The First Immortal of Destiny

The passage of the ruins was narrow and long; they walked for more than a hundred steps before they saw the exit.

However, emerging from the passage was not as they had expected. They did not find themselves in a secret chamber filled with treasures.

Instead, they arrived at a place resembling the final subsidiary courtyard in the Spirit Talisman Master's tomb.

Before them, the area was shrouded in dense, verdant bamboo groves.

Ahead stood a pavilion.

Beside the pavilion was a lake.

Next to the lake were stone tables and chairs, all covered in thick dust, indicating they hadn't been touched in countless years.

"What's next?"

Everyone looked at Lu Yao, awaiting his instructions.

This time, he was leading the expedition, and the information had come from him.

"I don't know either, but since we've entered the Spirit Treasury, the treasure shouldn't be far," Lu Yao said. "The pavilion ahead should be where the Spirit Treasury's treasures are kept."

Lu Yao gazed at the subsidiary courtyard ahead and suddenly declared, "As fellow disciples seeking treasure, it's only right that the findings should be distributed fairly."

"But, even with a fair distribution, some accounts still need to be settled."

Lu Yao had already prepared a distribution plan in advance to avoid disputes later.

"I bought the information about these ruins, and my cousin and I prepared the Thunder Transforming Pills. Therefore, if there are treasures inside, my cousin and I must choose first."

"Does anyone have any objections to this?"

As his words fell, no one responded.

Evidently, Fang Ming and Duan Rui also agreed with this arrangement.

As for Shen Mo, he had joined midway and possessed a lower cultivation. His opinion was largely irrelevant; it would be considered generous if he received any share at all.

"After my cousin and I have made our selections, it will be Senior Brother Duan Rui's and Senior Brother Fang Ming's turn to choose."

Seeing no objections, Lu Yao continued with the arrangements, "You two Senior Brothers have contributed significantly to breaking the formations."

Without these two fellow disciples skilled in formations, Lu Ming's team would never have been able to enter this Spirit Treasury.

Finding the array core and breaking the formation might have seemed simple, but it actually required considerable expertise in formations. Otherwise, they would have been completely lost.

"As for... Shen Mo."

Lu Yao glanced at him and said coolly, "You joined midway and contributed little. After we've all chosen, if there are any scraps left over, you can have them."

"Cousin..."

Before Shen Mo could speak, Lu Ming frowned, seemingly dissatisfied.

However, Lu Ming didn't dare to openly defy his older cousin. He could only look towards Shen Mo, hoping he wouldn't be angered by this.

"It's fine." Shen Mo shrugged, saying nothing aloud, but a plan was already forming in his mind.

As long as I can get in, if there are truly good treasures, I'll just hunt for them myself. Following them definitely won't get me anything decent.

If there are truly exotic treasures, it'll be up to each person's own abilities.

Just as the group approached the lakeshore, a sudden change occurred!

ROAR!

An incredibly deep dragon roar thundered throughout the entire subsidiary courtyard Spirit Treasury, shaking the very stones and causing the trees to wither.

"Not good! Retreat, quickly!"

Shen Mo was at the forefront. Upon hearing this roar, a sense of alarm flared in his heart.

His figure blurred into an afterimage as he shot backward.

Almost simultaneously, a vortex of water churned violently in the lake.

It seemed as if something was about to surge out from the lakebed.

BANG!

Terrifying waves surged, stirring up an endless maelstrom.

A Python Dragon, over ten meters long, burst from the bottom of the cold lake.

This Python Dragon was enormous, its body a deep azure-purple, its head crowned with prominent horns.

A single glance from it unleashed an overwhelming sense of pressure.

"Is this... a python or a Flood Dragon?"

Seeing the Python Dragon, everyone's faces turned deathly pale with fright.

Among serpents, it takes a hundred years of cultivation to become a Python, a thousand to become a Flood Dragon, and ten thousand to become a true Dragon.

If this truly was a Flood Dragon-level demonic beast, its strength would be equivalent to at least a Human Cultivator at Class III of the Spirit Sea Realm, possibly even higher.

Encountering such a demonic beast on their treasure hunt would undoubtedly be a catastrophe.

"No! This creature hasn't shed its Scale Armor yet. It's still within the category of a Python Dragon."

It was Lu Yao, with his wide experience and knowledge, who quickly spoke to reassure everyone after calming himself.

Although there's only a one-character difference in their names, the disparity in strength between a Python Dragon and a true Flood Dragon is immense; they are simply incomparable.

Indeed, after his words, the others observed more closely and found it to be as Lu Yao had said.

This Python Dragon was covered entirely in Scale Armor, not yet having completed the metamorphosis of crossing the dragon gate.

Furthermore, its aura was at most at the peak of Class II, not reaching the level of Class III.

ROAR!

The Python Dragon hovered above the lake, its bronze bell-sized eyes fixed coldly upon them.

It didn't attack Shen Mo and the others immediately. It seemed to be warning them not to approach the pavilion.

Seeing it made no further moves, the group felt a slight sense of relief.

Soon, however, they faced a dilemma.

Is this Python Dragon a relic beast of the immortal sect, specifically left to guard the Spirit Treasury? Or did it sneak in during the last hundred years as the sect declined?

Regardless, it posed a formidable obstacle.

They could either retreat immediately under its menacing presence or ignore its threat and force their way in to seek treasure.

The first option was difficult for any of them to accept. They had come so far, prepared so much, and with the Treasure Hall right before their eyes, leaving now would be unbearable.

Yet, if they tried to force their way through, their group might not possess the strength to succeed.

After all, even though it hadn't crossed the dragon gate and shed its Scale Armor, this Python Dragon still possessed strength at the peak of Class II.

This level was equivalent to a human cultivator at the peak of the Qi Gathering Realm.

Although Shen Mo's group of five was not weak, they dared not boast they could defeat a demonic beast of this caliber.

"What should we do?"

They exchanged glances, each seeing the hesitation and unwillingness in the others' eyes.

"We force our way through!"

Lu Yao's expression was grimly resolute. Finally, he made the decision.

They had come ninety-nine percent of the way. How could they give up at the very last step?

He was the first to draw his magic artifact, the Heaven Shattering Hammer, and launched it directly at the Python Dragon.

BOOM!

He tossed the small hammer into the air, then channeled his spirit light into it.

In the next instant, the Heaven Shattering Hammer blazed with light, and an immensely heavy hammer shadow materialized behind it.

It smashed down viciously towards the Python Dragon blocking their path.

CLANG!

The Python Dragon shuddered under the impact. But that was all!

A cultivator at the Seventh Layer of the Qi Gathering Realm, even with the power of his magic artifact, was still insufficient to injure the Python Dragon.

HISS!

It let out a furious hiss, finally enraged by these cultivators who had ignored its warning!

Countless torrents of water transformed into blades of ice, shooting towards the group.

"This is bad!"

Seeing this, Shen Mo's scalp tingled. He hastily executed his movement techniques to dodge.

Lu Yao, Fang Ming, and the other senior disciples fared better. As cultivators in the middle-stage of the Qi Gathering Realm, the Python Dragon's casual counterattack was largely insufficient to harm them.

Shen Mo's cultivation, however, was only at Layer II of the Qi Gathering Realm.

Even with various abilities that allowed his combat strength to far surpass others at his level, he couldn't remain as unruffled as his seniors.