Chapter 89: Heirloom

The battle in the valley concluded with the surrender of the Black Venom King. It was clear that the Great Zhou Imperial Family, represented by Zhou Yuan, had ultimately won this contest.

Outside the valley, the various factions, witnessing this scene, began to wisely retreat. The Qi King's Residence had been defeated, and even the Black Venom King had been subdued.

The power of the Great Zhou Imperial Family would subsequently surge to an astonishing degree. No force within the Black Abyss would be able to contend with the Great Zhou Imperial Family, given their formidable power.

"Congratulations, Your Highness," Wei Canglan said with a smile, cupping his hands towards Zhou Yuan after retracting his Genesis Qi. His demeanor towards Zhou Yuan was clearly more deferential, even showing a hint of respect. After all, Zhou Yuan now had not only the mysterious giant beast and Yaoyao, who could cast Fourth-grade Genesis Runes, but also the Black Venom King. This almost amounted to three experts at the Alpha Origin Stage.

This level of strength could almost suppress the entire Great Zhou Dynasty. Previously, Wei Canglan had been able to avoid direct royal deployment mainly because the Great Zhou Imperial Family only had Zhou Qing, one Alpha Origin Stage expert. Now, that number had surged to four. Therefore, if the Imperial Family decided to act against him now, the General's Residence would likely be annihilated. As the power balance between the two sides had become unequal, Wei Canglan naturally would not be foolish enough to treat Zhou Yuan with his previous attitude.

"We owe the successful acquisition of the Fire Spirit Stalk largely to your assistance, General. Upon our return, I will certainly commend your contributions. When the Fire Spirit Stalks are cultivated in the future, the General's Residence will also receive its share," Zhou Yuan said, cupping his hands towards Wei Canglan.

"Then I thank Your Highness in advance." Wei Canglan smiled, then his expression turned solemn. "However, with the Qi King's Residence failing this time, and Qi Hao even being slain by Your Highness, I fear the Qi King's Residence will not let this matter rest."

Zhou Yuan chuckled faintly. "This time, it is us who will not let the matter rest." Previously, Zhou Qing had always tolerated them because the Imperial Family and the Qi King's Residence were evenly matched, and any conflict would severely weaken the Great Zhou Dynasty. But now, after the expedition to the Black Abyss, the Imperial Family's power would undoubtedly surge. This was the best opportunity to completely eliminate this blight on Great Zhou.

Wei Canglan felt the chill in Zhou Yuan's words and his heart tightened, knowing that the Imperial Family was likely to soon break ties with the Qi King's Residence.

"General, the Qi King's Residence harbors rebellious intentions. If war breaks out, I hope the General can lend us assistance," Zhou Yuan said, looking earnestly at Wei Canglan.

Wei Canglan hesitated for a moment. He had always refrained from getting involved in the conflicts between the Imperial Family and the Qi King's Residence. However, his hesitation quickly faded. By helping Zhou Yuan contend for the Fire Spirit Stalk, he had likely already chosen the Imperial Family's side in the eyes of the Qi King's Residence and would undoubtedly be seen as an eyesore. If that were the case, it would be better to fully align with the Imperial Family and help them eradicate the threat posed by the Qi King's Residence.

"Your Highness can rest assured. If needed, my General's Residence will do everything in its power to eliminate the rebels," Wei Canglan stated firmly.

Hearing Wei Canglan's assurance, Zhou Yuan breathed a slight sigh of relief. With Wei Canglan's help, the Imperial Family's power would be further strengthened.

"The Fire Spirit Stalks are in hand, so we can withdraw," Zhou Yuan said with a smile, looking at the others.

Everyone nodded, but Yaoyao's beautiful eyes turned towards the depths of the valley and she suddenly asked, "Are all the treasures collected?"

Zhou Yuan was startled. "The Fire Spirit Stalks are already in our possession."

Yaoyao gently stroked Tun Tun's fur, her red lips slightly parted. "The Battle Puppet Sect was quite powerful. Their ruins are probably not as simple as you think."

