Chapter 435: The Treasury

Chapter 435: The Treasury

In the Third District, within the Holy Church Alliance.

Beyond the dark golden sphere of lightning energy, four Elders had arrived one after another—Wood Old Man, Fire Old Man, Zhao Xue'en, and Zhang Mingrui. Wood Old Man, who had been in constant communication with Fei Yinghao, was the first to reach the scene, with the others following shortly after.

The Council of Elders had dispatched almost all of their available forces, including Zhao Xue'en and Zhang Mingrui, both of whom were of Epic Rank 3. This demonstrated their unwavering determination to eliminate Li Wu, no matter the cost.

However, upon reaching their destination, their murderous auras dissipated.

Because Li Wu was gone!

To be precise, Li Wu's clone had disappeared.

It seemed as if Li Wu had done this on purpose, slowly vanishing right before their eyes.

As they witnessed the clone's dissipation, these four powerful figures not only lost their killing intent, but their entire demeanor changed.

After all their haste to arrive, they realized that their efforts were in vain, as they had only encountered a clone of Li Wu. This realization left them feeling disheartened.

However, compared to Fei Yinghao, their situation was not as dire.

These Elders had merely wasted their energy, while Fei Yinghao had expended his very life force.

And even more devastating than the loss of life force was the mental and spiritual blow he had suffered.

At this moment, Fei Yinghao fully understood that Li Wu had intentionally left behind that clone to manipulate him.

Once again, he had been played like a puppet by Li Wu.

Li Wu had accurately predicted Fei Yinghao's deep-seated hatred and fear of Li Wu's rapid growth. Knowing that Fei Yinghao would stop at nothing to thwart him, even at the cost of his own life, Li Wu had set his trap.

He had lured Fei Yinghao into a life-or-death struggle, pushing him to his limits.

With this calculation, Li Wu had effortlessly manipulated Fei Yinghao, using the clone to effortlessly drain ninety-nine percent of his life force.

Fei Yinghao, foolishly deceived, now found himself in a dire predicament.

Although he was still alive, he felt worse than death itself.

His family was gone, and many had perished by his own hands.

Despite his best efforts to seek revenge, he had become a laughingstock.

Weakened and helpless, he could only watch himself slowly wither away.

Fei Yinghao's mental state was undoubtedly in shambles.

The phrase 'all hope is lost' perfectly described his condition.

As Li Wu vanished, Fei Yinghao's control over his domain wavered.

Fei Yinghao released his grip, and the dark golden energy sphere disappeared. He plummeted from the sky, showing no intention of moving, as if he wanted to end his life right there and then.

Even the Elders who had no love lost for Fei Yinghao couldn't help but sigh and shudder at the sight of him.

"A heartless killer, such ruthless tactics!" they muttered.

As Zhang Mingrui and the other Elders sighed, Wood Old Man reached out and caught Fei Yinghao, preventing him from falling to his death.

Despite Wood Old Man's rescue, Fei Yinghao showed no gratitude and didn't even bother to lift his eyelids.

Perhaps it was a case of 'the death of the rabbit, the fox's grief,' but seeing Fei Yinghao in such a state, Wood Old Man, who had never been particularly close to him, spoke up in an attempt to console him.

"Old Fei, don't be like this. You need to pull yourself together!"

Fei Yinghao ignored him.

There was nothing worse than a broken heart.

Fei Yinghao's heart was utterly shattered, so how could he possibly respond?

But Wood Old Man wasn't giving up.

"Old Fei, you haven't lost yet. You still have a chance!"

These words elicited a reaction from Fei Yinghao.

"A chance?"

Fei Yinghao's raspy voice echoed with desolation, "What chance do I have left? Even if I lie here motionless, I won't live past half a year. The slightest movement will be my end. What chance do I have?

Even if I were in my prime right now, what difference would it make?

Could I defeat him?"

When it came to Li Wu, Fei Yinghao's expression became a complex mix of emotions.

There was endless hatred, but beneath it, a deeper fear.

He was truly terrified. Even in his prime, he wasn't sure he had the courage to face Li Wu.

"Wood Old Man, Fire Old Man, Old Zhao, Old Zhang, we've known each other for over a hundred years. Help me, give me some relief."

