The arrival of the group seemed to awaken the Blackscale Eagle from its slumber. Its blood-red eyes snapped open, scanning downward. There was a clear flash of surprise in its gaze before a low, chilling voice echoed from its beak:
"Humans? What a surprise... How long has it been since I've seen humans come here? Heh heh... that fresh meat scent... how nostalgic..."
With those words, its wings unfurled, whipping up a violent storm. Blades of wind shot forth like razors, slicing down countless branches and sending a flurry of leaves flying. A deadly aura surged in the air, thick with the stench of blood, and rushed straight toward Goku and the others! Clearly, this Blackscale Eagle wasn't the friendly type!
Seeing the massive eagle diving down from the sky, the expressions of Yun Yun and the others changed drastically. A Rank 6 high-level magical beast was equivalent to an elite Dou Emperor of eight or nine stars—something far beyond their ability to handle!
Yun Feng and the others cried out in alarm, overwhelmed with fear. The Blackscale Eagle was enormous—its body stretched seven or eight meters long, and its wingspan reached over fourteen meters. Its body was covered in dark, scale-like feathers that gleamed with a cold, metallic sheen, emanating a suffocatingly fierce and bloodthirsty aura!
It circled once midair, then suddenly dove. As its wings trembled—BOOM! Several towering ancient trees around them were sliced clean in half by its iron wings. Branches and leaves flew in every direction, wild gales howled through the air, and the beast, like a living weapon forged of steel, descended with an unstoppable momentum!
The horrifying scene made Nalan Yanran and the others scream in terror, their faces pale as they instinctively darted behind Goku. But as they looked at the figure standing tall and unshaken, unmoved even as the monstrous bird barreled toward them, a wave of calm settled over their hearts. Just a Rank 6 magical beast? He clearly didn't even see it as a threat.
Yun Yun, too, didn't make a move. Instead, she stepped back like the others and took her place behind Goku. A man who had one-shot the Amethyst Winged Lion King... surely even a high-level Rank 6 beast like this eagle wouldn't faze him.
"Moonlight! Looks like another Rank 6 magic core is calling your name!" Goku chuckled as he stroked Moonlight's silky white fur and glanced up at the sky, not even sparing the Blackscale Eagle a second thought.
Excitement flickered in Moonlight's eyes.
"Master, if you don't act soon, it's going to hit us!"
To be a Rank 5 magical beast and still be this unfazed by a high-level Rank 6 opponent—only Moonlight could pull that off. After all, she had a ridiculously powerful master!
"Hey!" With a low shout, Goku shot into the air and in the blink of an eye, punched the Blackscale Eagle straight in the belly, where its dark feathers were thickest.
"SCREEEEE!!!"
A shrill, agonizing cry burst from the eagle's throat. Like a kite with its string cut, it crashed to the ground, slamming into the earth and creating a crater dozens of meters wide. The beast that had just moments ago seemed so dominant was now nothing more than a corpse—an absurdly fast reversal that left everyone stunned.
Hovering midair, Goku's figure radiated dominance. Yun Yun and the others stared at him in disbelief—just one punch had ended a Rank 6 magical beast?! Was this man even human? He stood suspended in the air, a feat only Dou Ancestors could accomplish. Was he a Dou Ancestor—or maybe even a Dou Saint?
Moonlight looked up at him with sparkling eyes, a hint of admiration shining within.
Goku casually dug out the Blackscale Eagle's magic core. Seeing the eager glint in Moonlight's eyes, he smiled, "I'll hold onto it for now. We'll find time for you to absorb and refine it later."
Moonlight nodded eagerly in response.
Behind them, Gu He's eyes flickered with greed. As an alchemist, a Rank 6 magic core was a valuable treasure to him. Had it been earlier, he might've offered to refine it into a pill for Goku in hopes of gaining favor. But after everything that happened... he wouldn't dare say such a thing even if his life depended on it.
