"So what exactly happened?" Gold Three suppressed his anger as he saw the trio's strange expressions and questioned them.
At this moment, the trio finally calmed down. Silver Five and Silver Six exchanged glances, then let Silver Eight do the explaining. Silver Eight had no choice but to recount everything that happened.
When the gold-armored trio heard that Yang Han could catalyze the Sky-Nine Divine Fruit, they couldn't sit still—especially Gold One, who abandoned his cultivation, stood up, and vanished in a flash.
Gold One entered the vortex and arrived beneath the Sky-Nine Divine Fruit tree. He was stunned, his face twisted in fury. They had guarded this place for countless years, even forming a massive bandit army here, all for these fruits. They had invested endless effort.
"Damn it, I'm going to kill them!" Gold One vanished, then reappeared in a frenzy. Gold Three wondered aloud, "What's wrong with Gold One?"
"All the Sky-Nine Divine Fruits are gone!" Gold One said angrily, then slapped the trio, cursing, "Useless fools!"
The three were already injured, and had barely escaped Yang Han's grasp, only to fall into this terrifying forbidden zone. All three collapsed to the ground, while Gold Two and Gold Three, upon hearing the fruits were gone, reacted just like Gold One.
"I wonder if they've gotten far," said Gold One.
"No matter what, we must stop them," Gold Three said angrily. The three exchanged glances, then instantly appeared at the vortex entrance. Silver Seven hadn't even had a chance to greet them before they vanished again.
Silver Seven was shocked. "What happened?" he wondered, stepping into the vortex. Seeing the three unconscious, with blood-like fluid leaking from their bodies, he was stunned. "What on earth happened here?"
Outside, the gold-armored trio activated the largest formation in the area. Its range was vast; when people saw golden light shimmering in the sky, they frowned, knowing this was the strongest formation the trio used to prevent outsiders from intruding.
Gavin White and Yang Han, already on their way out, saw the golden light rising behind them and felt lucky they'd left early—otherwise, they'd have run into trouble.
"That golden light is pretty strong; you can feel it even here," Yang Han remarked curiously after leaving the area.
"Yes, and there are three distinct auras. Each one is powerful—even if I faced just one, I might be able to match them, but against all three, I'd definitely lose," Gavin White commented.
"The Cross-Mark Legion really isn't simple," Yang Han observed, then turned and continued on with Gavin White.
After sealing the area, the gold-armored trio thought the two hadn't left yet. But after searching everywhere, they found no trace and, furious, returned to the vortex.
Seeing Silver Seven there, Gold Three asked, "Why did you come in here?"
"Nothing," Silver Seven replied fearfully.
Seeing only Silver Seven left, Gold Three said, "Alright, there's nothing for you here. Go outside and send people to search for those two."
Silver Seven responded and left, while Gold Three said, "Do you have any ideas this time?"
"They must have left by now, but with the Chaos World being so vast, where would we even start looking for them?" Gold Three wondered aloud.
"The Sky-Nine Divine Fruit is a unique Heavenly Dao material. It lets people gain stronger Dao intent, but it also leaves a lingering fruit aura on anyone who used it. So I'm thinking we should visit March Grotto and ask Elder March to help us track them," Gold One said after some thought.
"Elder March? She's not easy to deal with. What if she refuses to help?" Gold Three replied, recognizing the famous name.
"Just tell her the Sky-Nine Divine Fruits are in their hands and they've found a way to preserve them. I don't believe she won't make a move," Gold One insisted.
Gold Three looked at Gold Two. "What do you think?"
"The Cross-Mark Legion has never suffered such a humiliating defeat. No matter what, we have to find those two—even if we can't get the fruits back, I want them dead," Gold Two said coldly.
With Gold Two's agreement, Gold Three said, "Alright, let's head out." The three left to start their search.
Meanwhile, Yang Han and Gavin White kept pressing toward their destination. After a day's journey, they finally arrived at the entrance to the Spirit Prison Realm. Yang Han said to Gavin, "We can't know what threats we'll run into here. Whatever happens, you have to be careful."
"Shouldn't I be saying that to you? You're way weaker than me," Gavin White joked.
"Here, maybe, but once we enter the Spirit Prison Realm, that might not be true," Yang Han replied with a smile.
"Oh? Is that so?" Gavin was curious about what changes Yang Han would experience in the Spirit Prison Realm. Yang Han just smiled and looked at the giant stone stele marking the realm's entrance.
