Chapter 082: Ancient Sacred Ground

The Artifact Sect, one of the top ten sects in ancient times, even its gatekeeping boys were called 'Multi-Treasure Little Boys.' The sect possessed countless artifacts and was the wealthiest of all sects.

But it was destroyed in ancient times. That sorrowful secret no one wished to mention; that era occurred after the Hundred Races War.

Far away at the Artifact Sect, the time for the treasury to open was near. Two powerful groups faced each other. One group was led by Qing Yuan, with Yun'er, Xing Hao, and Shan Qu beneath him—four formidable fighters, especially Yun'er, whose strength rivaled Xing Hao's.

The other group was led by a brocade-robed youth, Gu Mo, a man from the Ancient Sacred Ground! His cultivation was immense, on par with Qing Yuan, and behind him were Li Hongtao and others.

“Qing Yuan, back then your qi sea was shattered by the Demon Lord. Now that it's repaired, have you still not learned your lesson?” Gu Mo smiled, his evil aura permeating his face, often tinged with gloom.

“None of your damn business. If you want to fight, bring it on.” Qing Yuan smacked his lips and said disdainfully, “Your elder brother was severely injured by me back then. Do you want to try my fists too?”

“You have some nerve!” Gu Mo stared at Qing Yuan, his fists slightly clenched, his face instantly turning cold as he shouted.

“Qing Yuan, hand over my soul crystal quickly. I've already given it to Brother Gu.” Li Hongtao suddenly stepped forward. Now that his cultivation had fully recovered, he began to bluster.

“Haha, the beating two days ago wasn't enough for you. Looks like I need to loosen your bones properly. Don't always be someone's dog; you've disgraced the Ancient Desolate Family.” Qing Yuan shook his flabby body and laughed heartily.

“Damn fatty.” A look of ferocity crept onto Li Hongtao's face. Rage burned in his heart. All his gains from three months had fallen into their hands, and even the Qian Yuan Cauldron bestowed by his family had been extorted by Qing Yuan.

“The soul crystal—I must obtain it.” Gu Mo clenched his fist, a flicker of heat passing through his eyes. The appearance of a soul crystal at the Sen Luo Wan Xiang Auction House had caused quite a stir in the Ancient Sacred Ground, but unfortunately it had already been auctioned off, forcing him to come to the Martial Dao Mountain.

“Qing Yuan, you're only four people. Do you think you can contend with us? I don't want to make things difficult for you; just hand over the soul crystal.” Gu Mo smiled.

“Four people? I wonder if adding the two of us will be enough!”

Suddenly, from afar, a faint laughing voice exploded across the sky.

“Yang Tian, you've finally arrived.” Qing Yuan wiped his sweaty palms. They were outnumbered, and Gu Mo's strength was formidable. If Yun'er got hurt, Qing Yuan wouldn't be able to explain it to Yang Tian.

Everyone's gaze shifted instantly. A thousand zhang away, a silver-glowing large ship was speeding toward them. It was a flying treasure that saved much travel time, making Yang Tian envious.

The small silver ship drew many eyes, sparking discussions. Li Hongtao's face turned cold instantly; he would never forget that voice.

“Brother Gu, the soul crystal is on the person inside. He's a friend of Qing Yuan.” Li Hongtao suddenly smiled coldly, walked over, and spoke with a slight grin.

The Sacred Ground, though a reclusive power in the Eastern Continent, had a formidable reputation. Even some Ancient Desolate Families dared not offend it easily. The Ancient Sacred Ground was one of the three great sacred grounds.

“This is the Silver Wing Treasure Ship. Isn't it from the Meng family?” Gu Mo frowned, staring intently at the approaching silver ship.

“Brother Gu, the man inside is called Yang Tian. He's not from any faction. Dealing with him would be a piece of cake for you.” Seeming to read Gu Mo's hesitation, Li Hongtao continued to flatter.

“Oh... not from any faction? That makes it easy.” Gu Mo forced a smile, then patted Li Hongtao's shoulder with a cold grin.

Two figures emerged from the ship, which then vanished without a trace. Yang Tian and Meng Hao rushed toward Qing Yuan's direction.

“Brother Yang, you're here.” Seeing one familiar figure, Yun'er twirled a strand of hair on her shoulder and smiled sweetly. That pure smile made many nearby fiery gazes pause, their heat intensifying.