Looking up at the sun overhead, it was already near noon. They had been walking for so long yet covered so little ground—Goku was clearly losing patience. His original plan was to gather herbs while making his way deeper into the Magic Beast Mountain Range, but at this pace, it would take months just to reach the core area. And Goku didn't have that kind of patience.
"Tch... I thought I could enjoy the thrill of treasure hunting, but I guess I'm not cut out for this crap. Whatever, guess I'll just cheat a little." With a light shake of his head, Goku pressed two fingers to his forehead. In the next instant, his immense spiritual sense swept across the entire mountain range, every detail laid bare before him.
"big brother Goku, what are you doing?" Nalan Yanran asked curiously.
"I'm checking the location marked on the treasure map"
Goku replied casually. A moment later, he smiled. "Found it. It really exists. Looks like this treasure map is legit. But... man, that place is creepy."
"Huh? You found the treasure site?" Yun Yun was visibly surprised. Did he really have such mystical powers?
"Alright, everyone, place your hands on me. I'm taking us there now."
Though unsure what he meant, everyone still followed his instructions and laid their hands on him. In a flash, the figures of the group—including Moonlight—vanished into thin air.
When they reappeared, everyone shivered involuntarily. Nalan Yanran, who had the weakest cultivation, nearly passed out. A bone-chilling cold invaded their very marrow. Even the air was toxic—within moments, she struggled to breathe, her head dizzy, body staggering before she collapsed. Alarmed, Goku immediately caught her in his arms.
"Damn! This miasma is poisonous!" Gu He shouted in panic before anyone could even react. The group quickly circulated their Dou Qi to resist the deadly fog. Gu He summoned a few detoxification pills and handed the first one to Goku, who was cradling the unconscious Nalan Yanran. Her face was already turning dark, a clear sign of poisoning.
Taking the pill, Goku immediately fed it to Nalan Yanran. The pill melted instantly upon contact, and within moments, the dark hue on her face began to fade. Yun Yun, visibly anxious, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Nalan Yanran gasped for air, still shaken. "That scared me to death! I thought I was done for! Big brother Goku, what kind of cursed place did you bring us to? That poison was brutal!"
Yun Yun and the others had also taken the antidote by now, giving them time to finally examine their surroundings. But whatever curiosity or awe they felt toward Goku's abilities was quickly replaced by shock at the scene before them.
The area looked like a canyon—everywhere was littered with the white bones of magical beasts, big and small, crushed and shattered. The air reeked of rot, thick with purple-black miasma laced with venom. The ground was uneven and littered with broken branches and dead wood. It looked like hell on earth—sinister, terrifying, as though some unspeakably brutal battle had taken place here in the distant past.
"What... what is this place?!" Yun Yun and the others were utterly stunned.
"This is the place marked on the treasure map," Goku pointed toward a dilapidated wooden hut about a hundred meters away. "That shack should be the same one drawn on the map."
"What?! This is the treasure site?!" Yun Yun and the others exclaimed in disbelief. Sure enough, there was a run-down wooden hut about a hundred meters away. Strangely, the area within ten meters around the hut was lush with green grass, while everything beyond that was barren and lifeless. The contrast was eerie and mysterious.
"How did we get here so suddenly?" Nalan Yanran and the others turned to Goku, stunned. They had assumed it would take months—maybe even years—to reach the treasure's location. But they'd arrived in an instant. This kind of power… was truly beyond comprehension.
'Just how monstrous is this guy?' Everyone's thoughts aligned in that moment.
"Let's go check it out." Goku didn't seem to care about their shock. He simply turned and began walking toward the wooden hut.
The path was muddy and decayed, and from time to time venomous bugs crawled across the ground. Nalan Yanran's face turned pale with fright. Even Yun Yun looked visibly uncomfortable—this kind of filthy terrain wasn't a place any girl would like.
"Ow!" Yun Feng, bringing up the rear, suddenly cried out. His body stiffened and collapsed to the ground. Two tiny blood-red puncture wounds had appeared on his ankle, with inky black blood seeping out rapidly. A red-black venomous scorpion the size of a fist crawled from beneath the mud, then quickly vanished again.
