Following Zhou Xing and Daoist Zheng into an unnamed valley, he beheld a chasm hundreds of feet deep. After a moment's consideration, he leaped down as well. He had already begun to suspect that this place was likely connected to that small spirit stone vein.

Although Yan Xuan and Lü Yuan had not disclosed the location of that spirit stone vein to him, given that it was situated on the border between the two nations, this valley was the most probable spot. Otherwise, Daoist Zheng would not have snuck into such a place in the dead of night. In a fissure like this, aside from mineral deposits, nothing else of significant value could be found.

Yet, he could not quite fathom why Daoist Zheng had come here. Even if Zheng knew about the spirit stone vein, the stones themselves could not be moved. Even if he intended to sneak in and mine them, he couldn't excavate much, and it would be exceedingly easy for cultivators from the Zhou family to detect him.

At the bottom of the deep gorge lay a waterfall, a cold pool, dense jungle, and a host of flying birds and beasts—even demonic beasts were present. Where the spiritual energy was dense, the presence of such creatures was inevitable.

Ye Qin walked in the chasm for half an hour, following behind Zhou Xing and Daoist Zheng, eventually burrowing into a natural cave riddled with plus signs.

The cave entrance was pitch black, with no moonlight penetrating it.

Just as Ye Qin was about to pull out a luminescence charm for light, he noticed that inside the cavern, there were quite a few ** spirit stones, emitting a faint glow sufficient to illuminate the path within.

Ye Qin couldn't help but smile. Using his Golden Sword magical tool, he chipped off a thumb-sized, glittering low-grade spirit stone from the hard cavern wall. It was a remarkably pure Water Spirit Stone, radiating a faint blue luster, constantly exuding an aura of profound coldness—a stone of excellent quality.

Ye Qin mentally offered a word of praise.

He peered further into the natural cavern. About a zhang away on the cave wall, there was another spirit stone.

Based on his experience, the distribution of spirit stones here was rather scattered; it was a low-yield spirit stone vein. Mining it would be difficult. Even if he used a tremendously powerful magical tool to excavate, it would require considerable effort to obtain a single stone. Therefore, it would not be an easy task for the Zhou or Lü families to mine stones within this cave.

"Ah—!" From inside the cavern came a startled, tragic scream.

Ye Qin's heart tightened. He swiftly tucked the Water Spirit Stone into his pouch and casually drew two magical artifacts from his storage bag, clutching them tightly. He rushed toward the location from which the cry echoed in the depths of the cave. Soon, he arrived at a vast grotto within the cavern. He paused in the shadows, carefully suppressing his own aura, and cast his gaze toward the two figures locked in fierce combat inside the grotto.

Within the grotto, two cultivators floated in mid-air, urging their magical artifacts into action, engaged in a desperate battle.

One, a thin, gray-robed cultivator with a gloomy countenance and somewhat aged features, held a whisk—it was none other than Daoist Zheng. The other, a middle-aged cultivator clad in mottled green and red, wielded a claw-shaped artifact; deep, bone-visible gashes bled on his shoulders and arms—it was Zhou Xing.

Ye Qin quickly assessed the situation of the two.

Zhou Xing had tracked Zheng into the cave, but it now appeared he had instead fallen into Zheng's ambush and sustained no minor injuries. That startled scream had indeed come from Zhou Xing.

Ye Qin couldn't help but shake his head. Zhou Xing’s cultivation was originally slightly higher than Daoist Zheng’s, but this injury affected his combat power, making it difficult to discern a victor. For Zhou Xing to reverse the situation now would not be easy.

A blood-stained whisk artifact hovered before Daoist Zheng. The whisk extended thousands of fine white filaments, completely enveloping Zheng. These filaments floated and danced in mid-air, stretching dozens of feet long. When still, they were as weak as a woman’s hair, but when moving, they were as swift as lightning, rigid as needles, capable of piercing solid rock. Many of the white strands were already stained with blood, appearing utterly bizarre.

