The sky above the isle stunned every Foundation Establishment cultivator encircling the fight; the duel unfolded too rapidly for them to savor any detail; in a blink, before they grasped what was happening, the outcome was decided.

It was supposed to be Young Palace Master Li of Star Bamboo Palace and Third Young Master Wu of Golden Armor Palace who sought to kill the mysterious man, yet in the next instant, Third Young Master Wu had destroyed Young Palace Master Li’s physical body with a single sword strike. If Li had not cultivated a secret art allowing his primordial spirit to escape in a crisis, even his spirit might have been annihilated on the spot.

In duels between cultivators, true accidents resulting in collateral damage are exceedingly rare.

They all knew that long-standing grudges festered between high-ranking disciples of the Heavenly Dao Alliance and the Heavenly Demon Alliance—hatred so intense they wished each other dead. It was perfectly normal. Therefore, the most probable scenario for this fight was that Third Young Master Wu had intended to kill Young Palace Master Li all along, seizing the moment Li let down his guard to strike.

Even the few Golden Garb cultivators from Golden Armor Palace shared this unsettling feeling, their expressions horrified, their hearts sinking. Third Young Master has gone too far this time. This wasn't a private brawl where a death could be quietly covered up; no one could assign blame if it remained secret. But this was a semi-public duel, witnessed by so many cultivators—how could he strike so brazenly?

Finally, a strained voice broke the silence among the onlookers.

"Third Young Master Wu of Golden Armor Palace has destroyed the physical body of Young Palace Master Li of Star Bamboo Palace."

"The feud between Golden Armor Palace of the Heavenly Dao Alliance and Star Bamboo Palace of the Heavenly Demon Alliance has just escalated massively."

"Run!"

They exchanged wide-eyed glances, swallowed hard, all appetite for spectating gone. Suddenly, like a startled flock of birds, they exploded into hundreds of streaks of light, scattering across the sea in panicked flight. Should the two palaces clash, they, the small fry watching the show, would be the first caught in the crossfire.

Not a single one of them knew Ye Qin, so they had no name to call out. In their frantic discussion, Ye Qin’s name never surfaced. They only knew the renowned Foundation Establishment cultivators, Young Palace Master Li and Third Young Master Wu.

The one whose body was destroyed was the Young Palace Master of Star Bamboo Palace, the only remaining bloodline of Ancestor Li of Star Bamboo Palace. Even if Li Shuwen’s primordial spirit manages to possess a new body, the pure lineage of the Li family can never be continued.

Who among them wished to linger here and risk their lives?

Ye Qin pulled the momentarily stunned Huangfu Bing'er along, merging into the fleeing crowd of onlookers and rocketing away.

With Li Shuwen’s body destroyed, his retinue of subordinates dressed in dark green and black were gripped by extreme terror. They dared not return to Immortal Que City, instead fleeing in another direction, resolved to vanish completely and bury their names. The Ancestor’s wrath would surely fall upon them, these low-level disciples who failed to protect the Young Palace Master—anger potent enough to burn them to ash. They had no desire to return and court death.

Even the Golden Garb subordinates accompanying Wu Yuyue panicked and fled alongside them.

In the time it took to kill, every cultivator who had been gathered in the sky above the isle had vanished.

Li Shuwen’s crimson Demon Slaying Divine Spear fell upon the island’s peak, sticking upright into a large rock. Not a soul dared approach it; it bore the residual aura of a Nascent Soul Ancestor! Whoever dared to touch it courted death.

Wu Yuyue, gripping the immensely heavy Vast Firmament Sword in his right hand, stared blankly at the hundreds of square miles of empty, azure ocean surrounding him. "No, I didn't kill him—it has nothing to do with me!"

But who was left to listen?

Half a day later, hundreds of miles away.

Ye Qin rode a low-grade Metal-element flying sword, soaring through the air, his face retaining its usual calm expression.

