Ye Qin waited within the stone cave for the stealthily approaching cultivator to enter. Swiftly, Ye Qin activated his protective shield, gripping a flying sword artifact in his palm, while his left hand held a stack of mid-tier talismans, his mind perfectly still.

The two Lü family cultivators guarding the secret chamber had been paralyzed by the Hongsu Mist. If it were a Lü family member coming, the entire Lü Family Fortress would surely have been alerted, and the noise would have been immense. Logically, it shouldn't be one of them; therefore, someone else had entered.

After a short while, the shadow of a stout, big-eared middle-aged cultivator appeared at the cave entrance. However, this person seemed aware of the ambush within and did not immediately enter, nor did he give Ye Qin or Shi Hanyang any chance to attack him.

The cultivator laughed heartily, “Brother Shi, Brother Ye Qin, stop hiding. I know you are both in this cave. We are all here seeking treasures; why resort to conflict?”

“Who are you? State your name!”

“Does Brother Shi not recognize me?”

The grey-robed cultivator cast some unknown spell; his oily, plump face and figure shrank by nearly half, finally transforming into a gaunt cultivator. It turned out to be Ma Dongyan, and even his voice had become chillingly sharp.

After reverting to his original appearance, Ma Dongyan held his artifact before him and slowly entered the stone cave.

Ye Qin couldn't help but be startled, frowning. No wonder the feeling had been so familiar.

“I was wondering who it was—it’s Brother Ma. What a marvelous and strange spell, such a drastic transformation. Even this Sect Master was fooled by you,” Shi Hanyang chuckled loudly.

Though he spoke these words, his eyes were fixed on the cave entrance, intending to seize a chance to bolt out of the stone cave and run as far as he could. He hadn't paid much attention to Ye Qin, but he dared not be careless with Ma Dongyan. Ye Qin was merely at the Foundation Establishment mid-stage, whereas Ma Dongyan was a cultivator at the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment, his cultivation strength not weaker than his own. If the two fought, it would take a while to determine a victor, and alerting the Lü Family Fortress cultivators would cause significant trouble.

Alas, Shi Hanyang was destined never to escape safely.

It wasn't just Ma Dongyan who had arrived; there were other cultivators as well.

Swish!

Immediately after, five ghostly figures of Foundation Establishment cultivators materialized at the cave entrance and entered the stone chamber. These five were equally familiar to Ye Qin and Shi Hanyang.

“Brother Chu, Brother Miao, how are you all here…?”

Seeing them appear, Shi Hanyang was stunned and finally realized the situation was tricky. He had underestimated their tracking abilities. There were now seven or eight cultivators from the Chaotic Lands here. The three Spirit Fruits he had just obtained, he feared, could not be taken away safely.

Miao Hai cradled a silver-nosed spirit rat, about the size of a fist, stroking it soothingly while grinning triumphantly.

“Hmph, Brother Shi, you thought relying on your few subordinates could lead us astray? You underestimate my abilities, Miao Hai. With this third-tier spirit rat, even if you were hidden a hundred feet underground, I could still find you. Let’s skip the pleasantries. Those who see the spiritual item have a right to a share. If Brother Shi intends to swallow it all himself, your appetite is simply too large. We take our shares and leave, otherwise, nobody gets anything.”

Chu Hui stood aside quietly, hands tucked in his sleeves, saying nothing. However, judging by his cold expression, if there was no share for him, he definitely wouldn't agree to anything.

Ma Dongyan, meanwhile, had already reached the vicinity of the ancient tree by the cold pool inside the cave, examining it with great interest. He clicked his tongue in admiration, “Beneath the seclusion chamber of the Lü Family Ancestor, there lies such a peculiar tree. Regarding this tree, I’ve heard a thing or two during my travels. This tree is called the Spirit Fruit Tree, and the Spirit Fruits it bears are said to be useful for breaking through the Golden Core bottleneck. The spiritual item the Saint Emperor mentioned to Brother Shi must be the Spirit Fruit from this old tree. Brother Shi, it seems this tree has just been harvested; there are three new indentations on the branches. They should be in your hands, right? Could you let us have a look?”

