Unlike the others who were immediately pinned down by the pressure the moment they stepped into the "Divine Stone" area, the people of Depei Kingdom were shielded by a pure white snow shield.
This significantly reduced the pressure they felt, allowing them to move almost at full speed.
They rushed straight to Prince Yu and Prince Leland with swords raised and ready to strike.
Gasps and low cries echoed around them.
This was the first time someone had managed to charge up to Prince Yu and Prince Leland while resisting the pressure of the Divine Stone after rounds of backstabbing and wear-down tactics.
Just as everyone thought the two would be quickly taken down, Prince Yu immediately stuffed the black stone into his sleeve and thrust his long sword out with the other hand.
In a blink, the clashing sound of metal rang out loudly.
Their swords danced at lightning speed in a blur, exchanging countless moves within seconds.
Only now did the surrounding groups realize that the man who had always looked gentle and refined with a fan in hand and a constant smile was actually a sword master.
Even Elara, watching from afar, was surprised.
She had seen Prince Yu wield a sword before, but this was the first time she saw him fight with full strength.
The hidden fighters from Depei Kingdom were all elite, some even ranked on the world leaderboard.
Yet Prince Yu was evenly matched with them.
With his sword, he moved with incredible skill, surpassing everything Elara had seen before in terms of speed and strength.
Even as he attacked or defended, he still looked calm and elegant.
Watching this beautiful yet deadly swordplay, the only words that popped into Elara's mind were "a scholar's fight."
No wonder he had taken just ten years to elevate the Dahlia Kingdom from a weak third-tier nation to a nearly second-tier power in the southwest of the continent.
His strength seemed endless, always exceeding expectations, truly growing stronger when facing stronger opponents.
While Prince Yu fought against the attackers, Prince Leland, who had even more powerful strength, was already taking on two enemies at once.
His spear moved so fast that only shadows were visible.
The area swept by the spear became a no-go zone for anyone nearby.
With pure speed and force, no one could get close to him.
Both of them displayed even stronger powers than before, shocking those who thought they were already exhausted.
The crowd was stunned by their deep and powerful combat techniques.
"You both look so young, yet your inner strength and martial arts are so refined.
You could definitely hold a spot on the world power rankings.
It's a shame I've never seen either of you before."
The leader of the Depei Kingdom fighters, who was dueling with them, was also surprised.
His attacks grew fiercer, but his praise for Prince Yu and Prince Leland flowed without hesitation.
Prince Yu and Prince Leland responded to the attacks without showing any weakness, smiling as they replied.
"You flatter us."
Due to the rules set earlier by the Water Sky Kingdom, no one dared to interfere or ambush them now, even though the fight was intense.
Although the pure white snow shield could resist most of the Divine Stone's pressure, as time dragged on, the Depei fighters were spending more energy than Prince Yu and Prince Leland.
Fatigue started to weigh heavily on them.
However, Prince Yu and Prince Leland could not break through the snow shields.
The shields were truly treasures, blocking most of the gravity and providing high defense.
Even when Prince Yu and Prince Leland spotted weaknesses, they still couldn't break through.
If this dragged on, the Depei fighters might only have to retreat empty-handed.
But if Prince Yu and Prince Leland used up too much of their energy and inner strength, dealing with all the other surrounding forces would become extremely difficult.
Elara frowned slightly. Her hand had just started to move when, from a distance, Prince Leland suddenly shouted:
"Be careful!"
The next second, Prince Leland suddenly held a dagger that seemed to appear out of nowhere. He abandoned his usual long spear and charged forward, aiming the dagger at the leader from the Depei Kingdom.
The leader quickly raised his small white shield to block the incoming strike from Prince Leland.
But to his surprise, as soon as he raised the small white shield, the dagger instantly transformed into two extremely flexible ropes!
The ropes curved around the edges of the shield and twisted around the leader's body like snakes, tightening instantly like some kind of "binding rope"!
Sparkling silver lights shimmered along the ropes, shining with a colorful glow. At that moment, even the slowest person would realize that the ropes were no ordinary tools.
"This… is another divine blessing?! They actually have two divine blessings!"
After the leader from the Depei Kingdom was bound by the ropes, Prince Yu quickly took the opportunity and threw something from his palm.
It looked light and effortless, but the object carried great speed and force. With a blur that was almost invisible to the naked eye, it accurately struck the hand holding the small white shield.
The small white shield instantly fell from the leader's hand and was caught by the prepared Prince Leland, who then retreated quickly.