It was this Sword Whisk artifact that had wounded Zhou Xing.

Of course, many severed white filaments lay scattered on the ground, all cut down by Zhou Xing’s magical artifacts.

Daoist Zheng seemed in no rush to subdue Zhou Xing; most of the white filaments served as a defense, with only a small portion used to restrain Zhou Xing. Even these few dozen filaments kept Zhou Xing frantic.

Daoist Zheng stared at him with mocking disdain. "Zhou Xing, did you think I wouldn't know you were trailing me? Luring you here was merely an insignificant trick of mine. I never expected you to actually follow. Now, prepare to die!"

"Hmph, we'll see who dies first! Old demon Zheng, don't think your high-grade artifact, the Thousand Silk Whisk, is invincible. Killing you will be as easy as flipping my hand."

Zhou Xing fiercely cursed back, unwilling to yield. He held a mid-grade Black Claw artifact, wildly slashing it in the air. The sharp claws transformed into streaks of howling black winds that enveloped the entire space, completely blocking the white filaments stabbing toward him.

After securing his front, Zhou Xing immediately placed one hand on the beast pouch at his waist and roared, "Black Tiger, come out!"

"Roar!" A massive, mottled yellow tiger, ten feet high, materialized in the grotto. Its paws left deep impressions on the ground. With a mighty roar, great chunks of rock appeared from thin air and hurtled down toward Daoist Zheng.

Earth-element mid-grade spell, Falling Stones?

Ye Qin watched from a distance, surprise coloring his expression. Giant tigers were usually beasts focused on raw martial power, relying solely on claws and brute force to attack enemies, typically possessing astonishing defense. Yet, this giant tiger not only had incredibly sharp claws but was also proficient in long-range, mid-grade Earth elemental magic—it was a spirit beast skilled in both magic and martial arts.

However, this was also normal. Disciples of the Beast Spirit Sect usually had lower personal combat strength, relying heavily on the fighting prowess of their spirit beasts to assault enemies. A Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Beast Spirit Sect, aided by a powerful spirit beast, could nearly double their combat strength.

Cultivators from the Beast Spirit Sect even possessed several powerful spirit beasts, their strength potentially—

Daoist Zheng hastily waved his whisk, sending streams of white light sweeping toward the boulders, barely managing to deflect the falling stones. But simultaneously battling Zhou Xing and the Black Tiger left him visibly flustered.

"Hahahaha, Old Demon Zheng, is that all you've got? You think you can kill me?" The situation on the field shifted abruptly; Zhou Xing completely suppressed Zheng’s offense, letting out a bloodthirsty shout.

Daoist Zheng, however, bared a cold smile.

For reasons unknown, five more cultivators in distinctly different attire appeared and took positions within the grotto, observing the two battling figures.

All five were Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Following them, over a dozen Qi Refining stage cultivators in black robes also emerged from the cavern, completely encircling the two engaged in fierce combat.

Zhou Xing quickly looked toward these newcomers and recognized two of the Foundation Establishment cultivators: Master Basha and Cultivator Ling Ru, newly appointed Imperial Immortal Masters of the Great Zhou Kingdom. He gasped in shock, "Master Basha, Cultivator Ling Ru, why are you two here?"

Zhou Xing’s heart plunged into icy despair.

The fact that these cultivators had gathered here in this cave late at night—could they possibly be doing something beneficial for the Zhou family? Certainly not.

Zhou Xing’s expression froze. Watching this group emerge together from the cavern, he seemed to grasp something and shouted loudly, "You are working together? Old Demon Zheng, what exactly are you trying to do by luring me here?"

Daoist Zheng sneered coldly, "What else? Naturally, to capture and kill you. You still don't understand, even at death's door? Very well, before you die, I'll let you die knowing the truth. I am a Protector of the Wulong Sect in the Chaotic Lands. Our Sect Master desires the territory of your Great Zhou Kingdom and merely wishes to take up temporary residence. As for why we are all working together, I assume you can already guess."

