Chapter 56: Treasure Found, Transformation Unleashed!

As soon as they entered the cave, everyone activated their mystical shields to guard against unforeseen dangers.

Zhan Bai was the first to step inside, naturally paving the way for the group. At the moment he entered, he drew a golden talisman from his storage pouch and clenched it tightly in his hand; meanwhile, his flying sword, Cloud-Slasher, whirled about him, ready to be dispatched at a moment’s notice against any threat.

Fortunately, nothing unusual was discovered, but Zhan Bai remained cautious. Only after a brief wait, when everyone had filed in and Tu Zheng brought up the rear, did he finally relax his taut nerves.

Qin Feng entered as well, shielded by his protective aura, and secretly held a burning flame in his palm.

In such a strange and perilous environment, it was wise to be extra careful.

The passage before them was a stone corridor, currently devoid of danger.

“All right, now that everyone’s here, we should proceed,” Zhan Bai commanded after confirming their surroundings were safe.

Everyone withdrew their mystical artifacts and began moving forward along the ruined corridor. As per their usual arrangement, Zhan Bai and Tu Zheng led the way, and Qin Feng, having the lowest cultivation, took up the rear.

Qin Feng shook his head with a bitter smile. In truth, walking last was not necessarily safer; who could say danger wouldn’t strike from behind? Still, given their goodwill, he could hardly refuse.

The corridor was long and appeared exceedingly ancient. The entire underground cavern exuded a foul odor—a special kind of decay from being sealed off for too long. Thick moss grew across the damp walls, making it clear that this place had been isolated from the world for countless years.

As he walked, Qin Feng observed the walls closely.

Sure enough, beneath the moss, he spotted subtle traces. Here, as in the temple, strange blood patterns and carvings adorned the stone, though time had eroded their power and the plants had begun to consume and wear them away.

Seeing these, and recalling the images he’d seen on the temple walls, Qin Feng’s eyes flickered, his expression growing darker.

There truly seemed to be a great secret hidden here.

But those two—what was their purpose? Were they after that mysterious thing?

Qin Feng’s gaze settled once more on Qin Hu.

At present, Qin Hu was glancing about, his face full of curiosity, yet the deep excitement in his eyes did not escape Qin Feng.

“Could this fellow have deliberately led everyone here?” The thought startled Qin Feng.

Most likely, yes. This false Qin Hu must know some secrets about the Blood Fork Temple.

It seemed he had joined the group to use their strength to enter this place.

“But what is hidden here? Treasures? Or something unspeakable?” Qin Feng’s brows knitted.

He shifted his gaze to Sun the Daoist, who walked a short distance ahead.

From the beginning, Sun the Daoist had maintained an ethereal air, rarely speaking—a behavior befitting her identity, yet Qin Feng felt she was highly suspicious.

Because disguises like hers were easiest to slip by unnoticed.

The shape-shifting Shi Yuan, who could become a snow leopard, had already been ruled out by Qin Feng. The remaining Fang Xinyi was always with Zhan Bai, making it unlikely she’d been killed alone, and her behavior throughout had given no cause for suspicion.

As for Hua Ruyan, her flirtatious manner made her easy to imitate, but clearly her relationship with Tu Zheng was good. Though Tu Zheng was simple, he was no fool; if Hua Ruyan were a fake, surely he would have noticed.

Thus, Qin Feng felt nearly certain that the other infiltrator was Sun the Daoist.

This expedition was dangerous, but as long as the group worked together, they could overcome adversity. If a mole were to act, however, chaos would ensue, with unimaginable consequences.

At this thought, Qin Feng’s eyes grew cold.

As if sensing his scrutiny, Sun the Daoist suddenly turned and met his gaze. She looked puzzled for a moment, then her expression became serene and gentle; she pressed her palms together and nodded to Qin Feng before turning back to continue ahead.

“Hm?” That glance made Qin Feng’s suspicion waver.

“Could my guess... be wrong?” Sun the Daoist’s eyes contained not a hint of distraction or violence, giving Qin Feng the impression of someone utterly free of desire.

No desires? What kind of person has no desires?

“A Daoist nun!”

Qin Feng frowned, deep in thought.

But just then, a sharp scream from ahead snapped him back to reality. He looked up quickly.