Shi Hanyang swept a glance over them and said in a deep voice, “Let’s leave this place first, then discuss the distribution of the Spirit Fruits. Otherwise, if the Lü Family Fortress cultivators and the Lü Family Ancestor discover us, none of us will leave alive.”

“No, we divide the Spirit Fruits first. Once we leave the cave, who knows if you’ll go back on your word? If you leave, who do we ask for the fruits?” Miao Hai crudely rejected Shi Hanyang's suggestion.

“You!”

Shi Hanyang was instantly enraged.

Ye Qin, waiting in a corner of the cave, watched this scene with cold eyes, feeling an inexpressible frustration.

This stone cave was too small, and the cultivators had already sensed his presence, yet none of them paid any heed to his stance. He was the only mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator among them, left to watch them argue over the Spirit Fruits.

“Why waste words with him? Since he refuses to share, kill him. He’s only one person; let’s kill him and then divide the Spirit Fruits!” A white-clothed cultivator who came with Chu Hui and Miao Hai impatiently slapped his storage pouch, releasing an artifact that transformed into a golden streak of light, slashing towards Shi Hanyang.

Since they were going to fight, then so be it!

With such a miraculous item capable of breaking the Golden Core bottleneck right before them, no cultivator could remain unmoved.

Chu Hui and Miao Hai exchanged glances, hardened their hearts, and attacked Shi Hanyang in a combined effort. The remaining two cultivators guarded Ma Dongyan and Ye Qing, as Ma Dongyan, though entering the cave just after them, was not allied with them.

Shi Hanyang, simultaneously attacked by three high-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, dared not be careless. A brilliant golden light shot out of his mouth, transforming into a three-zhang giant golden ring that spun rapidly in mid-air, completely enveloping him and blocking the siege of artifacts and talismans from all directions.

At the same time, a much smaller, silver crescent blade, emitting an inch-long, flickering silver glow, shot out. “Ah!” A scream followed as the chest of the leading cultivator attacking Shi Hanyang was directly pierced by the silver crescent blade artifact; the protective shield offered no resistance to the silver light.

The power of a Nascent Soul artifact usually exceeded that of a high-tier artifact by thirty percent, but Shi Hanyang’s two Nascent Soul artifacts possessed power at least double that. Withstanding the combined assault of three to four high-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, he showed no sign of falling into a disadvantage.

Chu Hui and Miao Hai were horrified, and the cultivator monitoring Ye Qin hastily joined the fray, replacing the heavily injured one who had fallen.

Although Shi Hanyang repelled three cultivators, his spiritual power was being depleted rapidly.

“Brother Ma, Brother Ye Qin, lend me a hand! I have three Spirit Fruits; I’ll give one to each of you as a reward,” Shi Hanyang, seeing the situation was extremely unfavorable to him, shouted loudly. At this moment, he cared less about the Spirit Fruits and more about saving his life. If he could win over Ma Dongyan and Ye Qin, the three of them attacking four wouldn't be at an absolute disadvantage. If Ma Dongyan and Ye Qin joined Chu Hui and Miao Hai’s side, he would truly be in deep trouble.

Ye Qin had no intention of getting involved in this fight. Seeing four or five cultivators fighting over the Spirit Fruits, he inwardly groaned at the misfortune. This natural stone cave was less than a hundred zhang in size. Once Foundation Establishment cultivators started fighting, his shield might be safe, but that ancient Spirit Tree could not withstand it.

These people cared nothing for the life or death of that spiritual tree. The wind blades and flames shooting in all directions filled the entire cave, and in the blink of an eye, they had ravaged the old tree until it was nearly torn apart.

Boom!

