The man in gold robes stood beside Elder Kong, using one foot to maneuver the elder's prone corpse so that it faced upward. Without sparing a glance at Elder Kong's stiff, smiling face, he forcefully pried open the elder's tightly clenched fingers, retrieving a scroll from the tight fist and tucking it into his storage pouch.

He then rifled through Elder Kong’s storage pouch, finding a clutter of small bottles and jars, animal-hide satchels filled with miscellaneous raw materials, spirit stones, and a small stack of talismans.

The man in gold robes didn't even spare a second look for these paltry items, focusing solely on finding a map scroll. Unfortunately, after searching the entire pouch, he found only that one scroll on Elder Kong, which left him somewhat vexed.

"This old man is truly stingy; not a single decent item on him."

The man in gold robes dropped the storage pouch, intending to move on to his next target to continue his scavenging for scrolls. Just then, he sharply sensed a pair of icy gazes fixed upon him from behind.

He spun around instantly. Dozens of feet away stood a young cultivator in green robes, dressed similarly to the old man, watching him with a stern expression.

The man in gold robes immediately let out a contemptuous sneer.

It was only then he realized that besides the old man, there was another Green Pill Sect cultivator in green robes within the Toxic Corpse Cave. This green-robed cultivator was likely enraged at seeing him kill a fellow disciple and was now glaring at him.

But so what? Could this green-robed cultivator truly do anything to him just by glaring?

After Ye Qin had dispatched the pockmarked cultivator and successfully snatched the jade slip that fell from the small box, he unexpectedly heard a familiar, muffled grunt from dozens of feet away. He immediately turned his head, just in time to see a bloom of bloody mist erupt from Elder Kong’s chest as a golden flying sword pierced him through the heart.

A sudden, inexpressible feeling washed over Ye Qin; it was as if a heavy stone was lodged in his chest.

He and Elder Kong were from the same sect. They had known each other for over ten days; their bond wasn't deep, but regardless, they were fellow disciples from the Green Pill Sect, comrades who had faced life and death together during this cave trial.

A sorrowful anger, like that felt when one’s neighbor’s rabbit dies, involuntarily caused him to grip the Profound Yin Sword in his hand tighter, his gaze chillingly fixed on the man in gold robes.

He immediately composed himself, his expression blank, and prepared to leave the cave.

Elder Kong was dead, but he still had to survive.

Though his current strength meant he didn't fear the man in gold robes, killing him was nearly impossible. The golden-robed man’s magical artifact was superior to his own. To act rashly out of anger would only be futile and could even put him in danger.

The man in gold robes barely noticed the hard stare Ye Qin gave him, dismissing it.

Yet, for some reason, the cold, silent look the green-robed cultivator had given him kept surfacing in his mind, making him distinctly uncomfortable. The depths of those eyes held almost no light or spirit; their stillness was terrifying.

He shook his head, unable to shake off that gaze, and grew inwardly annoyed. Since he had already killed one Green Pill Sect disciple, he wouldn't mind eliminating the remaining one to prevent future trouble.

The man in gold robes sneered, "You asked for this death, so don't blame me." He decisively summoned his small golden sword, rapidly infusing it with mana. Since entering the cave, countless cultivators from various sects had perished beneath this golden flying sword.

Ye Qin immediately sensed the stern gaze of the man in gold robes sweep over him, faint yet present. This wave of flying sword attack was surely aimed at him.

Ye Qin’s movements were swift. He raised two fingers on his right hand, sending his Profound Yin Sword flying to hover a foot in front of him. The Profound Yin Sword hung suspended vertically, and as mana surged into it, it rapidly expanded to the size of a foot, emitting a dazzling blue light.

"A water-attribute artifact?!"

The man in gold robes froze upon seeing this, muttering to himself.

He hadn't anticipated that a third cultivator in the Toxic Corpse Cave possessed a magical artifact.

Moreover, judging by the ease with which the green-robed cultivator manipulated the artifact, he must have been using it for quite some time. While thinking, he continued to pour mana into his golden sword artifact; the light radiating from it grew increasingly blinding.

The power of a magical artifact was directly related to the amount of mana infused. The more mana poured in, the greater the power released.

Normally, when engaging opponents, he gauged the required mana based on the enemy’s strength, using just a small amount to dispatch cultivators lacking artifacts. However, facing another artifact-wielding cultivator, he dared not be careless; he had to give his all, meaning the time spent charging the artifact would naturally be longer.

Within the Toxic Corpse Nest Cave, the two artifacts shone brilliantly against each other in mid-air.

One flying sword radiated a dazzling golden light, its sharpness irresistible.

The other flying sword glowed blue, emanating a chilling aura.

These two artifacts spun in the cave's vast space, refusing to yield, intensely vying to suppress the other's radiance. However, both cultivators were at the ninth level of the Qi Refining stage, their mana reserves relatively equal. Suppressing the other proved exceptionally difficult.

Ye Qin's heart sank, and he poured in his mana with all his might. Judging by the golden-robed man's posture, this was not a mere probe—once launched, it would be a fight to the death. Ye Qin gritted his teeth, releasing his mana without reservation; the light of the Profound Yin Sword continued to surge, its imposing aura like a rainbow. This forced the surrounding cultivators to retreat in alarm, daring not to approach.

