Chapter 1168: Golden Flower Ancestor

## Volume 6: Heavenly Treasures

"Oh no, other high-level cultivators are approaching!" the old man exclaimed.

"How could other high-level cultivators come to such a remote island?" the glamorous woman asked, her face changing dramatically as she glared at the grey-robed old man with shock and anger. "Did someone from your subordinates leak information?"

"I never mentioned the purpose of this trip to any of my disciples. How could any information have been leaked?" The old man quickly shook his head, speaking with a serious expression.

"Don't panic," the blue-robed youth said calmly. "Perhaps this person is just passing by. We'll adapt to the situation."

Hearing this, the glamorous woman and the old man could only calm down as instructed.

Just then, the distant green light, accompanied by a whooshing sound, arrived nearby in an instant. They could even make out the faint, indistinct figure of a man within the light.

"What incredible speed!" All three couldn't help but blanch, a sense of foreboding filling their hearts.

After a few more flashes, the green light appeared directly above the trio. It then converged, revealing a cultivator in green robes. His face, however, appeared to be only in his twenties, which surprised the grey-robed old man and the others.

"Is this Demon Lake Island?" the youth asked expressionlessly, his gaze sweeping over the three of them. His tone held a hint of command.

The trio's hearts sank slightly. After scanning Han Li with their spiritual sense, they were utterly aghast.

The youth's spiritual power far surpassed that of all three of them. He was clearly a cultivator above the Nascent Soul stage – this was almost the worst possible scenario.

"This is indeed Demon Lake Island," the grey-robed old man said, quickly collecting himself. He bowed respectfully and asked with a forced smile, "May I ask, Senior, what your command is? The three of us are willing to serve you."

"So this is Demon Lake Island, then I haven't come to the wrong place. Hmm, you're all here..." The youth glanced at the group of bewildered low-level cultivators by the lake. After a slight pause, a half-smile appeared on his face.

"This junior needs to refine several special magic tools, which require a large amount of azure copper," the grey-robed old man explained, his heart clenching. He forced himself to continue, "So, I brought some disciples to salvage more."

The cultivator before them did not seem to be an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator. No matter how he subtly scanned him with his spiritual sense, he couldn't accurately determine the other party's specific cultivation level. This was something he had never experienced before.

He was a late-stage Core Formation cultivator, and theoretically, even a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator shouldn't be able to hide their spiritual presence from him.

"Azure copper? And you're using these types of formations, designed to break seals and restrictions, to salvage this material?" The youth crossed his arms, observing the formations set up by the low-level cultivators by the lake, then looked down at the lush, emerald-green lake surface below. He let out a few dry chuckles.

The disbelief in his laughter was evident to anyone.

Seeing this, the grey-robed old man's face immediately broke into a sweat. He had never imagined that the other party would also be skilled in the art of formations. Generally, formation masters, though proficient in formations, didn't have very high cultivation levels, and powerful cultivators usually didn't waste time specializing in formations.

Moreover, the formations he had set up were not ordinary; they were rather rare and obscure. Yet, the other party recognized them at a glance. This indicated that the other party's mastery of formations was undoubtedly profound.

The glamorous woman and the blue-robed youth instantly became meek, bowing their heads and eyes, completely deferring to the old man.

This left him to face the youth alone.

While secretly lamenting his misfortune, the old man also felt a deep resentment towards the other two.

After all, few Nascent Soul stage old monsters had good tempers, and with him solely responsible for responding, the danger was self-evident.

"Senior, please don't misunderstand," the old man said, desperate for a plausible excuse. "This junior is quite interested in the art of formations. I merely set up these arrays to test the effects of a few different ones."

The youth's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this. He meticulously scrutinized the trio with his gaze, then suddenly uttered words that startled them.

"What is your relationship with Old Man Barbarian?"

"Senior, what do you mean by that? This junior doesn't quite understand," the glamorous woman interjected, looking up.

"Though your cultivation methods differ, they clearly bear the mark of Old Man Barbarian's Heaven-Supporting Demonic Art. Others might not notice, but when you encounter me, heh heh..." The youth chuckled faintly.

"Senior, do you know our master?" Realizing they couldn't bluff their way out, the blue-robed youth took a deep breath and finally conceded.

However, upon hearing the youth's question, the old man and the glamorous woman showed signs of unease.

"We've only met a few times. You're here to retrieve treasures from the bottom of the lake, aren't you? Did Old Man Barbarian claim he was the only one who knew about his treasure cave? Yet, here you three are. It seems either he deliberately deceived me with false information, or the three of you discovered the location of the treasure dwelling through other means." The youth's last few sentences were spoken as if to himself.

But to the trio below, these words were like a bolt from the blue, leaving them completely dumbfounded.

Even with their ominous premonitions, the fact that the other party instantly revealed the secret dwelling left the trio utterly at a loss.