Once he stepped back into the range of Prince Yu's "divine stone," he used the rope to throw the leader far away and then retracted the ropes.
"Thanks for letting us win."
Prince Leland held the small shield, with the silver glowing ropes floating automatically around him, and stepped back behind Prince Yu.
Although he failed to snatch the small white shield, the leader of the Depei Kingdom didn't look angry.
Prince Leland had only used the ropes to restrain him and took his item without using any underhanded tricks, which showed decent character.
So the man cupped his hands toward Prince Leland and Prince Yu. His rugged face even showed a bit of a smile:
"I am the Grand General of the Central Court of the Depei Kingdom. You both have impressive inner strength and excellent martial arts. If you ever visit the Depei Kingdom, you're welcome at the General's residence in the royal court. I lost today because my skills were lacking, so the divine shield will belong to you for now. But if we meet again, I'll try to take it back!"
After speaking, the man turned and decisively left with his followers.
"What a rare, straightforward man who can accept defeat." As the saying goes, a fight can lead to friendship. Prince Leland slightly cupped his hand in the direction of the Depei man while holding the divine shield.
After the Depei group left, the suppressed whispers of shock and greed around them suddenly erupted!
"They have three divine blessings! Three!"
"Divine stone! Divine rope! Divine shield! These two little thieves actually have three divine blessings!"
Earlier, everyone thought Prince Yu and Prince Leland only had one divine stone, so they could still hold back and follow the rules set by the Tianshui Kingdom.
But now, with three powerful divine blessings in their hands, things changed.
The eyes of all nearby factions turned green with envy, full of uncontrollable greed.
Just as people began to stir with temptation, two more groups stepped forward.
"The one from the Tianshui Kingdom, I am from Luohan Marsh, a central continent force."
"I am from the Nixia Kingdom in the eastern continent!" The second voice was surprisingly a clear and bold female voice.
Luohan Marsh wasn't a kingdom, but a second-tier power under the Martial Alliance.
The Chrysanthemum Kingdom was backed by Freesia State, a first-tier female-led kingdom in the eastern continent, and it was considered a second-tier power.
These two powers were equal to the Salvia Kingdom and the Depei Kingdom. Previously, they had stayed silent, observing the situation. But now that three divine artifacts had appeared, if they still didn't act, all three might end up in the hands of the Salvia Kingdom.
When the people from the Salvia Kingdom saw the three divine artifacts, their eyes were already filled with determination to obtain them. But upon seeing Chrysanthemum Kingdom and the martial clan Luohanze step forward, they had to momentarily suppress their desire and greeted the two powers from afar with a cupped-fist salute.
"What do you two think?"
The female general from Chrysanthemum Kingdom took a step forward and was the first to speak. "The three of our powers are equally strong. There happen to be three divine artifacts here, all of medium quality. Why don't the three of us join forces and attack together? That way, we can avoid unexpected changes."
"After we seize the three divine artifacts, Chrysanthemum Kingdom only wants the divine chain. The other two can choose among the rest. How about it?"
The people from the Salvia Kingdom and Luohanze remained silent for two seconds and then nodded.
"Alright, then I, Luohanze, will take the divine stone."
"In that case, the divine shield will belong to the Salvia Kingdom."
Although there were still many other forces watching with greed, and the three divine artifacts were still in the hands of Prince Yu and Prince Leland, these three simply ignored everyone else and casually discussed the ownership of the three items, speaking as if the artifacts were already in their pockets.
"Tch. Such disgusting, hypocritical talk again." Prince Leland sneered coldly, tightening his grip on the divine chain and divine shield.
Prince Yu remained calm. Having spent many years in the court, he had seen all kinds of people.
As Luohanze, Chrysanthemum Kingdom, and Salvia Kingdom divided up the treasures from Prince Yu and Prince Leland, the other forces who had recognized the situation also stepped forward, eager to get a share.
"Three masters. Please count me in. We are willing to serve loyally for you and will never covet the three divine artifacts. We only want the divine scroll those two thieves hid beneath the stone pile that records the divine ruins."
"Me too. Count me in. I only want the divine scroll."
"I just want the divine scroll too."
As the surrounding forces' gazes toward Prince Yu and Prince Leland gradually aligned, and with Chrysanthemum, Luohanze, and Salvia Kingdom taking the lead, the other forces no longer dared to backstab or attack each other.
Under the greedy and malicious stares of everyone, Prince Yu and Prince Leland knew the most dangerous moment had come.
