"Holy crap! I remember now!"

As soon as he got home, Zhang Shaozhong took out the iron plate and placed it on the table. He then slapped his thigh, startling Ye Meier, who was studying the strategy guide for her newly acquired game, and Ling Qingxue, who was meditating.

"What are you yelling about?" Ye Meier threw a cushion at him.

"This iron plate! Look at the pattern, look at the feel of it!"

Zhang Shaozhong's eyes lit up, "It's exactly the same as the one we grabbed after we wiped out those guys trying to double-cross us in the underground black market last time!"

His reminder brought it to mind for Ling Qingxue and Ye Meier.

They went to a secret underground trade fair to buy some materials, but were spotted by a few clueless guys who wanted to rob them on the way.

As a result, they were killed in retaliation. They even found a similar black iron plate on the other side's leader. They kept it because they thought the material was strange, but later forgot about it because of other things.

Ling Qingxue picked up the two iron plates and carefully examined them. A hint of surprise flashed in her cold eyes: "They are indeed from the same source. The previous one, because it was not activated by any external force, had its aura contained, so I did not notice how similar it was to this one today."

Ye Meier also came over and tapped the iron plate with her finger, making a dull sound: "What exactly is this thing? I tried to probe it with my demonic sense, but it felt like throwing a stone into the sea, I couldn't sense anything at all."

Zhang Shaozhong rubbed his hands excitedly: "Who cares what it is! There's definitely something fishy about putting the two pieces together! Come on, let's put them together and see!"

He carefully pieced the two iron plates together.

The moment the edges touched, a sudden change occurred!

Buzz—!

The two iron plates emitted a low hum at the same time, and the blurry patterns on their surfaces suddenly lit up with a dim light, as if they had come to life!

A spatial fluctuation several times stronger than before instantly spread out, causing the teacups on the table to tremble slightly.

"There's a chance!" Zhang Shaozhong's eyes lit up even more.

Ling Qingxue's expression was solemn. She raised her hand and set up a simple barrier to block out sound and aura, preventing any movement from leaking out.

Night Enchantress also put away her playful mood and stared intently at the two iron plates that seemed to be merging together.

However, the light flickered a few times and then gradually dimmed. The iron plate returned to its original state, but the gap at the joint seemed to have become slightly smaller, although it was not completely merged.

"Not enough energy?"

Zhang Shaozhong frowned as he tried to infuse a trace of chaotic energy into his body.

As soon as the chaotic energy entered the iron plates, it was like water droplets falling into a boiling oil pan. The two iron plates vibrated violently again, and a bright, eerie light shone forth!

The gaps at the seams began to close at a speed visible to the naked eye!

But Zhang Shaozhong soon discovered that this iron plate was like a bottomless pit. The chaotic energy in his golden core was being consumed rapidly. At this rate, even if it was drained dry, it might not be enough!

"Damn, this thing has a huge appetite!"

He quickly cut off the energy supply.

The metal plate calmed down again, and the gap had shrunk considerably, but it was still not completely closed.

Ling Qingxue pondered: "It seems that this thing requires special energy, or... reaching a certain critical point to be fully activated."

Ye Meier stroked her chin: "That hermaphrodite at the auction today, and those guys at the black market last time, probably all know this iron token is extraordinary, but they couldn't activate it. Your chaotic energy seems to be somewhat useful, but it's still not enough."

Zhang Shaozhong stared at the two iron plaques on the table, almost joined together, his heart pounding with anticipation: "This is clearly a key or a map! There must be something good hidden behind it! Maybe it's some ancient cave, or some rare and precious treasure!"

That's how it's written in cultivation novels!

Zhang Shaozhong felt he was about to become a leading man!

Ling Qingxue remained relatively calm: "Even so, we need to plan this carefully. That person at the auction today probably won't let this go easily. He was able to recognize this item, so there might be other forces behind him."

"What are you afraid of!"

Ye Meier didn't care at all, "Kill one if one comes, kill two if two come! It's a good opportunity for me to stretch my muscles!"

Zhang Shaozhong did take Ling Qingxue's words to heart.

He stroked his chin thoughtfully: "Qingxue is right. We know too little about this iron plate right now, and it's too risky to go looking for it blindly. Besides, there might be more than two of these iron plates."

He picked up the two almost joined iron plates and gestured: "Look, the edges clearly have room to extend. Maybe this is a jigsaw puzzle, requiring three, four, or even more pieces to complete!"

"Huh? That would take forever to find it?"

Ye Meier was immediately discouraged.

"Hehe, let's see how it goes!"

Zhang Shaozhong was quite philosophical about it. "Anyway, the treasure is in our hands, and others are more anxious than us! That hermaphrodite will definitely come knocking on our door again today, and then... hehe." He revealed a malicious smile.

The next few days were peaceful.

The effeminate young man did not appear; it was as if he had vanished into thin air.

Zhang Shaozhong wasn't in a hurry. He ate and drank as usual, played games, went shopping, and studied food with his two wives. Occasionally, he would use chaotic energy to feed the two iron plates, watching the gaps between them gradually shrink, but they were still far from being completely integrated.

That night, Zhang Shaozhong had a sudden inspiration. He took the iron plate to the roof of the villa and shone it in the moonlight.

"Husband, what are you doing? Trying to be a werewolf?" Ye Meier shouted from below.

"What do you know! Many treasures need to absorb the essence of the sun and moon!" Zhang Shaozhong said confidently.

As a result, the iron plate didn't react even after the moonlight shone on it for a long time.

Ling Qingxue had also come up at some point, and shook her head helplessly: "Husband, if this thing requires the essence of the sun and moon, its fluctuations would have already caused celestial phenomena, how could it be so quiet?"

Zhang Shaozhong sheepishly put away the iron plate: "I was just trying it out... what if?"

Just then, the Chaos Golden Core in his dantian suddenly jumped without warning!

A faint but intensely malicious and chilling aura emanated from the southeast of the city!

At the same time, the two metal plates in his pocket were also slightly warm!

"They're here!" Zhang Shaozhong's eyes sharpened.

Ling Qingxue and Ye Meier also instantly sensed that aura and looked towards the southeast at the same time.

Ye Meier licked her lips, a glint of bloodlust flashing in her eyes: "Finally here! I've been waiting forever!"

Ling Qingxue frowned slightly: "There is more than one aura, one of which... is quite sinister."

Zhang Shaozhong grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth: "Who cares about their methods! It's a good opportunity to stretch our muscles! Let's go, ladies, let's go meet these guys who have their eyes on our treasure!"

Under the cover of night, three figures silently left the villa, speeding off towards the southeast like ghosts.