Chapter 915: Magic Emperor Black Dragon's Scale

"Again?"

Before the Void Island rift, Rao Yaoyao felt another wave of saint energy rushing towards her, a look of hesitation flashing across her face.

Last time the rift spewed treasures, she had assumed it was a ghost beast attack and immediately summoned all enforcement officers, deploying the Seventy-Two Dragon Vein Array. To her surprise, a large number of treasures had gushed out.

Would it be treasures this time as well?

Rao Yaoyao speculated, "Are they using a wave of treasures to show weakness and make me lower my guard, then sending ghost beasts mixed in with the second wave, secretly infiltrating?" Not daring to be careless, she once again summoned everyone on the combat channel.

In an instant, all enforcement officers immediately ceased their current tasks and returned to the Void Island rift. The Seventy-Two Dragon Vein Array was deployed once more.

"Isn't Sword Immortal Rao being a bit overly paranoid?" Among the Thirteen Grand Void, Grandmaster Huang Yang said with a smile, "Last time, the Red Robes were short-handed. This time, with a few of us assisting, we can stop anything that emerges from the interdimensional rift."

Rao Yaoyao sneered, offering no reply.

Teng Shanhai, however, turned around and glared at him with stern eyes. "Did I give you permission to speak? When you're not instructed to act, you will quietly await my orders."

Grandmaster Huang Yang was rebuffed, sullenly retreating and saying nothing more. He had wanted to help Rao Yaoyao secure these saint energy-infused treasures, but unfortunately, Rao Yaoyao was too cautious, giving no opportunities.

Within moments, as all enforcement officers stood by gravely, the familiar whistling sound struck again.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!" Like sharp arrows, the second wave of treasures erupted, more fiercely than the first.

"Boom!" The lead Dao-Severing enforcement officer, attempting to block the saint energy treasure with the same force as last time, was instead sent flying backward, spitting blood.

Greatly astonished, he immediately re-centered himself, flashed back to his position, and maintained the array. As for the saint energy treasure, after losing its saint energy wrapping, it was intercepted by someone behind him.

"Everyone, be careful," the Dao-Severing enforcement officer immediately notified everyone. "The impact force of these saint energy treasures has increased by more than one level compared to last time. Those at the Throne Realm should gauge their strength, rely more on the array's power, and avoid overextending yourselves."

Inside the grand array, everyone else grew cautious. After two treasure eruptions, even the most foolish among them realized something was very wrong. All greed had long since vanished; their current task was to diligently execute their duties.

"Boom, boom, boom..." After the first saint energy treasure, which bore the brunt of the assault, was secured, subsequent flying treasures, like charging spears and fierce halberds, shot out, sending many figures within the array sprawling.

"My goodness, why is it so fierce this time?" One Throne Realm enforcement officer was struck so hard his chest caved in and his body cracked, leaving him in a state of self-doubt. He had only intended to grab a spiritual sword but was nearly impaled through the chest by the saint energy-laden sword. Fortunately, he reacted quickly, dodged in time, and passed the sword to the person behind him. However, the transferred sword continued with undiminished momentum, passing through three Throne Realm individuals before finally being intercepted by a Dao-Severing enforcement officer.

"The intensity has increased!" Rao Yaoyao narrowed her eyes, sensing the threat. The previous wave of treasures from the Void Island rift was likely a test, probing the Red Robes' defensive capabilities. After understanding the power of the Seventy-Two Dragon Vein Array, this time the attack directly pushed against everyone's defensive limits, escalating the attack level even further.

"Using treasures as a medium for cross-border attacks is understandable," Rao Yaoyao wondered. "But how could they have determined our external defense information?"

Between the Yunlun Mountain Range and the inner Void Island, as long as no true passage for spiritual sense can be opened, the distance between them is arguably greater than between two separate realms. Only a Half-Saint emerging would be qualified to investigate the situation here. Therefore, the only remaining explanation was that individuals from the inner Void Island had planted spies in the Yunlun Mountain Range and maintained communication capabilities despite the spatial restrictions.

"The Storyteller?" Rao Yaoyao quickly recalled the Storyteller's external incarnation that Nightwatch had discovered. Perhaps only the peculiar ability of the Storyteller's external incarnation could explain all of this.

"Chief Teng!" Among the forty outsiders on one side, Grandmaster Huang Yang could no longer stand by. Pointing at the group within the array who were being knocked off their feet by the treasures, he asked, "Are you sure you truly don't need us to intervene?"

Teng Shanhai looked straight ahead, calmly stating, "Under a saint energy impact, without the protection of the grand array, what you can achieve might not be much more than what they're doing. Therefore, having forty more of you doesn't add much, and forty fewer doesn't subtract much. Just wait patiently."

Grandmaster Huang Yang fell silent, clutching his whisk and retreating. To be honest, when he uttered that sentence, he wasn't really thinking about the treasures but rather trying to personally experience the saint energy impact. After all, having lived a lifetime, he had only heard of Half-Saint power and dared not provoke it, so he had naturally never personally experienced how formidable saint energy truly was.

