The man in golden armor fully controlled his flying sword artifact, preparing to strike at Ye Qin, awaiting his fellow cultivator's response. Only if the yellow-robed cultivator agreed to join forces would he immediately unleash his flying sword to take Ye Qin's life. But at that moment, he heard Ye Qin attempting to win over the yellow-robed cultivator, who seemed moved, his malicious gaze fixed upon the golden-armored man.

The golden-armored man's expression instantly changed drastically; he cursed inwardly, Bad news.

A green-robed disciple from the Qing Dan Sect, an expert from the Di Que Sect—neither one alone was his match. But if the two joined forces, he would certainly suffer, even facing mortal danger.

The golden-armored man shouted sternly, "Senior Brother Zhong, do not heed his words. This fellow is wearing the common attire of a Qing Dan Sect disciple, mingling among us. Who knows what he intends. This person is extremely cunning and devious, his methods insidious; you absolutely cannot fall for his trickery. You and I join forces and subdue him. Everything on his person will go to Senior Brother Zhong."

Seeing the golden-armored man’s frantic rebuttal, Ye Qin knew his previous words had struck the golden-armored man’s weak spot. The golden-armored man and the yellow-robed cultivator—two of them.

He paused briefly to gather his thoughts, then laid out his prepared speech entirely, sneering, "Why the haste, Senior Brother Yu? I believe Senior Brother Zhong has sound judgment. All cultivators know that among the major immortal cultivation sects of the Spirit Mist Mountain Range, the Gu Qi Sect ranks first in strength, and the Di Que Sect second. Although the Qing Dan Sect is ranked third, its combat power has always been weak; they are not skilled in artifact refining, merely excelling in elixirs, with slightly higher cultivation levels. Even the Da Luo Sect, ranked fourth in strength, possesses greater combat prowess than us disciples of the Qing Dan Sect. My skills and strength are far inferior to Senior Brother Yu’s, who hails from the core leadership echelon of the Gu Qi Sect."

He turned back toward the yellow-robed cultivator and continued, "Senior Brother Zhong, are you planning to ally with Senior Brother Yu to first kill me, the weakest Qing Dan Sect disciple, and then turn back to fight the strongest, Senior Brother Yu? Or perhaps you ally with me to first eliminate the strongest, Senior Brother Yu, after which all the remaining scrolls here belong to you? Between these two paths, I believe, Senior Brother Zhong, you will surely choose the most advantageous one."

The words Ye Qin spoke to the yellow-robed cultivator clearly aimed to sow discord between him and the golden-armored man. As long as he could shatter their alliance, he would be safe.

If he could instigate the yellow-robed cultivator to join him in killing the golden-armored man, that would be even better.

The usually calm and steady composure on the golden-armored man's face finally showed a trace of panic. Anyone facing two formidable enemies simultaneously would struggle to remain serene. He controlled his golden sword, sputtering in exasperation, "Senior Brother Zhong, just say the word. As long as you agree to join me, every single item in this cave will be yours; I won't take a single piece!"

The yellow-robed cultivator watched Ye Qin and the golden-armored man, both vying for his favor. His expression was surprisingly placid. Suddenly, he moved with a swift dart, blocking the exit of the Poison Corpse Cave without uttering a word. The Profound Earth Shield in his hand had already flown up. Whether Ye Qin or the golden-armored man wished to escape this Poison Corpse Cave, they would first have to pass his blockade. Having secured the exit, he now controlled the situation within the Poison Corpse Cave.

A short, stout cultivator from a minor sect was attempting to slip out of the Poison Corpse Cave to escape during the stalemate among the three main figures, but the yellow-robed cultivator’s preemptive seizure of the exit startled him. He hastily stopped, retreating several feet, filled with suspicion and uncertainty.

The yellow-robed cultivator paid no mind to the short cultivator; his cold, piercing gaze constantly shifted between Ye Qin and the golden-armored man.

Ultimately, his gaze settled firmly on the golden-armored man.

There was a reason: the golden-armored man from the Gu Qi Sect was the strongest and posed the greatest threat. Naturally, he would eliminate the one posing the greatest danger first. As for the cultivator from the Qing Dan Sect, his threat level was much weaker. Once the golden-armored man was dealt with, there would be ample time to turn his attention to the Qing Dan Sect disciple.

Ye Qin secretly breathed a sigh of relief; the back of his cyan robe was nearly soaked. Although his face maintained an air of nonchalance, he was extremely tense inwardly, fearing the alliance between the yellow-robed cultivator and the golden-armored man. If those two joined forces, he would have no choice but to fight to escape at all costs.

Now, the yellow-robed cultivator from the Di Que Sect, just as he had predicted, stood opposite the golden-armored man from the Gu Qi Sect, resolved to kill the latter first. This configuration of events was the most advantageous for him. Once the golden-armored man was eliminated, even if the yellow-robed cultivator turned against him afterward, Ye Qin would have sufficient power to protect himself.

The golden-armored man saw himself being simultaneously besieged by Ye Qin and the yellow-robed cultivator, one flanking him from the cave entrance and the other from the side of the cavern.

He was so enraged he nearly spat blood.

He had calculated every possibility: joining forces with the yellow-robed cultivator against others, and even anticipating a potential fallout with the yellow-robed cultivator. But he had completely failed to calculate the emergence of a green-robed cultivator possessing a true artifact, joining forces with the yellow-robed cultivator to target him, thrusting him into this perilous situation.

