Ye Qin paused in thought, the notion of retreating to the chaotic lands to escape the turmoil of the cultivation world taking root in his mind. He glanced at Hou Qianji and Tie Dadan; with these two familiar with the local situation to guide him, things should proceed smoothly enough.

However, when Ye Qin announced his intention to head to the chaotic lands, Hou Qianji immediately demurred. He claimed he wished to linger near this mountain peak for a while before returning to the chaotic lands himself.

Faced with Ye Qin’s calm, deep gaze, Hou Qianji stammered and hesitated for a long time before finally admitting the true reason for his desire to stay: “Senior, since most of the fire ravens here are already dead—fewer than a thousand remain—why don’t we just eradicate them all?”

Ye Qin asked, “Why kill them all?”

Hou Qianji dared not conceal anything further, smiling apologetically, “Fire ravens naturally enjoy collecting shiny spirit stones, so their nests usually contain quite a few valuable treasures, such as fire-element spirit stones, fire-element ores, and other glittering things. We usually wouldn't dare provoke fire raven nests, but since the Senior has slain the vast majority of them here, it would be a waste to leave them. This great rift has at least several thousand nests; even if we find just one fire spirit stone in each, that represents enormous wealth.”

Hou Qianji no longer hoped to keep all this wealth for himself, but if the Senior was in a good mood and tossed him a few rewards, it would still set him up for a windfall. His patrol duty in the Red Cloud Sect only paid a few low-grade spirit stones per assignment; he didn't earn much.

“Fascinating, there’s such a thing?”

Ye Qin’s expression showed a flicker of surprise upon hearing that fire ravens collected shiny fire-element stones. During his seclusion in the mountain belly, he had already depleted most of his stored spirit stones, which was why he’d considered heading to the chaotic lands—it was easier to find stones there. If spirit stones could be found in fire raven nests, that would naturally be even better.

“I have only just emerged from seclusion and need a while longer to meditate here quietly. As for clearing out the nests, let the Nuclear Weapons handle it themselves! You two working together should manage to eliminate the remaining fire ravens, correct?”

Ye Qin considered it, agreed, and then inquired of the two.

Hou Qianji and Tie Dadan immediately looked distressed. Even the remaining thousand or so second and third-tier fire ravens were enough to give them serious trouble. Fortunately, there was a network of caves nearby. Since this Senior could slaughter tens of thousands of fire ravens by exploiting the terrain advantage of the caves, surely the two of them cooperating could manage the remaining thousand or so? “Since the Senior is unwilling to strike again, let the two of us handle it,” Hou Qianji and Tie Dadan decided, hardening their resolve and entering the endeavor with a sense of desperate hope.

Ye Qin offered a faint smile. He found a spot on the mountain peak with a clear view, flicked his robe, and sat down to slowly familiarize himself with the disposition of the Nanming Lihuo Sword. The task of finding spirit stones was left to Hou Qianji and Tie Dadan. As long as he possessed spirit stones, he could continue cultivating relentlessly regardless of his location, never delaying the growth of his strength. Thus, his location was irrelevant to him, and he didn't particularly care about it.

Ye Qin sat cross-legged and expelled the flying sword from his abdomen, attempting to wield the Nanming Lihuo Sword.

Soon, he discovered a pleasant surprise. When he poured his magic power into the artifact to command an attack, clusters of flame spheres automatically erupted from the sword body, each shaped like a third-tier Blazing Fire Raven. Each Blazing Fire Raven constituted a mid-tier fire magic spell, equivalent to the full-power strike of a late-stage Qi Condensation cultivator, capable of shattering massive stones and instantly killing a low-stage Qi Condensation cultivator.

When the Nascent Soul Magic Tool attacked simultaneously, it could unleash this swarm of Blazing Fire Ravens against an opponent, making its power terrifyingly amplified. This meant Ye Qin saved the time usually spent casting fire spells; the flying sword itself could emit mid-tier fire magic.

