I Must Hold Back and Develop Silently

After finishing his words, without waiting for Blood Traceless to react, the Third Patriarch gave him a light but firm slap on the back of his head.

"What are you dawdling for? Hurry up! Or I'll toss you over there myself!"

Blood Traceless staggered from the slap, knowing he had no choice.

He clenched the warm jade pendant in his hand, gritted his teeth, and forced himself to shuffle step by step toward that hidden compartment.

With every step, his heart pounded wildly.

Finally, trembling, he reached out his hand. His fingertip touched the icy edge of the compartment...

"Buzz—!"

The moment his fingertip made contact, the stone walls around the compartment blazed with a glaring ring of blood-red runes!

A surge of icy, wild, destruction-filled energy erupted violently, transforming into several crimson, razor-sharp beams that shot toward him like venomous serpents!

They moved at blinding speed!

Blood Traceless's soul nearly fled his body in terror. Instinctively, he tried to retreat, but there was no time!

This is the end of me!

Just at that critical moment, the drab jade pendant in his hand suddenly burst forth with a soft yet resilient white glow, instantly forming a translucent, eggshell-shaped barrier that enveloped his entire body.

"Screech! Screech! Screech!"

The crimson beams slammed fiercely into the white barrier, producing a grating, teeth-splitting sound.

The barrier surged violently, flickering erratically. Fine cracks even appeared on its surface, but in the end, it held—stubbornly weathering the deadly strike!

"It held? It actually held?! This old bastard didn't trick me this time?!"

The enormous impact transmitted through the barrier. Blood Traceless let out a muffled grunt, his chest feeling as if it had been struck by a hammer. His throat turned bitter as he coughed up a mouthful of blood, and he was sent flying backward, crashing heavily to the ground.

In his hand, the jade pendant let out a "crack," shattering into several pieces as all its spiritual light dimmed.

But just before the shockwave blasted him away, under the glow of the pendant's light, the corner of his eye caught a faint flicker deep within the hidden compartment.

Driven by survival instinct and fear of failing his task, despite the searing pain, Blood Traceless stretched his hand into the compartment and grabbed wildly!

His hand closed around something cool and smooth.

He hit the ground, coughed up two more mouthfuls of blood, his face once again deathly pale. In his trembling hands, he clutched the shattered jade pieces and that cold, smooth object.

"Oh? Did you actually get something?"

The Third Patriarch's eyes lit up. He strode over in a few steps and snatched the object from Blood Traceless's hand.

It was a pigeon-egg-sized sphere, perfectly round and translucent.

Inside the sphere was no solid core, but a hazy, starlit space—boundless and filled with shimmering motes of light.

More strangely, the surface of the orb naturally exuded a pure, gentle aura of Dao resonance. Simply holding it calmed the mind and made one's inner spiritual energy circulate slightly faster.

"This is..."

The Fourth Patriarch also moved closer. After carefully sensing it, a flicker of shock crossed his eyes.

"This orb contains an inner universe, capable of harboring living beings! And the Dao resonance it emits greatly aids enlightenment and cultivation! This is at least a Saint-King level spatial treasure!"

"A Saint-King level treasure? Haha! Excellent! Excellent!"

The Third Patriarch burst into hearty laughter, clapping Blood Traceless hard on the shoulder.

"Well done, kid! This old patriarch always knew you had potential!"

Beside them, the Second Patriarch looked at Blood Traceless's battered state and the shattered jade pendant. He walked over, took out a jade bottle from his storage artifact, and poured out a single emerald-green pellet radiating a refreshing medicinal fragrance. He handed it to Blood Traceless, a benevolent smile spreading across his face.

"Good child, you've suffered. Take this 'Incarnate Creation Pill' quickly. Heal your injuries, and don't let any lasting damage set in."

Blood Traceless was stunned.

Looking at this obviously priceless healing elixir, then at the "caring" gaze of the Second Patriarch, an indescribable bitterness—and a faint trace of warmth—unexpectedly welled up in his heart.

After staying by that unreliable patriarch's side, he had endured so much inhuman "pathfinding" torment, almost dying a dozen times over.

This patriarch was truly kind-hearted!

With trembling hands, he took the pill. His nose tingled and his eyes grew slightly warm. He was just about to mutter some words of gratitude...

When he heard the Second Patriarch turn to the Third Patriarch—who was still fondling the orb—and say in an excited, expectant tone:

"Third Brother, this pathfinder, ah no, this Blood Traceless kid, is really something! Next time you come across some dangerous spot where there might be treasures, remember to lend him to me for some fun!"

Blood Traceless: "..."

That fleeting flicker of gratitude and warmth instantly froze into icy shards, scattering on the ground.

Just then, the Third Patriarch keenly sensed that many greedy gazes from the surrounding shadows were locked onto the glow of the precious orb in his hand.

Clearly, the appearance of a Saint-King level spatial treasure had already attracted more than a few covetous eyes.

"Hmph!"

The smile on the Third Patriarch's face vanished instantly, replaced by a brutal, overbearing aura of murderous intent.

He jerked his head up, his bull-like eyes blazing with ferocity as he swept his gaze across the surroundings. The fearsome pressure of the Saint Realm erupted like a volcanic explosion, sweeping outward in all directions!

"What are you looking at?! A bunch of gutless cowards! You dare to covet your grandpa's treasure?! Tired of living?! Get lost!"

This roar, like a thunderclap, mixed with surging blood energy and sonic waves, shook the entire passage, sending gravel raining down from the walls.

Those figures lurking in the shadows, ready to move, were struck by this sudden, savage momentum. They recoiled as their minds trembled in terror. Startled, they stepped back several paces, suppressing their auras, no longer daring to openly pry.

Only then did the Third Patriarch grunt in satisfaction. Carefully stowing away the orb, he grabbed the still-dazed Blood Traceless like a chick by the scruff of its neck.

Turning to the Second and Fourth Patriarchs, he bellowed: "Let's go! This lousy place seems to have plenty of oil. Move it, or someone else is gonna scoop all the fat!"

Dizzy from being shaken, Blood Traceless silently stuffed that emerald-green "Incarnate Creation Pill" into his mouth and chewed it noisily, as if grinding up some old patriarch's bones.

Feeling his injuries rapidly heal and his cultivation base quietly rise, a firm resolve crystallized in his heart.

I have to endure—hone my strength in silence. When the time comes, I'll shock you all and suppress every last one of you.

Further off, within the crowd.

Gu Changge and Xuanyangzi were still strolling along unhurriedly.

Their auras were suppressed to the extreme, as if they had merged with the surrounding environment. The chaotic battles, the erupting traps, the dying screams—none seemed to disturb their composure in the slightest.

Gu Changge's calm gaze swept across the scene, occasionally pausing on moments like Xiao Ruobai's clever dodging of traps or the Third Patriarch using Blood Traceless as a shield.

As they pushed deeper, everyone could clearly feel it—

the Imperial might pervading the air was increasing steadily, slowly!

That vast Imperial might was no longer merely a psychological pressure; it had become thick and tangible, seeping into every inch of flesh and every corner of the soul.