"A minor Divine Ability ancient artifact is nothing to the Lingxiao Palace, one of the five great giant Immortal Palaces of my Heavenly Demon Alliance. The Ancestor has already sealed the majority of this artifact's power, so I, a Golden Core cultivator, can certainly use it. I was originally saving this minor Divine Ability artifact to find an opportunity to contend with Yu Weifeng. Since you all today have carelessly sought death by fighting me for the Ziyou Lotus, then I shall grant your wish and make sure all your souls are utterly annihilated!" Yan Hao sneered with arrogant disdain.

Then, with a sudden roar, the Golden Core in his Dantian erupted with an incomparably dazzling brilliance. A mass of the purest vital energy surged from his mouth, entirely striking the Xunlei Ancient Mirror, this minor Divine Ability ancient artifact.

Yan Hao was a cultivator at the second layer of the Golden Core stage. If relying solely on his magical power, even exhausting all of it, he would never be able to wield such a minor Divine Ability artifact.

Since his magical power was insufficient, he had no choice but to use vital energy to activate it.

This ancient mirror, which had originally been dull and devoid of luster, finally underwent a change after absorbing a massive surge of pure vital energy.

Beams of lightning sparked and flashed within the mirror. A terrifying, thunderous aura emanated from it, pervading the entire cavern. This ancient Dharma Mirror began to gradually reveal its former might.

Jiang Ling's expression drastically changed. Without a word, he stomped his foot sharply and rapidly retreated, fleeing wildly toward the cavern entrance.

He did not choose to attack Yan Hao.

This was because the deployment of a Dharma Artifact was swift, capable of activation in the span of a single breath. Jiang Ling knew himself well enough that with his abilities, there was no way he could kill Yan Hao in that single breath.

Yan Hao could activate the Xunlei Ancient Mirror in the blink of an eye, and Jiang Ling was absolutely incapable of blocking the power of this minor Divine Ability artifact.

Yan Hao was correct; with the Xunlei Ancient Mirror in hand, he alone was sufficient to deal with Jiang Ling, Ye Qin, Zheng Chenghui, and Shi Hanyang—four Golden Core cultivators.

Jiang Ling estimated that if the four of them fully employed their strength to block the attack of the Xunlei Ancient Mirror with their Nascent Soul Dharma Artifacts, they might have about a twenty percent chance of withstanding a full-power strike from the mirror.

But this slim chance meant that if it failed, all four Golden Core cultivators could perish in that single blow, their souls utterly destroyed and their bodies blasted into ashes by the mirror's lightning.

Choosing to flee, however, gave him about a thirty percent chance of escaping the Xunlei Ancient Mirror’s attack in time. Compared to taking such a massive risk, it was better to preserve himself first.

From his countless life-and-death experiences in the Sea of Blood, he understood that to survive, one must sacrifice companions when necessary.

Ye Qin, Zheng Chenghui, Shi Hanyang, and the other Golden Core cultivators were merely temporary partners he had teamed up with for treasure hunting; he couldn't worry about them all. Letting the three of them block behind him would increase his own chances of escape.

Jiang Ling's retreat immediately triggered a chain reaction.

Zheng Chenghui and Shi Hanyang were not fools; they understood the terrifying nature of a minor Divine Ability artifact. Almost simultaneously, they pulled back swiftly, flashing behind Ye Qin and speeding toward the cavern exit.

They both secretly rejoiced that Ye Qin seemed not yet to have understood the situation, staring fixedly at the Xunlei Ancient Mirror. Only when he noticed the other three had already retreated did he startle back to his senses and hastily retreat.

"With Brother Ye blocking at the rear, it might slightly increase our chances of survival."

Yan Hao had failed to activate the minor Divine Ability artifact immediately. Under the drive of that large mass of pure vital energy, the Xunlei Ancient Mirror had only seen its imposing aura increase significantly before it remained suspended motionlessly in mid-air, seemingly waiting for Yan Hao to continue powering it with vital energy.

"This vital energy isn't enough? The Ancestor sealed ninety percent of its power, yet the vital energy I cultivated over three years still can't drive it? Must I really deplete the vital energy from over ten years of cultivation? I fear I might truly fall back to the first layer of the Golden Core stage."

Yan Hao was secretly shocked. But now, the arrow was already loosed from the bow; he had to kill Jiang Ling and the four other cultivators. Even if he was reluctant to use this minor Divine Ability artifact, he had no choice. He grit his teeth fiercely and ejected another large mass of pure vital energy from his abdomen.

"Puh, puh, puh!"

He spat out three large masses of vital energy consecutively. With every expulsion, Yan Hao's face grew paler.

When the last mass of vital energy was expelled, Yan Hao heard a "whoosh" from his Dantian—the light of his Golden Core dimmed, and his cultivation realm had indeed dropped from the second layer of the Golden Core back down to the first layer.

At this moment, the Xunlei Ancient Mirror, having absorbed sufficient vital energy, finally let out a rumbling roar. Countless streaks of lightning surged within the mirror, blazing brilliantly, as if ready to burst forth, its aura terrifying.

