Chapter 229: The Old Geezers Meet, Black Anomaly

Zhou Chen raised his hand, and the umbrella's surface appeared a size larger than the Tianluo Umbrella. It was deep blue, with phantoms of swimming Kun fish surfacing upon it.

"It's actually an Imperial Rank Medium Grade Spiritual Artifact, and it can even summon Kun fish phantoms. It's both offensive and defensive; this is a massive profit."

Zhou Chen toyed with the Kun Spirit Umbrella, feeling in high spirits.

Zhou Chen repeated his old trick, leaving behind Jiang Tianheng's Aura before departing immediately. He hoped the plastic friendship between the two old geezers would hold up, Zhou Chen thought mischievously.

Burial God Ridge.

Jiang Tianheng suppressed his cultivation, and upon entering Burial God Ridge, he immediately felt an inexplicable pull.

"This feeling is unmistakable… Is it an Opportunity?"

Jiang Tianheng narrowed his eyes.

Having Cultivated to his Realm, he already possessed a certain mysterious perception of the Opportunities between heaven and earth.

Following his intuition, he traveled all the way and soon arrived at that deep valley.

"It's here!"

Jiang Tianheng increased his speed and rushed to the bottom of the valley.

But when he saw the empty space behind the giant rock, he was completely stunned.

On the clearing, where the nine nether soul nourishing lotus should have been growing, only a shallow pit remained. A few damaged petals were scattered by the edge of the pit; clearly, the spirit lotus had just been plucked.

"Who is it!"

Jiang Tianheng was furious, and flames surged violently around him.

His Divine Sense frantically scanned the surroundings, trying to find any trace of the culprit. Just then, he discovered some marks on the ground.

Jiang Tianheng narrowed his eyes, his Divine Sense projecting from his body to carefully sense the residual Aura. His face instantly turned livid.

"The Ying Family's Aura?!"

"No, it's that old fogey Ying Wu Dao!"

Jiang Tianheng's breathing became hurried, his chest heaving violently.

The reason he had been heavily injured before was due to damage to his Divine Soul. All these years, he had been searching for Spirit Medicine capable of healing it; this nine nether soul nourishing lotus was vital to him.

Jiang Tianheng had searched through ancient texts and finally found records of Burial God Ridge. He had specifically waited for his weakened period just to come in and find this spirit lotus.

And now he was being told that Ying Wu Dao had beaten him to it?

"Curse you, Ying Wu Dao!"

Jiang Tianheng gnashed his teeth and said, "On the surface, you agreed to join forces to surround and kill the Azure Lotus Emperor Venerable, but in secret, you steal my Opportunity! You've infuriated me!"

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and the surrounding temperature rose by several degrees. Flames leaped around his body, nearly spiraling out of control.

His Dao injury was no secret among the higher-ups of the Imperial Clan. Furthermore, the Ying Family and Jiang Family were never truly united and had always been engaged in open and secret strife.

This time, the two great families also had the intention of secretly competing; whoever caught the Azure Lotus Sword Venerable first would gain glory, while the other Family would inevitably lose face.

Jiang Tianheng never expected to be played by Ying Wu Dao in Burial God Ridge.

"Calm down, stay calm first."

Jiang Tianheng took several deep breaths, forcibly suppressing his rage.

He wasn't a fool. Although he was furious, he couldn't openly break ties yet. After all, they were still in the middle of the operation to kill the Azure Lotus Emperor Venerable. If he fell out with Ying Wu Dao now, it would only benefit that kid.

"I'll stabilize Ying Wu Dao first. Once the Azure Lotus Emperor Venerable is dead, I'll settle the score with him!"

Jiang Tianheng made his decision and turned to leave the deep valley.

But his wariness toward Ying Wu Dao had reached its peak.

Burial God Ridge, southern entrance.

Ying Wu Dao also felt something and soon arrived at the entrance of a grotto.

"This Restriction has been broken?"

Ying Wu Dao's expression changed, and he accelerated into the grotto.

In the next second, his face turned completely black.

