Violent energies exploded on the surface of the ice river, setting up countless splashes. No one could tell how many treasure demon spirits lurked beneath; it seemed endless. Thankfully, they weren’t strong; typically Grade-5 or 6, with even weaker Grade-1 or 2 spirits charging out to ambush them. However, they were all smashed to pieces. Many were still artifact embryos: unrefined and unstable. Their attack power varied, depending on the materials they were formed from. Quite a few people copied Chen Fan, capturing spirits freely. But lacking his powerful physique or high cultivation, some were soon surrounded and torn apart by swarms of treasure demon spirits. Although the treasure demon spirits weren’t high-level, the crowd was already suppressing their strength to resist the river’s bone-chilling cold, so most could only use 30–40% of their power. A few spirits could be managed, but when outnumbered, they would only be throwing their lives away for nothing if they didn’t take their situation into account. Although Chen Fan was only in the middle-stage Greater Legendary realm, on the lower end of the group, his physique was powerful. His true primeval cultivation remained unaffected, and his combat power far exceeded his apparent level. So, for him, capturing treasure demon spirits was effortless. The attacks of these treasure demon spirits could not even hurt his Hegemonic Golden Body. “Oh damn, no wonder he survived an immortal king’s immortal will. It’s not only because he blew up a mid-grade immortal artifact, but also because his physique is freakish.” “Exactly. Those treasure demon spirits can’t even scratch him. It probably feels like a mild itch.” “No comparison. Absolutely none!” The crowd was stunned. Chen Fan looked completely at ease. When the treasure demon spirits attacked him, he would just let them bombard him without flinching, yet emerge unharmed. Chen Fan captured the treasure demon spirits leisurely and absorbed the treasure qi within them. His Hegemonic Golden Body rapidly improved, marching toward level 45. He was growing stronger mid-battle. While others moved forward after fending off spirits, Chen Fan deliberately headed toward clusters of them, drawing plenty of attention. Suddenly, the commotion in the river intensified. Just as the crowd had begun to adapt to the spirits’ harassment, tension surged again. Though the earlier spirits weren’t too threatening and could be managed with care, this new disturbance felt different. Stronger treasure demon spirits were clearly surfacing, and unease swept the group. Suddenly, the river's surface exploded. Immediately afterward, an enormous crocodile treasure demon spirit rushed out, rich with treasure qi. A powerful, ferocious aura swept out. Its appearance triggered chaos. The river erupted repeatedly, like underwater explosions. Thousand-foot-high water columns shot up, as terrifying new treasure demon spirits emerged one after another. The forms of these treasure demon spirits varied—crocodile, whale, seahorse, walrus, and more, each wrapped in dense treasure qi. “Shit, did the ancestors of the treasure demon spirits just wake up?” “These treasure demon spirits’ auras are so powerful. They’re at least Grade 8 or 9. We’re using most of our strength to resist the cold. We can’t handle attacks from these monsters.” “Damn it! It must be because of that kid. If he hadn’t been capturing them non-stop, their ancestors wouldn’t have shown up!” The expressions of the crowd changed drastically. Some people even pointed at Chen Fan, blaming his reckless captures for provoking the stronger spirits. Under normal circumstances, with their cultivation levels, they wouldn’t fear these spirits. They would have even taken the initiative to go capture these powerful treasure demon spirits. However, they were currently in the ice river. Most of their power was tied up fending off the cold, leaving them helpless. If they went all out against the spirits, the river’s chill would freeze them into statues instantly. While fear gripped the others, a look of joy appeared on Chen Fan’s face. The weaker spirits he’d caught earlier had barely any treasure qi. Even hundreds of them combined didn’t compare to the crocodile spirit now before him. This was exactly what he wanted. Unlike the others, Chen Fan faced no restraints. He could fight at full strength, harvesting massive treasure qi to boost his Hegemonic Golden Body and seizing powerful artifacts along the way. This was the perfect deal. “Hahahaha, perfect timing!” Chen Fan laughed out loud and lunged forward. A large hand directly grabbed the crocodile treasure demon spirit like an inescapable net of heaven and earth, attempting to kill it on the spot. The crocodile treasure demon spirit was slightly taken aback before quickly coming back to its senses. It was enraged. Wasn’t the human supposed to be his next meal? The human should be trembling in fear now that he has encountered it, just like everyone else. His face should be filled with horror. So why was he lunging forward instead? This wasn’t fear; it was blatant provocation, outright disrespect. Immediately, the crocodile treasure demon spirit struck with its front claw, unleashing several axe-shaped energy blasts aimed to cleave Chen Fan in two. However, Che Fan shattered the axe lights. The large hand didn’t pause in the slightest and continued grabbing toward the crocodile treasure demon spirit. The large hand struck the crocodile treasure demon spirit at once, dispersing the treasure qi on it, revealing its true form. It was an ax, a Grade-8 treasure. The primordial spirit of the crocodile treasure demon spirit, with peak Greater Legendary realm aura, was scattered from the strike. Chen Fan instantly absorbed and refined the robust treasure qi. All of his flesh, blood, and cells seemed to rejoice as if they had come across a delicacy. Chen Fan was like a ferocious beast. After getting rid of the crocodile treasure demon spirit, he immediately lunged toward the other powerful treasure demon spirits. Despite their terrifying auras, the treasure demon spirits didn’t know martial arts. They attacked on instinct, and that made them clumsy. Against someone like Chen Fan, it wasn’t a fight—it was a slaughter. Before long, he had gotten rid of more than ten powerful treasure demon spirits. He absorbed and refined all the treasure qi of these treasure demon spirits, and his Hegemonic Golden Body finally reached a critical point. “Come over here!” Updates are released by 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹·𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒·𝗇𝗲𝘁 Overjoyed, Chen Fan locked onto a whale-shaped treasure demon spirit and clashed with it head-on. The battle lasted hundreds of exchanges, until finally, he brought it down. Its true form: a Grade-9 hammer. Boundless treasure qi surged into Chen Fan, and he finally broke through the final barrier in one go. Golden light soared from him as his Hegemonic Golden Body instantly broke through to level 45.