With a flick of the Huntian Ling, Su Fu tossed a dark figure out of Hermes’s Web.
Shen Gongbao was sleeping soundly. He didn’t even wake up when he hit the ground. Instead, he simply rolled over, let out a yawn, and continued to sleep.
Su Fu: “…”
‘Is your state of mind really this good? You’re still not awake?’
Helpless, she could only use the Sea-Fixing Beads to provide a wake-up service. With a thud, one of the beads slammed into his forehead.
“Ow!” Shen Gongbao clutched his forehead and jerked upright. His eyes were dazed, and he didn’t realize where he was for a moment.
Grimacing in pain, he groaned, “That hurts! Didn’t I already agree to cooperate? Why are you still hitting me…”
Seeing no response from Su Fu, Shen Gongbao looked up dizzily. He met Su Fu’s smiling face and was about to complain when he suddenly noticed the surroundings weren’t right.
‘…Who am I? Where am I?’
His eyes went wide. “This… this!”
The carved beams, the painted pillars, the pervasive purple mist, and the familiar scent of sandalwood…
“Yuxu Palace!”
He blinked, thinking he was seeing things. He even reached out to rub his eyes, but the scene before him remained unchanged.
It hadn’t changed; it was definitely Yuxu Palace.
Shen Gongbao’s expression changed instantly, looking as if he had seen a ghost. His world was falling apart.
“You, you! Are you crazy? I betrayed this mountain long ago!”
“This… how could you bring me back to Yuxu Palace!”
Su Fu squatted down with a grin. “Brother Leopard, are you surprised?”
“Don’t panic. Yuanshi Tianzun isn’t home.”
Shen Gongbao: “…”
‘Is this a matter of whether he’s home or not?!’
Upon hearing this, he didn’t relax at all. Instead, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His hands trembled as he pointed at Su Fu.
“You… what do you want to do? You couldn’t possibly be thinking of…”
“Good heavens!”
“My life is over!”
His business partner was a lunatic! She actually wanted to loot a Sage’s Daoist temple!
Shen Gongbao’s vision went dark, and he nearly fainted on the spot.
Su Fu leisurely pulled out the Sea-Fixing Beads and spun them on her fingertips. “Alright, get up and get to work.”
“Hurry up and tell us, where does your Master hide his treasures?”
“Or would you rather your life ‘rest’ right now?”
Shen Gongbao: “…No, no!”
He recognized the situation on the field very quickly. Finally, with a sigh of resignation, he said, “Follow me.”
After all, he had cultivated in Yuxu Palace for many years. Who would believe him if he said he didn’t know?
“Yuxu Palace has a dedicated treasure house called the Yuxu Treasure Pavilion.”
“However,” Shen Gongbao lowered his voice, his expression solemn, “the guardian Celestial Official’s abilities are exceptionally powerful. Even I can’t beat him.”
He glanced Su Fu up and down and asked skeptically, “Are you sure you can do this?”
That was a guardian Celestial Official personally enlightened by Yuanshi Tianzun. To try and force an entry was simply seeking death.
However, before Su Fu could answer, Huangfu Yun’s expression suddenly turned sharp. She whispered, “Someone’s coming!”
She quickly activated her void ability, and the figures of the four people and one leopard vanished instantly.
In the next moment, a streak of golden light flew in from the distance. A strongman clad in a yellow robe appeared.
He held a glittering treasure in his hands; it was the Hunyuan Jindou that had been seized from Yunxiao.
“By the order of Taishang Laojun, I return this item to the Yuxu Treasure Pavilion.”
The Yellow Turban Strongman handed the golden bucket to the guardian Celestial Official in front of the pavilion. The official, a man in white with a solemn face, raised his hand to receive it. He recorded the entry carefully and then bowed in thanks.
“The task is complete. Thank you for your trouble.”
The Yellow Turban Strongman cupped his fists, turned into a streak of golden light, and soon disappeared into the horizon.
Hiding in the void space, Shen Gongbao was incredibly nervous. “See that? That’s the guardian Celestial Official.”
“He is an Immortal personally enlightened by Yuanshi Tianzun. His cultivation can reach the heavens and penetrate the earth. No one should dream of taking a treasure from his hands—”
Unless a Sage arrived in person.
However, before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly felt a flash of glare before his eyes.