If a Core Formation cultivator had arrived, they might have immediately acted to eliminate them. But facing a Nascent Soul cultivator, how could they dare to act rashly?

Furthermore, judging by his tone, the other party knew about this place because Old Man Barbarian himself had told him. This left them even more bewildered.

Could their master not have perished after all?

As this thought crossed their minds, the trio's expressions fluctuated between apprehension and uncertainty.

"The three of us are indeed disciples of Master Man," the glamorous woman said, the first to regain her composure, forcing a slight smile. "But may we ask how Senior refers to our master?"

"Of course, I call him Old Man Barbarian! As for you three... Hmm, I didn't expect this small island to be quite lively. Who's hiding there? Get out!" Han Li had just uttered half of his indifferent sentence when his expression suddenly darkened. He raised a hand and casually flicked his fingers repeatedly towards a hill by the lake.

Immediately, several streaks of green light shot out, shimmering as they transformed into several beams of emerald light, each about a *zhang* long, fiercely slashing towards the hill.

Upon witnessing this scene, the glamorous woman's face instantly went deathly pale.

After several thunderous crashes, the powerful green beams flashed, inexplicably slicing away a small portion of the hill. However, what astonished both the youth and the old man was the appearance of a bald, burly man emerging from within the destroyed hillside.

This man had a ferocious, meaty face, but his entire body gleamed with a golden radiance. Both his attire and his long robe appeared to be crafted entirely from pure gold.

At that moment, the burly man held up a shimmering golden shield with one hand, unleashing a semicircular golden barrier that blocked the incoming sword lights. He was gazing at Han Li with a face full of surprise.

"Old Ancestor Jinhua!" Upon seeing the burly man in golden attire, the grey-robed old man involuntarily cried out in shock.

Just then, a streak of red light flashed past, shooting towards the burly man. After two quick flashes, it spiraled and landed behind the brocade-robed man, revealing a graceful figure.

It was the glamorous woman.

"Junior Sister Cai, you're colluding with Old Ancestor Jinhua!" The grey-robed old man, a seasoned veteran of many trials, instantly realized what was happening. He cried out, consumed by both shock and fury.

The blue-robed youth beside them also immediately darkened his expression upon hearing this.

It was clear that the glamorous woman intended to team up with the golden-robed man to eliminate them as soon as the dwelling was opened, so they could claim all the treasures for themselves.

"Hmph, what right do you two have to lecture me?" the glamorous woman retorted with a triumphant cackle, standing intimately shoulder-to-shoulder with the golden-robed man. "Senior Brother Wu, didn't you secretly inform the Bloodlight Sect members, preparing to ambush and kill me halfway through? As for Junior Brother Lei, you've also joined the Wooden Sword Pavilion of Grass City Island. You're even planning to marry the Pavilion Master's daughter, and the dowry for your entry into the Wooden Sword Pavilion is all the treasures from this dwelling? If I hadn't been clever enough, the day the dwelling's restrictions were broken would likely have been the day I died. But now, you two can forget about your reinforcements. Old Ancestor has already arranged for them to be intercepted midway. I accompanied Old Man Barbarian for so many years; everything he left behind should rightfully be mine, and Old Ancestor has already promised to officially take me as his wife."

"If that's the case, Junior Sister Cai, why did you bother approaching Senior Brother Wu and me in the first place? You could have just taken the treasures yourself," the blue-robed youth said, a flicker of panic on his face before he quickly composed himself and asked grimly.

"If the restrictions at the bottom of the lake weren't so profoundly complex and difficult to open, and if only the two of you had received Old Man Barbarian's true teachings in the art of formations, why would I have told you about the treasure?" The glamorous woman, clearly intending to completely break ties with the old man and the youth, spoke with blatant coldness.

The expressions of the grey-robed old man and the youth naturally became extremely grim.

"Enough. Your issues with them can wait. I'll have a word with this fellow Daoist first," the brocade-robed man said, frowning, interrupting the glamorous woman who seemed ready to say more.

Hearing this, the glamorous woman immediately fell silent, obediently.

"Is this fellow Daoist also here for Old Man Barbarian's secret dwelling?" Old Ancestor Jinhua asked slowly, scrutinizing Han Li from head to toe. As an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, he too couldn't discern Han Li's cultivation level, and a strong sense of apprehension arose in his heart.

"That's right. I want the things at the bottom of the lake. If you have nothing else, you may leave," Han Li said, hovering in mid-air, uttering words that made everyone glance his way.

The golden-robed man's anger immediately flared upon hearing this, but at the same time, a sense of alarm struck him. The other party spoke with such audacity, surely possessing some formidable divine abilities. Suppressing a trace of anger in his heart, the burly man also put on a stern face and said:

"Fellow Daoist makes it sound so easy. Do you intend to simply send me away and monopolize all the treasures here?"

Old Ancestor Jinhua's tone suddenly turned rather unfriendly!