Huangfu Bing'er, veiled by a thin layer of gossamer gauze, gazed at Ye Lang. Her eyes, clear as deep pools, held a greater haziness than usual, and her delicate, rosy lips were stained a seductive crimson. A faint smile touched her exquisitely beautiful features as she gently nestled into Ye Qin’s embrace.

"That venomous sound Li Shuwen made as he left—he must hate Wu Yuyue to the bone. A feud involving the destruction of his body and the termination of his line means Star Bamboo Palace and Golden Armor Palace will never let this rest easily. Alas, the Eastern Sea Isles are about to see more turmoil. For now, the storm doesn't seem to be aimed at us."

Ye Qin remarked slowly, with a hint of teasing amusement.

"Endure."

Although Huangfu Bing'er felt a flicker of worry, her face was alight with excitement. She had tolerated Li Shuwen previously to avoid trouble. Now that Ye Qin had destroyed the Young Palace Master’s body during the fight, she couldn't help but feel pleased.

"However, we still need to keep a low profile and avoid getting caught in the fallout. Let's find a quiet place for secluded cultivation until we form our Core. Once years have passed and the dust settles, we can re-emerge. Junior Brother Ye, how did you manage to get Wu Yuyue to suddenly kill Li Shuwen?"

Huangfu Bing'er was curious. Ye Qin wouldn't challenge both Li Shuwen and Wu Yuyue without reason; she didn't believe it was merely an accident.

Ye Qin chuckled, and as he spoke, three small primordial spirit magical artifacts, each only a few inches long, floated from his mouth.

"This is the immortal scripture left by the Purple Sword Divine Lord, one of the Eight Ancient Cultivators of the Spirit Mist Realm. It includes a complete set of artifact refining and sword formation techniques. The Purple Jade Ancient Scrolls, Upper Volume, contains five primordial spirit artifacts corresponding to Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, which can form the 'Great Five Elements Sword Array.' The Lower Volume details the 'Ice Wind Thunder Three Oddities Sword Array.' When both arrays merge, they form the 'Eight Trigrams Demon Sealing Sword Array.' These three primordial spirit artifacts—the Southern Bright Fire Sword, the Golden Crow Blast-Rift Sword, and the Celestial Silk Sound Sword—are used to constitute the Great Five Elements Sword Array."

Huangfu Bing'er waved her hand, taking the three small primordial spirit artifacts to examine them playfully.

Each tiny sword possessed unique characteristics.

The purple, fire-element flying sword was clearly forged from ten-thousand-year purple crystal mined from the lava river in Ten Thousand Barren Ridge; it felt intensely hot in her hand.

The Golden Crow-hued, metal-element flying sword was dazzlingly bright.

And the verdant, bamboo-like flying sword emitted a soul-stirring celestial note when she flicked it lightly.

Huangfu Bing'er gasped, suddenly understanding. The blinding golden light and the sudden, enchanting celestial music that erupted during the duel must have been caused by these two primordial spirit artifacts.

Ye Qin smiled faintly.

He now possessed only three primordial spirit artifacts, yet he was already superior to most Foundation Establishment cultivators. It seemed Purple Sword Divine Lord’s boasting wasn't exaggerated: the power of this artifact set was dominant—the Great Five Elements Sword Array, invincible at the Foundation Establishment stage; the Three Oddities Sword Array, invincible at the Core Formation stage; and the Eight Trigrams Sword Array could even contend with early Nascent Soul cultivators.

This set of primordial spirit artifacts created by the Purple Sword Divine Lord was truly monstrous.

No Foundation Establishment cultivator could possibly forge five primordial spirit artifacts simultaneously.

Not to mention the immense quantity and exorbitant cost of the top-grade raw materials and rare primordial essences required—enough to bankrupt a major cultivation family.

Even if one somehow acquired the materials, a Foundation Establishment cultivator could not refine them; only Core Formation cultivators stood a chance.

And even after forging them, the vital energy required just to nurture five primordial spirit artifacts would likely make a ninth-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator spit blood.