Twenty-four Sea-Fixing Beads suddenly manifested around Su Fu. The five-colored brilliance instantly illuminated the entire pavilion.
The guardian Celestial Official spun around. Before he could see clearly, the blinding light forced him to instinctively cover his eyes.
Now!
“Go!”
Su Fu directly launched the twenty-four Sea-Fixing Beads. Like falling meteors, they crashed down with a roar!
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
The entire pavilion shook violently. The guardian Celestial Official didn’t even have a chance to react before he was sent flying. He slammed heavily into the wall and fainted on the spot.
The Hunyuan Jindou fell to the ground with a *clatter*, rolled a few times, and finally stopped at Su Fu’s feet.
Su Fu bent over to pick it up and then leisurely looked at Shen Gongbao. “What were you saying just now?”
Shen Gongbao: “…”
“Sorry for the interruption.”
Su Fu put away the Hunyuan Jindou with satisfaction.
Tactical maneuvers when poor, firepower coverage when rich.
She now had twenty-four beads. She was incredibly rich!
This scene left everyone stunned.
Heavens, twenty-four Sea-Fixing Beads in a frantic bombardment… Whatever guardian Celestial Official was there, he didn’t even have time to react before he was gone.
A hard-fought battle? Not necessary.
“Is this the power of the Sea-Fixing Beads? This is too…”
Huangfu Yun didn’t finish, as it seemed no words were sufficient to describe the scene.
‘Good grief… if those hit me…’
‘I would definitely be blown into dust, wouldn’t I?’
Her eyes turned red with envy. Su Fu’s way of doing things was indeed effective. What was the point of fighting back and forth? Collecting Divine Artifacts was the most important thing!
Regardless of the powerful enemy encountered, a volley of twenty-four beads would leave them dead or half-dead, right?
Treasures, treasures, and more treasures!
No matter if you were a Golden Immortal or a guardian Celestial Official, under the weight of twenty-four Sea-Fixing Beads, you’d have to stay down.
Shen Gongbao looked at Su Fu as if he were looking at some terrifying beast.
These Sea-Fixing Beads were protective treasures bestowed upon Zhaogongming by Grandmaster Tongtian. He couldn’t even imagine how this woman had gotten her hands on them.
Twenty-four of them… she had managed to get all of them?!
But that wasn’t the point right now. Since the guardian Celestial Official had fallen, then…
*Cough, cough.*
With the guardian down, the group entered as if into an uninhabited land, immediately pouncing toward every part of the pavilion.
Everywhere Huangfu Yun went, Divine Artifacts and Immortal Pills disappeared.
Chiya pulled out a spatial box and started packing rows upon rows of rare materials into it as if he were sweeping up trash.
The scene was once very chaotic.
To be fair, the interior of the Treasure Pavilion was much larger than it looked from the outside. Floor after floor, each level was filled with golden light and a dazzling array of items.
Brilliant Immortal Pills, Divine Artifacts surrounded by glowing mist, and mountains of spiritual materials…
Everyone couldn’t help but marvel. As expected of Yuxu Palace’s Treasure Pavilion, the treasures here were more than those of twelve mountain peaks combined.
Shen Gongbao stood at a distance at first, looking apprehensive and glancing at the door from time to time.
Although he had already betrayed the mountain, he had cultivated in Yuxu Palace for many years after all, and he still felt a sense of awe toward Yuanshi Tianzun.
But when he saw the others stuffing various treasures into their arms without any hesitation, his heart began to waver.
‘I’m already here, and I’ve already pointed the way…’
Shen Gongbao muttered to himself, his eyes growing more and more fervent. ‘Besides, if I say I didn’t take anything, will Master believe me?’
Impossible!
Master didn’t believe him in the first place.
Once he realized this, he could no longer hold back and joined the ranks of the frantic looters.
Su Fu, however, wasn’t busy collecting treasures by the basketful. Instead, guided by Chesia’s perception, she went straight to the deepest part of the Treasure Pavilion.
There was a stone platform here, and in the very center sat a glazed bottle.
The glazed bottle was about the size of a palm, crystal clear throughout, and emitting a faint halo. It was obviously no ordinary object.
Su Fu opened it and saw three lights inside: one golden like the blazing sun, one cold like the moonlight, and one brilliant like the stars.
