Ye Qin, a wisp of a smile playing on his lips, held a dark sphere and a Burst Talisman, deftly blocking Island Master Zhao. The three cultivators—Ye Qin, Island Master Zhao, and Island Master Wang—were locked in a tense, momentary standoff near Fan Shanjiao Reef. Meanwhile, the Golden Core Skeleton Demon remained perched atop the reef, head tilted back, ravenously inhaling the lingering black miasma.
Yet, among the trio, Ye Qin was undeniably the most anxious.
His power was insufficient; his brave move to intercept Island Master Zhao was purely a gambit to stall for time, waiting for the Skeleton Demon to completely absorb the residual dark energy from the surrounding sea. This black gas was an incredibly precious form of death energy for the demon.
Ye Qin watched the two Golden Core Island Masters with sharp vigilance, rapidly calculating his next move.
Once the Golden Core Skeleton Demon finished drawing in the black energy and recovered its vitality, Ye Qin would hold the initiative: whether to stay and engage Island Master Zhao in a magical duel, or simply slip away from Glazed Island.
Island Master Zhao’s face darkened completely, his gaze brimming with fury. The situation had become unexpectedly complicated; Island Master Wang and Ye Qin had actually joined forces against him. Prior to this day, he had never considered Ye Qin a threat. But with this Golden Core Skeleton Demon at his disposal, Ye Qin suddenly became a pivotal factor. If those two succeeded, how could he maintain his firm grip as the Great Island Master of Glazed Island?
His eyes flickered rapidly between Island Master Wang and Ye Qin.
Killing Island Master Wang quickly would be nearly impossible. He and Wang had struggled on Glazed Island for nearly a century without gaining the upper hand. But eliminating Ye Qin, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, was far easier.
Island Master Zhao hardened his resolve; Ye Qin had to die. He had initially hoped to keep Ye Qin alive, leveraging his peerless alchemy skills to refine high-tier elixirs, which was why he hesitated to strike. But now, this man’s existence threatened to topple his position as the Great Island Master—he had no choice but to act.
“Nephew Ye, this old man grants you one last chance. Leave immediately, and I will pretend none of this ever happened. Otherwise…” Island Master Zhao spoke slowly.
Mid-sentence, he suddenly flung up his hand. A shaft of golden light shot out from his sleeve. A vast, overwhelming tide of gold instantly surged forth, sweeping towards Ye Qin with astonishing momentum.
Ye Qin instantly sensed the surging killing intent from Island Master Zhao. With a sharp intake of breath, he crushed the Burst Talisman in his hand without a second thought.
“BOOM!”
Instantly, the hovering dark sphere—the Heavenly Fire Black Thunder—erupted. A bolt of inky lightning lashed out, targeting the nearest threat: Island Master Zhao.
“He really is willing to use such a treasure!”
Island Master Zhao cursed inwardly, furious, and quickly commanded the golden light to redirect, intercepting the ferocious black lightning.
This Black Thunder was immensely violent, its power rivaling a minor Heavenly Tribulation. There was no dodging it; it had to be met head-on with a magic artifact. Even with Island Master Zhao’s Golden Core strength, warding it off with a top-tier Metal-element artifact caused him to be jolted back over sixty feet. When the Black Thunder struck the golden light, the light revealed its true form: a Golden Sword magic artifact. The blade was peppered with dents and gashes, utterly ruined.
Island Master Zhao discarded the useless top-tier Metal Sword without hesitation. This was merely a probing attack; having forced Ye Qin to expend his coveted Black Thunder treasure, the artifact had served its purpose.
Three streaks of blue, howling light shot from his sleeve—three top-tier Water-element flying swords—transforming into colossal swords over thirty feet long. They burst forth with terrifying blue radiance, assaulting Ye Qin with the fierce momentum of thunder and lightning.
“Brat, give me your life!”
Such savage aggression made Ye Qin’s heart clench.
