CHAPTER 511: CHAPTER 511: SNATCHING THE FRUIT_1

As for the others, they were all captivated by the fight between Zhao Wei and the giant scorpion, their eyes glowing with fervent excitement.

That giant scorpion must be a Nine-Star War Emperor, but Zhao Wei isn’t losing ground at all. He’s incredibly tough!

BOOM!

CRACK!

The deafening noise echoed through the sky.

More and more people were rushing towards this scene, among them quite a few experts who could rival Zhao Wei.

But none of that concerned Qin Feiyang and Fatty. The two were darting through the forests, their eyes scanning for any suspicious objects. After a moment, Qin Feiyang stood atop a hill that was several tens of feet high, surveying the area below with tightly furrowed brows. They had only found some common medicinal herbs along the way, with no trace of any extraordinary treasure. Could I have guessed wrong?

HUM!

Suddenly, the Image Crystal Stone in his chest vibrated.

Who is trying to send me a message again? Qin Feiyang couldn’t help but frown. After a brief moment of contemplation, he decided to ignore it. If it’s the Old Man, I’ll definitely get lectured again. Besides, now isn’t the time for messaging. But just as he was about to jump off the hill to search elsewhere, the Image Crystal Stone vibrated again. Who on earth is it? Qin Feiyang raised an eyebrow, entered the ancient castle, took out the Image Crystal Stone, and channeled Battle Intent into it.

An image quickly materialized. It wasn’t the Old Man, but a young man dressed in black. It was Fatty, disguised as Zhang Six!

Fatty frowned and said, "Boss, what the hell are you doing, ignoring my message?"

Qin Feiyang gave a bitter smile. "I thought it was the Old Man. Did you find anything?"

"Seems like you’ve developed a phobia of the Old Man," Fatty teased with a smirk.

Qin Feiyang rolled his eyes at him. "Enough with the nonsense. Spit it out."

"I found a strange little tree," Fatty said, "but I have no idea what it is."

"What kind of tree?" Qin Feiyang asked, surprised and suspicious. If Fatty called it strange, then it definitely wasn’t ordinary.

Fatty continued, "The tree is just over a meter high. Both the leaves and the trunk are fiery red, and there are three red fruits on it."

Fruits? Fiery red? Qin Feiyang paused for a moment. The description did seem rather peculiar. He then began to search his memory. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he asked Fatty, "Do the three fruits all look like a human heart?"

"How do you know that?" Fatty asked in astonishment.

"HAHA..." Qin Feiyang couldn’t help but laugh heartily, his eyes gleaming with fervor. "Damn Fatty, you’ve really found an extraordinary treasure!"

"So what is it?" Fatty asked.

"Tell me your location. I’ll head to you right away," Qin Feiyang said.

Fatty replied, "I’m at the top of a mountain. There are a lot of large black rocks around the edge of the summit. You’ll spot it if you look carefully."

"Alright. First, pick those three fruits. Then hide and wait for me to come for you." After saying this, Qin Feiyang immediately disconnected the Image Crystal Stone.

Just then, Lin Yiyi opened her eyes and said, "Be careful, Brother Feiyang."

"Don’t worry!" Qin Feiyang turned his head towards Lin Yiyi, gave her a slight smile, then left the ancient castle. He stood atop the hill, scanning his surroundings.

Soon, he spotted the mountain Fatty had described. The peak was five to six hundred feet high, with steep cliffs and dense shrubs. True enough, many large black stones were piled near the edge of the summit. Qin Feiyang then looked up; the giant scorpion and Zhao Wei’s battle was taking place about a mile from that peak. It seems it’ll be hard for them to determine a victor anytime soon, so I should have enough time.

WHOOSH!

Without further hesitation, Qin Feiyang turned into a streak of light, dashing through the dense forest towards that peak. Both the giant scorpion and Zhao Wei were still fighting, completely unaware of him. A dozen breaths later, Qin Feiyang finally arrived at the summit.

The area was littered with jumbled rocks and overgrown with wild grass. Among a patch of wild grass, a fiery red little tree swayed in the wind, emitting a hazy glow. Three plump fruits hung on the tree, looking as if condensed from fire and emanating a rich fragrance.

However, upon seeing the tree and its fruits, the joy in Qin Feiyang’s heart was instantly extinguished, his expression turning extremely grim. This was because, beside the little tree, stood not only Fatty but also another person: the shifty-eyed young man in black who had warned him before. This man and Fatty were standing opposite each other, both eyeing the other warily. Upon seeing Qin Feiyang arrive, a flash of surprise also crossed the black-clad youth’s eyes.

"What happened?" Qin Feiyang walked to Fatty’s side, his brow furrowed.

Fatty whispered, "I was about to do as you said and pick these fruits when this guy showed up. Even though he’s just a Three-Star War Emperor and I could kill him easily, if I made a move, it would definitely alert the giant scorpion and Zhao Wei. So, we ended up in a standoff."

Qin Feiyang looked up at the young man in black and gave a faint smile. "Appearances can be deceiving, as the saying goes."

"Aren’t you two the same?" the young man in black chuckled. "Back in the Inner Hall, you both seemed so timid and afraid of trouble. I didn’t expect you to be so quick-witted, reacting even faster than I did."

