Dao Lord: Starting from a Top-grade Golden Core

The Treasure Clearing Charm’s duration was limited, so the group dared not delay. With the aid of the Spiritual Objects distributed by Wang Jiao, they all finished meditating and recovered within a few hours.

Wang Jiao had a habit of being a man of few words when it was time for action. Seeing everyone was ready, he didn’t waste a moment. He put away the Treasure Clearing Charm and called for the group to continue the pursuit.

Unexpectedly, after only seven or eight more days of pursuit, Chequan suddenly shouted, "The target has stopped up ahead!"

The group’s spirits lifted. Wang Jiao didn’t rush forward. Instead, he raised the Treasure Pearl in his hand. A slit opened on its surface like an awakening eye and shone upward, revealing a scene from countless miles away.

𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

The Du Xu Palace was suspended in the void. From beneath it, a clear, profound light shone down, immobilizing a colossal iceberg. The Du Xu Palace didn’t seem to be drawing the iceberg in, but it was apparently absorbing something from it.

"Ice Extreme Essence!" Wang Jiao’s eyes widened in shock. ’Judging by the size of that iceberg, how much essence must be accumulated inside?’ he thought. Although it was often said that the void held countless treasures, an opportunity like this was still exceptionally rare.

He felt no joy, but rather a flicker of unease.

No one who survived in the Cultivation Realm was a fool. A person who could stumble upon such a great fortune just by traveling might not be a direct threat, but trying to move against them often led to unexpected complications.

But in just an instant, his expression hardened. ’How do I know this isn’t *my* good fortune?’ he thought, then gave his companions a meaningful look.

The others understood immediately. Although the distance was vast, the field of view in the void was immense. A direct approach was not the best strategy.

The Seven Friends of Huangshan Lake didn’t exclusively make a living from murder and robbery, but they had committed their fair share of evil deeds. They were old hands at this. They immediately concealed their figures and stealthily moved forward.

A moment later, a scene identical to the one shown by the Treasure Pearl came into view.

Without needing an order from Wang Jiao, the group scattered in all directions. Seeing that everyone was in position, forming a loose encirclement around the Flying Palace, Wang Jiao lightly shook his wide sleeve. A golden pearl fell out, which he cupped in his hand. He took a soft breath, a fierce glint in his eyes, and then threw the golden pearl downward!

Whether it was a palace, pavilion, boat, or chariot... any such Magical Artifact or Magical Treasure was guaranteed to have defensive capabilities, and might even be able to deploy a grand formation. Even with the seven of them attacking together, they might not be able to take it down quickly.

Wang Jiao was determined to capture this prize and would not tolerate any complications. Therefore, he used a secret treasure from the very start, intending to shatter the defenses of the Magical Treasure Flying Palace in one fell swoop. Unexpectedly, his plan was seen through.

The group stared intently as the golden pearl fell. It was a mere pellet, no bigger than a fingernail, utterly minuscule in the vastness of the void. It produced no sound or disturbance as it silently closed the distance—a thousand zhang, a hundred zhang...

Just as it was about to land on the Du Xu Palace, the sound of surging waves suddenly echoed out of the silence. An azure radiance shot up from the Du Xu Palace into the void!

"Not good!" Wang Jiao sensed that something was wrong. He immediately formed a Spell with his fingers to detonate the golden pearl, but as soon as the azure radiance appeared, it instantly swelled to fill the sky, like an ocean unfurling. The golden pearl fell into it and vanished like a stone cast into the sea, leaving not a single ripple.

Wang Jiao tried repeatedly to activate it, but not only did he get no response, he felt his connection to the wisp of Spiritual Sense he had left on it get swallowed up and severed. He couldn’t help but snort coldly. How could he not realize by now that his opponent had been prepared?

His brow furrowed slightly. Before he could think things through, the azure light parted, and a Daoist rose slowly, standing with his hands clasped behind his back atop a cresting blue wave. The Daoist’s lips moved slightly as he spoke coolly, "To let greed cloud your judgment and throw away your lives... why would you do such a thing?"

Wang Jiao’s eyelid twitched. Before he could even react, he thought, ’What right does this person have to speak so arrogantly?’

The next instant, a Gangyun rose majestically from the crown of the Daoist’s head. Ten thousand rays of light burst forth at once as an invisible, immense power seemed to part the very clouds of qi, soaring into the sky. Like a hurricane sweeping through, an explosive flash of spiritual light erupted—

In their eyes, the moment Xuzhuang’s Gangyun moved, it was like a volcano erupting. A terrifying presence incidentally stirred the Void Primordial Qi into a frenzy. Before the Divine Technique even arrived, its world-destroying aura was already seared into their minds.

"What kind of Divine Technique is this?!" Zhen Ping shrieked.

Wang Jiao’s eyes trembled. "What terrifying Magical Power is this!!"

The seven men reacted differently, but one thing was the same for all of them: utter terror. Almost simultaneously, their protective spiritual auras shattered one by one. Immediately after, they felt their bodies seize up, unable to move an inch!

Of course, Xuzhuang hadn’t failed to notice this group tailing his Du Xu Palace.

He had revealed the Du Xu Palace simply because he didn’t care if he was targeted by petty scoundrels. He had assumed that by traveling at full speed, he would quickly lose them, but they had unexpectedly persisted in their pursuit.

Xuzhuang wasn’t the type to slaughter someone and eliminate their entire lineage just because they showed a hint of malice, and he couldn’t be bothered to stop his journey just to deal with them.

But since they had delivered themselves right into his hands, not only would he show no mercy, but he was also thoroughly annoyed by the nuisance. The moment he acted, he unleashed the Innate Tai Su Qi Grand Capture, instantly activating a Heaven and Earth Lock to seize all seven of them at once!

And clearly, this was not difficult for him to achieve. Once the Divine Technique was out, faced with the terrifying suppression of his Magical Power that felt like mountains and seas crashing down upon them, most people couldn’t even dream of fighting back. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t even circulate the slightest bit of their own Magical Power.

However, these seven were Nascent Soul Cultivators, after all. It was unlikely that not a single one of them had a trick up his sleeve. Chequan’s body bowed slightly, and a giant mouth suddenly opened on his back. From within it, hundreds, even thousands, of long, greyish-white snakes surged out, instantly scattering in all directions to escape.