Ye Tiancheng spoke these words to comfort himself, what good method could he possibly have? He could only continue walking in the direction he was guided.
Fortunately, the fragments within his body reacted more and more strongly, indicating he was getting closer to what he sought. Ye Tiancheng was delighted and kept moving forward without daring to stop.
However, a swamp suddenly appeared ahead. Even if Ye Tiancheng wanted to continue, he couldn't rashly advance. Ye Tiancheng picked up a stone by the roadside and tossed it into the swamp. The large stone was instantly swallowed, leaving no trace as if it had never been there. Ye Tiancheng was fortunate he hadn't taken that step, otherwise, he would have been like the stone. This swamp had a devouring effect, which he had never expected.
"Did you two see that? This swamp is too bizarre, it scared me. Fortunately, I didn't go forward. If I had, I might have lost my life."
"Don't act rashly. I just saw it. It seemed like some monsters with claws were hidden beneath the surface. Be careful."
Ye Tiancheng knew he had to be careful, but crossing this swamp was not easy. From a glance, the swamp seemed endless.
If he could see the end, Ye Tiancheng could fly over with his true qi. But the current situation clearly did not allow it.
"This swamp is really getting in the way. I can't let the swamp keep swallowing things so arrogantly. It seems necessary to have a confrontation."
Even the most arrogant person wouldn't consider a swamp an enemy, but Ye Tiancheng was an exception.
Anything that blocked his path would be cleared by Ye Tiancheng. Ye Tiancheng used his true qi to strike the swamp three times rapidly. Three booming explosions were heard, followed by broken legs with thorns, which were blasted out and scattered everywhere.
This spectacle stunned Nuwa Stone and the Great Green Snake, who looked at Ye Tiancheng with disbelief. Especially Nuwa Stone, who still couldn't adapt to Ye Tiancheng's peculiar actions and started shouting loudly.
"Ye Tiancheng, you're too violent! You didn't even spare a swamp. You've blasted out everything inside. I don't know what kind of monsters they were, but they're all broken now. There's also some greenish vegetation, I don't know what it is, but it's all shattered now."
Ye Tiancheng smiled disdainfully, "Serves them right. This is the effect I wanted. If they wanted to stop me, it's easy. The final outcome will only be like this, a fight to the death."
Now that Ye Tiancheng had reached the highest level of the Golden Core stage, he naturally wouldn't fear these small fry.
If these swamps wanted to hinder him from finding the treasure, Ye Tiancheng could only destroy them. That was the simplest method.
Ye Tiancheng's move was indeed quite effective. The swamp quickly developed three large pits, three to four meters high. When there's an effect, one must press the advantage. Ye Tiancheng continued to use his true qi and unleashed a barrage of attacks.
Soon, the swamp was completely cleared, and everything inside was blown away.
At the bottom of the large pit, Ye Tiancheng suddenly saw an opening. Although the opening was not clear, he could vaguely see what looked like a chest inside.
It was quite interesting that this swamp also hid a secret.
Ye Tiancheng was very excited. He quickly ran over and flew to retrieve the chest.
The chest had a large lock, and it seemed a key was needed to open it. But Ye Tiancheng was impatient and wanted to solve it violently.
Ye Tiancheng could feel the half fragment of the Fuxi Qin on his body flashing wildly. This was enough to indicate that the item inside the chest was likely a fragment of the Fuxi Qin.
Ye Tiancheng was eager to open the chest, but even with his true qi, he couldn't. The large lock was covered with a layer of magic, and it seemed not so simple.
Perhaps he had overcomplicated a simple matter. Ye Tiancheng tried some ordinary methods, but they were even less effective.
"Ye Tiancheng, don't bother. I think to open this chest, you must find the key."
The Great Green Snake usually didn't speak much, but when it did, it never spoke nonsense.
Ye Tiancheng thought the Great Green Snake had a point, but where could he find a key? The current predicament was truly vexing.
After finally finding the Fuxi Qin fragment, the treasure he sought was within reach, but he couldn't get it. It was truly infuriating.
Just as Ye Tiancheng was at a loss, the bottom of the swamp suddenly shook three times, and something resembling a frog flew out.
To call this monster a frog would be an insult to frogs, as it only resembled a frog in appearance and was much uglier in reality. "Bold intruder, I am the guardian of this Fuxi Qin fragment. Put down the chest quickly. You can't open it with your abilities."
Ye Tiancheng sent a true qi attack, and the big frog lost another leg. The familiar scene proved that the legs that had flown out earlier were all parts of its body.
It had been arrogant just moments ago, but now it cried out in pain twice.
"What do you want? You thief! You came here to steal things, and you even hit me. You're simply a bandit. I'm not to be trifled with either. I'll fight you to the death."
Ye Tiancheng's expression was cold; he didn't take this monster seriously at all. This guardian beast was not as good as the one in the Hou family's ancestral hall, and it looked even more pathetic.
"Calm down. I am determined to get this Fuxi fragment. Anger harms the body. Adjust your emotions."
"I will definitely not give you the item. It's useless to you anyway, as you can't open it. Without the key, you can only watch and fret."
