The Immortal Dragon Peak wasn't large, but Ming Qi looked around but found no signs of a treasure appearing. Although there were obvious signs below, the legendary Seven Treasures Lotus hadn't appeared.
After looking around and seeing nothing, Ming Qi asked Qing Zhu beside him.
"Since the golden lotus has appeared below, the Seven Treasures Lotus must have appeared above. Perhaps it hasn't appeared yet."
Qing Zhu was also puzzled as to why there was no sign of the Seven Treasures Lotus on the Immortal Dragon Peak.
Could it be hidden?
A sudden thought struck Ming Qi. He scanned the surroundings once more, simultaneously spreading his spiritual awareness and activating the amplifying effect of the Supreme Diagram. Suddenly, everything on the Immortal Dragon Peak became clear.
Not a single flower, not a single blade of grass, not a single tree, not even the movements of every person escaped Ming Qi's spiritual awareness.
After a few breaths, Ming Qi sensed something unusual. Something seemed to be lurking in a corner of Xianlong Peak. Although this mysterious entity was well hidden, Ming Qi was still keenly aware of the faint fluctuations of its aura.
That's it!
Ming Qi's heart leaped with joy, knowing that something must be hidden in that unassuming corner. He quickly headed towards it.
The others following Ming Qi were wondering where the legendary Seven Treasures Lotus lay, but when they saw Ming Qi heading towards a corner, they followed him, bewildered.
Soon, they arrived at the corner, a patchwork of rubble and weeds.
It looked unremarkable, nothing more ordinary than this.
"Brother Ming, could there be some hidden secret here?"
Seeing Ming Qi staring at the corner in deep thought, Qing Zhu couldn't help but ask.
The other three were also bewildered. If it weren't for Ming Qi's strength, they would have undoubtedly laughed at him again.
After staring at the corner for a while, Ming Qi suddenly extended his hands and reached out towards the empty space.
Puff!
To his surprise, Ming Qi's hands actually touched something in the empty space.
Qing Zhu and the others were speechless with astonishment, staring at Ming Qi intently, unable to believe how he had managed it.
Qing Zhu and the others were naturally unaware of the situation, but Ming Qi knew full well. His hands had grasped and surprisingly touched hard scales.
"If it's not the Seven Treasures Lotus, then it must be the Treasure Guardian Monster."
Ming Qi thought to himself, but he didn't withdraw his outstretched hands. With a thought, a vast amount of energy flowed down his arms and converged into his hands. Immediately, golden flames erupted from his fingers.
The first move unleashed a powerful golden skyfire. Ming Qi's intention was clear: he intended to use force to force the hidden treasure-guarding demon beast to reveal itself, or rather, to force it and the Seven Treasures Lotus it had deliberately concealed to reveal itself.
With a flick of his fingers, the finger-tip fire thunder exploded barely before leaving Ming Qi's fingertips, and a rich flaming force quickly filled the small space.
"Amazing!"
Qing Zhu, standing nearby, was also completely astonished by Ming Qi's move. Not only was he perfectly controlling the golden skyfire, but even his command of power within such a small area was astonishing.
The flames filled the small space, and suddenly a roar mingled with anger echoed. A ripple in the air revealed itself, and a ferocious demon beast, the size of a hound, emerged. Behind it, a dazzling light shone, and beneath the brilliance, a translucent multicolored lotus blossomed.
"Ah, the Seven Treasures Lotus!"
Qing Zhu, standing nearby, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
His shout was a powerful one, instantly drawing the attention of every cultivator atop the Immortal Dragon Peak.
Almost instantly, everyone's gaze shifted to focus on Ming Qi and his companions.
"It's indeed the Seven Treasures Lotus, and the guardian demonic beast!"
Men from Feihe Sect and Misty Rain Villa approached simultaneously. Feihe Sect's Left Elder, Young Sect Master Zhuang Xiaosheng, and Misty Rain Villa's two Dharma protectors rushed over immediately.
"I never thought the demonic beast guarding the Seven Treasures Lotus would be you, a beast!"
Yanyu's guardian, Du Huifeng, rushed to Mingqi's side, glanced at the snarling demonic beast, then looked at Mingqi in surprise, then at Qingzhu and the others standing with Mingqi. He immediately said, "Little brother, listen to me. This treasure is not something you can take away. You'd better leave as soon as possible."
Du Huifeng's words were blunt, effectively sending Mingqi packing. He seemed oblivious to the fact that discovering the Seven Treasures Lotus and its guardian demonic beast was not something that ordinary people could achieve.
"Oh?"
Facing Du Huifeng, Ming Qi remained remarkably calm. Glancing at the crowd, he said to Du Huifeng, "Whether I take it or not is naturally none of your business. However, I doubt you, Yanyu, can take it either. You'd better leave as soon as possible."
Coming from Du Huifeng, many of the cultivators present thought these words quite reasonable. However, coming from Ming Qi, a young, seemingly casual cultivator, few would believe them.
After all, Yanyu's strength was not to be trifled with. With two Heavenly Realm guardians present, they clearly outnumbered the Feihe Sect, not to mention Ming Qi's small group of only four or five.
No one could have imagined Ming Qi would say the same thing to Du Huifeng.
Standing nearby, Zhuang Xiaosheng's expression darkened when he saw that the person who first discovered the Seven Treasures Lotus was the one he had encountered in Feihe City.
"Uncle Zuo, this man is from the Jiufang Palace."
Zhuang Xiaosheng leaned over to Elder Zuo and whispered.
"What? He's from the Jiufang Palace? How did you know?"
Elder Zuo was clearly skeptical. He couldn't believe it was such a coincidence that he'd run into someone from the Jiufang Palace while fighting with Yanyu for the treasure.
"He told me himself. We'd met once before in Feihe City."
Although Zhuang Xiaosheng didn't want to admit this man was from the Jiufang Palace, since he'd personally admitted it, it was almost certainly true.
With someone from the Jiufang Palace here, the chances of their two families obtaining the treasure would be greatly reduced. It's not an exaggeration to say that the Seven Treasures Lotus would essentially be out of their reach.
Elder Zuo pondered for a moment, then said, "That's fine. I'd like to fight the Jiufang Palace people and see just how powerful they are."
"Uncle Zuo, this... isn't a good idea."
Although young, Zhuang Xiaosheng possessed a great sense of propriety. He knew full well that Feihe Sect's strength was no match for Jiufang Palace, and that a fight with them could have serious consequences.
"We must fight for the Seven Treasures Lotus, no matter what. If we fail, we can simply admit our mistake later."
Elder Zuo was completely determined to seize the Seven Treasures Lotus, unwilling to give up even if it meant fighting the Jiufang Palace.
After making up his mind, Elder Zuo glanced at the twin demon dogs, still guarding the Seven Treasures Lotus nearby, and then approached Ming Qi.