The young cultivator, though terrified, dared not entertain any further thoughts and quickly replied, "When your disciple learned this news, I was overjoyed and thought only of rushing back to report it to Master immediately. I didn't have time to consider how to silence the informant and cover up the leak."

"However, Master, rest assured. I paid a handsome sum for this intelligence and specifically warned that person not to sell it to a second party. They guaranteed exclusivity. This person has a good reputation, so they should honor their promise!"

Only after hearing this did the expression of the Green Robe Ancestor slightly improve. He nodded, snorted, "Hmm, even though you didn't silence them, you showed effort. Be more reliable in your future dealings, and don't cause any more trouble!" "Yes, Ancestor Yi!"

Hearing such a casually delivered compliment from the Green Robe Ancestor, the young cultivator secretly rejoiced, knowing this merit was now secured.

He continued, "According to the intelligence broker, this ruin was a major military encampment during the Immortal-Demon War ten thousand years ago. It was later destroyed during a fierce engagement with Demon Race cultivators. Countless Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators perished, leaving behind innumerable fragments of magical artifacts, and likely quite a few complete ancient treasures!"

"However, this island somehow later became the lair of a massive swarm of Blood Mist Demon Insects, so no cultivator dared to investigate for ten millennia. Now it seems the Blood Mist Demon Insects within this island have vanished, and the ruins have become a haunt for Ghost Cultivators. All we need to do now is drive out the Ghost Cultivators here, and we can claim all the ancient treasures within." "Master, you possess a Ninth-Tier Bone-Melting Serpent Skeleton Demon. It can absorb the death energy here to aid its breakthrough into the Nascent Soul stage, becoming a Nascent Soul-level Bone-Melting Serpent Skeleton Demon!"

The young cultivator grew more animated as he spoke, "If we from Man Island can sweep up every ancient treasure from these ruins, our strength will surely increase several times over, allowing us to become one of the top ten major powers in the Sea of Blood, dominating the region. Master, you too can ascend to become the strongest Ancestor of Man Island." "That assessment is correct!"

The Green Robe Ancestor's eyes flickered. He stared intently at the massive island below, shrouded in rolling clouds of ghostly blood mist. A fierce desire for conquest overwhelmed his concern regarding the Ghost Cultivators within. "The treasures in this ancient ruin are enough to boost Man Island's strength several times over. Taking this risk is worth it." The Short Robe Ancestor finally steeled his resolve, deciding to gamble everything. Immediately, the Green Robe Ancestor pointed toward the colossal island and burst into a wild laugh, "This ruin belongs to my Man Island!"

His wild laughter, accompanied by the might of a Nascent Soul cultivator's pressure, traveled far, causing the ears of the Golden Core treasure hunters gathered within several hundred miles to buzz painfully, their faces filled with alarm.

The Green Robe Ancestor's laughter abruptly ceased, replaced by a savage expression crossing his green face, a cold glint flashing in his narrow, elongated eyes.

The young cultivator instinctively backed half a step, daring not utter another word. He recognized that look—it was the prelude to murder. "Bah! These treasure-hunting cultivators here are simply in the way. Kill them all and seize their wealth!"

The Green Robe Ancestor's chilling gaze swept over the many hesitant treasure hunters hovering around the giant island. He coldly snorted and issued an icy command to the dozens of green-robed cultivators behind him, "Whoever seizes their wealth keeps it! Go!" His voice was not loud, but every treasure hunter within a thousand miles of the island heard it clearly. "Ancestor, as you command!" "Brothers, let us slay them!"

As soon as the Ancestor finished speaking, those dozens of late-stage Golden Core green-robed cultivators rejoiced, their spirits surging. They immediately accepted the order, forming dozens of streaks of light and radiance, charging toward the groups of treasure hunters in every direction. "Man Island Evil Cultivators!"

Before the Green Robe Ancestor had announced his affiliation, few of the treasure hunters gathered near the hidden location recognized the origin of these green-robed figures. But upon hearing the Ancestor reveal his identity, those who had heard of the Evil Cultivators of Man Island were struck with immense dread. "Not good, they are the wicked cultivators of Man Island!" "Flee!" Man Island was not a local power in this area around Gu Ban Stronghold; they hailed from a distant stronghold.

Man Island was not merely a small gang of rogue cultivators but a large, fierce organization composed of numerous wicked cultivators. The three Ancestors of Man Island were all mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, and the Golden Core rogue cultivators affiliated with the island numbered in the hundreds—an astonishing quantity.

Among the Evil Cultivation factions in the Sea of Blood, Man Island might not rank in the top ten, but they were certainly among the top thirty, known for their considerable ferocity.

Evil Cultivators were invariably known for their tyrannical, reckless methods: murder, plunder, insidious cultivation techniques—they spared no wickedness. The fearsome reputation of Man Island's evil cultivators even reached those in other strongholds.

The Golden Core cultivators gathered outside the island, intending to explore the ruins, never expected to encounter the Green Robe Ancestor of Man Island and a large contingent of late-stage Golden Core evil cultivators at this ancient site near Gu Ban Stronghold.

What shocked them most was that the Green Robe Ancestor gave no warning and immediately ordered his subordinates to commence a massacre of the local treasure hunters. In the Eastern Sea Cultivation World, this would be an earth-shattering event, shaking the entire realm.

However, in the utterly chaotic Sea of Blood, the slaughter of a few dozen Golden Core cultivators might go unnoticed.

The Golden Core cultivators surrounding the island, hearing the Green Robe Ancestor command his evil cultivators to clear the area by wiping out all treasure hunters, were struck with terror. They snapped out of their shocked observation and transformed into dozens of streaks of light, desperately fleeing in all directions. Currently, there were about fifty to sixty Golden Core cultivators gathered near the island. In terms of sheer numbers, they were comparable to the group of late-stage Golden Core evil cultivators from Man Island. However, the enemy possessed a mid-stage Nascent Soul Ancestor holding the field.

