The morning sun rose gently.

Sitting cross-legged on the sandy ground, Luo Xiu slowly opened his eyes.

With the sunrise in the east as his guide, he determined the general direction of the oasis and set out, pot and hoe in hand, leaving a trail of footprints on the yellow sand.

The footprints had a beginning, but no end. Although they would soon be buried by the wind and sand, the traces of their existence—the path that had been trod—would remain forever.

「...」

He was now separated from Lin Xiyue and the other girls, but since everyone was heading in the same direction, the chances of running into each other were still high.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, two days had passed.

That morning, Luo Xiu walked out of the spatial entrance leading to the Land of Lawlessness, holding a pot of instant noodles just as he had the past two days. Eating while on the move was its own kind of carefree style.

The instant noodles were stored in his Holy Lotus Jade Pendant, and the pot used to cook them was, of course, the Kun-stewing Divine Cauldron he had borrowed from Dou Dou.

"I must say, these noodles cooked in a divine cauldron really are different," Luo Xiu muttered to himself, tilting his head back and gulping down the soup. "They're not only delicious but also infused with Great Dao spiritual energy. After eating them for two days, I feel much stronger."

"Tomorrow, I'll catch another Demon Scorpion. Its meat tastes a lot like crab. It should be even more delicious cooked with the noodles."

Others who came to participate in the Shi Wu Great Reef and enter this perilous Secret Realm did so with great difficulty, constantly thinking about how to survive. Yet Luo Xiu seemed to be here on vacation. With plenty of food, drink, and scenery to appreciate, how could he be any more carefree?

But Luo Xiu also had his worries. Two days had passed, and he still hadn't found Lin Xiyue and the others.

Sigh, I wonder how they're doing. But when I think about it... I've already killed that Mark. With their strength, they should be safe traveling here. Xi Yue is at the Spirit Gathering Great Perfection stage, wields a famous sword, and knows my Asura Fist. And Qian Qing, Yueyue, and Xiao Yi are all in the Late Spirit Gathering stage. Qian Qing has her Wicked Tenderness Technique, Yueyue has the Void Zen Sound, and Xiao Yi knows the Mystic Yang Dao Art—they all possess Unique Arts. As for Xiao Xue, she has reached the Nascent Soul Realm and must have learned quite a bit from Master in Ghost Valley Mountain. So, the teams from other countries should be the ones in danger, not them. So what am I worrying about?

Thinking this, Luo Xiu's heart suddenly felt much lighter, and he became completely carefree once more.

This Kun-stewing Divine Cauldron is no ordinary pot. I should catch more Demon Beasts to cook and eat. And this Acne-Removing Divine Hoe... based on yesterday's test, it seems to have the ability to find treasure. But fully leveraging its abilities requires a huge amount of Divine Sense. In that case...

With this thought, Luo Xiu suddenly stopped, having made up his mind. He opened the spatial entrance to the Land of Lawlessness, pulled out a Holy Boi Religion Cultist who had been imprisoned earlier, killed him, and then used the Elysian Nether Earth technique to revive Fei Xiao.

Fei Xiao looked at Luo Xiu, his face a mask of reluctance. "Last time you wanted me to blow up vines. Who do you want me to blow up this time?"

Luo Xiu leaped onto Fei Xiao's broad shoulders, just as Xia Chan used to do.

"You don't have to blow anyone up this time. Just connect your Divine Sense to this hoe and lead me on a treasure hunt."

Fei Xiao took the hoe and connected his Divine Sense to it.

The Divine Sense of a Mahayana Realm Cultivator was indeed powerful. The Acne-Removing Divine Hoe immediately reacted, emitting the distinctive fluorescence of a magical treasure before leaving Fei Xiao's hand to point in a specific direction.

Afterward, Fei Xiao carried Luo Xiu into the air, following the hoe's guidance.

"Hmm, having a mount really feels great," Luo Xiu remarked. "Fei Xiao, you seem pretty pitiful. I've decided to let you go after a while. I'll let your soul disperse completely so you can be truly free. If there is a next life, remember to be a good fat man and don't join any heretic cults again."

Fei Xiao snorted. "Are you just making empty promises?"

Luo Xiu shrugged. "I can control your every action at will. To put it bluntly, you're my slave. Do I really need to tempt you with false hope? I mean it. I will let you go."

"Then I thank you!"

Soon, following the Acne-Removing Divine Hoe's guidance, Fei Xiao brought Luo Xiu to their destination.

Upon landing, Luo Xiu jumped down from Fei Xiao's shoulders. He walked over, picked up the Acne-Removing Divine Hoe that was planted in the ground, and instructed, "Fei Xiao, extend your Divine Sense to its limit and keep watch. Notify me immediately if anything seems off."

