Ye Qin remained hidden within the labyrinth of jagged rocks, peering intently at the two Foundation Establishment cultivators—one from the Spirit Mist Realm and one from the Vault of Heaven—who were currently locked in battle within the arena. The golden light and the yellow light had grappled in the air for over half an hour, fighting viciously. The clash of their magical artifacts grew increasingly frantic until, with a sudden snap, the yellow light exploded, dissolving into a cloud of fine dust. The golden light pierced through the yellow mist with lightning speed, giving no quarter.

With a dull thud, a spray of blood mist erupted. A cultivator from the Spirit Mist Realm collapsed to the ground, a wound the size of a bowl gaping in his abdomen, letting out a sharp cry.

"Wei Hao of the Di Que Sect, an Eighth-Tier Foundation Establishment cultivator, one of the top experts in the Spirit Mist Realm. I thought you were impressive, but you're nothing more than that. It’s remarkable enough that you lasted half an hour against me."

The other golden light descended, its radiance fading to reveal a burly man from the Vault of Heaven. He retracted his golden sword artifact and sneered.

"Wu Lihan, I concede defeat. Any past grievances between us are now wiped clean."

The cultivator named Wei Hao, from the Di Que Sect, proved to be tough. Gritting his teeth, despite his grievous physical injuries and depleted spirit, he managed to staunch the flow of blood, struggling to his feet and staggering back toward the formation of Spirit Mist Realm cultivators.

The faces of the Spirit Mist cultivators shifted slightly.

Another loss.

They had been fighting here for several hours, and apart from the very first match, they had now lost three consecutive bouts. The top cultivators of the Spirit Mist Realm were certainly not weaker than the notorious 'Fierce Stars' of the Vault of Heaven, yet they were losing rather miserably now.

Ye Qin watched from afar, shaking his head silently.

He had meticulously reviewed the fight. Wu Lihan’s strength was overwhelmingly high; at Ninth-Tier Foundation Establishment, wielding a golden-element Nascent Soul artifact, he had defeated Wei Hao with seemingly little effort.

He wondered where Wu Lihan ranked among the eighteen Fierce Stars of the Vault of Heaven. He suspected it was quite high, perhaps not far beneath A’mu Meng.

"Who else from the Spirit Mist Realm dares to step forward next? Come on, all eighteen Fierce Stars from our Vault of Heaven are waiting." Wu Lihan roared the challenge.

The cultivators from the Spirit Mist Realm exchanged glances. The eyes of Foundation Establishment experts like Qin Yan and Wei Tianqin settled upon Huangfu Bing’er.

Among the top Foundation Establishment cultivators present from the Seven Great Sects of the Spirit Mist Realm, Huangfu Bing’er was a relatively late riser, currently at Seventh-Tier Foundation Establishment. However, her cultivation speed had been the fastest. Especially since her set of sixteen Ice Soul Swords artifacts had been refined into Nascent Soul artifacts by Ancestor Huangfu, she rarely found an equal. She seldom fought, but the few times she did—such as when she turned the tide in the battle for Spirit Mist City, slaying a Fierce Star-level cultivator from the Vault of Heaven—she had shaken the entire Vault of Heaven Realm. Even among the pinnacle Foundation Establishment experts of the Spirit Mist Realm, her standing was very high, though without direct comparison, her exact ranking was uncertain. She was considered the leading figure among this group.

"Senior Sister Huangfu, the first few matches featured our relatively weaker juniors. We are now at a disadvantage, and if this continues, it will negatively affect morale. Who do you think would be most suitable for the next duel?" Qin Yan of the Di Que Sect asked soberly.

"Senior Brother Yao from the Beast Spirit Sect is quite strong, and he has an old score to settle with a cultivator from the Vault of Heaven. Let the Beast Spirit Sect take this round," Huangfu Bing’er stated calmly after sweeping her gaze across the assembled Spirit Mist cultivators.

The Spirit Mist cultivators showed no dissent. A cultivator from the Beast Spirit Sect, dressed in green and red floral garments, stepped out from the ranks, bowed to the Vault of Heaven cultivators, and stated in a deep voice, "I am Yao Pengzi from the Beast Spirit Sect. I request Brother Batu’er, one of the eighteen Fierce Stars of the Vault of Heaven Realm, to step forward. Several years ago, you killed a junior brother with whom I shared the deepest bond during a battle. Today, I will fight you here. After this match, regardless of victory, defeat, life, or death, all previous grievances will be nullified."

"I have killed too many cultivators in my time to recall which one was your junior brother. Save your breath and attack. Whether you can avenge your junior brother depends entirely on your own abilities," a lean cultivator dressed as a monk among the Vault of Heaven contingent stepped forward with a cold expression.

"Please!"

Yao Pengzi slapped the two Spirit Beast Pouches hanging at his waist, releasing two demonic beasts. One was a Fifth-Tier Striped Giant Demonic Tiger, over two zhang long, which roared while shaking its massive head and tail, its tiger eyes fixed fiercely on Batu’er, stirring up dust and pebbles. The other was a Fifth-Tier Demonic Roc, its wingspan exceeding three zhang, equipped with razor-sharp talons. It shrieked, circling in a vortex of air, and ascended into the sky.

Yao Pengzi himself quickly retreated backward, sheltering behind his two beasts, cautiously directing them to press the attack against Batu’er. The strength of the Beast Spirit Sect cultivators resided almost entirely in the spiritual beasts they controlled; otherwise, the cultivators themselves possessed minimal inherent strength, barely enough for self-preservation.

