Junior Sister Huangfu, in terms of family background, my Lei family is unmatched in Changling Kingdom—we have produced three Golden Core Ancestors throughout the generations. Our current patriarch is one of the founding masters of the Ancient Artifact Sect, holding a status comparable to Old Ancestor Huangfu. In terms of aptitude, I, Lei Hao, possess a single-element spiritual root with a potential rating of fifty-seven. While not yet peerless, it certainly merits distinction. Achieving Foundation Establishment is a certainty, even if a Golden Core remains uncertain. Be it lineage or talent, in what aspect of me, Lei Hao, are you unworthy of you, Junior Sister Huangfu? Junior Sister Huangfu, if you would only nod your consent, I will implore my grandfather to personally carry substantial gifts to Green Pill Mountain and formally request marriage from Old Ancestor Huangfu.”
The man in purple fanned himself languidly, adopting an air of utter composure and refined elegance. Yet, the fan could not dispel the sharp anxiety churning within him.
The vast majority of disciples from the Ancient Artifact Sect participated in this trial solely for the Foundation Establishment Pills.
But he was different. As the grandson of the Ancient Artifact Sect’s Patriarch Lei, he had no lack of Foundation Establishment Pills. His primary motive for venturing into the depths of the Myriad Withered Ridge cavern was to locate a rare fire-attribute mineral deep underground, which he intended to use after reaching Foundation Establishment to forge an immensely powerful fire-attribute magical artifact.
What surprised him, however, was the chance encounter with Junior Sister Huangfu of the Green Pill Sect deep within the Myriad Withered Ridge mining tunnels. He was instantly overjoyed. Compared to the rare mineral, this Junior Sister Huangfu of the Green Pill Sect was clearly of far greater importance.
Capturing her and forging an alliance between the Lei and Huangfu families would benefit not only the Ancient Artifact Sect but also the Lei family immensely. Furthermore, it would be crucial for his eventual succession to the position of Lei Family Patriarch. After all, the Lei family was vast, and he was not their only grandson; if he failed to secure the position, others were undoubtedly waiting to claim it.
Yet, matters were not unfolding as he wished. More than ten trial disciples from the Ancient Artifact Sect had already perished along the way, and they still had not managed to subdue her. He had no confidence whether the remaining four Golden-Clothed cultivators could manage to trap her, which fueled his impatience.
However, he had no intention of retreating. Even if all four Golden-Clothed cultivators were wiped out, he would still secure Junior Sister Huangfu.
The veiled woman held an ice-cold short sword, scanning the four Golden-Clothed cultivators while standing rigidly in place, completely ignoring the purple-robed man’s taunts. Whether she was unable to spare the distraction or simply disdained acknowledging him was unclear.
After waiting a considerable time without receiving a reply from the veiled maiden, the purple-robed man grew inwardly furious and roared, “Good! It seems Junior Sister Huangfu will not yield until she has seen the Yellow Springs! I shall capture you first and then beg forgiveness from Old Ancestor Huangfu! Attack together!”
Ye Qin followed a faint scent of blood through the mining tunnel, leaping and bounding, stepping along the cavern walls to avoid the traps concealed on the floor. Rounding a corner in the passage, he landed lightly, frowning at the corpse of a Silver-Clothed cultivator from the Ancient Artifact Sect lying on the ground. His storage bag and personal spirit artifacts were intact; nothing was missing. The body had been killed instantly by a flying sword slicing the throat from the front as he walked forward.
This was the thirteenth corpse he had encountered on his journey so far.
Initially, Ye Qin had suspected these were bait or traps deliberately set by disciples from some faction, so he dared not touch the bodies. Alternatively, he thought the Ancient Artifact Sect disciples were being pursued.
But after seeing several bodies in this condition, he realized something was amiss. The Ancient Artifact Sect disciples were attacked from the front, meaning they must have been the aggressors, hunting someone else.
The footprints in the tunnel were chaotic; it was clearly a group of Ancient Artifact Sect disciples chasing disciples from another sect. Along the route, there were brief skirmishes with those they pursued, but the result was a steady accumulation of their own dead.
