An hour passed before the battle between the two sides finally concluded.
All six Divine Venerables perished at the hands of the Hegemon Sea Gang Leader and his cohorts.
These six Divine Venerables were all enhanced by mid-tier divine artifacts, which was precisely why they could withstand the siege by the Hegemon Sea Gang Leader and his allies for so long.
With their deaths, their mid-tier divine artifacts became the property of Qin Hanchu.
Qin Hanchu and Axiang each took one, and the remainder were awarded to the Hegemon Sea Gang Leader and the others.
“The day I reach the Ancestor stage will be the day you regain your freedom,” Qin Hanchu declared.
Upon hearing this, the Hegemon Sea Gang Leader and his followers became exhilarated.
They had thought they would be slaves for life, never expecting Qin Hanchu to offer them such hope.
Possessing the Sky-Opening Divine Axe and the inheritance of Pangu the Ancestor, Qin Hanchu was destined to become an Ancestor-level powerhouse as long as he did not fall.
As the Divine Emperor-grade divine medicine had not yet matured, Qin Hanchu and his companions had to remain and guard it.
Under Qin Hanchu’s arrangement, the group re-established a divine formation.
With the Hegemon Sea Gang Leader and his men providing protection, Qin Hanchu and Axiang sat nearby to cultivate.
The Divine Emperor-grade divine medicine proved immensely beneficial for their cultivation at the Divine King level; its mere fragrance accelerated their progress significantly.
Twenty years slipped by as they remained by the divine medicine.
Aided by the divine medicine’s aroma, their cultivation over these two decades was equivalent to sixty years of ordinary practice.
Even the Hegemon Sea Gang Leader and his men benefited greatly.
On this very day, the divine medicine finally matured.
Protected by the divine formation, its radiant glow was contained.
Despite its dazzling luminescence, Qin Hanchu and Axiang had not yet ceased their cultivation.
The medicinal fragrance intensified upon the divine medicine’s maturation, offering even greater benefits to their progress.
With the Hegemon Sea Gang Leader and his people standing guard, the divine medicine, even if sentient, could not escape.
*Whoosh!*
The divine medicine suddenly detached itself from the ground, transforming into a streak of light and soaring into the distance.
However, before it could fly far, it was ensnared by the Hegemon Sea Gang Leader’s power.
Through layers of seals, the divine medicine’s sentience was suppressed.
Three days later, Qin Hanchu and Axiang finally concluded their cultivation.
“Master, the divine medicine is yours,” the Hegemon Sea Gang Leader presented the divine medicine to Qin Hanchu.
After storing the divine medicine, Qin Hanchu said, “You all return first. Axiang and I will continue our search.”
Only after the Hegemon Sea Gang Leader and his men had returned to the main realm of Shenzhou did Qin Hanchu dismantle the divine formation.
As the two prepared to depart, the Sky-Opening Divine Axe’s alert resonated once more.
Qin Hanchu mused, “Could it be that the Sky-Opening Divine Axe was not sensing this Divine Emperor-grade divine medicine?”
“There’s another sensing?” Axiang inquired.
Qin Hanchu nodded as he surveyed their surroundings.
Axiang flew into the air, extending her spiritual sense to conduct a thorough search.
“Found nothing.” A moment later, Axiang descended back to the ground.
Qin Hanchu, like Axiang, had discovered nothing.
After some thought, Qin Hanchu produced a low-tier divine sword and began to dig into the earth.
If it wasn’t on the surface, it must be underground.
To expedite their search for the treasure, Qin Hanchu summoned the Hegemon Sea Gang Leader and his followers back from the main realm of Shenzhou.
The group began to dig into the loamy earth.
Approximately an hour later, Divine Venerable Han Yun exclaimed, “Is this it?”
Qin Hanchu and Axiang hurried over, their eyes falling upon a golden banner that had appeared before them.
Having been buried in the soil, the small banner appeared quite dirty.