Timid and afraid of trouble? Qin Feiyang was slightly taken aback. It seems this Ma San and Zhang Six didn’t have a good reputation in the Inner Hall! But he and Fatty were leagues above what those two could compare to.

Qin Feiyang asked, "What do you want?"

The youth in black spoke without hesitation, "Those who see it get a share."

Qin Feiyang asked, "Do you know what these fruits are?"

"Do you?" the youth in black retorted.

Qin Feiyang subtly wrinkled his brow. Initially, he wanted to test the waters. If this man didn’t know, he could easily dismiss him with some minor benefit. However, this man wasn’t a fool; he obviously had the same idea.

Fatty frowned. "Boss, what exactly are these?"

Qin Feiyang didn’t answer him. Looking at the youth in black, he said, "If you can tell us what these fruits are, we’ll split them evenly."

"Ma San, do you take me, He Jiu, for a fool?" Mockery gleamed in the black-clad youth’s eyes. "Even if I don’t say anything, you’ll still have to give me a share of the fruits. Otherwise, with just one shout from me, neither that giant scorpion nor Zhao Wei will let you off."

He Jiu... A glint flashed in Qin Feiyang’s eyes as he silently committed the name to memory. He nodded. "Alright, we’ll split these three fruits equally."

"We should have done this from the start. What a waste of time," He Jiu chuckled and strolled toward the tree. Qin Feiyang and Fatty simultaneously moved forward. But just then, another white figure silently arrived at the summit, also seemingly searching for something. He was a youth dressed in white, about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, tall and well-built, with an extraordinary presence.

Upon seeing Qin Feiyang and the others, the youth in white was taken aback. However, after spotting the small tree and its fruits, he contemplated for a moment, and then his face lit up with ecstasy.

"They’re mine! None of you even think about touching them!" the youth in white yelled, and a terrifying pressure instantly bore down on the trio. He Jiu was immediately immobilized in mid-air. Qin Feiyang and Fatty’s expressions also changed drastically. Having activated their Doors of Potential, this pressure didn’t pose any threat to them, but its intensity allowed them to determine this person’s cultivation. He’s a Seven-star War Emperor! This man’s strength is secondary. The main problem is that the moment he released his pressure, it would surely alert Zhao Wei and the giant scorpion!

As expected, the giant scorpion and Zhao Wei immediately stopped their fight and looked towards the summit.

"Bastard!" the giant scorpion roared.

"Damn it!" Zhao Wei bellowed.

Immediately, they both streaked across the sky, rushing towards the summit. The white-robed youth’s oppressive aura had alarmed not only them but also others nearby, who all looked towards the summit with surprise and suspicion. They all immediately took to the air and sped towards the summit.

"Boss, what do we do?" Fatty asked, his brows furrowed. The strongest among these newcomers was only a Seven-star War Emperor; they weren’t afraid of that. But if they really fought, their hidden cultivation levels would be exposed. Qin Feiyang’s eyes flickered uncertainly.

"You three pieces of trash think you’re worthy of such a precious treasure? You truly don’t know your place!"

Meanwhile, the white-robed youth darted towards the small tree, his gaze towards Qin Feiyang and the others filled with utter contempt. In the blink of an eye, he landed beside the tree. However, he completely ignored Qin Feiyang’s group, despite them being right there. Instead, he looked up at Zhao Wei with a grin. "Zhao Wei, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have known such a treasure was hidden here. I really owe you my thanks."

"You dare!" Zhao Wei roared, his face etched with anxiety.

"I was originally planning to leave one for you," the white-robed youth sneered, "but after hearing you say that, wouldn’t I seem incompetent if I didn’t take them all? In that case, I won’t be polite!" His eyes, now fixed on the three fruits, were full of greed. Immediately, he reached out his large hand, unhesitatingly grabbing for the fruits, a radiant smile spreading across his face.

Fatty and He Jiu were filled with anxiety. He Jiu, especially, was incredibly resentful; the fruits had been within his grasp, only to be snatched away by someone else.

Just as the white-robed youth was about to seize the fruits!

At that very moment, Qin Feiyang’s eyes flashed. Chuckling, he said, "Do you really think these three fruits are yours for the taking?"

"Hm?" The white-robed youth was startled and instinctively looked at Qin Feiyang. He then saw Qin Feiyang raise his arm and send a palm strike flying towards him!

How is this possible? Wasn’t he immobilized by my pressure? How can he still move? The white-robed man was incredulous. But his mental fortitude was also excellent, and he recovered almost instantly. His gaze still held a hint of contempt.

"A cowardly weakling dares to act presumptuously before me? You’re simply courting death!" he sneered. The hand that had been reaching for the fruits abruptly changed direction in mid-air, slapping towards Qin Feiyang’s arm. Battle Intent surged from his palm, and his eyes flickered with a murderous glint!

"I’d like to see who’s really courting death!" Qin Feiyang retorted with a cold smile, flames of Battle Intent erupting from his palm.

BANG!

In a flash, their palms collided!

THUMP!

Immediately, both of them stumbled back half a step, their faces paling slightly.

"How is this possible?" The white-robed man was dumbstruck.

He Jiu’s eyes also widened in utter disbelief. Isn’t this Ma San supposed to be a Two-star War Emperor? When did he become so strong?

"HEHE..." Fatty, however, chuckled mischievously. Seizing the opportunity, he broke free from the oppressive aura and swiftly snatched the three fruits.