Not long ago, a heavy snowfall had finally come to an end.
Wu Qi and his group hurried across the snow-covered ground.
Suddenly, everyone stopped at the same time.
Ahead of them were numerous footprints that had not yet been covered by the snow.
"It seems we're not the only ones interested in this relic," Sun Buyu said with a frown.
If they followed behind these people, they might be able to play the role of the mantis stalked by the oriole.
But would they really be the oriole?
No one knew whether more people were still on their way.
"Let's observe from nearby first. Don't rush into action," Wu Qi instructed. "Old Monster, leave the Soul Douluo and the battle outside to you. Make sure no one escapes, and don't let them send for reinforcements."
In front of the village, two forces were facing each other.
One side consisted of the disciples of the Xinshan Sect guarding the village, while the other was a Spirit Master military force from the royal family of the Hagedas Kingdom.
Zhou Congping's expression darkened as he stepped forward to negotiate.
"Who are you people? Why have you surrounded our village?"
The commander of the royal force, Bokov, sneered.
"Drop the act. This place is where a royal ancestor passed away long ago. It was recorded in the kingdom's secret archives."
"Did you really think building a village over it would fool us?"
Whether his words were true or not was impossible to verify.
However, one thing was certain: the royal family knew exactly when the soul tool protecting this place would fail.
Zhou Congping's face became increasingly grim.
He silently prayed that the sect elder hidden nearby would intervene.
Unfortunately, his hopes were quickly crushed.
The sounds of battle echoing from the distance clearly indicated that two Soul Douluos were already fighting.
"The royal family certainly came prepared," Zhou Congping said coldly.
Bokov rolled his neck.
"Leave voluntarily, and I'll pretend none of this happened. Otherwise."
Zhou Congping admitted that the sect had miscalculated.
But surrendering the treasures inside was absolutely impossible.
With no room for further discussion, the two sides quickly descended into battle.
Watching from the cliff above, the members of the Seven Treasures Team couldn't help but click their tongues.
"These people have excellent combat discipline. This battle is no less intense than a real battlefield."
The scene was extremely bloody.
Neither side showed any mercy, and the white snow was soon stained red.
Sun Buyu smiled.
"For us, this might actually be good news."
"The relic is still some distance away from the battlefield. Perhaps we can sneak in and take the treasures ourselves."
Sneaking in would not be easy.
The cliff where they stood was over a hundred meters above the ground.
Not everyone could fly.
Any attempt to descend would create enough noise to attract the attention of both sides.
At that point, they would immediately become the focus of everyone's attacks.
Wu Qi, however, strongly agreed with the infiltration plan.
Removing the Wishful Hundred Treasure Pouch from his waist, he said, "Everyone get inside first. I'll sneak in alone and release you once I'm inside."
Unlike ordinary soul tools, the Wishful Hundred Treasure Pouch allowed people to enter without feeling suffocated or uncomfortable.
After some persuasion and preparation, everyone finally agreed and entered the pouch.
Once everything was ready, Wu Qi took out a white cloak from the soul tool on his wrist.
Wrapping it around himself, he nearly blended into the snowy surroundings, making it difficult for others to spot him visually.
Then spirit wings spread from his back as he leaped off the cliff.
His movements were exceptionally light.
When he landed, not even a cloud of snow was disturbed, and no one noticed him.
After scanning the battlefield, he immediately headed toward the relic's entrance.
To avoid triggering any unknown traps inside, he proceeded carefully, advancing step by step.
About five minutes later, he reached a platform and released everyone from the Wishful Hundred Treasure Pouch.
"Someone has already entered ahead of us. Keep your movements quiet and avoid drawing attention."
This wasn't surprising.
Members of the Xinshan Sect had been guarding the place all along.
The moment the relic opened, they would naturally send a small advance team inside while the main force remained outside.
Although they had expected difficulties beforehand, only after entering did they realize how troublesome the relic truly was.
The Seven Treasures Team encountered no traps along the way, but the winding maze-like tunnels alone were enough to leave them completely disoriented.
Had Wu Qi not left markers behind, they would have long since become lost.
As time passed, everyone's mood grew increasingly anxious.
"If we can't find it soon, things will become troublesome once the battle outside is decided," Sun Buyu said with knitted brows.
Wu Qi sighed.
"This place was probably an underground cave system originally. After being modified, it became the labyrinth we see today."
"I think that if there were no markers or mechanisms left behind, even the original owner could end up lost in these passages."
"So the real secret chamber definitely isn't inside these tunnels. There may be another mechanism near the entrance. We'll have to head back up first."
At the moment, that was their only option.
However, with the tunnels twisting and intersecting in every direction, retracing their steps was no easy task.
Outside, the battle had already come to an end and entered another standoff.
Both sides had suffered heavy casualties. Of the dozens who had originally fought, only around twenty people remained. They glared at one another with hostility, yet neither side could do anything to the other.
Everyone understood that if they continued fighting, both forces would likely be wiped out. If someone was hiding in the shadows, the treasure would ultimately fall into someone else's hands.
Zhou Congping knew that as long as the group that had entered the ruins managed to retrieve the treasure, their mission would be complete.
The problem was that nobody knew what traps or mechanisms existed inside the ruins. Whether that group was alive or dead remained unknown.
Meanwhile, the battle between the two Spirit Douluo had also come to a temporary halt.
The two sides were even discussing the possibility of joining forces to explore the ruins together.
Hidden nearby, Dugu Bo had no intention of letting them get their way, nor would he allow either of them to escape.
Taking advantage of the moment when both had lowered their guard, his eighth Spirit Ring lit up.
"Eighth Spirit Ability: Time Freeze."
The sudden attack caught both Spirit Douluo completely off guard.
Their bodies instantly froze in place.
"A Titled Douluo! Who are you?!"
One of them gritted his teeth and forced out the words.
Dugu Bo had no intention of revealing his identity.
He sneered.
"When you reach hell, you'll find out."
A Titled Douluo launching a surprise attack against two Spirit Douluo left little room for accidents.
Inside the ruins, the group from Xinshan Sect had arrived at the same conclusion as the Seven Treasure Team.
At a corner deep within the tunnels, the two groups suddenly ran into each other head-on.
Everyone was startled.
Almost simultaneously, both sides released their martial spirits.
The passage was so narrow that only one person could pass through at a time.
As a result, only Feng Xiaotian, who stood at the front of the team, could engage the enemy.
Apart from Ning Rongrong, who could provide support buffs, everyone else could only watch anxiously.
There were only three opponents, all low-level Spirit Ancestors.
Under normal circumstances, with Feng Xiaotian's strength, defeating them would have been effortless.
Unfortunately, the tunnel was far too narrow.
His combat methods were severely restricted, and he couldn't unleash any of his more powerful attacks.
Fortunately, they were already deep within the ruins. Combined with the maze-like structure of the tunnels, the sounds of battle could not reach the outside world.
However, their opponents were not fools.
Knowing they were at a disadvantage, they fought while retreating, attempting to reach the outside and call for reinforcements.
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