Chapter 1075: Greed

The hoarse voice revealed greed and vigilance, like an icy poisonous snake coiling around Han Wuxian's heart. His muscles tensed instantly, and even the dark gold material covering his body trembled slightly. In the Nan Ting Mountain Region, to be drawn so quickly by the disturbance of a falling star and to investigate so greedily—this could only be a malevolent presence!

A huge surge of vigilance and killing intent instantly overwhelmed his bodily weakness. He held his breath tightly, like a lifeless dark gold stone at the pit's bottom, his crimson eyes peeking through the gaps between his fingers, as still as the most composed hunter, locking firmly onto the edge of the impact pit.

Moments later, three figures appeared cautiously on the pit's rim.

They all wore the common dark azure combat robes of the Nan Ting Mountain Region, though the style was slightly outdated, not the uniform of core disciples from a major sect. The leader was tall and thin, with a sinister gaze and a hooked nose, wearing a slender curved hook sword at his waist; his aura was around mid Nascent Soul. Behind him were two companions: one short and stout, holding a small tortoise‑shell shield, his aura at the peak of early Nascent Soul; the other was a fierce‑looking youth, wielding a short dagger etched with an azure sheen, also at early Nascent Soul.

All three bore obvious signs of travel and even minor wounds, their eyes filled with fatigue and a ruthlessness born of prolonged tension. Their gazes were instantly drawn to the strange substance covering Han Wuxian at the pit's bottom—a warm dark gold luster with fine star patterns—revealing their greed without concealment.

"Hiss… truly a treasure!" the short, stout cultivator exclaimed, staring at the dark gold material at the pit's bottom, his tiny green‑bean eyes flashing, "This luster, this pattern… certainly not ordinary! It might be divine metal from beyond the realm, the supreme material for forging!"

"Not just material!" the hook‑nosed cultivator's gaze grew sharper, he fixed his eyes on the faint light slowly flowing across the dark gold material's surface, "This thing is drawing heavenly and earthly spiritual energy on its own! It possesses sentience! It is likely some kind of heavenly‑earthly marvel… or… an embryo of a rare treasure!"

"We've struck it rich! Our brothers really hit the jackpot this time!" the fierce youth licked his lips, his gaze toward the pit's bottom like looking at a moving gold mountain, his azure‑sheened short dagger trembling slightly, "While no one's noticed, let's haul it away quick! Staying in this damned place too long brings bad luck!"

"Be careful!" the hook‑nosed cultivator, though greedy, had not lost all vigilance, "This pit is strange, and the thing is strange. Lao Wu, guard with your shield; Lao San, go down and examine it with your Spirit‑Probing Dagger, be careful not to damage the treasure!"

"All right!" the fierce youth Lao San replied, his face alight with excitement and ferocity, he leapt up and landed lightly on the pit's bottom. He did not immediately approach Han Wuxian, but kept a distance of about a zhang, warily raising the short dagger etched with an azure sheen.

The short dagger is called the Spirit‑Probing Dagger; it is not a weapon for fierce attack, but emits a special spiritual wave to probe an object's sentience, energy response, and even to sense faint life fluctuations.

Lao San grinned wickedly, infusing a thread of spiritual power into the dagger. The tip instantly glowed with a speck of azure light, and an invisible wave imbued with probing intent shot silently toward the dark gold material covering Han Wuxian at the pit's bottom.

At the instant the spiritual wave made contact with the dark gold material

Hum—

That layer of dark gold material seemed to sense the probing‑natured spiritual wave; its fine star patterns surged and accelerated! A weak yet extremely pure ripple of Stellar Source Power instinctively escaped, instantly interfering with the Spirit‑Probing Dagger's spiritual wave!

Lao San's Spirit‑Probing Dagger in his hand shuddered violently, the azure light flaring wildly and becoming utterly chaotic! The triumphant grin on his face froze instantly, turning to astonishment: "Big Brother! This… this thing is weird! My Spirit‑Probing Dagger's feedback… it… it seems… there's something… underneath?!"

"Something?!" the hook‑nosed cultivator and the stout Lao Wu on the pit's rim changed expression instantly, drawing their curved hook sword and tortoise‑shell shield, locking their auras onto the pit's bottom!

At this very moment, Han Wuxian at the pit's bottom felt his sense of danger surge to its peak! Exposed! Although the Spirit‑Probing Dagger might not precisely lock onto his life form, the judgment "there's something underneath" was enough to drive these three greedy yet wary fellows to take more drastic measures! Once they lifted this protective shell, given his current state, he would be fish on a chopping block!

He could not wait for death!

Just as Lao San stood there, doubtful, and subconsciously took another step forward, attempting to use the Spirit‑Probing Dagger to probe again—

Then—abrupt change!

The dark gold material covering Han Wuxian, as if sensing his master's imminent peril and killing intent together with his survival instinct, suddenly burst forth with a powerful suction! This suction was not aimed at Lao San, but rather… at the Spirit‑Probing Dagger in his hand that was emitting probing spiritual waves!

Sizzle—

The speck of azure light at the tip of the Spirit‑Probing Dagger was devoured as if by an invisible maw, instantly dimming! The dagger itself emitted a groan of being overloaded, its blade instantly covered in spider‑web‑like cracks!

"My precious dagger!" Lao San exclaimed, shocked and angry, instinctively trying to pull the dagger back.

However, in the split second while his mind was captivated by the dagger's anomaly

The "dark gold stone" slab at the pit's bottom moved!

Without any earth‑shaking momentum, there was only the ferocity and speed of a dying beast pushed to its utmost!

The dark gold material covering Han Wuxian, as if it had come alive, suddenly contracted and gathered on his right arm! His entire right arm instantly transformed into a ferocious arm‑armor of pure dark gold flowing with star patterns!

Bang!

Han Wuxian's body shot forth like an arrow released from a bow, bursting from the pit's shadow! His target was not Lao San, but the stout cultivator on the pit's rim who held a tortoise‑shell shield and reacted half a beat slower!

The speed was too fast! Too sudden! It completely exceeded Lao Wu's expectations! He only saw a flash of dark gold light from the pit's bottom, and a terrifying force bearing the aura of annihilating stellar power was already within arm's reach! He didn't even have time to fully unleash the tortoise‑shell shield's defense!

"Lao Wu, be careful!" the hook‑nosed cultivator exclaimed in horror, his curved hook sword turning into a sinister arc of light, thrusting straight at Han Wuxian's back in an attempt to divert the attack!

But Han Wuxian neither dodged nor evaded! His eyes held only Lao Wu!

"Die… for me!!!"

A hoarse roar, like the grating of metal on metal, was squeezed from Han Wuxian's throat! His right fist, now transformed into dark‑gold arm‑armor, struck with a resolve to perish together, ignoring the curved hook sword aimed at his back, and slammed hard into the hastily raised tortoise‑shell shield of Lao Wu!

Boom!!!

A deep, muffled roar that made the heart pound!

That tortoise‑shell shield of considerable rank, upon contacting the dark‑gold arm‑armor, was as if struck head‑on by a star! Its profound runes shattered instantly, the sturdy tortoise‑shell material groaned under the overload and cracked inch by inch! The terrifying force poured unreservedly through the broken shield, brutally flooding Lao Wu's corpulent body!

Puff!!!

Lao Wu didn't even have time to utter a scream before his upper torso burst like a watermelon smashed by a heavy hammer! Flesh, blood, shattered organs and bone fragments sprayed like a rain of blood across the icy snow! Only his two legs remained stiffly upright for a moment before they toppled over with a crash!