Chapter 138: A Smooth Journey

On the second floor, a handsome young man opened his eyes from unconsciousness. He first looked around in a daze, and upon finding that everyone else had vanished, he slowly climbed up from the ground and muttered, "My head hurts so much. I wonder what time it is; why is there not a single soul left?"

This youth was none other than Yang Yu. Originally, he could have easily cleared the second floor, but he chose not to do so because he was waiting for someone—and that person was Che Wuyou. For one, he harbored a deep hatred for Che Wuyou, who had dared to humiliate and talk back to him in public; secondly, he wanted to seize Che Wuyou's fortune.

Although he did not believe Che Wuyou's fortune was monstrously powerful, the fact that Che Wuyou could effortlessly obtain twenty kilograms of lower-grade elemental stones on the first floor and be ranked alongside someone as exceptional as Ye Xuan made him green with envy. Therefore, he had decided not to enter the third floor until the very last moment. Fortunately, his persistence paid off; Che Wuyou truly possessed some degree of fortune, as he had indeed successfully entered the second floor. However, the moment he laid eyes on Che Wuyou, he felt that all of that fortune would soon belong to him...

Yet, he had never expected to encounter Yun Fan, that bizarre freak of nature whose fortune could be called defying the heavens. For reasons unknown, he always felt that Yun Fan was hiding something, which made him extremely wary of Yun Fan. Although he refused to believe Yun Fan was truly superior to him, avoiding a confrontation with Yun Fan altogether would certainly be the ideal outcome, wouldn't it?

And yet, of all people, he had crossed paths with Yun Fan—and what is more, a Yun Fan who was in a state of unconsciousness. Thus, he had resolved to rob Yun Fan. Even better, if he could cripple Yun Fan with his own hands, he would not only eliminate a powerful rival but also take the opportunity to plunder Yun Fan's fortune, smoothing his own future path in the immortal cultivation journey.

However, even while unconscious, Yun Fan's fully unleashed strength had completely exceeded his expectations. A single punch—just one punch. Even now, the mere thought of it sent lingering fear through his heart. While this was partly due to his own carelessness, it also served as a side testament to Yun Fan's formidable strength. At times, he even felt that Yun Fan's power might surpass that of his older brother, Yang Shi...

Yang Yu shook his head, his thoughts inevitably drifting back to the raging inferno from moments before. He wondered if Che Wuyou and his two companions had been consumed by it, having witnessed with his own eyes the three of them charging straight into the heart of the flames...

Truth be told, that fire had been truly terrifying. In the end, the temperature had climbed to such an extreme height that he could not help feeling a sense of lingering fortunate survival. Although he had been right in the midst of that fire, and the searing heat had knocked him out instantly, he had ultimately managed to endure it. The reason was simple: he belonged to the Yang family of Qingchi.

When everyone else's protective magical treasures had been confiscated by the Qingchi Sword Sect, not a single person dared to touch the members of the Qingchi Yang family, because the decision-makers of most halls in Qingchi were from the Yang family. He instinctively reached into his bosom to touch his treasured "Heart of Yunyao." It was his personal protective magical treasure capable of saving his life in a critical moment, an item possessed by every direct descendant of the Yang family.

Yet, his hand met with empty air. Not only was the Heart of Yunyao gone, but even the other treasures he had collected within the Towering Heaven Pagoda had vanished... He hurriedly looked up, and sure enough, the purple-red characters above his head—"Fifteen kilograms of lower-grade elemental stones"—had vanished right along with them.

Yang Yu's face turned ashen in an instant. The Heart of Yunyao was extremely precious, but it would not be displayed within the Towering Heaven Pagoda because it did not belong to the pagoda itself. Thus, even if someone had secretly stolen it, he could not deduce any clues from the quantity of elemental stones above his head.

"Could it be Zhang Tong and the others?" Yang Yu gnashed his teeth, his mind instantly jumping to Zhang Tong, who usually walked closely with him. Normally, Zhang Tong should have stayed by his side while he was unconscious, but now there was no trace of him... Yet, another name suddenly flashed through Yang Yu's mind: "Could it be Li Zhen?"

He had spotted Li Zhen in the crowd. Zhang Tong probably lacked the guts to do such a thing, but while Li Zhen possessed the courage, Li Zhen's temperament would make him disdainful of stooping to theft. Who on earth could it be? He would simply have to see whose head displayed an extra fifteen kilograms of lower-grade elemental stones; that person would be the prime suspect, Yang Yu thought as he walked toward the pillar of energy.

In truth, Yang Yu had no way of knowing that due to the eruption of the Earth Fire Essence, the energy on the second floor had become severely chaotic and visibility had plummeted to extreme lows. As a result, the youths on the second floor had been entirely focused on rushing to the third, and none of them had paid him any mind. Even Zhang Tong, who had searched for him briefly, assumed he had already entered the third floor and, dismissing the matter, hurriedly moved on to the third floor as well.

After all the youths of the second floor had departed, another group arrived—youths who had been trapped on the first floor. Because Yun Fan had forcibly taken the bladeless sword from the steel giant, the restrictions of the first floor had been rendered virtually useless, allowing the trapped youths to smoothly advance to the second floor. By the time they arrived, however, the impact of the Earth Fire Essence had already dropped to a minimum. Consequently, these youths had conveniently picked up Yang Yu's personal treasures on their way and effortlessly passed into the third floor. Naturally, Yang Yu had no way of knowing any of this...

Meanwhile, returning to Che Wuyou and his companions: although Yun Fan had been placed under a sleeping acupoint by Che Wuyou and remained in a deep slumber, this bizarre youth was uncanny to the point of being eerie. Whenever they encountered treasures, this kid would invariably snap awake from his unconsciousness—not fully lucid, admittedly, still acting somewhat drowsy, but under his guidance, Che Wuyou had once again stuffed his pockets to the brim.

This time, aside from a variety of medicinal herbs, there were also several magical artifacts, and even top-tier magical artifacts. Most of them, however, happened to be sabers, swords, and spears, with defensive magical artifacts being extremely rare. Even so, this left Che Wuyou immensely pleased; taking these items outside meant they could be traded on equal terms with the Qingchi Sword Sect.

Every time Che Wuyou acquired a treasure, he would look up and notice that the purple-red characters above his head had already reached the level of "sixty kilograms of middle-grade elemental stones." This was even after he had consumed some herbs to refine three-star pills; otherwise, the amount would likely have been even greater. Yet, joy aside, carrying such a massive quantity of elemental stones meant that if he were to run into a powerhouse, all his efforts would amount to nothing more than fetching water in a bamboo basket. Especially since the person around him most capable of fighting—Yun Fan—currently possessed zero combat capability.

Although Che Wuyou's strength had been growing rapidly, he was well aware that a distinct gap still remained between himself and those top-tier youths. Therefore, as he drew close to the center, he unconsciously slowed his pace. Should he make a grand and domineering entrance, or not? What if he bumped into those formidable youths outside and they insisted on robbing him? What would he do then?