Soul Emperor Awakening

"What is it? Did you find something new?" Tuo Shengfeng asked.

"Not exactly. I want to check if the Five-Colored Spirit Wood has one of these indentations too," Lin Xuan replied.

"Alright, let's go take a look as well. It seems all of them have these things."

When Tuo Shengfeng heard Lin Xuan's suggestion, he didn't know what Lin Xuan was thinking, but he still chose to go with him. Lin Xuan was the greatest contributor to this expedition; without him, they would have never been able to get in.

They immediately followed Lin Xuan over to the Five-Colored Spirit Wood. Zeng Yinghua glanced in their direction but didn't pay them much mind. The Five-Colored Spirit Wood was definitely the least valuable of the three treasures. Of course, it would still be great if they could get it, but the problem was that everything was protected by a barrier, making it impossible to take even if they wanted to.

Arriving in front of the Five-Colored Spirit Wood, Lin Xuan circled it and, sure enough, spotted an indentation in a corner.

"Any new discoveries?" Tuo Zhanhong whispered from the side. He found Lin Xuan's actions a bit strange; he wouldn't believe it if Lin Xuan didn't have some idea in mind.

"Grand Elder, I think I've found the key to open this place!" Lin Xuan said in a low voice, not hiding anything.

'This is no small matter. I need their cover, or I won't be able to get anything.' People couldn't be too greedy, especially when these people were his protection. Hiding something like this from them would be suicidal.

"I'll cover you!" Tuo Zhanhong's eyes lit up, but his expression remained unchanged as he pretended to look around for anything else to discover.

Lin Xuan nodded, quickly took out the Treasure Pearl, and placed it on the indentation. In an instant, a ray of light flowed from the Treasure Pearl into the indentation, and the protective barrier vanished!

Lin Xuan calmly retrieved the pearl and said in a low voice, "Grand Elder, the barrier is gone. Let's grab it!"

The moment he finished speaking, he formed his hand into a blade, leaped up, and chopped down hard on one of the thicker branches. It snapped with a single strike! The several-meter-long branch fell into his hands, and he quickly stored it in his Storage Ring, all in one smooth motion!

Tuo Zhanhong and the others reacted instantly, joining the plunder. They swiftly chopped off branches and stored them in their Storage Rings. As they were all powerful experts, their speed was incredible. In the blink of an eye, they had stripped most of the branches!

Lin Xuan wasn't greedy. He quickly moved to the side and took out a small piece of the wood from his Storage Ring to begin carving secretly. What he was carving now was a Phoenix. He always carved the most important items for escaping first. After all, the other guards couldn't help much, especially when facing truly powerful experts.

"What? The barrier here is gone!" The commotion attracted the attention of Lan Qinghua and his group, who immediately rushed over to plunder the goods upon realizing what had happened.

With several more experts joining in, the towering Five-Colored Spirit Wood tree vanished, practically uprooted. They didn't fight much during the process, all of them stopping after getting their share. In the end, whoever acted first got to keep what they took; no one tried to snatch things away from Tuo Shengfeng's hands.

Lan Qinghua and his people didn't want to escalate things. They weren't prepared to get into a major, mutually destructive battle over the Five-Colored Spirit Wood.

"What happened here? Why did the barrier suddenly disappear?" Lan Qinghua asked, looking at Tuo Shengfeng.

"How would I know? And even if I did, why would I tell you?" Tuo Shengfeng was very pleased with their haul. They had managed to chop off more than half of the Five-Colored Spirit Wood before the others realized what was happening. This was the advantage of taking the initiative.

A hint of killing intent flickered in Lan Qinghua's eyes. His gaze toward Lin Xuan was especially cold. He still desperately wanted to kill Lin Xuan, but with Lin Xuan surrounded by so many Elders, he couldn't get close.

"Elder Lin, you really did have the key! This is a heaven-sent opportunity! I don't know where you found it, but we really have you to thank. Otherwise, we never would have been able to open it," Tuo Zhanhong transmitted excitedly, allowing them to speak privately without being overheard.

A sharp glint flashed in Lin Xuan's eyes. This was indeed something he hadn't expected. Who would have thought that the key to the Divine Martial Hall would be hidden in a small bandit stronghold?

'Someone must have taken it out, left it behind, and never retrieved it. The distance is just so vast. Then again, if the Golden Dragon King could leave a Dragon Egg there, it's not impossible for a key to the Divine Martial Hall to be there as well.'

If Lin Xuan hadn't gone on that rescue mission, he really would have missed this opportunity. This was what one would call a destined encounter. Good fortune often favors those who are more righteous. Heaven has a preference for virtue, and his ability to obtain this opportunity was undoubtedly related to his own sense of justice.

Lin Xuan couldn't be called an absolute saint, but he would definitely take action when faced with injustice.

He then continued carving the Wood Carving in his hand. As his Cultivation increased, his carving speed had doubled several times over, making the process effortless. What would have originally taken half a day to carve now only took a moment to complete the Phoenix Wood Carving.

His actions piqued the curiosity of many, but they only spared him a glance before dismissing it. 'It's just carving, who can't do that?' Using the Five-Colored Spirit Wood for a carving, however, was quite an extravagant gesture. Tuo Zhanhong and his group didn't mind at all; they had plenty of it, after all.

Zeng Yinghua, on the other hand, watched with flickering eyes, glancing over at Lin Xuan from time to time. Lin Xuan had been the one to suggest coming here, and then, coincidentally, the barrier had opened. He couldn't figure out what had happened.

'Could the opening of this barrier have something to do with him?' Zeng Yinghua frowned, approached Lan Qinghua, and said in a low voice, "Patriarch Lan, I suspect there's something strange about that kid. He probably opened the barrier. After all, he's the one who passed the Seventh Layer of the Martial God Tower. It's possible he knows how to open these things!"

"It's possible!" Lan Qinghua stared intently at Lin Xuan and said coldly, "Kid, do you know how to open these barriers!"

"So what if I do, and so what if I don't?" Lin Xuan sneered. "Even if I could, would I open it just for you to take everything? Do you take me for an idiot like you?"

It was normal for him to be suspected. After all, he was the one who had opened the main gate outside; they just hadn't made the connection yet.

Lan Qinghua's face turned ashen. Being insulted so rudely made his anger flare, but there was nothing he could do. Tuo Shengfeng was well-prepared. While the Tu Family's overall strength couldn't match the combined forces of the Lan and Zeng Families, retreating safely would not be a problem.

Besides, the Tu Family was not to be trifled with. The power of their Martial Intent was beyond what the others could imagine.

"Kid, you really are arrogant! If you've got the guts, then don't open anything else. Just stand there and watch!" Lan Qinghua led his men to stand guard by the Coiling Dragon Ginseng.

Zeng Yinghua also sneered and led his people to guard the Five-Colored Lotus.

However, this situation was not outside of his expectations. In any case, as soon as he opened one of the remaining barriers, it was bound to make them tense and alert. A great battle was inevitable.