of its flesh devoured, leaving only empty skin.

About a hundred Void Gu followed through, viciously attacking regardless of their surroundings.

But the Cycle of Fire was Old Bird’s domain. Even Semi-Immortals couldn’t defy him here, let alone mere Void Gu. A dreadful power swiftly immobilized the insects.

Old Bird crowed with delight, "Hah! An unexpected windfall! Void Gu rank among the top three rare insects—each worth cities! These are prime specimens, the weakest being Seventh-rank! More valuable than same-grade treasures! If tamed, the Mo Sect gains a mighty Void Gu legacy!"

He promptly stored the creatures.

Such Void Gu were closely guarded treasures of the Ten-Thousand Gu Sect, impossible to obtain through normal means. By sheer luck, Old Bird had scored an Enormous Bargain.

With both male and female Void Gu, ancient breeding methods could swiftly establish a new colony—granting Mo Sect these potent poison insects.

Beyond combat uses, Void Gu bodies served as supreme materials for crafting spatial treasures, making them doubly precious!

As Old Bird celebrated, Fang Lie near the Ten-Thousand Gu Sect received word and instantly escaped via teleportation array.

His quick reaction spared him disaster.

Moments after his escape, the enraged sect sealed all territory teleportation arrays and launched mass searches.

Ten-Thousand Gu Sect Higher-ups stormed the Eighth-floor treasure vault, wrath boiling at the empty storage slots. They yearned to tear Fang Lie apart limb by limb!

Without evidence, they still named Fang Lie prime suspect—many Thunder Tribulation Immortals outright accused him.

This was inevitable. Across the land, only Fang Lie possessed the means to rob major sect vaults.

His prior theft from the Ghost Realm Sect—stealing Eighth-rank Treasures and sparking bloody conflicts that drew righteous sects’ assault—remained fresh in memory.

This new loss devastated the Ten-Thousand Gu Sect leaders. The Eighth-rank Ten-Thousand Gu Flag and Sword Gu Nest were their lifeblood!

These weren’t ordinary treasures. The Eighth-rank Ten-Thousand Gu Flag required materials worth kingdoms—Eighth-rank Void Gu corpses to contain its poison insects.

And the insects themselves numbered in hundreds of billions… even trillions.

Having a large number wasn’t enough; eighth-rank Gu mothers were also essential. Without sufficient eighth-rank Gu mothers, the Ten-Thousand Gu Flags lacked spirit. Even with countless poison Gu insects inside, they remained disorganized and undisciplined, drastically reducing their combat strength.

The poison Gu insects were like soldiers, while eighth-rank Gu mothers served as generals. Without commanders, even vast numbers couldn’t display real power.

The problem lay in rearing eighth-rank Gu mothers. Each required astronomical resources and millennia of time to cultivate.

To forge a single eighth-rank Ten-Thousand Gu Flag, hundreds of eighth-rank Gu mothers were needed to properly control hundreds of billions of poison Gu insects.

Starting from scratch to create such a flag would take over ten thousand years.

These dozen eighth-rank Ten-Thousand Gu Flags represented tens of millennia of the Ten-Thousand Gu Sect’s accumulated wealth. The sect had poured unimaginable resources and manpower into their creation.

Once completed, these flags transcended ordinary Eighth-rank Treasures, becoming veritable golden geese.

Their billions of poison Gu insects generated mountains of spiritual items daily, each haul worth kingdoms.

A single flag yielded annual profits exceeding a million small spirit pearls.

The dozen flags contributed tens of millions, accounting for nearly half the sect’s income!

This loss struck at the sect’s very foundation.

Failure to recover the flags would drag the Ten-Thousand Gu Sect down the same ruinous path as the Ghost Realm Sect.

The sect couldn’t possibly accept this outcome.

Yet everyone knew Fang Lie’s cunning nature – after stealing the treasure, he’d surely escaped. Tracking him proved impossible.

Even if found, his undying nature rendered the sect’s threats meaningless.

After fruitless searches till dawn, the frustrated sect leaders convened to plan their next move.

Following tense discussions, they reluctantly resolved to dispatch envoys apologizing to the Mo Sect and Fang Lie, hoping to repurchase the stolen flags.

Though humiliating, survival outweighed pride. Without these flags, rival Demonic Path sects eyeing their wealth would pounce like vultures.

The Ghost Realm Sect’s fate proved Demonic Path allies showed no mercy – weakness invited attack, wealth compounded the crime.

The Ten-Thousand Gu Sect now embodied both vulnerabilities.

Their former strength had bred numerous enemies. Treasure vaults overflowing with loot from other Demonic Path sects testified to countless covert attacks.

Past crimes couldn’t remain hidden forever. Previous silence stemmed from fear, not forgiveness.

Now weakened by losing over a third of their power, former victims would seize this chance for vengeance and plunder.

Facing potential annihilation, the sect discarded dignity. To survive, they’d grovel before Fang Lie, offering free treasures if he’d return the flags.

Unaware of these developments, Fang Lie raced toward the Zhongli Family after his successful heist.

Days later, he reappeared at the Zhongli estate.

Still disguised as the black-robed stranger, he received immediate deference from Reception Pavilion staff. Memories remained fresh of how three Thunder Tribulation Immortals had mobilized for this Junior last time.

Though his identity stayed secret, the elders’ prior reactions marked him as VIP.

The Higher-ups responded even more enthusiastically this time. The Zhongli Family Head and two Thunder Tribulation Elders personally greeted him – treatment normally reserved for visiting Thunder Tribulation Immortals, astonishing all witnesses.

Escorted to a lavish reception chamber, the Family Head dismissed servants and personally prepared tea.

"Magnificent, Young Master Fang!" the Family Head exclaimed. "To throw the Ten-Thousand Gu Sect into chaos within days! My deepest admiration – this feat defies belief!"

The Zhongli Family had closely monitored their rivals’ territory-wide lockdown and treasure hunt. Initial suspicions pointed to Fang Lie, yet the scale seemed improbable – breaching a top sect’s vault in days? Even Semi-Immortals couldn’t achieve this!

But Fang Lie’s arrival confirmed everything. Without the Nine Dragons Flame Order’s authority, his stubborn pride would never permit this visit unless successful.