âIt looks like those three things are unable to tolerate pain, just like Old Kitty. They didnât gain much from the earlier trial, so they chose to cast away their spirit power and fight with their real strength instead,â Tao Wu sneered.
The spirit power gained from the thorns could induce a power spike, but there were many limitations to it. For one, it was impossible to use martial power and formations when imbued with the spirit power.
Yet, the Demon Spirit King and the others were utilizing formations and martial skills without any restraints whatsoever. This made it clear that they had already dispelled the thornsâ spirit power.
Why did they dispel the thornsâ spirit power?
Simply put, the spirit power they had gained wasnât enough to match their original prowess, so there was no reason for them to keep it.
Take Chu Feng for example, he used to be at rank eight Martial Exalted level, but the thornsâ spirit power boosted him all the way up to rank nine Half-God level. Even with the restrictions of not being able to use any weapons, martial skills, or formations, he was still much stronger than he used to be. There would be no reason for him to dispel the spirit power on his own accord.
The opposite was likely true for the Demon Spirit King and the others.
âYoung brother Chu Feng, those fellows are severely lacking in willpower despite their strong cultivation. Thatâs bound to limit their accomplishments in the future. On the other hand, your willpower is so great that surpasses even mine. I believe that youâll achieve great things in the future,â Tao Wu remarked in awe.
Meanwhile, Chu Feng continued examining the runes inscribed on the gate located at the opposite end of the cavern.
âElder, that seems to be the way to decipher the gate,â Chu Feng said.
âIt doesnât just seem like it. It is the way to decipher the gate,â Tao Wu replied.
âIs the Godsoul right behind the gate?â Chu Feng asked.
He was asking this question just to seek verification from Tao Wu. The runes didnât just contain the way to opening the gate; they also hinted that the ultimate treasure of the demon coffin lay on the other side of the gate.
The Demon Spirit King and the others must have noticed that too, which led to them coming to blows here.
âI canât say for sure, but the ultimate treasure should be referring to the Godsoul. Young brother Chu Feng, are you confident of winning against those three old fellows?â Tao Wu asked.
While Tao Wu scorned the Demon Spirit King and the others for their lack of willpower, he knew that he wouldnât even be a match for Daoist Ninth Dragon despite his rank eight Half-God level strength due to the restrictions imposed on it, let alone the Demon Spirit King and Daoist Eighth Dragon.
âI wonât stand a chance against them. Thereâs too much of a gap between us. We could try sneaking past them instead,â Chu Feng suggested.
âI did consider that, but the restrictions on the spirit power means that we arenât able to set up any concealment formations to hide. Old Kitty, you gained the least out of the trial. Why donât you dispel your spirit power and set up a concealment formation for us? Weâll try sneaking by them with that,â Tao Wu said.
âBrother Tao Wu, youâre overestimating my capability. How could my concealment formation possibly deceive those three powerhouses?â Old Cat shook his head, refuting the plausibility of the plan. âDo you have any other ideas?â
âThe only other way I can think of is to find an opening in the midst of their fight to rush to the other end of the cavern, break down the gate, and barge right in,â Tao Wu replied.
âI-isnât that courting death?â Old Cat exclaimed in horror.
âOld Cat, take a closer look at the runes. It clearly states that the gate will automatically close once we enter, and it wonât open again until a long time later. In other words, they wonât be able to follow us in once we succeed,â Chu Feng said.
âBut what if they camp out here for us? Weâll be dead meat once we come out! You canât possibly be planning to stay inside the cavern for your entire life! Besides, what are the chances of us slipping past them? They arenât powerhouses for no reason!â Old Cat said.
âWhat other ideas do you have then?â Tao Wu asked.
âBrother Tao Wu, you possess incredible means. Donât you have any way to conceal our presence?â Old Cat asked.
âI do know of some concealment methods, but I donât think that Iâll be able to deceive the three of them. Besides, I believe that there might be other use to this spirit power. Itâll be a huge waste to dispel it right now,â Tao Wu said.
âAhhh⦠Brother Tao Wu, Brother Chu Feng⦠I still intend on staying in the Totem Galaxy. The Demon Spirit King is one thing, but I really donât dare to offend the Totemâs Nine Daoists! Besides, thereâs only one Godsoul here. I donât think that I stand a chance with the two of you here. Iâll back down here,â Old Cat said.
âSince you have already made up your mind, I shanât say anything more,â Tao Wu said.