“Island Master Zhao, bullying a junior with such arrogance is an unpleasant sight! Nephew Ye, hurry and take control of your Golden Core Skeleton Demon, and let us deal with this Island Master Zhao together.”
In the brief moment of delay, Island Master Wang let out a cold cackle and lunged forward. He too tossed out several top-tier artifacts, engaging Island Master Zhao and clearly intending to disrupt the proceedings and prevent Zhao from realizing his goal.
Island Master Zhao was enraged but forced to parry Island Master Wang’s attacks. Yet, he knew he had to eliminate Ye Qin, regardless of the cost, before turning back to Wang. Otherwise, if Ye Qin escaped and commanded the Golden Core Skeleton Demon against him, the trouble would multiply.
A rapid symphony of clashing artifacts echoed in the air.
Island Master Zhao used his artifacts to block Wang, but he never forgot Ye Qin. His mouth opened, and a curved yellow blade shot out, transforming into an unparalleled, shocking rainbow aimed straight at Ye Qin. The spiritual power contained within this yellow rainbow was easily ten times greater than that of the previous top-tier artifacts.
“Yellow Moon Profound Blade!”
Island Master Wang started, crying out involuntarily. To kill that brat, Island Master Zhao was actually deploying his ultimate Soul Artifact. Zhao rarely used this Soul Artifact even when fighting against Wang himself.
Ye Qin was utterly aghast. He frantically summoned three of his own Soul Artifacts—a trio of dazzling Spirit Swords composed of flame, golden light, and emerald radiance—to guard his front, while simultaneously retreating, landing back onto the Fan Shanjiao Reef.
The Golden Core Skeleton Demon had already absorbed the vast majority of the black energy within a ten-mile radius of the reef, with only a small amount remaining. At this point, the Skeleton Demon had regained a considerable portion of its strength.
Ye Qin no longer cared about the subtlety. He used his divine sense to command the Skeleton Demon, urging it to intercept Island Master Zhao’s artifact attacks as the Yellow Moon Profound Blade sliced toward him.
The Golden Crow Wave-Piercing Sword took the lead, followed closely by the Southern Bright Flame Sword, with the Heavenly Sound Silk Flute Sword bringing up the rear.
Ye Qin poured his spiritual power into them with all his might. The three Soul Artifacts blazed brightly, meeting the Yellow Moon Profound Blade head-on.
“Clang!” The Golden Crow Wave-Piercing Sword was knocked aside. “Clang!” The Southern Bright Flame Sword was repelled. “Clang!” The Heavenly Sound Silk Flute Sword was sent flying. The three Soul Artifacts were struck down sequentially, their light rapidly dimming. However, they had successfully blocked the Yellow Moon Profound Blade three times without sustaining any damage. As soon as one was batted away, Ye Qin immediately recalled it to resume the defense.
Though the Yellow Moon Profound Blade continuously forced its way closer to Ye Qin, its advance was significantly delayed.
Ye Qin endured the pressure with immense difficulty; in blocking the Profound Blade, he had expended nearly half his internal spiritual power.
Island Master Zhao and Island Master Wang, locked in their aerial battle, were no less shocked than Ye Qin.
They suddenly realized they had drastically underestimated Ye Qin’s capabilities. For a Golden Core cultivator, acquiring the raw materials and refining a Soul Artifact was no simple feat, let alone for a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator. For Ye Qin to possess three such Soul Artifacts, spanning Metal, Fire, and Wood elements, was astonishing. They even secretly felt relieved that Ye Qin wasn't a Golden Core cultivator, as he would undoubtedly be an overwhelmingly troublesome opponent then.
Ye Qin strained his spiritual power to maintain the defense of the three Soul Artifacts against the Yellow Moon Profound Blade, while his divine sense was fully occupied commanding the Skeleton Demon.
The Golden Core Skeleton Demon did not immediately obey his directive; it continued to absorb the black energy.
Ye Qin was startled to discover that since becoming a Golden Core entity, the Skeleton Demon’s divine sense had dramatically increased, projecting an aura of independent, volatile consciousness that brazenly rejected his commands.
