Chapter 104: A Grave Trouble

Ou Xinya did not think Ou Xinlai had done anything to her. More importantly, she did not believe that someone as old as Ou Xinlai could still awaken supernatural abilities.

Yet despite that, when Ou Xinlai made what appeared to be a ridiculous gesture, Ou Xinya felt as though her heart had been twisted into a knot. Not only her fragile heart, but nearly every soft place on her body seemed to have been seized tightly by Ou Xinlai. The pain was unbearable.

In an instant, Ou Xinya’s delicate face turned pale. She flung out her hand, as though trying to break free of Ou Xinlai’s control.

Ou Xinlai raised an eyebrow. As expected of someone who had reached the peak of the ninth level of supernatural ability—Ou Xinya had actually managed to escape her grasp. But once might be luck; it could not happen twice. Ou Xinlai was curious to see how many times Ou Xinya could get away from her.

At Ou Xinlai’s current level, defeating Ou Xinya was no longer difficult. She had struggled only slightly when killing Li Chengpeng. Ou Xinya’s ability was even inferior to his.

Ou Xinya was no fool, and she quickly recognized the difference between them. It seemed that Ou Xinlai still could not use supernatural abilities, but that strange martial art of hers appeared to be growing more powerful by the day. Even a ninth-level practitioner like Ou Xinya could no longer deal with her.

Indeed, she had heard that Li Chengpeng, the Black Protector of the Demon Sect, had already reached the tenth level of supernatural ability and was advancing toward the Divine Cultivation Realm beyond the tenth level. She was far weaker than Li Chengpeng, and even he had failed to kill Ou Xinlai. How could she possibly defeat her?

With that thought, Ou Xinya no longer wished to continue fighting. According to the strange serpent, once she found that great treasure, even Ou Xinlai would no longer be her match.

When that happened, she could kill Ou Xinlai however she pleased.

Ou Xinya was not the only one thinking this way. The half-serpent was thinking the same thing.

The half-serpent had transformed into its present form because it had failed to survive its tribulation. Even so, it considered itself far more powerful than ordinary snake demons. Yet today, it had happened to encounter an even more peculiar white serpent.

When facing that white serpent, the half-serpent had actually felt a chill of fear rise in its heart. And as they battled, it discovered that it could not gain the slightest advantage.

Confronted with such an unfavorable situation, the half-serpent chose to retreat without hesitation. As long as Ou Xinya found the treasure, both the strange serpent and Ou Xinlai would die. The half-serpent had never imagined that the once-useless Ou Xinlai would pick up such a strange serpent—and become so powerful herself.

Ou Xinya had not been the only one to encounter that formation. Before her, Ou Xinlai had encountered it as well. But Ou Xinlai had still been somewhat deranged at the time. Seeing her in that state, and noticing the unsightly red birthmark on her forehead, the half-serpent had decided not to choose her.

Instead, it had lain dormant for a time, until the beautiful yet vicious Ou Xinya appeared. Only then had it revealed itself, intending to rely on Ou Xinya to survive its tribulation.

Judging from the current situation, however, the half-serpent had already begun to regret its decision.

Had it known that Ou Xinlai would accomplish so much more than Ou Xinya, it should have followed Ou Xinlai. Even if Ou Xinlai was not beautiful, it could still have inhabited the body of a beautiful woman. It did not have to cling to Ou Xinya every moment of every day, changing its attitude according to the sort of woman she was facing.

Unfortunately, no amount of regret could change anything now. The half-serpent and Ou Xinlai stood on completely opposing sides.

“Go!” the half-serpent roared.

It then released a cloud of black mist, moving like an octopus. Ou Xinlai and the little white serpent saw nothing but darkness before their eyes. When they opened them again, Ou Xinya and the half-serpent had vanished.

“What the hell? Are you sure that strange creature was originally a snake and not an octopus?” Ou Xinlai exclaimed. “It can even spit out black mist. What kind of nonsense is that?”

