Chapter 1264: Each Shows Their Unique Skill

Zu'an and the others didn't move. It's a common saying that precious natural treasures often have guardians. The spirit herbs outside might not have been high-grade enough, but this Three-Three Flower was so valuable that it couldn't possibly have grown to its current state without protection.

As expected, when the demon masters rushed to the edge of the pond, they crashed into a transparent barrier. Golden light shimmered, and a golden shield rose around the pond, covered in flowing runes. It enveloped the Three-Three Flower completely, like a massive bell, protecting it securely.

The demon masters weren't surprised; in fact, they would have found it strange if such a valuable treasure had no guardian at all.

Seeing the golden shield, everyone's minds raced, each with their own considerations.

"I'll do it!" Prince Silver Shark had just seen his dream girl show favor to another man multiple times, yet he lacked the ability to defeat that guy. Seizing this opportunity, he decided to make a good impression in front of everyone.

He approached the shield, opened his mouth, and suddenly revealed a gaping maw filled with rows of exceptionally sharp, serrated teeth.

Princess Changning couldn't help but exclaim, "Similar to how the Golden Crow clan tempers their feathers throughout their lives, the Silver Shark clan also tempers their teeth. Each tooth is stronger than metal. It is said that the current Silver Shark King's teeth are as powerful as heaven-grade weapons; he could bite through a mountain, let alone this mere protective shield."

Over the years, she had mastered the art of flattery, always finding ways to praise her target. Consequently, her popularity was much higher than that of the habitually aloof Kong Nanwu.

Sure enough, Prince Silver Shark looked excited, puffing out his chest and secretly glancing at Princess Xolani, wishing she were as gentle with him.

Princess Xolani forced a smile. To be honest, the sight of his gaping maw had somewhat frightened her.

The thought of those dense rows of teeth sent shivers down her spine, but considering his feelings, she tried hard not to show it.

Interpreting her smile as encouragement, Prince Silver Shark, eager to impress his beloved, held nothing back and bit directly into the golden shield with a wide open mouth.

*Crunch!*

A teeth-grinding sound echoed, and Prince Silver Shark cried out in agony, clutching his mouth and screaming frantically.

Several broken teeth were visible on the ground, and blood continuously seeped through his fingers. Clearly, he had lost quite a few teeth.

On the other side, Zu'an and the others looked speechless, while Yun Jianyue couldn't help but sigh, "Do men's IQs really drop this low when they're chasing women? He actually thought he could bite through the formation of a divine artifact like this."

Yan Xuehen and Yu Yanluo simultaneously glanced at Zu'an, thinking, "Nonsense, his IQ clearly gets *higher*."

At this moment, the other demon masters also regained their composure. Princess Changning's expression was a little awkward; after all, she had just praised him to the skies, only to find he was utterly useless.

Princess Xolani, instead, sighed and walked over to hand Prince Silver Shark some medicine for his injuries, which deeply touched him.

At this point, Duan Tiande picked up his slender sword and thrust it forward. As a dark elf, their mastery of assassination stemmed not only from their ability to use shadows for instantaneous teleportation but also from a unique sword technique designed to break through experts' defensive qi.

In his view, this protective shield should be something similar, so he drew his sword without hesitation.

Breaking it first and snatching the Three-Three Flower, then using shadow jumps to escape—even if others were stronger, they wouldn't be able to catch him. This was the confidence of a dark elf.

That fool, Prince Silver Shark, with so many seemingly powerful teeth, had his strength too dispersed, naturally unable to break through this protective shield.

One must, like himself, focus all effort on a single point...

However, his smile quickly froze as he realized his sword couldn't pierce the seemingly thin protective shield at all.

"I don't believe it!" With a flick of his wrist, his sword spun rapidly like a power drill, lunging forward with several times its usual explosive force.

*Crack!*

A crisp sound rang out. Duan Tiande initially rejoiced, thinking the golden shield was cracking, but quickly froze, realizing it wasn't the golden shield that had cracked, but his sword.

