The Dragon God Temple ruins were unique, with an extremely complex spatial structure. Even Saint Kings couldn’t fly within, so everyone had to approach the core area slowly from the periphery.
To maximize their chances of seizing treasures, the powerhouses from the Hell Realm, Ancient Civilizations, and Heavenly Dragon Realm had spread out, entering the ruins from various directions to ensure nothing was missed.
However, the ruins were vast, spanning tens of thousands of miles, with intricate and complex terrain. Despite the large number of powerhouses from each faction, they were scattered sparsely within, making it nearly impossible to spot one another.
Zhang Ruochen’s group also split up to cover more ground.
Of course, they stayed relatively close to each other. In case of emergencies, a signal could summon the others quickly.
Only Little Black didn’t act alone, choosing to stay by Zhang Ruochen’s side. Together, they could handle powerhouses of any level.
Before entering the ruins, Zhang Ruochen’s spiritual power could cover a radius of several hundred miles. Now, it was significantly suppressed, barely reaching a hundred miles.
In the core area of the ruins, the suppression on spiritual power would likely be even stronger.
“Not a single treasure? They’ve cleaned this place out thoroughly,” Little Black grumbled.
They had ventured hundreds of miles into the ruins without finding anything—not even the most ordinary treasure, which was frustrating.
Zhang Ruochen remained calm, saying, “We’re still in the outermost area. There might not be any treasures here. Let’s keep going deeper, but we need to pick up the pace. If we lag behind those two armies, no matter how many treasures there are, we won’t get a share.”
“The treasures are just temporarily in their hands. In the end, they’ll all belong to this emperor. Let them collect more—it’ll make the harvest more satisfying,” Little Black said, eyes gleaming.
As they spoke, Zhang Ruochen didn’t slow down, releasing his spiritual power to scan the surroundings while swiftly moving forward.
The ruins were fraught with danger, requiring constant vigilance.
Along the way, they saw broken walls, rubble, and battle scars. Many areas still held divine power infused with destructive intent, capable of killing Saint Kings or even Great Saints.
“Hm? A treasure.”
After penetrating two thousand miles, Zhang Ruochen and Little Black finally found something.
In a blood pool about a zhang wide stood a massive bronze war spear, dozens of zhang tall, clearly visible from a distance.
Stopping a hundred zhang from the pool, Zhang Ruochen gazed at the spear, a trace of regret in his eyes.
The bronze war spear was of high caliber, a genuine King’s Weapon, enough to tempt even Great Saints.
On the surface, it appeared intact, but its internal king-level inscriptions had been completely eroded, and its material was damaged, rendering it worthless.
The reason lay in the blood pool, filled with the blood of a Hell Realm god, imbued with terrifying dark power that could corrode anything.
“What a pity. This bronze war spear was once a top-tier King’s Weapon. It not only survived the King’s Tribulation but was refined for 129,600 years, enduring a cosmic cycle’s calamity and tempered by the forces of heaven and earth. It had a chance to evolve into a Supreme Saint Artifact. It even bears the Dragon Clan’s mark, surely crafted by their master artificers,” Little Black said with deep regret.
The Dragon Clan was exceptionally gifted in artifact forging, alchemy, brewing, and formations, producing many masters in these fields.
The Dragon God Temple’s past glory was tied to this, with many cultivators making pilgrimages to obtain treasures crafted by the Dragon Clan.
The Kunlun Realm, with its ancient legacy, had produced many gods, but only ten divine artifacts were known, one of which belonged to the Dragon Clan—the Dragon Sun-Moon Chaos Tower, held by that taboo figure.
The ability to forge divine artifacts showcased the Dragon Clan’s extraordinary craftsmanship.
After a brief pause, Zhang Ruochen and Little Black moved on. The pool contained divine blood, but its dark power made it impossible to collect.
Such divine blood pools were common in the ruins, all sharing one trait: they contained terrifying power and were untouchable.
Spilled during battle, this blood carried overwhelming killing intent and chaotic forces.