Though they held three divine artifacts, it would only be manageable if the enemies came at them one by one. If all the powers attacked together, no matter how strong they were, they would surely lose.
Yet neither of them showed any fear or hesitation on their faces. Standing back to back, both remained calm and cold, staring intently in all directions.
Prince Leland tossed the small shield in his hand to Prince Yu, then pulled out the long spear from behind him and held it firmly.
"Damn it, even if I have to destroy these divine artifacts today, I'll never let you take them."
Behind him, Prince Yu smiled, as if he had expected Prince Leland to say this. He gently shook the small white shield in his hand, and two shield faces floated up and surrounded the two of them, while also projecting a shield shadow onto all the surrounding guards.
"Brother Leland is right, we'll destroy it before giving it to them."
As soon as they finished speaking, the forces that had already agreed on dividing the spoils with the three major powers charged at them like a flood of beasts.
Just as the two of them gripped their weapons and prepared to fight with all their strength, Elara, hidden in the distance, raised her hand and snapped her fingers lightly.
In the next second, a rumbling like an earthquake echoed through the cave.
The sound was so loud and terrifying that it felt like some giant creature was crawling through, almost collapsing the entire mountain.
The forces charging at Prince Yu and Prince Leland instinctively looked up at the surroundings and were horrified to see that from the dark cracks in the cave walls, countless snakes, rats, bugs, and ants were pouring out.
These creatures moved incredibly fast, and nearly all of them were poisonous. Some bugs and ants could even fly, flapping their wings and swarming at the crowd from the cracks, catching everyone by surprise.
"Damn it! Where did all these poisonous snakes, rats, bugs, and ants come from?!"
"They're venomous! Don't get bitten!"
"Damn it, the poison—ahhh!!!"
They had been eager to rush at Prince Yu and Prince Leland, and now they were just as panicked trying to retreat.
Although the creatures weren't that lethal beyond their poison, there were just too many of them to defend against. Once bitten, the venom quickly spread through the body, greatly weakening their fighting ability.
"These two brats even have backup who can control insects and snakes… are they from the southern border of the central region?"
The leader of the Sacred Beast Kingdom calmly took a jade-green flute from his pocket and blew into it.
Waves of visible sound burst from him in all directions, and the snakes, rats, bugs, and ants nearby instantly fell to the ground twitching and died.
The other forces near the Sacred Beast Kingdom were also affected. As soon as they heard the flute sound, they felt dizzy and as if countless steel needles pierced their heads. The pain blurred their senses and made them feel like smashing their skulls.
Clearly, the jade flute in the Sacred Beast Kingdom leader's hand was a high-level divine item.
The soundwaves from the flute protected the Sacred Beast Kingdom forces within.
On another side, the leading female general of the Chrysanthemum Kingdom tossed a tiny Vajra Shield into the air.
The Vajra Shield instantly expanded and covered all the Chrysanthemum Kingdom personnel. Any creature that touched the shield immediately fell and died.
The leader of Luohanze used a cloak-like Wind Cloak that generated a powerful suction. It pulled in all the poisonous creatures nearby.
The three major forces all used powerful divine treasures to protect themselves. Other forces with divine items had no choice but to reveal them under the attack of the poisonous swarm.
In just a moment, seven or eight more divine items appeared, though compared to the major powers, most of these were low-grade.
While all the powers were fending off the swarm, a white mist suddenly rose from the center where Prince Yu and Prince Leland were standing.
"Not good! They're trying to escape!"
But they realized it too late. Before anyone could react, white mist began to rise all over the cave.
Very soon, the once bright and spacious cave was half-filled with thick white fog.
Elara had already dashed toward Prince Yu and Prince Leland as the fog rose.
A few forces closest to them reacted and tried to make a move before the fog thickened.
Elara and Uno arrived in time. Swords and spears drawn, they immediately joined Prince Yu and Prince Leland in striking back.
"Hahaha! I knew it was you! You came just in time! Let's fight our way out!"
Prince Leland laughed and threw the divine chain in his hand to Elara. "Take this for protection. Let's go!"
"Miss Bai would never be late." Prince Yu also smiled and waved the small white shield in his hand. The two small white shields instantly spun around Elara and Uno.
As they fought back against the surrounding attackers, Elara managed to retreat after driving them off. Before leaving, she took advantage of the thick fog, now limiting visibility to less than two meters, to quietly store the large number of divine scrolls from the center of the stone pile into her space pouch.
With the help of three divine items, along with the cover of white mist and the poisonous creatures, the group made their way smoothly out of the stone cave.