He was utterly dumbfounded. Although this sword wasn't a heaven-grade weapon, it was among the best earth-grade weapons, having tasted the blood of countless masters. He never expected it to break like this.

At this moment, Xiong Da and Xiong Er on the side burst into laughter. "Get out of the way! What can your chicken-like sword do? Watch us!"

With that, one holding a spiked club and the other a heavy hammer, they stood on either side. They took a deep breath, their muscles visibly bulging, and their bodies instantly grew several sizes larger.

The others knew that the Black and White Twin Bears possessed immense strength. Combined with their heavy weapons, even a small mountain couldn't withstand their blows. Surely, this protective shield, no matter how powerful, wouldn't hold up.

Everyone prepared themselves. The moment the shield broke, the Xiong brothers would surely experience a brief surge of qi and blood. They planned to seize that opening to snatch the immortal medicine inside.

Xiong Da and Xiong Er each took a step forward, leaving deep footprints on the ground, causing the entire hall to tremble slightly.

The two roared, and their spiked club and heavy hammer, carrying immense power, smashed directly into the golden shield.

The onlookers watched with secret admiration. The two brothers seemed crude and oafish, yet their movements were incredibly synchronized, landing their attacks on the target simultaneously with perfect precision, achieving an effect greater than the sum of their individual strengths.

No wonder, when these two brothers fought together over the years, many enemies, even those of similar cultivation or with numerical superiority, would ultimately be defeated by them...

*Boom!*

Before the others could finish their exclamations, a tremendous boom echoed. A visible shockwave of air spread outwards, forcing everyone to channel their power to resist, their faces turning pale.

If the aftershocks alone were so powerful, one could imagine the state of Xiong Da and Xiong Er at the epicenter.

With a 'thud', both spat out a mouthful of blood, then flew backward, crashing heavily onto the ground, unable to get up for a long time.

Yan Xuehen, who had been observing the situation, commented softly, "It seems the formation on this shield can absorb attack power for its own use. Xiong Da and Xiong Er's attacks were forceful and heavy, but in the end, they were all redirected by this formation, causing their own power to rebound onto themselves. I wonder what kind of person could lay down such a formation; it's truly admirable."

"Stop admiring, let's figure out how to break it first," Yun Jianyue rolled her eyes, annoyed by the 'ice queen' still acting scholarly at such a moment.

Yan Xuehen's face flushed slightly. "I'm still observing."

At this moment, the previously silent Ma Huang made his move. He abandoned the forceful methods used earlier, intending to overcome hardness with softness.

He transformed into a mass of crimson, enveloping the golden shield and flowing continuously over its surface, as if searching for any possible crack.

Yan Xuehen couldn't help but exclaim, "Although these young demon descendants' cultivation levels are average, each of their unique skills is extraordinary. There's certainly something to learn from them."

These individuals were either eighth or ninth rank, considered top talents among the younger generation of demons. However, in the eyes of a Grandmaster, they could indeed only be considered average.

Suddenly, the golden light trembled, and the crimson mass was shaken off. Ma Huang half-knelt on the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood, evidently having sustained a significant injury.

Seeing his attempt also fail, the others were dismayed, but still unwilling to give up, they stepped forward to try their own unique techniques. Some even thought of digging a tunnel underground to bypass the shield, but unfortunately, all attempts failed.

Finally, all eyes fell on Zu'an. As it stood, he was the only one who hadn't made a move.

Zu'an slowly walked to the shield, feeling the golden light flow before him. He gently placed his hand on it and discovered that whatever force he applied was reflected back with equal intensity. Remembering Yan Xuehen's explanation, he understood that breaking the shield by brute force was impossible.

However, a formation always has a core. Once found, it would be easy to target.

He scanned his surroundings, trying to find a clue. Suddenly, his gaze sharpened: he saw a jade coffin floating dozens of feet above his head!