The fragrance drifting from the Void Spirit Marrow grew stronger with each passing moment, filling the valley with a scent so pleasant that cultivators shifted restlessly in their positions.
Murmuring voices spread through the gathered factions as hands moved to weapons and spiritual energy began circulating in preparation.
Huo Lan's sharp eyes stayed fixed on the center of the springs. "It should be any moment now."
Elder Huo Rong's voice cut through the tension around the Huo Clan's position.
"Listen carefully, all of you. The moment chaos erupts, leave this place immediately and return to our base. Do not hesitate."
Huo Ming added in a calm tone that somehow carried more weight than a shout,
"Anything below ninth layer cultivation is useless in the clash ahead. Those who stay will only become casualties."
The Huo clan members began murmuring among themselves and preparing to retreat, their expressions showing a mixture of disappointment and relief at avoiding the coming violence.
Minutes crawled past with agonizing slowness, and then a small phenomenon appeared above the Void Spirit Marrow.
The five pieces glowed brighter and the spiritual energy radiating from them pulsed outward in visible waves that rippled across the water's surface.
They had matured.
Movement exploded across the clearing.
Cultivators launched themselves forward in a surge of motion that felt like slow motion and lightning speed at once.
Ninth-layer spiritual pressure erupted from dozens of sources simultaneously. Below that level, most cultivators were already fleeing, racing away from the center as fast as their movement techniques could carry them.
A handful of confident eighth-layer cultivators stayed, their faces set with determination.
Huo chen Moved.
"Earth Thrust!"
BANG.
The ground beneath Huo Chen's feet cracked and the familiar flat platform of compressed earth erupted upward with explosive force. The technique launched him into the air and forward with such speed that he shot past the cultivators who had started their dash a heartbeat before him.
Within seconds he was side by side with ninth layer cultivators who'd been closer to the marrow.
From the edge of the valley where Huo Clan members were retreating, Huo Jian's head whipped around at the sound.
His eyes went wide and his jaw dropped as he saw Huo Chen soaring through the air at speeds that should have been impossible for a fifth layer cultivator.
"What the fuck, Huo Chen?!"
The shout tore from his throat in pure shock. His face was a mixture of disbelief and alarm as he watched Huo Chen shoot forward like an arrow.
The clan members fleeing around him turned to look, their expressions equally stunned.
Huo Chen was already airborne with his feet hovering inches above the earth's surface when another platform materialized beneath him.
BAM.
The second burst of force propelled him forward again and he vanished from the sight of the other racing cultivators, his speed suddenly doubling as he closed the final distance.
He appeared directly beside the nearest Void Spirit Marrow and his hand shot out to grab it.
The moment his fingers closed around the fist-sized piece of crystallized marrow, it disappeared into his storage ring.
He pushed off to the side with a small shift of his weight and stretched his hand toward the second one.
"Impudent!"
A saber wreathed in spiritual energy flashed through the air, the blade cutting a deadly arc toward Huo Chen's outstretched arm. The technique carried enough power that he could see the Qi rippling along its edge, sharp enough to sever bone.
Huo Chen yanked his hand back and the saber cut through empty air where his arm had been a split second before. The technique's momentum carried it forward and the blade's energy tore through the space beyond the Void Spirit Marrow, carving a visible slash through the air before dissipating.
His claw gloves gleamed as he twisted and drove his fist toward the attacker. The man responded instantly, his saber coming up to meet the strike.
Metal clashed against metal and they exchanged blows in rapid succession—punches against saber cuts, each movement precise and vicious.
Huo Chen caught a clear look at his opponent during a brief separation—a young man in his late twenties, ninth layer Qi Refining, wearing the distinctive green and silver robes of the Mu Family.
From the corner of his eye, Huo Chen saw the broader battlefield taking shape. The Mu Family's leader, the man in his forties who'd been standing calmly before, now held one Void Spirit Marrow in his hand.
Beside him, a Mu Family woman at ninth layer had secured another.
An independent cultivator Huo Chen didn't recognize clutched the third piece with a triumphant expression.
Attacks rained down on all three of them immediately.
Cultivators who'd arrived a heartbeat too late launched techniques without hesitation, spiritual energy flashing through the air as sword lights, palm strikes, and elemental attacks converged on those who'd succeeded in grabbing the treasures.
The clash of Qi and weapons created a deafening roar as the three who'd secured marrow were forced to defend themselves against overwhelming numbers.
Movement flickered in Huo Chen's peripheral vision and he turned his head just enough to see another cultivator moving like a ghost toward the last unclaimed Void Spirit Marrow.
The man's movement technique was smooth and silent, his hand already extending toward the prize.
"Hmph."
"Seeking death!"
Huo Chen and the Mu Family cultivator spoke simultaneously and both moved at the same instant.
The earthen drill erupted from beneath the water's surface, bursting upward directly in the path of the reaching cultivator.
At the same moment, the Mu Family man's technique flashed forward with speed that made it seem like he'd teleported, his attack appearing beside the thief as if it had crossed the distance in a single blink.
The scene unfolded in perfect clarity—the cultivator stretching forward from behind with his fingers inches from the Void Spirit Marrow, the earthen drill rising like a spear aimed at his torso, the saber technique materializing beside him with deadly precision.
His eyes went wide with terror as he realized both attacks would land before he could complete the grab.
"Fuck!"
The curse exploded from his mouth and he aborted the attempt, twisting his body desperately to avoid the converging techniques.
The earthen drill missed him by a hair's breadth and the saber technique carved through the space where he'd been standing as he threw himself backward.
In that exact moment, Huo Chen stomped down on the water's surface and a wider platform of earth materialized beneath both his feet.
This one was different from the narrow thrust—it caught him like a board beneath his soles and the force launched him backward even though his body was turned sideways to the Void Spirit Marrow.
"Stone Mantle Barrier!"
The defensive technique formed in front of him as he shot backward toward the prize. Layered stone appeared between Huo Chen and the incoming attacks, and the Mu Family cultivator's follow-up strike slammed into it along with techniques from other cultivators who'd closed the distance.
The barrier held for a split second under the combined assault, cracks spreading across its surface.
Huo Chen's hand closed around the Void Spirit Marrow and it vanished into his storage ring.
The barrier shattered.
"Earth Thrust!"
Another platform erupted beneath his feet and launched him forward, away from the destroyed barrier and the cultivators converging on his position.
He shot across the water's surface with speed that left ripples in his wake.
Behind him, the Mu Family cultivator's face twisted with rage and his eyes burned red with murderous fury.
"Brat! How dare you! How dare you!"
The shouts echoed across the valley as the man gave chase, his movement technique carrying him after Huo Chen with relentless speed.
His voice continued rising with each repetition, fury and humiliation pouring through every word.