He observed that within the array, many Dao-Severing cultivators, despite their impressive auras, were without exception being knocked around by the treasures. "Is it really that strong?"

Grandmaster Huang Yang grew envious. To be protected by the array and personally experience saint energy without worry would be a stroke of luck for any spiritualist on the continent. Especially for their group of Grand Void cultivators, who yearned for the Path Foundation of Sainthood, they were ravenous for any trace of saint energy fluctuation.

Looking back at the Void Island rift, Grandmaster Huang Yang felt a slight urge. He didn't want the treasures, but if one flew his way, wouldn't it be acceptable for him to just make a slight move, experience the saint energy aura, and then return the treasure to Rao Yaoyao? Thinking this, Grandmaster Huang Yang moved his foot, about to step forward.

Teng Shanhai, seeing through his intentions, immediately snorted coldly and roared, "When you haven't received orders, I advise you, truly, do not make any small moves. If you dare to disregard the rules of the Saint God Palace, you won't even know how you died when the time comes!"

Grandmaster Huang Yang was startled and immediately stopped. Other Grand Void and Dao-Severing cultivators who had similar subtle intentions also halted their movements.

Seeing this, Teng Shanhai's tone softened. He said, "I know what you desire, but with a major battle looming, seek no merit, only avoid faults. If the time truly comes when you are needed, and you give your all, then even if you don't obtain the Path Foundation of Sainthood from Sky City, with sufficient contributions, I can still help you apply to the Saint God Palace for what you most desire."

As the Chief of the War Department, Teng Shanhai was highly skilled in managing his subordinates. Sure enough, upon hearing this, the eyes of the Thirteen Grand Void and twenty-seven Dao-Severing cultivators blazed with fervor.

Even though they knew Teng Shanhai might be making empty promises, receiving a basic verbal assurance was still better than blindly flailing around like headless flies; it was more than a slight improvement. The forty individuals ceased all their subtle schemes and actually began to anticipate the potential great battle ahead.

Merit is easily overlooked in prosperous times, but only earned during war. For them, idleness meant death; only by dedicating their lives to pursue the distant Path of Sainthood was there a glimmer of hope for transcendence.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!" "Boom, boom, boom!"

The second torrent of treasures continued its onslaught for a full fifteen minutes before finally ceasing.

Inside the Seventy-Two Dragon Vein Array, the enforcement officers were panting, drenched in sweat, and debilitated from being bombarded by the surging saint energy. Some Throne Realm enforcement officers couldn't endure until the very end, succumbing after just a short while. After recuperating, they chose to re-engage, repeating the cycle. Nevertheless, the outcome was gratifying. The entire torrent of treasures had been intercepted.

"They're raking it in!" Grandmaster Huang Yang watched the enforcement officers, his envy evident.

"Indeed, even if these treasures aren't Saint-grade, most are second or third-tier, and there are many first-tier ones. This old woman can hardly imagine anywhere other than Sky City that could provide such a vast quantity of treasures," Grandma Tianling also said, her eyes red with covetousness, sighing repeatedly.

"Sky City absolutely contains the Path Foundation of Sainthood!" Dragon-Subduing Hand Hong Dang declared forthrightly.

The other Grand Void and Dao-Severing cultivators behind him also nodded in agreement. Perhaps before, everyone had held a "better safe than sorry" attitude regarding the legend of Sky City possessing the Path Foundation of Sainthood. But having witnessed these two waves of treasure torrents with their own eyes today, they now fully believed it!

For a full fifteen minutes, tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of treasures spewed forth. Who would believe it if they hadn't seen it with their own eyes? This wave of treasures alone was almost equivalent to the entire accumulated wealth of a Grand Void noble family.

Rao Yaoyao, unlike others, did not concern herself with these minor details. People with different perspectives view things differently. Treasures? As long as they weren't Saint-grade, in Rao Yaoyao's eyes, they were merely a number.

"Hurry and count them, and check for any ghost beast aura." Rao Yaoyao gave the order, and the enforcement officers continued their task. Nightwatch came forward to oversee, using the Ghost-Seeking Compass. Everyone was already familiar with the procedure, so the search proceeded systematically.

Soon, the results came in. Just like the previous treasure eruption, there were no anomalies!

Rao Yaoyao received the results and fell into prolonged silence. "What are they planning? What exactly are they trying to achieve?"

This was already the second wave of treasures. It could be said that these two waves of treasures thrown out by the inner Void Island were equivalent to the Saint God Palace's total revenue for two years. Were the people of the inner Void Island insane to give away treasures like this? With these fully formed and directly usable spiritual swords, elixirs, ancient texts, and so on, the various subordinate forces of the Saint God Palace, if allocated these resources, could elevate their combat power by more than one level. When they retaliated, wouldn't it be the inner Void Island that suffered losses?

After much fruitless deliberation, Rao Yaoyao waved her hand and commanded, "Disperse for now." She couldn't let all the enforcement officers be tied up here. Perhaps the treasure eruption was just a distraction, and elsewhere, the inner Void Island was laying out a different plan?

