Only three seconds? He's already the Lord of All Realms, so it doesn't matter.

The night wind was biting. Tang Zhao held the jade token with only fifty merit points, took a deep breath, and stuffed it into his storage bag.

"150 points needed, by tomorrow evening..."

He murmured softly, and after leaving the weapon-refining workshop, he turned and walked towards the west side of the outer gate.

There was a messy area where registered disciples lived, not in caves provided by the sect. It was a mixed bag, a gray area that was generally ignored.

After passing through several narrow alleys, Tang Zhao stopped in front of an inconspicuous stone house and knocked on the door.

The door opened a crack, revealing half of a scarred face.

"Senior Brother Tang? What a rare guest."

The scarred man stepped aside, and Tang Zhao slipped inside.

The room was simply furnished with only a wooden table and a few benches, but five or six cultivators with gloomy auras were sitting there, most of whom were in the mid-to-late stages of Foundation Establishment.

These people are mostly disciples who went out on missions, disappeared, and then returned to the sect. Since their cave dwellings were removed, they gathered here.

"Hey Zhang, there's a job for you, wanna do it?"

Without wasting any words, Tang Zhao sat down at the table. The scarred man he had mentioned poured a bowl of tea and pushed it over, his eyes gleaming.

He knew that Tang Zhao was a formal outer disciple who was usually arrogant and haughty, so his visit must be urgent.

"Since Senior Brother Tang has spoken, we should naturally listen."

"I need 150 merit points by tomorrow evening."

Before the words were even finished, several soft laughs rang out from inside the room. A one-eyed cultivator scoffed:

"Brother Tang, are you joking? One hundred and fifty points, before tomorrow evening?"

Even if you accept a Class A mission, it will take time to execute, unless you raid the Star-Picking Hall.

However, Tang Zhao ignored this time, took out a map made of animal hide from his storage bag, spread it on the table, and pointed his finger at a spot in the wasteland outside the sect.

"I have a way."

There is an ancient cultivation site here, not part of any sect mission. I and a few fellow disciples explored it before. The outer defenses have been broken, but there is a protective formation inside that requires at least five people to forcibly open.

Zhang Bazi bent down to examine the map closely, his brow furrowing slightly. "Ancient Cultivation Ruins?"

"If there's treasure, why doesn't Senior Brother Tang take it himself?"

"Back then, we only broke through the outer perimeter and took some scraps."

Tang Zhao traced a vermilion mark on the map with his fingertip, paused, and continued:

"The inner formation requires five Foundation Establishment cultivators to exert their power simultaneously, and the formation has a very strong backlash; a slight mistake can result in serious injury."

I had just reached the peak of Foundation Establishment back then and didn't dare to take any risks... but now that I'm short on merit points, I can't worry about that anymore."

Zhang Bazi and the other disciples, understanding the situation, all turned their gazes toward Tang Zhao.

"May I ask, Senior Brother Tang, what is inside? And if we succeed, how will the spoils be divided?"

"There are at least three intact magical artifacts and some spiritual materials in the ruins. If we can get our hands on them, at market price, each person can easily get forty points."

Upon hearing this, the one-eyed cultivator stroked his chin and voiced his doubts.

"I think it's more than that. Since Senior Brother Tang urgently needs merit points, they're all yours. We..."

Tang Zhao interrupted him, his eyes sharp, "Fine!"

"I only want those things in exchange for merit points. If there is an opportunity, the legacy will belong to you."

But let me make this clear beforehand: this mission is fraught with danger. If anyone backs out at the last minute, don't blame me for turning my back on them.

A brief silence fell over the room. The men exchanged glances, and then Zhang Bazi suddenly laughed:

"Senior Brother Tang is so agreeable! Let's cooperate and achieve a win-win situation. When do we set off?"

"Now."

Tang Zhao put away the map, got up and walked towards the door. "I'll use the travel talisman. Let's finish this quickly."

"We must return to the sect before tomorrow evening!"

In the darkness of night, six streaks of light silently emerged from the Holy Sect's mountain gate and sped off toward a certain spot in the wilderness.

Tang Zhaofei was at the front, his face gloomy. Of course, he didn't tell the whole truth.

The protective array inside that ruined mansion had a backlash far more terrifying than he had just described. The two registered disciples who had accompanied him earlier had died from the backlash of the array, leaving no trace of their bodies.