This Nascent Soul Magic Tool could currently release a maximum of five third-tier Blazing Fire Ravens simultaneously. He hypothesized that as the artifact’s power increased in the future, the number and rank of these fire ravens would also rise accordingly. Ye Qin was extremely satisfied; five Blazing Fire Ravens attacking together—even his own protective barrier might struggle to withstand them.

In the cultivation world, magic artifacts were categorized as: Low-tier, Mid-tier, High-tier, and Apex-tier (Ultimate). Nascent Soul Magic Tools were classified as: Low-tier, Mid-tier, High-tier, and Apex-tier (Ultimate). The raw materials were the same; the only difference was whether Yuan Jing (Essence Origin) was added during forging. Forging a tool with three-thousand-year fire-element purple crystal ore as material already made it an Apex-tier artifact. If fire-element Yuan Jing were added to forge an Apex-tier Nascent Soul Magic Tool, its initial power would surpass that of the Apex-tier magic tool by a full thirty percent. Moreover, through continuous nurturing with Yuan Qi, it could keep growing stronger. Even for Golden Core cultivators, this Nanming Lihuo Sword was an Apex-tier Nascent Soul Magic Tool, and acquiring one was no simple feat.

The previous dozen or so artifacts Ye Qin acquired were mostly Low-tier artifacts. Adding this Apex-tier Nascent Soul Magic Tool gave him a significant advantage against Foundation Establishment cultivators of the same rank. Now, he possessed a fire-element Nascent Soul Magic Tool capable of increasing his destructive power.

Furthermore, he possessed a one-foot-long segment of Siyin Bamboo several hundred years old. Planting it in his Purple Mansion and nurturing it with spirit stones, it should not be difficult for it to grow into a three-thousand-year Siyin Bizhu someday. If he could collect one drop of wood-element Yuan Jing, then this second wood-element Nascent Soul Magic Tool could also be forged.

Within the Ziyu Gujian (Part One), there were a total of five artifacts of this caliber. If all five Nascent Soul Magic Tools were forged to form the "Grand Five Elements Sword Formation," they would be practically invincible among Foundation Establishment cultivators. If he also assembled the materials for the lower tier, the "Lesser Three Oddities Sword Formation," he might even become unrivaled among Golden Core cultivators.

The Purple Sword Divine Monarch boasted in the ancient text that these were the highest-grade forging materials he had researched, and mastering all eight Nascent Soul Magic Tools would make one virtually unmatched in the world. Ye Qin already felt a significant boost in combat strength just by forging this single fire-element Nascent Soul Magic Tool. The ancient rogue cultivator Purple Sword Divine Monarch being ranked first among the ancient rogue cultivators in Immortal Fate City was likely no empty boast. With the Grand Five Elements Sword Formation, even when encountering an ordinary Golden Core cultivator, while he might not win, his chances of survival would be substantial.

Thinking of this, Ye Qin felt immense anticipation for the "Grand Five Elements Sword Formation." However, gathering all these materials would likely be exceptionally difficult, demanding a massive investment of time and effort.

While Ye Qin devoted himself to cultivating in a certain spot on the mountain peak, Hou Qianji and Tie Dadan ventured into the caves, intending to emulate Ye Qin's previous method: using the cave’s tactical advantages to hunt the remaining thousand-plus fire ravens nearby. Yet, once they experienced it firsthand, they realized the severity of the difficulty.

Initially, they held onto some misplaced confidence, thinking that since Ye Qin, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, could hunt tens of thousands of fire ravens, the two of them—at the sixth and seventh levels of Qi Condensation—should have no major issue cooperating to kill the remaining thousand.

But after they engaged a group of twenty to thirty ravens and managed, by exploiting the terrain, to exhaust themselves killing them all, their magic power was more than half depleted. Before they had even dispatched a few dozen birds, dozens more from the vicinity, alerted by the noise, rushed over, furiously spewing massive waves of flames that engulfed the two of them.

