Yao Yue and Zhou You sat quietly in a meditation chamber. Yao Yue reported the entire process of subjugating the Nine Tribes' restless horde to Zhou Yu, the Palace Master of Purple Sword Palace, detailing almost everything. This included the strong possibility that Ye Qin had killed Yan Hao and seized the Minor Divine Artifact, the Xunlei Ancient Mirror.

Zhou Yao had not personally witnessed Ye Qin killing Yan Hao; it was merely her suspicion, so she only stated, "Ye Qin might have killed Yan Hao," without absolute certainty.

"Little Ye is only at the first level of the Golden Core stage, yet he has already refined four of the primordial spirit magical artifacts for the Great Five Elements Sword. To kill Yan Hao and seize a Minor Divine Artifact—how did he manage that?"

In the meditation chamber, Palace Master Zhou's deep, majestic voice resonated, laced with a hint of surprise.

Palace Master Zhou certainly knew the origin of the Xunlei Ancient Mirror. It was a Minor Divine Artifact possessed by Giant Yan of the Heavenly Demon Alliance, and moreover, it was a lightning-attributed ancient artifact, quite renowned in the Eastern Sea Cultivation World.

Ye Qin possessing the Xunlei Ancient Mirror surely implied something fishy. He either stumbled upon it by luck or obtained it through murder and plunder.

However, Palace Master Zhou did not dwell on this matter.

The Five Giants of the Heavenly Demon Alliance and the Five Sect Masters of the Heavenly Dao Alliance had divided the Eastern Sea Islands, each claiming half of the territory. Neither side could easily extend its influence into the other's domain.

As the Palace Master of Purple Sword Palace and a contender for the position of Sect Master of the Northern Islands under the Heavenly Dao Alliance, Zhou Yu had no reason to fear Giant Yan.

"The Great Five Elements Sword Array formed by our Purple Sword Palace's set of primordial spirit magical artifacts holds infinite power. Among cultivators at the same Golden Core stage, few can match it. However, very few cultivators possess the necessary spiritual root compatibility to unleash the array's full might. If he can also master the Minor Three Oddities Sword Array of the Purple Sword Art, and reaches the Nascent Soul stage in the future, he has a very high chance of becoming one of the absolute top-tier Nascent Soul cultivators in the Eastern Sea. Our Purple Sword Palace will then have a Nascent Soul cultivator with astonishing combat prowess."

Compared to the matter of killing Yan Hao for the Xunlei Ancient Mirror, Palace Master Zhou seemed more concerned with Ye Qin's intrinsic strength.

Within the Purple Sword Palace, there was no other cultivator like Ye Qin who possessed all five spiritual roots and could manifest the full power of the Great Five Elements Sword Array. Although Zhou Yao also possessed a Great Five Elements Sword Array composed of top-tier magical artifacts, the actual power she could exert was quite weak.

"Ancestor, there is another matter of utmost importance that needs reporting."

"Speak."

"The five of us discovered a damaged Great Divine Artifact, the Xuniu Drum, within the ancient hall of the Langna Secret Realm."

Zhou Yao suppressed the excitement rising in her heart and spoke calmly.

"What? The Xuniu Drum!?"

A gasp echoed from within the meditation chamber, followed by the thunderous opening of the stone door. A middle-aged cultivator emerged. He wore a simple, unadorned cyan robe, appearing like an utterly ordinary man.

Yet, the divine light radiating from his eyes was as dazzling and soul-stirring as two stars in the pitch-black night sky. Such intense divine radiance in the eyes was a phenomenon only seen in Nascent Soul cultivators.

The middle-aged cultivator had prematurely ended his seclusion; the aura of his exquisite magic power had not been entirely suppressed, which was why this occurred. Soon, the divine radiance in his eyes receded, returning to normal. He looked calmly at Zhou Yi and Zhou Yao, brother and sister, outside the chamber.

"Greetings, Ancestor."

