Everyone was bewildered.
They had only been focused on watching the battle between Quinn and Chu Xiong.
They hadn't noticed the fifteen blood pearl fruits disappearing from the ground.
Not only had the blood pearl fruits vanished.
Even their vines had disappeared into the icy expanse.
"This is great, no one gets them now!" Quinn roared with laughter.
For him,
While obtaining the burning stick would be good,
Even if he couldn't get it, he could foil Shi Wu's plan.
That was enough for him.
"I will tell Big Brother Shi everything that happened today, and we'll see if he comes looking for you!" Chu Xiong left a menacing remark, waving his hand and leading the disgruntled group away from the snowy night.
"Let's head back to the tribe too!"
Quinn sighed.
Having stayed here for three days and three nights, and the blood pearl fruits that were within his grasp gone, his mood was understandably low.
"Boss, there are traces of blood pearl fruits about two hundred miles to the west. We could try our luck there!" Zhou Li suggested, having been to the west before and seen the blood pearl fruits.
Quinn shook his head. "Shi Wu also knows that place. If nothing unexpected happens, he'll definitely be there." He then looked at Chen Nan. "It seems we can't help you get that burning..."
Before the word 'stick' was finished,
He was shocked to see fifteen blood pearl fruits appear in Chen Nan's hand.
The concentrated radiance of the fifteen blood pearl fruits was striking, illuminating the shocked faces of the three.
"What's going on?" Zhou Li's scalp tingled as he looked at Chen Nan in disbelief.
A radiant smile appeared on Chen Nan's weakened face. "I've recovered some memories. I used a secret technique to dive underground and, while they were unprepared, I snatched these blood pearl fruits."
The three rejoiced.
They hadn't expected Chen Nan to possess such an ability.
"Since we have the blood pearl fruits, let's return to the tribe tonight!" Quinn was afraid that Shi Wu would get the blood pearl fruits. If that happened, even if they found the fruits, they wouldn't be able to exchange them for the black burning stick from Uncle Yu.
Chen Nan grunted and handed the fifteen blood pearl fruits to Quinn.
Quinn put away ten of them, kept one for himself, and gave the other two to Xia Lan and Zhou Li.
There were still two remaining.
He offered them to Chen Nan. "You gathered these blood pearl fruits, so the remaining one rightfully belongs to you. This is our team's rule, so don't refuse."
Chen Nan hesitated for a moment, then finally accepted the blood pearl fruit.
He bit into it and said, "I can teach you the Earth-遁 technique. That way, we can travel underground. This method of travel does consume a lot of soul power."
This was a magical ability, different from internal cultivation methods. As long as there was strong soul power to support it, many people could perform the Earth-遁 technique.
The three instantly grasped the Earth-遁 technique.
However,
The distance they could travel underground was not far, only a little over a hundred meters at a time.
After burrowing a hundred meters, they needed more than ten minutes to recover before they could continue traveling.
To put it bluntly,
Traveling with the Earth-遁 technique was not as fast as traveling on the snow.
But the three were ecstatic.
Because they knew that by learning the Earth-遁 technique, they had gained a means of self-preservation.
If they were ever surrounded by demons in the future, they could use the Earth-遁 technique to escape.
Thus,
The group continued their journey while learning the Earth-遁 technique.
They consumed the blood pearl fruits only when they were exhausted to the limit.
Although Chen Nan consumed two more blood pearl fruits, his cultivation didn't increase significantly this time.
It only added two years of cultivation.
However,
Even a two-year increase in cultivation improved his burrowing distance.
Now, he could burrow five hundred meters at a time.
The three, though not as skilled as Chen Nan, could each burrow three hundred meters.
The next day at noon,
Quinn led Chen Nan and the other two back to the underground city.
Their first act upon returning was to visit Uncle Yu.
"Uncle Yu, the burning stick is still here, right? If so, please accept these ten blood pearl fruits!" Quinn stated his purpose directly, simultaneously producing the ten blood pearl fruits.
"You brats have good luck!" Uncle Yu was overjoyed and accepted the ten blood pearl fruits as if they were treasures. "That burning stick is in the kitchen, go get it yourselves!"
"I really don't know why you're so fond of a mere burning stick. Is it more valuable than ten blood pearl fruits?" he said, before unceremoniously devouring one.
He was advanced in age.
Blood pearl fruits could help him prolong his life.
It was just that...
A mere old burning stick could be exchanged for ten blood pearl fruits.
This was something he had never imagined.
It was an immense gain!
Quinn gave Chen Nan a look.
Chen Nan understood and immediately went to the kitchen to retrieve the burning stick.
The burning stick felt substantial in his hand.
Yet it wasn't as heavy as steel.
It felt like a piece of dark wood.
Whether it was the 'Rod of God-Beating' remained to be seen.
"Uncle Yu, you rest. We'll be leaving now!" Quinn said, then took Chen Nan back to their dwelling. "I don't have much insight, so I'll give this stick to you. I hope you can discover its extraordinary nature. I'm going back to my room to cultivate!"
Things find their destined masters.
Since Chen Nan had recognized the extraordinary nature of this stick, it was a mutual destiny between him and the stick.
Moreover, Chen Nan was the one who had gathered those blood pearl fruits.
He hadn't even considered laying claim to this item.
Chen Nan brought a basin of warm water and a towel, gently wiping the ashes off the burning stick.
Although many ashes were removed, the stick did not reveal its former appearance.
Chen Nan was not discouraged. He bit his fingertip and let a drop of blood fall onto the burning stick.
But to his disappointment,
The burning stick merely absorbed his blood but did not recognize him as its master.
"Is this thing really not that divine artifact?" A big question arose in Chen Nan's mind.
At this moment,
He wished Qing Long had accompanied him to the Divine Realm.
With its experience, it would surely know the origin of this item.
Before he could regain his senses,
The black stick transformed into a streak of black light and entered his body, quietly hovering above his sea of consciousness.
Chen Nan felt a wave of restlessness, a desire to fight.
It was as if the black stick craved blood.
"Could this be an evil weapon?"
A sense of foreboding crept into Chen Nan's heart.
If that were the case,
It would be far from good for him.
Without further thought,
He chanted the Eight-Nine Arcane Art, suppressing the killing intent in his heart.
At the same time,
Shi Wu, accompanied by over a dozen subordinates, arrived at Uncle Yu's home in a grand procession.
"Uncle Yu, I've found the blood pearl fruits. Does that black stick belong to me now?" Shi Wu asked with a faint smile.
He had hundreds of subordinates.
Finding ten blood pearl fruits was not a difficult task for him.
Just then,
Uncle Yu emerged from his dilapidated house. "You're too late. That black stick has already been exchanged by Quinn!"