Zheng Dong could only improvise.
As for Yin Xue, she was still unaware of the events outside, remaining within the relic space, anticipating the selection of resources from the treasury.
The surrounding guards, terrified, fled into the defensive barrier.
Several Emperor-level guard leaders hastily went to notify Lord Chong Zhen.
Upon learning of the situation, Chong Zhen did not panic. Instead, a cold smile appeared on his face.
"I was just looking for someone to blame. You've come at the perfect time!"
He had been engaged in pilfering resources all along.
Many resources had been used by him personally or sold off.
He was in dire need of money.
This was not due to the Nine-Tailed Fox Empress mistreating him.
It was because he was fond of gambling.
Whenever he had free time, he would frequent the casinos in Qingqiu City, rarely returning home.
However, his strength was considerable, otherwise, he wouldn't have been assigned to guard the treasury.
Outside, Lords like Ge Ze had already joined forces to destroy the defensive barrier and break in.
Ge Ze looked at Chong Zhen and said with a smile:
"Chong Zhen, considering our good relationship, I'll give you a chance. If you pledge allegiance to Princess Yin Yao, I guarantee you'll live a more comfortable life than you do now."
"Hahaha, Ge Ze, you really underestimate me. Although I, Chong Zhen, have many flaws, my loyalty to Her Majesty will never change. The treasury gate is right behind me. Come and get it if you dare!" Chong Zhen chuckled.
Immediately, the surrounding guards gathered.
The eighteen Emperor-level guard leaders also stood by Chong Zhen's side.
"Since you're seeking death, I'll grant it!" Ge Ze's smile vanished, his gaze turning icy.
He then threw a punch at Chong Zhen.
Chong Zhen, unfazed, raised his hand and caught Ge Ze's fist.
"Heh heh, you were never my match, and you still aren't!" Chong Zhen laughed.
The two began to fight, showing no mercy, unleashing their skills with the intent to kill each other.
The remaining five Lords did not assist Ge Ze.
Instead, they joined forces and headed towards the treasury gate.
Any guard who stood in their path did not last three seconds. Even the Emperor-level leaders quickly fell to the ground.
The treasury gate was forged from a black meteorite and was layered with multiple seals, making it difficult to open by brute force.
However, with the combined might of five Lords, it could still be smashed open.
Before long, cracks appeared all over the treasury gate. With a rumble, it shattered into rubble and fell to the ground.
Subsequently, the five Lords rushed in.
The guard Zheng Dong had possessed had already fallen to the ground, a corpse.
Using his Void Concealment skill, he quietly followed them.
The treasury was vast inside, with resources piled up like mountains.
However, most of them were level five or six resources.
There were very few level seven resources.
Astonishingly, not a single level eight or nine resource was found.
This made Zheng Dong suspect he might have come to the wrong place.
"This garbage can be called a treasury?"
The five Lords who had entered were also dumbfounded.
They had hoped to find some resources suitable for their cultivation.
To their dismay, there was nothing to their liking.
At this moment, Ge Ze's screams echoed from outside.
Soon, Chong Zhen walked into the treasury, carrying Ge Ze's head.
This further astonished everyone.
The five Lords were all intimidated by Chong Zhen, who was covered in blood.
"Heh heh, now, it's your turn!"
Chong Zhen's strength was significantly greater than what he usually displayed. He was now only half a step away from the Totem level.
After all, he had utilized many of the resources within the treasury.
"Chong Zhen, we underestimated you. But do you really think you can kill us all by yourself? That's a pipe dream." He Qiang, the leader of the five Lords, spoke.
Following that, they unleashed their combined skill, "Myriad Fox Shakes the Heavens," forcing Chong Zhen to retreat repeatedly and cough up blood.
Despite this, Chong Zhen remained unfazed and even laughed.
"Hahaha, well fought!"
Then, he revealed his trump card.
A jade bead containing a sealed skill of the Nine-Tailed Fox Empress.
This was a trump card bestowed by the Nine-Tailed Fox Empress to the treasury guardians of all generations.
Upon its use, the Nine-Tailed Fox Empress would be able to sense it.
Of course, if the treasury guardian was to change, Chong Zhen would also have to hand over this jade bead.
He crushed the jade bead, and a giant fiery red claw swiped towards He Qiang and the other Lords.
Instantly, two Lords were killed on the spot, while the remaining three, including He Qiang, were severely injured.
However, Chong Zhen did not deliver the killing blow, allowing He Qiang and the others to escape.
The reason he did this was for the resources in the treasury.
Now, no matter how many resources were missing, he could blame He Qiang and the others.
Afterward, Lord Chong Zhen walked to the innermost wall of the treasury. This wall was carved with many reliefs resembling goldfish. He pressed one of the goldfish.
A hidden door on the wall opened, revealing a secret chamber.
The secret chamber was empty, containing nothing.
However, after Chong Zhen entered, he vanished within the chamber.