"You dare to negotiate with me? I'll wipe you out!"

Returning to the wasteland, he thought of Ye Xuan again, his hatred surging, and his eyes filled with even more ruthlessness.

……

After two hours of travel, the group of six finally arrived at their destination, the canyon.

The canyon appeared even more secluded in the night, with the rock walls on both sides as if they had been carved by a knife and axe. The moonlight barely pierced through the gaps in the clouds, casting a few shadows.

Tang Zhao landed at the entrance of the canyon, took out the animal hide map, and pointed ahead, saying:

"Entering from here, you will soon see a natural fissure, which is the outer entrance to the ruins."

Zhang Bazi and the others landed one after another, each cautiously scanning their surroundings. Among them, the one-eyed cultivator sniffed and whispered:

"It's eerily quiet here so late at night..."

Tang Zhao put away the map and took the lead into the depths of the canyon, with the other five following closely behind, each holding a magical artifact in their hands, its spiritual light flickering uncertainly in the darkness.

After walking for about a few meters, we indeed came across a naturally formed crevice in the rock wall, only wide enough for one person to pass sideways.

"This is it."

Tang Zhao stopped and took out a luminous pearl from his storage bag. Its bright white light immediately illuminated the area ahead.

The rock face is engraved with fine golden patterns, but the patterns are slightly damaged here, and several key nodes are broken.

Zhang Bazi leaned closer for a closer look, running his hand along the patterns. "This restriction... seems to have been tampered with?"

"You have amnesia? It's from when we broke through the outer perimeter."

Tang Zhao remained calm and led his team to squeeze into the crevice. After walking for about 15 minutes, the view suddenly opened up before them.

A natural stone cave comes into view, with stalactites hanging from the ceiling and bluestone slabs paving the ground.

In the center of the cave stands a broken stone tablet. The tablet is covered with cracks, and although the runes on its surface are blurred, there is still a spiritual light flowing within it, which should not be underestimated.

Tang Zhao pointed to five directions around the stone tablet and said:

"Each person stands in a fixed position and injects spiritual power into the array eye on the ground."

Remember, the forces must be applied simultaneously; the slightest mishap will trigger a backlash from the restriction.

The two disciples who accompanied him were killed by the formation because there weren't enough of them.

Zhang Bazi and the others dispersed as instructed, each finding a recessed stone carving around the stele.

Tang Zhaoze stood in the main seat, and seeing that everyone had gradually settled down, he took a deep breath and said in a deep voice:

"On my command, three, two, one!"

The six people simultaneously channeled their spiritual power into the array's core. With a loud "boom," the stone tablet trembled violently, and the remaining runes on its surface lit up one after another. Golden light shone through the cracks, making the entire stone cave shine brilliantly.

The bluestone slabs on the ground trembled, and five golden beams of light shot into the sky from the center of the formation, converging at the top of the cave and forming a light curtain.

"Walk!"

Tang Zhao was the first to jump into the light screen, but the others were unable to get out for a while. After using all their strength, they stumbled and fell into the light screen.

Looking at the people behind him, Tang Zhao couldn't help but marvel at their good fortune. He then turned and stepped into the tunnel that had appeared inside the cave.

The disciples who had registered quickly followed. They saw that the rock walls in the passageway were unpolished, and the natural stone steps underfoot were damp and slippery. The air was filled with a musty smell.

After walking about a hundred steps, a faint sound of wind came from ahead.

The group quickened their pace and soon reached the end of the passageway. The sight before them made them gasp for breath—

A vast underground palace, with four stone pillars supporting the dome, the floor paved with bluestone slabs, and the walls inlaid with luminous crystals... and in the center of the palace, a bronze coffin is prominently displayed!

The coffin was plain and unadorned, yet it exuded a chilling aura. Scattered around it were four shattered stone statues, all badly damaged.

"It really is an ancient cultivator's ruins!"

Zhang Bazi's eyes widened. He wanted to rush forward, but Tang Zhao grabbed him.

"Wait a minute."

Tang Zhao's gaze swept over the rubble on the ground, then turned to the bronze coffin. He could sense that the coffin was empty, but the lingering aura was vast as the sea, chilling to the bone.

"The coffin is empty; someone beat me to it."