Zhou Yuan was confused by her words, but he still picked up on something and tentatively asked, "Are there still undiscovered treasures here?" The others also looked surprised.

"You'll know if you look," Yaoyao replied calmly. With that, she walked forward, heading directly into the deep valley. Zhou Yuan and the others exchanged glances before quickly following.

The group entered the deep valley and eventually stopped at the desolate medicinal field, which was where Zhou Yuan had unearthed the Fire Spirit Stalks. Zhou Yuan's gaze swept around. There were only barren mountain walls everywhere, a desolate sight, with no unusual fluctuations emanating from anywhere.

Wei Canglan also scanned the area but detected nothing unusual. He could only turn his confused gaze towards Yaoyao. "Are there still treasures here?" Zhou Yuan asked, skeptical.

Yaoyao ignored him. With light steps, she walked into the desolate medicinal field, then squatted down, her delicate hand gently touching the ground, her beautiful eyes slightly closed. Seeing her like this, the others dared not make a sound to disturb her.

After approximately several minutes, Yaoyao finally opened her bright eyes. Her jade-like finger pointed to the large hole where Zhou Yuan had previously dug out the Fire Spirit Stalks, and she said, "Keep digging down."

Zhou Yuan heard her words with some doubt. He had dug that hole himself and hadn't felt any unusual fluctuations beneath it at the time. However, out of trust in Yaoyao, he nodded to Lu Tieshan and the others. Immediately, Lu Tieshan led several Heavenly Pass Stage experts to act simultaneously, their Genesis Qi surging as they continuously deepened the pit.

Soil was flung away layer by layer. The approximately two-meter deep pit quickly became tens of meters deep, and it was pitch black inside. However, as a Heavenly Pass Stage expert continued to act, manipulating his Genesis Qi to remove more soil, he suddenly seemed to touch something. Immediately afterward, a beam of light emerged from the depths of the pit, followed by a rainbow-like arc of light that shot out with a loud bang, sending that Heavenly Pass Stage expert flying backward to collide heavily against the mountain wall.

The sudden development startled everyone.

"It's a Genesis Rune barrier!" Zhou Yuan's eyes gleamed. He stared at the dark bottom of the pit, and only with the appearance of that light did he faintly perceive a fluctuation emanating from its depths. "Let's go down and see."

Everyone cautiously descended to the bottom of the pit. There, they discovered a light curtain extending along one side of the deep pit, and beyond the light curtain was unmistakably a bronze door.

"I never imagined there would be a hidden realm beneath this medicinal field," Wei Canglan exclaimed.

Zhou Yuan was also full of admiration. The light curtain outside the bronze door was a Genesis Rune barrier that not only offered protection but also concealed any fluctuations, which was why he hadn't detected it before. It was fortunate that Yaoyao's Spirit perception was so keen; otherwise, no one would have known there were treasures hidden beneath this medicinal field.

"This Genesis Rune barrier seems very powerful," Wei Canglan said, his expression grave as he stared at the light curtain. Even he could feel a deadly dangerous fluctuation from it.

"This is a special Genesis Rune barrier that can only be opened with a specific Genesis Rune. If forced open, it will self-destruct, turning both the opener and the treasures inside into nothingness," Yaoyao said, her beautiful eyes scanning the barrier. "If it self-destructs, it's unlikely anything within a hundred miles would survive."

Hearing this, everyone felt a chill in their hearts and instinctively took several steps back. Even Zhou Yuan looked astonished.

"It seems we're out of luck," Zhou Yuan said with a wry smile. Such specific Genesis Runes were likely only known to high-ranking members of the Battle Puppet Sect. How could they possibly know them? Without that specific Genesis Rune, no matter how capable they were, they wouldn't be able to open it. The others also nodded, feeling regretful. After all, the treasure mountain was right before their eyes, but they couldn't enter.

However, just as everyone felt regretful, Yaoyao suddenly smiled. "That's not necessarily true..."