Stepping into this side hall, they saw pillars standing over ten meters tall and a spacious hall stretching a hundred meters across.
The floor, the pillars, and every surface throughout the hall were covered in mysterious Runic Patterns.
These patterns spread like a spider's web, blanketing every inch visible to the eye.
Scattered throughout the hall were dozens of boxes crafted from pure gold, their lids sealed tight with no way of knowing what lay inside. Each box was studded with luminous pearls that blazed with dazzling, resplendent light.
One look at those boxes and it was clear that whatever they held was no ordinary treasure.
The moment Wuyazi spotted the boxes, his eyes lit up and he moved to open the ones lying on the ground.
"What's wrong?" Wuyazi looked at Nie Li, confused.
"The Runic Patterns on the floor, the walls, and the pillars form a Heavenly Lock Runic Pattern Formation. The moment you step wrong, these patterns will transform into invisible chains that lock you in place, sealing your breath until you wither and die." Nie Li spoke gravely. "These Runic Patterns would kill even a Dragon Path Realm powerhouse in an instant, let alone someone at the Heavenly Revolution Realm!"
Wuyazi glanced at the dense web of Runic Patterns blanketing every surface of the side hall and felt a chill run through him. After a moment's thought, he asked, "Can we simply fly across?"
"Give it a try if you want!" Nie Li said with a half-smile.
Wuyazi pondered for a moment, then looked at Nie Li and said, "So there's no way to open these treasure chests? They're overflowing with Heavenly Dao power — they must contain incredible treasures! It'd be a shame to pass them up!"
"I said you can't wander around carelessly — I never said we can't get them. I told you, now that we're here, everything goes by my rules. If we get the treasures, how should we split them?" Nie Li looked at Wuyazi. "Fifty-fifty is not happening!"
Wuyazi was briefly silent. Then he raised his head and said, "Fine, you and your companion choose first — take sixty percent. That should be enough!" After all, once they left the Phantom Divine Palace, he intended to kill Nie Li and
"Forget about who picks first. I've counted — there are twenty-six gold and jade treasure chests inside this Heavenly Lock Runic Formation, and I don't know what's in any of them. Whoever opens a chest gets whatever's inside. Deal?" Nie Li looked at Wuyazi.
Wuyazi thought about it and agreed without hesitation. "Deal."
"Good. Now follow my instructions. Take seven steps forward, then three steps to the right, then six steps ahead… each step exactly three feet apart!" Nie Li directed Wuyazi's movements.
Wuyazi glanced at Nie Li, then at the Runic Pattern Formation. "Will this actually work? You're not trying to trick me, are you?"
This place was riddled with the Heavenly Lock Runic Patterns — one wrong step and he'd be bound by invisible runic chains until death. What if Nie Li was plotting against him?
"Relax. Killing you doesn't benefit us at all. We're both only at the Heavenly Fate Realm — even if we got the treasures, we couldn't leave the Phantom Divine Palace. If you died during the exit, the treasures would just fall into someone else's hands. We're not that stupid," Nie Li said.
Wuyazi considered this — it was true. The two of them at the Heavenly Fate Realm couldn't have even entered the Phantom Divine Palace without his protection. Killing him wouldn't do Nie Li any good at all.
"Fine!" Wuyazi began walking, following Nie Li's instructions step by step.
Sure enough, just as Nie Li had said, none of the Runic Patterns on the floor were triggered. He made his way safely to one of the gold and jade treasure chests, lowered his head, and opened the lid.