Chapter 80: Getting the Treasure

"What is this?" Zhou Yuan stared at the silver ring glinting under the jade light, momentarily stunned. The ripples emanating from its silvery sheen felt somewhat familiar to him.

He hesitated slightly. His Heavenly Yuan Brush suddenly expanded, transforming into its combat form. With a gentle flick of its tip, he nudged the ring off the branch.

Zhou Yuan extended his hand and caught the ring. It felt cool to the touch. Upon closer inspection, he noticed what appeared to be ancient source patterns etched onto its surface, from which a peculiar fluctuation emanated.

Zhou Yuan, meanwhile, discovered that as he held the ring, his Spirit in his glabella felt subtly restless, as if it were being amplified in some way.

"This ring can actually amplify the Spirit?" A thought sparked in Zhou Yuan's mind. He thoughtfully raised his head and looked at the Jade Poppy Tree before him. As soon as he took the ring, the spiritual fluctuations previously emanating from the tree weakened.

"Those previous spiritual attacks were the Jade Poppy Tree's instinctive defense against intruders. But how could a Jade Poppy Tree possess such a powerful Spirit?" Zhou Yuan's eyes flickered, and then he focused on the pale silver ring in his hand.

Could it be... that this ring had been hanging on the Jade Poppy Tree, thus amplifying the tree's Spirit and granting it the power to resist outsiders?

After pondering for a moment, Zhou Yuan decided not to dwell on it further for now. He would let Sister Yaoyao examine it later; she would likely know its purpose.

Putting the ring away, Zhou Yuan then took out two jade boxes from his Qiankun Pouch. Tapping his foot, he leaped onto the Jade Poppy Tree. A flash of light passed his fingertips, and the two Jade Infant Fruits hanging on the tree immediately dropped into the jade boxes.

With the Jade Infant Fruits secured, Zhou Yuan immediately closed the jade boxes to prevent their efficacy from diminishing, carefully placing them into his Qiankun Pouch.

"Finally, they're mine." Zhou Yuan felt a wave of relief, his entire body relaxing. With the Jade Infant Fruits, he could restore the lifespan his mother had lost. This meant he no longer had to worry about Qin Yu's remaining lifespan of less than ten years...

By the lake, Qi Hao watched Zhou Yuan collecting treasures on the small island, his face ashen.

"This Prince Zhou Yuan truly has some ability," the Black Poison King said, his eyes deep.

Qi Hao's gaze was grim. He said flatly, "Let him be smug for a little longer. Don't worry, everything he obtains now will eventually fall into our hands."

"He's merely doing our bidding, preparing a dowry for us."

"I truly wish to see the look on his face when the treasures he so painstakingly fought for end up in our hands."

As his words faded, Qi Hao no longer bothered to stay, turning and sweeping his sleeve as he departed.

Not far away, Wei Canglan and his group had been closely watching Qi Hao and the Black Poison King. Only when they saw them choose to leave did their tense bodies slowly relax.

However, he knew this didn't mean Qi Hao and his group had given up. Clearly, they simply didn't want to engage in a decisive battle here and now.

After all, the most important "Fire Spirit Sprout" had not yet been found.

Zhou Yuan thoroughly checked the small island. After confirming there was nothing else, he contentedly returned across the water, carrying the two Jade Infant Fruits and the pale silver ring.

"Congratulations, Your Highness, on successfully acquiring the treasure," Wei Canglan said with a smile, cupping his hands as he watched Zhou Yuan return to shore.

Zhou Yuan smiled, glancing in the direction Qi Hao and his group had departed. He narrowed his eyes slightly, knowing that this was merely a minor setback for Qi Hao. He anticipated that the true confrontation between the two sides would only occur when they encountered the Fire Spirit Sprout.

Around the lake, many other factions kept casting covetous glances at Zhou Yuan, their eyes filled with greed. After all, the allure of the Jade Infant Fruits was indeed considerable.

However, Zhou Yuan's group was well-equipped and strong, and they had Wei Canglan, a Genesis Stage expert. Thus, these individuals had no choice but to suppress their greed, disperse with regret, and begin searching other parts of the ruins for different opportunities.

"Qi Hao and his group have already headed directly for the 'Fire Spirit Sprout' deep within the ruins. We mustn't delay; let's prepare to move," Zhou Yuan said without hesitation.

