"What do you mean? Everyone else can search for Ascendant Gold, so why can't we enter?" Bolt said with a sneer.
Samuel Woodson sighed. He knew that they were being blocked not because they wanted to enter the Collapse Sand Wastes to search for Ascendant Gold, but because of Bolt. Bolt was a Seven-Clawed Sky Whale—if no one tried to stop them, that would be the real surprise.
It was said that the Seven-Clawed Sky Whale could freely roam and cultivate within the Chaos. Having a Seven-Clawed Sky Whale was not just a matter of prestige—it was crucial for one's Grand Dao. Just imagine: if you were trapped here and couldn't escape, you could simply bring the Seven-Clawed Sky Whale and directly enter the Chaos.
Seven-Clawed Sky Whale! At this moment, no one was paying attention to Bolt's words; instead, all eyes were on Bolt’s seven claws and the lightning mark on his forehead. This Seven-Clawed Sky Whale might even be a mutated divine beast.
In a short time, apart from a few cultivators, most people had already gathered around, surrounding Bolt and Samuel Woodson in the center.
A short-bearded male cultivator stared directly at Samuel Woodson, his tone edged with killing intent. "We've searched the Collapse Sand Wastes for years and waited here for just as long. We’ve lost countless comrades. And now you two show up to pick the spoils? No matter how you spin it, this just isn’t right."
Bolt arrogantly raised a claw, but before he could speak, Samuel Woodson patted him and said politely, "In that case, let's not go in."
Bolt quickly retorted, "How can that be? We have to go in—the Collapse Sand Wastes don’t belong to them. And besides, they don’t even know where the Ascendant Gold is, so why should they be allowed in and not us?"
Samuel Woodson chuckled, "Do you think the piece of Ascendant Gold that Daoist Di found is big?"
Bolt replied without hesitation, "Of course, it’s the biggest piece of Ascendant Gold in here! Isn’t that obvious?"
Samuel Woodson pointed in a direction and said, "I know there's a piece of Ascendant Gold over there, and it's no smaller than the one Fellow Daoist Di found."
"That's impossible," Bolt interrupted Samuel Woodson without hesitation.
Samuel Woodson replied calmly, "Possible or not, if we don't go, how would you know?"
Bolt's eyes flickered. Samuel Woodson was right—if they didn't go, how would he know? Although Bolt was confident he'd found the largest piece of Ascendant Gold here, his strength was still lacking. What if Samuel Woodson really found another one?
Thinking this through, Bolt immediately said, "Old Samuel, we'll do as you say. Take me there."
"Let's go," Samuel Woodson said, turning to leave.
Just as Samuel Woodson expected, the moment he turned, the others blocked him and Bolt again.
"What's the meaning of this? Are you saying we can't even leave?" Samuel Woodson stared coldly at the group of cultivators blocking him. Though the Sage of Life and Death had stripped him of his Dao Foundation and nearly killed him, Samuel Woodson cultivated the Way of Vitality. In other words, aside from the Sage of Life and Death and rare experts like Di Jiu, whom he would hardly ever encounter, even a Sixth Step cultivator at their peak was beneath his notice.
"What do you mean? How do we know you're not going to find someone else? Until we find the Ascendant Gold, you can't leave." The short-bearded male cultivator glanced at Bolt and continued, "If you insist on leaving, that's fine—leave your beast companion as collateral. Otherwise, don't blame me for distrusting you."
Only now did Bolt realize he was caught in the middle without knowing his own situation. So these guys wanted him as a beast companion, not to keep them from entering the Collapse Sand Wastes.
"Bold, bold! The few trash who tried to capture me back then were erased by my great-grandfather, and now I've run into another bunch." Bolt showed no fear at all. Not only could these people not trap him, even if they could, Old Samuel wasn't one to be trifled with.
His great-grandfather always said Old Samuel's Dao was no ordinary thing. If that's the case, these trash shouldn't be feared.
Bolt was still waiting for Samuel Woodson to act when Samuel suddenly sent him a voice transmission, "Bolt, I haven't recovered my strength. I could take down a few, but there are too many here. In a moment, dash straight into the Collapse Sand Wastes, and I'll follow you in. Once we're inside, if anyone dares to chase us, won't it be just as we wish?"
Samuel Woodson truly hadn't recovered his strength, but he was still much stronger than before his Dao was destroyed. He had only just restored his physical body through his Genesis Realm, and his Dao was unstable. That's why he absolutely didn't want to be injured here.
"Haha, good! Let's do it." Bolt liked Samuel Woodson's plan—being able to bully these people one by one was even more fun.