A gloom so thick it seemed capable of dripping water settled on the golden-armored man’s face. He roared at the yellow-robed cultivator with stern, sharp fury, "Fine! Yu admits defeat today. Fellow surnamed Zhong, clear the path. I will leave the scrolls and depart this place. All the scrolls here—if you refuse to relent, do not blame me for dragging you down in mutual destruction!"

"Hmph, you think leaving so easily? Two against one—do you think you have a chance for mutual destruction? Fellow surnamed Yu, this old man has been waiting a long time to take your life! It’s simply your destined end."

The yellow-robed cultivator let out a cold laugh; the Profound Earth Shield in his hand ascended into the air. The shield absorbed his magical power, beginning to emit a dazzling yellow radiance. Once its power accumulation was complete, its attack power would surely be immense.

Seeing the yellow-robed cultivator prepare to strike, the golden-armored man could no longer conceal his trump cards. He slapped the storage pouch at his waist, from which flew a bronze bell artifact, five inches high, ancient and steady in appearance, hovering before him.

He opened his mouth and spat a mouthful of incomparably pure vital essence onto the bell. This bronze bell spun rapidly, rapidly expanding to nearly three feet in height, unleashing astonishing spiritual energy.

The bronze bell hovered in mid-air, its mouth aimed toward the yellow-robed cultivator.

"Soul-Seizing Bell! The Soul-Seizing Bell that shocks the spirit!"

The yellow-robed cultivator’s gaze contracted sharply upon seeing the appearance of the artifact, and he exclaimed in shock. The might of this bell artifact lay in its ability to launch a soul-shocking attack, defend the body, or expand to trap enemies—combining offense, defense, and confinement. It was superior to his shield artifact, if not by much.

The golden-armored man spared no expense in draining his vital energy to prepare his spell attack in the shortest possible time. He had to break out of the cave as quickly as possible; otherwise, he would rather use a specialized method to forcibly deplete his vital energy, risking a drop in cultivation, to use this Soul-Seizing Bell to crush the yellow-robed cultivator swiftly.

His face pale, he grinned menacingly and flicked his finger toward the bronze bell from a distance.

"Dong!"

The azure bronze bell emitted a dull vibration. The space within the cave subtly fluctuated, and an invisible wave slammed toward the yellow-robed cultivator guarding the exit.

The yellow-robed cultivator hastily raised the Profound Earth Shield artifact to block in front of him, lest he be struck by the wave.

"Boom—!"

The continuous waves battered the Profound Earth Shield.

The Profound Earth Shield shook violently, its yellow light rapidly fading and shrinking drastically.

The yellow-robed cultivator blocked his ears with all his might, trying to prevent his spirit from being shocked by the bell’s sound. But the bell’s resonance penetrated everything; he felt as if his mind had been struck by a colossal iron hammer, leaving him dizzy and nearly fainting on the spot.

While in his dazed state, he fiercely bit his tongue; a soul-tearing pain jolted him back to sobriety.

The yellow-robed cultivator opened his eyes to see the golden-armored man already locked in fierce battle with the Qing Dan Sect disciple. He was greatly shocked, yet simultaneously felt a lingering fear, and also counted himself fortunate for having allied with Ye Qin. Had he been alone, he would have been no match for the golden-armored man.

When the golden-armored man launched his attack against the yellow-robed cultivator,

Ye Qin did not lag in the slightest. His already charged Profound Yin Sword instantly transformed into a sharp azure streak, striking toward the back of the golden-armored man. The golden-armored man snorted coldly and waved his hand, intercepting the attack head-on with his golden flying sword. The Profound Yin Sword and the golden flying sword became two streams of azure and gold light, entangled in mid-air, unleashing a tempest of collision sounds.

After one exchange, both flying swords were depleted of magical power and fell silent.

Ye Qin summoned his Profound Yin Sword back with a gesture. The azure sword body now bore countless dense, sesame-seed-sized nicks. Both were low-grade artifacts, but water-attribute flying swords were certainly less durable than gold-attribute flying swords because their refining materials were completely different. When the two artifacts clashed head-on, the water-attribute sword suffered a significant disadvantage.

Ye Qin felt acute pain; this was the first artifact he had acquired. Before he had even fully accustomed himself to holding it, it sustained minor damage. Another few dozen collisions with the golden sword, and it would likely be destroyed.

The frantic, artifact-wielding combat among the three cultivators left the remaining cultivators in the cave stunned and terrified.

These cultivators, who had already fought a fierce battle to seize the scrolls, were reduced to a meager handful, only five or six ordinary cultivators remaining. They hailed from various sects and were not united in purpose.

With the exit of the Poison Corpse Cave blocked by these three cultivators—Ye Qin, the yellow-robed cultivator, and the golden-armored man—they had absolutely no way to escape. They dared not join the fray, retreating instead to a corner of the cave to focus entirely on self-preservation, lest they be caught in the crossfire of the artifacts.

Just as Ye Qin’s side briefly paused, the yellow-robed cultivator once again summoned his flying shield, engaging the golden-armored man in combat.

Ye Qin, ignoring his distress over the damaged sword, rapidly amassed magical power once more, joining the yellow-robed cultivator to overwhelm the golden-armored man.

All three were utilizing their magical artifacts, and once unleashed with full power, their destructive capability was immense. Simultaneously, they consumed magical power at a rate faster than water being pumped out. They were only at the ninth layer of the Qi Refining stage, not Foundation Establishment stage cultivators; thus, they could not sustain artifact use for long.

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