“Bastard!” Gu Mo's face instantly darkened. His gaze swept over Yang Tian, a trace of killing intent bursting forth. Such an outstanding woman was rare even in the Ancient Sacred Ground, yet now she smiled at a man with no background.

“Hehe, Brother Gu, Yang Tian's skills with women are impressive. Girls like this fall into his hands. Truly a flower planted in cow dung.” Seeing this, Li Hongtao's eyes lit up as he spoke casually.

“No matter how skilled, he must die!” Rage burning in his eyes, Gu Mo gritted his teeth and strode forward, concealing his gloom and resuming his usual expression. He smiled, “Miss Yun'er, how can you associate with such a shameless scoundrel? I think...”

Before he could finish, everyone's gaze shifted, cold and sharp, fixed on Gu Mo. Yun'er's eyes filled with disgust. She pouted, imitating Yang Tian's tone, and squeezed out a few words: “What an idiot...”

“This little girl...” Seeing Yun'er's serious expression, Yang Tian was momentarily stunned, then couldn't help but laugh.

“Haha...” Xing Hao and the others clutched their stomachs laughing, veins bulging on their faces. It was the first time they'd heard Yun'er curse.

“Crack.” Gu Mo's face was grim beyond measure. Endless fury surged in his heart, his body trembling slightly, his fists cracking as he clenched them.

“Yang Tian, Yang Tian, you've offended the Ancient Sacred Ground. Let's see how you die this time.” Li Hongtao smiled sinisterly, pleased with his cunning in manipulating Gu Mo.

“Yang Tian, get out here! If you hand over the soul crystal, I'll spare your life.” Suppressing the rage in his heart, Gu Mo's cold gaze swept over Yang Tian as he shouted.

“What? You want to fight?” Meng Hao frowned, stepping forward. A large black sword appeared in his hand, a brilliant black light swirling in the void. Meng Hao said calmly.

“The Black Profound Sword!” Seeing the black greatsword, a flicker of surprise passed through Gu Mo's eyes as he secretly speculated about Meng Hao's identity. Even Qing Yuan showed a hint of surprise; this weapon was no weaker than his own Thunder God Hammer.

“This little bastard's protectors... one after another, more and more.” Seeing Meng Hao step in, Li Hongtao roared inwardly, a venomous look spreading across his face.

Gu Mo cast a slightly wary glance at Meng Hao, took a deep breath, and fixed his gaze on Yang Tian, sneering, “Yang Tian, are you going to be a turtle hiding in its shell?”

“Idiot...” Yang Tian curled his lip, stepped forward two paces, and swept a cold, fierce gaze over Gu Mo, a hint of killing intent seeping out.

“Yang Tian, be careful. This guy is not easy to deal with.” Qing Yuan frowned slightly. Gu Mo's strength was formidable, and the Sacred Ground's foundation was several notches above their Qing Yuan Empire.

“Don't worry, I'll spar with him. If I can't handle it, you all jump in together and gang up on him.” Yang Tian nodded, then suddenly smiled.

“This guy...” Xing Hao and the others couldn't help but twitch their mouths.

“Not bad, you've got some guts.” Gu Mo smiled, but beneath the smile, murderous intent was undisguised. In an instant, he stomped his foot, and a surge of fierce energy burst forth, compressing the space around them with successive explosions. He looked down on Yang Tian from above.

“All show.” Yang Tian curled his lip, his figure vanishing instantly, moving like a fish swimming in water. With each step, he covered several zhang, his movement technique exceptionally bizarre.

“This is the Carefree Eight Wastelands Step. Brother Yang has cultivated it.” Xing Hao and Shan Qu exchanged glances, a smile spreading across their faces. Yang Tian originally had no movement martial skills; if he mastered the Eight Wastelands Step, his strength would surely rise to another level.

On the road, after two days of study, Yang Tian had only grasped a little of this footwork, not even the basics, but his strength had improved. The Carefree Eight Wastelands Step: treading the eight wastelands, carefree in the mortal world.

Boom! Gu Mo smiled coldly, his hand suddenly turning into a claw. A tremendous force surged out, striking toward Yang Tian's body, a fierce wind howling.

Bang! Facing this fierce palm wind, Yang Tian raised an eyebrow. He also wanted to see the genius of the Sacred Ground. On his palm, dozens of light arcs leaped, slashing toward the wind.

Bang bang! A low muffled sound rang out. The wind was shattered by Yang Tian. At the same time, hundreds of red light arcs danced in the void, shooting toward Gu Mo's surroundings.