The Ancient Flood Dragon received a letter from his subordinate, the Carp Demon General, with a grave expression.

The Carp Demon General believed he was well-hidden, unaware that the Ancient Flood Dragon had already discovered his whereabouts.

"The Mount Shushan treasures are indeed with him."

"Let me capture that traitor and bring him back," a subordinate demon general immediately suggested.

"No."

The Ancient Flood Dragon spoke calmly.

"Since he's already within our grasp, let's first extract the treasure's location from him."

The demon general said, "Once we capture and torture him, I refuse to believe he won't talk!"

The Ancient Flood Dragon shook his head. "He's no fool. He knows he'll die even if he speaks!"

"............"

Extreme Demonic Hall.

"The Mount Shushan treasures?"

The old Hall Master frowned in deep thought.

From the beginning, something felt off about this situation.

"That Carp Demon General's hiding spot must be extremely well-concealed. How did you discover it?"

"Reporting, Hall Master—we obtained the information through the black market."

The black market?

"We originally went just to gather intelligence, but unexpectedly stumbled upon the Carp Demon General's location."

Meanwhile, the Spirit Sword Temple and Revival Sect also received the news through different channels.

Taking a chance, they sent people to verify it—and shockingly, they truly found traces of the Carp Demon General.

..........

The Carp Demon General remained oblivious that his supposedly secret hideout was already known to multiple major factions.

The only reason they hadn't struck yet was to uncover where he had hidden the treasures.

He was even more unaware that, at this very moment, right where he had buried the treasures...

A lone figure was busily at work.

"Come on, since you all want these treasures so badly... come and get them."

From the Carp Demon General discovering these treasures, to the infighting, to secretly relocating them piece by piece and hiding here—every step had been part of Li Xuanxiao's scheme.

"Three-hundred-year-old Glazed Jade—now this is truly a treasure!"

"You want it, don't you?"

"Come!!"

"All of you, come!!"

"........."

Using the Myriad Soul Banner as a vessel, Li Xuanxiao embedded Netherworld Qi into the core of each treasure.

The Netherworld Qi flowed silently through the precious materials, merging with their innate spiritual energy.

Through meticulous arrangements, Li Xuanxiao ensured the Netherworld Qi remained stable within the treasures, undetectable to outsiders.

To further mask its presence, he set up a Spirit-Devouring Array.

This formation converted the Netherworld Qi into Nine Nether Thunderfire—a far more potent and concealed energy form.

The transformation turned the eerie Netherworld Qi into something scorching and violent, yet even more devastating.

He also used the Myriad Soul Banner to absorb the souls of numerous Buddhist and Confucian disciples, making the energy signature even harder to detect.

Thus, even if someone held these treasures, they wouldn't sense the hidden catastrophe within.

Li Xuanxiao could detonate all the Nine Nether Thunderfire inside the treasures at will via the Myriad Soul Banner.

Using the treasures themselves as fuel, the explosion's power would multiply.

In an instant, every last treasure left behind by the Mount Shushan branch would erupt.

The key lay in these very treasures.

The six major sects of Jiangnan, twenty-eight schools, thirty-two demon factions... all those who had desperately sought these treasures for thirty years would find them serving as their funeral offerings.

Li Xuanxiao couldn't help but burst into maniacal laughter, applauding his own brilliance.

"........"

Pure Water Palace.

"What!?"

"It's been found?!"

"The Carp Demon General is already dead, but our men discovered the treasure's hiding place on his body."

The Ancient Flood Dragon released a thunderous draconic roar.

"ROAR——!!"

His colossal form uncoiled from the throne.

"Mobilize the troops! We march at once."

The mistake made with the Carp Demon General would not be repeated.

Late at night.

The rivers around Jiangnan seemed to ignite, boiling violently as waves of scorching heat churned the waters.

The surface raged with towering waves, spray exploding into the air as chaos unfolded.

Demonic energy surged with the currents, glimpses of monstrous figures flickering beneath the surface.

They darted through the water, surfacing briefly before diving back into the depths.

Then, all at once, they surged ashore.

The Shrimp Soldiers and Crab Generals waved their banners high, weapons glinting coldly in the water.

A deafening roar suddenly shook the heavens, echoing like thunder across the river.

The Ancient Flood Dragon erupted from the water, his massive, scaled form blotting out the sky.

The demon generals roared in unison, their voices shaking the clouds.

...........

Meanwhile, the other factions weren't idle either.

Spirit Sword Temple.

Nearly every disciple and elder marched out in force.

The usually humble-looking elder led his followers in a grand procession toward the treasure site.

All the pleasure houses in Jiangnan closed early.

The women of the Revival Sect also mobilized en masse.

It wasn't just these top factions—the six major sects, twenty-eight schools, thirty-two demon factions...

Every power that had caught wind of the news, every self-proclaimed overlord and king among demons—

Who wouldn't be curious about the legendary Mount Shushan treasures?

If they could snatch even a scrap, the rewards would be boundless.

Three decades ago, the wealthiest Mount Shushan branch in Jiangnan was annihilated.

Yet when the invading forces stormed its vaults, they found them emptied.

The sole Mount Shushan elder who knew the treasures' location had perished in battle, taking his enemies with him.

"..........."

"Hall Master! When do we move? We must act quickly!"

The old Hall Master shot a cold glare at the subordinate who spoke.

The man immediately fell silent.

"Quickly? Quickly rush to our deaths?"

"Hall Master..."

The old Hall Master snapped, "This is clearly a trap! Those fools!"

"From the moment the Mount Shushan treasures resurfaced to the sudden appearance of their disciples—use your damn head!"

"Those idiots are all blinded by greed! Warn them it's a trap, and not a single one listens!"

A hesitant subordinate ventured cautiously,

"Hall Master... even if there is an ambush, what could the remnants of Mount Shushan possibly do? Could they be trying to make us turn on each other?"

"If only it were that simple!" the old Hall Master muttered darkly.

"Hall Master, then what should we do?"

After a long silence, the old Hall Master sighed.

"Regardless... we must investigate."

"........"

Jiangnan.

Li Xuanxiao, having just arrived, frowned deeply at the walls plastered with his own wanted posters.

"Huh? Me?"

"..........."