Qin Hanchu received it and then used a spell to cleanse it with clear water.
“This appears to be a formation flag, and there shouldn’t be just one,” the Hegemon Sea Gang Leader remarked.
Whatever triggered the Sky-Opening Divine Axe’s alert was undoubtedly no ordinary treasure.
Qin Hanchu stated, “Let’s keep searching.”
Being powerful individuals, their digging speed was swift.
An hour later, another small banner was unearthed.
After several more days, the group had no further discoveries.
Through their excavation, the entire valley had been transformed into fertile farmland.
“There should be nothing more. Let’s see if the Sky-Opening Divine Axe gives any more alerts.”
“If it stops giving alerts, then it must be these two small banners.”
Heeding Axiang’s suggestion, Qin Hanchu nodded and communicated with the Sky-Opening Divine Axe.
Indeed, the Sky-Opening Divine Axe no longer issued any alerts.
This meant that the divine axe had indeed been responding to these two small banners.
“How are these two small banners used?”
Qin Hanchu poured divine power into the banners, but they showed no reaction whatsoever.
Could this be another incomplete primordial treasure?
This was merely a Divine Emperor’s遗迹, it shouldn’t contain a treasure as significant as a primordial treasure.
However, what the Sky-Opening Divine Axe detected was certainly extraordinary.
Qin Hanchu attempted to communicate with the Sky-Opening Divine Axe to gain information about the small banners, but the divine axe remained silent.
“They can’t be used for now. Let’s put them away and treasure them,” Qin Hanchu casually stored the two small banners.
Axiang said, “Let’s go. Didn’t you want to go and seize the Divine Emperor’s treasures?”
Qin Hanchu nodded, and then he and Axiang proceeded onward.
Along the way, they encountered several other groups.
As there were no conflicts of interest, no battles ensued.
With Qin Hanchu’s foundation, as long as he didn’t encounter a Divine Emperor, he could sweep through them.
Decades later, brilliant auspicious lights suddenly erupted from the depths of the Divine Emperor’s遗迹.
Qin Hanchu knew this signified the appearance of the Divine Emperor’s palace.
This palace was the main battleground for the Divine Emperors’ contention.
“Let’s return first. I’ll send a clone to investigate,” Qin Hanchu told Axiang.
As the two re-entered the main realm of Shenzhou, the Pangu clone manifested in this world.
After altering the Pangu clone’s appearance, Qin Hanchu transformed into a streak of light and surged towards the Divine Emperor’s palace.
Along the way, he deliberately unleashed his Divine Emperor aura.
The Divine Venerables he encountered were so terrified that they scurried away.
Although Qin Hanchu flew at full speed, it still took him seven days to reach the Divine Emperor’s palace.
*Boom! Boom!*
Numerous Divine Emperors were attacking the Divine Emperor’s palace, all eager to gain entry as quickly as possible.
Whoever entered first would have a greater chance of obtaining the finest treasures.
“Break!”
A middle-aged Divine Emperor roared, wielding his top-tier divine artifact to unleash a terrifying attack.
Amidst the deafening roar, the Divine Emperor’s palace’s defenses shattered, and its grand doors swung open.
“Get out of the way,” one Divine Emperor suddenly attacked the others.
His assault was not aimed at killing his opponents but at forcing the other Divine Emperors aside.
The group of Divine Emperors unleashed their attacks in unison, repelling his assault, and then rushed towards the palace in a frenzy.
Qin Hanchu did not rush to enter; he followed at a measured pace.
Benefiting from the treasure was one thing; being capable of taking it was another.
Whoever obtained the treasure first would inevitably become the target of all.
Upon entering the palace, they witnessed streams of light crisscrossing and dancing in the air.
These streams of light were all Divine Emperor-grade cultivation resources.
Everyone was employing various means to seize them, and Qin Hanchu was no exception.
Qin Hanchu's body suddenly expanded to a hundred feet, and his palm seized five pieces of Divine Emperor resources.