"All of you shall die! I will ensure all four of you are utterly destroyed to extinguish the hatred in my heart!"

Yan Hao manipulated the Xunlei Ancient Mirror, aiming it directly at the cavern entrance. His face was pale and listless, but his eyes held a look of manic excitement, his voice laced with immense resentment.

Using a large amount of vital energy from his Golden Core to drive this minor Divine Ability artifact had caused his cultivation level to plummet by an entire layer. The vital energy for that single layer had taken him over ten years of painstaking effort to cultivate. This single strike was equivalent to wasting more than ten years of his lifespan. Such a devastating price—how could he not be filled with boundless resentment?

For the sake of the Ziyou Lotus, to earn the Ancestor's favor with it, and to significantly elevate his standing within the Lingxiao Palace, he was willing to risk it all.

"Hiss!"

A pillar of dark lightning, several zhang wide and infinitely powerful, instantly erupted from the Xunlei Ancient Mirror. In an instant, it shot hundreds of zhang, sweeping across and blasting toward the position of Jiang Ling, Ye Qin, and the other four Golden Core cultivators. The speed of this lightning was so immense that not to mention Golden Core cultivators, even Nascent Soul cultivators would find it impossible to dodge.

Jiang Ling, Zheng Chenghui, and the others were struck by extreme horror. "It's over! Our lives are forfeit! We are going to die here today." They had only retreated a few zhang when they were aghast to see a terrifying pillar of lightning tearing through the air behind them.

Boom!

The incredibly violent pillar of lightning swept across the hard rock at the cavern entrance. Wherever it passed, deep chasms several zhang deep were instantly gouged out, and the rock over a hundred zhang area collapsed on a massive scale.

The stone of these Nine-Bend Caves had been tempered by the perpetual cold of the deep East Sea floor for countless ages, making it supremely hard. A full-power strike from a top-tier Dharma Artifact could only leave a gash a few feet deep in the rock. Yet, under this immensely powerful lightning pillar, it was pulverized, collapsing over a wide area and kicking up vast clouds of dust and debris.

"Mere common Golden Core cultivators dare to fight me? This is your path to death!"

Yan Hao laughed wildly. He clearly saw that Jiang Ling, Ye Qin, Zheng Chenghui, and Shi Hanyang—the four Golden Core cultivators—along with their four spirit beasts, had not escaped; all were swept over by the Xunlei Ancient Mirror's dark lightning pillar.

"He—"

"Brother Yan's Xunlei Ancient Mirror truly lives up to its name as a minor Divine Ability artifact. Four Golden Core cultivators, without even a cry, had their souls utterly destroyed."

"Four opponents of the same level taken down in one go—few Golden Core cultivators in the entire East Sea can boast such a record. After this battle, Brother Yan is certain to become famous throughout the East Sea cultivation world."

The three Golden Core cultivators from the Heavenly Demon Alliance showed awe on their faces. They immediately flew to Yan Hao's side, vying to flatter and curry favor with him obsequiously.

"Enough. You three, go and move those rocks away. See if they left any Dharma Artifacts or treasures behind. I will go pluck the Ziyou Lotus."

Yan Hao spoke with an air of self-satisfaction and nonchalance. With that, he prepared to recall the Xunlei Ancient Mirror to harvest the Ziyou Lotus from the cold pool.

"Yes!"

The three Golden Core cultivators were about to use magic to move the ruins.

The dust filling the sky gradually dissipated, revealing a large area of collapsed ruins and rubble at the cavern entrance. Clearing this away was no great task for Golden Core cultivators.

Suddenly, the giant stones of the ruins shifted, revealing several glints of silver light, which stunned them.

A giant, silver-gleaming hand pushed aside a boulder several zhang across. Then, a towering, five-zhang-tall puppet, shining with brilliant silver light, abruptly stood up from the rock debris, clutching a giant silver spear, its icy gaze sweeping toward Yan Hao.

The face and chest of this Silver Armored Guard were nearly scorched pitch-black by the lightning, riddled with pitted marks. However, it had ultimately not been destroyed by the lightning, nor had it suffered heavy damage. The lightning had only managed to scorch the outer layer of its silver shell extremely badly. For a puppet towering five zhang high, this damage could only be counted as minor.

"What is this?"

The three Golden Core cultivators were suddenly alarmed, recoiling in shock, not daring to approach at all. They were not fools; a puppet that could sustain only minor damage from the Xunlei Ancient Mirror's lightning pillar had to be at least a Rank Nine, late-stage Golden Core puppet, or perhaps even a Rank Ten, Nascent Soul-level puppet. What ability did they possess to injure it? This puppet was certainly not something a few early-stage Golden Core cultivators like them could handle.

"This... what kind of puppet is this? Why wasn't it destroyed by the Xunlei Ancient Mirror's lightning?"

Yan Hao stared blankly at the puppet, his mouth hanging open.

