"Let's begin," the dean declared.
A sphere of dark, burning flames materialized behind him, radiating a spine-chilling aura. Behind Tower Master, a golden mountain emerged, while a faintly glowing semicircle materialized behind Spacetime Island Lord.
The amalgamation of the three powers intensified the terrifying atmosphere. Xu Jingming, observing from the side, felt his heart race.
In a one-on-one battle, I'm now stronger than each one of them, Xu Jingming assessed as he watched the dean and the others wield forbidden weapons. But when these three forbidden weapons are combined, they seem to form a perfect unity. My psychic forces can't lock onto their true forms.
Though the dean and the others appear stationary, they are actually concealed within another layer of spacetime. I can't even touch them, let alone harm them, Xu Jingming marveled inwardly.
He couldn't even graze them, much less wound them.
Once the dean and the others employed their forbidden weapons, not even half-step third-realm powerhouses posed a threat! It was only logical that his psychic weapons couldn't harm them.
"Now that everything is set up, we can commence mining," Eternal Tower Master declared with a grin.
"Once we start, we must excavate as swiftly as possible," the dean advised. "Once we're finished, we can leave this place. Even if other high-dimensional lifeforms converge here, it won't matter."
Despite their confidence in their abilities, they were reluctant to confront other formidable beings.
The best swimmers could still drown! Most of those who succumbed to drowning were competent swimmers.
The same principle applied.
Relying on their strength to repeatedly engage in battle would inevitably lead them to a formidable adversary one day! For instance, after a long stretch of looting and killing, the ancient Abyssal demon, Natuo, provoked Xu Jingming.
Although Xu Jingming was incredibly powerful, he remained vigilant. This was because there were numerous formidable beings within the Myriad Species World that astonished him. For example, Xu Jingming believed he was still far inferior to Thunderhorn Mountain who had departed after the first tournament.
"Dig!" At the dean's command, he, Tower Master, and Island Lord harnessed the power of their forbidden weapons, launching a devastating attack on the mountain wall.
Boom! Boom!
The compact mineral deposit extended deep into the Primordial Gold Mountains. The dean and the others struck with full force, blasting away a massive portion of the cave's mountain wall.
Countless rocks shattered, and Primordial Gold Beads spilled forth, quickly collected by the trio.
Xu Jingming dispatched scouting clones to secure the surrounding empty tunnels. He refrained from joining the bombardment of the rocks.
I excel at psychic attacks. Demolishing mountain rocks through brute force? I'm outmatched by the dean. When they jointly wield forbidden weapons, the three of them are way more powerful than me. I shouldn't disrupt their synergy, Xu Jingming thought, well-aware of his limitations.
His intervention would only hinder the union of the three forbidden weapons and reduce their efficiency.
The aura released by the Primordial Gold Beads following the destruction of the mineral deposit and rocks is overwhelming, Xu Jingming frowned as he witnessed the unfolding spectacle.
Primordial Gold was a rare and extraordinary spacetime material. Spacetime in this region was exceptionally turbulent, with numerous Spacetime Disorientation zones extending beyond the dominion and even connecting to some enigmatic territories.
These far-flung areas converged here, amassing various energies that gradually coalesced into the Primordial Gold Mountains.
The essence was Primordial Gold!
Buzz.
Initially, the Primordial Gold Beads were embedded deep inside the mountain rocks. However, now that a substantial number of rocks had been shattered, the Primordial Gold aura within the small mineral deposit was suddenly unleashed, disrupting the stability of spacetime.
The dean and the others exerted themselves to control spacetime, but they could only manage to minimize the impact.
…
"What is this?"
In the vicinity, three high-dimensional lifeform exploration teams detected the Primordial Gold aura from a distance.
"For me to sense it from so far away, it must be a Primordial Gold mineral deposit."
"That's the spot."
"We have to get there as fast as possible." The members of these three high-dimensional lifeform teams were all at the Eternal realm, but navigating the winding tunnels to reach the mineral deposits proved challenging.
The empty tunnels featured dozens of twists and numerous forks. Who could discern the path to the mineral deposit?
