Outside the Heart Refining Hall.
The despicable donkey was lying lazily on the ground, its tail flicking back and forth in a bored manner.
Its crafty eyes darted around, seemingly plotting how to trick Ling Feng out of some benefits once he emerged. After all, it had taken considerable effort for Lord Divine Donkey to locate these ancient sect ruins. It couldn't let Ling Feng have everything for free.
Meanwhile, Qiao Qiao and Zifeng were nearby. Qiao Qiao kept trying to pinch Zifeng's cheeks, but Zifeng, acting aloof, always swatted her hand away.
Despite this, Qiao Qiao persisted, determined to pinch Zifeng's adorable cheeks.
The group waited outside the Heart Refining Hall for about two to three hours. The despicable donkey almost couldn't contain its impatience and began pacing back and forth, nearly ready to charge inside.
However, remembering the light of annihilation, the donkey refrained from crossing the threshold.
After all, the wound on its rear still throbbed with pain.
At last, a strong five-colored light burst from within the Heart Refining Hall. The luminous barrier at the hall's entrance swirled into a massive vortex, ejecting two figures—Ling Feng and Yue Yunlan.
As they steadied themselves, the Heart Refining Hall behind them collapsed with a thunderous roar, disappearing entirely.
With the Five Elements Heavenly Palace having recognized its master, the Heart Refining Hall no longer held any significance.
The group cried out almost simultaneously.
The despicable donkey, being the most shameless, rushed up to Ling Feng to examine him closely and grinned. "Hey, brat, don't forget who led you to this treasure. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have gotten anything. So, heh, heh, heh..."
Ling Feng shrugged and said, "I didn't get anything."
"Did that ugly girl take it then? Pfft, trash. I despise you!"
The despicable donkey flicked its tail and immediately turned to Yue Yunlan, ingratiatingly saying, "Miss, you look so dignified and graceful. You're surely not the ungrateful type, right? Hurry, show me the Five Elements Heavenly Palace for appraisal. Don't let anyone fool you!"
Yue Yunlan's eyes twitched at the donkey's quick change in attitude. He went from calling her "ugly" to "miss" in a blink of an eye.
"You despicable donkey, you’ll praise anyone who has what you want? Shame on you!" Qiao Qiao spat.
The donkey responded nonchalantly, "Of course I will. Give me the treasure, and I'll even call you mom!"
Qiao Qiao blushed with anger, glaring at the donkey. "If I had given birth to a donkey like you, I would have hanged myself long ago!"
Yue Yunlan shook her head, half-laughing and half-crying. "I didn't get the Five Elements Heavenly Palace either."
"Damn, are you messing with me? Woof, woof, woof!"
The despicable donkey’s fur stood up in anger as it barked furiously.
"Alright, alright," Ling Feng said, no longer teasing it. He opened his palm, and a speck of dust gradually expanded into a three-inch-high small tower, radiating five-colored light.
"This is the Five Elements Heavenly Palace."
Since the tower had already recognized Ling Feng as its master through a blood contract, he wasn’t worried about the donkey trying to seize it. Besides, without showing him the treasure, the donkey would not leave him alone.
"A pseudo-celestial artifact!" The despicable donkey sniffed the air and instantly identified the grade of the Five Elements Heavenly Palace. Its eyes were glowing green with greed, and drool dripped from its mouth. "Wow, kid, you can’t protect such a treasure. Let me safeguard it for you. When you reach the Spiritual Sea Realm, I’ll return it to you."
As it spoke, the donkey raised a hoof to grab the tower.
With a thought, Ling Feng caused the Five Elements Heavenly Palace to expand into a massive tower thirty zhang tall, pressing the black donkey underneath.
"Brat, you tricked me!"
The despicable donkey was pinned under the tower, looking like a turtle trapped on its back and unable to move. However, being a half-step demon emperor, it was able to exert its brute strength and managed to forcefully escape from under the tower.
"If the donkey weren’t so greedy, how could I have tricked it?" Ling Feng smirked. "Alright, come inside and see for yourself."
With that, Ling Feng waved his hand, opening the golden gate on the first floor of the Five Elements Heavenly Palace.
"Wow, such dense metal-attribute spiritual energy!" Zifeng couldn’t contain himself and jumped onto Ling Feng’s shoulder, shouting, "Master, master, let’s go inside!"
Ling Feng smiled faintly and was the first to step into the Five Elements Heavenly Palace.
Yue Yunlan and Qiao Qiao exchanged glances and followed behind Ling Feng without hesitation.
The despicable donkey’s eyes darted around as it shoved past Yue Yunlan and Qiao Qiao, saying loudly, "Divine beasts have priority. Ugly girls, move aside!"
"You!" Qiao Qiao was infuriated. This despicable donkey’s sharp tongue could drive anyone mad.
"Qiao Qiao, just let it talk," Yue Yunlan said, still feeling weak. Her composure was clearly better than Qiao Qiao’s, as she was able to remain calm and unperturbed.
"Hmph, I hope another light of annihilation cuts off the rest of that donkey’s rear!" Qiao Qiao muttered through gritted teeth.
Soon, the group entered the Five Elements Heavenly Palace, and the despicable donkey couldn’t take its eyes off the surroundings.
"Thunderflame Iron! Silver Frost Iron! Bloodpattern Steel! Celestial Dao metals, all Celestial Dao metals!” Author’s Note: (Celestial Dao metals are used to refine celestial artifacts and, in general, to craft treasured artifacts and sacred artifacts.)
The despicable donkey let out a high-pitched bray, completely overjoyed. It was touching everything in sight, wishing it could take everything with it.
"Look at how pathetic it is," Qiao Qiao frowned. She hadn’t heard of any of the metals the black donkey mentioned.
It should be known that any one of the metal veins in the Metal Elemental Realm could drive grandmaster-level blacksmiths crazy. And in this vast space, there were over a thousand types of rare metals.
The despicable donkey tried to dig out the metal ores using its demonic essence, attempting to store them in its magical treasure space.
Unfortunately, every piece of metal it dug out reappeared in its original place in the blink of an eye. No matter how hard it tried, it couldn’t take even a grain of sand.
"Brat, what’s going on?" The despicable donkey angrily returned to Ling Feng, its eyes wide with frustration.
"I am the master of this elemental realm. Without my permission, you can’t take anything."
Ling Feng smiled lightly. "Otherwise, why would I dare bring a greedy creature like you in here? Haha..."