The three Golden Core cultivators of the Heavenly Demon Sect hadn't even managed to react to their terror. Once Yan Hao was dead and gone, they were all left with trembling limbs, their hearts paralyzed by fear, utterly unable to move.

Putting aside the sheer power of Ye Qin’s four Nascent Souls and two Spirit Pearl magical treasures for a moment, the mere sight of that cold, silver-armored Guardian Puppet, radiating a terrifying aura, brought them a shock and pressure no less than that of the Xūn Léi Ancient Mirror.

After all, unleashing an attack with the Xūn Léi Ancient Mirror exacted a colossal price; Yan Hao had exhausted over a decade of painstaking cultivation energy in a single strike, causing his cultivation level to plummet by an entire tier. Even so, the pillar of lightning it fired failed to shake the Silver-Armored Guardian.

The Silver-Armored Guardian Puppet, however, could attack at will, moving with lightning speed; a spear thrust as swift as a thunderbolt had directly ended the life of Yan Hao, a Golden Core cultivator.

Now, Ye Qin not only controlled the Silver-Armored Guardian but also held the Xūn Léi Ancient Mirror, a Minor Divine Ability ancient artifact, in his hand, plunging the three Golden Core cultivators into such terror that their guts felt ripped out, as if mourning their closest relatives.

Jiang Ling, Zheng Chenghui, and Shi Hanyang scrambled out of the rubble of the rock formations, covered in dust and dirt. Seeing the dead Yan Hao and then looking at Ye Qin and the dazzling, silver-glowing Silver-Armored Guardian, they were too astonished to speak.

They had initially believed they were likely doomed under the deadly pillar of lightning, yet they had miraculously escaped calamity. Upon discovering that Ye Qin had even seized Yan Hao’s Xūn Léi Ancient Mirror, they finally understood: Ye Qin had been concealing his true strength all along. Among the four of them, the youngest cultivator was, in fact, the strongest.

“Brother Ye truly possesses remarkable means. To wield such a Ninth-Rank Puppet without revealing the slightest hint—this level of restraint is difficult even for late-stage Golden Core cultivators to match! Given time, you are destined for great achievements.” Jiang Ling’s face shifted through various expressions before settling into a deep, melancholic sigh.

He too had concealed a potent magical treasure, intending to use it only when fighting to the death. Yet, that treasure was utterly insignificant compared to Yan Hao’s Xūn Léi Ancient Mirror and Ye Qin’s Silver-Armored Guardian.

In the cultivation world, strength has always dictated respect, and the powerful always rule. Jiang Ling dared not address Ye Qin as ‘Brother Ye’ anymore; the qualifier “Little” had automatically vanished.

Zheng Chenghui felt envy stirring within him, though his expression remained outwardly calm. One of his arms had been grazed by the edge of the lightning pillar and was now reduced to ash. His Seventh-Rank Golden Core Green Demon Spider was also annihilated by the lightning strike, reducing his overall strength by at least thirty to forty percent. How much effort it would take to nurture a new Golden Core spirit beast was unknown. Shi Hanyang’s expression was the most peculiar. “This—” “Is this the Saint Sovereign’s Puppet?”

Before Shi Hanyang could finish speaking, he stared blankly at the Silver-Armored Guardian for a few moments, then looked back at Ye Qin in disbelief, his mouth wide open, wanting to speak but unable to.

Others might not know the origin of this Silver-Armored Guardian, but he was perfectly clear. He remembered vividly when he and Ye Qin entered the Imperial Tomb ruins; there was an identical, albeit damaged, Silver-Armored Guardian within the Saint Sovereign’s ruined palace. Furthermore, this damaged puppet lay directly under the gaze of the Saint Sovereign’s ice coffin, and no cultivator dared to touch it.

How this Silver-Armored Guardian fell into Ye Qin’s hands, and how it was repaired, remained a mystery to him. If Shi Hanyang knew that Ye Qin had clashed with the Saint Sovereign and wrested this Guardian Puppet away, he would likely jump in shock.

