The colossal serpent's eyes blazed like molten suns as the group stood frozen at the threshold of the cavern. The treasures glittered in its coiled shadow, a sea of jade, weapons, scrolls, and relics piled like mountains, their radiance mingling with the suffocating aura of the beast. Yet none of them dared to step forward immediately—the weight of choice pressed harder than the serpent's killing intent.
Li Xian's lips curved into a tight frown. "We cannot carry everything. Most of these treasures may be worthless, or mere bait to lure us in. Taking useless gold would only burden us." Her voice was calm, but her eyes betrayed the storm of calculation within.
Lu Mao's gaze swept the piles, though his vein inside pulsed with a warning unlike any other. "Maybe we can grab as much as possible, but don't fool yourselves. The serpent won't just sit there. The moment we set foot inside, it'll strike. And it doesn't look weak… not at all. If I had to guess, one wrong move and we're corpses."
Bo Heng, his shield floating with a faint hum, took a slow breath. "Its aura… it's at least at the peak of the War Blood Realm. Alone, none of us stand a chance. But if the three of us work together…" His gaze swept to Li Xian and Lan Yue. "We can hold it. At least long enough for the others to grab what they can."
Li Xian's golden qi pulsed in answer, her nod sharp and resolute. "Agreed. One team distracts. One team loots. It's the only way."
Chen Rong twirled his blade and gave a rare solemn nod. "Then Lu Mao and I will collect. But let's make this clear—if even one of us abandons the pact, the rest will die here. The serpent's rage won't allow betrayal." His tone, though playful usually, carried a surprising weight.
Lan Yue's lips curled into a teasing smile, her eyes narrowing like a cat. "Show them, little thief. Show them why we are called so."
Chen Rong blinked indignantly. "I'm not a thief!"
Lu Mao smirked, his grin mischievous despite the danger. "Be one for today, then."
The pact was sealed without further words.
The moment their feet touched the cavern floor, the serpent's eyes snapped open fully. A hiss tore through the chamber, deafening, as its coils shifted and the air itself seemed to vibrate with its fury. Its massive tail swept across the stone, sending cracks spidering through the walls.
Bo Heng stepped forward first, his shield flaring, intercepting the crushing strike of the serpent's tail. He staggered back but held his ground, the shield ringing like a bell.
Lan Yue darted to the left, her violet light trailing seductively as she slashed at the serpent's flank, her blade cutting shallowly across scales harder than steel. Sparks flew.
Li Xian was already in motion, golden qi wrapping around her body as she struck from the right. Her sword flashed like lightning, driving into the serpent's hide and leaving a faint mark. The serpent hissed, thrashing, but the three coordinated seamlessly, their combined assault forcing it to twist and coil defensively.
"Go!" Li Xian shouted without looking back.
Lu Mao and Chen Rong dove into the piles of treasures like shadows.
Swords, daggers, relics—some ancient, their hilts cracked and weathered, others gleaming with an ominous energy that thrummed with life. Lu Mao's hands moved like a blur, his fingers snatching treasures almost faster than the eye could follow.
Chen Rong's eyes widened as he realized what Lu Mao was doing. "You… you've got a spatial ring too?"
Lu Mao gave him a side glance, smirk tugging at his lips even as his hands didn't stop. "Did you think I carried all this in my sleeves? How many can you hold?"
Chen Rong hesitated, pride flashing in his eyes. "Seventy. Maybe more if I cram them."
Lu Mao chuckled, his smirk widening. "Cute. I can store two hundred."
Chen Rong's jaw dropped. "Two hun—what kind of monster thief are you?!"
"Efficient," Lu Mao replied smoothly, tossing another relic into his ring without looking.
For several moments, they worked like predators amidst chaos, each snatching treasures into their rings while the others fought the serpent tooth and nail. Lan Yue's laughter rang through the chamber even as she twisted away from a venomous strike, while Li Xian's golden aura flared bright, her every swing precise and merciless.
But deep inside, Lu Mao felt it. His vein thrummed harder than ever, almost burning his chest. These treasures, glittering though they were, meant nothing. The serpent's madness wasn't for them.
His gaze shifted. Toward the ellipsoid stone resting near the serpent's coiled throne. It radiated no light, no glamour—but the pull inside him screamed that it was the true prize.
An idea sparked in his mind, wild and reckless.
"Let's see what a real thief is," he murmured under his breath.
Aloud, he shouted, "Maybe there's something here!" and bolted toward the stone.
Chen Rong, startled, scrambled after him. "Wait—what?!"
But Lu Mao was already gone. His phantom veil shimmered, cloaking his presence, shadow steps carrying him like a whisper across the cavern. He didn't go directly—he circled wide, his form almost blurring as he activated his wind fist.
With a roar, he drove his fist into the stone.
The ellipsoid cracked, fragments cascading away like a shell breaking. Inside, hidden within a void-like hollow, was a smaller stone—no, not a stone, but a rune-engraved object, pulsating faintly with power as if alive.
The moment it was exposed, the raging vault within Lu Mao's inner world surged. Like a black hole, it pulled the object into his palm before anyone could react, sucking it into the abyss within his soul.
When Chen Rong arrived, the stone was already empty.
Lu Mao straightened, dusting his hands, face calm. "Looks like… nothing."
The cracked shell crumbled to dust with a heavy thud, the sound echoing like a hammerstrike.
The serpent went mad.
It thrashed violently, its hissing now a deafening roar, ignoring the wounds carved into its scales. It lunged toward Lu Mao, its eyes blazing with feral rage, venom dripping in rivers.
"Shit!" Chen Rong cursed, diving aside.
The serpent spat venom like a storm. A torrent of green liquid arced through the air, sizzling as it melted through stone. It aimed directly at Lu Mao.
But Lu Mao only lifted his palm.
The venom struck his hand—and was sucked inside. Every drop vanished into his palm as if devoured by an unseen void, leaving not even a trace of poison behind. His expression remained calm, though his eyes gleamed darkly.
The serpent shrieked in confusion and fury, whipping its tail across the cavern, killing several cultivators who had just rushed in.
Because now, others had come.
Hundreds of disciples from various sects poured into the chamber, eyes lighting up at the sight of the sea of treasures. Their shock at the serpent's size didn't stop their greed—already, they were lunging toward relics and weapons, clashing with one another as much as with the beast.
Blood filled the air. Screams rang out. The serpent rampaged, killing indiscriminately, its scales turning red with the blood of cultivators. Dozens of War Blood cultivators fell, crushed beneath its coils or dissolved in its venom, and hundreds of Spirit Accession disciples died like ants, their bodies littering the treasure fields.
But still, the madness of greed outweighed fear.
Ji Qiang, eyes blazing with bloodlust, carved a bloody path through weaker disciples, his hands filling with relics. By the time his slaughter ended, his group alone had taken nearly three hundred treasures, his blade dripping with the lives of those who stood in his way.
The serpent roared, but now it was being swarmed by the combined forces of the sects. War Blood cultivators banded together reluctantly, driving it back with waves of strikes. Still, death piled high.
And amidst that chaos… Lu Mao, Li Xian, Bo Heng, Lan Yue, and Chen Rong vanished. Slipping away like ghosts, already far from the treasure field while others drowned in their greed.
For those who remembered, they had seen the group enter first. But in the blinding glitter of treasures, in the madness of bloodshed, the memory slipped away.
What remained was the legend of the serpent's hoard.
And the secret of the true treasure was buried deep in Lu Mao's heart.