Chapter 2278: Being Preempted by Someone Else

"Being able to last another month or two is enough!"

Understanding this, Zhang Xuan did not pick the Emperor Spirit Grass. Instead, he turned and retreated, coming before the Tranquil Sky Pearl: "Come out!"

"I can still hold on, quickly take the medicinal herbs..." A voice full of anxiety.

The purpose of coming here was to retrieve the herbs, so why didn't he?

"No need..." With a gentle stroke, the Tranquil Sky Pearl trembled and reverted to the form of a young girl. Zhang Xuan pulled her forward, flying away. Behind them, the spatial rift burst forth with vibrant colors, like countless fireworks blooming.

"Why?" Luo Qiqi asked, puzzled.

"Cultivation can progress with other things, but the God Realm... there is only one!" Zhang Xuan shook his head.

The Emperor Spirit Grass, while something he desired, was not absolutely necessary. To break through to Emperor, he could find other resources. There was no need to abandon the fundamental for the trivial, or drink poison to quench thirst, by first letting the Tidal Sea collapse.

If the Tidal Sea collapsed, the God Realm would inevitably be affected... Although he had only been here for just over a month and wasn't deeply attached, watching billions of people displaced, their homes destroyed, and their families perish, was absolutely not what he desired.

Finally, he somewhat understood Master Kong and Luo Ruoxi. Bearing a mission, they were not free to act as they pleased.

"Then... where do we find suitable treasures?" Luo Qiqi looked over, full of worry. "Your cultivation... must also progress quickly!"

Although she didn't say much, having followed him all this way, she clearly knew many things about Zhang Xuan. Although she didn't understand the Heavenly Dao contention, she knew that something seemed to be pursuing the young man before her. He had to accelerate his cultivation and dared not stop for even a moment; otherwise, there was a high possibility he would die and his path would be extinguished.

If he didn't say it, she wouldn't ask. She could only stay by his side and do everything she could.

"We'll always find something..." Zhang Xuan smiled faintly and took out a pill, handing it to her.

Tiger Owl's storage ring contained over ten top-grade God Origin Pills, which, after being infused with the Emotion of Heaven True Qi, were the best healing medicine. The girl had expended a great deal of energy stabilizing the spatial rift and suffered internal injuries; this pill could help her recover.

"I also know a few places where medicines that can help Emperor-level experts advance are hidden. I can take you there..." Ao Feng came forward.

Zhang Xuan nodded.

During each of the four spiritual energy tides, a Conferred God King would enter. Even if the treasures they obtained were far inferior to those of Master Kong's many disciples, they had still discovered quite a few.

With him leading the way, it was indeed much easier, and they quickly arrived at the hidden location of another treasure.

"The Midnight Flower, legend has it, only bloomed at midnight on a full moon in the God Realm, taking thousands of years to grow a single plant by absorbing the essence of the moon... The Tidal Sea is different from the God Realm, but this flower also only blooms once every ten years here. Last time I came, it was in these depths..." Ao Feng pointed forward.

Zhang Xuan looked. It was a deep, secluded canyon, just like the previous mountain stream, harboring countless plant spirits comparable to God Kings.

"Let's go in and take a look!"

Activating his Disguise Qi, Zhang Xuan entered. A moment later, he flew out with a frown: "It's already been taken!"

Based on the situation inside, there was indeed the Midnight Flower as Ao Feng had described, but it seemed he had arrived late, and the treasure had already been taken by someone else.

"Could it be... someone else also gathered many God Kings?" Ao Feng was stunned.

To find the Earth Treasury Spirit Liquid, he had gathered over a dozen God Kings, summoned his true form, and suffered severe injuries, yet still failed. The Midnight Flower's location had even more plant spirits and greater danger... yet it had been taken. Could it be that some God King had gathered even more experts? After all, not everyone possessed such heaven-defying strength as the person before him.

"No God Kings were gathered. It was likely a single person who quietly took the medicinal herbs; those plant spirits didn't even notice..." Zhang Xuan said.

After entering, he had observed carefully. If there had been a battle, there would definitely be traces. However, there were no traces at all inside, clearly indicating it wasn't a forceful entry. The person must have entered and left silently, just like himself. He had Disguise Qi, which made it difficult for plant spirits to detect him. What did the other person rely on?

"Then... let's go to the next place. I know of a spot that contains Quiet Iron. This material can be forged into weapons used by Emperors; ordinary flames cannot melt it. It's buried in underground lava not far from here..." Since the item had already been taken, there was nothing to regret. Ao Feng continued.

"Let's go take a look!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

Although he wasn't currently lacking weapons, with this item, he could easily exchange it with other Emperors for resources that could help him advance his cultivation.

Tearing through space, they flew rapidly. After dozens of breaths, the three arrived before the lava Ao Feng had mentioned. With True Qi protecting him, Zhang Xuan used his longsword to break through the scorching hot magma. It wasn't long before he returned to the two, saying, "The Quiet Iron you mentioned has also been taken!"

"Impossible..." Ao Feng couldn't believe it. The temperature of the lava before them was so high that even God King-level weapons would melt instantly if dropped into it. Even with his strength, he wouldn't dare go deep... Who could have taken the item silently without leaving a single trace?

"What other treasures do you know of?" Knowing that the Tidal Sea wouldn't exist for much longer and having come up empty twice in a row, Zhang Xuan frowned and continued to ask.

"There's also a place with an extraterrestrial meteorite. Even three Conferred Disciples of Emperor Tianzong couldn't take it back then, and it was still there when I came last time..." After a moment of thought, Ao Feng said. Two consecutive failures had made him a bit less confident.

"Take me to see it!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

The three continued their journey and soon arrived before a massive iceberg. The cold was biting; ordinary God Kings approaching it would find their True Qi frozen and unable to circulate.

"No one should be able to get through this place..." Luo Qiqi nodded. Such a freezing place was difficult for even her to enter, let alone other God Kings. Even those who reached the Conferred level couldn't do it.

"You two wait here; I'll go take a look..." Activating his Emotion of Heaven True Qi, Zhang Xuan adapted to the icy currents and flew inside.

In less than ten minutes, he flew out again with a wry smile: "It seems we're too late again..." The further one went into the iceberg, the colder it became. Even for him, it took considerable effort to reach the deepest part, yet he still didn't see the extraterrestrial meteorite Ao Feng had mentioned. Judging by the traces, someone else had also beaten them to it.

Three consecutive locations, and someone else had gotten there first and taken the treasures. He had been in the Tidal Sea for several hours, yet had found nothing. Who exactly was this person, so incredibly fast and powerful?

"Do you know if any formidable figures have recently emerged in the God Realm?"