Another massive fireball was repelled, splashing near the old Spirit Tree. The scorching heat almost burned the old Spirit Tree to ashes.

Ye Qin could hold back no longer. He suddenly rushed forward, forming water-elemental hand seals and launching several large water spheres to extinguish the flames. Amidst a pile of ashes, he found a small stub of a water-spirit fruit branch that hadn't been completely incinerated, and immediately tucked it away. The ** of the Lü Family Fortress seemed utterly doomed, and the Lü Family Ancestor would surely be driven into a frenzy of rage. This wrath would definitely be heaven-shaking.

Ye Qin even felt a hint of regret. If he had known this would happen, he should have taken the entire Spirit Tree away earlier.

He did not wish to remain in this stone cave any longer. He had no desire to get involved in Shi Hanyang and the others' struggle for the Spirit Fruits; who lived or died was not his concern. His greatest worry was that the violent commotion from the magical fighting within this cavern would alert the Lü Family Fortress cultivators on the surface. If the Lü Family Fortress cultivators sealed the cave entrance, all of them would become turtles in a jar, making escape nearly impossible.

In fact, Ye Qin’s worries were not unfounded.

As soon as the fight broke out in the cavern, the intense fluctuations of spiritual power and the faintly audible sounds of spell explosions had already alerted the Foundation Establishment cultivators within the Lü Family Fortress. However, for a time, they couldn't figure out why they were hearing such sounds coming from underground.

When they discovered the innermost secret chamber of the Lü Family Fortress—the seclusion area of the Lü Family Ancestor—where two Lü Family Foundation Establishment cultivators lay dead and a huge natural stone cave had appeared, they finally knew things were dire: intruders had broken into the Lü Family Ancestor’s seclusion grounds. Shouts and alarms rang out throughout the Lü Family Fortress; chaos ensued.

Lü Yuanhong, furious, directed the Lü Family Fortress cultivators loudly.

“Quickly, ten of you enter the cave immediately to scout the enemy!”

“The rest of you, lead teams to blockade the ten-mile radius around the Lü Family Fortress, prohibiting all entry or exit. Do not let any enemy escape.”

“Send someone to notify the Ancestor! Outsiders have invaded the Lü Family Fortress!”

More than ten Lü Family Fortress Foundation Establishment cultivators rushed towards the secret chamber cave in fiery anxiety.

......

The guests of the Lü Family Fortress, disciples from the great families, also came out to investigate the commotion with surprise and agitation, either wanting to see what was happening or observing coldly.

For the Lü Family Fortress to suffer such an incident at this critical juncture tonight was truly humiliating.

However, while the Lü Family Fortress was in chaos, inside the stone cave, Shi Hanyang, Chu Hui, Miao Hai, and the others were still fiercely arguing over the ownership of the three Spirit Fruits. There were only three fruits in total; they were simply not enough to divide among them.

Ye Qin was about to rush out of the stone cave passage, but before he could make a move, a group of Lü Family Fortress cultivators had already penetrated the cavern tunnel.

A blue-clothed Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Chaotic Lands, sensing danger, threw out an artifact to block the passage, stopping the group of Lü Family Fortress cultivators from entering the cave. This stone tunnel passage was extremely narrow; one high-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator was enough to hold back a group of low-to-mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.

The Lü Family Fortress cultivators outside could not break through immediately, but the exit of the cavern passage had been completely sealed off by the Lü Family Fortress forces. It was now impossible for the cultivators inside to charge out through the tunnel.

Ye Qin’s expression changed. The scenario he least wanted to see had finally occurred.

He cast a cold look at the several cultivators still locked in fierce combat and said calmly, “This place has been blockaded by the Lü Family Fortress cultivators. Even if you snatch the Spirit Fruits, can you leave alive? Save some spiritual power to preserve your lives; perhaps you can hold out a bit longer. It’s best to hope the Lü Family Ancestor returns late, otherwise…”