"Dual-Beast Master!" Batu’er’s expression flickered with surprise, and he became extremely cautious. The combined power of two Fifth-Tier demonic beasts was terrifying. Especially since the Giant Tiger and the Roc were both naturally strong beasts; a strike from a Fifth-Tier beast was enough to shatter ordinary low-tier magical artifacts.

He quickly opened his storage bag, tossing out a magical shovel and a Vajra Ring artifact. They materialized into two dazzling rays of light, forming a protective shield around him. Following this, his hands began executing a complex series of hand seals, apparently preparing to unleash a powerful spell.

"Attack!" Yao Pengzi would not allow Batu’er time to complete his incantation, immediately commanding his two Fifth-Tier demonic beasts to pounce decisively, attempting to forcibly breach Batu’er’s artifact defenses.

For a moment, light flared brilliantly, and loose stones flew wildly across the earthen slope.

This duel appeared evenly matched. The Demonic Roc and the Giant Tiger effectively suppressed Batu’er from both the ground and the air, preventing him from taking the time to cast more spells. However, defeating Batu’er proved equally difficult. Batu’er was exceptionally prudent, maintaining impenetrable defenses without leaving a single opening. He endured the relentless assault from the Tiger and the Roc, refusing to counterattack.

The observing cultivators from both sides were gradually growing restless.

Just as everyone felt the tedium setting in, Batu’er, after being pinned down for a considerable time, suddenly shot out a streak of cyan light toward the Demonic Roc in the sky—it was an oddly shaped, blue-green trident.

Yao Pengzi immediately sensed danger and tried to order the Roc to evade, but it was too late. The Roc was struck squarely by the cyan light, leaving a large, black hole in its wing. It immediately lost control of its flight, tumbling several times before spiraling crookedly toward the nearby thicket of rocks.

Ye Qin started in shock. Of all the places for the Roc to fall, it was heading directly toward his location. His expression changed slightly, and he moved away rapidly. He knew exposure was inevitable now, but he couldn't afford to worry about that any longer.

"Who's there!"

The Foundation Establishment cultivators were incredibly perceptive and immediately noticed the fleeting white shadow moving within the tangle of rocks.

Ye Qin dodged the falling Roc and landed in a sparse patch of woods, feeling somewhat awkward and helpless. He saw dozens of Foundation Establishment cultivators from both the Vault of Heaven and the Spirit Mist Realm staring fixedly at him from the earthen slope, seemingly astonished that he had managed to sneak so close to their battlefield undetected until now.

"A mere ordinary disciple from the Azure Elixir Sect, sneaking around to spy? What are you trying to achieve?" Qin Yan frowned, his expression showing clear disdain for Ye Qin’s apparent status.

The Fierce Stars of the Vault of Heaven and the top experts of the Spirit Mist Realm were engaged in a private reckoning to settle old scores. They certainly did not welcome irrelevant cultivators interfering. These gathered experts were all feeling perplexed and annoyed, some even contemplating moving to apprehend this audacious interloper.

However, since Huangfu Bing’er was also a cultivator of the Azure Elixir Sect, any action against one of her sect’s disciples would depend on her reaction. While they debated whether to expel Ye Qin, a scarred, ugly, muscular giant from the Vault of Heaven’s contingent suddenly pointed at Ye Qin and exclaimed in surprise, "Hey, isn't that you!"

"A’mu Meng, you know this person?" Wu Lihan asked curiously.

"Of course. Years ago, when I was on a mission in the Spirit Mist Grand Canyon, I encountered this individual, which led to the mission’s failure. This is one of the rare defeats I’ve suffered in all my missions." A’mu Meng recounted the incident from many years prior.

The Fierce Stars of the Vault of Heaven exchanged surprised glances. Yet, looking at Ye Qin’s attire and appearance, they found it hard to believe he could have defeated A’mu Meng. A’mu Meng’s strength was considered top-tier even among them, and very few could best him in a straightforward duel.

"A’mu Meng, this is the Azure Elixir cultivator who once repelled you? He looks like just an ordinary cultivator." "A’mu Meng, surely you haven't lost to a common Azure Elixir Sect disciple, have you? That would be disgraceful." The Fierce Stars whispered amongst themselves in confusion, even letting out strange chuckles.

Wu Lihan laughed loudly, "A’mu Meng, since you have history, why don’t you fight him next? Settle it here once and for all. If we head to the East Sea Archipelago later to join the Heavenly Dao Alliance, you won't get this chance."

"Forget it, the result will be the same." A’mu Meng seriously considered the proposal but shook his head. He was deeply frustrated. His cultivation style emphasized sheer ferocity, possessing the sharp, top-tier Vajra Subduing Demon Cudgel and the Vajra Purity Wheel, a Nascent Soul artifact. He was accustomed to sweeping aside enemies on the cultivation battlefield, virtually unstoppable, ranking within the top three or five of the eighteen Fierce Stars. However, fighting Ye Qin felt like landing heavy punches on cotton—having no effect. This was because Ye Qin refused direct confrontation, instead sending his Skeleton Demon to spew poisonous corpse mist in the front while using the Demonic Shadow Great Art to split into two, constantly harassing him from the periphery. Such tactics were pure torture for A’mu Meng. He knew well that another fight against Ye Qin would likely yield a similar outcome. Naturally, he was unwilling to engage, feeling a measure of apprehension instead.

The cultivators of the Spirit Mist Realm, on the other hand, were utterly bewildered, unable to comprehend the situation. Why were the Fierce Stars of the Vault of Heaven so shocked to see this ordinary disciple from the Azure Elixir Sect? Nevertheless, since this hidden ordinary cultivator was an Azure Elixir disciple, their actions depended on Huangfu Bing’er’s stance. Until Huangfu Bing’er spoke, no one dared to make a move.