Chapter 227 – The Silver Chest
"Stay clear of that Lin Wu!"
Almost instantly, the demonic sect made their decision. Though they had some hidden trump cards in reserve, this was only the beginning. Now was not the time to use them.
At the very least, they had to wait until their true disciples gathered some resources and strengthened their combat power. With the heritage of the demonic sect's true disciples, once they had sufficient supplies, they would absolutely be able to stand on equal footing with Lin Wu. At that time, if they unleashed their trump cards, they could finish him with a single strike.
The message was quickly relayed through various secret channels to the demonic sect's prodigies on the island. Many of them didn't quite understand how Lin Wu had entered the battlefield fully equipped, but they all recognized that this was indeed Lin Wu's moment of glory. To fight him head-on right now was unwise.
"Pathetic!"
The black-clad youth of the Blood Demon Sect sneered at the news. Lin Wu was lucky not to have run into him. Otherwise, he would have shown him what true strength really was.
Lin Wu's sudden "god-tier gear" at the start, combined with his Great Sun Sword Intent, made him a daunting opponent for ordinary demonic sect geniuses. But that did not include a true disciple like himself.
Once he acquired the proper equipment and resources, Lin Wu would be nothing in his eyes.
What truly concerned the black-clad youth were the true disciples of the three great righteous sects. Only those who bore the title of "true disciple" knew the full weight of such a heritage—something beyond the imagination of second-rate sect geniuses.
And the Blood Demon Sect's true disciple was not alone in this thinking. The other demonic sect prodigies felt the same.
Only the one from the Ten Thousand Ghost Cavern, who had earlier tested Gu Mo and ended up thoroughly humiliated, was burning with murderous intent. More than anything, he wanted to rush over right now to take revenge.
To lose face in front of so many, and even disgrace his own Cavern Master—if he didn't reclaim that honor, then once he returned, even his privileges as a true disciple might be revoked.
Such was the reality of the demonic sects: bring glory to your sect, and you'd be showered with rewards. But if you shamed your sect, you would naturally face punishment.
Yet he was far from Gu Mo's location. To abandon precious time for gathering resources just to charge recklessly across the island would be sheer stupidity.
So, for now, the Ten Thousand Ghost Cavern's true disciple had no choice but to suppress his burning desire for vengeance and scour the surroundings for supply chests. No matter what, his first priority was to raise his combat strength.
Lin Wu might be a target for the moment, but the true rivals of the demonic sect's true disciples were none other than the true disciples of the righteous triad.
As for Lin Wu—his dominance was nothing more than temporary, a byproduct of lucky gear. Once they were fully armed, he would cease to be a threat.
"God-tier gear at the start… what kind of heaven-defying luck is that?"
The demonic sect had their secret channels, but the righteous sects naturally had their own. Very soon, their prodigies also received the news. And their thoughts mirrored those of the demonic sect's disciples almost exactly.
They too believed Lin Wu's strength was fleeting. Once they had their equipment and resources, they would easily surpass him.
After all, the Grand Yan Sword Sect was but a minor sect, far too weak to cultivate a true top-tier prodigy. Such talents required not only innate gifts and comprehension but also an ocean of resources.
Without sufficient resources, no amount of talent or comprehension could reach its full potential. Thus, while both the righteous and demonic sides acknowledged Lin Wu as standing on their level as a top genius, his overall strength was still a step below.
Not because of talent or comprehension—because of resources.
"If only Lin Wu could join my Yin-Yang Sword Sect, his future would be limitless," sighed one Yin-Yang Sword Sect true disciple.
Leaving aside everything else, the very fact that he had comprehended the Great Sun Sword Intent was enough for him to admit defeat.
But the higher the grade of sword intent, the more resources it devoured to grow. The meager foundations of the Grand Yan Sword Sect could never support Lin Wu's further advancement.
"What a pity."
The Yin-Yang Sword Sect's true disciples all felt a sense of regret, knowing such a top-tier sword cultivator might soon stagnate.
With the demonic sect now ordered to avoid Gu Mo's incarnation, the island grew noticeably quieter. Everyone turned to hunting supply chests and improving themselves.
Even when righteous and demonic prodigies crossed paths, with no equipment in play, it was hard to finish the other off.
