Mortal: My name is Ma Liang, and I also possess a magic brush.

Ma Liang held the Frostwave Scale Shield in his hand, becoming more and more satisfied with it, and couldn't help but grin.

"Good heavens! A defensive ancient treasure whose power can be activated even by a Core Formation stage cultivator, and I, a mere Qi Refining stage cultivator, just pocketed it! Where's the justice in this?!"

He examined the Frostwave Scale Shield for a long time, as if showing off, before putting it into his storage bag. He patted the bag opening, as if afraid the treasure would fly away.

Ma Liang looked at the remaining twenty-four orbs of light around him, and couldn't help but feel a little itchy.

Should we smash a few more?

But the thought of that near-death feeling sent a chill down his spine.

"Forget it, it would be a huge loss if I had the life to take it but didn't live to use it."

He muttered to himself, touching his still somewhat stuffy chest, "It's not too late to talk about it when I'm strong enough."

He could only break the restrictions on these light orbs with his divine brush; in the entire cultivation world, there are probably very few people with this ability.

In this way, these treasures will eventually belong to him, no matter where they are left.

Ma Liang glanced at the empty waters; apart from the twenty-four motionless orbs of light, there was nothing else to grab. He muttered to himself, "How am I supposed to get out of this godforsaken place?!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a blinding blue light suddenly shot out from the largest sphere of light, instantly enveloping him!

Ma Liang had no time to react. He felt a powerful pulling force grab him, and in a flash, his figure disappeared into thin air in the water.

When Ma Liang's figure solidified again, he was standing in an incomparably magnificent hall.

The hall was probably about a mile in circumference, and the floor was paved with a single smooth piece of jade, without a single seam to be found, so shiny that it could reflect one's image.

But as soon as he stood firm, his heart sank; this place was a barren land devoid of spirits!

There was no spiritual energy in the air, and even the spiritual power within the body seemed frozen, unable to circulate at all.

Ma Liang panicked and instinctively tried to use his spiritual power to retrieve the scroll on his back, but after several attempts, there was no response.

Left with no other choice, he could only reach out and untie the straps binding him, forcefully pull out the reel, and clumsily unfold it with his hands.

As soon as he had a thought, the venomous python darted out of the scroll and coiled around his feet, flicking its tongue and warily surveying its surroundings.

With the venomous python beside him, Ma Liang finally felt a bit more confident. He glanced at the empty hall and thought, "The owner of this tower is really strange. He insisted on making such a big place, but didn't put anything decent in it!"

He looked toward the center of the hall, where an altar stood, made entirely of dark crystal.

Since nothing was found elsewhere, Ma Liang had no choice but to bite the bullet and investigate the altar.

He leaped onto the python's head. "Let's go take a look."

The venomous python hissed and its thick body began to slither along the smooth jade ground, soon approaching the altar.

Only when you get closer can you see that this is not an altar at all, but clearly a three-tiered throne with progressively higher levels.

The bottom layer is paved with dark-colored stones, the middle layer is carved with intricate cloud patterns, and the top layer is a chair made of pure black crystal.

What caught Ma Liang's attention the most was the red stone platform in front of the chair, on which stood a seven-story golden pagoda, about the length of an arm. The pagoda's body was exactly the same as the ancient pagoda he was standing in at the moment; it was clearly a miniature version of the pagoda!

Just as Ma Liang was staring intently at the miniature golden pagoda, a flash of inspiration appeared behind him!

When he saw who it was, he was immediately alarmed—it was Xiang Zhili!

Ma Liang didn't rush forward. He first patted the venomous python beneath him before calling out, "Senior! I'm here!"

On the other side, Xiang Zhili was still somewhat dazed when he was teleported over. Hearing the shout, he looked in the direction of the sound and immediately saw Ma Liang standing on the head of the venomous python.

"So it's you, Ma boy! You're here too!"

Xiang Zhili subconsciously wanted to use his spiritual power to fly over, but as soon as he had the thought, his spiritual power was as if it were imprisoned by invisible shackles, and he could not move it at all.

He was then shocked to realize that this place was a desolate and lifeless place devoid of any spiritual energy, and his face darkened.

After a moment's hesitation, he shouted loudly at Ma Liang, "Hey Ma, come get me!"

"Senior, it's not far from here, just come over! I've found a strange object here, come and see what it is!"

Xiang Zhili sighed, "You brat, you were at least trying to be friendly outside, but now you've forgotten to respect your elders? There's not a trace of spiritual energy here, and you expect this old man to walk through step by step?"

He complained, but he didn't stop walking.

The sound of Xiang Zhili's footsteps was amplified infinitely in the deathly silent hall.

"Tap, tap, tap"

One sound after another, clearly carried to the surroundings, as if stepping directly on Ma Liang's heart.

He clenched his fists instinctively, and even his breathing became lighter.

The venomous python beneath him seemed to sense his emotions and raised its head as well.

"Senior! Please stop! I have a feeling this place is strange; please don't come any closer!"

Xiang Zhili didn't stop at all; instead, he quickened his pace. "What danger? Don't be so jumpy, kid! I'm coming right now. You stay put, and I'll protect you if anything goes wrong!"

"Senior! Don't move!"

Ma Liang shouted urgently, but seeing that Xiang Zhili remained unmoved, a surge of anger and unease welled up within him. "Does it really have to come to this? You've already tried it; you can't even touch that thing!"

Xiang Zhili continued walking, the last trace of gentleness fading from his face.

"Young Ma, what you've said is the truth? I only realized it after we parted ways; you've been playing tricks on me the whole time! I asked you if you were from the spirit world, and you only vaguely said you were from the upper realm. Does the upper realm necessarily mean the spirit world?"

"You still claim to come from another world, but now I finally understand! I doubt even the spirit world possesses your magical arts, much less that pen in your hand, right?"

"Senior! I may have used some clever tricks before, but there's absolutely no lie about the spatial nodes! If you insist on a fight to the death, you'll only be trapped in this world forever!"

"Once I search your soul, all your secrets will become mine. Why should I care about any spatial nodes?"

"I told you long ago, you can't possibly search my soul!"

"I have my own protective measures. If you forcibly search my soul, you will only suffer a backlash and die a more gruesome death!"

"How will you know if you don't try?"

Xiang Zhili's eyes revealed murderous intent, and the two were less than a hundred meters apart.

"It seems a fight is unavoidable? Senior, are you truly unwilling to give up?"

Ma Liang patted the venomous python beneath him, and the python immediately raised its head, flicking its tongue at Xiang Zhili.

"This place is devoid of spirits; you cannot use any cultivation techniques. If a real fight breaks out, the outcome is uncertain!"

"Is that so? I haven't lived all these years solely through cultivating immortality!"

Xiang Zhili sneered, cracking his knuckles as he clenched his fists, saying, "I also know a little about martial arts."

The next moment, Xiang Zhili stomped on the ground, and the smooth jade floor instantly cracked like a spider web, the dull sound like the start of a battle!

He swayed and charged towards Ma Liang.

How could Ma Liang dare to accept the challenge head-on?

He now understood the terrifying power of a Nascent Soul stage physical body. Even without the ability to use magic, this body was comparable to the most ferocious humanoid demon beast!

He leaped down from the python's head, shouting at the same time, "Attack!"

Upon receiving the command, the venomous python arched its thick body and darted towards Xiang Zhili like lightning, its gaping maw revealing menacing fangs that gleamed coldly.