Seeing the Palace Master emerge, Zhou Yi and Zhou Yao immediately knelt in salute.

"Rise. Yao'er, is what you saw in the Langye Secret Realm truly the Xuniu Drum from the ancient Immortal-Demon War?"

"Every Golden Core cultivator who viewed this drum confirmed it was the Xuniu Drum!" Zhou Yao quickly stated.

"Where is the Xuniu Drum now?" Zhou Yu asked, then immediately realized his question was ill-phrased, adding, "Is the drum still in the Langna Secret Realm?!"

Seeing his urgency, if the Xuniu Drum remained in the Langna Secret Realm, he would likely need to rush there immediately to prevent it from being seized by other Nascent Soul cultivators.

"The drum is no longer in the Secret Realm. Ye Qin brought it out and is carrying it on his person." Zhou Yao shook her head.

"The drum is in Ye Qin's hands?!" Palace Master Zhou displayed a rare expression of astonishment, quickly followed by immense joy. "Excellent. If Ye Qin can safely bring the Xuniu Drum back to the Purple Sword Palace, it will be an extraordinary merit. Whatever request he makes, this Palace will grant it. Of course, Yao'er, you also deserve merit; state whatever reward you desire."

"Thank you, Ancestor!"

"Also, regarding the Xuniu Drum, besides you and Ye Qin, who else knows about this matter?"

"There were many cultivators who saw the Xuniu Drum at that time—nearly thirty or forty Golden Core cultivators. However, almost all of them perished within the Qiankun Marvel Gate Array. Only I, Big Brother Ye, and the disciples Jin Zhongshan of Treasure Gathering Palace, Liao Xiaozhang of Guangyu Palace, and Pan Shuang of Ninghua Palace—five of us—escaped the formation. Additionally, there was Yu Weifeng; he attempted to seize the Xuniu Drum for himself, and the five of us took it back together. We were operating as a small team then." Zhou Yao spoke cautiously while observing the Ancestor's expression.

"Yu Weifeng? Is he also implicated in this?" Palace Master Zhou frowned slightly.

"Yes! Yu Weifeng was utterly ruthless; not only did he try to monopolize it, but he nearly killed the five of us. In the end, Yu Weifeng died." Zhou Yao dared not conceal anything further, deciding to report everything while the Ancestor was pleased.

"Oh, you handled it well." Palace Master Zhou nodded expressionlessly. He wasn't even interested in asking how the five of them killed Yu Weifeng. In the face of a Great Divine Artifact like the Xuniu Drum, everything else was trivial dust. Even being the descendant of a Sect Master meant nothing. If he deserved killing, he was killed; if it deserved seizing, it was seized.

"Yao'er, the news you brought back is invaluable. Here is a Core Condensation Pill. Go back, enter seclusion, and return to the Golden Core realm as quickly as possible! The remaining rewards can be claimed after you re-establish your Golden Core status." The Palace Master retrieved a golden spiritual pill from his sleeve, flicked his finger, and tossed it to Zhou Yao.

"Thank you, Ancestor!" Zhou Yao was overjoyed, catching the precious pill and carefully storing it away. She withdrew from the rear meditation chamber of the Purple Sword Palace and returned to her residence in the immortal palace, preparing to condense her core anew.

Palace Master Zhou stood still, contemplating for a while.

Zhou Yi dared not disturb him.

"The utmost priority now is to bring the Xuniu Drum back to the Purple Sword Palace. And it must be absolutely secret to avoid alarming other factions! Otherwise, there will certainly be attempts to intercept and seize it."

Palace Master Zhou pondered for a moment and then spoke to Zhou Yi beside him, "Yi'er, you must immediately handle two matters."

"Your Ancestor commands!"

