The self-detonation of the Water Conch Spirit Pearl instantly unleashed a power of water spiritual energy comparable to sheer magical might.

Even Venerable Cao, a peak Golden Core Ninth Layer cultivator, pushing his vital essence to the limit to control the Demon Suppressing Mallet, failed to break through the immense force generated by the blast.

A surge of powerful water spiritual energy instantly slowed the Primordial Spirit Artifact, the Demon Suppressing Mallet, whose might had just increased by fifty percent, drastically reducing its speed.

“This brat still has life-saving trump cards left!”

Venerable Cao gasped out loud.

The area ahead was shrouded by hundreds of feet of blue water spiritual energy and fragments of the Water Conch Spirit Pearl; if he charged straight in, he too would be slowed by the spiritual energy.

Venerable Cao’s flying sword abruptly turned, veering sharply to the right, evading the massive explosion of the Spirit Pearl ahead. By taking this detour, he lost any chance of catching Ye Qin.

Venerable Cao watched in disbelief as Ye Qin slipped away.

In his earlier observations, Ye Qin had already unleashed several ultimate techniques to escape from Old Ancestor Green Robe, leaving no room for more hidden survival methods.

He had fully activated five Primordial Spirit Artifacts to form the “Grand Five Elements Sword Array,” forcibly blocking Old Ancestor Green Robe’s Green Fiend Sword, draining one-third of his magical power.

He then utilized the mysterious “Immortal Body Great Art,” allowing two “Ye Qins” to flee in separate directions, causing Old Ancestor Green Robe to misjudge and pursue the Dharma Body, which consumed another third of his magical power.

Furthermore, Ye Qin’s Golden Core Seventh Layer Corroding Bone Crocodile Skeleton Demon fought Old Ancestor’s Golden Core Ninth Layer Bone-Dissolving Snake Skeleton Demon to a mutual crippling blow, leaving both skeletons battered and their power severely diminished.

Venerable Cao had to admit that any of these maneuvers, employed by a late-stage Golden Core cultivator, were formidable combat tactics, enough to establish renown throughout the East Sea Cultivation World.

For a mere mid-stage Golden Core cultivator like Ye Qin to possess such strength was already the extreme limit.

Venerable Cao was firmly convinced that Ye Qin had no more powerful means left to deploy.

Most critically, Ye Qin’s magical power was severely depleted, rendering recovery impossible; he was cornered, only one final blow away from utter ruin.

It was then that Venerable Cao turned ruthless, sparing no expense of the vital essence accumulated over decades of cultivation, seizing the chaos to ambush Ye Qin, aiming to deliver the final, fatal strike and avenge his brother, Venerable Cao the Lesser.

That intricate plan had been perfectly calculated.

Venerable Cao never anticipated that Ye Qin would self-destruct a rare water-attributed magic treasure at such a critical juncture, narrowly escaping death once again.

Venerable Cao avoided the obstacle formed by the treasure fragments and dense water spiritual energy; by the time he tried to pursue, it was too late. The distance between him and Ye Qin widened again, fueling his shock and deep resentment.

“Damn it, the brat escaped again! No wonder even Old Ancestor Green Robe couldn’t catch him!”

Though the events seemed drawn out, they transpired in an instant.

Venerable Cao, unwilling to yield, recalled the Demon Suppressing Mallet and resumed his pursuit of Ye Qin.

Meanwhile, his accomplices, Venerable Li and Venerable Hu, having shrugged off the pursuing wicked cultivators from the desolate island, quickly flew over.

Ye Qin, however, had no mind to deal with them, nor the time to engage in protracted combat with Venerable Cao.

Ye Qin pulled a gourd of Ninth Grade Scarlet Cloud Spirit Nectar from his waist pouch and took a huge gulp, using the restored magical power entirely to control the Dark Cloud Barrier and continue his rapid flight, not daring to spare a single thought elsewhere.

His Dark Cloud Barrier had already shot another one to two hundred feet farther in the preceding moment.

Ye Qin quickly glanced ahead; he was only three li away from the Ghost Mist Grand Array surrounding the colossal island.

Although he had narrowly avoided Venerable Cao’s sneak attack, the speed of the Dark Cloud Barrier was forced to slow momentarily.

This slight deceleration meant the Green Fiend Sword, chasing relentlessly behind him, had closed the gap from six or seven hundred feet to three or four hundred feet.

The towering green fiendish rainbow pierced through the obstruction of numerous magic artifacts, heading directly for Ye Qin, sending a bone-chilling sensation down his spine.

“Once I break into the Ghost Mist Grand Array, I’ll have a much greater chance of evading Old Ancestor Green Robe’s pursuit! …Venerable Cao the Wicked, I’ll settle the score with you later!”

