"What's a Divine Treasury expert doing in the Golden Swamp?" Zhao Lingshu murmured.

Wu Qingyi was a native expert of the Ancient Region, unaffiliated with any sect. She hailed from a family that specialized in martial arts. The Ancient Region had clans as well, and a true martial clan was only recognized if every generation produced a Divine Treasury expert. Otherwise, they would not qualify for that status.

The Wu Clan was one such martial clan. Though not among the strongest, they had maintained an unbroken line of Divine Treasury experts for centuries, and Wu Qingyi was the most outstanding of her generation. A few years back, she had opened her Mind Space and stepped into the Divine Treasury Realm, and since then she had been active in the second layer, rarely setting foot in the first layer. As such, her sudden appearance here was clearly not a coincidence.

Is she here for the Golden Fruits as well?

Zhao Lingshu considered the possibility. The Golden Fruit was valuable, but not to someone in the Divine Treasury Realm. And although it was not formally prohibited, major forces had long held an unspoken rule: Divine Treasury martial artists would not involve themselves in the first layer. Given the difference in strength, a Divine Treasury expert descending to the first layer to pick fights with Divine Fortification cultivators would only invite ridicule.

And yet, Wu Qingyi was there.

"Wait. Wu Qingyi's arrival might change things," Dong Tianhua said suddenly.

"Change things? You think she's here for him, not the Golden Fruits?"

Zhao Lingshu's gaze snapped toward Lu Changsheng.

Right. A Divine Treasury expert would never come to the first layer without reason.

The Golden Swamp had fallen into an eerie stillness. Lu Changsheng, with his overwhelming strength, had turned the battlefield into a one-sided slaughter. The surrounding martial artists and supreme squads no longer dared to compete for the Golden Fruit; instead, they fled from his Domain.

However, Wu Qingyi's sudden appearance sent ripples through the crowd. Everyone's expressions changed at once.

Wu Qingyi was not particularly famous, but there were still people in the Ancient Region who recognized her. She did not stand out in the second layer, but here in the first layer, the sudden appearance of a Divine Treasury martial artist like her naturally caused a huge stir.

Before anyone could speculate further, Wu Qingyi had already begun walking toward the Golden Fruit Tree. Her gaze remained fixed on one figure only: Lu Changsheng. He had always been her target. Anyone could see the cold intent in her eyes as she locked firmly onto him.

"Is that... Wu Qingyi?" Liu Yuan's eyes widened as the realization struck him. "Lu Changsheng, watch out! That woman's a Divine Treasury martial artist."

She was also gorgeous, but it was her superior rank that seized everyone's attention.

After all, there was this saying among martial artists: nothing matters if you can't reach the Divine Treasury Realm. Only upon stepping into that realm could one claim to have truly entered the Dao of Martial Arts. Everything before that was merely laying the foundation.

"Lu Changsheng, I think she's set her sights on you. This is bad. If we leave now... we might still make it," Liu Yuan cautioned.

Wu Qingyi's icy gaze remained fixed on Lu Changsheng. Anyone could tell she had not come with good intentions.

"Leave?" Lu Changsheng murmured. "How many Golden Fruits have you collected?"

"We only managed to get eight."

"Eight? That's not nearly enough." Lu Changsheng shook his head.

Once the Golden Fruits began to ripen, they would all mature within two hours. If he had secured more than eighteen, Lu Changsheng might have chosen to avoid confronting a Divine Treasury expert. However, withdrawing with only eight in hand would mean that more than a month of effort had gone to waste.

"You keep gathering Golden Fruits. I'll handle Wu Qingyi."

Lu Changsheng was about to clash with a Divine Treasury expert, yet his expression betrayed no fear.

Wu Qingyi was approaching the Golden Fruit Tree fast. Thirty zhang, twenty zhang, ten zhang... She stopped exactly ten zhang away, right outside Lu Changsheng's Domain.

"So you're Lu Changsheng, the true inheritor scion of the Northern Region Heavenly Sect?" Wu Qingyi called out.

