There Really Is a Treasure

Chen Chang'an was holding a leash, but what was tied to the other end wasn’t a dog—it was a lump of feces. The sight left even Da Huang and Xiao Yao utterly bewildered.

Who in the world walks feces like a pet?

"You, the lump of feces, should have sensed it by now."

"I’ve placed a restriction on this leash—you can’t escape."

"Behave, and I’ll let you go when we leave."

"If you don’t, I’ll have Da Huang eat you."

"He’s a dog, after all—specializes in eating crap." Chen Chang'an threatened.

"Chen Chang'an, are you done yet?" Da Huang roared in frustration.

"Hey, did that lump just nod? Wait—no, not nod, but… ‘nod-feces’? No, that’s not right either. How the hell do I describe this?"

Xiao Yao was visibly struggling. It did seem like the lump of feces was nodding, but calling it a "nod" didn’t feel accurate, and "nod-feces" sounded even worse.

"Yi Tuo? That’s a decent name. From now on, we’ll call it Yi Tuo. Saying ‘feces’ all the time makes me feel like I can smell it." Chen Chang'an said with disgust.

"Yi Tuo, run! Faster!"

"Where’s that speed you had when you were running away earlier? You need to go full throttle!"

"Hurry up!"

Yi Tuo dashed ahead at breakneck speed, with Chen Chang'an keeping close behind. Da Huang and Xiao Yao, however, were struggling to keep up.

"What… are they doing?"

"Isn’t that the Huan Hua Immortal Sect’s group? That’s Chen Chang'an, right? What’s he holding onto?"

"Couldn’t see clearly—they were too fast."

"Somehow… it kinda looked like…"

"Like what?"

"Like dried-up feces!"

Huh?

Feces?

He’s chasing after feces?!

The disciples of the Blazing Heaven Immortal Sect were busy collecting treasures when they saw Chen Chang'an and his group sprint past in the distance, leaving them utterly dumbfounded.

"Don’t mind them. Time’s limited—let’s focus on gathering what we can."

"You two, stay alert. This place isn’t as peaceful as it seems."

"Understood."

Among the disciples from the four major immortal sects who had entered, half were veterans who had been here before. They guided the newcomers with ease, knowing exactly where to go and what treasures to seek.

Chen Chang'an, however, had no such agenda. He was here purely for fun and to broaden his horizons.

Take Yi Tuo, for example—if not for the Scarlet Moon Secret Realm, he’d never have encountered something like this in his lifetime.

"Hey… you two, can you slow down?!"

"I can’t keep up anymore!"

Da Huang’s voice echoed from behind. Chen Chang'an turned around and was stunned—he could hear him but couldn’t see him. They’d left him that far behind?

Chen Chang'an came to an abrupt stop, nearly splitting Yi Tuo in two.

"Pretty sturdy, huh?"

Despite the sudden halt and the violent tug from the leash, Yi Tuo remained completely unharmed.

"We’re almost there. We can wait for them at the destination."

Yi Tuo quickly scribbled a line of words on the ground.

Almost there?

Chen Chang'an surveyed the surroundings—barren, utterly lifeless.

Not even ruins in sight. This place didn’t look like it held any treasures at all.

Even with his keen perception, Chen Chang'an sensed nothing special here. Since their initial encounter with a group of disciples from the four major sects, he hadn’t detected another soul.

The Scarlet Moon Secret Realm wasn’t just vast—it also seemed to dull one’s senses to some degree.

"Are you sure there’s really treasure nearby?" Chen Chang'an asked skeptically.

"Yes. Trust me." Yi Tuo hastily wrote back.

Chen Chang'an wasn’t the type to take things at face value. After all, caution was necessary—especially when dealing with a mysterious lump of feces.

He didn’t rush ahead. Instead, he waited for Da Huang and Xiao Yao to catch up before continuing.

"We’re here?"

Despite Yi Tuo’s claim that it was close, they still had to trek several thousand kilometers further.

When Yi Tuo finally stopped, Chen Chang'an couldn’t help but ask—the landscape remained just as desolate as before.

"Follow me."

Without wasting words, Yi Tuo guided them in a specific direction.

Huh?

This lump of feces actually knows this much?

After a few steps, Chen Chang'an realized what was going on—there was some kind of formation here, likely based on the Eight Trigrams or similar mystic arts.

Without the correct method or knowledge, anyone passing through would never notice anything amiss.

As the formation activated, they stepped into another space entirely.

Could this be… one of those legendary blessed lands? A hidden paradise from this world’s past?

"That ruin over there… must have belonged to a once-powerful faction."

"Yi Tuo, how do you know the way in?" Chen Chang'an frowned.

"I don’t know. I just remember."

"I remember being human."

Reading Yi Tuo’s words, Chen Chang'an still found the whole thing suspicious.

How could a human turn into… this? And if you don’t remember how it happened, shouldn’t you at least recall who you were before?

Yet Yi Tuo had never given a straight answer, as if deliberately hiding something.

"Wow, Elder Chen! There’s so much treasure here!"

While Chen Chang'an questioned Yi Tuo, Da Huang had already led Xiao Yao off to scavenge.

True to Yi Tuo’s word, this place was indeed filled with treasures.

"We’re rich! So rich!"

"Look at all this loot!" Da Huang grinned from ear to ear, his tail wagging in excitement.

"What kind of treasures are they, to make you this happy?"

"Of course! There’s more here than in the entire Huan Hua Immortal Sect!"

"If Master knew, she’d be overjoyed."

More than the Huan Hua Immortal Sect?

"A place like this… ordinary people would never stumble upon it."

"Even though the Scarlet Moon Secret Realm has opened many times, no one ever truly uncovered its deepest treasures."

"These resources have remained untouched all this time."

"Xiao Yao, gather everything into your storage ring."

"Da Huang, stay with her. I’ll scout the area."

"Got it. Oh, and be careful—we haven’t run into any Emberkin yet, but they might be lurking here," Da Huang warned.

Hearing this, Chen Chang'an finally remembered—they’d traveled all this way without encountering a single Emberkin. Why?

"Understood. You two stay alert as well."

"Will do."

Chen Chang'an had little interest in the treasures. Instead, he was far more curious about the secrets of this place—and the Scarlet Moon Secret Realm as a whole.

"This must have been their library."

"Techniques, martial skills… nothing but these."

"Ah, finally found something useful."

"So, before destruction comes… there are signs."

After sifting through some records, Chen Chang'an discovered that before this world met its end, the heavens and earth had shown omens.

Yet, no one knew that what awaited them in the end was utter destruction.

"Da Huang?"

"What are you two eating?"

"Don’t just eat anything you find!"