Su Fu’s eyes lit up. “Three-Light Divine Water?!”
This was good stuff.
The three lights referred to Sunlight, Moonlight, and Starlight.
Sunlight Divine Water could turn flesh and blood into nothingness. Moonlight Divine Water specialized in attacking the soul and primordial spirit. Starlight Divine Water could dissolve the true spirit and divine sense.
But when the three were combined, they could reverse life and death, becoming a Divine Artifact capable of neutralizing all poisons, healing the dead, and regrowing flesh on bones.
The effect was practically heaven-defying. This was one of the most precious divine waters in the Great Desolation.
In the Investiture of the Gods, it had protected Xiqi several times and was used by Yuanshi Tianzun to form a city-protecting barrier to prevent Xiqi from being maliciously destroyed.
“Collected!”
‘I’ll be taking this!’
While everyone was harvesting frantically, the Exam System suddenly popped up a major event notification:
[**The Nine-Bend Yellow River Array has been broken by Sages Yuanshi Tianzun and Taishang Laojun!**]
The breaking of the array meant that Yuanshi Tianzun was coming back.
Upon hearing this news, everyone immediately stopped what they were doing and retreated without daring to linger.
Huangfu Yun directly activated her void ability and slipped away!
The group was crisp and efficient, but Shen Gongbao’s face turned pale once he realized what was happening.
“Wait, wait! We’re just leaving like this? Master will definitely be able to calculate that we were here! What do we do then?!”
Su Fu didn’t speak. She just turned her head and gave him a meaningful smile.
That smile made Shen Gongbao’s heart skip a beat. Something wasn’t right.
‘Why… does it feel like something bad is about to happen?’
Su Fu, naturally, wasn’t worried.
This group of theirs weren’t natives of the Great Desolation; they weren’t within the Heavenly Dao.
Coupled with Nuwa’s masking of the heavenly secrets, even if Yuanshi Tianzun calculated, he would only find a mass of white mist and wouldn’t be able to lock onto their identities at all.
But Shen Gongbao was different.
He was Yuanshi Tianzun’s disciple. If the Sage couldn’t even find out that his own traitor had slipped into Yuxu Palace, then Yuanshi Tianzun wouldn’t need to be a Sage anymore.
And yet, Yuanshi Tianzun didn’t know that Su Fu was backed by Nuwa. In his eyes…
Who else could have instructed Shen Gongbao to sneak into Yuxu Palace and steal treasures?
Grandmaster Tongtian.
It must have been done by the Sect of Interception. It was definitely a Sect of Interception conspiracy.
Otherwise, even if Shen Gongbao were given ten thousand times the courage, he wouldn’t dare, and he wouldn’t even be able to enter Yuxu Palace.
The plan to shift the blame was perfectly achieved.
Shen Gongbao wasn’t stupid either. He soon snapped out of the temptation of the dazzling treasures and instantly collapsed.
“Damn it! You’re making me take the fall!”
“It’s over, it’s over! Master will definitely kill me! There’s no way out!”
He lunged forward to grab Su Fu’s leg. “My Lady, have mercy! Master will skin me, pull out my tendons, and turn me into lamp oil!”
Chiya interjected, “Isn’t it rumored that Yuanshi Tianzun is the most protective of his own?”
“Protective?” Shen Gongbao’s voice changed pitch as he pointed at his own nose. “I’m a traitor now! A traitor, do you understand!”
Su Fu slowly pulled out the Huntian Ling. “Then… how about another nap?”
Although she knew Shen Gongbao wouldn’t die—he was a special figure in the Investiture of the Gods after all—Shen Gongbao himself didn’t know that.
Moreover, he was right. Even if he didn’t die, Yuanshi Tianzun’s punishment would be enough to strip him of a layer of skin.
It would be a pity for a little black leopard to lose its fur.
Shen Gongbao’s wailing stopped abruptly. Without another word, he crawled into the Huntian Ling himself. “Quick, take me in!”
“I’d rather stay unconscious than be caught by Master and tortured.”
At least he could delay facing reality!
Su Fu obliged. With a wave of the Huntian Ling, she said, “I’ll call you next time~”
Shen Gongbao: “…”
‘Next time? What next time?’
“Wait! What do you mean?!”
“Where am I going to wake up next time?”
“Don’t—!”