Martial Ascent to Divinity-Chapter 409 - 394: Ancient Heart

In the right-side passage, Zhou Leng and the others walked for a long time. The Cyan Flame said, "No problem, the magic at the entrance hasn’t been touched. They should have really gone far."

"Let’s walk a bit more, rest in the next cavern hall, and then head back to find Silver Lake Wind and the others."

"Okay."

The group continued moving forward.

The further they went, the stronger the life energy became.

Vigorous Root couldn’t help but whisper, "There seems to be a treasure ahead. This life energy is too intense."

Zhou Leng remained silent; he had noticed it long ago.

The further they proceeded, the more the Tree of Life leather armor on him moved slightly.

There was a force similar to Ancient Tree Fossil ahead, more substantial, like countless Ancient Tree Fossils gathered together.

The group exchanged glances.

If they didn’t go, they would feel regret.

If they went, there might be enormous danger.

"Zhou Leng, you decide." Everyone looked at Zhou Leng.

"Let’s go have a look."

"Let’s go!"

Everyone smiled and quickened their pace, rushing into the cavern hall ahead.

This was a hall far more spacious than any previous caverns, like a modest underground palace.

It covered an area the size of dozens of football fields.

The highest point was over a hundred meters.

All around the underground palace were dry tree roots, dense and furry.

More than twenty passages led here.

In the deepest part of the palace, a huge fresco, thirty meters high, was embedded in the wall.

The fresco depicted an extremely majestic giant tree, lying like a mountain.

On the crown of the Tree Mountain, three large pieces of yellow amber hung.

The amber was crystal clear, about the size of a human head.

Inside each piece of amber was a pale yellow wooden sphere.

On the wooden sphere, ring upon ring appeared, looking ordinary.

Zhou Leng had seen wooden spheres, the Heart of Life, but they were all white; these three had different colors.

"Ancient Heart of Life." Vigorous Root whispered.

The Heart of Life takes thousands of years to form underground into the Ancient Heart of Life, even more precious.

Everyone’s eyes lit up.

If one absorbed the power of the Ancient Heart of Life, everyone present would surely become a Grandmaster, possibly even rising to Demigod status.

"Hurry and take them down!" The Giant Bear Druid rushed forward.

"Stop." Zhou Leng said.

The Giant Bear Druid looked impatient, but when he turned around and saw everyone standing still, he understood and stopped.

"Check it out." Zhou Leng said.

The Cyan Flame nodded, began casting spells, and checked the surroundings and the fresco in front.

"Very safe, no problem."

Everyone looked at Zhou Leng expectantly.

Zhou Leng said, "Don’t you think it’s too easy?"

"It is too easy, but wasn’t picking up Ancient Tree Fossils along the way also easy?"

"Hurry and take them. If we’re late and others show up, we won’t have a chance."

"I also think we should take them."

Everyone looked at Zhou Leng together.

Zhou Leng stared at the three Ancient Hearts of Life, sensing no problems, but logically it didn’t add up.

"The problem is, after taking them, can we leave here safely?" Zhou Leng looked at Vigorous Root.

Vigorous Root said, "The aura of the Ancient Heart of Life is extremely strong. You all sensed it. Even with a storage space, at our level, we can’t fully contain it. In other words, whoever takes it becomes a walking human-shaped Ancient Heart of Life. Do you remember the Blood of Tyranny incident?"

"I’ve heard of it."

"The Blood of Tyranny was constantly hunted after obtaining the Ancient Heart of Life, precisely because its aura exposed him. Zhou Leng must have hesitated after hearing about it."

Zhou Leng slowly said, "If there were only opponents of the same level here, like all Lower-Rank, Middle-Rank, or even Upper-Rank, I wouldn’t hesitate. But this is not the case. There are many Great Innates, even Grandmasters here. Even the ancients knew this: a child carrying gold through a busy market faces immense risk."

"So, let me ask everyone, encountering the Great Innate Aiden, facing Grandmaster Demons, Grandmaster Giants, and even those chasing Grandmaster Demons, can you afford such a risk?"

"I can’t; my ability isn’t sufficient to bear such high risk."

Zhou Leng’s tone was firm.

Everyone fell silent.

The Cyan Flame sighed, "I can’t either. I give up on the Ancient Heart of Life."

Vigorous Root struggled for a long time, then shook his head, "I also give up. Luckily, Zhou Leng’s Martial Arts Will is firm, or we’d be in trouble."

"I’ll follow Zhou Leng." Silver Lake Moon’s eyes struggled, then sighed long.

"Then did we come here for nothing?" said the Giant Bear Druid, very unwilling.

However, Zhou Leng took out a pickaxe, pointed at the wall, "Dig. The door to the Ancient Heart of Life has closed, but it opened a window for us."

Saying this, he lifted the pickaxe and chipped away at the wall.

An Ancient Tree Fossil, the size of two fists, fell out.

"This time, whoever digs it out keeps it." Zhou Leng said and then continued to dig as he walked.

The others instantly understood and began to dig.

Sure enough, with just a random dig, one could find an Ancient Tree Fossil.

Everyone immediately shifted their focus and started digging intently.

In just a moment, everyone was overjoyed; the number of Ancient Tree Fossils here far exceeded any other place.

As long as you dig at the wall, you’ll definitely find more.

Of various sizes, in great quantity.

Everyone turned into diligent miners, digging earnestly.

Especially the Giant Bear Druid, a bear over five meters tall, quickly dug a large hole, shaking its round, plump rear as it scooped out soil.

The Tree-man used roots, working very efficiently.