(Web users please log in. 16Kxs.com for TXT format novels; Mobile users log in to ap.16xs.com) They had no spirit liquor for rapid magic recovery—at best, they clutched a low-grade spirit stone, which recovered power agonizingly slowly. The two of them could not withstand such relentless, wave-after-wave attacks; their magic power soon bottomed out. They were chased through the entire cave system, having no time to recover their strength.

Finally, they managed to escape only by using a stone chamber Ye Qin had carved out inside the mountain to push a giant boulder, sealing the passage, and hiding within.

Hou Qianji and Tie Dadan emerged pale and shaken, their hearts still pounding. It was then they fully realized their initial assessment was correct: fire ravens were profoundly dangerous opponents. They recalled Ye Qin fighting tens of thousands of them alone in this area over the past year, and now their feeling was no longer admiration, but utter shock.

Ye Qin knew they were in danger, but he did not intervene, merely watching them with cold eyes. If the two of them couldn't handle this mere thousand-plus fire ravens, they would only be a burden, and he saw no need to bring them to the chaotic lands. If they could eliminate these ravens, it would at least prove they possessed some capability and retained some value.

Ye Qin sat silently in meditation at a spot on the summit, cultivating. When he needed spirit stones, he would venture into the fire raven nests to retrieve some. Although ravens cried mournfully in the distance, not a single one dared approach within several hundred feet of him. They were highly intelligent; they remembered this person as an invader of their territory, but they remembered even more clearly that even if they attacked together, they were no match for him. They could only cry out mournfully from afar. Since the ravens dared not provoke Ye Qin, he naturally would not act wantonly. His objective—obtaining a drop of fire raven Yuan Jing to refine a Nascent Soul Magic Tool—was already achieved; he wouldn't randomly hunt the remaining ravens unless necessary. The feathers could be used to forge low-grade Fire Feather Fans, but the quality was too poor for his taste.

In a flash, another year passed. During this time, Ye Qin had advanced from the second to the third layer of the Foundation Establishment stage. Even gaining an extra Nascent Soul Magic Tool had not hindered the growth of his cultivation.

Hou Qianji and Tie Dadan finally staggered out of the caves, leaning on each other. Though their clothes were ragged and their bodies were covered in burn scars, and their spirit blades and swords were blunted, the two were now radiating fierce killing intent. As for Tie Dadan—who was naturally more action-oriented and somewhat lazy—he now resembled a hardened veteran who had fought countless battles, carving a path through relentless slaughter. As for Hou Qianji, who prided himself on cunning and strategy, some of his arrogance had been scoured away, replaced by decisive ruthlessness.

Exhausting their strength and spending over half a year, they finally slew the remaining seven to eight hundred ravens within the caves. Only a few birds remained, flying high in the sky, daring not to approach them. These terrified ravens were no longer a threat.

Hou Qianji, his eyes bloodshot, fell to his knees before Ye Qin with a thud. His voice was hoarse: “Senior, only now do I understand how brutal it is to be cornered in a cave by countless fire ravens, and how formidable a will is required to endure it. For you, Senior, to break through tens of thousands of them and emerge... this level of power, within the Red Cloud Sect, only the Golden Core ancestor can match you. By sending us two into the caves for this life-and-death trial, you have remade us—a grace beyond measure. We two are willing to follow you, Senior; please, take us in!”

Ye Qin opened his deep, dark eyes and glanced at Hou Qianji and Tie Dadan. The fact that two mid and high-level Qi Condensation cultivators managed to walk out of that cave alive was decent enough. However, he had no intention of cultivating them; their survival was their own fortune.

"Let's go. Follow me to the great rift ten miles away. Collect the spirit stones and fire ores from the cliffside nests there, and then we depart for the chaotic lands," Ye Qin said calmly, rising and leaping down the mountain peak.

"Yes, Senior!"

Hou Qianji and Tie Dadan were overjoyed, immediately responding and hurrying after him. Although the Senior hadn't explicitly agreed to take them in, at least he hadn't flatly refused, suggesting that following him for the time being should be fine. As for benefits, the Senior was leading them to loot the fire raven nests; what they gained would certainly not be small.