Ye Qin’s cold gaze swept over the three Golden Core cultivators from the Heavenly Demon Alliance, before settling on Jiang Ling, Zheng Chenghui, and Shi Hanyang. The three of them started, their hearts growing uneasy.

With four Nascent Soul artifacts and two Spirit Pearls protecting him, Ye Qin was capable of battling two Golden Core cultivators. Controlling a Ninth-Rank Silver-Armored Guardian with his divine sense made him a match for three Golden Core cultivators. Wielding the Xūn Léi Ancient Mirror meant he could instantly eliminate two to four Golden Core cultivators. This level of power was terrifying to the extreme; even the combined force of the six Golden Core cultivators within the cave would not be Ye Qin’s match. If he wished to take any of their lives, they would have no defense against him. What would he do to them? “What are you waiting for? Yan Hao is dead. Those three are yours to deal with! Hurry up and strike, kill these Heavenly Demon Sect cultivators, and then divide the Ziyou Lotus before we leave this place.”

Ye Qin stared at them with a cold smile, stating this expressionlessly. Ignoring their reactions, he walked to the collapsed rock formation at the cave exit, sat down cross-legged boldly, and toyed with the Xūn Léi Ancient Mirror in his hand.

The Silver-Armored Guardian zipped—transforming into a streak of silver light—and landed beside Ye Qin. It held a silver spear, its crimson eyes flashing intermittently as it scanned the Golden Core cultivators inside the cave.

Jiang Ling, Zheng Chenghui, and Shi Hanyang exchanged glances and quietly breathed a sigh of relief. At least Ye Qin still considered them allies. Jiang Ling no longer had the standing to be the leader; the overwhelmingly powerful Ye Qin was now regarded as the team's commander, and they could only follow his instructions.

The three of them promptly unleashed their magical artifacts, attacking the three Golden Core cultivators of the Heavenly Demon Sect. They had to ensure these enemies were killed to eliminate future trouble. Yan Hao had died by their team’s hand; this news absolutely could not leak out, or all four members of their team would face utter ruin; no one would escape unscathed.

Ye Qin watched silently as Jiang Ling and the others engaged the Heavenly Demon Sect cultivators in battle, secretly feeling a measure of ease himself, though a cold sweat broke out on his back, accompanied by a twinge of lingering fear. His ruthless and dominant demeanor just now had been entirely feigned. Only he knew the true extent of his limitations.

The Silver-Armored Guardian was powered by Top-Grade Spirit Stones. Having blocked the Guardian Lightning Pillar’s fierce strike, the spirit energy within the Top-Grade Spirit Stone inside the Guardian’s body was nearly exhausted. The problem was that this single Top-Grade Spirit Stone had taken the condensation of hundreds of thousands of Low-Grade Spirit Stones within the Earth Mansion.

He possessed only this one Top-Grade Spirit Stone; he could not find a second. The Silver-Armored Guardian could currently only maintain high-speed movement; it was merely a facade, incapable of sustaining a prolonged battle against Golden Core cultivators for even half an hour. His actual strength was only enough to contend with three Golden Core cultivators. If all six Golden Core cultivators in the cave had joined forces against him, he would likely face certain death.

Fortunately, among the six Golden Core cultivators in this cave, neither Jiang Ling’s faction nor the Heavenly Demon Sect squad could know that his Silver-Armored Guardian lacked the necessary spirit stones to run. They had been thoroughly intimidated by the Guardian; they lacked the nerve to approach within dozens of feet of it or Ye Qin. Since they were enemies to begin with, any possibility of them cooperating was nil.