Zheng Dong, who had been hiding nearby, quietly followed, but could not find Chong Zhen.
"Where did this guy go?"
The surrounding walls of the chamber were carved with nine black nine-tailed foxes, each with red, ruby-like eyes.
Zheng Dong touched them and soon discovered that the eye of one of the nine-tailed foxes was different – it was a hidden relic bead.
Within the relic bead, there should be a relic space.
Zheng Dong did not enter rashly. Instead, he condensed a clone and entered the relic space.
This relic space was not very large, but it was exceptionally stable. Even if a Lord-level being fought here, it would not affect this relic space.
Within the entire relic space, there was only one building. The plaque above the building bore some writing.
Zheng Dong did not recognize it, but it was the same as the writing on the plaque outside the treasury.
This meant that the true treasury was here.
Lord Chong Zhen had already entered the treasury and had his sights set on a Mythical-grade resource.
Before, he had not dared to touch it.
But now, it was better to use it than not. Perhaps by using it, he might have a chance to break through to the Totem level.
In fact, his loyalty to the Nine-Tailed Fox Empress also had its own ulterior motives, which were for the resources in the treasury.
He knew very well that relying on others was not as good as relying on oneself. As long as he had strength, the Nine-Tailed Fox Empress would look upon him with favor.
His status would naturally rise accordingly.
The Mythical-grade resource he had his eye on was a golden star core.
Although the origin of the star core was unknown, its energy fluctuations undeniably marked it as a Mythical-grade resource.
Its attributes were Gold and Earth, which suited him well.
He picked up the star core and was about to refine it when he sensed someone breaking in.
He was immediately startled.
Before he entered, he had confirmed that all the surrounding guards were dead and that He Qiang and the others had fled. Who could it be?
He put away the star core and cautiously walked out.
Zheng Dong's clone did not attack him.
Instead, it disguised itself as a guard and ran out, escaping the relic space.
Chong Zhen, who was chasing after, happened to see the back of Zheng Dong's clone leaving.
He assumed that some guards had miraculously survived.
Without hesitation, he gave chase.
"Damn it, let's see where you can run!"
Chong Zhen also left the relic space and returned to the secret chamber of the treasury.
Before he could get a clear view of his surroundings, he was attacked by Lord-level Light and Dark Elemental Spirits.
Chong Zhen, already injured, endured the attack once more.
He used his Super-tier skill, "Fox God's Guard."
A golden nine-tailed fox phantom enveloped him, protecting him thoroughly.
Although he withstood the attack, his consumption was also significant.
He glared angrily at the Light and Dark Elemental Spirits, as well as Zheng Dong, who was disguised as a normal hybrid.
"Bastards, who are you?"
Unfortunately, no one responded.
Zheng Dong was too lazy to speak.
Now that almost all the Lords of Qingqiu City were dead, as long as he dealt with Chong Zhen, he could take the entire treasury.
There was no need to waste time. He had Ling'er release the Fire Elemental Spirit, which had just grown to the Lord level, to join the battle.
Chong Zhen soon fell into a disadvantageous position, being passively beaten.
He was indeed strong, but the Light and Dark Elemental Spirits were not weak either, and they were not far from the Totem level.
The Fire Elemental Spirit, possessing the two anomalous flames of Desire and Rage, was also very powerful in combat.
Trapped in a desperate situation, Chong Zhen was unwilling.
Unfortunately, his trump card had already been used.
"Bastards, I won't let you go even as a ghost."
He ultimately chose to self-destruct, ending the battle.
For his self-destruction, he used the Super-tier skill, "Flesh Sacrifice."
Flesh Sacrifice could release all the elemental energy within his body.
The violent explosion destroyed the treasury, leveling it to the ground.
The Light, Dark, and Fire Elemental Spirits were all injured.
Zheng Dong immediately hid in the Mythical-grade relic space and was not harmed.
Unfortunately, a large portion of the level five and six resources in the treasury were lost.
Fortunately, Zheng Dong found the relic bead and the star core that Lord Chong Zhen had taken.
He did not leave in a hurry but continued to disguise himself as a hybrid and found a place to settle down.
At this moment, Qingqiu City had not yet fallen into chaos, and various shops and hotels were still open.
The Nine-Tailed Fox Empress would not be able to return immediately.
This was why Zheng Dong remained.
He entered the relic space again.
This relic space was created by the first-generation Nine-Tailed Fox Empress using spatial skills.
Its primary purpose was to store various resources.
There were originally three Mythical-grade resources.
The Nine-Tailed Fox Empress had used two, leaving only the mysterious star core.
There were five Legend-grade resources.
However, Chong Zhen had secretly used two, and another was bestowed by the Nine-Tailed Fox Empress to someone else, leaving only two.
There were still a considerable number of level seven and eight resources, valued at at least tens of billions.
Zheng Dong felt he had suddenly become wealthy.