These corpses had been left unattended, as the Ancient Artifact Sect disciples continued their pursuit. What puzzled Ye Qin the most was that every single body belonged to a disciple of the Ancient Artifact Sect; not one belonged to the other party. He could not fathom whom these Ancient Artifact Sect disciples were hunting so relentlessly.
As he pondered this, Ye Qin’s ears suddenly pricked up, his muscles tensing as he became highly alert. He faintly heard several sharp cries echoing from the depths of the second level of the cavern, followed by sounds of combat and screams.
He knitted his brows, pinpointed the direction, and instantly bolted toward the source of the noise. Although he knew he shouldn't involve himself in such trouble, his innate curiosity compelled him to discover who was fighting the Ancient Artifact Sect disciples.
He was not worried about his own safety. Since the Ancient Artifact Sect had suffered so many losses, the two sides must be locked in a fierce battle, leaving them no time to turn back and deal with him.
The sounds were intermittent.
It took Ye Qin nearly the time it takes for one stick of incense to burn before he finally arrived at a stone chamber in the cavern where the sounds of fighting emanated. He silently slipped to a stop at the entrance.
He cast a glance inside the chamber, and the scene within shocked him.
Two Golden-Clothed cultivators from the Ancient Artifact Sect lay dead in pools of blood, their bodies riddled with holes, eyes wide open in death. Several magical artifacts lay scattered on the floor, completely untouched. Two other Golden-Clothed cultivators, severely wounded, were barely holding themselves up, staring in terror at a veiled maiden and the terrifyingly powerful artifact in her hand.
The veiled Blue-Clothed maiden leaned weakly against the cave wall, fixing her gaze on the two Golden-Clothed cultivators. Though her features were obscured by the veil, it was clear she too was stubbornly forcing herself to remain upright. The slender hand gripping her magical artifact beneath the sleeve of her blue robe trembled slightly. She bore no external wounds, but her internal depletion must have been severe.
A purple-robed man stood behind the two Golden-Clothed cultivators, holding a battered fan, his face etched with horror. He paid no mind to his damaged fan-artifact, feeling utterly frustrated. Having lost two more Golden-Clothed cultivators, he had absolutely no certainty whether the remaining two could capture the veiled maiden.
When Ye Qin saw the veiled maiden, he froze momentarily. Was this not the Senior Sister of the Green Pill Sect? He had seen her before at the temporary encampment of the Green Pill Sect. The deference shown by the ten high-ranking Blue-Clothed disciples, as well as the attitudes of the Sect Master and the Elders, had left a deep impression on him.
Why was she here?
Ye Qin was puzzled, but looking at the Ancient Artifact Sect disciples besieging her, he began to understand. The corpses of the Ancient Artifact Sect cultivators he had seen must have been left behind during their pursuit of this Senior Sister of the Green Pill Sect. Indignation flared in his heart; hunting a single woman with a large group of cultivators was utterly shameless.
The purple-robed cultivator seemed to sense something and suddenly turned back, startled to see a Green Pill Sect cultivator appear at the exit of the chamber. But upon clearly seeing Ye Qin’s ordinary attire, he let out a contemptuous sneer.
“I thought it was reinforcement from the Green Pill Sect—turns out it’s just a moth coming to die!”
He wasn't confident fighting the veiled maiden head-on. But killing an ordinary Green Pill Sect disciple? That was as easy as lifting a hand.
The purple-robed cultivator casually waved his hand, sending a purple streak of light shooting toward Ye Qin—it was a blade-type magical artifact.
Ye Qin felt a pang of helplessness. Seeing a fellow sect member in danger within these underground caverns, he could hardly stand idly by. He immediately unleashed a dazzling golden light with all his might, intercepting the purple streak.
The purple-robed cultivator had already expended the majority of his magical power dealing with the veiled maiden. He did not wish to waste much more energy on an ordinary disciple of the Green Pill Sect and therefore did not use his full strength. Consequently, although his purple blade artifact was formidable, it could not force Ye Qin back.
Seeing his purple blade blocked effortlessly by the Green Pill Sect cultivator, the purple-robed man’s face instantly darkened.