So, after Gu Mo cut down those five demonic sect prodigies, no further participants fell. The battlefield shifted into its "development phase," and the spectators outside turned their attention to the prodigies they favored.
The six sect masters of righteous and demonic factions likewise focused on their own disciples. Before the Yin-Yang Sword Sect's master floated more than twenty watery light screens.
Yet with his late-Nascent Soul cultivation, monitoring twenty screens at once was child's play.
The other sect masters had their own screens as well—except the Valley Master of Shennong Valley, who had the fewest: only five.
That's right, five. One of them showed Gu Mo himself, who at that moment was refining pills inside a cave.
The art of hiding oneself was not about standing out, but blending in. Earlier, Gu Mo had stored away his identity token in the black-fog space in order to deliver equipment to his incarnation.
Now that the area was safe, he had brought it back out. After all, to discard an identity token right at the start would be far too suspicious. The more suspicious something was, the easier it would attract speculation.
But as long as Gu Mo behaved normally, he would not draw undue attention. This way, he could quietly bide his time. Once the Heavenly Chosen Battle entered its later stages—or if someone targeted him—he could put his token away again and vanish.
This very maneuver left the righteous sect masters dumbfounded. Just moments ago there had been only ninety-nine white dots. Suddenly, it returned to one hundred. Who was the fool playing around with their token like this?
An identity token would lose effect once it left its bearer's aura. But if retrieved and reactivated with spiritual power, it could be reused.
Thus, in special situations, participants could discard their tokens to hide their presence, then reclaim them once safe and withdraw normally.
Of course, if intercepted while retrieving it, with no token to protect them, their fate would be entirely their own.
While everyone busied themselves with development, Gu Mo's incarnation—already god-equipped—wasn't about to sit idle. If anything, now was the time to seize even more treasures.
Soon he discovered a silver-white chest gleaming in the branches of a tall tree. Sword-riding through the skies, he spotted it easily.
"A Silver Chest… my luck's not bad."
The Heavenly Chosen Battle's supply chests came in tiers: common, bronze, silver, gold, and jade. The chests Gu Mo had found earlier—herbs and a pill furnace—had only been common grade.
Common chests required no conditions to open. But bronze and above came with requirements. What those were could only be known upon touching the chest.
Landing lightly on the tree, Gu Mo extended a finger and brushed the silver chest. At once, a column of radiant silver light shot into the sky. A moment later, he knew the condition to open it.
Simple: wait here for one full hour.
But with the silver beam blazing like a beacon, it was obvious this "waiting" would attract others.
Gu Mo didn't care. With god-tier equipment on him, he feared no one.
Barely a quarter of an hour passed before he sensed a strong aura rapidly approaching. Yet when it was still several miles out, it slowed.
For the chest to be activated meant someone was already there. To charge in recklessly would be foolhardy. What if the enemy had laid a trap around the chest? Walking straight in would be like a lamb to the slaughter.
"So it's you, Lin Wu!"
The newcomer cautiously moved closer and soon spotted Lin Wu beside the treasure chest. At once, he let out a long breath of relief—for it turned out he was also a righteous path genius.
Although the rules of this Heavenly Pride Battle did not forbid combat between members of the same faction, unless all enemies were eliminated first, attacking one's own side would undoubtedly incur the wrath of many.
Gu Mo's gaze swept over the newcomer, slightly surprised to recognize a familiar face—it was Ming Yueyue of the Yin-Yang Sword Sect.
"Lord Lin Wu, should I help you guard this treasure chest?" Ming Yueyue hesitated for a moment before asking. After all, they were on the same side and should naturally support each other.
"Alright."
Gu Mo nodded, for he had already sensed another aura rapidly approaching. This time, there was a high chance the newcomer would be a demonic cultivator's genius.
If Gu Mo stood guard himself, the demonic genius would certainly turn tail at the sight of him. But if Ming Yueyue stood watch instead, the enemy might underestimate the young girl and attempt to seize the chest. That, in turn, would give Gu Mo the perfect chance to strike them down.
"Ah!"
Ming Yueyue was startled when Gu Mo agreed. She had assumed he would refuse, especially since she had already heard the rumors that this so-called Lin Wu had slain five demonic geniuses not long ago.
"Take this flying sword for now."
