Isn't this too discouraging

Chen Xuan looked at the palace just a stone's throw away, feeling a bit resigned. He tied the urea woven bag in front of his body.

The two big characters "Urea" were positioned right on his chest.

"I already have issues with places like this. To be safe, I'll prepare in advance."

Chen Xuan said with a smile.

"Old Chen, should I call in an expert? That way we'd be a little safer."

Xu Mu turned to look at Chen Xuan.

"Brother Mu, you don't think I'm scared, do you?"

Chen Xuan waved his hand with a grin. "If we bring another expert, we'll have to split the treasure with one more person. I love a little thrill, after all."

"That's good to hear."

Xu Mu nodded. Logically speaking, the opportunity here should belong to Chen Xuan.

Besides, he was the protagonist. So far, he hadn't even met his beloved senior sister, the main love interest—there was no way he would die now.

Of course, even if there was real danger, Xu Mu could certainly handle a bit of it.

Tong Guoguo wore a calm expression. As a Middle Transcending Mortal stage cultivator, if Xu Mu—who was only at the Grandmaster level—wasn't afraid, she was even less so.

Jin Mo felt the same way. His original purpose for coming this time was to help Xu Mu in battle.

If he was scared, he wouldn't have come.

Under Miao Qing's guidance, they stepped inside the palace.

As soon as they entered, they found themselves in a formation, standing on a cliff with a suspension bridge ahead.

At the center of the bridge stood a silver-haired man in armor.

The battle armor he wore was similar to that of the Demon Guards.

"He is the first guardian of this ruin. He's very strong. Without my mother's help, I couldn't get past him."

Miao Qing said from the side.

"Then how did your mother get past? Was there some technique?"

Xu Mu looked at Miao Qing and asked.

"She..."

Miao Qing's heart was conflicted. In fact, this first guardian could have been the perfect way to get rid of these people.

But there was a loophole.

Normally, people would cross this suspension bridge one by one.

For example, if Xu Mu went first and got killed, the others behind him would certainly think twice before charging to their deaths.

"I've already offered you a ten percent share, and you're still hesitating. You're not trying to trick me, are you?"

Xu Mu cast a faint glance at Miao Qing.

"I... how can I trust you? You descendants of Yanhuang are always full of lies."

Miao Qing stared at Xu Mu and asked.

She was torn. If it were just her and her mother, they might never get the treasure inside.

Worse still, if her father, the tribe leader, used her for marriage alliances with other tribes,

Then this factory might well fall into someone else's hands.

By then, forget about finding treasure—even just getting back in would be extremely difficult.

"Brother Mu isn't that kind of person."

Chen Xuan said to Miao Qing.

"Enough. Words are meaningless. We don't know each other, and I can't prove anything."

Xu Mu thought for a moment, then said to Miao Qing, "You go back. We'll tackle this ruin on our own. But your ten percent share is gone."

Miao Qing stared intently at Xu Mu's face before finally speaking. "I'll take a gamble. This guardian is incredibly strong—at the Transcending Mortal stage, though I don't know exactly which level within that stage. After all, my mother is only at the Grandmaster level."

"Transcending Mortal stage—that's manageable."

Tong Guoguo looked toward the distant suspension bridge. "You all wait here. I'll take care of him."

Miao Qing was stunned. She hadn't expected this red-haired woman to be at the Transcending Mortal stage.

That might actually mean they could get the treasure.

"Guoguo, let her finish speaking. If we can avoid a fight, we should."

Xu Mu grabbed Tong Guoguo's arm and turned back to Miao Qing.

"To get past this place, you need to use our Jiuli tribe's heaven-grade cultivation technique, the Demon Guard."

Miao Qing explained, "My mother was once a royal member of the First Tribe and had learned this technique."

"A royal member? Then why are you both living so poorly?"

Chen Xuan looked at Miao Qing with confusion.

"That's where the Jiuli tribe's strength lies. Our royal status cannot be inherited. For example, my maternal grandfather was once a powerful expert granted the royal title. As long as he was alive, my mother was a royal member. But after my grandfather died, my mother's status was revoked."

Miao Qing said to Chen Xuan.

"I see. This cuts off those worthless people who rely on their ancestors' glory to cause trouble."

Chen Xuan nodded to himself. "So it's really all about strength. With strength, you're royalty. Without it, you're nothing."

"Isn't this just like the formation earlier?"

Xu Mu smiled as he walked toward the suspension bridge. "Follow behind me."

As he stepped forward, the Demon Guard technique began to manifest on him.

Miao Qing stared at the large patch of red patterns on his back, utterly stunned. She pointed at Xu Mu and stammered, "You... you!"

"What's wrong?"

Xu Mu turned back to look at Miao Qing.

"How is this possible? You're not even a member of our Jiuli tribe! How can you manifest the Demon Guard to this level?"

Miao Qing's face was full of disbelief. "The way you're executing this technique is even stronger than our tribe's top geniuses."

"The geniuses of the Jiuli tribe—how could they compare to Brother Mu?"

Chen Xuan said with a faint smile at the side.

Jin Mo was secretly shocked. He knew very well that powerful cultivation methods were all tailor-made for specific races.

For example, if a descendant of the Yanhuang tribe were to practice a Heaven-rank cultivation method of the Jiuli tribe, it would be vastly more difficult for them than it would be for the Jiuli people.

It could absolutely be described as swimming against the current.

Yet, Xu Mu was actually able to execute this technique to such a profound degree. He was simply too fierce.

[Favorability +10]

Led by Xu Mu, the group headed toward the suspension bridge together. When the guardian there saw the aura of the cultivation method radiating from Xu Mu, they took the initiative to step aside.

Xu Mu and the others smoothly crossed the suspension bridge and made their way to the mountain peak on the opposite bank.

The group arrived at the top of the mountain and looked toward the other side. Down at the foot of the mountain lay a winding river.

"Be careful, there are many enemies hidden in the river, and they are extremely strong. However, to leave this place, we have no choice but to follow the river. We cannot stray too far from it, otherwise, we will never be able to leave."

Miao Qing gave a bitter smile. "To figure out this method, my mother and I spent a full ten years."

Xu Mu nodded and continued to lead the group down along the river. Not long after they set off, four men dressed in black martial attire suddenly emerged from the river water.

They all lunged straight toward Xu Mu and the others.

Seeing this, Tong Guoguo stomped her foot heavily on the ground.

Boom!

Sharp spikes formed from earth and stone suddenly thrust outward from underground, completely impaling the men in black.

Their figures gradually dissipated into thin air.

Seeing this scene, Miao Qing's heart was filled with shock. It seemed this woman really was at the Mortal Shedding Realm.

Xu Mu and the others continued to walk along the river. After traveling for nearly a hundred meters, eight more people leaped out of the water.

Judging by their speed, they were even stronger than the previous group.

Tong Guoguo was just about to strike, but Xu Mu stopped her.

"Let me test first and see if this formation can bypass them."

As Xu Mu spoke, he cast a concealment formation.

The moment the formation shrouded the group, the eight people immediately jumped back into the river and vanished from sight.

"Looks like it works. Let's go."

Xu Mu led the group further ahead, and not a single enemy appeared for the rest of the journey.

Miao Qing was completely dumbfounded. What in the world was going on?

This brief moment of casual effort was actually equivalent to the ten years of hard work she and her mother had put in?

Did it really have to be this demoralizing?