While everyone was working on breaking the restriction, Yang Kai wasn't idle either—he lent a hand from the side. After all, he'd be claiming his share of the spoils soon enough, and sitting on the sidelines now would only give people an excuse to kick him out. So under the astonished gazes of the crowd, he condensed a long sword from Saint Yuan and began methodically slashing at the golden restriction, careful not to let his Demonic Flame ignite.
His attacks were neither too powerful nor too weak, displaying only the standard expected of a First Stage Saint King warrior.
The others simply assumed he was bored, spared him a glance, and paid him no further attention. Still, they secretly shook their heads and sighed—no matter how hard this man tried, the Soul-Washing Divine Water would have no share for him when the time came. Why bother embarrassing himself?
Had he truly intended to snatch it by force, anyone present could have killed him on the spot.
The beautiful woman was positioned right beside Yang Kai. She deployed an Artifact shaped like a dangling hair ornament, which transformed into countless fiery birds that launched themselves at the restriction, wearing down its energy. She seemed unable to bear watching Yang Kai toil in vain and couldn't help but advise him: "Young brother, stop attacking—it's no use. You'd be far better off leaving this place and searching outside for whatever fortune might be yours. You're only wasting time here. Breaking into the Heavenly Treasures area with your level of cultivation is already no small feat."
She clearly assumed Yang Kai had made it this far through sheer dumb luck, which was how he'd managed to pass through the Scorching Heat Zone and reach the second-tier Heavenly Treasures area. In her thinking, since he'd been blessed with such good fortune, he should make the most of it. What was he doing wasting time here?
Though it was well-intentioned advice, Yang Kai couldn't exactly tell her to mind her own business. He simply gave the woman a faint smile, looking every bit the fool.
When the beautiful woman saw he was determined to persist, her pretty face turned cold—she decided he was ungrateful and stopped paying him any mind.
Just then, a warrior suddenly cried out in excitement: "The restriction is about to break! Everyone, put in more effort!"
As his words fell, the golden hemispherical membrane trembled even more violently. Layer upon layer of ripples spread outward, stacked one upon another—as if someone had scattered countless stones into a still lake.
No reminder was needed; everyone had already noticed the change. This restriction was truly formidable. There were a full thirty to forty Saint King Realm elites from various major factions present, and after an entire incense stick's time of continuous assault, it was only barely on the verge of breaking. And the restriction itself—who knew how many years it had already stood here.
Had the restriction been in pristine condition, no amount of effort from everyone combined could have broken through.
The restriction was tottering. Joyous light blazed in every pair of eyes, and each person further increased their output of Saint Yuan.
Half a cup of tea later, accompanied by a soft crack, the hemispherical membrane covering the pool finally split open with a fissure—then dissipated without a trace. The instant the restriction broke, an invisible surge of energy swept outward from the pool, rolling over everyone present.
In that instant, every face showed astonishment—followed swiftly by overwhelming delight.
That was because in that brief moment, every person had sensed a subtle change in their Divine Sense. It seemed their spiritual awareness had grown just a fraction stronger.
The Soul-Washing Divine Water truly lived up to its reputation!
Excitement and anticipation lit up everyone's faces. Under normal circumstances, they would have all rushed forward to seize the treasure. But since they had only just finished negotiating the distribution of spoils, even though their hearts were racing, they managed to restrain themselves. Every gaze turned to Qu Changfeng.
Qu Changfeng smiled faintly at the sight. "Thank you all for your trouble—we've finally broken through this damned restriction. Mm, I hope everyone will continue to collect the Soul-Washing Divine Water in an orderly manner going forward. If anyone dares to violate our prior agreement, don't blame Qu for showing no mercy!"
With those final words, his expression turned cold and sinister.
Everyone hastened to say they wouldn't dare. Qu Changfeng was secretly hoping someone would break the rules—that would give him an excuse to kill and seize their share. Everyone present was elite; not one of them failed to see through his thoughts, and naturally no one would give him that satisfaction.
A flicker of concealed disappointment passed through the depths of Qu Changfeng's eyes. Then, without the slightest courtesy, he gestured to a long-haired male warrior beside him. "Go ahead."
The warrior nodded excitedly and rushed eagerly to the pool's edge. Saint Yuan surged through his hands, condensing into a bowl shape, and he scooped up a bowl of Soul-Washing Divine Water, ready to place it into a pre-prepared spatial ring.
Seeing this, Yang Kai's eyes twitched. His heart ached terribly.
Sure enough, the Soul-Washing Divine Water the warrior had scooped up underwent an astonishing transformation before everyone's eyes. Originally a golden liquid, the moment it left the pool, countless streams of golden energy burst outward like a sky full of golden threads. These golden energies lingered in the air for less than three breaths before suddenly dissipating into nothing.
This spectacle startled everyone.
"Senior Brother Qu, something's wrong!" the warrior responsible for scooping cried out in alarm.
"What's wrong?"
"After scooping it out... the Soul-Washing Divine Water seems to have lost its effect." The warrior wore a miserable expression as he pointed at the large bowl he'd formed from Saint Yuan.
"What?" Qu Changfeng was alarmed. He looked over and indeed saw that the liquid in the bowl was no longer the thick golden elixir it had been—it had become a pool of clear, transparent spirit liquid.
While this spirit liquid was still quite impressive—even high-grade Saint Crystals couldn't compare—it was nothing like the value of the Soul-Washing Divine Water.
"How can this be?" Qu Changfeng's expression shifted uncertainly. He reached out, dipped a droplet of the spirit liquid from the bowl, and placed it in his mouth. After a moment, he confirmed—it was merely spirit liquid. It no longer possessed even a trace of the soul-cleansing, mind-purifying effect.