Almighty Genius

Chapter 2283 - 1777: Crystal Skull

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Endless flames roared down from the sky, completely engulfing Chen Zhi's body. The self-destructive power of a Great Grandmaster Level Expert was truly terrifying, and while Qin Fang soared in the air, he was constantly swallowing Blood Replenishing Pills, yet his Life Points still fluctuated up and down erratically…

With his current defensive power, it's tantamount to having an unbreakable Protective True Qi Shield activated, yet it still caused such a great lethal impact…

Swallowing the Blood Replenishing Pill, his Life Points immediately surged, but as soon as they were buffeted by the terrifying Gang Qi, his Life Points plummeted again… In the midst of the rise and fall, Qin Fang felt like a little boat in a storm, constantly struggling, yet always on the verge of being swallowed whole by the monstrous waves.

Luckily, the situation lasted for a while, and as Qin Fang moved further away, the damage gradually decreased. With his current defense, he could barely fend off most of it, finally getting out of danger.

"Phew… finally got rid of him!"

Looking at that mass of flames in the distance, Chen Zhi's figure was vaguely visible, but he couldn't even let out a scream, completely devoured by the flames… Such a Great Grandmaster Level Expert, after Qin Fang's arduous battle, finally got entirely defeated.

"Dealing with someone like Chen Zhi was this difficult, and there's an even more terrifying one, Vincent…"

However, this experience didn't make Qin Fang feel any relief; instead, it added more pressure on him.

Even when Chen Zhi unleashed his strongest battle power, it barely reached the Grandmaster Mid-Stage, yet Vincent became even stronger when he went berserk… Qin Fang was able to temporarily elevate his power to Great Grandmaster Level, thanks to the residual effects of the Azure Dragon Pill.

When these effects gradually diminish, his power will drop back to the Grandmaster Level… Although it won't be as terrifying as the aftermath of the Three Needles Explosion, his strength will indeed be much weaker than it is now.

"It's not viable! I need to think of a counterstrategy…"

Qin Fang muttered to himself, gradually formulating a plan in his mind, "At worst, I'll use all my trump cards…"

Although it might not necessarily be effective, it's at least better than having no plan at all.

The flames gradually subsided, and Chen Zhi had already turned into a charred corpse, emitting a nauseating stench that made Qin Fang involuntarily frown as he casually tossed Chen Zhi's corpse into the Props Box.

The experts of the Six Major Families are likely about to delve deeper into the Underground Palace, and someone like Chen Zhi, a Great Grandmaster Level Expert, was one of their strong assets. Once his body is discovered, although they might not know Qin Fang did it, it would certainly impact Qin Fang's plans.

Qin Fang's face started to undergo dramatic changes, while his physique altered slightly… Moments later, a middle-aged man's figure emerged, and naturally, that person was Qin Fang.

"It's a pity the clothes are all burnt. I'll just have to make do…"

Looking at his new appearance, Qin Fang sighed helplessly.

Such a disguise, in fact, had quite a few flaws. The clothes were merely minor details; the real flaw lay in his power… He could hide his cultivation, but he couldn't simulate the Protective Gang Qi of a Great Grandmaster Level Expert.

When encountering such situations, he'd mostly be exposed…

Nonetheless, Qin Fang still found this approach quite useful!

At least before encountering other experts, Qin Fang could use Chen Zhi's identity to accomplish many tasks… Even if he bumped into Vincent, he likely wouldn't dare act recklessly!

Among all the experts in the Underground Palace, only Vincent could certainly defeat Chen Zhi, which meant no one else could… Because of this, even in a confrontation with Vincent, neither of them could use deadly force, since they were nominally partners!

Of course, Qin Fang intended to exploit this point. At a critical moment, he'd throw Chen Zhi's body out, leading Vincent into deep trouble… No matter how he explained, even with eight mouths, he wouldn't be able to clear the air.

Vincent had been scheming against the Six Major Families from the start, and the Six Major Families were also cautious of Vincent. Once everything was fully exposed, both sides wouldn't continue to cooperate, and a war would instantly break out.

"I love fishing in troubled waters…"

Transformed into Chen Zhi, Qin Fang quickly left the scene…

Besides the lingering foul smell of charred remains in the air and the traces of battle on the ground indicating an intense fight had occurred here, there were no other anomalies.

No one knew that a Great Grandmaster Level Expert from the Chen Family of the Six Major Families had been killed!

