On the left side, at the base of an iceberg, there was a pitch-black object.

Driven by curiosity, Chen Qingyuan cautiously walked over.

Upon closer inspection, the pitch-black object appeared to be a coffin, sealed at the bottom of the iceberg, separated by hundreds of meters of ice.

Just as Chen Qingyuan was about to look away, his gaze inadvertently fell on another corner, revealing an even more shocking scene.

Underneath the thick, cold glacier, there was a blood-stained corpse, its face twisted in agony, eyes wide open.

His pupils contracted, and his soul felt suffocated.

Thousands of skeletons were crushed under the glacier.

Severed limbs, broken weapons, and spirit treasures were scattered around.

This was an extremely brutal battle, with casualties exceeding tens of thousands. From Chen Qingyuan’s perspective, none of these corpses were ordinary people; the weakest among them had a cultivation level of Tribulation Crossing.

Chen Qingyuan dared to make this judgment because of the high-quality holy weapons and the lingering aura of power within the ice valley.

Standing at the entrance of the ice valley, Chen Qingyuan’s throat tightened, his face full of shock, and his heart uneasy.

“What is this place?” Chen Qingyuan murmured to himself as he looked at the skeletons beneath the ice valley, “A graveyard? Or a former battlefield?”

After standing there for an unknown amount of time, Chen Qingyuan managed to calm his inner turmoil.

Although curious, he decided to leave for safety reasons.

This place exuded an eerie atmosphere, making one unwilling to stay long.

After leaving, Chen Qingyuan stopped overthinking and focused on obtaining more resources and fortune.

The competition for the Hundred Veins Banquet was intensifying.

Even without actively seeking information, Chen Qingyuan could learn about the latest developments.

“Due to a treasure, Penglai Manor and No-Dao Cliff had a conflict. In the ensuing battle, the Holy Son of Penglai, Li Shangqing, was ambushed and severely injured before escaping.”

“A few days later, the madman Su Xingyun from Penglai Manor found the traces of No-Dao Cliff. Single-handedly, he killed seventeen people and narrowly defeated the Holy Son of No-Dao Cliff, Ye Xuan, before leaving leisurely.”

“Su Xingyun killed more than ten people from No-Dao Cliff and declared that only he could bully the Holy Son of Penglai, and no one else.”

The Holy Son of Penglai, upon hearing this, was both amused and helpless.

He felt both joy and sorrow.

The joy was that the treasure fell into the hands of Penglai Manor, restoring their honor. The sorrow was that he might never surpass Su Xingyun in his lifetime; being the Holy Son was truly a difficult position!

“Chang Ziqiu, one of the Ten Heroes of the Northern Wilderness, is extremely powerful and fought the Holy Son of Heavenly Mansion Mountain Villa without losing.”

“The Holy Maiden of Pear Blossom Palace, Wang Shutong, fought the Holy Son of Star-Plucking Tower, Wan Ling, for over a thousand rounds, and Wan Ling was defeated…”

“On the ancient star of Diyuan, Zhangsun Fengye from the Northern Wilderness clashed with Lu Nanxian from the Confucian Sect, and a major battle is likely to break out.”

Many pieces of news reached Chen Qingyuan’s ears, shaking his heart.

Hearing news about Zhangsun Fengye indicated that he had already left the illusion of the Emperor’s weapon fragment.

A dozen days later, Chen Qingyuan appeared on the ancient star of Diyuan, disguised himself, and spent some spirit stones to gather the latest information from others.

Zhangsun Fengye and Lu Nanxian had already finished their fight, reportedly ending in a draw, with neither side using their full strength.

“Madman, Buddha’s child.”

In a stretch of rolling mountains, Chen Qingyuan saw Zhangsun Fengye sitting under a large tree, chatting leisurely with Daochen Buddha’s child over tea.

Both of them sensed Chen Qingyuan’s presence at the same time, stood up slowly, and smiled with joy.