"Yes!"

Luo Xiu began to dig with the hoe. An hour passed, then two... Finally, he unearthed something.

It was an ancient tomb, not very large or elaborate, suggesting the Tomb Master had not held a high status in life.

The bronze coffin in the main chamber was already in ruins, and the corpse inside had nearly disintegrated into sand. However, there were still some funerary items like pots and jars, and even a Storage Magical Treasure—a gold bracelet, which Luo Xiu forcibly wrenched from the Tomb Master's skeletal wrist.

Watching Luo Xiu sort through the grave goods, Fei Xiao couldn't help but curl his lip. "These magical treasures have turned into useless dross, yet you seem quite fascinated?"

Luo Xiu just smiled and said nothing, merely adjusting the glasses on the bridge of his nose. He really did look like an archaeologist.

Though the prehistoric tomb was rather shabby, Luo Xiu wasn't disappointed. This was his "first pot of gold" from using the Acne-Removing Divine Hoe. Moreover, he had the Indestructible Divine Flame and could reforge these magical treasures.

The second round of the Shi Wu Great Reef competition was all about collecting various magical treasures to obtain the fortunes of the Great Dao. Therefore, good or bad, he just had to take everything he could find for now.

Once he reforged them all, he would hand them over to the state to be given to the Martial Combatants Coalition. Luo Xiu felt this was the only thing he could do for Di Xuanji and Lu Nianjiao, a way of contributing his part to Hua Country.

After reforging the Storage Magical Treasure, Luo Xiu stored all the other scrap treasures inside. Although it was far inferior to his Holy Lotus Jade Pendant, it was more than enough to hold a few junk magical treasures.

"There's something happening over there," Fei Xiao suddenly alerted him, just as Luo Xiu was about to explore the other chambers.

Luo Xiu, now wearing the gold bracelet, asked, "What is it?"

"Someone's fighting."

Luo Xiu adjusted his glasses and smiled suavely. "Perhaps we can snag a few competition plaques. Let's go break it up."

A short while later, Fei Xiao flew him to the location.

Luo Xiu lay prone on a sand dune, concealing his aura. He planned to observe in secret, wait for an opportunity, and then swoop in to claim the spoils when both sides were spent.

His left eye, however, had exceptional vision, allowing him to see distant details with perfect clarity.

One look was all it took. He froze.

It was Mark, chasing Zhang Yi!

How is that bastard still alive?

Luo Xiu's brow furrowed, a chill creeping into his heart. Two nights ago, just before the Black Cloud Thunderstorm arrived, he had personally bashed Mark's head in with the Acne-Removing Divine Hoe, sending him to meet his maker.

Yet now, the truth was laid bare: Mark was alive and well, without so much as a scar on his head.

「At this moment.」

Mark had cornered Zhang Yi at the base of a cliff. The other five M Country Team members swarmed forward, completely surrounding her.

Mark stepped toward Zhang Yi with a faint smile. "All resistance is futile, just a waste of time. Why bother? Just come with me quietly."

Zhang Yi glared at him, gritting her teeth. "Don't even think about it!"

Mark's expression turned icy. "Stubborn, are we? I've lost my patience. I'll just have to cripple you and take you away by force!"

As his words fell, black, sinister patterns emerged on his skin, and he began to emit a powerful and eerie aura.

At the sight, Zhang Yi's expression hardened. She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, her face growing solemn.

That night, after the Black Cloud Thunderstorm had separated her from her teammates, she had begun heading toward the oasis alone the next day. But then Mark and his men found her and declared they were taking her with them. She naturally refused, and a fight broke out.

Drawing on the Mystic Yang Dao Art she had learned at the Proud Sun Sect, she had fought back time and time again. But now, she was running on fumes, completely out of options.

Am I really going to be captured by this pervert? No... no way! I'd rather die than fall into the hands of scum like him!

At this moment, she couldn't help but think of him—the man she admired so much.

Brother Luo Xiu, if you were here... you would protect me, right? Where are you? If there's a next life, I promise I'll find you sooner.

BOOM!

Just as she prepared to use the last of her strength to end her own life, a portly figure suddenly descended from the sky. It landed with a crash in front of her, kicking up a massive cloud of sand.

Through her blurry vision, Zhang Yi saw that it was a fat man, but she couldn't tell if he was friend or foe. Someone had come, but it wasn't the Brother Luo Xiu she longed for day and night.

"What are you standing around for? Let's go!"

Suddenly, her wrist was seized by a strong, broad hand. She snapped back to her senses and turned to see that it was Luo Xiu. However, she didn't realize the man who had come to save her was the very Brother Luo Xiu she had been longing for.

"Dr. Chen? What are you doing here?"

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