Quickly departing, Qin Fang continued searching through the Seventh Level of the Underground Palace, while keeping a close watch on the minimap to avoid running into Vincent… Even with Chen Zhi's identity as cover, he still didn't want to bump into such a formidable expert.

"Right, haven't checked what Chen Zhi obtained…"

Once temporarily safe, Qin Fang remembered that besides eliminating a powerful adversary, he also wanted to seize treasure from Chen Zhi… He had traded a fake Azure Dragon Pill with Chen Zhi for that brocade box, ensuring it by putting it in the Props Box, only now recalling it.

Having thought of it, Qin Fang immediately removed the brocade box from the Props Box.

This brocade box was a finely-crafted mechanical box, requiring significant effort to unlock. Forcibly breaking it carried a risk of damage… Perhaps Chen Zhi agreed to trade because of this reason.

"Piece of cake..."

This puzzle box might require a specialist to unlock if it were in Chen Zhi's hands, but in Qin Fang's hands, it was much simpler.

Even without employing his unlocking skills, merely using his Grandmaster-level Cheating Skills, cracking such a puzzle box was extremely easy for Qin Fang...

Click~~

After ensuring the puzzle box didn't have any hidden weapons or similar traps installed, Qin Fang immediately fiddled with it a few times, and with a crisp sound, the lock teeth of the puzzle box automatically popped open. The box was like a delicate maiden unveiling her smooth legs sensually to Qin Fang!

At this moment, Qin Fang's eyes were tightly fixed on the brocade box, waiting for the treasures inside to be revealed...

"This is..."

When the brocade box was completely opened, Qin Fang saw what was inside, and he was deeply shocked, his eyes almost instantly went wide with deep-seated horror.

"How could this thing appear here?"

Upon seeing this item, Qin Fang instinctively exclaimed.

What was inside the brocade box?

What could possibly astound Qin Fang so much?

A skull!

Inside this brocade box, there lay a skull... Precisely, it was an incredibly crystal-clear Crystal Skull!

The legend of the thirteen Crystal Skulls has long spread worldwide.

But such tales mostly circulate abroad, having little to do with the mysterious and powerful Dragon Country...

Yet, the facts before Qin Fang suggested he might be mistaken!

"How could this thing appear here, in this Underground Palace?"

At this moment, staring at this crystal-clear Crystal Skull, Qin Fang felt a tumultuous wave of astonishment inside.

The legend of the Crystal Skulls, whether it originated from Maya civilization or Inca civilization, many people couldn't say for sure... Actually, Qin Fang seemed to have heard that one Crystal Skull was excavated from an Egyptian Pharaoh's tomb.

The origins of other Crystal Skulls are similarly unclear, since the facts have long been buried in the vast river of history.

The legend of the thirteen Crystal Skulls has seemingly become a shared myth among all humanity.

However, the thirteen Crystal Skulls have never simultaneously appeared since their existence was first discovered.

In fact, carefully counting reveals that the number thirteen may not be entirely accurate...

That is, the quantity of Crystal Skulls may not have been thirteen, could be five, eight, or even twenty, thirty... no one can prove their theory with facts!

Legend says, the Crystal Skulls contain a magical power...

Some even associate ancient religious myths and tales of demons with these Crystal Skulls, claiming that they might be remnants of deceased gods or demons... some boast that deciphering the skulls' secrets would grant one the power of those gods or demons!

These enigmatic happenings that humanity can't explain are often forcibly linked to these gods and demons, meaning doesn't matter as long as someone believes... zealots are always easy to fool!

Of course, Qin Fang himself didn't really believe such rumors!

At present, as he observed this Crystal Skull closely, he didn't forget to use his Scouting Skill... Grandmaster-level Scouting Skill can practically reveal any worldly secret, leaving nowhere hidden before Qin Fang's eyes.

But...

"Hmm? Nothing but question marks..."

Qin Fang quickly realized, as the feedback from using Scouting Skill on the Crystal Skull returned, it was exactly like the mysterious "egg" he had obtained earlier, showing only a string of question marks, meaning it was undetectable.

"This thing... seems to be even more peculiar than I imagined!"

Originally, Qin Fang was dismissive, skeptical of those rumors, but faced with this reality, he had no choice but to re-evaluate this mysterious Crystal Skull! (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, we welcome your support with recommendation votes and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com), your support is my greatest motivation.)