Seeing the six Golden Core cultivators begin their fight inside the cave, Ye Qin finally relaxed. He diverted a thread of his divine sense into the Ancient Mirror, investigating how to manipulate the Xūn Léi Ancient Mirror. With this Minor Divine Ability ancient artifact, even if the Silver-Armored Guardian exhausted all its spirit stones, he could still hold his ground firmly—

Ye Qin personally stationed himself with the Silver-Armored Guardian at the cave exit. The three Heavenly Demon Sect Golden Core cultivators looked utterly desolate. They exchanged glances, knowing certain death awaited them today with no chance of escape, and finally displayed looks of fierce resolve. “If we must die, we’ll all die together!”

The green-faced, surnamed Li cultivator roared hideously. He threw out a flying sword, not aiming for Jiang Ling and the others, but rather toward the Yin Water Black Tortoise slumbering in the cold pool. He intended to stab and awaken the sleeping Ninth-Rank Yin Water Black Tortoise, creating massive chaos. “A fine thought, but I won’t let you have your way!”

Jiang Ling sneered, spitting out two rainbow streams of cyan and blue light. They shot out like lightning bolts, intercepting the flying sword of the Li cultivator, denying him any chance of last-minute escape. Jiang Ling, Zheng Chenghui, and Shi Hanyang battled the three Golden Core cultivators of the Heavenly Demon Sect.

The strength of Jiang Ling’s trio was slightly superior to the three Heavenly Demon Sect Golden Core cultivators, and Ye Qin hadn't even made a move yet. This fight held no suspense. Following several cries of agony, the three Heavenly Demon Sect Golden Core cultivators fell one after another.

Jiang Ling unleashed several balls of intensely hot Samadhi True Fire, incinerating the corpses of Yan Hao, the Heavenly Demon Sect Golden Core cultivators, and the corpse of the Sea-Plundering Race strongman, completely obliterating all traces. They even burned away the marks left on the cave walls by the pillar of lightning.

The entire cave fell silent, leaving only Ye Qin, Jiang Ling, and the other two. Plus the Yin Water Black Tortoise, still deeply asleep. And the four Ziyou Lotuses in the cold pool, shining with various colors.

Jiang Ling, Zheng Chenghui, and Shi Hanyang stood respectfully fifty feet away from Ye Qin, daring not to approach, lest they disturb the Silver-Armored Guardian beside Ye Qin and die without even knowing how. Soon, Ye Qin withdrew his divine sense from the Xūn Léi Ancient Mirror and then looked toward the three of them. “Brother Ye—all traces have been cleaned up. Look at the Ziyou Lotuses in this pool; how shall we divide them?”

Jiang Ling immediately inquired of Ye Qin, a degree of reverence in his eyes. With his centuries of experience exploring the East Sea, he naturally knew when to yield to avoid undeserved disaster.

When Ye Qin heard Jiang Ling’s question, he knew Jiang Ling was worried Ye Qin would go back on his word and claim the lotus seeds that originally belonged to Jiang Ling. If Ye Qin insisted on taking the seeds, Jiang Ling likely wouldn't dare object. Ye Qin stared at the three of them expressionlessly, his features inscrutable, remaining silent.

The three had no idea what Ye Qin was contemplating. Fear began to creep into their hearts, even conjuring the thought of fleeing wildly on their swords, but they firmly suppressed it, not daring to show the slightest hint of timidity. Moreover, with Ye Qin guarding the cave entrance, the Silver-Armored Guardian could slaughter them as easily as cutting vegetables; they had nowhere to run even if they tried.

Ye Qin stared at them for a long while; he had indeed entertained the thought of eliminating them all to secure the secret. But this thought flashed and vanished immediately. He was, after all, not the type of ruthless cultivator to murder his own comrades for the sake of secrecy.

“We will divide the Ziyou Lotuses according to our prior agreement. Brother Jiang takes one chamber of seeds, Brother Shi takes one flower, Brother Zheng takes one lotus base. I will take one section of the rhizome, and that will suffice. The rest will be left; according to the rules of the cultivation world, one must not exhaust all natural treasures. Forebears who came to this Nine-Bend Stone Cave hundreds or thousands of years ago did not take all the Ziyou Lotuses here, so we should also leave some for the cultivators who follow us.”

