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After defeating the powerful enemy, Xi Luo and Morova naturally came over to congratulate them. Though the value of such a colossal super magical beast was beyond measure, the two youths showed no trace of jealousy, which made Chen Xuanfeng like them even more.

Meanwhile, Li Jia secretly reported her movements to Chen Xuanfeng. It turned out that before the development of the tree demon, the two responsible members of the Twelve Sages had already created an artifact to control it, known as the "Black Diamond Demon Ring," a black gemstone ring. However, since the main objective was never completed, the accompanying items naturally became useless and were left behind here.

Li Jia had not anticipated that the Black Gold Tree Demon would spontaneously emerge hundreds of years later, so she had never mentioned this matter. Upon seeing the enormous monster, she quickly devised several strategies to win, ultimately choosing the simplest and most advantageous approach. During the confrontation, she gradually moved closer to the inner area, taking advantage of the tree demon's transformation to slip inside, effortlessly securing the ring. She also took the opportunity to place the fake forbidden spell documents prepared by Chen Xuanfeng before calmly returning.

The group then entered the massive metal door, revealing a vast magical laboratory, or more accurately, a complex of laboratories. Around twenty laboratories of varying sizes were built around a massive wooden sphere, resembling a tree burl, with a diameter of several dozen meters. This wooden sphere was clearly the core of the so-called "Black Gold Tree," which had since withered and cracked open, leaving a large gap, likely the exit point for the "Black Gold Tree Demon Guard." It was unclear whether the tree had died first, leading to the birth of the tree demon, or if the tree demon had drained the tree's essence, causing its withering.

Xi Luo and the others went to the upper entrance to summon their companions to the lower level, where they collectively searched the core of the underground palace.

Although this was an abandoned laboratory, it remained a treasure trove for people today. With Chen Xuanfeng's group expressing their satisfaction with obtaining the super magical beast and willing to relinquish priority in the distribution of exploration gains, the young adventurers were naturally even more delighted. After Li Jia cleared all the traps, they eagerly started gathering their loot.

Chen Xuanfeng and his companions merely browsed through the laboratory, as Li Jia's detection revealed that the teleportation magic circle linked to the River Styx Tower was located further below. The passage leading there had already been sealed by Li Jia, so they were not worried about Xi Luo and the others discovering it. As for the future, when the items they obtained from their adventure appeared on the Mainland, countless adventurers would likely explore this place. However, Chen Xuanfeng had already decided to completely destroy the underground palace afterward, eliminating any chance for other adventurers. As for utilizing the teleportation circle, they could rely on the Black Gold Tree Demon's ability to harness the earth's power to create an underground passage connecting to the teleportation magic circle from another location.

As for the fake forbidden spell documents Li Jia had placed in the laboratory, Chen Xuanfeng had changed his plan, hoping Xi Luo and his team would find them. This way, his group would be completely cleared of suspicion. After all, Xi Luo's adventuring party only had one magic apprentice, who was utterly incapable of researching forbidden spell-level documents. The ultimate destination of such items would remain unchanged.

However, Chen Xuanfeng was unaware that his estimation had a significant flaw. He had not considered that Xi Luo and the others had come to this underground palace precisely to seek forbidden spell-related documents. Moreover, two of them had connections to the Twelve Sages due to their divine weapons and phantom beasts. However, by a stroke of luck, Xi Luo and the others also intended to use these documents to trade with forbidden spell casters, hoping to uncover the whereabouts of the lost "Forbidden Spell Crystals" of light and darkness.

In the end, through a series of coincidences, everyone's plans seemed to have been fulfilled in a peculiar way. When Xi Luo and Morova found the forbidden spell documents, it brought great joy to everyone.

The group stayed in the underground palace for seven days, thoroughly clearing out all the spoils. Although Chen Xuanfeng had declared that he would forgo other gains, Xi Luo's side still selected over a dozen precious magical items to give to them as a reward for their cooperation.

For the subsequent journey, the group split up. Chen Xuanfeng and his companions naturally had their own secrets to protect, while Xi Luo and Morova, for their own reasons, did not intend to travel with outsiders. However, the spoils from this adventure were not something that could be handled in ordinary places, so both sides agreed to meet a month later at the annual World Trade Fair in the southern capital of the Commercial Alliance, "Golden City," to auction off their treasures.

After confirming that Xi Luo and the others had left, Chen Xuanfeng's group immediately turned back and returned to the underground palace. They first repaired the teleportation circle on the lowest level, then released the Black Gold Tree Demon to support the room housing the teleportation circle. Finally, Li Jia activated the self-destruct magic system installed within the underground palace. After a series of earthquake-like explosions, the entire Xibona Valley sank by ten meters, ensuring the underground palace could never be excavated again. Chen Xuanfeng's group then followed the new tunnel dug by the Black Gold Tree Demon and exited the underground palace through a hidden exit in another direction.

"Brother, what should we do next?" Jin Luosha asked leisurely, holding a cup filled with juice, after the three of them left the mountains and settled in a medium-sized city.

The intense battles were mostly over, and now it was just a matter of waiting for the fish to bite. At this point, Chen Xuanfeng's group was like fishermen sitting calmly by the pond, with ample free time on their hands.

"Hmm, Li Jia, do you have any suggestions?" Chen Xuanfeng, unable to think of a good plan, turned and asked.

"Considering the current situation," the elegant and charming crystal dragon knight pondered before offering her judgment, "it would be best to go to 'Diamond Port.'"

"Oh? What's the reasoning?" This proposal caught Chen Xuanfeng by surprise, piquing his interest.

Diamond Port, the sea trade hub of the Southern Commercial Alliance, connected the southern and eastern parts of the Mainland, and even extended to the west and the orc-occupied north. Its commercial significance was on par with the Mainland's highways at the foot of Sacred Dragon Mountain and the north-south artery traversing the desert. Although it was not the political capital of the Commercial Alliance, it was undoubtedly the economic core.