In a secret chamber, Xu Qing, Kun Tai, and another man were present.
Kun Tai said, "Alright, those two should have gone further inside. Let's grab what we came for and get out of here. Master is still waiting."
"Senior Brother Xu Dong, is the item really here? I thought they said it was in the wooden cabin," Xu Qing asked.
Xu Dong, a man of about the same age, shook his head. "The Spiritual Talisman in the cabin is a trap. As long as those two don't touch it, they'll be fine. Right now, it's just the three of us here…"
Before Xu Dong could finish, Jiang Zuo's figure appeared beside them. They froze. Jiang Zuo offered a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Well, what a coincidence."
It took them a moment to process what was happening. By the time they did and were about to subdue Jiang Zuo, another figure appeared. Ximen Linglong was now standing beside them.
"Oh, you guys are here too! I was worried it might be dangerous."
Jiang Zuo took two steps back. There was certainly danger here, and it was the three people right in front of him.
Xu Qing lunged toward Ximen Linglong, but a small Exotic Beast suddenly appeared on her shoulder. It had the body of a deer, a horn on its head, and was covered in scales.
The moment it appeared, it radiated a formidable pressure.
'Tier Three,' Jiang Zuo thought, observing the small creature. 'It's a little small, but it's definitely a Qilin.'
'Have Qilins fallen on such hard times? To think one would become a Summoned Beast.'
Jiang Zuo could tell at a glance that Ximen Linglong had summoned this Qilin. And the only ones who could perform a Summoning of an Exotic Beast were probably from the Beast Taming Sect.
Xu Qing was shocked and fell back. "The Beast Taming Sect?"
Xu Dong was just as stunned. "A Water Qilin?"
Xu Dong glanced at Xu Qing and Kun Tai. 'Someone like her is definitely no ordinary disciple. Were we trying to get ourselves killed?'
But Xu Qing and Kun Tai could only feel helpless. How were they supposed to know that this Ximen Linglong was from the Beast Taming Sect, let alone a disciple capable of summoning a Water Qilin?
Jiang Zuo found this rather amusing. 'Now I don't even have to think of a way out. I'm safe.'
'Facing three Tier Two experts would have been a real pain otherwise.'
Ximen Linglong said, "Don't worry, I'll complete our commission. Yaya said there's treasure here, so I just came to take a look. If it's the item you're after, I'll help you get it."
'Foolish.'
Jiang Zuo, however, said nothing. As for Kun Tai and the others, they were more than happy to agree.
They then led the way deeper into the chamber.
They paid Jiang Zuo no mind. With a Cultivation of 1.1, even ten or a hundred of him couldn't have made a stir.
Jiang Zuo, however, was observing the chamber. It was surrounded by walls, with nothing but a door up ahead.
'Something feels wrong. Knowing how this Ancient Battlefield operates, there should be something here right from the start. Whether good or bad, there's always something. But right now, there's nothing… unless someone has already come through.'
With this in mind, Jiang Zuo stopped abruptly. "Let me ask you a question. Have any of you been here before?"
Xu Qing snapped impatiently, "Do we have to report our every move to you? Don't mistake our tolerance for a license for you to be arrogant."
She was completely fed up with Jiang Zuo. Ever since the incident at Tianhe Group, she had been bottling up her frustration. 'How dare a mere 1.1 be so arrogant?'
'What gives him the right?'
Jiang Zuo was speechless.
In the end, Jiang Zuo could only laugh at himself. 'Since when do I rely on other people to judge danger?'
'Isn't it all the same to me, anyway?'
'Everywhere I've gone, I've gotten through by my own strength.'
'Even with others around, that fact doesn't change.'
Jiang Zuo followed behind, but he deliberately put some distance between himself and the group. 'There might be someone else here.'
Soon, they arrived at the door, and Xu Dong began to open it.
Meanwhile, Jiang Zuo was idly flipping a Silver Coin. The instant the door began to open, he swiftly moved to the side.
Just then, Yaya shouted, "Linglong, get back! I smell a stranger!"
The group was startled, but it was too late. A sword shot out from the opening, and in a flash of light, it attacked everyone.
The three in the lead were all thrown back. If Ximen Linglong hadn't been protected by her Water Qilin, she probably would have been killed.
As for Jiang Zuo, who was leaning against the wall, he was completely unscathed. He hadn't even had to move.
The sword then flew out, shattering the door, and embedded itself deep in the stone wall.
Xu Dong and the other two were injured. They stared at the sword but didn't dare approach it.
The memory of that sword strike left them shaken.
Jiang Zuo, however, walked over to the sword, grabbed the hilt, and pulled it out.
SCHWING!
Jiang Zuo flicked the blade with his finger. "Junk," he said with disdain. "Sounds terrible."
Everyone was speechless.
Then, Jiang Zuo walked over to Xu Dong and the others.
Xu Dong looked at Jiang Zuo and asked, "Fellow cultivator, are you going to give us the sword?"
Jiang Zuo held out his hand. "Theoretically, our commission is complete. Isn't it about time you paid the fee?"
Xu Qing retorted, "On what grounds? We're not even out of here yet. Why should we give you anything?"
Jiang Zuo said flatly, "I'm afraid you'll die too quickly. I don't like to work for free."
Kun Tai's expression turned cold. "Fellow cultivator, if we hadn't been standing in front, do you think you would have escaped unscathed?"
Jiang Zuo withdrew his hand. 'Looks like these three have no intention of paying. Then again, judging by their situation, they probably don't even have the Profound Iron Wood on them.'
Jiang Zuo ignored them and walked through the doorway himself.
The corner of his mouth curved into a slight smile. 'Now there's competition. This just got interesting.'
To them, after what had just happened, for this man to dare walk in so brazenly made him an idiot marching to his death.
Ximen Linglong thought the same and called out kindly, "Hey, it's dangerous in there…"
"Linglong, follow him!" Yaya urged. "I saw it just now. He moved aside a moment before the door opened, and he didn't flinch during the attack. He seems really confident."
"But he's so weak…"
Linglong hesitated for a moment before following him inside.
Xu Dong and the others followed as well. 'If someone wants to be cannon fodder, why stop them?'
Jiang Zuo didn't care who followed him. 'I'll just be on my guard against all of them.'
After stepping through the doorway, Jiang Zuo found himself in a massive cavern. A river flowed through the middle, crossed by a single wooden bridge. Other than that, the cavern was empty.
"How ruthless," Jiang Zuo remarked. "They picked the place clean."
Jiang Zuo smiled. The more thoroughly the place had been cleared out, the happier he was.
'Why?'
'Because it's impossible to carry that much away by hand.'
'It's not that it couldn't be moved, but it would be too inconvenient. A normal person would only take the most valuable things.'
'But this person took everything. What does that imply?'
'It means they're either a stubborn fool, or they have a Spatial Treasure.'
'Spatial Treasures are exceptionally rare, especially in a place like this.'
'Although I know how to craft them, the materials are incredibly difficult to find. You can't get them without extraordinary luck.'
At this thought, Jiang Zuo headed for the other side of the cavern without a second glance.
But the moment Jiang Zuo set foot on the wooden bridge, the river began to churn violently. The water surged, rushing toward him like a monstrous tidal wave.
It looked as if he would be swallowed by the massive wave if he dared to take another step.
At least, that was what it looked like to Ximen Linglong and the others.
The great wave crashed down. But to their utter astonishment, Jiang Zuo was already standing on the opposite bank.
'When did that happen? How is that possible?'
'Just a second ago, they had clearly seen him on this side of the bridge!'