However, deep within the Golden Core Skeleton Demon’s mind, another thread of subservient consciousness remained—the loyalty forged over more than a decade of servitude to him. This thread of memory persisted.
These two residual consciousnesses clashed fiercely within its skull.
Ye Qin recognized the struggle instantly and flooded his spiritual power and divine sense into the demon, forcefully suppressing and cleansing the volatile consciousness. Under his intense pressure, the other, obedient consciousness rapidly gained dominance, and the demon was finally subdued.
Ye Qin let out a small sigh of relief.
Fortunately, he had spent over a decade controlling the demon; otherwise, this Golden Core Skeleton Demon would have been completely uncontrollable. The Skeleton Demon fixed its gaze on Island Master Zhao, revealing a savage gleam in its eye, and spewed forth a stream of viscous, foul-smelling black fluid, shooting it toward the Yellow Moon Profound Blade in the air. With a splat, the black liquid struck the outer layer of light surrounding the Profound Blade. Hissing sounds followed as the blade’s luminescence rapidly dimmed, its spiritual power draining away. In moments, the black fluid threatened to breach the shield and stain the Soul Artifact itself.
“Corpse Ichor!”
Island Master Zhao was deeply alarmed. Chanting an incantation, he frantically recalled the Yellow Moon Profound Blade. This vile Corpse Ichor from the Golden Core Skeleton Demon could even corrode his Soul Artifact. Cultivating a Soul Artifact was a painstaking endeavor, often spanning a century or more. If the artifact was damaged, his combat strength would immediately plummet.
Island Master Wang was equally stunned. He hadn't anticipated that Ye Qin and the Golden Core Skeleton Demon could actually withstand Zhao’s assault. Although he was tying up Zhao, preventing him from deploying his full power against Ye Qin, Ye Qin achieving this level of defense was extraordinary nonetheless.
Perhaps, if he and Ye Qin truly allied, they actually stood a chance of defeating Island Master Zhao.
This opportunity could not be missed. With that thought, Island Master Wang held nothing back. “Green Howl Spear!” he roared, and a green, spear-shaped Soul Artifact shot out. Bathed in emerald light and stretching dozens of feet, it hammered towards Island Master Zhao’s unprotected back.
The Golden Core Skeleton Demon sprayed several more thick streams of black fluid toward Island Master Zhao. This Corpse Ichor, condensed from poisonous corpse fog, was not the demon’s essential core fluid; spewing a large amount did not significantly harm it. These liquids splashed against Zhao’s protective barrier, rapidly depleting his spiritual power.
Meanwhile, Ye Qin, though his face was pale, manipulated his three Soul Artifacts to press the attack fully, deliberately targeting Zhao’s weak points. Though his own strikes were weak, they further drained Zhao’s dwindling spiritual reserves.
The two men and the one skeleton demon pressed their furious assault on Island Master Zhao, their various artifact lights dazzling.
Island Master Zhao was both shocked and enraged, a chill creeping into his heart; he felt utterly overwhelmed. The Skeleton Demon’s Corpse Ichor, in particular, gave him a massive headache, something he dared not touch. At this rate, he would surely have his spiritual power exhausted sooner or later. To be brought low by Island Master Wang and a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator—that was too cruel a joke.
Island Master Zhao’s mind wavered; he contemplated fleeing back to Great Glazed Island to gather his subordinate cultivators for a counter-attack later.
Suddenly, Ye Qin’s Heavenly Sound Silk Flute Sword resonated with a celestial chime that seemed to come from beyond the heavens. Island Master Zhao’s consciousness plunged into a momentary fugue. Island Master Wang’s Green Howl Spear struck like lightning, piercing his protective barrier and burying itself into his shoulder, tearing away flesh and blood.
“Ah!”
Island Master Zhao cried out in pain, snapping back to awareness. He spun violently, transforming into a streak of light, and fled desperately toward Great Glazed Island.