"That's right," Lu Changsheng said evenly.

Wu Qingyi swept her gaze across the swamp, then over the corpses scattered on the ground. Many had yet to be swallowed by the mire, making it clear that a fierce battle had only just ended. She had witnessed the struggle for the Golden Fruit before and knew how intense it was among Divine Fortification martial artists.

However, Lu Changsheng and the Heavenly Lin Squad remained by the tree, with no one daring to come within ten zhang.

"Huh, as expected of a true inheritor scion from the Northern Region... Still, this is as far as you go."

Wu Qingyi spoke with total indifference, her voice devoid of even the slightest hint of killing intent. That was exactly what made her so scary. In her eyes, Lu Changsheng was nothing more than an ant, and no one feels anything when they are about to step on an ant.

"Wu Qingyi... Who's behind this?" Lu Changsheng demanded. "I know it's not you."

She was the one making a move, but surely she was not the one who wanted him dead.

"Indeed, I was hired. Lu Changsheng, you sealed your fate by killing Xu Haoran. His brother, Xu Haotian, has tasked me with taking your head!"

So that's what this is...

Xu Haotian had sent Wu Qingyi to avenge the death of his brother, Xu Haoran. It almost felt like a pattern: the strong always seemed to step in only after the weak had already fallen. Indeed, that was how the world worked. Whether in the jianghu or the Ancient Region, nothing ever truly changed.

"It would be one thing for other Divine Fortification martial artists to go after us, hell, even the whole Yellow Heavenly Sect. But you, Wu Qingyi? A Divine Treasury martial artist going after someone weaker? What, you think the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect is all alone? Lu Changsheng is a true inheritor scion of the Northern Region Heavenly Sect and a future top-tier Divine Treasury with limitless potential!"

Liu Yuan flared with anger.

"If you do something as outrageous as killing Lu Changsheng here in the first layer, the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect will wipe out the Wu Clan!"

Lu Changsheng had only recently arrived in the Ancient Region and knew little of its workings, but Liu Yuan understood them well. The first layer was, by default, the area of Divine Fortification martial artists. Divine Treasury experts and Immortal Masters rarely set foot here, and if they did, they would not openly target those beneath them. Such unspoken rules were never upheld by goodwill alone. Rather, they were enforced by consequences.

Perhaps major sects could get away with suppressing those from lesser forces, but this was different. Lu Changsheng was no ordinary martial artist. He was a prospective true inheritor scion of the Northern Region Heavenly Sect. Though not yet officially recognized, his future position was all but certain. Still, Wu Qingyi had come to the first layer with the intent to kill him. Did she truly believe the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect would remain idle?

Liu Yuan was certain that if Lu Changsheng died here, the sect would be enraged. The Wu Clan would pay dearly, perhaps even face annihilation. That was no exaggeration.

Wu Qingyi cast him a brief glance. "Shut your mouth! Say one more word, and I'll kill you first."

"You..." Liu Yuan's expression darkened. They said women were unreasonable, and it seemed there was some truth to it, especially if they were powerful!

"I have Haotian's guarantee that the Wu Clan will be safe. Lu Changsheng... are you ready to die?"

Wu Qingyi was clearly done talking.

Woosh!

Wu Qingyi made her move.

Her Domain surged forth. It was filled with extreme cold, and everything it swept over turned into crystalline ice. And since it was unleashed by a Divine Treasury martial artist, the Ice Domain materialized fully!

Lu Changsheng's Starry Sky Waterfall Domain collapsed the moment it came into contact with the Ice Domain. Naturally, a half-materialized Domain could not stand against a fully-materialized one.

Crack... Crack...

The Ice Domain froze even the Golden Swamp, making for a terrifying display of power.

So this is what a true Domain is capable of... 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Lu Changsheng's Starry Sky Waterfall Domain was still intangible, which meant it could not affect reality, not even a blade of grass or a pebble. In contrast, the Ice Domain froze everything in its path!