The sixty-plus Golden Core cultivators from the Heavenly Dao Alliance and the Heavenly Demon Alliance, under the command of their leaders Yan Hao and Yu Weifeng, took turns fiercely attacking the single path leading into the Langya Secret Realm at the foot of the mountain. Ye Qin was also sent up to attack once by Yu Weifeng.

Naturally, he did not reveal any Nascent Soul artifacts or magic treasures, merely controlling several mid-grade magic tools to assail the sea demon Malix. As soon as his two mid-grade magic tools were destroyed, he retreated without hesitation, feigning defeat.

Given that more than half of the Golden Core cultivators had already been repelled by the sea demon Malix, Ye Qin’s defeat was entirely normal, and no one paid it any mind. Among this contingent of cultivators, the only purpose for a Golden Core cultivator like Ye Qin, whose “strength was comparatively low,” was to rapidly deplete the sea demon Malix’s stamina and exhaust its divine power. As Ye Qin retreated, he caught sight of Shi Hanyang signaling him from a distance.

He remembered his prior agreement with Shi Hanyang here to coordinate their actions. After a moment of contemplation, he wandered casually through the crowd of cultivators before positioning himself near Shi Hanyang.

“Brother Ye, how much longer do you think it will take us to blast open this passage and enter the Langya Secret Realm?” Shi Hanyang asked via private transmission, a faint smile playing on his lips. “Brother Shi, isn't that like asking the obvious? You can see it clearer than I can!”

Ye Qin’s expression was placid as he glanced around at the surrounding cultivators and replied, “The cultivators here are unwilling to use their true strength, which is dragging things out. However, with over sixty Golden Core cultivators, each taking a turn to attack, even if they don't exert their full power, showing even a fraction of their strength should be enough to wear down the sea demon Malix to death. When I fought that sea demon just now, I felt the force of its massive silver spear was somewhat weak, lacking real follow-through. I only held back from pressing the attack for fear it might erupt with its last reserves of divine power. I estimate the sea demon Malix won’t hold out much longer; it can probably sustain itself for another half an hour or so. You called me over for this, Brother Shi?” “Hardly.”

Shi Hanyang nodded, his smile vanishing. “This is the final barrier. Once past this passage, we enter the Langya Secret Realm. We should wait a moment. Once inside the Langya Secret Realm, if we are to seize the rare treasures, we must join forces. I have already arranged to cooperate with two other cultivators of considerable strength. Once we enter the Langya Secret Realm, the four of us will coordinate our actions to seize the treasures.” “Those two?” Ye Qin immediately inquired. “One of them is Brother Jiang Ling.” Shi Hanyang stated.

“Yu Ling?”

Ye Qin recognized the name Jiang Ling, and a flicker of surprise crossed his face. He was a fourth-layer Golden Core cultivator; his cultivation alone far surpassed that of the first and second-layer Golden Core cultivators present.

I heard he once ventured into the Sea of Blood, a tremendously perilous place bordering the territory of the Demon Race—a place few dared to visit, and fewer still managed to leave alive. Surviving that journey was proof of strength.

Having braved the Sea of Blood multiple times and retreated unscathed, his cultivation and seniority placed him among the absolute top-tier Golden Core cultivators in this group, certainly enough to overshadow the others, making him a prime target for recruitment and flattery. Brother Shi, how did you convince him to cooperate with you? Can he be trusted?” Ye Qin felt a mixture of astonishment and suspicion.

This was not an intentional doubt regarding Shi Hanyang’s veracity. Compared to Jiang Ling, Shi Hanyang’s first-layer Golden Core strength was unremarkable, lacking any particular distinction. It seemed illogical for Jiang Ling to choose him for collaboration. For a cultivator like Jiang Ling from the Heavenly Dao Alliance to join forces with Shi Hanyang from the Heavenly Demon Alliance was hard to believe. “Ha, you only know Jiang Ling is powerful, but you don't know his background.”

Shi Hanyang chuckled. “He is a cultivator who crossed over from the Central Lands over a hundred years ago. Although he joined the Immortal Palace of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, he mostly keeps to himself, training around the Eastern Sea. Among our group of sixty-plus cultivators, only he, ourselves, and one other person crossed the sea from the Central Lands; the rest grew up locally in the Eastern Sea. Since we all came from the Central Lands, I had known him for several years, so arranging cooperation was natural. Of course, there is another, more crucial reason. Jiang Ling intends to seize a rare treasure within the Langya Secret Realm, and precisely those two—Yan Hao and Yu Weifeng—also covet that very treasure. Jiang Ling cannot ally with those two immensely powerful cultivators; he must seek others he trusts. Despite the multitude of cultivators here, he trusts very few. Treasure hunting necessitates trust for collaboration; otherwise, a sudden backstab is something no one can endure. Thus, Jiang Ling and I quickly reached an agreement to act together.” “I see now.” Ye Qin finally understood. He did not ask what specific rare treasure Jiang Ling intended to claim, instead continuing, “And who is the other person?” “Zheng Chenghui, Zheng something—do you know him?” Shi Hanyang asked. “Zheng Chenghui.”

Ye Qin paused to recall the name, recognizing the cultivator. “He’s a third-layer Golden Core cultivator, quite well-known, his strength shouldn't be lacking. Is he also from the Central Lands?” “Correct. But I have no prior connection with Zheng Chenghui; he wasn't recruited by me, but by Jiang Ling. Zheng Chenghui possesses a partial scroll of the Langya Secret Realm Gazetteer, though where he got it is unknown. It is said this fragmented gazetteer records the precise locations of some high-tier spiritual objects within the Langya Secret Realm. He intends to use this information to ally with Jiang Ling for the treasure hunt. Jiang Ling agreed, so Brother Zheng joined us as well.”