The scene shifted, and the three of them were sitting around a stone table, sipping tea and talking.

“Where have you been all this time?” Zhangsun Fengye asked first.

“Just wandering around,” Chen Qingyuan didn’t reveal his actions, knowing that the fewer people who knew, the safer it was.

“Are you the kind of person who can stay idle?” Zhangsun Fengye didn’t believe it at all, squinting his eyes with a strange look.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Chen Qingyuan said calmly.

After some conversation, Chen Qingyuan learned a lot.

Zhangsun Fengye and Daochen Buddha’s child were expelled from the space of the Emperor’s weapon fragment at almost the same moment, so they traveled together.

Their situation was similar to Chen Qingyuan’s; they both reached the secret room in the illusion and were dismissed with a single word, “unworthy.”

“What about my junior sister? Did you see Song Ningyan?” Chen Qingyuan was somewhat worried about Song Ningyan’s safety and asked.

“No, she might have come out before us,” Zhangsun Fengye shook his head.

“With Song Donor’s abilities, she shouldn’t be in any danger,” Daochen Buddha’s child said.

“Since we’ve reunited, how about we do something big?” After a few cups of tea, Chen Qingyuan couldn’t hold back anymore.

“What do you have in mind?” Zhangsun Fengye had a bad feeling, knowing it couldn’t be anything good.

“Challenge the Heaven’s Pride from various sects and bet on the Fortune Green Lotus.”

The old method couldn’t be used anymore. After all, it wasn’t a solo action, and it was easy to expose his true identity, causing huge trouble.

Challenge the heroes of the world, with the winner getting the Fortune Green Lotus, and the loser having no excuse to cause trouble.

“That won’t work!” Zhangsun Fengye frowned and said, “Others aren’t fools; why would they bet and fight with us?”

“I’ll arrange the betting battles, but I won’t participate in the fights,” Chen Qingyuan was too lazy to fight and started sharing his plan, “Zhangsun and Buddha’s child will fight, and I’ll handle all the miscellaneous tasks. The results of the battles will be divided equally among the three of us. How about it?”

“You won’t fight?” Zhangsun Fengye caught the implication and questioned.

“I don’t like fighting and killing, and I’m just an Elemental Infant stage cultivator, not capable of much,” Chen Qingyuan belittled himself.

“That’s not fair. You get to sit back and enjoy the results while Buddha’s child and I do all the work. It’s not fair,” Zhangsun Fengye refused directly.

“Madman, you don’t understand my good intentions!” Chen Qingyuan said seriously, slapping the table, “The Hundred Veins Banquet is a battle among peers, honing oneself and gaining combat experience, which is immensely beneficial for the future path of cultivation. I’m giving you the opportunity and also handling all the battle’s trivial matters. Don’t be ungrateful.”

“…” Zhangsun Fengye was speechless.

Because what Chen Qingyuan said made some sense, he knew Chen Qingyuan wanted to avoid fighting, but he had no reasonable argument to refute it, which was frustrating.

“The Heaven’s Pride of various sects have been searching for resources, but when they encounter strong opponents, they hesitate, damaging the pride of the younger generation. Since no one is willing to start trouble, I’ll take on this responsibility.”

“Competing among peers is not for personal gain but to build a stage for the Heaven’s Pride to hone themselves. If this is done, it will benefit the Heaven’s Pride of all factions. Win or lose, it will not waste their youth…”

Chen Qingyuan spoke more and more passionately, starting a long speech.

“Alright, alright, shut up!” Zhangsun Fengye couldn’t take it anymore and quickly raised his hand, “I agree, okay!”

“Good…” Chen Qingyuan showed a gratified smile, “You can be taught.”

I really want to beat him up!

But what he said made sense, and I don’t know how to argue against it.

Several black lines appeared on Zhangsun Fengye’s forehead, and his heart was filled with mixed emotions.