Ye Tiancheng sent another powerful true qi attack, and the frog monster flew out a small leg, crying out in pain twice. It no longer dared to be presumptuous.
"A gentleman uses his words, not his fists. Why do you always hit people? Stop attacking. I don't want to fight."
This frog monster, which had been baring its teeth and wanting to devour Ye Tiancheng, suddenly transformed into a peacemaker. The simplest reason was that the frog was losing to Ye Tiancheng, so it resorted to preaching道理 (principles/reasoning) to suppress him.
Ye Tiancheng had encountered many monsters who liked to preach道理, and this was not the first. Naturally, he knew their tactics.
"I am not a gentleman. As you said, I am a thief. Tell me quickly where the key is. If you don't, I will smash you."
"What? You're too brutal! You want to smash me? Do you think I can be easily attacked by you? You're thinking too simply."
"Honestly, I've seen many monsters, and you're the most cowardly. You're clearly weak but still bluffing, not even daring to fight."
The frog monster was hit where it hurt by Ye Tiancheng's words. Its expression twisted, and after a long pause, it puffed up its body in anger as if it were about to explode before speaking again.
"I only have the chest, not the key. You have to find the key yourself."
"How is that possible? You are the guardian of the Fuxi Qin fragment, so you must know where the key is. Don't force me to act. Be proactive. I don't want to use too much violence on you, as it would seem like I'm bullying the weak."
Seeing that Ye Tiancheng was about to act again, the frog monster also feared pain. It had been sleeping at the bottom of the swamp for many years. After such a long period of peace, it was suddenly broken by Ye Tiancheng, so it naturally wanted to be freed quickly.
"Alright, I know I was wrong, but the key is really not with me. You can take the chest. I can give you a hint: the key to this chest is related to time."
"Which Su family? There are so many people with the surname Su. You're not going to make me search them one by one, are you?"
"I know your difficulty, so I'll give you a more precise hint. I know their family members are good-looking, with excellent genes. Every generation, there is a particularly beautiful woman."
Hearing the frog monster's hint, Ye Tiancheng quickly thought of someone. If that was the case, an image of Su Muxian flashed in Ye Tiancheng's mind.
"Stinky frog, are you talking about a girl who looks like a fairy, with exquisite features that don't look human?"
"You could say that. Anyway, the Su family has beauties in every generation, and their family should be quite wealthy. You'll find out if you inquire. You don't need to interrogate me here. I've told you all the information I know. You can't bully me anymore."
Although the frog monster was ugly, it was still quite polite. It spoke to Ye Tiancheng in a cultured manner, making it seem like an educated person.
Interestingly, after warning Ye Tiancheng not to bully it anymore, the frog monster also shed a few tears, seeming quite sad.
"Alright, don't cry. Go back to the bottom of your swamp. However, I also warn you not to harm others. I don't care what you eat, but you must not eat people. If I find out you're causing trouble in this swamp, I will directly cripple you."
"When did I ever eat people? I haven't eaten anyone. Don't wrongly accuse me. I don't like eating people."
The frog monster still had quite a bit of grievance. It argued noisily. Despite being a loser, its voice was louder than Ye Tiancheng's. Ye Tiancheng suddenly didn't want to argue with it anymore, feeling that this guy's intelligence was like that of a child, and there was nothing to argue about.
"Hurry back into your swamp and hide. Don't let me see you again. Goodbye."
After speaking, Ye Tiancheng returned the way he came, holding the chest. Although the chest was not large, it felt very heavy in Ye Tiancheng's arms. This was mainly because it contained the Fuxi Qin fragment, the item Ye Tiancheng most hoped to obtain, which made it so precious.
After taking the chest back, Hou Mingzhu looked around the chest several times and then nodded thoughtfully.
"Brother Ye, where did you get this treasure? Is it a gift for me?"
"This is the Fuxi Qin fragment I've been busy searching for these past two days. I found another piece in your family's ancestral hall. There's another piece here, but I can't open it without a key."
Now Ye Tiancheng no longer treated Hou Mingzhu as an outsider, so he told her everything and consulted her when necessary. However, Hou Mingzhu's intelligence was too low, and he probably couldn't come up with anything by consulting her.
"I'm a bit disappointed. I thought it was a gift from Brother Ye. Brother Ye, you haven't given me a gift yet."
"I don't know how to buy gifts. Don't make it difficult for me."
Just as Ye Tiancheng finished speaking, Fatty arrived. Ye Tiancheng had called Fatty in advance, so Fatty's arrival was timely, rushing over as soon as he could.
"Brother Ye, the treasure you mentioned is in this chest."
"Yes, but I need to get a key from Su Muxian. However, I fell out with Su Muxian before. Why don't you help me contact her?"
Little Fatty smiled maliciously, "No wonder Brother Ye found me. It turns out you offended the girl and now you don't dare to show your face, so you're pushing me out as a shield."
"Alright, stop the nonsense and contact her quickly. It's me who wants to find her."
"Okay, Brother Ye, don't you trust me? I'll go find her right away."
Seeing Little Fatty about to leave, Ye Tiancheng grabbed him and asked with a slightly awkward expression, "Hou Mingzhu asked me for a gift. What do you think would be a good gift?"