"Immediately take the core cultivators of this Palace to find Ye Qin and escort him and the Xuniu Drum safely and secretly back to the Purple Sword Palace. This matter is paramount and bears enormous weight; there cannot be the slightest error. Sect Master Yu has not much lifespan left. Once he passes on, White Float Palace will inevitably decline. It is only a matter of time before the position of Sect Master of the Northern Islands under the Heavenly Dao Alliance changes hands! Having the Xuniu Drum in my possession is immensely advantageous for securing the Sect Master position of the Northern Islands."

"Yes, Ancestor. Rest assured, your child will bring the Xuniu Drum back safely and secretly."

"The other matter: arrange for someone to spread the word that Yan Hao and Yu Weifeng got into a dispute within the Langna Secret Realm while fighting over the Great Divine Artifact, the Xuniu Drum, and killed each other."

"As for who killed whom, or who held the Xuniu Drum, there is no need to elaborate. Let Giant Yan and Sect Master Yu harbor suspicion toward each other. Their animosity arising from this incident benefits our Purple Sword Palace!" Palace Master Zhou said coldly, clasping his hands behind his back.

Zhou Yi's heart tightened. He understood that to the Ancestor, the cause and process of events were unimportant. What mattered was obtaining a result that the Purple Sword Palace desired and which was most advantageous to it.

"Ancestor, why not keep the matter of the Xuniu Drum secret? Your child worries that once news of the competition for the drum spreads, it will invite more covetous glances and struggles."

"It cannot be kept secret. The disciples from Treasure Gathering Palace, Guangyu Palace, and Ninghua Palace all know about this. News of the drum's appearance will spread quickly. Rather than waiting for the news to leak and be put on the defensive, it is better for us to proactively release various rumors to confuse the public and sow widespread doubt. In the future, even if someone claims the drum is in Ye Qin's hands, it’s doubtful many will believe it."

"Yes, Ancestor!" Zhou Yi understood.

"The Xuniu Drum is an ominous artifact, born of conflict. This divine drum, having vanished for countless years, has reappeared. The long-peaceful Eastern Sea is likely to stir up another bloody storm." After Zhou Yi departed, Palace Master Zhou returned to his meditation chamber, murmuring to himself, "I wonder if this time, the Demon Race will invade the Eastern Sea Islands, or if our Eastern Sea cultivators will march to the Demon Sea, the Demon Race's lair."

Far away from White Float City, in a refining room within a courtyard in Coastal City, a young cultivator still sat cross-legged, refining a sword.

Four full months had passed, and Ye Qin's refining of his primordial spirit flying swords was entering its final phase.

"Hoo."

"The final sword for the Great Five Elements Sword Array—the Water-attributed primordial spirit flying sword, the Tianyi Hidden Water Sword—is finally forged. I wonder what its power is like."

Ye Qin wiped the sweat from his brow, a look of joy emerging.

This nearly completely transparent, faintly visible, three-inch-long water-attributed flying sword hovered silently in mid-air. The sword, which once emanated a strong aura of annihilation, now suppressed all its energy after merging with the Yuan Essence of the Ghost Shrimp. It was in perfect harmony with Ye Qin's will, capable of easily concealing even its physical body.

Ye Qin pointed two fingers of his right hand.

The small, inches-long flying sword shot out like an arrow toward the stone wall of the refining room.

Within the room, he had set up a defensive formation—a thick, several-inch-deep light barrier, capable of withstanding several heavy strikes from a peak-tier Golden Core magical artifact. Its defensive capabilities were extremely strong.

The water-attributed flying sword struck the light barrier, emitting a faint, low 'chi-chi' sound, almost inaudible. In utter silence, it tore a gap several inches long in the formation's barrier, as easily and cleanly as tearing thin paper.

"This strike... is somewhat terrifying. It is a weapon for killing without trace!"

Ye Qin swallowed, almost stunned into silence.

He had barely used any magic power to stimulate the sword's offensive capability; relying solely on the inherent performance of the Tianyi Hidden Water Sword, it had shredded the barrier of the defensive formation.

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