Disturbed by the urgent sound of the zither strings, Yang Wei suddenly bellowed, and an invisible aura burst forth from him, carrying a sense of immense righteousness. With a palm strike, the ethereal melody of the zither was shattered to pieces.
However, the moment he disrupted the melody and sought to move forward, a staggering surge of zither strings came rolling in like a storm from the front, forcing him to retract his form and clasp his palms together to fend off this terrifying zither string attack.
The zither string attack blasted onto Yang Wei’s body, sending him flying backward, along with the onrushing members of the Gentleman Sect who were equally pushed back, unable to advance an inch.
On the other side, Chu Kuang was also being relentlessly driven back by the Crown Prince, Feng Yun, stumbling and showing signs of defeat.
"Protect the Dragon Saliva Fruit!"
Fearful that his own Dragon Saliva Fruit would be snatched by the enemy, Chu Kuang roared out as two Fifth Grade Martial Venerable Elders who were currying favor with the Gentleman Sect fiercely intervened to repel the Crown Prince Feng Yun.
Two mature Dragon Saliva Fruits – it seemed each side had managed to secure one for themselves.
The Gentleman Sect did not dare to act rashly. Although Yang Wei felt some distress at not getting the Dragon Saliva Fruit, it was seemingly a tall order to snatch the fruit from Crown Prince Chang Qin’s hands by going head-to-head with the Crown Prince Party.
"Don’t compete with them for now; wait for the third Dragon Saliva Fruit to mature."
Chu Kuang secured the obtained Dragon Saliva Fruit and let out a sigh of relief, then turned his gaze towards the Dragon Saliva Tree. Upon it, evidently, there was a Dragon Saliva Fruit on the verge of maturing.
Yang Wei and the others nodded. The difficulty of obtaining the Dragon Saliva Fruit from the Crown Prince Party was too great; it seemed wiser to wait a little longer and contend with all their might for the third fruit.
"Ha ha, such a treasure as the Dragon Saliva Fruit – how could we let you youngsters snatch it away? It’s better to let this Elder enjoy it!"
Just as the third Dragon Saliva Fruit was about to mature, while both Chu Kuang’s and Feng Yun’s sides were poised to strike, suddenly, a loud laugh resounded through the sky, followed by swift figures dashing forth. These individuals were all extraordinary, each exuding a powerful presence and their eyes heatedly fixed on the Dragon Saliva Tree with an aggressive glint.
The one leading them was a gloomy-faced elder in black robes, his arms crossed before his chest, greed brimming in his eyes.
"It’s Daluo Heavenly Palace’s Transmission Elder, Shangguan Hong."
Upon the arrival of this elder in black, the faces of both the Gentleman Sect’s Chu Kuang and Yang Wei, and the Crown Prince Party’s Feng Yun and Chang Qin, grew somewhat solemn. It seemed that Daluo Heavenly Palace had sent quite a contingent this time, even this old fellow had made a move. The number of people entering this ancient relic was likely far beyond what they had imagined.
Both the Daluo Heavenly Palace and the Xuantian Sect were behemoths of the Yunlan Domain, commanding an enormous number of powerful subordinates. Yet, this Shangguan Hong was a Transmission Elder of the Daluo Heavenly Palace, which was equivalent to Situ Lie’s position in the Xuantian Sect. The latter was an Enforcement Elder, and both were key members among the Inner Sect Elders.
"Shangguan Hong, you coming alone might be a bit too arrogant. We from the Xuantian Sect have enough strength to crush you."
Chu Kuang assessed the Daluo Heavenly Palace’s forces and discovered that the likes of the Yun Xiao Saint and others were not among them, which relieved him somewhat. However, he did not let his guard down; aside from Shangguan Hong having Sixth Grade Martial Venerable cultivation, among this group, there was also a Fifth Grade Martial Venerable Elder, and the rest all possessed at least the cultivation of Martial Venerate – not to be underestimated.
"Crush me? Then come on, aren’t you afraid the Crown Prince Party will stab you in the back."
Shangguan Hong was not tense at all; he even sneered. The struggle between the Crown Prince Party and the Gentleman Sect was well known even to outsiders like himself; he was not afraid that these two forces would join hands because they simply wouldn’t trust each other.
Sensing the weak point that Shangguan Hong had pinpointed, Chu Kuang’s eyes darkened, and he did not say more. In fact, he was more wary of the members of the Crown Prince Party compared to Shangguan Hong. The feud between the Crown Prince Party and his group wasn’t new—it had been ongoing for days and days. The animosity between the two major organizations ran deep, ensuring that they would never truly join forces.
It was precisely because he understood this that Shangguan Hong dared to bring people from the Daluo Heavenly Palace out in the open; otherwise, with just a few people, he wouldn’t have dared to appear so boldly.
For a time, a three-legged standoff formed in the valley, with no party daring to make a rash move.
At this moment, sounds of whooshing could be heard from outside the valley.
Five figures descended.
The Crown Prince, Feng Yun, had sharp eyes. The moment he saw Xue Lingzi, his pupils constricted, and a hint of apprehension flashed across his face.
"So it’s a Dragon Saliva Tree, no wonder it’s causing such a commotion!"
Xue Lingzi also recognized the Dragon Saliva Tree the moment he appeared and his eyes lit up as he spoke.
"It’s indeed a Dragon Saliva Tree; it looks like there are four unripe fruits. We still have a chance."
Ye Xuan recognized the Dragon Saliva Fruit as well, with a glint flashing in his eyes. Dragon Saliva Fruit was a rare heavenly treasure that could enhance the cultivation of Martial Venerate experts—its rarity was extraordinary. Only in such ancient ruins would such precious items exist.
The three from Fei Yue also rubbed their hands together in excitement. Dragon Saliva Fruit was practically a legendary treasure that existed only in rumors; now that they encountered it, how could they pass up the chance?
"The third Dragon Saliva Fruit is almost ripe."
A sharp light flashed in Ye Xuan’s eyes as he reminded everyone.
At this moment, more figures appeared in the valley, all landing on the ground, while some who had been hidden in the shadows also emerged.
Among them, Ye Xuan even noticed some slightly familiar figures; these included experts from other organizations within the Xuantian Sect, such as Lily Garden and Longevity Hall. Although these organizations were second-rate within the Xuantian Sect, and their power could not compare to the two major factions, there were still very powerful experts among them.
At this moment, the atmosphere was tense to the extreme, and as time rapidly passed, the Dragon Saliva Fruit on the tree ripened.
However, nobody in the valley made a move to pick the Dragon Saliva Fruit, creating an extremely eerie scene.
Because everyone knew that if they moved now, they would become the immediate target of everyone’s attack. No one here, not even Xue Lingzi, was confident enough to pick the Dragon Saliva Fruit right under the noses of so many experts. Moreover, even if he managed to pick it, he wouldn’t be able to withstand an assault from such a multitude. He would end up seriously injured and lose all qualifications to contend for the Dragon Saliva Fruit.