He, the top-tier core disciple of the Ancient Artifact Sect, could not gain any advantage against a seemingly insignificant, ordinary disciple of the Green Pill Sect—it was a complete humiliation. And this humiliation was happening in front of the veiled maiden, leaving him utterly disgraced!
“Take another strike from my blade!”
The purple-robed cultivator, enraged, stopped holding back his magical power, pointed his finger from afar, and poured forth his mana. The purple streak instantly flared with intense light. The entire cavern was flooded with dazzling purple, and the purple blade descended again with an unstoppable, fierce momentum to cleave Ye Qin in mid-air.
In the air, the purple blade and the small ice-cold sword entangled, erupting with extremely dense sounds of collision.
Crack!
The Profound Gold Sword, under the full-force assault of the purple blade, developed fine cracks across its damaged surface before shattering.
Ye Qin’s Profound Gold Sword had been taken from a Golden-Clothed cultivator surnamed Yu in the Ancient Artifact Sect. When this cultivator Yu used the golden sword against poisonous corpses, the blade’s body became somewhat damaged by absorbing a large amount of corpse fluid. Now, under the fierce attack of the purple blade, it shattered instantly.
Ye Qin was slightly surprised. This purple blade was remarkably sturdy; he wondered what material it was made from that it could split the Profound Gold Sword. He immediately summoned the small green bell, which transformed into a streak of azure light. With a clear clang, it intercepted the purple blade once more, preventing it from closing in on him.
The two Golden-Clothed men in the cavern both looked over in astonishment.
When this ordinary Green Pill Sect cultivator first appeared at the entrance, they had paid him no mind. Such a minor figure blundering in was bound to die anyway and couldn't make a difference.
But what surprised them was that the purple-robed cultivator’s second full-force attack still failed to subdue this unremarkable ordinary disciple.
The veiled maiden glanced at Ye Qin at the cavern entrance, a flicker of excitement in her eyes.
This Green Pill Sect disciple had successfully pinned down the strongest opponent, the purple-robed cultivator. This gave her complete confidence in dealing with the remaining two Golden-Clothed cultivators. She unconsciously gripped her Ice-Cold Sword tighter, channeling the last of the magic power within her body, preparing to strike at the opportune moment.
The purple-robed cultivator spat blood in frustration. He had never expected this insignificant Green Pill Sect disciple to continuously produce magical artifacts, one after another, destroying one only to reveal another. This was hardly an ordinary disciple; he was comparable to one or two core disciples!
As he seethed with annoyance, he suddenly paused, fixing his gaze on the Soul-Snatching Bell Ye Qin was controlling, finding it extremely familiar.
He hadn't recognized the small golden sword when Ye Qin first deployed it.
The Profound Gold Sword was a relatively common low-grade gold-attribute artifact, used by many cultivators. However, this Soul-Snatching Bell was exceedingly rare; among the Qi Refining stage disciples of the Ancient Artifact Sect, only Yu Yu, the son of Elder Yu of the Ancient Artifact Sect, possessed one. Being close friends with Yu Yu, he was naturally very familiar with this bell.
“Who are you? How do you possess Yu Yu’s Soul-Snatching Bell?” The purple-robed cultivator recalled his purple blade, his eyes filling with suspicion as he stared intently at Ye Qin, demanding in a deep voice.
“Does that need asking? I naturally killed him for it. Otherwise, how would the fellow surnamed Yu be willing to give this bell to someone else?”
Ye Qin recalled the small green bell and stated calmly, “I killed him.” He and the cultivator surnamed Zhong from the Earth Underworld Sect had killed Yu Yu together, and the enmity was already established. Several cultivators from other factions had witnessed the event, making concealment impossible. He decided to admit it openly. Since the Ancient Artifact Sect dared to hunt the Senior Sister of the Green Pill Sect, he certainly had the right to kill disciples of the Ancient Artifact Sect.
Since they dared to participate in this dangerous cavern trial, unafraid of death, why should he fear incurring trouble?! (To be continued. For the continuation, please log in to www** for more chapters, support the author, and support genuine reading!) First published.