He picked up the star core.
It was very different from the star core used for Xiao Zi's evolution. He felt this star core was alive.
Star cores were not only left behind after the destruction of planets; many powerful cosmic beasts also left behind star cores after their deaths.
Furthermore, in the Mythical Era, many Star Gods were born.
Star Gods were planets that had awakened consciousness and cultivated to the Divine level, hence their name.
They were colossal in size and possessed immense power, being kings among their peers from the moment of their birth.
Could this star core be left behind by a Star God?
Zheng Dong planned to keep the star core for Xiao Zi.
Xiao Zi had now evolved into a Star Devourer. He wondered if it could swallow this star core.
Thus, Zheng Dong summoned Xiao Zi.
"Master, what is this? It looks very delicious!"
"If you're not afraid of being stuffed to death, then eat it!" Zheng Dong casually tossed the star core to Xiao Zi.
Xiao Zi caught the star core with its mouth, extremely excited.
Even if it couldn't swallow it now, it could refine it slowly, rapidly increasing its growth level.
Perhaps it could even evolve again with the help of this star core, gaining more skills.
Although it had evolved into a Star Devourer, the growth period for Star Devourers was calculated in tens of thousands of years. They usually roamed the starry sky, devouring various celestial bodies.
Because of this, its growth level had been slow to break through.
Afterward, Zheng Dong looked at the other two Legend-grade resources.
Compared to the star core, these two resources were much larger.
A piece of metal the size of a car.
And the corpse of a Totem-level Savage Poisonous Beast.
Zheng Dong recognized the metal; it was called Profound Yellow Heavenly Gang Gold, which was extremely hard. Even using a forbidden bomb might not be enough to shatter this piece of Profound Yellow Heavenly Gang Gold.
If used to forge armor, it could rival the Blazing Fire Golden Armor obtained from Ye Qiao.
Such a large piece could be used to forge at least a dozen pieces of armor.
Of course, forging armor would be the most wasteful use.
Zheng Dong intended to have Ling'er use the Profound Yellow Heavenly Gang Gold for another异化 (yi hua - mutation/transformation) to gain Gold attributes and open up a Gold elemental dimension sea.
In addition, it could also be refined by Xiao Zi or used to create various mechanical weapons for Jing Jing.
Zheng Dong had only seen the Savage Poisonous Beast in books.
It was said that this extraordinary creature was already extinct.
Of course, it was not impossible that Savage Poisonous Beasts still existed somewhere, just undiscovered.
The Savage Poisonous Beast was a humanoid extraordinary creature, possessing four arms and thirteen tails.
Its arms resembled crab claws, with only two fingers. Its tails grew like scorpion tails but were very long and could be coiled around its body.
It was unclear who had killed this Savage Poisonous Beast, but its corpse remained intact and undamaged, like an insect in amber, maintaining its hardness as if it were a sculpture.
To Zheng Dong, this Savage Poisonous Beast looked like it had died not long ago.
The Savage Poisonous Beast was immune to all poisons and excelled at using various toxins.
It was formidable whether facing a siege or fighting alone.
Once, a quasi-divine Savage Poisonous Beast had used poisonous mist to destroy a Totem Kingdom, killing all extraordinary creatures within, turning it into a dead zone.
This corpse of the Savage Poisonous Beast could only be handed over to Ling'er.
Ling'er possessed the Poison attribute. Perhaps, with the corpse of this Savage Poisonous Beast, it could open up a Poison elemental dimension sea and condense a Poison Elemental Spirit.
Subsequently, Zheng Dong brought the corpse of the Savage Poisonous Beast into the Mythical-grade relic space, allowing Ling'er to absorb and refine it.
Countless vines grew from Zheng Dong's left hand, wrapping around the corpse of the Savage Poisonous Beast and gradually absorbing and refining it.
The initial refining speed was not fast, but it gradually increased.
Three days later, the corpse of the Savage Poisonous Beast disappeared, and Ling'er appeared before Zheng Dong in the form of an Elemental Ancient God Tree.
Another elemental dimension sea was opened.
Following that, Ling'er also condensed a Poison Elemental Spirit.
The form of the Poison Elemental Spirit was modeled after the Savage Poisonous Beast, only slightly smaller in size.
Thus, Ling'er mastered eight elemental dimension seas.
Ling'er's growth level also reached the peak of the Monarch level, only a step away from the Emperor level.
As for having Ling'er undergo another transformation to gain Gold attributes, there was no rush.
After all, the time required for transformation might be very long, and if Ling'er's growth increased again after the transformation, his body might not be able to withstand it.
On the other side, Lord Long Zhen also prepared to make a move on Fox Moon City.
In Fox Moon City, the Nine-Tailed Fox Empress sat on the throne. To her left were her confidantes, and to her right were several city lords who opposed her.
Even her eldest sister, Yin Yao, had obediently arrived.