A lingering fragrance filled their nostrils, its sweet aroma permeating their senses and inducing a state of intoxication.
"What are you thinking about?! We need to escape quickly!" Lou Mengyu scolded, releasing her grip.
Above hovered the silver-backed great roc, while below prowled the crimson flame three-headed hound. The situation was truly one where there was no path to heaven and no refuge on earth.
"That silver-backed roc doesn't seem intent on killing us," Qin Yang observed, squinting at the circling beast. He then glanced at the nearby flame hound, which also showed no inclination to attack.
"Stop thinking and just run!" Jin Wanshan yanked Qin Yang so hard, the still-contemplating man nearly flew off his feet.
After reaching a small hill, the trio finally halted, gasping for breath.
"Even though this is a Zongshi-level secret realm, surely not all the beasts here are Zongshi-grade too?" Jin Wanshan's heart raced with anxiety.
Lou Mengyu's face mirrored his worry. "It's very possible..."
Qin Yang continued stroking his chin. By all logic, facing Zongshi-level beasts, they shouldn't be able to escape at all.
Never mind the flame hound - even that roc could cover hundreds of miles with a single wingbeat...
"There's something off," Qin Yang said. "I want to go back and take another look."
"You're not running a fever, are you?" Jin Wanshan asked, as if he'd seen a ghost.
Lou Mengyu also found this unbelievable. Wasn't this like leading sheep to the tiger's den?
Qin Yang explained his doubts and added, "If we figure out why they aren't attacking us, it'll be easier to handle future encounters with these demonic beasts."
With his secret life-saving method - the Dragon's Might - Qin Yang was confident he could retreat safely if needed.
Unable to convince Qin Yang otherwise, Lou Mengyu and Jin Wanshan reluctantly agreed to accompany him in this reckless venture.
The trio stealthily returned to the scene of their earlier encounter, only to find Li Mingyang and his group had long since fled. The ground was a mess, but there was little blood - what remained was from Qin Yang's earlier shots, not from any beastly slaughter.
The silver-backed great phoenix had flown off to parts unknown, but the crimson flame three-headed hound remained in place.
Its three grotesque heads swayed back and forth, clearly enraged. The flames rising from its body burned so fiercely they distorted the very air.
Suddenly, all six eyes of the three-headed hound locked onto Qin Yang's group!
Qin Yang and his two companions felt their hearts clench with fear. Jin Wanshan and Lou Mengyu even considered turning tail and fleeing.
Qin Yang forced himself to remain calm, maintaining a steady gaze on the fire dog.
Several breaths passed, then enough time for half an incense stick to burn. The fire dog let out furious roars but made no move to attack.
Jin Wanshan and Lou Mengyu, already on edge, jumped in fright when they saw Qin Yang's next action.
Qin Yang had drawn the Dragon Song Bow and was nocking an arrow!
"You don't even know how to write the word 'death'!" Jin Wanshan shouted in protest, but it was too late.
A dragon's cry resonated through the air as the arrow flew forth.
The Dragon Song Bow's special ability rendered the fire dog unable to discern the arrow's trajectory or speed. However, the flames surging from its body burned away most of the arrow's shaft before impact.
Nevertheless, the arrowhead buried itself viciously into the fire dog's flesh, drawing forth dark brown blood.
ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!
The three-headed fire dog threw back its head in a deafening howl, its hooves pounding the ground as volcanic flames erupted from its body. It lunged forward in a killing charge.
CRASH!
A metallic clatter rang out. The fire dog froze mid-charge, as if restrained by invisible chains.
"Treasure artifact chains!" Qin Yang finally understood why the fire dogs weren't attacking—they were trapped by magical chains!
"This is no natural occurrence!" Qin Yang realized immediately. But who could have done this?
The Treasure Rat grew restless, constantly glancing toward the fire dogs. Though only a mid-level demonic beast, it showed no fear when facing Zongshi-grade monsters. It clearly saw Qin Yang as its protector, much like a dog relying on its master's strength.
Qin Yang squinted into the distance. Near the fire dogs lay a peculiar crystal that resembled a small cluster of flames, resting quietly on the ground. The surrounding earth was charred black, with rocks split by fire. Through the cracks, he could see what appeared to be an entire layer of this strange crystal, glowing like magma.
"Heaven-grade spirit material! Flame Ruby Crystal!" Jin Wanshan exclaimed in shock. "This crystal is incredibly precious—it can be used to refine heaven-grade magical artifacts! It's also excellent fuel; a single piece of Flame Ruby Crystal can burn for three days and three nights..."
"We're rich! There seems to be an entire vein of Flame Ruby Crystal here!" Qin Yang's eyes sparkled with greed.
"What about that three-headed Flame Hound?" Lou Mengyu spoke up, drenching their enthusiasm like a bucket of cold water.
Qin Yang hesitated before declaring, "I can knock it out. We'll just have to mine quickly..."
"Flame Ruby Crystal is still a Heaven-grade spirit material," Jin Wanshan interjected. "With our strength, we might not be able to extract it..."
Qin Yang frowned. "You're a man of wealth rivaling nations. Don't you have any decent magical artifacts?"
Jin Wanshan spread his hands helplessly. "I do, but my cultivation level's too low to use them. What's the point of bringing them along?"
After a moment's consideration, Qin Yang refused to let this opportunity slip away. "We can't move the Flame Ruby Crystal itself, but we can harvest the surrounding stones. We'll use the Qiankun Ring to directly store the entire crystal..."
Jin Wanshan's face lit up with hope, though he immediately began praying the crystal wouldn't be too massive. His top-grade Qiankun Ring might struggle to contain it...
With their plan set, Qin Yang strode purposefully toward the crystal.
The fire dog's three heads bared their fangs in unison, flames roaring three zhang high.
Qin Yang advanced slowly, then glared fiercely and roared, "Fall!"
To Jin Wanshan and Lou Mengyu's astonishment, the fire dog gradually collapsed, its flames retracting into its body.
"What are you waiting for? Dig!" Qin Yang felt ethereal, his head heavy and legs light, as if about to soar. His last thought before fainting was: I need to refine more Mind Concentration Pills...
When Qin Yang regained consciousness, he found himself in a cave, immediately preparing to start refining pills. This time, he would produce as many Mind Concentration Pills as his materials allowed!
"How did it go? Did you get it?" Qin Yang asked.
Jin Wanshan nodded excitedly, but like Lou Mengyu, he stared curiously at Qin Yang.
There's a secret here! he thought. How could he knock out a Zongshi-level demonic beast?!
The two watched Qin Yang concentrate on refining pills, not disturbing him. They exchanged glances, their minds already forming suspicions.
This had to be the power of a magical treasure, but what kind of treasure could possess such heaven-defying capabilities? Moreover, what powerful magical treasure could Qin Yang possibly possess?
The answer was self-evident!
The super-transcendent magical treasure of the Eight Divine Clans! It was also the Heavenly Realm Secret Key!
Both of them remained silent, not mentioning a single word about it, as if the matter never existed. After all, this was a matter of great importance!
Lou Mengyu looked at Qin Yang, her gaze becoming unfocused. She no longer had any doubts about Qin Yang's identity.
"We're going to get rich. In this secret realm, we can walk around like kings," Jin Wanshan said.
Lou Mengyu nodded, but she was somewhat worried. After all, every time Qin Yang used that ability, he would faint. Even though he had now refined the Mind Concentration Pill, the Mind Concentration Pill wasn't unlimited...
"What great boldness! How dare you steal the treasure of the Eight Divine Clans' Qin Family!"
A fierce shout came from outside the cave. "Get out here immediately and hand over the Flame Ruby Crystal!"