The Cyan Flame was even more ruthless, summoning a large number of Earth Elements, and in terms of the number of ancient tree fossils excavated, it crushed everyone.

Zhou Leng’s excavation couldn’t match the Cyan Flame, seeming like a leisure personnel, wandering around with a hoe.

Yet every time the hoe fell, it unearthed a large piece of ancient tree fossil, making his efficiency the highest.

In just ten minutes, everyone had a full harvest.

Zhou Leng’s magic spirit bag now contained a total of twelve large ancient tree fossils, plus dozens of small ones, with a total volume approaching fifteen fists.

Since entering the Flute Forest, the collected ancient tree fossils couldn’t compare to the harvest of these ten minutes.

Suddenly, the Cyan Flame’s demon spirit screamed, everyone stood up, and looked around.

In a passageway, a team of familiar figures walked in.

Aiden led over twenty people in.

Both sides froze, realizing that the two passageways led here.

"Let’s hope this time everyone does their own thing, without affecting each other," Zhou Leng looked at Aiden.

Aiden scanned over twenty passageway entrances, and at the thought that the Mountain River Celestial Peak could rush in at any time, his heart pounded rapidly, he resolutely said, "Here, you and I are shoulder-to-shoulder martial arts comrades! Pass down the order, in this dungeon, anyone who kills Zhou Leng is equivalent to attacking our Trup Family!"

"Yes!"

"Sir Aiden is truly a man of faith," Zhou Leng complimented lightly, continuing to excavate ancient tree fossils.

Zhou Leng’s teammates cautiously dug, occasionally glancing at Aiden and his people.

Aiden’s group looked towards the Ancient Heart of Life, causing a stir within the team.

Some demons almost couldn’t control their instincts and immediately made a grab for it.

Their eyes shone with greed, brighter than the sun.

However, Aiden, known for his madness, gazed at the Ancient Heart of Life with an unusually calm expression.

Aiden glanced at Zhou Leng and the others, noticing they emitted no trace of the Ancient Heart of Life.

These people, surprisingly, were unmoved.

"Sir, we can’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"This is the Ancient Heart of Life; possessing it could lead to attaining a demigod status."

"Even using it for trade could swap for anything desired."

"In Demon Purgatory, an Ancient Heart of Life can exchange for an entire duchy, a fiefdom entirely one’s own."

The crowd buzzed with discussion.

Finally, Aiden said, "I suspect there’s a trap, let’s wait a bit. Anyone who wants it can go for it. I guarantee I won’t interfere, but, don’t expect me to protect you either."

The demons and Demon Worship Sect members continued to deliberate.

Shen Jun wore a calm expression, being only a Blood Shocking Innate, he clearly understood the consequences of obtaining the Ancient Heart of Life, even looking at it more than necessary would be a loss.

He glanced at Zhou Leng and the others, then immediately took an iron shovel from his magic spirit bag, digging along the wall.

First shovel, soil.

Second shovel, tree root.

Third shovel, two small ancient tree fossils rolled down.

Shen Jun beamed with joy, bending over to collect them.

Indeed, following Zhou Leng was a safer bet.

Seeing Shen Jun’s quick success, those who initially dared not touch the Heart of Life began to dig similarly.

Several Great Innate demons kept staring at the Heart of Life, disdainful of digging small pieces of ancient tree fossils.

That was the Ancient Heart of Life, after all.

Aiden hesitated for a while, gritting his teeth, he turned and began digging.

"Whoever the hell wants it, wants it, I’m crazy, not stupid."

The treasure was right in front of him, yet he didn’t dare to touch it, the more Aiden thought, the angrier he became, transforming anger into digging.

"Hmm? So quick to have it, not bad."

"Three pieces in one go?"

"Truly delightful."

Aiden was pleased.

This subterranean palace was extremely vast, both sides dug in different places, without interfering with each other.

Zhou Leng often climbed the walls to dig.

The walls here were filled with withered tree roots, not solid.

Initially using a hoe, then realizing, using "Claw Technique" with both hands as shovels to scoop soil was more efficient.

Thus, Zhou Leng, much like a Giant Bear Druid, swiftly scooped the soil.

With others around, Zhou Leng was even more cautious, using his body to shield his harvest, secretly storing them into his magic spirit bag.

A few minutes later, one of the Great Innate demons, the "Chains Wearer" finally couldn’t resist, walking towards the Heart of Life.

Many stopped digging and looked at the Chains Wearer.

Standing three meters tall, his form close to a human, his head had only a single giant eye.

Below his shoulders, four arms grew, behind him were densely packed blood-red chains spreading like a cape.

Each chain held over a dozen shriveled skulls, some human, some demon, and from other races.

The chain cape held over a hundred skulls.

The chain tails dragged on the ground, clinking as he walked, creating a strange deterrence, instilling fear in others.

The Chains Wearer was a powerful existence among demons, inevitably able to advance to Innate upon reaching adulthood.

This Great Innate Chains Wearer was as capable as the equally Great Innate Aiden.

He didn’t care much for Aiden’s order, heading straight for it.

Aiden watched the Chains Wearer’s back with a cold smile.

The Chains Wearer arrived before the Tree of Life mural, hesitated for a moment, then knelt and kowtowed thirteen times with a bang.

The crowd nodded slightly, kneeling to the Tree of Life, keeping the demon pride intact.

After kowtowing, the Chains Wearer even used Demon Language to express that he had no other intention, only taking one Ancient Heart of Life before leaving.

Aiden suddenly felt a bit regretful, maybe he would actually succeed.

The Chains Wearer, like someone climbing a rock, quickly climbed to a high spot, grabbed an Ancient Heart of Life, and swiftly descended.