Basha suddenly interrupted in a deep voice, "Enough nonsense, Daoist. How much longer will it take you to subdue him? Do you require our assistance?"

"No need!"

Daoist Zheng pulled a dark, spherical object from his robes and flung it out. The small sphere exploded in mid-air, transforming into a large cloud of chilling black mist that surged toward the Black Tiger.

The Black Tiger failed to dodge in time and was engulfed by the vast expanse of black mist. Lacking a protective barrier, the mist quickly seeped into its body. The tiger immediately writhed on the ground in agony, black blood flowing from its six orifices, rapidly becoming listless. It seemed its vital essence had suffered a critical blow, losing all its initial ferocity.

Basha, Ling Ru, and the other cultivators were greatly wary of the black mist and quickly backed away.

"Forced me to waste an Yin Sha Ball."

Daoist Zheng cursed profanely a few times, angrily unleashing the full power of his whisk. Hundreds of white filaments intensified their assault on Zhou Xing.

With the Black Tiger weakened, Zhou Xing’s strength posed less of a threat to Daoist Zheng. Although surrounded, Zhou Xing was unwilling to surrender meekly. He struggled desperately, wielding his claw artifact to weave a massive net, bravely resisting the incessant, pervasive white filaments.

There were simply too many white filaments; his sharp claws could not block them all. Within a few breaths, he was covered in wounds, pierced through by countless threads.

Zhou Xing was completely suppressed by the white filaments. His face was deathly pale, and he shouted fiercely at Basha and the others, "Basha, what are you attempting? Great Zhou is the territory of my Zhou family! Do not forget that my Spirit Mist Cultivation World and your Heavenly Vault Plain and Myriad Moon Lake established a truce ten thousand years ago. If cultivators from your Heavenly Vault Plain and Myriad Moon Lake dare to invade the territory of my Spirit Mist Cultivation World, it will surely trigger a war between the cultivation worlds, bringing about a massive catastrophe. Such a calamity is not something you can bear!"

Basha gazed at Zhou Xing calmly and chuckled lightly. "You speak correctly; our three great cultivation worlds indeed have a truce agreement. However, that was from ten thousand years ago, and it is limited only to us three worlds. This agreement does not include the cultivators of the Chaotic Lands. If the Chaotic Lands start a war with your Spirit Mist Cultivation World, my cultivators from the Heavenly Vault Plain and Myriad Moon Lake cannot be blamed. With you dying at the hands of Wulong Sect disciples, the Great Zhou Kingdom will be occupied by the Wulong Sect from the Chaotic Lands."

Zhou Xing fell into utter despair; he knew his death was sealed today. He cried out tragically toward Daoist Zheng, "Do you think the cultivators of my Spirit Mist Cultivation World will stand idly by while you evil cultivators from the Chaotic Lands invade our domain? You will pay a terrible price! The Spirit Mist Cultivation World will grind your Chaotic Lands into dust!"

Daoist Zheng sneered, tightening his whisk. In the blink of an eye, Zhou Xing was pierced through by hundreds of white filaments, densely packed. Even his Nascent Soul was pierced along with his body.

Subsequently, several black-robed Qi Refining cultivators dragged a dead Foundation Establishment cultivator out of the cave and placed him alongside Zhou Xing inside the cavern. They then proceeded to tamper with the wounds on both bodies.

"One Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Zhou family and one from the Lü family dying simultaneously in this valley—it will be difficult for the two great cultivation families not to misunderstand each other. After the Zhou and Lü clans fight amongst themselves, we can provoke infighting between the Azure Pill Sect and the Beast Spirit Sect of the Spirit Mist Cultivation World. Once you are done fighting, it will not be too late for us to clean up the mess," Daoist Zheng said, coldly eyeing Zhou Xing’s corpse.

Ye Qin stood in a shadow within the cave, silently observing the scene.

The deceased cultivator being dragged out wore the robes of a cultivator from the Lü family of the Northern Qi Kingdom—clearly a core member of the Lü family.