In the starry void beyond, such blood could shatter stars.
“Hm? Unusual spatial fluctuations. There’s a hidden space ahead,” Zhang Ruochen’s eyes lit up.
Without his strong spiritual power and identity as a spatial manipulator, he wouldn’t have noticed.
This meant it likely hadn’t been discovered by others.
Little Black’s face lit up with excitement. “The Dragon God Temple is extraordinary, housing billions of spaces, nearly all containing treasures. A space preserved after the temple’s destruction must hold something remarkable.”
Zhang Ruochen felt a surge of anticipation. Treasures specially stored by the Dragon God Temple were unlikely to disappoint.
A strange glint flashed in his eyes. “Was that an illusion?”
“What’s wrong?” Little Black asked, puzzled.
“I faintly sensed others nearby, but my spiritual power found nothing,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Little Black immediately grew cautious, releasing its spiritual power and activating its Great Saint Eyes to scan thoroughly.
“There’s indeed no one. You might be overthinking it. Let’s enter the hidden space quickly. If we delay, others might actually show up,” Little Black urged eagerly.
Seeing no findings from Little Black, Zhang Ruochen set aside his suspicions but remained vigilant. In the ruins, one could never be too careful.
A hidden space lay before them. No one could ignore it, even knowing the potential dangers. They would risk entering to explore.
Normally, opening a hidden space in the Dragon God Temple was extremely difficult, so Little Black wasn’t sure if Zhang Ruochen could manage it.
“This space’s structure is incredibly intricate. Only a spatial cultivator with deep insights could create it. With my current spatial mastery, I can’t fully comprehend it, but entering isn’t impossible,” Zhang Ruochen said softly.
Such a space could only be crafted by a Great Saint-level spatial cultivator with profound cultivation.
Had Zhang Ruochen not devoted much of his recent seclusion to studying the Path of Space, greatly advancing his mastery, he would have had to avoid such a complex structure.
Little Black urged, “What are we waiting for? Hurry and get us in. Who knows what’s inside—saint pills? Saint artifacts? High-tier saint techniques? Or some rare divine object?”
In theory, a hidden space could contain any treasure.
Equally eager, Zhang Ruochen didn’t hesitate. He mobilized his spatial laws, infiltrating the void.
Brute force wasn’t suitable for such spaces; a misstep could collapse it, potentially destroying the treasures within.
“Buzz.”
Soon, ripples spread through the space ahead, like a calm water surface disturbed.
“Open the spatial rift,” Zhang Ruochen said softly, carefully controlling his spatial power.
“Swish.”
A small crack appeared, gradually widening, like a giant beast opening its maw.
“A familiar demonic aura?” Zhang Ruochen’s expression shifted.
Little Black’s eyes gleamed. “I know that aura—it’s the Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription!”
The Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription was a supreme demonic treasure. It was reasonable for the Dragon God Temple to store it.
As the rift reached a zhang in length, Zhang Ruochen and Little Black didn’t hesitate, flashing inside.
The hidden space was vast and dim, filled with thick demonic aura, as if they’d entered the Demon Realm.
At its center stood an ancient demonic mountain, majestic and towering a thousand zhang, shrouded in rolling demonic clouds with faint demonic shadows flickering.
“Heavenly Demon Mountain—no, a replica, but still a King’s Weapon. The Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription is at the peak,” Little Black said, eyes glinting.
In ancient times, the Kunlun Realm had a great sect, the Heavenly Demon Sect, said to be the legacy of an ancient god who left thirty-six Heavenly Demon Stone Inscriptions.
The sect’s treasures included the thirty-six authentic inscriptions and a Heavenly Demon Mountain capable of suppressing heaven and earth, once slaying gods.
Later, for unknown reasons, the sect collapsed, the inscriptions scattered, and the mountain changed hands multiple times before vanishing.
The secrets of the Heavenly Demon Sect and Mountain were known to few in later generations.
“The mountain’s artifact spirit seems sealed, saving us a lot of trouble. This treasure and the inscription are mine!” Little Black laughed heartily.
