"This secret realm contains all five elements, and the space is so vast. The spiritual treasures within must be abundant, and there might even be high-grade artifacts and spiritual items!"
The young man in white robes, after sensing the state of the secret realm, was immediately overjoyed.
Without hesitation, he began searching through the secret realm.
Before long, he discerned the direction where the spiritual essence of this secret realm was most concentrated, based on the terrain and the flow of spiritual energy.
He immediately activated his Phantom Movement Technique, flying swiftly in that direction.
In his haste, he didn’t even bother to acknowledge the "ants" exploring the secret realm.
Such an obvious light streak in the sky naturally did not escape the notice of the strong individuals present in the secret realm.
Upon sensing the power emanating from the streak of light, everyone's expression changed drastically.
"This light—could it be one of those monsters from Zhongzhou?"
The cultivators within the secret realm reacted differently to the dazzling streak of light.
Those well-informed and experienced immediately associated the light with certain rumors they had heard recently. Their faces turned pale as they fled desperately toward the secret realm’s entrance, abandoning their exploration.
Others, unfamiliar with the origin of the light, held onto a sliver of hope and continued scavenging for spiritual items.
A few even saw it as an opportunity, believing that they might encounter a senior expert. These individuals pursued the streak of light, hoping to form a connection or gain some fortune.
The white-robed young man moved rapidly and soon arrived at the location where spiritual essence was most concentrated, as deduced earlier.
However, upon landing, he was greeted by utter devastation. His expression turned thunderous.
"Which ant dared to touch my things?!"
Surveying the ruined treasure ground, where even the rocks and soil had been completely excavated, the young man felt a fiery rage burning in his chest.
From the lingering traces of spiritual essence, he could confirm that this place had previously contained a significant amount of Five Elements Spiritual Materials, and perhaps even a high-grade spiritual medicine!
Enraged, the white-robed young man soared into the air. From the Brow Acupoint at the center of his forehead, powerful Soul Power surged forth, sweeping across the surrounding area.
In an instant, the spiritual pressure enveloped a radius of dozens of miles, allowing nothing within to escape his senses.
Soon, his gaze sharpened as he sensed several figures hiding in a dense forest nearby.
With a flicker of light, his body turned into a streak and flew toward the location.
Moments later, he arrived at the hiding spot of the individuals.
Under their terrified gazes, he conjured a massive Manifestation of a hand with spiritual power. With a single grab, he scooped them up along with the surrounding grass and trees.
"Exalted One, spare us!"
"We mean no offense! Please, have mercy!"
Caught in the spiritual hand, the group coughed blood as their bodies were severely injured. Their carefully cultivated Innate Bodies were as fragile as eggshells under this pressure.
Terrified, they begged for their lives.
The spiritual hand tightened slightly, leaving the group gasping for breath and unable to speak further.
The young man’s gaze was icy. These ants were too noisy; if not for his need to interrogate them, he would have crushed them to death already.
"Ants, tell me—who took the treasures from the spiritual essence site?"
"The spiritual essence site?"
The group looked confused, not quite understanding his question.
In the next moment, one of them abruptly exploded, blood splattering across the remaining survivors.
The sudden death of their companion left the others blank with terror.
They hadn’t expected the white-robed man to be so brutal, killing someone instantly for merely hesitating.
Seeing their dazed expressions, the young man’s disgust deepened. He was about to crush them all to death when one of them, driven by an overwhelming survival instinct, shouted:
"Exalted One, spare us! I know who took the items you mentioned!"
The young man paused, his gaze coldly fixed on the speaker. "You’d better not be lying."
"It’s true! The treasures must have been taken by a mysterious figure wearing a Ghost-Face Mask, riding a golden flying boat!"
The young man remained silent, his face unreadable. "Continue."
The individual realized he had guessed correctly and hurriedly explained further.
"Exalted One, we were among the earliest to enter this secret realm. However, when we reached the mountain, the treasures were already gone.
The only person who could’ve taken them is the one we saw earlier—a figure wearing a Ghost-Face Mask, piloting a Golden Wood Flying Boat. We saw him flying toward the secret realm’s entrance, and he had come from that mountain!"
"So, you don’t know who this person is?"
"We wouldn’t dare lie to you, Exalted One. We only know that this person has a grudge against the Xuankong Mountain, and recently wiped out many of their disciples in the Western State.
He even suppressed the entire Xuankong Mountain, forcing them to retreat into their hidden realm."
"Then why should I let you live?" the white-robed young man coldly remarked.
Before the group could respond, the spiritual hand abruptly clenched, crushing them into lifeless pulp.
Even after killing them, the young man’s expression darkened further.
His soul perception had remained on those individuals, confirming that they hadn’t lied.
Yet, this truth only fueled his anger.
The mysterious thief had likely already escaped the secret realm, vanishing into the vast world beyond.
In such an immense world, where could he begin searching?
The thought only stoked the flames of his rage.
The lingering spiritual essence at that treasure site was extraordinarily rich. The items it had nurtured must have been remarkable.
And now, a mere "ant" had stolen them from right under his nose!
Killing those ants had not satisfied his thirst for vengeance. Instead, his murderous intent only grew stronger.
"No... something’s not right!"
Just as the thought of a massacre crossed his mind, the young man suddenly paused, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes.
"According to what those ants said, they were among the first to enter the secret realm, yet this thief was even earlier.
This means that the thief likely sensed the secret realm’s emergence before anyone else, possibly because he was already residing nearby!"
The more the young man thought about it, the more certain he became.