The Fire Spirit Sprout was far too important; it absolutely could not fall into the Qi King's Residence's hands. Otherwise, their strength would inevitably surge.

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded.

So the group swiftly set into motion, heading directly toward the depths of the ruins.

Along the way, Zhou Yuan found an opportune moment and handed the pale silver ring he had taken from the Jade Poppy Tree to Yaoyao, asking her to examine it.

"This is indeed a treasure... likely a Source Treasure," Yaoyao remarked, examining it with interest. "It seems capable of amplifying and nourishing the Spirit, which is highly beneficial for spiritual cultivation. The spiritual attacks you encountered when you went to the island were probably unleashed by the Jade Poppy Tree using this item."

"However... it's also broken."

Yaoyao pointed to the surface of the silver ring, where the ancient source patterns had become quite blurred, causing the ring's color to dull. It seemed the Jade Poppy Tree had heavily consumed the ring's power, resulting in damage to its source patterns.

"If this item were repaired, it might be able to amplify one's Spirit to an astonishing degree for a short period."

Zhou Yuan scratched his head and asked, "Who can repair it?"

With his current proficiency in source patterns, he couldn't even recognize the patterns on the ring, let alone repair them.

"Who else would you find besides me?" Yaoyao scoffed lightly.

Zhou Yuan then chuckled, saying, "Then I'll have to trouble Sister Yaoyao."

On their way to the deepest part of the ruins, Zhou Yuan and his group made no further stops. Any obstacles they encountered were met with full force and completely cleared away.

Occasionally, they would come across ruins leaking precious light, attracting competition from many factions. However, Zhou Yuan resolutely chose to ignore them, heading straight for the depths.

For them, the Fire Spirit Sprout was currently the most important thing.

Maintaining this full speed, about half an hour later, they noticed that the surrounding ruins became denser and more imposing. The war puppets they encountered were also increasingly difficult to deal with, even leading to some casualties among their group.

Violent air currents erupted from a section of ruins, shattering the surrounding rocks.

Zhou Yuan stood on a rock, watching the battlefield ahead with a solemn expression. This time, they faced eight war puppets with strength comparable to the Heavenly Pass Stage. Therefore, even experts like Lu Tieshan, who were in the Heavenly Pass Stage, had to join the fight.

"It's a good thing we enlisted General Wei for this journey. Otherwise, relying solely on our strength to break into the depths of the ruins, I can't imagine what price we would have to pay," Zhou Yuan mused to himself.

As Zhou Yuan reflected, the fierce battle ahead began to wind down. Lu Tieshan and the others, relying on their numerical advantage, gradually defeated the eight Heavenly Pass Stage war puppets.

Clearly, they had sustained some injuries, but fortunately, there were no fatalities.

"You've worked hard," Zhou Yuan said with a smile to Lu Tieshan and the others, who had cleared the obstacles.

"Your Highness, the Fire Spirit Sprout is likely just ahead," Wei Canglan suddenly said, having sensed that the Genesis Qi in the world ahead was exceptionally rich.

Zhou Yuan nodded, a fervent glint appearing in his eyes.

"Let's go!"

He waited for a moment, and once Lu Tieshan and the others had recovered, he waved his hand and shouted. His figure shot forward, and the sound of the group cutting through the wind resonated.

The group swept past a ruined hilltop, and their view suddenly opened up to reveal a desolate valley before them.

On one side of the valley, a group of people stood, none other than Qi Hao and the Black Poison King.

They, too, noticed Zhou Yuan's group approaching, but after a quick glance, they turned their attention back to the valley, their gazes intense.

Zhou Yuan and his group moved to the other side of the valley and looked down from above. They immediately saw a vibrant red plant, glowing and swaying in a patch of ground deep within the secluded valley.

The plant was entirely fiery red, as if ablaze with flames. A pure Genesis Qi fluctuation emanated from it, accompanied by a faint fragrance.

Upon seeing this fiery red plant, Zhou Yuan and his companions couldn't tear their eyes away.

Zhou Yuan licked his lips, his eyes burning with eagerness.

"Is this... the Fourth-Grade Source Food, the Fire Spirit Sprout?"