"Well, there's a grandmaster at the mountaintop, mysteriously refining the Dao body, looking like they're seeking death, and now two more people have disappeared... We've been baited," Andro said. "And there are two idiots who've unfortunately fallen for it!"
As martial artists from the Icefield Kingdom, Andro and his companion weren't overly deferential to Simon. Unlike small nations like Baiji and Hesan, they didn't need to flatter Simon. In terms of grandmasters, the Icefield Kingdom wasn't inferior either.
Beside them, Ruan Ling let out a soft sigh upon hearing this. Fortunately, she had listened to her father's instructions and didn't rashly go up to check the situation. Otherwise, she and her father might have become the "idiots" mentioned by Andro.
"However, logically speaking, there shouldn't be any grandmasters left in the Yan Kingdom now," Yelena spoke again. "Lin Lie is severely injured, and the other grandmasters of the Yan Kingdom, in order to guard against the Icefield Kingdom, have all gathered in the northern border, with no time to spare."
The Icefield Kingdom and the Yan Kingdom were old rivals, so their intelligence was quite thorough. Moreover, grandmasters like this, being peak existences, didn't just appear out of nowhere. It would take at least a few hundred years for one to be born.
This information was definitely reliable.
After remaining silent for a while, Simon finally spoke: "In that case, let's go up and see what kind of demon or ghost is causing this ruckus!"
With the information from the Icefield Kingdom, Simon felt much more confident. Even if there was truly a grandmaster laying a trap, he wasn't afraid. After all, he had many Seventh Realm experts under his command, and when they combined their strength, they were a formidable force.
In this battle, Simon saw no possibility of defeat.
"Heh, looks like we're in for some fun today," Lin Yuefeng grinned, his confidence bolstered by the presence of a grandmaster.
"Let's move!" Simon waved his hand, his toes tapping lightly, and he flew toward the mountaintop first, with the other six following closely behind. As Seventh Realm experts, they all had the ability to fly.
The group soared toward the mountaintop, and as they got closer, they saw the scene on the top of Huagai Mountain.
At the top, there was only one person, a young man dressed in the robes of the Town Suppression Division, sitting cross-legged. In front of him floated a nearly refined golden stone. He was indeed refining his Dao body!
For a moment, everyone felt it was absurd, thinking someone was baiting them. But it turned out that a grandmaster could actually be this foolish!
What about the missing Black Mountain man and Jin Dahuan?
"His face is unfamiliar, I've never seen him before. According to the information we gathered from the Icefield Kingdom, there's no record of this grandmaster!" Yelena exclaimed in surprise. "It's as if this person just appeared out of nowhere!"
"It doesn't matter. A grandmaster refining their Dao body is like a fish on the chopping block..." Andro laughed, not worried.
"Daoist, do you know that refining your Dao body in broad daylight is a very dangerous thing?" Simon also felt the situation was simpler. His smile grew even more amused. "If it were anyone else, you'd have been slaughtered by now!"
The others laughed too, thinking it was some grand scheme. They had hesitated for so long...
Only Ruan Minghui furrowed his brows. The more abnormal something was, the more it concerned him... Wait a minute!
Suddenly, Ruan Minghui noticed that the golden stone in front of the young man was rapidly dissolving with the naked eye, turning into pure gold essence, all of which was absorbed by him!
At this rate, in just a few breaths, he would complete the refinement of his Dao body!
Was this for real? Such a fast cultivation speed?!
Refining the Dao body should take years, right?
Ruan Minghui was about to speak up when he noticed Simon had also realized this. The mocking smile on Simon's face froze, and he immediately stopped talking. With a sudden motion, his sleeve whisked through the air!
A towering white light formed from his hand, and it shot directly toward the young man with such speed that it was nearly impossible to see!
Boom!!!
However, just as this white light was about to strike the young man's head, it suddenly froze, as though blocked by some invisible force.
The white light's shape collapsed immediately, rapidly shrinking into a mass and eventually disappearing from sight!
Simon's attack had failed, and the young man remained unharmed!
The faces of the group instantly changed from joy to tension. How could a grandmaster refining their Dao body withstand an attack from another grandmaster?!
How did he do that?
"He's about to finish refining his Dao body!" Ruan Minghui urgently called out. "Simon, you need to use that treasure you used to deal with Lin Lie!"
Previously, when dealing with Lin Lie, Simon had used a divine needle to easily wound him!
"I don't need you to remind me!" Simon sneered. "And I have something even better!"
With a snap of his fingers, a golden treasure box appeared in his palm.
The box resembled a small pyramid, covered in numerous eyes, each pupil continuously turning, as if spying on something, giving off a chilling aura.
Treasure: Sariel's Box, rumored to be a holy relic left by angels. It contains fiery flames that can bind even a grandmaster, making it impossible for them to escape!
During this journey to the Eastern Continent, Simon had brought plenty of powerful items, or else he wouldn't dare to come here alone!
Holding the treasure, Simon looked at the young man on the mountaintop and shouted, "Judgment! The flames of the righteous will burn you!"
"Unclean things shall be purified!"
With a flick of his hand, the treasure box grew in size, quickly expanding into a massive object that blocked out the sky!
The box emitted blinding golden light, and the ancient runes on its surface lit up one after another, draining all the spiritual energy within a hundred miles!
Boom!!!
As the massive holy relic fell to the ground, it seemed as though time itself had stopped. The entire Huagai Mountain, along with the small figure atop it, disappeared without a trace!
...
Inside the treasure box, the person inside paid no attention to the outside world and simply continued their cultivation.
Since Simon and his group had appeared, Fang Yuan hadn't said a word to them. Even when they used a treasure to seal him, he couldn't be bothered.
Because Fang Yuan's cultivation was reaching a critical moment!
As the force of the Qian Yuan Geng Gold continued to enter his body, it refined his entire being, causing his already vast aura to keep rising.
His body's surface was covered in a layer of brilliant golden light, as though he had become a golden Buddha.
Finally, as the last drop of Geng Gold was absorbed by Fang Yuan, his aura reached an unprecedented peak, like a chasm dividing the heavens and the earth, completely isolating the entire space inside the treasure box!