"Death can come at any time, but Old Fei, are you really willing to give up? Think about your family, think about how he treated you. Don't you want revenge..."

"Enough, be quiet. Look at me now, how can I possibly seek revenge?

Even the gods won't grant me that!"

"The gods may not, but the Gate will!" Wood Old Man's words made Fei Yinghao, who was in a state of madness, freeze.

Ah yes, the Gateway seems to truly grant him the power to take revenge on Lu Wu.

Back then, that Pang Dudu, an insignificant being, held a fragment and annihilated half of the Council of Elders. If Fei Yinghao could harness the power of the Gateway, perhaps he would have the strength to retaliate.

Of course, Fei Yinghao also understood that mastering the Gateway's power was no easy feat.

It was either too complex to comprehend, or even if one managed to grasp it, the risks were immense. A slight misstep could lead to dire consequences.

This was the very reason why organizations like the Council of Elders and the Holy Church Alliance possessed Gateway fragments but had yet to unlock their power.

It wasn't that they didn't want to; the challenge was too daunting, and the dangers too great for them to dare.

Fei Yinghao hadn't dared either, but now he felt he could take the risk.

"Alright, the worst that can happen is death. I'm all in!"

As Fei Yinghao nodded his head, Wood Old Man revealed a relieved smile, though there was a hint of profound meaning behind it.

Wood Old Man's encouragement to Fei Yinghao wasn't solely for Fei's sake; it was more about finding a guinea pig for his experiments.

In fact, ever since Dudu's assault on Elder Mountain, the elders there had been filled with unease.

It was the first time they realized how fragile their lives and authority were. A mere Pang Dudu had managed to wipe out half of their council.

Then, Lu Wu's rise further intensified their fears.

They began to seek a change in their situation, and the best way to do that was through the fragments.

If they could harness the power of the fragments, they could alter their circumstances.

But grasping the power of the fragments was no easy feat, especially for powerful beings like them. They needed another guinea pig to gather experience, and the current Fei Yinghao was the perfect candidate.

Fei Yinghao was well aware of this.

However, he didn't care. He was already a dead man; why would he mind being used?

From another perspective, the fact that even a dying man like him could be of use proved that he still had value and hope.

So, at this moment, the atmosphere between them was quite harmonious. Zhang Mingge sighed, "I never imagined that in just two days, Lu Wu would set up such a grand scheme."

At this, everyone paused.

They glanced at Fei Yinghao's expressionless face, saw no sign of agitation, and then opened up the topic.

"Indeed, starting from the Capital City, he plotted against the Holy Church Alliance, and then targeted Old Fei. This scheme of his is truly massive.

What do you think his next move will be?"

"It's hard to say," Zhang Mingge shook his head. After a moment of silence, he continued, "If it were me, I might take advantage of our absence and strike directly at Elder Mountain!"

With these words, the five of them turned pale again.

"Umm, that's just Old Zhang's speculation. Lu Wu probably won't do that, right?"

"Yeah, Lu Wu has already used two clones. Summoning Epic-level clones comes at a tremendous cost, enduring the pain of mental tearing. How long has it been since he advanced to the Epic level?

Two clones should be the limit, and the cost of losing two clones isn't small, right?"

They spoke these words, but the elders couldn't shake their anxiety.

After all, no one could be certain if Lu Wu truly had no more tricks up his sleeve.

In the 619th chapter of 'The Book of Nothingness', they immediately contacted Elder Mountain to inquire about the situation there.

Zhao Xuen and the others heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing that everything was normal. But then, the elder on the other side suddenly turned pale.

"Something's wrong! It seems someone has infiltrated!"

Zhao Xuen and the others paled at this news.

"Let's go back and deal with it!"

Although they had confidence in Elder Mountain's defenses and believed that Lu Wu couldn't possibly breach them, they couldn't rule out the possibility.

They had already witnessed numerous unexpected moves from Lu Wu since his appearance earlier that day.

Who could have predicted that Lu Wu, just two days ago a disgraced figure, would not only annihilate the Fei family but also cross regions to eliminate the Holy Church Alliance and, in the process, reduce Fei Yinghao, one of the Twelve Elders and among the most powerful, to his current state?

Each of Lu Wu's moves caught the elders off guard.

If they didn't return soon, it wasn't entirely impossible for Lu Wu to seize control of Elder Mountain.