The power gap between the mid-to-late stage Golden Core realm and the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm was immense. Even if all these Golden Core cultivators united, they might not pose a sufficient threat to the Green Robe Ancestor.

Even if the Green Robe Ancestor did not personally attack, his mere presence cast a tremendous suppressive aura upon these mid-to-late stage Golden Core treasure hunters, putting them at a significant disadvantage should they engage the Man Island cultivators in combat. "Run!"

The treasure hunters, paralyzed by fear, urged their magical artifacts and scattered chaotically into the sky. At this moment, preserving their lives was paramount; treasure hunting was forgotten. But how could the evil cultivators of Man Island grant them the chance to escape? "Trying to flee! Chase them!"

No fewer than thirty to forty evil cultivators, all in green and at the late Golden Core stage, laughed heartily and pursued the desperate fleeing treasure hunters.

"Kill!"

One small team, composed of only a few mid-stage Golden Core cultivators, was caught by several aggressive Man Island evil cultivators. Their expressions shifted drastically as they frantically deployed their magical artifacts to defend.

However, these Man Island cultivators were uniformly at the late Golden Core stage, possessing exceptional strength. They managed to fend off only a few blows before being enveloped by five crisscrossing beams of green and crimson light tens of feet long and instantly slain.

In truth, only a small fraction of the treasure hunters managed to escape far enough away. The others were caught and entangled by the Man Island evil cultivators, engaging in aerial combat.

Some stronger treasure hunters, those at the eighth or ninth stage of the Golden Core realm, unwilling to be wiped out by the Man Island cultivators, banded together, formed a defensive array, and fiercely resisted the Man Island evil cultivators, attempting to break through toward the edge of the island.

For a moment, the sky above the massive island became a chaotic spectacle: streaks of magical artifacts and spells flashing, sharp shouts ringing out, and heart-wrenching curses blending together.

Dozens of treasure hunters and Man Island evil cultivators—over a hundred Golden Core experts—chased wildly, wielding magical artifacts, engaged in furious battle.

"Hmph! Thinking of escaping from under this Ancestor's nose? A joke!"

High above the sky, the Green Robe Ancestor of Man Island surveyed the entire battlefield. Seeing a small contingent of treasure hunters actually managing to retreat a distance, he let out a contemptuous, strange laugh. "Go!" He opened his mouth and spat out a small sword that shimmered with a malevolent green light.

This small sword grew rapidly, instantly transforming into a colossal sword over two hundred feet long, hovering in the sky. A tyrannical surge of magical power leaked from its body. Around the blade, plumes of green baleful energy burst forth, forming rolling waves of mist.

The sky within dozens of miles was instantly dyed a ghastly green by the light emanating from this flying sword. The radiance of all other Golden Core cultivators' artifacts dimmed significantly. This was no mere Primordial Spirit artifact; it was a minor Divine Ability artifact. Artifacts of this grade could unleash terrifying power in the hands of a Nascent Soul Ancestor. The Green Robe Ancestor controlled the flying sword with a single thought. This minor Divine Ability wood-element flying sword transformed into a thousand-foot streak of green light, piercing through the air with extreme sharpness—Chii!

This sharp beam seemed to instantly cleave the sky, shooting out toward the few treasure hunters desperately fleeing several dozen miles away. "Not good!"

These few cultivators, who had been escaping, barely had time to congratulate themselves on their successful retreat when they felt a baleful aura tearing through the sky behind them. Turning back, they were filled with utter horror.

The direct intervention of a Nascent Soul Ancestor possessed immense power and incredible speed, enough to change the color of the sky, traveling immeasurably faster than Golden Core cultivators piloting artifacts. How could they possibly escape? "Fellow Daoists, pool our strength to resist!"

The leading treasure hunter hardened his resolve, shouting to the others fleeing with him, and fully turned back to meet the Green Robe Ancestor's strike. "Alright, Big Brother, the few of us brothers will fight to the death!" Whoosh! The green flying sword caught up, sweeping toward them to annihilate them.

Those few treasure hunters were unwilling to be cut down so easily. They hurled out over a dozen various magical artifacts, each transforming into a giant weapon tens of feet long, pouring their essence and power to the utmost to block the colossal green sword. "Boom!"

A few top-tier artifacts of slightly poorer quality shattered upon contact with the green light beam after just one clash, exploding into countless fragments.

The remaining Primordial Spirit artifacts, though they did not burst immediately, had their radiance dimmed, and cracks began to spiderweb across their surfaces as the sharp beam relentlessly pressed down on them. "No!"

The few treasure hunters poured out their essence, their pupils even bleeding from the strain, but they could not hold out much longer. They watched as their Primordial Spirit artifacts shattered, and before they could even utter a scream, they were consumed by the green light beam, their bodies and protective artifacts reduced to dust. "Hmph, overestimating yourselves!"

The Green Robe Ancestor sneered, wiping out the farthest-fleeing Golden Core cultivators with a single strike. He retracted his magical arts, and the massive green sword swiftly flew back, shrinking to a three-foot-long, dark green, ethereal small sword, which hovered beside him.

Motionless, he continued to stare coldly at the remaining treasure hunters who were fighting desperately, looking at them as if they were already corpses. In the battlefield, the Man Island evil cultivators were spurred on, shouting wildly with excitement.

The treasure hunters caught in the intense battle, witnessing the Nascent Soul Ancestor take personal action, were profoundly shaken. Their hearts turned to ash, and their confidence in escaping evaporated completely.

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