A top-tier King’s Weapon’s spirit could rival a Great Saint, not easily subdued.
“Bang.”
A terrifying dark force struck, shattering Little Black’s released power.
A Bone Clan powerhouse emerged, over thirty zhang tall, an eight-armed bone ape radiating immense power.
“A mere owl beast dares covet such a treasure? Zhang Ruochen, I should thank you for leading me into this hidden space. As a reward, I’ll kill you in the cruelest way,” the ape said menacingly.
Zhang Ruochen’s eyes narrowed. “Eight-Armed Venerable, one of the Bone Clan’s Twelve Venerables.”
His earlier intuition was correct—someone was indeed nearby, just well-hidden.
“Your whole family’s owls! Open your skull eyes and see clearly—this emperor is a noble undead phoenix. Want to steal my treasure? I’ll dismantle every bone in your body,” Little Black snarled.
With treasure at stake, Little Black wouldn’t back down, even if the Bone Clan’s Three Emperors came.
Enraged, the Eight-Armed Venerable roared, “Courting death!”
A torrent of dark aura surged from its bones, gathering in one bone hand.
Transforming the hand into a blade, it slashed, unleashing a pitch-black blade beam aimed at Little Black’s head.
The beam was razor-sharp, nearly as formidable as Deathless’s Four Seasons Blade Technique.
“Swoosh.”
Zhang Ruochen moved, instantly shielding Little Black, and threw a punch.
The Fire God Gauntlets activated, releasing blazing divine flames that enveloped his fist, like a burning cloud.
“Bang.”
The blade beam shattered, its dark aura incinerated by the divine flames.
“If all twelve Bone Clan Venerables were here, I might be wary. But just you? You’re not qualified to act tough,” Zhang Ruochen said calmly.
Killing intent radiated from the Eight-Armed Venerable. “Zhang Ruochen, since you’re so eager to die, I’ll oblige. I hear your Five Elements Chaos Body is strong. I wonder how much it’ll enhance my bone body after refining you.”
“Kill me? I’m afraid you don’t have what it takes,” Zhang Ruochen replied, a glint of killing intent in his eyes.
Entering the ruins, besides seeking the World Gate Key, Zhang Ruochen aimed to slay Hell Realm powerhouses.
The Dark Son of the Nether Clan, the Seven Ultimate Killers, or the Bone Clan’s Three Emperors and Twelve Venerables—eliminating any would hurt the Hell Realm.
The Seven Ultimate Killers had escaped earlier, but now the Eight-Armed Venerable had delivered itself.
As Zhang Ruochen prepared to act, several figures flashed in from outside, all exuding thick dark aura.
“Zhang Ruochen is here. Killing him is a great merit,” a delighted voice rang out.
Seeing the newcomers, Zhang Ruochen’s brows furrowed.
It was none other than six more of the Bone Clan’s Twelve Venerables, each immensely powerful.
With the Eight-Armed Venerable, they numbered over half—a force few wouldn’t retreat from.
The Eight-Armed Venerable sneered, “Zhang Ruochen, I know you’re tough, so I came prepared. In this hidden space, you can’t escape.”
Though confident, the Eight-Armed Venerable didn’t underestimate Zhang Ruochen, who had escaped Deathless’s dark cage. Alone, it might not suffice.
“Hahaha, this prince has found a hidden space! Such strong demonic aura—there must be a great treasure inside.”
With a brazen laugh, another group appeared from a different direction, arriving near the Heavenly Demon Mountain.
“Hm? Zhang Ruochen and seven Bone Clan Venerables.”
The Blazing Sun Prince’s smile vanished, a trace of wariness in his eyes.
“How did they find this place?”
The prince was inwardly furious.
He had thought only his group had discovered this place, not expecting two other factions already in a standoff.
At that moment, Zhang Ruochen and the seven Venerables turned their gazes to the Blazing Sun Civilization’s group.
The atmosphere grew tense, each side wary, none daring to act rashly.
