Chapter 1416: Chapter 1417: Pack Everything and Take It All Away
Above the river, one by one, artifacts brimming with earth-shattering battle intent drifted in like exquisite delicacies, presenting themselves before the eyes of the gathered cultivators.
These treasures all originated from the Ancient Battlefield, a place where wars raged ceaselessly, cultivators fell at every moment, and fragments of Magic Treasures shattered and detached constantly, ultimately carried here to the Baihe Family by the blood of the War God ancestor of the Immortal Crane Clan.
Each fragment or remnant was steeped in an aura of terror. Just a glance at them felt like facing a vision of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
The treasures floating on the water were mostly broken remains of Magic Treasures, battered and smashed, their divinity lost—yet their imposing aura still lingered. Each fragment bore the memories of the strong from eras past, deserving the admiration and reverence of all living beings.
Among the crowd, Wu Yong wore a face full of provocation. His expression was self-evident: he was clearly bullying someone he perceived as a bumpkin, someone with shallow cultivation level.
“If you’re too cowardly, that’s fine. But it also means you’re unworthy of participating in this gathering. Please feel free to leave, Brother Li.”
Wu Yong sneered sinisterly, his face brimming with malice.
“What’s so hard about it? If I manage to retrieve the treasure, does it then belong to me?”
Li Xiaobai grinned cheekily, his demeanor carefree and indifferent.
The crowd thought he was simply mouthing off, brimming with empty boasts. Just a rural bumpkin—throw him into the river and let him die already, out of sight and out of mind.
“Of course. Today, my Baihe Family opens its doors wide; all visitors are guests. The treasures seek those with fate and virtue. If Brother Li can retrieve a treasure, he may certainly take it away. On this point, all fellow Daoists present can be witnesses.”
Wu Yong’s eyes brimmed with even greater disdain. This was not merely a bumpkin, but also an idiot lacking any reverence for the strong.
It was well-known that these treasures carried the immense presence of the War God’s bloodline and the spiritual essence of the Ancient Battlefield, imbued with terrifying divine brilliance. Anybody attempting to seize them rashly was courting certain death. But since this fool insisted on throwing his life away, Wu Yong wouldn’t bother stopping him.
“If that’s the case, permit me to embarrass myself!”
Li Xiaobai clasped his hands leisurely behind his back and said calmly. He took a step forward, heading directly toward the river.
The dazzling treasures on display had already made his heart race and his eyes burn with excitement. Though the river was perilous, and even those possessing a cultivation level of the Transcendent Second Layer were far from adequate to survive the danger, Li Xiaobai had devised a method to lure the treasures to him voluntarily.
With a flip of his wrist, he retrieved a talisman. In the curious gazes of the crowd, he picked up a roadside stone with his other hand. As the talisman emitted a burst of golden light, the stone in his hand transformed instantly into a Peach Wood Sword.
The Exchange Charm—a type of Basic Talisman capable of spatial substitution. Despite its foundational nature, its potent Power of Laws remained effective even here in the Immortal Gods Realm.
All that was needed was a substitution medium, and it could effortlessly replace any object.
“Heh heh heh, lucky me! Managed to swap it out!”
Li Xiaobai scratched his head with a silly grin, his face radiating simple happiness.
The crowd fell into dead silence. The cultivators stood petrified, staring in stunned disbelief at the Peach Wood Sword in Li Xiaobai’s hand. It was an authentic Ancient Battlefield treasure, only slightly damaged. Despite being riddled with cracks, its divinity had not entirely dissipated, making it a precious artifact still suitable for combat.
How had such a treasure ended up in the hands of this bumpkin in the blink of an eye, through a process that none of them could even comprehend?
Wasn’t he supposed to be a rustic fool?
Wasn’t he just a hillbilly?
How had he suddenly turned so miraculous?
“Haha, Young Master Li is truly a master who hides his talents. Who would’ve imagined you’d possess such formidable methods? Truly admirable!”
“On behalf of my family’s juniors, I offer our apologies to the Young Master!”
The Immortal Guqin named Bai Lu, her eyes glimmering with surprise, quickly regained her composure.
The man before her had clearly concealed his abilities, such that even she had failed to perceive them. Evidently, he was a prodigy—a remarkable prodigy!
Her apology, however, elicited no response. Instead, Li Xiaobai brought out yet another pile of golden talismans, scattering them across the air. In mere moments, all the treasures within the river vanished, swapped one after the other with stones from the riverbank. In the span of just a few breaths, not even a single trace remained.
“Oh, come on…”
Witnessing this scene, Wu Yong’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. What just happened here?
Even the Baihe Family’s cultivators, blessed with the ancestral Cangtian White Crane bloodline flowing in their veins, had to tread cautiously when approaching these treasures in the river—let alone outsiders. Yet this man had shattered their common understanding, using extraordinary methods to sweep the treasures clean. Could such feats truly be accomplished by someone of the same generation?
What were those golden talismans?
Who exactly was this man?
“Who are you, and what is your purpose infiltrating our clan?”
“Who sent you here?”
Wu Yong couldn’t help but bellow, while the other cultivators of the Baihe Family shot wary glances, their gazes brimming with tension. They looked as if they were facing an imminent threat.
This wasn’t a bumpkin come to broaden his horizons; this was someone deliberately here to cause havoc!
“I’m Li Xiaobai. Just had a stroke of luck. And as per Brother Wu Yong’s words earlier, these treasures now belong to me. Thank you kindly—indeed, the Baihe Family cultivators are so generous and magnanimous!”
Li Xiaobai chuckled, turning his wrist to stash the treasures into oversized bags. He had actually been fretting over a plausible excuse to act, yet these people had handed him a golden opportunity to plunder without consequence—how could he not indulge?
“You bastard! You clearly came prepared! What kind of talisman was that earlier? Hand it over, and I might spare your life!”
Wu Yong glared in rage, feeling deeply humiliated. A frightening aura rose from him, surging like waves, while an Immortal Crane vaguely took shape behind him, spreading its wings in preparation for action.
“Stop!”
“Don’t be reckless!”
Bai Lu intervened to reprimand the two.
Just as she was about to speak further, an exclamation from the crowd suddenly erupted.
“It’s the Shui Yunzhou!”
“It’s the Shui Yunzhou! How did another Shui Yunzhou from the Ancient Battlefield end up with the Baihe Clan?!”
A pink garment floated serenely toward the river’s surface—a silk robe with delicate skirts, evidently female attire!
Yet this single piece of clothing made the young cultivators present cry out in awe.
“The Shui Yunzhou is celestial battle armor from great cultivators, one of the Immortal Armors of the ancient battlefield. Its transformations are boundless and unpredictable. Though it’s female attire, it possesses the ability to devour all things—a terrifying and glorious power that promises boundless benefits to whoever obtains it!”
The cultivators murmured in excitement. Li Xiaobai’s earlier spectacle was instantly disregarded; their gazes were solely fixed on the floating garment.
As he noticed their fervent expressions, Li Xiaobai couldn’t help wondering: what is it with these elite youths of the Immortal Gods Realm—is everyone here obsessed with dressing as female cultivators?