Sun Li and the others stood frozen in place for a long while before finally snapping out of their daze.
The memory of that black box being crushed into fragments underfoot made their hearts ache with pain.
In short, their mission this time had been a complete and utter failure. Not only had they lost many of their comrades, but they had also ended up empty-handed after all their efforts.
To make matters worse, they had been humiliated and ground into the dirt, yet they hadn’t dared to utter a single word in protest.
The group let out a collective groan as they prepared to pack up and head back.
Just as they stepped into the Black Domain, a sudden realization struck them, and they turned back to look at the patch of land still unaffected by the dark miasma.
"That black box treasure has already been destroyed, so why is this area still untouched by the Black Domain?"
"Yeah, what’s the reason for this?"
"Could it be... there’s another treasure hidden beneath the ground?"
"That must be it. There’s no other explanation."
In an instant, the previously despondent group had their faces alight with hope once more.
For them, it was like stumbling upon a hidden village after wandering through a dark forest.
Sun Li burst into laughter.
"Who would’ve thought? The heavens closed one door for us but opened another!"
Sun Li shouted, waving his hand. "Since this area is still unaffected by the Black Domain, it means the black miasma isn’t being repelled by that black box but by something else entirely. In fact, I suspect this real treasure might be even more valuable than the black box!"
"So we can’t afford to waste any time. Let’s start digging again right now."
"Same rule as before—we dig carefully to avoid damaging the treasure’s spiritual essence!"
"One thing’s for sure, though—this real treasure must be buried at least a hundred zhang underground!"
The others nodded excitedly and immediately got to work.
After all, the feeling of seeing the sun break through after a storm was especially sweet.
And if they could really unearth a supreme treasure, returning to the Three Lives Sect would mean a great merit for each of them.
As usual, Lu Benwei was pinned to a tree.
Beneath the tree, Doggie, Milk, and the others craned their necks to look but didn’t dare make any moves.
"Big Bro’s suffering!"
"No kidding, Big Bro’s got it rough."
The doggies howled in sympathy before suddenly noticing something and scattering in a hurry.
Yi Feng, dressed in white robes, strolled over with his hands behind his back, stopping beneath the tree.
Lu Benwei, who was impaled backward on the tree, twisted his head with great difficulty and gave Yi Feng a pitiful look.
"Don’t ‘abah abah’ me," Yi Feng snapped, then pulled out a Celestial Crystal and tossed it in his hand. "I’ve already retrieved the Celestial Crystal. Since you didn’t take much and your attitude wasn’t too bad—plus you didn’t try to run—I’ll let you off this time."
Lu Benwei nodded frantically, like a chick pecking at rice.
"But remember what I said—figure out how to get down yourself. If you can’t, then just stay stuck up there."
Yi Feng waved dismissively, munching on melon seeds as he walked toward the street. He wanted to see if there was any gossip while also pondering how exactly he should go about dying.
After Yi Feng left, Doggie and the others hurried back, gathering beneath the tree.
"Big Bro, the master took the money back?"
Doggie asked urgently. "So all your hard work was for nothing again?"
Lu Benwei raised a finger, glanced around, and whispered, "I had a backup plan. I hid another stash of Celestial Crystals deeper underground. The master probably doesn’t know about it."
Doggie and the others lit up with excitement.
"Don’t rush. Let me get down first."
Lu Benwei kicked his legs against the tree, pulling the sword free, then jumped down.
"Big Bro, there’s still a sword stuck in your butt."
Lu Benwei glanced back and shrugged. "The master stuck it in, so it’s not coming out anytime soon. Forget about it for now. Let’s hurry and go get those Celestial Crystals."
"Got it. Should we teleport out?"
Night Wind Centipede asked.
"Nah, if we teleport, the master will definitely notice. Just trust me—I’ve got a plan."
Lu Benwei grinned, waving his hand to store Doggie, Spirit King, and the others away before burrowing into the ground.
Inside the void space, Doggie and the others watched as Lu Benwei tunneled through the earth like mad.
"Big Bro, you’re so smart! The master will never find out this way," they praised.
"But Big Bro, doesn’t Dark Shadow Island have a barrier? Can we really dig through it?" Spirit King asked.
"Idiot, who do you think Big Bro is? A puny barrier can’t stop him!" Night Wind Centipede scolded.
And so, Lu Benwei kept tunneling until he reached a spot two hundred zhang beneath the teleportation array outside the island.
"Hehe, found it! The Celestial Crystals are still here. The master really didn’t notice," Lu Benwei whispered excitedly, his butt wiggling in the dirt.
"Congrats, Big Bro! We’re so happy for you!"
Doggie and the others cheered.
Just a few zhang behind Lu Benwei in the dirt, Sun Li and his group were still digging furiously.