My brother Zheng and I have always carried Vial Essence Scent Paste on our long voyages hunting sea beasts. I possess a piece of high-grade Jiao Saliva Scent Paste myself—a Rank Seven quality, which cost me tens of thousands of low-grade spirit stones to acquire. It is capable of making a Rank Six late-stage Foundation Establishment demonic beast fall into a stupor.

Jiang Ling stated calmly, "The piece Yan Hao used just now was clearly a Rank Ten supreme-grade Jiao Saliva Scent Paste; only that could render the Rank Nine late-stage Golden Core Xuan Gui completely unconscious."

He paused, then continued,

"However, that is not the crux of the issue. The most critical point is that one can only obtain Rank Ten Jiao Dan Scent Paste by slaying a Rank Ten Nascent Soul-level Xiang Jiao. And Rank Ten Xiang Jiao can already manifest human form and become members of the Demon Race—cultivators. Once the Demon Race transforms, they possess innate talents, their intelligence soars, and their strength becomes terrifyingly immense. Only Nascent Soul cultivators can contend with them. Note, only contend. To slay a demon cultivator, one's strength must far surpass that of the demon. Ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators can, at best, contend with or injure a demon cultivator, but find it difficult to kill them. Only a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator has the absolute certainty to slay an early-stage Demon Race cultivator and prevent their escape. Only by killing an early-stage Nascent Soul Demon Race Xiang Jiao cultivator can one acquire this supreme Rank Ten Jiao Dan Scent Paste. The rarity of this Rank Ten Jiao Dan Scent Paste can thus be imagined. It seems Headman Yan must have slain a Xiang Jiao cultivator for Yan Hao to possess this Rank Ten Jiao Saliva Scent Paste."

Jiang Ling’s expression was not good as he finished speaking. He had ventured into the Sea of Blood several times and had inadvertently witnessed a battle between a demon cultivator and a Nascent Soul cultivator. The scene was earth-shattering; the sea surface spanning hundreds of miles was churned into chaos, affecting countless sea beasts. He dared not watch, fleeing in panic far from the battlefield just to escape the Sea of Blood alive. Naturally, he was acutely aware of the strength of demon cultivators.

"No wonder Yan Hao could put a nine-rank Xuan Gui, which is so tall, to sleep with just a tiny piece of Rank Ten Jiao Saliva Scent Paste." Ye Qin finally understood why Jiang Ling and the others were so familiar with Yan Hao's dark red paste, yet their expressions were so strange.

After waiting a short while, the Xuan Gui, having inhaled a large amount of the Jiao Saliva Scent Paste mist, blinked sleepily, retreated into its shell, and fell completely into a deep slumber. Inside the cavern, the Golden Core cultivators present breathed a collective sigh of relief, knowing that the greatest threat within the Nine-Bend Stone Cave had finally been neutralized. Jiang Ling did not stop Yan Hao. In reality, he too was helpless against that nine-rank Xuan Gui. But this Xuan Gui's shell defense was excessively strong, it mastered water-elemental spells, and it could command the mysterious black water within this cold pond. Attempting to seize the Ziyou Lotus from its grasp seemed incredibly thorny just thinking about it; he had no idea how to kill it. Since Yan Hao could subdue the Xuan Gui with Rank Ten Jiao Saliva Scent Paste, Jiang Ling chose to observe quietly, making no move to intervene. Of course, among the eight Golden Core cultivators inside the cavern, none were foolish enough to attempt capturing the sleeping nine-rank Xuan Gui. Demonic beasts subdued by Jiao Saliva Scent Paste have a time limit, lasting roughly several hours. If one were to capture it and wake it up, even a top-grade magic tool could not hold the late-stage Golden Core Xuan Gui; it would be smashed open. They had little certainty of successfully restraining the Xuan Gui. Moreover, their primary goal in this Nine-Bend Stone Cave was the Ziyou Lotus, not this Xuan Gui. As long as they were not obstructed by the Xuan Gui, harvesting the Ziyou Lotus would be a simple matter. The next item on the agenda was dealing with the opposing team of cultivators.

Yan Hao’s expression was grim, his gaze coldly fixed on Jiang Ling and the few Golden Core cultivators guarding the cave entrance, his anger surging, and his killing intent growing increasingly fervent. "Jiang Ling, don't think you can benefit from me and the Xuan Gui mutually debilitating each other! Not a chance! My strength is completely intact now. You few get out of the Nine-Bend Cave right now, go as far away as possible, or don't blame me for showing no mercy." With the threat of the Xuan Gui gone, and no danger of a pincer attack, Yan Hao no longer needed to compromise. He instantly reverted to his arrogant and overbearing self, even issuing direct commands. "Brother Yan, they blocked the entrance earlier, nearly costing us our lives. If it weren't for your Rank Ten Jiao Saliva Scent Paste putting the Xuan Gui to sleep, we still wouldn't know how this would end. We can't let them leave; we should just kill them! They made the first move to frame us; even if the Heavenly Dao Alliance found out, they couldn't say anything," the scarred cultivator shouted, pointing his flying sword aggressively at Jiang Ling. "Exactly, let's kill them all to quench our anger," two other Heavenly Demon Alliance Golden Core cultivators echoed, fire blazing in their eyes, spitting out their most potent Soul Artifacts, ready for battle. "Shameless! You were the ones who took advantage of the situation to try and steal the spiritual treasure we were about to obtain. Otherwise, why would we fight you?" Zheng Chenghui immediately responded with agitation. Inside the cavern, the eight Golden Core cultivators confronted each other, swords drawn, the atmosphere incredibly tense. Due to past grievances, the enmity between the two groups had become irreconcilable; a bloody slaughter over the Ziyou Lotus seemed almost inevitable.