The depths of the grotto were empty; there was nothing. The treasure that should have been suspended in mid-air had vanished without a trace, leaving only the Aura of an Imperial Rank Low Grade Spiritual Artifact.

"Bastard!"

Ying Wu Dao let out a roar, his Killing Intent erupting around him.

He carefully inspected the scene but found no useful clues. The person who stole the Tianluo Umbrella had done a clean job, leaving not even a sliver of their Aura.

"Who was it? Jiang Tianheng? Or the Azure Lotus Emperor Venerable?"

Ying Wu Dao's face was terrifyingly grim.

If it was Jiang Tianheng, it meant the old fogey was also plotting against him in secret. If it was the Azure Lotus Emperor Venerable, it was even more troublesome, as it meant the opponent had known their plan all along.

Just as Ying Wu Dao was gnashing his teeth and preparing to leave the grotto, he captured an almost imperceptible Aura.

Although this Aura was well-hidden, he still discovered it.

Who else could it be but Jiang Tianheng?

No wonder he could never get in touch with Jiang Tianheng; a flash of realization crossed Ying Wu Dao's mind.

"Curse you, Jiang Tianheng. We agreed to act separately, yet you dared to target me."

Ying Wu Dao's gaze began to turn icy.

Burial God Ridge, central area.

Jiang Tianheng and Ying Wu Dao had been searching for Zhou Chen's trail along the way. According to their agreement, they were to meet here.

The moment the two met, the atmosphere became somewhat subtle.

"Brother Jiang, how were your gains?"

Ying Wu Dao spoke first, a smile on his face.

"Ordinary. And yours, Brother Ying?"

Jiang Tianheng replied flatly, his gaze sweeping over Ying Wu Dao with scrutiny.

He was observing Ying Wu Dao's expression, trying to see if the old fogey was putting on an act.

Ying Wu Dao was also observing Jiang Tianheng, inwardly alert. Since his Spiritual Artifact had been snatched, he suspected Jiang Tianheng was the culprit. But without evidence, it was hard to lash out.

"Has the Azure Lotus Emperor Venerable's trail been found?"

Ying Wu Dao changed the subject.

"Not yet."

Jiang Tianheng gave a forced smile. "That kid is certainly good at hiding."

"Fine, then let's continue searching and keep in touch."

On the surface, they were still cooperating, but their mutual wariness had reached its limit.

Jiang Tianheng felt a secret hatred, certain that Ying Wu Dao had stolen his nine nether soul nourishing lotus. Seeing Jiang Tianheng's behavior, Ying Wu Dao became even more convinced that the old fellow was up to something.

On a certain mountain peak far from Burial God Ridge.

Zhou Chen hid in the shadows, observing the movements of the two old geezers from afar.

Seeing the two at odds, Zhou Chen was in a great mood.

The first step of sowing discord had succeeded. Next, as long as he continued to fan the flames, these two old fellows would eventually start fighting each other.

Just then.

A strange Aura suddenly appeared within their perception.

This Aura was eerie, cold, and ominous, carrying the scent of decay and deathly silence.

Furthermore, it was unexpectedly at the level of a Quasi-Emperor's pressure!

Jiang Tianheng and Ying Wu Dao both changed expression simultaneously, snapping their heads toward the direction the Aura was coming from.

On the Burial God Platform, a black shadow slowly emerged.

It was a decaying corpse with green flames burning in its eyes. It stood in the center of the Burial God Platform, staring intently at the two Great Emperors.

"An Anomaly… a Quasi-Emperor level Anomaly!"

Ying Wu Dao sucked in a cold breath.

How could such a thing be in Burial God Ridge?!

On the Burial God Platform, that decaying corpse with green flames burning in its eyes stared fixedly at Jiang Tianheng and Ying Wu Dao.

Ying Wu Dao's face turned livid as he braced himself as if facing a great enemy, his Aura surging.

Jiang Tianheng also frowned deeply, flames dancing around him.

"How can there be such a thing in Burial God Ridge?"