“We must hurry,” the little white serpent said. “It seems the half-serpent wants to buy Ou Xinya time, so she can find the great treasure in this virtual realm before you do. Once she has it, she can use it against you. So even though you defeated her just now, do not celebrate too soon. Unless you find the treasure before she does, you are still in danger.”

“It will not be easy to find.” Ou Xinlai frowned. She naturally understood the situation. But the place was vast and empty, and the mist obscured her vision. Finding a hidden treasure here was no easier than searching for a needle in the sea.

“Keep looking,” the little white serpent said. It knew that this was asking a great deal of Ou Xinlai. But another person had appeared in the virtual realm, and Ou Xinlai had to race against time to find the treasure before Ou Xinya.

Since the little white serpent had said so, Ou Xinlai could only summon every ounce of energy she possessed and search for the great treasure.

Ou Xinya might have been concentrating wholeheartedly on finding it, but Ou Xinlai had to divide her attention to protect Ye Zifei and the others.

As it happened, that was precisely what allowed Ou Xinlai and the little white serpent to discover another treasure.

After Ou Jinjue and Ye Zifei joined forces, they encountered all sorts of trouble along the way. However, with Ye Zifei present, the safety of Ou Jinjue and the others was never in question. By then, the younger members of the Ou family had finally realized that Ye Zifei had been concealing his true strength all along.

This was especially true of Ou Jinxin and the other two who had entered the Dragon’s Lair with Xuan Ye previously. They discovered that no matter how rapidly Xuan Ye’s supernatural abilities improved, he was still utterly incomparable to Ye Zifei. Even if Ye Zifei had not entered the Chiyou Ancient Cave, Xuan Ye could never have surpassed him.

Naturally, halfway along the road, Ye Zifei and the others encountered Xuan Ye once more.

When Xuan Ye saw Ye Zifei, then noticed that several members of the Ou family were following him, a trace of hatred flashed through his eyes.

After Ou Xinlai’s departure, Xuan Ye had tried repeatedly to find her, but without success. He had wanted to take advantage of her absence to win Ou Chenfeng’s approval once more and obtain his consent to their marriage.

Who could have known that Ou Chenfeng would refuse even to meet him?

Ou Chenfeng’s attitude toward Xuan Ye had grown far colder than before.

Only then did Xuan Ye realize that Ou Chenfeng’s attitude toward him had actually been fairly good all along—but only because he was his daughter’s fiancé.

Now that their relationship was gone, Ou Chenfeng no longer felt obliged to show him any respect. Xuan Ye finally understood that without Ou Xinlai, he was not more glorious than before. He was actually in an even more miserable state.

Without Ou Chenfeng’s support, Xuan Ye discovered that being a member of the Xuan family alone was not enough to accomplish anything.

At least in the Xuanwu Kingdom, the Ou family was powerful enough to support half the sky.

Without the Ou family’s wholehearted backing, this prince found that every task became far more difficult, whether he wanted to accomplish something or search for something.

Ou Xinlai was in the Xuanwu Kingdom, and Ye Zifei had left as well. Yet although Ye Zifei was no longer in the Xuanwu Kingdom and had entered the Immortal Pool Ruins, he had somehow still encountered members of the Ou family. Xuan Ye felt certain that this had something to do with Ou Xinlai.

He therefore approached Ye Zifei.

“Where is Xinlai?”

Ye Zifei glanced at him. “What does that have to do with you?”

Where Ou Xinlai was had nothing to do with Xuan Ye. “What is lost is lost. Forcing the matter will achieve nothing except making a fool of yourself.”

Ye Zifei looked down on Xuan Ye.

In the past, Xuan Ye had seemed more blessed than any other man in the world. He had even been Ou Xinlai’s fiancé since childhood. Yet he had failed to cherish her. Now that they had broken off their engagement, he refused to let her go.

Ye Zifei sincerely did not want to spare such a man even a second glance.

“What does it have to do with you?” Xuan Ye retorted. “At least she and I were once engaged. She used to love me. So as long as I conduct myself well, I believe that one day Xinlai will come back to me. But you—stealing another man’s woman. Is that something to be proud of?”

Xuan Ye believed that if he wanted Ou Xinlai to return to him, the first person he had to deal with was Ye Zifei.