Ye Qin stated calmly.

“Brother Ye’s words are precisely right.”

The three instantly relaxed. Their clothes were soaked, having just returned from the gates of hell, and their awe toward Ye Qin only deepened.

“Brother Ye is truly a man of his word; no wonder Brother Shi trusted you so deeply and insisted on you joining us. If fate allows in the future, perhaps we will have the chance to venture into the Sea of Blood with Brother Ye,” Jiang Ling gazed deeply at Ye Qin. The four of them each retrieved a spiritual item from the Ziyou Lotuses in the cold pool. “Additionally, there are the spoils taken from Yan Hao and the other Golden Core cultivators—numerous magical artifacts, treasures, spirit stones, and so forth. How should these be distributed?” Jiang Ling asked again. He had completely positioned himself as an ordinary member of the team, seeking Ye Qin’s opinion on everything rather than acting on his own initiative.

“The Xūn Léi Ancient Mirror belongs to me. Also, the remaining piece of Tenth-Rank Jiao Xian Fragrant Paste inside Yan Hao’s jade box belongs to me. I will forgo the rest. As for the remaining items, Brother Zheng and Brother Shi can divide them equally. Does anyone have an objection?”

Ye Qin directly reached into Yan Hao’s storage pouch, pulled out a jade box, and pocketed the last small portion of Jiao Xian Fragrant Paste. The three nodded their agreement almost instantly.

The Xūn Léi Ancient Mirror undoubtedly belonged to Ye Qin; none of the three dared to lay claim to this Minor Divine Ability ancient artifact. As for the Tenth-Rank Jiao Xian Fragrant Paste, Ye Qin taking it was not a major issue. Jiang Ling had received a chamber of Ziyou Lotus seeds, and his heart felt no sense of imbalance.

After all, these Twelfth-Rank seeds were exceedingly rare in the East Sea cultivation world, supremely precious, and their value was in no way inferior to the Xūn Léi Ancient Mirror. If a Nascent Soul cultivator had been present, they would certainly have fought for the seeds first, rather than the Xūn Léi Ancient Mirror.

After all, there were still quite a few Minor Divine Ability artifacts scattered among the great Immortal Palaces of the East Sea cultivation world. The Ziyou Lotus seeds, however, were objects that might be sought but rarely found.

This single chamber of lotus seeds contained over a dozen kernels in total, divided into five colors—Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—with several kernels of each color. As long as a Divine Alchemist could be found, even with an extremely low pill success rate, one or two Spirit Root Potential Pills could be refined. If a Divine Alchemist could not be found, selling them at Xianque City auction would fetch an unimaginably rare sky-high price. For Jiang Ling, this was already a huge gain. “Let’s go.” Ye Qin and Jiang Ling secured the two most valuable items—the Xūn Léi Ancient Mirror and the Ziyou Lotus seeds. Shi Hanyang took one Eleventh-Rank Ziyou Lotus flower. Zheng Chenghui took a Tenth-Rank lotus base. Although these two spiritual items were also extraordinary, their value was clearly significantly lower than the Xūn Léi Ancient Mirror and the seeds.

But that was fine; the storage pouches carried by the five deceased Heavenly Demon Sect Golden Core cultivators contained numerous magical artifacts, treasures, spirit stones, and sundries of considerable value, which were then divided equally between Zheng Chenghui and Shi Hanyang.

Each of them received one or two magical treasures, two or three Nascent Soul magical artifacts, over twenty common magical artifacts, and many other miscellaneous items—so they felt adequately compensated. Their trip to the Nine-Bend Stone Cave had yielded even more than they had anticipated. Ye Qin presided over the distribution, successfully dividing up all the numerous items, ensuring everyone obtained what they needed, and there were no disputes.