Chen Tian spoke indifferently, "Bring out the treasures you took from the Yuan City Lord's mansion. I want that key. That's the first treasure I desire. I'll pick out the rest later."
"Huh? What treasure are you talking about, that key?"
The Nine-Headed Demonic Dragon looked at Chen Tian with confusion. Then, with a wave of its arm, a mountain of treasures appeared before Chen Tian. Chen Tian's eyes widened. "Did you rob all of these from the City Lord's mansion?"
"Yes! Other humans aren't as strong as you. All the treasures from the City Lord's mansion are here. You can only pick two, as agreed, unless you trade another weapon for it."
The Nine-Headed Demonic Dragon looked proud, as if these treasures were a testament to its strength. Chen Tian felt a headache coming on. He had no idea the City Lord's mansion had so many treasures, and the City Lord hadn't mentioned anything about a key. Finding two items from this hoard felt like pure luck.
"System, is there any way you can help me find it?"
"Oh! The host finally remembers this system. It's not easy~"
"Uh!!"
Chen Tian felt the system's tone was a bit strange today, slightly aggressive. Chen Tian asked, "Can you help me find the key?"
"Host, please use your brain. This is a game mission. Since it's a mission, the mission log will have information and an image of the item. Please don't ask such brainless questions."
The system's aggressive tone echoed. Chen Tian couldn't speak for a moment. Right! The mission log would have item prompts. Chen Tian had forgotten about the mission interface. He brought up the mission interface and was speechless. The key was just a key's appearance. The City Lord had claimed not to know its appearance. Chen Tian felt a surge of anger; this was definitely intentional. If not intentional, then deliberate. In any case, Chen Tian remembered this grudge and would beat up the City Lord thoroughly when he returned.
Chen Tian found the key among the treasures. It was a silver key, emitting a silver glow, with starlight dotted within the luminescence. The key looked like a Starlight Key. Chen Tian looked elsewhere. Ever since entering the cave, Chen Tian had felt a familiar and intimate aura. He approached the treasure mountain on the left and casually reached out. A token appeared in his palm. The token was plain, with the character "风" (Feng) engraved on its front.
As the character "风" entered his sight, countless memories flooded Chen Tian's mind. Chen Tian asked, "Nine Heads, where did you get this token?"
"The Dark Dimension. I have the power of darkness, so the Dark Dimension is my playground. All these treasures were obtained from the Dark Dimension. As for your token, it came to me on its own."
"I was so confused then, thinking it was some earth-shattering treasure that had chosen me as its master. Who knew that after it came to me, it became no different from an ordinary token? I've kept it here ever since."
"What's wrong? Is this token useful to you?"
"Yes, this token will count as the second treasure."
"Alright."
Just as Chen Tian and Nine Heads were about to speak, the entire cave began to shake. Nine Heads roared, "You dare! Those guys are still causing trouble at this time!"
Chen Tian also felt the aura outside the cave. Three presences no weaker than the Nine-Headed Demonic Dragon. They were beings on the same level as the Nine-Headed Demonic Dragon. Chen Tian thought of Chen Ling, who was outside, and rushed towards the cave entrance. From these auras, Chen Tian worried about Chen Ling. Seeing Chen Tian rush out, the Nine-Headed Demonic Dragon quickly followed. The moment they burst out of the cave, three colossal beings enveloped the cave in the sky. Chen Ling's entire aura erupted, deterring the three beings.
"Exploding Ape, Spirit-Slaying Serpent, Sky Crane, what do you three want?"
The Nine-Headed Demonic Dragon's face turned cold upon seeing them, and it roared in question. Facing the question, the Exploding Ape shouted, "Hand over the treasures you've acquired. This Guiming Mountain isn't your territory. You're just a newcomer. We three are the kings here. Hand over your treasures as protection fees, or don't blame us three for killing you here."
"Yes, we've tolerated you for a long time. Now that the three of us have joined forces, I don't believe you can defeat us."
The Spirit-Slaying Serpent glared at the Nine-Headed Demonic Dragon with hatred. Individually, none of them could defeat the Nine-Headed Demonic Dragon. Now that the three of them were united, it didn't believe the Nine-Headed Demonic Dragon wouldn't yield.
"Do you need help? Nine Heads."