âOld Cat, you should do more good deeds and stop harming others,â Chu Feng said. He then switched to voice transmission to inform Old Cat about the exact location where his disciple, young master Wolf, was imprisoned.
âThanks, Brother Chu Feng. See you, Brother Tao Wu.â
Old Cat clasped his fist before taking his leave. Barely a few steps later, he suddenly turned around and said, âBrother Chu Feng, please continue helping me block those energy ripples. Iâll really die if any of them strikes me.â
âYes yes. Rest assured and leave.â
Chu Feng waved his hand helplessly.
Old Cat quickly left the area afterward.
Following that, Chu Feng and Tao Wu began carefully examining the runes on the gate. They communicated with each other on how they could cooperate together to open the gate in the most efficient manner possible so as to maximize their chances of success.
.
They were betting on the hopes that the Demon Spirit King and the others wouldnât have time to deal with them even upon realizing what they were up to.
Boom!
Another powerful wave of energy rippled outward. Chu Feng blocked the energy ripple, only to realize that the battle between the trio had stalled to a halt. It seemed like all three of them had sustained significant injuries.
âWe have already agreed to work together, but you tried to kill me here. It would appear that honor is not a virtue that the Totemâs Nine Daoists embrace,â the Demon Spirit King sneered.
âYouâre one to speak, Demon Spirit King. We brothers are doing the world a service by eliminating a vermin who has plagued the world for many years,â Daoist Eighth Dragon replied.
âHah! Do you think that you have the strength to kill me?â the Demon Spirit King scoffed.
He abruptly released a powerful burst of aura, but both Daoist Eighth Dragon and Daoist Ninth Dragon were already prepared for that. The two of them took out a horsetail whisk at the same time and swiftly constructed a powerful formation.
The two sides clashed again just like that.
This time around, it was a prolonged clash that demanded both sides to give it their all. Any attempt to back down at this point could potentially cost them their life.
âThis is a good chance. Young brother Chu Feng, shall we go?â
Tao Wu looked at Chu Feng one last time to verify if he really dared to offend those three or not.
âI have never been scared of anyone before. Letâs go!â
Chu Feng rushed ahead together with Tao Wu. They flitted past the three of them and headed straight for the gate at the opposite end of the cavern.
âWho is it?â
The trio finally noticed Chu Feng and Tao Wuâs presence, but by then, the two of them had already started deciphering the gate.
Fortunately, neither Chu Feng nor Tao Wu had to dispel their spirit power in order to decipher the gate. The deciphering method didnât require them to construct a formation; all they had to do was to form a series of unique hand seals.
The two of them had also practiced the deciphering method beforehand, so they were able to do it at an incredible pace.
âDamn it! How dare the two of you do this right under my watch? Do you know who I am?â Daoist Eighth Dragon roared.
However, Chu Feng and Tao Wu didnât pay him any heed.
âYou brats!â
That only further angered Daoist Eighth Dragon.
âItâs him?â
The Demon Spirit King immediately recognized Chu Feng and Tao Wu. What particularly astonished him was the fact that Chu Feng wielded strength comparable to a peak Half-God level cultivator.
He knew just how weak Chu Feng was, which meant that the latter must have paid a heavy price in order to raise his strength to his extent.
âDemon Spirit King, letâs halt our attacks together. Otherwise, those two nameless vermins will be the one profiting out of our conflict,â Daoist Eighth Dragon said.
âHalt our attacks?â
The Demon Spirit King burst out in laughter.
âYou brothers dare to stab me in the back. Iâll take your lives even at the cost of the treasure!â
The Demon Spirit King intensified his aggression, releasing an even more terrifying aura.
âYou bastard! Youâre really courting death!â
Daoist Eighth Dragon also intensified his aggression too.
Meanwhile, Chu Feng and Tao Wu had already opened the gate.
âJust try entering the gate and Iâll make sure that you regret this for life!â Daoist Ninth Dragon spat out a threat.
Chu Feng ignored him and stepped right through the gate. His complete disregard for his threat made Daoist Ninth Dragon grit his teeth in anger. However, it was what Tao Wu did next that truly made his killing intent flare.
Instead of walking right in, Tao Wu turned around and threatened Daoist Ninth Dragon instead, saying, âI advise you not to chase us in, or else youâll regret it for life.â
He made a provocative gesture before finally entering the gate too.