"Let's go," Yang Han said. The two walked in together. As soon as they entered, their souls left their bodies, which stayed behind in a special space—not too big, but not small either. Many bodies lay here, probably left by others who entered the Spirit Prison Realm this way. Yang Han said to Gavin, "Let's move on."
"Why does your soul feel so terrifying?" Gavin, now in soul form herself, felt almost powerless, but Yang Han's aura shocked her.
"Because my soul can use Chaos Soul-Power," Yang Han replied with a smile.
"Chaos Soul-Power? What's that?" Gavin asked, confused. Yang Han explained, telling her about his past experience in the Soul-World and everything that happened there. After hearing it all, Gavin had to admit, "No wonder you said you'd be stronger than me here. That makes sense now."
"You're not weak either. Just making it here means your soul has some strength," Yang Han observed, though compared to his Chaos Soul-Power, Gavin's soul was far behind.
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"The Spirit Prison Realm is a special place. In other worlds, souls may not have much power, but here, soul strength is converted into the local power system," Gavin explained.
"So that's how it works. That reassures me—at least here, outsiders shouldn't be able to hurt you easily," Yang Han said with a smile.
"That's right," Gavin said with a smile.
"Alright, let's head out. There's a passage up ahead—should lead deeper into the Spirit Prison Realm," Yang Han said.
Gavin nodded and followed Yang Han inside. The world within was different, much like the Soul-World from before.
"It's my first time in a place like this," Gavin said, smiling.
"I've been to the Soul-World before. I wonder how this place is different," Yang Han muttered.
"Let's see if we can find anyone and ask about the details, then track down that strange grassland," Gavin suggested, looking at Yang Han.
"Yeah, let's search around," Yang Han replied.
Here, Divine Sense was limited by distance—unlike outside, where it could spread far—so the two had to search the area themselves.
On the other side, the gold-armored trio had already arrived at March Grotto, but some force kept them outside.
"Is Elder March here?" Gold Three asked.
Silence. No one answered. The three exchanged glances, then Gold Three spoke again: "The gold-armored trio of the Cross-Mark Legion have come to visit Elder March. We have important business."
"Why aren't you busy being bandits? What are you doing here, disturbing me?" came an old woman's voice from inside the cave. A middle-aged woman walked out, but her voice was that of a crone.
"Elder March, we came for something important. We want to discuss it with you," Gold Three said.
"Discuss? You mean robbing or killing?" Elder March looked at the three and laughed.
The gold-armored trio held back their anger—if they didn't need her help, they would have dealt with her together.
"The Sky-Nine Divine Fruit. It's something that enhances Heavenly Dao intent," Gold Three said.
As expected, Elder March's eyes widened. "Sky-Nine Divine Fruit? You have it?"
"We had it, but it was stolen. Now we don't know where it is. We're hoping you can help us track down those two," Gold Three explained.
"Sky-Nine Divine Fruit? Are you sure? As far as I know, it only lasts for one hour after being picked. How could it be stolen? Don't try to fool me," Elder March wasn't stupid—she quickly saw through their claim.
Gold Three laughed. "Elder March, you don't know the full story. The thief has a unique way of preserving the fruit and can even catalyze it. We saw it ourselves."
"Catalyze the Sky-Nine Divine Fruit? Are you sure?" Elder March was even more shocked after hearing this.
"Of course. If you don't believe it, you can find them and ask yourself," Gold Three said.
Elder March thought for a moment, finally unable to resist the temptation. "Alright, do you have their aura?"
"One of them consumed the Sky-Nine Divine Fruit, and we kept both their auras," Gold Three said. He produced a transparent bottle containing traces of Yang Han and Gavin White's aura, captured earlier from Silver Five and Six.
Elder March looked at the bottle and said, "Alright, wait here. I'll go prepare the spell."
"We want to watch," Gold Three said, worried Elder March might try to leave after finding their whereabouts. Elder March sneered, "What, afraid I'll keep it all to myself?"
"Elder March, you know that's possible," Gold Three said.
Elder March glanced at the trio again. "Fine, but you'd better not disturb me, or you'll bear the consequences."
The gold-armored trio agreed. At Elder March's invitation, they entered her cave estate. Inside, there was a pool like a mirror, but it didn't reflect their images.
The trio looked around curiously. Elder March said, "Just wait here. I'll cast the spell at the pool."