Risking another burn, Yi Tianxing still reached his hand toward the fiery red jewel.
Whoosh!!
Almost the instant he touched it, a single thought activated the power of the Spirit Pearl Space, unleashing a powerful suction that instantly pulled the entire jewel inside. The price he paid was a hand covered in blistering burns, reeking of scorched flesh.
Fortunately, the goal had been achieved.
That fiery jewel was now securely stored within the Spirit Pearl Space.
đ¸ Fire Dragon Jewel: According to legend, the fiery blood from an injured Flame Dragon's heart spilled onto a spirit jade. Over tens of thousands of years, it absorbed the essence of heaven and earth, eventually forming this jewel. Dragon patterns adorn its surface, and it contains Dragon Flame, making it incredibly destructive and not to be touched lightly. It is a top-tier material for forging fire-type magical weapons.Grade: Earth Grade â Supreme.
Yi Tianxing quickly learned more about the jewel through the Heavenless Tome, which displayed all its information.
It turned out to be a supreme treasure of the Earth Gradeâan item of extraordinary origin. How could the heart's blood of a Flame Dragon be ordinary? Just from the Fireworks Tree it had helped nurture, one could already sense the jewel's rarity.
This was undoubtedly an otherworldly treasure.
Securing this now meant it would be of immense use in the future.
"What a treasure⌠truly amazing."
Yi Tianxing looked at Golden Roc with a completely different gazeâmuch more appreciative. This was a truly excellent mount, having now gifted him two top-tier treasures. A tremendous stroke of fortune. In a critical moment, they could bring overwhelming advantage.
"Let's go find Green Emperor."
After thoroughly inspecting the area and confirming there were no more treasures, Yi Tianxing patted Golden Roc's head with a smile.
SCREEECH!!
With a cry sharp enough to split metal, the Golden Roc once again soared out of the cave with Yi Tianxing on its back. This time, it didn't fly as high, allowing him to observe the land below clearly.
From the sky, Yi Tianxing's Innate Yin-Yang Eyes were at full power. Even from thousands of meters away, he could see everything distinctlyâgrass, ancient trees, mountains, lakes, and mists, all clearly visible.
He even saw cultivators battling fierce beasts below.
Some were fighting each otherâespecially Eastern and Western cultivators. As soon as they encountered one another, one side would attack immediately. Skin color, eye color, and facial features were enough to ignite mutual hostility.
This distrust, this underlying enmity, was magnified during the Martial Tournament. It inevitably led to merciless life-and-death battles.
"Looks like the East and West have become clearly opposing factions in this competition. Trust is nonexistent. In the second stage, this conflict will only intensify and become unstoppable."
Yi Tianxing silently reflected, watching the brutal scenes unfold.
He knew this hostility couldn't be stopped. Even without past grudges, these encounters were turning participants into enemies. Since it couldn't be prevented...
Then it was time for a killing spree.
Yi Tianxing made up his mind. In this competition, not only would he fightâhe'd strike first at every opportunity.
A resolute glint flashed across his brow.
Anyone who stood in his wayâwould die.
So what if they were from the West? This was no longer the old world where Western nations ruled. Long before the Cataclysm, Yi Tianxing had already grown sick of the West's hypocritical posturingâespecially one self-proclaimed "world police" nation that preached peace and East-West friendship on the surface while constantly pushing the "Yellow Peril" narrative behind the scenes.
Their so-called "freedom" was a smokescreen. Behind the curtain, they belittled Eastern systems, called them undemocratic, backward, poor, and ignorant. Western media and entertainment were tools of cultural invasion, spreading ideas that made many in the East blindly worship the West.
"Foreign education is better. Foreign products are superior. Even the moon is rounder overseas."But they didn't realizeâmost of those imports were made in China, shipped out, then sold back at inflated prices. And people still rushed to buy them.
Even in the Eternal Era, East and West would clash.
Reconciliation was going to be extremely difficult.
But that was for the future.
Right now, Yi Tianxing had no goodwill left for the West.
"Damn... someone actually picked a pig as a mount?"
High in the air, Yi Tianxing spotted someone contracting a massive wild boar. The man's expression was full of reluctance and frustration, but he had no choice. Time was almost upâwhoever failed to tame a mount would be disqualified. Even a boar had to do.
"Who's that? He found a mutant rhinoceros. That bloodline is clearly extraordinaryânot your average rhino."
Soon after, he spotted a cultivator riding a powerful-looking rhino through the forest, looking relaxed and at ease.
Up in the air, the vantage point was unbeatable.
"Found him! He's over there!!"
Yi Tianxing's gaze quickly swept across the land and locked onto Green Emperor.
His appearance was unmistakableâhis fur had all fallen off except for a few green tufts on his limbs. It was impossible to miss.
At that moment, Yi Tianxing saw Green Emperor chasing after a blond Western youth, barking and snapping furiously. The young man looked like a knight, with golden hair gleaming like the sun and an elegant, charismatic aura. He was riding a snow-white unicorn, horned and majestic, and wielded a sword that seemed carved from stone.
Green Emperor pursued him relentlessly.
The young man was fleeing in pure panic.
Along the way, the unicorn nearly tripped on a rock, snakes slithered down from trees, dead branches fell from nowhere, and sinkholes opened beneath their feet.
Disasters were popping up everywhere.
The young knight's face was grim. Every time he lifted his stone sword to strike at Green Emperor, he hesitated and stopped at the last moment, choosing instead to slash the ground and summon sword energy to block Green Emperor's path.
Two clear sword wounds could be seen on Green Emperor's bodyâleft by that very sword.
The grudge between them was obvious.
"Green Emperor got hurt? Slashed twice? Whoever did that is seriously in for it."
Yi Tianxing was astonished. Even grazing Green Emperor usually brought endless bad luck. Getting two proper hits in⌠the consequences would be unimaginable. He couldn't help but admire the blond youth's guts.
"But those two slashes must have been earlier. Now he must be feeling the effectsâwhy else would all these misfortunes be happening?"
As for how they ended up fighting? That was still unknown.
Yi Tianxing didn't rush to interveneâhe simply stood silently in the air, eyes cold and observing.
"Damn you, Goldilocks! You tried to kill your Grandpa Green? What did I ever do to you?! You see me and shout 'I love dog meat!' then pull your sword on me?! You're just asking for it! I'll eat you alive, you golden-haired freak!"
"Don't run, you coward! Come face your Grandpa Green like a man! Are you even a man? You're worse than a dog!"
"You hear me, Goldilocks?! Keep running and I swear I'll bite you to death! I can forgive Uncle Dog, but I won't forgive you!"
Green Emperor's eyes were bloodshot with rage, fixated on the golden-haired youth. He looked ready to devour him whole.
It was no wonder he was so enraged.
After separating from Yi Tianxing, he had joyfully wandered through the forest, feeling like a fish returned to the sea. He encountered many cultivatorsâsome tried to tame him, others were friendly, and some feared him like a demon.
But Green Emperor always had the upper paw.
He even fought fierce beastsâhis strength had reached Tier 1, Grade 3. Many stronger beasts ended up injured or dead due to bizarre accidents during their battles.
But he finally met his match.
This golden-haired youth had seen him and immediately shouted:
"I love dog meat!"
Then without another word, he'd drawn his sword and slashed down.
If not for the golden collar around Green Emperor's neck flashing with protective light, his head might have been sliced off then and there.