Chapter 420: Grab Them!

Boom—

A thunderous, earth-shaking crash.

The earth-yellow fist aura collided violently with the layered defense array patterns glowing on the carriage's surface.

Light flashed wildly, flickering unpredictably.

Though the carriage was sturdy and its arrays highly sophisticated, it was ultimately designed for transport—how could it possibly withstand the full fury of a Jian Shen Bu Huai expert's enraged strike?

Moreover, before this, the carriage had already endured prolonged assaults from the Changsheng Sect disciples and the Bloodthirsty Vampire Vines.

A grating, teeth-chilling "crack—crack—crack" echoed.

Layer upon layer of defense array patterns on the carriage's surface shattered in succession.

The carriage walls, forged from metal and spirit wood, also bore several deep fissures.

At nearly the same moment, the toxic mist released by the withered elder of the Changsheng Sect slammed into the carriage's ruptured surface!

Hisssss—

Intense corrosion sounds erupted.

The toxic mist surged wildly inward, seeping and eroding through the cracks.

Faint explosions echoed from within the carriage—seals being triggered, then swiftly corroded!

Under the double assault from within and without, the black carriage finally buckled under the strain.

Boom—

A deeper, heavier explosion.

The entire carriage exploded violently!

Thick planks, shattered array fragments, and all manner of cargo inside the carriage were blasted outward like scattered flowers from a celestial maiden, hurtling in every direction under the violent surge of energy.

Radiant light blazed, energy spilled everywhere!

From the shattered remains of the carriage flew dozens of jade boxes, wooden chests, and brocade pouches of various sizes.

Some jade boxes opened mid-air, revealing dazzling pills, spirit herbs, and mineral ores within.

Some wooden chests shattered, spilling out translucent, crystalline energy stones.

Several sealed brocade pouches burst open, scattering various colorful, uniquely flavored precious materials.

In an instant, treasure-light surged skyward, illuminating the chaotic battlefield with even greater brilliance.

"Treasures! These are the treasures Mo Family sent to the Juling Sect!"

"Grab them!"

"Don't let the Mo Sect take them!"

The sudden turn of events stunned both sides of the battle; instantly, greed and madness replaced their original objectives.

Whether Mo Family guards, Mo Sect disciples, or even hidden cultivators and scouts from minor factions watching from the shadows—all eyes turned red at this moment!

With so many heavenly treasures and divine pills so close at hand, how many could remain calm?

"Damn it!"

The Mo Family elder's eyes bulged with rage, his whole body trembling with fury—but he was once again pinned down by the withered elder of the Changsheng Sect, unable to break free.

"Hehehehe! These treasures rightfully belong to our Divine Sect! My disciples, seize them!"

The withered elder's eyes gleamed; he intensified his assault to pin down the Mo Family elder while barking orders.

The scene spiraled out of control.

The once clearly divided battle formations collapsed instantly; over half the combatants lunged madly toward the scattered treasures.

And in this chaotic instant—when treasure-light blazed everywhere and every eye was fixed on the flying treasures—

Chen Mu's figure appeared like a ghost, silent and unseen, beside the largest pile of carriage wreckage.

His target was not the pills, energy stones, or materials.

It was a massive, roughly one-zhang-tall, gray-white, rough-surfaced boulder that had rolled out as the carriage exploded.

The Duan Tianhe Scripture had sensed the Tianzong Yun Sword within this boulder!

At this moment, the boulder lay nestled among broken planks and debris; due to its enormous size and utterly unremarkable appearance, it had yet to draw much attention.

Only a handful of nearby Mo Family guards and Changsheng Sect disciples, snatching other treasures, occasionally cast glances its way.

Chen Mu flashed forward, arriving beside the boulder, his right palm gently pressing against its cold, rough surface.

He muttered low, his true energy surging out, enveloping the entire boulder!

Then, the massive boulder—weighing thousands of jin—was slowly lifted by Chen Mu's single hand, hovering inches above the ground.

"Huh? What's that kid doing?"

"What's so special about that broken rock?"

"Wait—that rock…"

"…"

Chen Mu's unusual action drew the attention of several nearby looters.

Seeing him ignore the glittering jade boxes and instead strain to haul an unremarkable boulder, they grew suspicious.

Especially two Changsheng Sect disciples nearby, both at the Earth Altar Realm's Divine Bridge stage, their eyes flashed with malice; they lunged at Chen Mu from left and right, grinning savagely!

"Kid, drop the rock! I'll spare your life!"

Both clearly intended to eliminate Chen Mu first, then investigate the rock's mystery.

Facing the twin assault of two Divine Bridge martial experts, Chen Mu didn't even turn around.

One hand maintained the true energy enveloping the boulder; the other waved casually backward.

Shhh!

An invisible, colorless, intangible Yin Sword shot forth.

"Puff!"

"Puff~"

The two Life Cultivators felt their vision go black and lost consciousness, their bodies collapsing to the ground, each with a thin slit on their foreheads.

【Corpse detected. Collect?】

"Yes!"

……

The card was in hand.

Chen Mu activated the Earth Submersion Technique, sinking into the solid ground beneath his feet, carrying a boulder wrapped in true qi.

The entire sequence—from Chen Mu appearing beside the boulder, to lifting it, to killing the two Life Cultivators, and finally submerging into the earth—took no more than two breaths!

So fast that the others had no time to react.

When the others finally regained their senses and looked toward Chen Mu's former position, only a small patch of slightly sunken, darker soil remained, as if everything had been an illusion.

"Where did he go?"

"The boulder's gone too!"

"Earth Submersion? He knows the Earth Submersion Secret Art!"

Gasps erupted.

The Earth Submersion Secret Art was already rare; to use it so swiftly and silently while carrying a multi-thousand-jin boulder was beyond the capability of ordinary martial artists!

"Chase him! He won't get far—he's still underground nearby!"

One of the Mo Sect's swift-reacting experts barked orders, attempting to pursue.

Yet the battlefield had already descended into chaos; the scramble for treasures intensified, more and more people were wounded and dying, energy currents surging wildly.

To precisely locate and intercept a man skilled in Earth Submersion who had already sunk beneath the earth—amid such turmoil—was no easy feat.

The Mo Family elder and the withered old man of the Life Cultivation Sect also noticed the disturbance here, especially the vanished boulder, stirring a sense of foreboding in both.

But now, they were locked in mutual restraint, their subordinates embroiled in the treasure scramble, unable to break away to pursue.

Chen Mu, carrying the boulder, sped rapidly through the depths underground.

He oriented himself not toward Wu Long Prefecture, but toward the remote, desolate hills far from the main road.

After traveling nearly a hundred li without pause, he slowly surfaced at the bottom of a desolate, treacherous canyon.

After confirming no living presence or surveillance nearby, he dragged the boulder out and placed it on the ground.

The boulder stood still, its rough exterior faintly radiating a silvery-white, razor-sharp aura.

Chen Mu's hand once again gently pressed against the stone's surface.

"Finally got it!"