Chen Tian's voice rang out. He walked to the Nine-Headed Demonic Dragon's side. Chen Tian was willing to befriend the Nine-Headed Demonic Dragon. When a friend was in trouble, he naturally had to lend a hand.
"Haha, good. We didn't finish our match before. Let's see who can kill these three first?"
"Deal!"
Chen Tian and the Nine-Headed Demonic Dragon completely disregarded the three, making their faces contort in fury. The Sky Crane screeched, "Human, this matter doesn't concern you. Leave quickly."
"What if I refuse?"
"You court death! Let me face you. I'll smash you into a pulp, then deal with Nine Heads."
The Exploding Ape, already short-tempered, was further enraged by Chen Tian's dismissive attitude. With a stomp of its massive body, the entire Guiming Mountain trembled. Chen Tian looked at the colossal being before him. It was an ape, but it had four arms. Brown fur covered its body, and its muscles were powerful. Its eyes were brown-black, its teeth flat. As it took a step, mountains shook. Chen Tian looked at Nine Heads. "Do you want to do it, or shall I?"
"You do it. The Exploding Ape is no match for me. My opponents are only the Sky Crane and the Spirit Serpent. The Exploding Ape is the weakest among the three. I've lost count of how many times I've toyed with it."
The Nine-Headed Demonic Dragon stated this calmly. This was the Exploding Ape's dark history. To be toyed with by a newcomer as one of the three kings of Guiming Mountain was a great loss of face. Chen Tian, seeing Nine Heads' attitude, stood before the Exploding Ape and made a 'please' gesture.
"I'll let you have three moves!"
Chen Tian appeared nonchalant. The Exploding Ape brought down its fists, all four arms swinging. Terrifying power erupted. These four punches seemed capable of shattering the earth. Chen Tian stood his ground. As the four punches were about to land, Chen Tian opened his eyes, and an elemental barrier enveloped him. The fists struck the barrier, causing no damage whatsoever, not even a ripple.
Chen Tian's lips curled upwards, as if mocking the Exploding Ape. The Exploding Ape couldn't stand such provocation and increased the force of its continuous punches, throwing thousands of them. The elemental barrier showed slight cracks under this relentless assault but did not break.
Chen Tian said indifferently, "You have one last move."
"Kid, I admit your shell is tough, but with my last move, I can definitely break your shell."
Black energy surged throughout the Exploding Ape's body. Chen Tian's expression changed drastically. He swung his arm and struck out with his palm. A world-shattering palm strike landed on the elemental barrier. The elemental barrier and the palm merged, forming a nine-colored giant palm phantom that shot towards the Exploding Ape. The Exploding Ape's four punches landed, resulting in a massive explosion. From the center of the explosion, the Exploding Ape slowly stepped out.
The Exploding Ape looked at Chen Tian. This human's strength was not inferior to its own. Its entire body was covered in black winds. The next moment, a young human stood in its place, transforming. The Exploding Ape chose to transform and fight Chen Tian. In its human form, the Exploding Ape retained its four-armed characteristic. Chen Tian coldly uttered, "Trading with evil spirits, you court death!"
"As long as I can gain power, who would refuse? I wouldn't have transformed originally. My bloodline is impure. This power has strengthened my bloodline, allowing me to possess the ability to transform. Would I refuse?"
"It seems there's no need for me to hold back."
Chen Tian stepped forward. With a booming sound, the Exploding Ape was sent flying, crashing through several trees before its body finally stopped. The Exploding Ape looked at Chen Tian with terrified eyes.
"You... you... you... How are you so strong!"
The battle happened in an instant. Among everyone present, only Nine Heads and the Sky Crane saw Chen Tian's movements. This shocked the Sky Crane. Nine Heads actually knew such a powerful being. Seeing the opponent's age, not yet twenty, such a human expert could not be allowed to live. He had to be eliminated here.
Chen Tian approached the Exploding Ape and, with a punch, its body exploded. Chen Tian was puzzled. Why were there other beings appearing in the Divine Spirit Realm? The Exploding Ape had no contract within it; it did not belong to this world. Chen Tian had no choice but to personally kill his opponent.
From another world?
Chen Tian could only think this. In the original Divine Spirit Realm, mutated races like the Nine-Headed Demonic Dragon did not exist. The information about the Exploding Ape and the other two could not be displayed. It seemed they did not belong to this world. How did they arrive here?