Among these three teams, one was led by Moyu.
Whoosh.
The trio turned ethereal and entered the vast Mother Stream.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The Mother Stream's water enveloped everything.
"There's no way to observe the interior of the Primordial Gold Mountains from the Heart Realm," a slender figure remarked. "The material of the Primordial Gold Mountains is unique, and it affects spacetime. My Heart Realm clone needs an accurate mark to teleport over."
"Brother Moyu, can you pinpoint the exact location of the mineral deposits?" The black-furred figure inquired, looking at the team leader.
The tall, curved-horned figure, Moyu, sensed the flow of the Mother Stream's water. "Based on the effects the released mineral aura has on the Spacetime Mother Stream, I can deduce a vague location. Feixing, bring three Heart Realm clones over. I'll transport them."
"Understood." The slender figure nodded, and instantly, three more clones materialized beside him.
"Go."
Moyu dispatched the three Heart Realm clones to the estimated location through the Mother Stream.
Of the three clones, one was sent inside the mountain rock, another to a separate empty corridor, and the last one arrived in the corridor where Xu Jingming and the others were.
"I've located the mineral deposit. The ones mining now are the high-dimensional lifeforms from Myriad Star Island," the slender figure reported.
"Let's move quickly," Moyu urged.
The slender figure instantly teleported to one of his clones, accompanied by his two comrades, through the Heart Realm.
…
In under half a minute, the high-dimensional lifeform team arrived after the Primordial Gold mineral aura was released.
Although the dean and the others were formidable, breaking through the Primordial Gold Mountain rocks on a large scale proved cumbersome. They had only managed to extract about 1,000 Primordial Gold Beads in that brief time.
"High-dimensional lifeforms are approaching."
The dean and the others spotted the three high-dimensional lifeforms descending from afar. Simultaneously, they continued mining, employing their forbidden weapons to unleash a fearsome power. They repeatedly struck the rocks, collecting the Primordial Gold Beads.
"It's them?" The dean and the others furrowed their brows. Xu Jingming also examined the newcomers.
Three figures arrived.
One was a tall figure with a curved horn on his head—the renowned peak Eternal powerhouse in this dominion, Moyu. He was more famous than Natuo, but his reputation was considerably better. He didn't hail from the Abyss Sacrifice lineage.
The other black-furred figure, Oroco, was also a Celestial Body lineage powerhouse at the peak of the Eternal realm. The might of the Celestial Body lineage was in no way inferior to the Heart Realm lineage.
The slimmest among them was Feixing, an Eternal powerhouse from the Heart Realm lineage. Though not at the peak of the Eternal realm, there were very few powerhouses from the Heart Realm lineage in the dominion. It was already quite an achievement for the team to recruit a Heart Realm Eternal powerhouse.
"Hahaha, Island Lord Chu, Island Lord Xihe, Island Lord Ancient River, and Island Lord Wu Ming of Myriad Star Island, your reputation precedes you." The tall figure, Moyu, laughed, but his laughter caused spacetime to tremble, impacting the domain formed by the three forbidden weapons. "It's destiny that we discovered the same mineral deposit in the vast Primordial Gold Mountains."
"We found it first," Dean Chu declared.
"Don't you still have many unexcavated mineral deposits? The unclaimed mineral deposits are ownerless. Every high-dimensional lifeform who sees it is eligible to excavate them," the tall figure responded calmly. "I don't want much. Just give me half."
"You're quite audacious." Tower Master glared at him. As he spoke, they continued mining.
Moyu, Oroco, and Feixing grew anxious as they watched the rocks crumble and the Primordial Gold Beads get harvested.
"Stop," the black-furred figure, Oroco, commanded.
"Feel free to take action. Our Myriad Star Island migrated to this dominion and only managed to kill Asinus and the Abyss Thousand-Eyed Spider Demon. We haven't killed enough for you to dare provoke us," the dean retorted coldly.
"Enough talk. If you want the Primordial Gold Beads, claim it with your strength!" Tower Master barked.
Moyu, Oroco, and Feixing's expressions darkened.