At that moment, the man in gold robes was filled with extreme annoyance. After calming down, he controlled the golden sword, instead beginning to deliberate.

He was not hesitating on whether to kill Ye Qin.

His resolve to eliminate Ye Qin was absolute; he could not bear the thought of his dreams being haunted daily by that cold, silent, spine-chilling gaze.

He was hesitating on how to kill Ye Qin without letting others take advantage.

After all, besides the two of them, there was that yellow-robed cultivator in the cave, whose artifact was incredibly formidable. If he exhausted too much mana killing this Green Pill Sect disciple, the yellow-robed man might end up benefiting.

As for the possibility of him and the Green Pill Sect cultivator fighting each other to mutual destruction, he didn't even consider that scenario; he was absolutely confident he could defeat the Green Pill Sect disciple—provided the yellow-robed cultivator did not interfere.

Within the Toxic Corpse Nest Cave, the other cultivators struggling in battle were stunned by the pressure radiating from the two dazzling sword lights. They turned to look and saw the gold-robed man from the Ancient Artifact Sect facing off against a green-robed cultivator from the Green Pill Sect.

Their expressions became strange. It turned out there were not just two core disciples with artifacts in this cave, but three. One Green Pill Sect cultivator had been feigning weakness all along.

If these three cultivators acted together, they could easily wipe out the ordinary disciples present.

These cultivators from various sects finally realized the gravity of the situation, halting their fighting. They gave up on snatching scrolls and began focusing on self-preservation, cautiously observing the standoff to see if an opportunity to escape the Toxic Corpse Cave might arise.

Even the yellow-robed cultivator paused his pursuit of an ordinary disciple, looking toward Ye Qin and the golden-robed man's two flying sword artifacts with surprise. He then glanced at the Earth Essence Shield artifact in his hand, pondering which of the three artifacts might be the strongest.

The man in gold robes repeatedly weighed the pros and cons, considering how to eliminate the Green Pill Sect disciple without leaving himself vulnerable to the threat posed by the one surnamed Zhong.

Until then, he dared not make a move.

Seeing the yellow-robed cultivator standing nearby in thought, a flash of inspiration struck the man in gold robes. He raised his voice toward the yellow-robed man: "Senior Brother Zhong, let us join forces and eliminate this brat. Everything he possesses will be yours; I, your junior brother, will not contend for a single thing. What do you say?!"

After speaking, the man in gold robes looked at Ye Qin as if he were already dead, a cold smirk playing on his lips. If the yellow-robed cultivator allied with him, eliminating the green-robed disciple would be more than sufficient.

The yellow-robed cultivator toyed with the shield artifact in his hand and did not immediately agree. Instead, he pondered for a moment, his dark gaze sweeping across Ye Qin. He was considering whether to join forces with the man in gold robes.

Ye Qin quickly glanced at the yellow-robed cultivator and sensed a hint of malice in his eyes, causing his heart to sink. He realized the situation was grim: not only was he targeted by the man in gold robes, but the yellow-robed cultivator might also move against him.

This possibility was quite high.

The man in gold robes from the Ancient Artifact Sect and the yellow-robed man from the Earth Gate Sect had, not long ago, briefly considered forming an alliance to drive off the other dozen-plus cultivators and claim the small box from the Toxic Corpse Nest for themselves.

It was only because a cultivator from a minor sect suddenly unleashed a wind blade that shattered the box, scattering a trove of map scrolls and causing massive chaos, that their alliance was broken, preventing them from monopolizing the contents.

Now, the man in gold robes was proposing an alliance again, which was terrible news for Ye Qin.

Ye Qin felt anxious, but his gaze grew colder. Several thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.

He must break their potential alliance!

The man in gold robes and the yellow-robed man—one a core disciple of a high-level sect, the other an expert from the Earth Gate Sect—were of comparable strength. Neither had the certainty of defeating the other, leading to mutual caution. Being evenly matched made it less likely for a fight to erupt between them.

This was likely the reason they were willing to ally before.

But now, with the appearance of a third cultivator wielding a magical artifact—himself—the fragile balance of parity between them was shattered. They were already hostile toward each other, so such a superficial alliance could not last.

If he could just exploit the underlying tension between them, their alliance would collapse instantly.

This thought flashed through his mind, and Ye Qin's confidence began to grow. He immediately let out a cold laugh and addressed the yellow-robed cultivator in turn: "Senior Brother Zhong, among the three of us, Senior Brother Yu from the Ancient Artifact Sect is the strongest. Both you and I are weaker. Why don't we join forces and eliminate Senior Brother Yu? I will willingly hand over all the scrolls in the Toxic Corpse Cave to you, Senior Brother Zhong, and take none for myself."

Ye Qin's sudden proposal of an alliance took the yellow-robed cultivator completely by surprise. A wry smile appeared on his face; he grew even more contemplative. After all this, he, the spectator, stood to gain the most in the Toxic Corpse Cave. This was fine; he could play both sides and side with whoever offered more.

His dark gaze shifted from Ye Qin, landing on the man in gold robes with ill intent. In truth, his desire to eliminate the man in gold robes was slightly stronger. After all, the gold-robed man always carried such an arrogant, superior air.

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