Suddenly, he thought of something, his pupils shrinking sharply. He sucked in a cold breath.

"Silver... could this be Mythril?!"

"This is a puppet entirely forged from Mythril material! Mythril is a material with the highest level of innate resistance to Dharma effects, possessing extremely strong resistance to spells and capable of significantly weakening their effects."

"Among the four Golden Core cultivators in Jiang Ling's squad, someone actually possesses a Mythril puppet. How could this be?"

A startling realization flashed through Yan Hao's mind, and in his terror, a gush of blood rose in his chest, causing him to vomit involuntarily. Although the Xunlei Ancient Mirror had ninety percent of its power sealed, that lightning pillar was still an attack of immense magical power; ordinary Dharma artifacts simply could not withstand it. In his estimation, no early or mid-stage Golden Core cultivator could survive his strike.

But he had overlooked one exception: Mythril. This material with inherent spell-repelling properties was exceedingly rare in the East Sea and could negate almost all magical attacks. Because this material was so scarce, he had never considered that these Golden Core cultivators before him might possess it.

There had never been a five-zhang-tall puppet entirely made of Mythril; even the Lingxiao Palace could not procure that much raw Mythril material to forge such a construct. To have his lightning strike, which cost him over a decade of cultivated vital energy and dropped him from the second layer of the Golden Core back to the first, blocked by a Mythril puppet—how could he not be angered enough to vomit blood?

Yan Hao had no time to dwell on the spitting blood. He had already sensed immense crisis as an extremely dangerous aura surged toward him from the ruins. Without thinking, a golden Nascent Soul flying sword shot out of his mouth, serving as a shield before him. Simultaneously, in his panic, he slapped his storage pouch, releasing three top-tier Dharma Artifacts to defend him with all their might.

This was still not enough; he even released the Xunlei Ancient Mirror again, spitting out large quantities of vital energy from his mouth. The dangerous aura struck Yan Hao with fear and made him tremble. He could no longer care about anything else; even if his cultivation dropped from the first layer of the Golden Core back to the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment, he had to ensure his life was preserved.

The hidden opponent possessed a Mythril puppet with such overwhelming spell-repelling power, perfectly countering his Xunlei Ancient Mirror. This opponent's true strength was completely above his own, yet he had remained concealed until this critical juncture to deliver a fatal blow.

Crash!

A streak of green shadow shot up from the ruins behind the Silver Armored Guard, soaring into the sky. Four rays of Nascent Soul flying sword light—gold, red, cyan, and yellow—were psychically controlled, flickering and swirling around his body. A pure-blue water shell spirit pearl and a pink rosy pearl hovered a foot above his hands, emitting strange, colorful light.

A cold, sharp gleam flashed in his eyes as he fixed his gaze on Yan Hao and the Xunlei Ancient Mirror.

This person was Ye Qin.

Ye Qin had originally intended to hold back and not reveal all his trump cards, but Yan Hao's Xunlei Ancient Mirror had forced him to go all out, revealing his ultimate assassin: the Rank Nine Silver Armored Guard.

"Pink Haze Light!"

Ye Qin let out a soft cry, tossing a pink, lifelike spirit pearl into the air. It abruptly shot out a streak of pink hazy light, striking Yan Hao's golden flying sword. The golden Nascent Soul flying sword immediately stalled within the glow.

"Golden Crow Bright Light Sword, Southern Blazing Fire Sword, Heavenly Silk Sound Sword, Yellow Heaven Thick Earth Sword! Swiftly!"

Ye Qin waved his hand. The four streaks of rainbow light attacked Yan Hao with full force, easily overwhelming and suppressing the several top-tier Dharma Artifacts Yan Hao had deployed while trying to cast spells.

The Silver Armored Guard also moved. It bent down, pushed off the ground with both feet, and leaped forward suddenly. The giant silver spear in its hand transformed into a streak of silver light. "Swish!" The giant silver spear flashed past, piercing through the gaps between the numerous magical artifacts in mid-air.

"Puchi!"

Yan Hao, struggling desperately, felt a cold, hollow sensation in his chest. He stared down blankly to see a massive bloody hole, his chest cavity and lower abdomen completely shattered and pierced through.

"You! The Lingxiao Palace will never let you go!"

Bang! Yan Hao’s eyes wide open, unresigned, he plummeted from dozens of zhang high and crashed onto the ground.

Ye Qin, expressionless, beckoned his hand. A white light swept over, enveloping the Xunlei Ancient Mirror, which had not managed to activate. Having lost its master, the mirror struggled a few times before being brought into his hand.

In the span of a single breath, he had completed the act of killing and seizing the treasure.

Then, Ye Qin turned, his gaze cold and his expression indifferent, looking toward the three dumbfounded Golden Core cultivators from the Heavenly Demon Alliance.

And toward Jiang Ling, Zheng Chenghui, and Shi Hanyang, who were just emerging from the ruins, dusty and shaken, not quite grasping what had just happened.