Corpses—many of them!

Not far ahead, bodies lay strewn across the ground. Their clothing differed; most were elite disciples from various sects and families, with a few independent cultivators among them. Though their deaths were terrible, their bodies were largely intact.

“These people seem to have died suddenly,” Zhan Bai remarked, having already examined several corpses. There were no fatal wounds, yet all had died for no apparent reason.

Qin Feng inspected one himself, unable to find the cause.

However, he did find a storage pouch among the bodies, containing dozens of low-grade mystical stones and a pair of gauntlet-style high-grade mystical artifacts. He slipped them onto his right arm and swung his fist; the fit was excellent.

The most lethal part of these gauntlets was a row of armor-piercing spikes on the knuckles.

The gauntlets’ name: Armor-Breaker.

Mystical artifacts are ranked low, medium, high, and supreme.

Each artifact possesses spirit; even the lowest grade does. Upon donning the gauntlets, Qin Feng willed them to change form, shrinking into a thin iron ring worn on his thumb. The sense of control delighted him.

Of course, this was because the artifact had lost its previous owner. The original imprint had faded, making it easy for the artifact to acknowledge a new master.

A fine item indeed—no wonder disciples of great families coveted mystical artifacts so much.

Not only Qin Feng, but others present also collected whatever valuables they could find—mystical artifacts, storage pouches, and so on. But except for Qin Feng, everyone already had one or two artifacts, and Zhan Bai’s flying sword was a supreme-grade sword capable of transformation. Thus, most paid little attention to the scattered loot.

They picked things up idly, without any sign of contention.

Shi Yuan, however, was exceptionally lucky, finding a high-grade defensive vest among the bodies. After showing it off, she put it on immediately.

Though it was a high-grade artifact, defensive items were rare, especially in such dangerous circumstances. Having one was like gaining an extra life.

At this, everyone grew envious and hastened their search.

During this time, Qin Feng found a small silver sword, its blade flowing like water and engraved with two ancient characters: Azure Water. Though merely a medium-grade artifact, its appearance was striking. Remembering a frail figure at home, Qin Feng felt a flicker of warmth and stowed the sword in his pouch.

Just as everyone prepared to search in earnest, hoping for a stroke of luck, suddenly—

The luminous pearls in their hands began to flicker rapidly.

“What...? The energy’s depleted?”

Impossible. Normally, these pearls lasted at least a year, and Zhan Bai had carefully prepared them; they shouldn’t be exhausted so quickly.

Yet the flickering clearly signaled depletion.

Soon, all the pearls flashed from white to gray, then black, and finally shattered with a sharp crack.

That “crack” immediately set everyone’s nerves on edge!

Hua Ruyan, frightened, clung to Tu Zheng and whispered, “Little Tu, do you think we’ll end up like them, lying here as corpses?”

Tu Zheng looked grim, but having seen many dangers before, though unsettled by such mysterious deaths, he straightened up and reassured her, “Don’t worry. With me here, I’ll protect everyone.”

“I knew you were the best, Little Tu!”

Hua Ruyan’s flirtatiousness made everyone shudder, but Tu Zheng was clearly pleased.

Love is a matter of taste, after all—one person’s radish, another’s cabbage.

Nonetheless, the mood lightened somewhat, less oppressive than before.

Without the luminous pearls, darkness closed in, so thick they could not see their own hands. Yet for those who had awakened their spiritual sense, such as the strong ones of the Armor Realm, darkness posed little real problem—though mentally, it carried a subtle pressure.

Suddenly, a faint “whoosh” sound tightened everyone’s nerves again.

“Stay where you are. Be on guard!” Zhan Bai commanded.

Everyone drew their artifacts and shields once more. The “whoosh” of wind was ceaseless. Qin Feng released his spiritual sense to probe; their adversaries moved swiftly, hugging the walls like shadows, flickering out of sight, impossible to track or identify.

“Ah!”

“Ah!”

A series of screams erupted; three members of the group fell, clutching their heads and rolling on the ground.

The first to collapse were the cultivator surnamed Hu, Fang Xinyi, and Sun the Daoist.

Qin Feng was shocked, but before he could react, something swept past him like a ghost, piercing his protective shield. In the next instant, his vision blurred and agony stabbed through his head...