Reacting swiftly, Gu He summoned Dou Qi into his palm and struck the ground with a loud bang, blasting open a large crater. The red-black scorpion lay dead in a pool of its own foul blood.
"Damn it, that's a Red-Black Scorpion—weak but insanely venomous! Without the right antidote, even a Dou Emperor would struggle to survive its poison!" Gu He's expression turned grim. He rushed to Yun Feng's side, applying a medicinal paste to the wound. But the effect was minimal—it only slowed the spread of the black venom slightly.
"As I feared... This kind of toxin can only be fully cured by a Grade 6 Detoxification Pill," Gu He said heavily, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Yun Feng. I can only slow the poison, not remove it."
"Master Gu He, there's really no other way?" Yun Yun frowned, turning to him with concern.
Gu He shook his head helplessly. He was only a Grade 5 alchemist—his chances of successfully refining a Grade 6 pill were slim. He didn't even have a Detoxification Pill of that level on hand.
"What about you, Goku?" Yun Yun looked to Goku, a spark of hope in her eyes. She recalled his earlier godlike feats—maybe he had a solution?
"Tsk. What a hassle. And you call yourself the 'Pill King'? Can't even handle a scorpion venom?" Goku said, walking up to Yun Feng with a look of disdain. He crouched down, and a glowing orb appeared in his palm, enveloping Yun Feng's wound. A powerful suction drew out the black venom, turning the orb completely dark.
"All done." Goku casually tossed the venom-filled orb aside and glanced at Gu He, shaking his head again. "Pill King, huh…"
Gu He's face flushed between pale and purple, fuming silently. But he had to admit—Goku's method was eye-opening. What required a Grade 6 pill, Goku had resolved in seconds. 'This guy really is a freak...'
"Thank you, Lord Goku!" Yun Feng stepped forward with heartfelt gratitude. Without him, he'd be dead.
Yun Yun, too, gazed at Goku, her curiosity only deepening. 'Who was this man?'
"This ground's too dangerous. Let's fly." Goku turned to Nalan Yanran and grinned mischievously. "Yanran, hop on—let big bro give you a piggyback ride!"
Her face flushed red. "No, thank you!" she said quickly, turning to Yun Yun. "Teacher…"
Yun Yun nodded. A pair of green Dou Qi wings extended from her back, and she picked up Nalan Yanran, flying toward the hut.
Gu He followed suit, lifting Yun Feng into the air as his own wings flared to life.
"Damn, rejected by a girl," Goku muttered with a shrug. He mounted Moonlight's back, and in a flash, they appeared in front of the hut. He began inspecting it carefully.
The ancient walls were mottled with age, covered in vines and moss. The door was rotted, the interior collapsed and filled with cobwebs and dust. Yet, strangely, despite all this decay—and even though a massive battle seemed to have happened outside—the hut still stood. Even the grass around it was lush, contrasting sharply with the desolation beyond.
"There's definitely something strange about this place…" Goku dismounted and moved toward the hut just as Yun Yun and the others landed beside him. Pushing open the rickety door, they stepped inside together.
The room was in utter disarray, dust coating everything—except for a one-meter-tall stone pedestal at the back wall. Oddly, that pedestal was spotless, completely free of dust, almost glowing in its cleanliness. In the center of it was a small hole. Goku took out the jade token from earlier and placed it inside. Perfect fit.
As soon as the token settled into place, the pedestal began to tremble violently. The quake spread to the ground around them, shaking the entire hut.
Dust filled the air, but the hut itself didn't collapse—some mysterious force seemed to be holding it upright.
Suddenly, a golden beam of light burst from the jade token, shooting straight into the sky and piercing the heavens. The earth trembled, winds howled, and the clear sky split open, revealing a massive rift in space—within which a faintly visible palace began to materialize...
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