Both parties were on the brink of a confrontation, prepared to come to blows.
…
"Our forbidden domain excels in defense and eliminating enemies, but it falls short in trapping and obstructing them. We can't stop them from charging over. Everyone, stay alert," the dean communicated through a voice transmission.
When they simplified and repaired the forbidden weapons, they had chosen a particular focus.
Survival was paramount. They would be completely concealed once the three of them activated the forbidden weapons, preventing Gumo from killing them.
Eliminating the enemy was crucial as well! The might of the forbidden weapons was exceptionally high.
However, they were average in other aspects.
"The black-furred Oroco hails from the Celestial Body lineage and possesses immense power," Spacetime Island Lord cautioned through a voice transmission. "Moyu is a powerhouse of the Mother Stream lineage, and his strength surpasses mine. His mastery over spacetime has reached unfathomable levels! Feixing belongs to the Heart Realm lineage. Everyone, beware of psychic attacks."
The dean and the others remained vigilant, with Xu Jingming ready to act.
Simultaneously…
Moyu and the others were also apprehensive.
"I've probed spacetime, but I can't locate their true bodies," Moyu informed his companion through a voice transmission.
"I've consulted other Heart Realm powerhouses. The three Island Lords of Myriad Star Island possess forbidden weapons from the scientific lineage. Once they join forces, they can even withstand a half-step third realm," Feixing revealed through a voice transmission. As a member of the Heart Realm lineage, he was naturally well-informed.
"Although I excel in head-on confrontations, if they can fend off a half-step third-realm powerhouse, they can certainly handle me," Oroco admitted through a voice transmission. "I don't think it's worth the risk for just a handful of Primordial Gold Beads."
Despite being from the Celestial Body lineage, Oroco had always exercised caution.
…
"You Island Lords of Myriad Star Island are certainly audacious," Moyu remarked with a smile. "Never mind, we won't vie for this minor mineral deposit."
Even if they could seize 2,000 to 3,000 Primordial Gold Beads, their individual gains would be minimal after splitting the spoils among the trio. It wasn't worth risking their lives against Myriad Star Island. After all, Myriad Star Island was not to be underestimated.
Risking their lives would only make sense for a large mineral deposit.
But for a small deposit? It wasn't necessary.
"Let's go," the thin figure, Feixing, suggested.
As Moyu was about to leave, a sudden thought struck him, and he asked, "Not long ago, the ancient Abyssal demon Natuo—who resides here in the Primordial Gold Mountains—was killed! Was it Myriad Star Island's doing?"
"Natuo was killed?" Tower Master exclaimed in surprise.
"Didn't you know?" Moyu inquired, puzzled. "He was murdered in his cave abode."
"Though we've heard of Natuo, we've never encountered him, so there's naturally no karmic connection," the dean clarified. "Our Myriad Star Island doesn't have the confidence to kill him in his cave abode."
"Not you guys?" Moyu nodded. "It seems there are still some formidable powerhouses lurking in the Primordial Gold Mountains."
With that, Moyu and his two companions took their leave.
Their figures turned ethereal and vanished.
The dean, Tower Master, Island Lord, and Xu Jingming let out a sigh of relief.
"They actually gave up." Tower Master chuckled.
"Maybe risking their lives for a small mineral deposit isn't worth it," Spacetime Island Lord mused, clearly in high spirits.
"I never expected Natuo to meet his end," the dean expressed, taken aback. "This Natuo was also a peak Eternal realm powerhouse and had been practicing Abyss Sacrifice for a long time. His body had been cultivated to an unimaginable level, and his strength likely rivaled mine. To think he was killed in his lair… Tsk tsk."
Xu Jingming couldn't help but interject, "Dean."
"Huh?" The dean and the others turned their attention to Xu Jingming.
Xu Jingming remained silent and hadn't bothered with Moyu's question earlier, but he wasn't willing to keep it from his comrades. Xu Jingming still trusted the few high-dimensional human lifeforms…
"I killed Natuo," Xu Jingming confessed.
The dean, Tower Master, and Spacetime Island Lord were left in shock.