Yan Hao fell silent for a moment. He had reservations and did not immediately attack Jiang Ling, instead shouting sharply, "Jiang Ling, don't assume you are stronger than me just because you are a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator. You are no match for me, and you can't win against me. If you know what's good for you, leave this place, don't force me to kill you!" "Hmph, we saw the Ziyou Lotus in this cave first. Your group barging in to steal it was already unjustified. Since you insist on fighting for it, this Daoist priest also wishes to see what marvelous abilities the descendant of Headman Yan possesses that allow him to kill a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator like myself!" Jiang Ling’s face also darkened. The Azure and Blue Soul Artifacts floating beside him erupted with astonishing, brilliant light, bathing the entire cave in dazzling radiance. Ye Qin, Zheng Chenghui, Shi Hanyang, and the others understood that Jiang Ling was preparing for a hard fight against Yan Hao. They remained silent, merely piloting their respective magic tools and spirit beasts, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Jiang Ling, their expressions icy as they looked towards Yan Hao’s group. While Yan Hao’s group was entangled with the Xuan Gui, their vital energies had largely recovered. Judging solely by the cultivation levels, magic tools, and spirit beasts displayed so far, Jiang Ling's team of four Golden Core cultivators was clearly superior to Yan Hao’s team of four. However, these eight Golden Core cultivators had, to varying degrees, not yet revealed their trump cards—their hidden killing moves or ultimate treasures—which they planned to unleash at the critical moment to strike a fatal blow against the enemy. Therefore, it couldn't be definitively said that Jiang Ling’s side would win. Especially for a cultivator like Yan Hao, whose background was incredibly noble—descendant of the Great Immortal Palace and one of the five great leaders of the Heavenly Demon Alliance—he certainly possessed ultimate killing weapons.

Yan Hao snorted, sweeping his gaze over the magic tools and four spirit beasts belonging to Jiang Ling, Ye Qin, Zheng Chenghui, and Shi Hanyang. "So little strength, yet you dare to court death by fighting me! Very well, I shall oblige you!" With that, he slapped his storage pouch, and a magic tool emitting a haunting dark luster soared into the air, hovering in the middle of the cave. It was an ancient mirror, its surface seemingly coated with a layer of dust, simple and unassuming. Inscribed along the rim of the mirror were a few small characters: "Xun Lei Ancient Mirror." Yet, as it hovered in mid-air, a faint sound of thunder could be heard emanating from within the mirror, with sparks of lightning flashing momentarily within its depths. Strands of majestic and fierce aura leaked out from the mirror, pressing down upon the assembled cultivators. "You all stand back; I alone am enough to handle them!" Yan Hao flew into mid-air, controlling the ancient mirror with one hand, his head held high with arrogance, looking down upon Jiang Ling and the others on the ground as if they were already dead men. The Heavenly Demon Alliance Golden Core cultivators accompanying Yan Hao quickly retreated behind him, filled with astonishment and awe toward the magic mirror. They knew Yan Hao carried a devastatingly powerful artifact, but he had kept it extremely secret; they didn't know what it was. Now, they finally saw the true form of this artifact. "Xun Lei Ancient Mirror!" "Lesser Divine Ability Ancient Artifact!" "The magic tool once used by the Ancient Nascent Soul cultivator 'Divine Monarch Xun Lei'!" Jiang Ling and Zheng Chenghui, along with the three Golden Core cultivators allied with Yan Hao, cried out in horror upon seeing the ancient mirror. Although they had never seen this mirror before, they knew of its existence. Seeing the small inscription on the mirror, how could they not recognize its origin?

Ye Qin felt a surge of nervousness. He could already sense the aura leaking from the ancient mirror—an aura of extreme danger. He was unsure of the true power of this Lesser Divine Ability Ancient Artifact. However, Yan Hao’s domineering and dismissive tone was enough to indicate just how extraordinary this Xun Lei Ancient Mirror, once used by an Ancient Nascent Soul cultivator, truly was. He turned to look at Jiang Ling and Zheng Chenghui; both were pale with dread, showing even greater fear than when facing the Xuan Gui controlling the black water. Ye Qin felt immense apprehension, gazing deeply at the Xun Lei Ancient Mirror, his hand quietly resting on the storage pouch at his waist. "How is this possible! A Lesser Divine Ability Ancient Artifact—even the Great Immortal Palaces of the East Sea consider them their ultimate treasures and would never allow them to be taken away easily. Furthermore, Lesser Divine Ability Ancient Artifacts must be wielded by Nascent Soul cultivators; Golden Core cultivators simply lack the sufficient spiritual power to control them. How could Headman Yan bestow a Lesser Divine Ability Artifact upon an early-stage Golden Core cultivator?!" Jiang Ling exclaimed in shock, staring intently at the ancient mirror suspended in the air, completely unable to comprehend. Based on his previous estimations, Yan Hao certainly possessed several Soul Artifacts or rare profound treasures. Engaging Yan Hao in combat would certainly be a bloody battle, and his chance of defeating Yan Hao would exceed fifty percent. Once the chance surpassed fifty percent, he would have enough confidence to act. But now, Yan Hao produced a Lesser Divine Ability Ancient Artifact, completely shattering his hopes of seizing the Ziyou Lotus. His possibility of defeating Yan Hao plummeted from fifty percent to less than ten percent. [Ti: Dear readers, the current chapter has reached the last page of this book]