Chapter 74 - 71: Big Trouble

"Do you have a treasure on you?" the disheveled old man asked, looking at Mo Qianqian with a hint of surprise.

Mo Qianqian, who had just been knocked back to the ground by the shockwave, instantly paled in horror. He wondered if this disheveled old man had detected the Ninefold Coffin on him. Aside from the Ninefold Coffin, he had absolutely nothing else of value on his person. This old man, who had been sealed away for an unknown amount of time before emerging just now, possessed such terrifying strength that he must have seen through to the coffin. Mo Qianqian was in massive trouble now. If he said even a single wrong word, the other party could obliterate him with a mere flick of a finger.

Hearing this, the surrounding crowd was also swept by a wave of astonishment. They wouldn’t dare doubt the words of such a terrifying expert. If he said Mo Qianqian had a treasure, then there was definitely a treasure! Moreover, for something to catch the eye of an expert of this caliber, it had to be a treasure of immense weight. Originally, the Ten Thousand Spirits Pavilion had challenged Mo Qianqian to a gambling battle based purely on the suspicion that he possessed a treasure. Now, it was completely confirmed. This also proved just how accurate the Ten Thousand Spirits Pavilion’s judgment and deductions were.

"He really does have a treasure on him!"

"No wonder he could rank first on the Hidden Dragon List and become a Body Cultivator even after his Spirit Vein was crippled. So it’s because he has a supreme treasure and encountered a massive stroke of luck!"

"What a pity we didn’t guess it beforehand!"

The crowd broke into shocked murmurs, each harboring their own thoughts. It was just a shame that this supreme treasure was now likely to fall into the hands of the powerful entity standing before them.

Ling Guang and the rest of the Ling family were gripped by profound waves of remorse. They had searched Mo Qianqian’s body countless times, even inspecting his internal organs, but found absolutely nothing aside from the Holy Dragon Bloodline. Had Mo Qianqian kept a trick up his sleeve back then and hidden it somewhere outside? Did he only retrieve it after leaving the Ling family, thus transforming into a Body Cultivator?

They lamented inwardly that this had to be the case. If they had known earlier, wouldn’t whatever Mo Qianqian had on him belong to the Ling family? At this moment, they wished nothing more than to turn back time and torture the whereabouts of the treasure out of him.

"You know what I have on me, Senior?" Mo Qianqian asked cautiously. Facing someone who could kill him with a single blow, he didn’t dare to deny it.

"Hand the item over, and I will leave your corpse intact!" the disheveled old man demanded, his voice cold and ruthless, clearly lacking in patience.

Mo Qianqian’s expression stiffened. The other party was directly demanding he hand over the Ninefold Coffin. What should he do? It wasn’t that he didn’t want to hand it over; he simply had no idea how to bring the Ninefold Coffin out. However, if he said the word "no" or even spoke a single extra sentence, he would likely die. An intense sense of crisis instantly surged into his heart, and beads of sweat began to form on his face.

SWISH!

Right at this moment, the space ahead blurred, and a figure appeared in the crowd’s line of sight. It was a burly middle-aged man clad in dark red armor, his hair just as unkempt and disheveled. However, the face revealed beneath the tangled locks was exceptionally handsome and heroic, possessing an aura completely different from that of the disheveled old man. The armored man radiated a supreme, overbearing presence that seemed to transcend eternity—an aura of absolute dominance capable of slaughtering thousands of troops and horses, making him look like a true War God. What was even more shocking was that the middle-aged man’s heart had been pierced entirely by a long arrow, violently nailed into his body, with a small section of the arrowhead jutting out from his back.

"What!!!" The crowd erupted in shock. They had no idea when the armored middle-aged man had appeared, where he had come from, or how he had materialized. This alone was enough to prove that his speed was pushed to the absolute limit, moving far too fast for their eyes to track. Most importantly, how could anyone survive having their heart pierced? What was the background of this armored man? Could it be that he, too, had popped out from an underground seal?

Mo Qianqian was even more horrified, the veins on his forehead bulging and twitching as he realized the man was out. This was the armored middle-aged man from the first layer of the Ninefold Coffin! He had actually come out! The strength of this armored man was entirely immeasurable, and he had explicitly stated that he would absolutely kill Mo Qianqian. Now that he was out, even if the disheveled old man didn’t kill him, wouldn’t Mo Qianqian just end up dying at the hands of this armored man instead?

His mind was full of doubts, wondering how the man had gotten out and if the first seal had been broken. Upon further thought, the man’s appearance right now might not be a bad thing. Otherwise, Mo Qianqian would have died at the hands of the disheveled old man. If the two fought and ended up mutually injuring each other, he might still have a chance to escape.

Seeing the armored middle-aged man appear, the disheveled old man furrowed his brows slightly and asked coldly, "Who are you?"

Everyone fixed their eyes on the armored man, equally curious about his identity. After all, the disheveled old man had surged up from the ground with immense momentum, whereas this armored man had arrived in complete silence. They were all secretly praying for these two to fight. Perhaps if an unexpected turn of events occurred, they could reap the benefits. Otherwise, they would lose any chance at claiming the Bone-Eroding Spiritual Source or whatever supreme treasure Mo Qianqian possessed.

WHOOSH!

Just when everyone expected the armored middle-aged man to speak, he moved. His figure gave a slight tremble, and in the next instant, he inexplicably appeared right in front of the disheveled old man. The armored man extended his right hand, directly reaching to clamp down on the old man’s throat. To the crowd’s utter shock, his palm seemed to move slowly, yet at the same time, it felt incomparably fast. Whether the disheveled old man failed to react or was powerless to resist, his throat was instantly seized by the armored man’s hand.

"You..." The next second, the disheveled old man’s expression twisted in horror. "Just who are you?" His face was etched with deep, unmistakable terror.

At this moment, everyone was dumbfounded. This terrifying disheveled old man—a dreadful entity who had blasted up from beneath the earth and could obliterate an expert at the Sixth Level of Tongyou Realm with a single finger—was actually grabbed by the throat by the armored man in one swift motion? Did he have absolutely no power to resist?

CRACK!

At this moment, everyone watched as the armored middle-aged man exerted force in his hand, instantly snapping the disheveled old man’s neck. The old man died on the spot, without the slightest shred of suspense.

BANG!

Immediately after, the disheveled old man’s body disintegrated into a mist of blood.

"You are not worthy of knowing my name," the armored middle-aged man finally spoke, his voice deep and resonant. Though his tone was flat, it carried an unparalleled majesty, as if a god were speaking.

In that instant, shivers ran through the hearts of everyone present. It felt as though that crushing grip had clamped around their own throats. Powerful. He was simply too powerful. That terrifying disheveled old man was as weak as a defenseless chick in front of this armored man, completely bereft of any power to fight back!

Mo Qianqian was entirely stupefied. Was this the combat power of the "monsters and demons" residing in the first layer of the Ninefold Coffin? It was absurdly overpowered! He had just been thinking about running away if the two were evenly matched and started fighting, yet it was resolved in a single strike!

Mo Qianqian quietly turned around, preparing to retreat. However, just at this moment, everyone saw the armored middle-aged man reach out and grab the Bone-Eroding Spiritual Source before his body gave a slight tremble. The void itself seemed to shudder alongside him, and in the very next instant, the armored man materialized directly in front of Mo Qianqian.