Chapter 146: I'm Not Bad Either
"How dare you act so arrogantly!"
Bi Fang let out a piercing shriek. From its beak erupted divine fire no weaker than the Vermilion Flame, instantly quelling the three radiant beams of light that had shot out from the mountain gate.
Only when those rays gradually dimmed did the onlookers see the objects within: a blood-stained saber, an ancient battle axe, and a shattered sword.
Saber, axe, sword.
Each was a weapon forged purely for killing. Their power was terrifying, their aura heavy with past slaughter.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
More streaks of light surged out of the mountain gate like shooting stars.
"These artifacts are alive—not fully sentient, but not entirely inert either."
The Pu Demon Tree casually suppressed a few more rays, though its expression soured in disappointment. Compared to Bi Fang's three weapons, these were far weaker. None stood out.
Whoosh!
Another burst of radiant light shot out from within the gate.
"This one's mine!" Shi Hao sprang into the air and seized it mid-flight.
As the light faded, it revealed a treasure: a purple horn gleaming with mystical energy. A beast-horn weapon—essentially a sound amplifier—but this was no ordinary horn.
Before anyone could blow into it, a low, haunting drone issued forth on its own. The sound was eerie, like a cursed chant echoing from the abyss. It stabbed through the skull like a blade, bringing instant pain.
Shi Hao winced, clutching his head. The sound was unbearable, and he was its closest target.
Enraged, he punched the horn.
Boom!
The force behind the blow was immense—enough to collapse a mountaintop. Yet the purple horn was completely unscathed, glowing faintly. Worse, its sound grew louder, vibrating through the air and pressing against Shi Hao's eardrums like a siege.
"I don't care how stubborn you are—you're mine!"
Shi Hao lost his temper. He pummeled the purple horn over and over, fists blurring, fury erupting like a young Pure-Blooded Savage Beast cub on a rampage. His savage aura surged, sending nearby creatures scattering—they dared not approach.
After a storm of punches, the horn trembled. Finally, the cursed sound waned and quieted.
"That horn's sentience is formidable. I daresay, even combined, the treasures that Bi Fang and the Pu Demon Tree claimed don't match this one."
"It's probably a relic left behind by a Saint. That would explain its spirit."
"Crude method, though. Beating a treasure into submission might work—but what if you damage it?"
Many creatures nearby stared at Shi Hao's prize with undisguised envy. But none dared try to take it. Not because they were timid, but because of what had happened the day before—Shi Yi's overwhelming dominance still loomed fresh in their minds.
No Human Clan cultivator or Savage Beast dared to provoke the Dual-Pupiled Prodigy.
Whoosh!
Another wave of light surged out.
This time, over a dozen streaks burst from the mountain gate at once.
Half were caught by the Savage Beast side—led by the Ancient Divine Ant and the Sky-Rending Devilwing Butterfly. The other half landed on the Human Clan side, where Huo Linger, Yu Zimo, Yun Xi, Hu Niu, Senior Disciple Sister Xia Youyu of the Heaven-Mending Pavilion, and the War Goddess of Zhu Lu Academy all stepped forward.
The rule was simple: whoever grabbed one, kept it.
Those who moved fast got a treasure. The slower ones? Nothing. The ones who missed out clenched their fists in frustration.
"Meh. Could be better."
Huo Linger unfurled the light in her hand. It revealed a treasure shaped like a fan. Her tone suggested she wasn't too impressed.
"Not bad at all."
Yu Zimo unveiled a stunning sky-blue dress. Her delighted smile didn't fade.
"What the hell is this?"
Hu Niu examined the ghost-faced mask she'd caught, her brow furrowed. She clearly wasn't fond of it.
"An artifact from a fallen Celestial-Human cultivator, perhaps?"
Yun Xi studied the amethyst earring in her hand. She then touched the spiritual pendant on her own ear and fell silent. Her gaze darkened.
Every time the Hundred Shattered Mountains opened, cultivators swarmed in from every direction. Most never left. Their bones and relics littered the land. These weren't merely lost treasures. They were graves.
Shi Yi and Shi Hao were the rare exceptions—monsters who could crush Ancient Lineage Descendants and Pure-Blooded Beasts alike.
Most battles ended with mutual destruction. Very few ended with a clear victor.
Powerhouses like Shi Yi and Shi Hao weren't just rare in the Lower Realm. Even in the Upper Realm, they were as scarce as phoenix feathers and qilin horns.
"My luck's decent."
Senior Sister Xia Youyu smiled, wrapping a multicolored ribbon around her wrist.
"I'm not bad either!"
The War Goddess from Zhu Lu Academy lifted her arm. A new white jade bracelet gleamed on her wrist, smooth and pristine.
Time passed. More waves of treasure surged from the gate. Both sides—beast and human—were ecstatic. They scrambled to seize more, temporarily forgetting a simple truth:
Great opportunity often hides great peril.
Shi Yi hadn't forgotten.
He was cautious by nature. Something about this felt wrong. Deeply wrong.
If these divine relics were truly so easy to claim—wouldn't the Hundred Shattered Mountains have been emptied long ago?
Rumble…
The mountain gate creaked. From a narrow slit, it opened halfway... then wide open.
Everyone fell silent.
In ghost stories, once a gate fully opens, death follows.
The sound of thunder roared across the mountains. At the far horizon, light burst like a solar flare. The divine beams flowing from the gate formed a brilliant ocean—an endless tide of sacred light and divine treasure.
The flood surged like the Yellow River breaking free from its banks. The supposed blessing was now a catastrophe.
"Holy Son, we must flee now! This entire formation was meant to wipe out all who dared approach!"
The Crimson Flame Bird flapped toward Shi Yi, panic written all over it.
If Shi Yi gave the signal, it would flee instantly.
It didn't care about the humans from Shi Village. If they lived or died—it wasn't its concern. The only reason it had allowed them to stand on its back was out of deference to Shi Yi, not humility.
"Shi Hao, the divine tide's coming—we need to run!" the Nine-Headed Golden Lion bellowed. Its golden fur lit up like a miniature sun.
"Don't call me by name. Call me Master!"
Shi Hao snapped, then turned back toward the mountain gate.
That ocean of divine artifacts... Even he had to back off for now.
Inside the gate, sacred chants echoed like rolling thunder. Light surged, devouring the sky, as if ten suns had risen. Divine fire and sacred light poured from the gate in a fury that shook the heavens.
"So this... is the divine tide."
Shi Yi now understood the name. The moment the gate fully opened, the divine tide began—a literal flood of divine treasure.
"Why are you spacing out? Run!"
Huo Linger leapt onto Shi Yi like a wild beast, arms wrapped around him like vines. She buried her head against his chest.
"Awoo!"
The Little Wolf God bit down on Shi Yi's pants, its eyes wide with terror. The tide was nearly upon them.
"It's unstoppable," Yu Zimo said quietly, staring at Shi Yi.
Everyone on Shi Yi's side—Yu Zimo, Huo Linger, Yun Xi, Hu Niu, Xia Youyu, the War Goddess, the cultivators of the Human Clan—waited for his response.
On the Savage Beast side?
They were already fleeing.
Bi Fang, the Pu Demon Tree, the Ancient Divine Ant, the Devilwing Butterfly—all the ancient bloodlines were leading their own escape parties of Ancient Lineage descendants. None wanted to be caught in the tide.
They knew—stay too long, and they'd vanish beneath the flood.