Samuel Woodson spoke via voice transmission, but Bolt announced it aloud. Before the words left his mouth, Bolt had already charged into the Collapse Sand Wastes.
"They're trying to escape..." A lanky male cultivator had just shouted when Samuel Woodson unleashed a series of divine technique vortices. These vortices tore through the void, making it feel as if entering them meant never escaping.
Several cultivators hesitated at the power of those divine vortices, but Samuel Woodson followed Bolt into the Collapse Sand Wastes.
The short-bearded male cultivator barely hesitated before rushing after Samuel Woodson into the Collapse Sand Wastes. He knew exactly what the seven-clawed Kunpeng divine beast meant to him.
He'd walked the Grand Way Path for countless years. Even if he'd found some Ascendant Gold, he knew that relying on it to leave the Grand Way Path and enter the Ascendant Gate was nearly impossible. Today, discovering the seven-clawed Kunpeng divine beast here—if he missed this chance, he'd never forgive himself.
Ji Tai had already made up his mind: as soon as he captured the seven-clawed Kunpeng divine beast, he would leave the Collapse Sand Wastes at once and find a way into Chaos. Because he hadn't thought it through, he didn't realize why Samuel Woodson's divine vortices blocked everyone else, yet he managed to slip through and catch up.
Since one couldn't linger in the Collapse Sand Wastes for long, even Ji Tai knew he had to seize the seven-clawed Kunpeng divine beast as quickly as possible. So, upon entering, he used his fastest escape technique to rush toward it.
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In Ji Tai's estimation, it would take an incense stick's time to catch the seven-clawed Kunpeng divine beast. With his strength and experience, that was enough to leave the Collapse Sand Wastes. Not having been stopped by Samuel Woodson's divine vortices, he saw Samuel merely as a weakling whose Dao was still unstable.
What Ji Tai didn't expect was that as soon as he charged into the Collapse Sand Wastes, he saw Bolt and Samuel Woodson. Neither of them was fleeing; it was as if they were waiting for him.
"I don't want to fight you. As long as you hand over..." Ji Tai said this to Samuel Woodson, but his Dao resonance was already gathering. He knew a battle was inevitable—no one would willingly give up a seven-clawed Kunpeng divine beast.
"Heh, with your little tricks, I, Samuel Woodson, truly don't care. Even weakened, crushing you would be like squashing an ant..." As Samuel spoke, he summoned a gray ruler.
It was a wooden gray ruler, seemingly ordinary, but the moment Samuel Woodson summoned it, Ji Tai felt the entire space of the Collapse Sand Wastes press down on him.
Immediately, Ji Tai found his Dao resonance running with extreme difficulty. The space around him brimmed with vitality, yet that vibrant life was only a ruler's length away—just out of reach.
Crack! Ji Tai's Dao domain shattered, and he was utterly shocked. Only now did he realize that compared to the man before him—whose Dao was still somewhat unstable—he was nothing at all.
Run! Ji Tai knew he couldn't withstand Samuel Woodson's gray ruler. Burning his Dao resonance and blood essence, he could only hope to escape.
"Too late!" Samuel Woodson uttered those words as the gray ruler tore through the Vitality Principle space, striking Ji Tai's brow. Ji Tai's Dao Principles collapsed in an instant, and he slowly sank to the ground, unwilling to accept defeat.
Compared to Di Jiu and the Sage of Life and Death, he was far inferior. Just an ordinary Sixth Step cultivator trying to throw his weight around before Samuel—he was simply overestimating himself.
"Hurry and open his world!" Bolt saw Ji Tai's soul about to dissipate and shouted from the side.
Samuel Woodson awkwardly scratched his chin. If he had the strength, he wouldn't need Bolt's reminder.
Watching Ji Tai vanish completely, Bolt grumbled, "Your strength still isn't enough. If it were my great-grandfather, he'd have opened that guy's world with a wave of his hand."
"You think everyone can compare to Fellow Daoist Di? Didn't you say you'd take me to find Ascendant Gold? Let's get going. I've had enough of this place. Once we find the Ascendant Gold, we'll head straight for the Ascendant Gate." Samuel Woodson replied irritably—Bolt really gave him no face at all.
Bolt chuckled, "Why did I stop?"
"You just wanted me to take care of this guy who was after you..." Samuel began, but suddenly understood Bolt's meaning, looking at him in surprise.
Bolt scoffed, "You've figured it out, huh? The Ascendant Gold I mentioned is right here."
"But..." Samuel Woodson looked around, seeing nothing at all. Could it be hidden in the void? He quickly took out several spatial array flags.
(That's all for today's update. Good night, friends!)