Gu Mo drew out a bamboo sword and handed it to her. The girl had no flying sword at hand, which greatly restricted her combat strength.
"This is…"
Ming Yueyue accepted the sword, her eyes shining with delight. Clearly, she had recognized its origin. As a sword forged from Swordheart Bamboo, it was something she was very familiar with and could wield skillfully right away.
"You'll need to return it."
Before she could say anything more, Gu Mo cut her off.
"Oh!"
Ming Yueyue swallowed the words that had risen to her lips.
"However, the supplies in this Silver Treasure Chest—I can share some with you." Gu Mo gestured toward the shimmering chest.
"Thank you, Senior Brother Lin!"
Hearing that she would receive a share of the silver chest's contents, Ming Yueyue's tone toward Gu Mo instantly grew warmer.
Gu Mo, however, remained unmoved. He knew very well that although this girl appeared delicate and sweet, once she entered battle, she became utterly ruthless.
Sensing the approaching aura drawing ever closer, Gu Mo fully activated his perfected Concealment Technique, then quietly slipped into hiding nearby.
"Let's hope it isn't a troublesome opponent."
Outside the forest, a demonic sect genius stared warily at the silver pillar of light rising from within, his eyes filled with burning desire. A Silver Treasure Chest! To him, its allure was irresistible.
Obtaining such a chest would raise his combat power by an entire tier. At this stage, when everyone was focused on growth, whoever advanced faster would claim more resources, snowball their advantage, and ultimately win the Heavenly Pride Battle.
"Hurry, make him retreat!"
The demonic cultivator didn't know who was guarding the chest inside, but those outside monitoring Gu Mo certainly did. They understood all too well—Lin Wu was planning to team up with that Yin-Yang Sword Sect girl to bait an ambush.
If that demonic genius charged in recklessly, it would be certain death.
"No, if I send him a warning now, I'll expose my own position."
The demonic genius with the Puppet Clone shook his head.
Before entering the island, all communication talismans and jade slips had been confiscated. Combined with the island's suppressive array, most messaging techniques had their range drastically curtailed. The only way to relay information now was to use signal spells.
But that method carried a huge drawback—it would reveal the exact location of whoever cast the spell.
At this moment, the Puppet Clone genius's true body wasn't far from Lin Wu, since his assigned task was to track Lin Wu's movements and alert other demonic geniuses to steer clear.
If he revealed himself now, yes, he could save his comrade—but he would also expose his own position. If Lin Wu came hunting, he had no confidence in escaping alive.
"Sigh, let's just hope he realizes in time and backs off!"
Thus, the demonic sect chose to abandon him. The Puppet Clone genius was far more valuable than that lone cultivator.
"Looks like Lin Wu is about to claim his sixth kill."
On the righteous side, the observers couldn't hide their excitement. Another demonic genius was walking right into the trap—it was hard not to be thrilled.
So soon into the battle, the righteous and demonic factions were already at 0–6. How could that not delight them?
"Hmm? What's going on? Why is the feed gone?" Suddenly, the many water mirrors tracking Gu Mo's clone went dark.
"Lin Wu discarded his identity token!" Someone quickly deduced the reason.
"Retreat at once!"
Losing sight of Lin Wu's movements, the demonic side panicked. They immediately ordered the Puppet Clone genius to withdraw at full speed.
"He ran?"
Gu Mo's clone appeared at the mouth of a rocky cave, frowning at the empty cavern. He had long sensed that someone had been shadowing him. Ever since learning Qi Chunde's secret technique for focusing the soul, whenever Gu Mo circulated it to enhance his spiritual perception, his awareness became razor-sharp.
This time, he had hoped to use the Silver Treasure Chest as bait to flush out and ambush his stalker. Unfortunately, the plan had failed.
"Forget it."
Abandoning the failed attempt, Gu Mo returned to the chest's location. By then, Ming Yueyue was already engaged in battle with a demonic sect genius.
Surprisingly, she held the upper hand. With the flying sword Gu Mo had lent her, the sword cultivator's strength had surged. Against a poorly equipped demonic genius, she naturally dominated the fight.
Since Ming Yueyue had the clear advantage, Gu Mo didn't bother stepping in. Instead, he once again employed the soul-focusing technique, scanning the surroundings for any other hidden figures.
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