Shi Hanyang explained, “With both of them joining, our chances of success in securing the treasure increase significantly. Brother Ye, if you join our action later, you certainly won't be short-changed on the benefits.”

Ye Qin glanced back toward Zhou Yao, Liao Xiaozhi, and the others in the distance, musing, “Joining you is fine, but I currently have a few other associates…” “You mean those Immortal Palace cultivators?”

Shi Hanyang looked in the direction Ye Qin was observing and frowned. “Once we enter the Langya Secret Realm and start seizing treasures, we might encounter Yan Hao and Yu Weifeng, and things could easily turn hostile. Are those Immortal Palace cultivators of yours willing to make a move against Yan Hao and Yu Weifeng?”

Ye Qin considered this, then shook his head. “I doubt they would dare. They are all cultivators born into the aristocratic families of the various Immortal Palaces; they have deep roots and much to lose. They might be willing to clash with ordinary Immortal Palace cultivators, but they absolutely would not provoke descendants of Sect Masters or Grand Elders like Yan Hao and Yu Weifeng, lest it implicate their families and invite disaster.”

“That’s true. When push comes to shove, they cannot be relied upon; we have to rely on ourselves. The few of us who came from the Central Lands are unattached wanderers, without family burdens, free to roam the Eastern Sea without constraints. Though I, Shi Hanyang, have joined the Immortal Palace of the Heavenly Demon Alliance, even if I leave the Palace, I can still cultivate in the Eastern Sea. If I offend the Heavenly Demon Alliance, I go to the Heavenly Dao Alliance’s territory. If I offend the Heavenly Dao Alliance, I go to the Heavenly Demon Alliance’s territory. If I manage to offend both major alliances, I’ll simply retreat to the Sea of Blood to cultivate. The Eastern Sea is vast with countless islands; where would I lack a place to stay?!”

Shi Hanyang laughed heartily. “Brother, if worst comes to worst and we are forced to sever ties with both the Heavenly Dao Alliance and the Heavenly Demon Alliance, the few of us could just raise our own banner, recruit some cultivators, and claim a stretch of the sea for ourselves!” “Let’s discuss that later.”

Ye Qin chuckled, implicitly agreeing to the cooperation. He knew clearly that if a real conflict erupted with Yan Hao, Yu Weifeng, and their cohorts, he and Huangfu Binger might have to flee to the Sea of Blood.

Following this, Ye Qin remembered one point and asked in a calm tone, “Brother Shi, which rare treasure are Yan Hao, Yu Weifeng, and Jiang Ling competing for? That way, I can prepare myself and avoid conflict among us.” “I won’t hide it from you, Brother. They are eyeing a spiritual object revered as the supreme relic by the Plundering Sea Tribe, one of the ten great tribes of the Earth Race… the Purple Nether Lotus.”

Shi Hanyang said thoughtfully, “Not only Jiang and Zheng, but I also have my eye on this object. I suspect every Golden Core cultivator who came here today has this item on their mind. However, the ones who genuinely dare to make a move are Yan Hao, descendant of the Grand Elder Yan, Yu Weifeng, descendant of the Sect Master Yu, and in addition, Jiang Ling, the most powerful Golden Core cultivator here. Most others are likely hesitant, having the will but lacking the means. If Jiang Ling hadn’t decided to act, I might not have dared to snatch this treasure from Yan and Yu.” “Purple Nether Lotus…” Ye Qin’s eyebrow twitched slightly, his mouth growing dry.

The reason he braved the immense danger to come here was precisely for this object. He hadn't expected the competition for this spiritual item to be so fierce, and every competitor to be so formidable. But then again, no matter how difficult it was, he had to seize it.

To prevent Bing’er from facing danger due to the imbalance in her Ice and Fire spiritual root potential, and to ensure she could safely break through the Nascent Soul bottleneck in the future, he was determined to acquire the Purple Nether Lotus, even if it meant offending Yan Hao and Yu Weifeng and risking the wrath of both the Heavenly Dao Alliance and the Heavenly Demon Alliance. “Brother Ye, do you know the heaven-defying properties of the Purple Nether Lotus?” Shi Hanyang asked with a smile.

“Of course. The Purple Nether Lotus can yield a five-colored lotus seed—Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, or Earth—every five thousand years, or the even rarer variant, the Wind, Ice, or Thunder lotus seed. These seeds can be refined into the heaven-defying Spiritual Root Potential Pill; each pill can increase one's spiritual root potential by one point, greatly benefiting cultivation speed…”

Ye Qin stated calmly. This was common knowledge among all Golden Core cultivators; he had no need to conceal it. However, as an Alchemist, he was more aware than most Golden Core cultivators of the true utility of the Purple Nether Lotus.

“Ah, I almost forgot, you are a disciple of the Azure Pill. You must know the marvels of the Purple Nether Lotus better than I do, and certainly its use in elixirs. Tell me, is this object worth turning against Yan Hao and Yu Weifeng?” Shi Hanyang laughed when Ye Qin recited the details so smoothly.

“Heh, absolutely. A single Spiritual Root Potential Pill coming to the market is enough to drive Nascent Soul cultivators to desperate measures; it is only natural for us mere Golden Core cultivators to fight tooth and nail over it. Furthermore, none of the four of us have powerful families to worry about, so we can fight without restraint. If we stir up trouble, the worst that happens is we flee, wait out the storm, and no one will remember us.” Ye Qin smiled faintly.