Before the engagement had been broken, Ou Xinlai and Ye Zifei had already seemed quite close. Thus, if he could drive Ye Zifei away, Xuan Ye believed that with the charm of the number-one young master of the Xuanwu Kingdom, winning Ou Xinlai’s heart again would not be difficult.

When Xuan Ye became agitated and stepped forward, reaching out as though to seize Ye Zifei by the collar, Ye Zifei impatiently flicked his hand.

With that single motion, Xuan Ye was sent flying.

“Do not do things beyond your ability.”

Ye Zifei’s words carried a double meaning. He was warning Xuan Ye that Ou Xinlai was no longer his woman—and, more importantly, that Ye Zifei was not someone Xuan Ye could afford to provoke.

Xuan Ye was stunned by the blow.

All this time, he had believed that his supernatural cultivation had advanced greatly after his journey into the Chiyou Ancient Cave. Since Ye Zifei had not gone there, Xuan Ye naturally assumed that he had surpassed him. Thus, if Ye Zifei refused to listen to reason, Xuan Ye had not minded using force.

He had never imagined that he would be the one unable to withstand even a single move from the other man.

“Who are you?” Xuan Ye stared at Ye Zifei in furious disbelief. Why was Ye Zifei so powerful when no one in the Xuanwu Kingdom knew anything about him? How could someone as suspicious as this possess the identity of Little Marquis Wu?

“You do not need to know who I am. You only need to know that I am someone you can never surpass.”

Another man was watching his woman—and one who had once been involved with her, at that. Ye Zifei did not know how other people felt about such things, but he certainly disliked it.

Fortunately, Ou Xinlai had no such feelings for Xuan Ye. Otherwise, Ye Zifei would not have merely given him a minor lesson today.

“Little White Serpent, look!” Ou Xinlai had naturally seen Ye Zifei and Xuan Ye fighting, but something else was even more important. Within the virtual realm, she had noticed something glittering and golden.

“Metal-element fruits!” The little white serpent excitedly wagged its tail.

Neither of them had expected that Ye Zifei’s fight with Xuan Ye would inadvertently help them so greatly.

Behind the wall where Xuan Ye had crashed, a faint golden radiance shone through the earthen bricks. That corner was rather dark; without Xuan Ye, Ou Xinlai would never have noticed it.

After all, who would have imagined that a treasure was hidden inside an earthen wall and stone pillar?

“Ye Zifei, I will not admit defeat!”

Xuan Ye rose from the ground and glared viciously at Ye Zifei, as though he were looking at the murderer of his father.

Yet to Xuan Ye, Ye Zifei and he did share a hatred akin to that of a man who had stolen another’s wife. The two were now utterly irreconcilable, and the former shallow, superficial friendship had naturally vanished without a trace.

After Xuan Ye left, Ou Jinjue and the others decided to continue onward as well.

But Ou Jinjue suddenly found that he could not move. It felt as though something had caught hold of his collar. Not only that, the force was dragging him in a particular direction—the very place where Xuan Ye had just been standing.

After Ou Xinlai pushed Ou Jinjue in front of the earthen wall, she stopped. When Ou Jinjue tried to turn around, Ou Xinlai would not let him.

Seeing Ou Jinjue’s strange behavior, Ou Jinren stepped forward and asked, “What is wrong? Could there be another treasure inside this earthen wall?”

His words jolted Ou Jinjue awake.

Ou Jinjue had still been utterly confused, but those words suddenly brought him enlightenment.

“Ye Zifei, come here. Help me figure this out. Let us destroy this wall together.”

Ou Jinjue pulled Ye Zifei over to deal with the earthen wall.

If that mysterious force really was Ou Xinlai, then it was entirely possible that she had sensed a treasure inside the wall. Otherwise, why would that lazy woman insist on dragging him here and making him face the wall?

Ye Zifei glanced at Ou Jinjue. Ou Jinjue nodded, indicating that this was indeed Ou Xinlai’s intention.

Once he was certain, Ye Zifei did not hesitate. With a single strike, he destroyed the wall.