The consumption of Dharma power needed to wield them was equally terrifying. With his current reserves, even if Ye Qin possessed all five top-grade artifacts, he might not be able to unleash their full potential.

Only a cultivator like Ye Qin, who cultivated his own spirit herbs and refined his own pills, possessed the wealth to gather the raw materials and the spiritual elixirs needed to convert into vital energy to nourish them daily, steadily enhancing their power. For the vast majority of Foundation Establishment cultivators, these requirements were unimaginable.

"Junior Brother Ye, where shall we go now?"

Huangfu Bing'er handed the three primordial spirit artifacts back to Ye Qin after playing with them for a while, her voice soft.

Ye Qin put the artifacts away and unrolled the map scroll of the Eastern Sea Isles, studying it for a moment.

"The conflict between Golden Armor Palace and Star Bamboo Palace is likely to last a while. Wu Yuyue might come looking for trouble. We cannot stay in the Central Isles region for the time being. We’ll leave this place and head to the Northern Isles to find an island where I can form my Core."

"The Northern Isles are the domain of the Heavenly Dao Alliance; the Heavenly Demon Alliance forces cannot extend their reach there. Moreover, many of our fellow disciples from the Spirit Mist Realm are stationed there, and several Core Formation uncles and masters from the Azure Pill Sect are also there. If Ancestor Liu Wang hadn't arranged for me to join Water Cloud Palace, I would likely be in the Northern Isles now. Going there now offers us some support."

Huangfu Bing'er nodded.

Ye Qin shifted his flying sword, and the two of them sped rapidly toward the Northern Isles.

"Huh! Little Brother, why are you here?"

Just as Ye Qin was about to accelerate their departure, three high-level Foundation Establishment cultivators flew past on their artifacts from nearby. A surprised, rough voice called out from among them.

Ye Qin looked over at them, paused in surprise, and slowed down. "Fellow Daoists, where are you headed?" He recognized these three; he had met them once in Immortal Que City when they were recruiting members in the small plaza to hunt demonic beasts at sea. They were acquaintances.

The leader was the burly man with a green robe and a short, grizzled beard. Beside him was an elegant young man in white robes, holding a feather fan with a touch of arrogance. The last was a dignified and reserved woman in red robes. All three were high-level Foundation Establishment cultivators, ranging from the seventh to the ninth layer. The bearded man possessed the highest cultivation.

"Alas, don't mention it. A few days ago in Immortal Que City, we couldn't recruit suitable cultivators after half a day. The three of us had to go hunt that sixth-tier One-Horned Golden Scale Beast ourselves. But we were a step too late, and it escaped. We’ve been searching the nearby areas ever since, but haven't found a trace of it. If we had known, we should have called you, Brother, to hunt the beast together; the Golden Scale Beast would likely be ours by now."

The bearded man shook his head regretfully.

"I see, a pity indeed. I am Ye Qin; I haven't yet asked for your esteemed names?" Ye Qin was amused and frustrated. These people were quite simple-minded, still obsessing over that Golden Scale Beast.

"Oh, blast, I almost forgot. I am Wei Dayuan, drifting around the Eastern Sea Isles for decades. Little Brother can just call me Brother Wei." The bearded man quickly stated.

"This junior is Su Tong, greeting Brother Ye," the woman in red said with a gentle smile. Her eyes flickered with an intriguing light as she glanced with surprise at Huangfu Bing'er beside Ye Qin.

"Zhu Tiannan of the Heavenly Dao Alliance. It seems the Eastern Sea is truly small. I never expected to meet Brother Ye again." The white-robed man fanned himself arrogantly before offering a perfunctory salute. Despite Ye Qin being at the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment, one layer above him, his shabby appearance meant Zhu Tiannan didn't truly respect him.

However, when his gaze inadvertently fell upon the peerlessly graceful woman beside Ye Qin, he instantly froze, forgetting even to shake his fan. He stammered, captivated, "And who is this lady?"