With this worry, the group from Elder Mountain once again rushed back to Elder Mountain with all their might.

However, due to the reduced speed after entering District 1, it took them a bit longer—about 15 minutes.

Fortunately, when they returned to Elder Mountain, everything was as it should be.

The two elders who had stayed behind had already figured out what had caused the earlier commotion.

“It seems it was Lin Jianying; he appeared as if on purpose!”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xuen and Zhang Mingge's faces changed.

“We’ve been tricked!”

With their intelligence, they immediately saw through Lin Jianying’s deliberate appearance, which was clearly orchestrated by Lu Wu.

The purpose was to draw their attention away from the Holy Church Alliance and bring them back here.

“It seems that when we returned, that boy was still at the Holy Church Alliance.”

“Right, he must have been nearby or left some trace that could expose him, which is why he used this trick to lure us back!”

“Now if we go back…”

“It’s too late. By the time we get there, it will all be over!”

Realizing they had been outsmarted by Lu Wu once again, Zhao Xuen and the others looked grim, but they could do nothing about it.

After a moment of silence, Wood Old Man broke the silence.

“Let it be. If he wants to escape, let him. We need to focus on Old Fei’s situation!”

This remark brought everyone’s attention back to the critically ill Fei Yinghao, including Zhao Xuen and Zhang Mingge.

“Old Fei, are you really going to take this gamble?”

Zhang Mingge stepped forward and placed a hand on Fei Yinghao’s shoulder, his tone complex and sincere, but Fei Yinghao didn’t buy it.

“Cut the act. Isn’t this what you all want? I’m not going to live anyway, so I might as well fulfill your wishes!”

Perhaps the blow from Lu Wu had affected him, or perhaps he was near death, but Fei Yinghao was particularly unbridled at this moment.

Zhang Mingge didn’t mind Fei Yinghao’s attitude, as he was a pragmatist. As long as it benefited him, Fei Yinghao’s attitude was irrelevant.

“Since Old Fei has made his decision, open the treasury and let him choose a Gateway Fragment. Also, select a refinement formula for him…”

“No need to choose. Just give me the largest one!

For the refinement formula, use the most dangerous one.

Either I survive, or I go mad!”

In the midst of Fei Yinghao’s hysterical voice, Zhao Xuen and the others fell into a brief silence, seemingly hesitant.

Fei Yinghao frowned and coldly said, “What, I’m risking my life to clear the way for you, and you can’t even spare a fragment?”

“Old Fei, don’t misunderstand us. That’s not what we mean. We are just…”

Zhang Mingge’s face changed, and he tried to smooth things over, but Zhao Xuen cut him off.

“Alright, we’ll do it your way!”

“Old Zhao, you…” Zhang Mingge was taken aback, glanced at Zhao Xuen, and after a moment of hesitation, nodded, “Alright, let’s do it!”

With the president absent, the decisions at Elder Mountain were made by Zhao Xuen and Zhang Mingge, both Epic Rank 3, and Fei Yinghao, who was nearly Epic Rank 3.

Now that Fei Yinghao was incapacitated, the other elders naturally had no objections once these two leaders agreed.

“Since everyone agrees, let’s open the treasury!”

Zhao Xuen extended his hand and produced a seal, and the other leaders quickly followed suit. Only Wood Old Man took a bit longer.

The others didn’t mind, considering he was supporting Fei Yinghao while retrieving his seal, which was understandable.

Soon, all the elders’ seals were retrieved, including those of the elders killed by Pang Dudu.

Elder Mountain’s treasury was different from a typical treasury.

A typical treasury contained equipment, buildings, and artifacts, but Elder Mountain’s treasury was a Mystic Realm.

To open this Mystic Realm, at least ten elders’ seals were required, and that was just the prerequisite. After the seals were gathered, various procedures had to be followed, and the elders had to perform several operations, which was quite cumbersome.

Several issues arose as the elders were operating, especially for Fei Yinghao, who needed Wood Old Man’s assistance.

After much ado, the group of elders finally managed to open the treasury.

However, opening the treasury was only the first step. Once opened, they needed to communicate with the guardian of the treasury, a process that required significant effort to obtain what they wanted.

After all this, Wood Old Man’s face was somewhat grim.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end