The Seventy-Two Dragon Vein Array was withdrawn, and the enforcement officers departed. Only forty-two individuals remained in the sky.

"What do you think?" Teng Shanhai looked over, asking with full of doubt. Rao Yaoyao pondered for a long time before replying, "We'll handle challenges as they arise. For now, this is all we can do."

No sooner had their voices faded than a faint sound echoed from the Void Island rift, and a stream of light shot out.

"Careful!" Teng Shanhai reacted swiftly, his figure blurring as he met the stream of light, gripping it firmly.

"Boom—" A massive explosion erupted, and a magnificent wave of saint energy spread outwards. Everyone nearby simultaneously changed their expressions dramatically. This saint energy was far more powerful than that of all the previous treasures combined.

"So strong!" Teng Shanhai was blasted back over ten zhang by the stream of light before he could barely steady himself. He raised the object in his hand to examine it, and was utterly stunned.

It was a human-face-sized black scale, imbued with a fierce, malevolent aura, yet its surface shimmered with iridescent light, like a magnificent treasure. Its pure, inky black color was mesmerizing. What astonished Teng Shanhai most, however, was not the beautiful black scale itself, but its terrifying offensive power. It was blasted out, carrying saint energy, but the saint energy was clearly not externally added; it was inherent to the scale.

At this moment, Teng Shanhai's Divine Azure Armor withstood the attack of the saint energy aura, but the black scale, relying solely on its own hardness, pierced into his palm armor. "This scale... it breached the Divine Azure Armor's defense?"

Not only was Teng Shanhai stunned, but Rao Yaoyao also stared in amazement. The Divine Azure Armor was the magnum opus of the Saint God Palace's Dao Division, possessing the highest defensive power among all artifacts below the Half-Saint level throughout the world. What Teng Shanhai wore was the most precious complete set of Divine Azure Armor. The cost of a complete set of Divine Azure Armor was even higher than that of a Saint-grade spiritual artifact.

It could be said that, apart from the eye slits and the only three armor seams on the entire body, someone wearing a complete set of Divine Azure Armor was virtually invincible below the Half-Saint level. The saint energy attack carried by the black scale, as long as it wasn't controlled by a Half-Saint, could be dissipated by the complete Divine Azure Armor simply through its auxiliary Heaven's Mystery Array, without requiring the wearer to expend extra effort. This was also why Teng Shanhai was pushed back over ten zhang — the armor was dissipating the force.

Yet, the most unbelievable thing still occurred... Teng Shanhai had blocked the black scale's attack, but the scale, solely by its own hardness, managed to embed itself into his palm armor. The Divine Azure Armor's defense had been breached!

The power of Grand Void could not breach the Divine Azure Armor's defense. A Half-Saint's attack could naturally ignore the Divine Azure Armor's defense. But between these two, there was originally nothing in the world that could compare to the Divine Azure Armor. And now, there was truly something that could completely overpower the Divine Azure Armor in terms of "hardness"?

"A Saint Relic!" Grandmaster Huang Yang's eyes turned red as he exclaimed in shock.

"To break through the Divine Azure Armor's defense, it must be a Saint Relic!" Grandma Tianling's eyes also gleamed with desire as she stared intently at the black scale, as if she had seen the Path Foundation of Sainthood itself.

"Ignorant!" Dragon-Subduing Hand Hong Dang cursed under his breath. His eyes, too, were filled with disbelief, but he still offered an explanation. "Even a Saint Relic would require someone to control it to breach the Divine Azure Armor's defense. But this black scale is clearly an unowned object; it might not be a Saint Relic!"

The Thirteen Grand Void and twenty-seven Dao-Severing cultivators, however, looked intrigued. Grandmaster Huang Yang turned his head and asked in surprise, "Do you mean 'not a Saint Relic,' or 'more than a Saint Relic'?"

Hong Dang paused, gazing at the black scale in Teng Shanhai's hand, and swallowed. "I mean, it's probably 'more than a Saint Relic'!"

In an instant, everyone was stirred. Grandmaster Huang Yang subconsciously took a step forward. Teng Shanhai's expression immediately turned cold. He said, "More than a Saint Relic? The object is in my hand; dare to come and take it!"

With a sharp snort, everyone calmed down. This was the Chief of the War Department, whose cultivation far surpassed everyone present, and a complete set of Divine Azure Armor made him an unstoppable force.

Rao Yaoyao, ignoring the others, stepped forward and took the black scale from Teng Shanhai's palm. The more she looked at it, the more her heart pounded.

"Can you discern anything?" Teng Shanhai asked. "This thing doesn't seem man-made; it lacks any trace of heavenly mechanism principles but is full of the rhythm of the Great Dao. It should be a naturally occurring supreme treasure."

Rao Yaoyao raised her head, her pupils trembling. She shook her head and murmured, "This is not a naturally occurring supreme treasure. This is merely... a scale from the Demonic Emperor Black Dragon!"