But the instant the earthen wall collapsed, rays of golden light burst outward, so dazzling that Ye Zifei and the others could barely keep their eyes open.

Ou Xinlai tossed the little white serpent into the golden radiance, and moments later received five golden lumps.

They clearly could not be chewed, so Ou Xinlai simply swallowed all five whole.

She also had the little white serpent feed one to each of Ye Zifei and the others.

The appearance of the treasure and its dazzling golden light naturally attracted the covetous attention of everyone nearby. By the time Ye Zifei and the others reacted, they had already been surrounded by a crowd. Every person was staring greedily at the place emitting the golden glow.

Ye Zifei frowned. Although he was highly capable, dealing with so many experts at once would still be difficult. Yet for Ou Xinlai’s sake, he could only try.

“Those are metal-element fruits!” someone suddenly recognized the treasure and shouted.

His words caused an uproar.

A single elemental fruit was worth a fortune. And judging from the intensity of the golden light, how could there be only one fruit? If each person took several, they would never again have to worry about food or clothing after leaving this place.

“Gentlemen, greed is unbecoming,” a middle-aged man said, trying to take advantage of the situation. Seeing that Ye Zifei and the others were young, he assumed they were not very capable and intended to frighten them away. “Since you discovered these things, we will not rob you. Pick a few fruits, then go as far away as you can. How does that sound?”

At his words, Ye Zifei narrowed his eyes.

A scream rang out.

The man who had been swaggering moments earlier now had one arm wrenched out of place, blood pouring from the wound. Ye Zifei’s action was clearly meant to serve as a warning to the others.

Sure enough, when the surrounding people saw how ruthlessly and decisively he had struck, they stopped in their tracks. But the greed in their eyes diminished not at all.

“Look! The golden light is fading. Someone is stealing the fruits!”

Some people kept their eyes on Ye Zifei, while those hoping to profit continued watching the metal-element fruits. As the fruits disappeared, the golden radiance naturally weakened as well.

Just as the crowd was preparing to risk everything and fight Ye Zifei, the golden light faded at a visible speed until it vanished completely.

When the radiance had entirely disappeared, everyone saw an old golden axe embedded in the earthen wall. Its handle had become the root of a tree, and a golden tree had grown from it. Originally, the tree had been covered with golden fruits. Now, however, not a single one remained.

“The Mountain-Cleaving Axe!”

Someone recognized that the golden axe had a remarkable origin. It was said that there was an axe in the world capable of splitting open any great mountain. The Mountain-Cleaving Axe was naturally a divine artifact. People had heard of it, but no one had ever seen it.

Who could have imagined that the legendary divine artifact would be embedded in an earthen wall, growing into a metal-element tree and bearing fruit?

Once the fruits had all been consumed, the spiritual energy of the Mountain-Cleaving Axe seemed to have been exhausted. The golden tree that had gleamed so brilliantly moments before began to crumble like wood ash, scattering into the air until not a trace remained.

Ou Jinjue breathed a sigh of relief. Ou Xinlai truly had a talent for finding trouble for him. If she had not acted so quickly and taken all the golden fruits, they would have faced certain disaster today.

“Hand over the metal-element fruits at once!”

Although Ou Jinjue had thought they were safe, they were not.

Even though the metal-element fruits had disappeared in full view of everyone, the crowd might not believe that they were gone. Instead, they would assume that Ye Zifei and the others were performing some trick, creating a false illusion to deceive them.

Unless they were allowed to search their bodies, the crowd would never believe that none of them possessed any metal-element fruits. But if they really were searched, Ye Zifei and the others would have no hope of keeping the valuable items on them. The people before them would search everything away, leaving them with nothing.

Irritation flashed through Ye Zifei’s heart, along with a murderous gleam in his eyes.

The reason he had restrained his temper was not that he lacked the strength. It was that whenever he made a move, the result would be a fight to the death.

At that moment, the Immortal Pool Ruins suddenly shook violently. The earth trembled, the mountains seemed to sway, and no one could remain standing.

“What—what happened?”