Ye Qin cursed Venerable Cao internally.

His magical power was already down to roughly thirty percent; forcing the Water Conch Spirit Pearl to self-destruct to completely block Venerable Cao’s sneak attack had consumed another significant portion of his meager remaining reserves.

“Senior Brother Du, look! Venerable Cao and that Ye fellow are fighting,” exclaimed a Golden Core cultivator from the Shang Tang Palace, spotting Venerable Cao’s sudden strike against Ye Qin nearby with alarm.

“Haha, Venerable Cao certainly knows how to seize an opportunity! Attacking at a moment like this.” Du Ran turned for a quick glance, delighted, which suddenly turned to annoyance, “Ah… Ye fellow exploded a magic treasure! Venerable Cao failed his ambush!”

Du Ran’s group hadn't contributed much within the Wutu Grand Array; seeing the situation turn perilous, they immediately bolted. They escaped even faster than Ye Qin, heading toward the Ghost Mist Grand Array before their protective shield had even cracked.

“Senior Brother Du, let’s strike and take down that Ye fellow too. This chaos is absolute; everyone is busy fleeing. No one will notice who killed whom. If we kill Elder Ye, no one will realize it was us from the Shang Tang Palace!”

“Right! Such an opportunity is rare! If this Ye fellow escapes this time, finding such a good chance to kill him again will be difficult,” another Golden Core cultivator from Shang Tang Palace urged, “Perhaps if we kill Elder Ye, Old Ancestor Green Robe will spare our lives.”

“Good! We attack together and finish off Elder Ye!”

Du Ran swiftly surveyed the treasure-seeking cultivators frantically fleeing around them; none had the leisure to pay attention to them.

Hardening his heart, he made a swift decision. He, along with the other two Shang Tang Palace cultivators, let out a fierce shout, fully urging their magic artifacts and charging toward Ye Qin inside the Dark Cloud Barrier from the left flank.

“Brother Ye, watch out!”

Jiang Ling and Zheng Chenghui were flying past Ye Qin from another direction behind him. Upon seeing Venerable Cao’s sneak attack on Ye Qin, they instantly cried out in alarm, spurting out their respective Primordial Spirit Artifacts in an attempt to stop Venerable Cao.

Despite the extreme danger and the desperate flight of all cultivators, they shared a good rapport with Ye Qin and naturally did not wish to see him perish at this moment, lest they become isolated once they reached the colossal island.

However, they hadn't even managed to strike Venerable Cao yet.

Venerable Cao’s ambush had already been completely neutralized by the self-detonation of Ye Qin’s magic treasure.

At that moment, Jiang and Zheng witnessed the three Shang Tang Palace cultivators, led by Du Ran, jointly charging toward Ye Qin on their swords, their expressions a mixture of jealousy and hatred, clearly harboring animosity toward Ye Qin.

Jiang and Zheng did not know who Du Ran’s group were, but their attempt to assassinate Ye Qin was no different from attempting to kill them.

“Who are you people?! Why are you ambushing Ye Qin? Stop!”

Jiang Ling immediately shouted fiercely, and the Primordial Spirit Artifacts they had just launched abruptly shifted course, pouncing toward Du Ran’s group.

“Who are you to ruin my grand plan?!”

Du Ran, who was aiming to strike while Ye Qin was locked in battle with Venerable Cao, was furious when several flying swords suddenly intercepted them.

“Go to hell!”

Du Ran’s group of three Golden Core cultivators immediately engaged in a deadly aerial battle with Jiang and Zheng, even as they continued to flee toward the colossal island.

Jiang Ling and Zheng Chenghui intercepting Du Ran’s faction from the side brought Ye Qin immense relief.

But before Ye Qin could feel joy, he was struck by alarm. He glanced quickly behind him: Venerable Li and Venerable Hu had also spurred their flying swords and were relentlessly pursuing him.

“Cao’s faction of wicked cultivators is absolutely determined to hunt me down this time. Even if it costs me a drop in my Golden Core cultivation level, I must eliminate them to prevent future trouble!”

A look of resolve crossed Ye Qin’s icy face as he placed a hand on his storage pouch, preparing to unleash the minor divine ability artifact, the ‘Xun Thunder Ancient Mirror.’

“Ice Soul Severance Art!”

“Fire Soul Severance Art!”

Just then, a delicate shout echoed through the sky.

The ice and fire Primordial Spirit Artifacts transformed into two mutually reflecting rays of rainbow light, splitting up and rushing toward Venerable Li and Venerable Hu.

In the briefest moment, the two rainbow lights exploded, scattering into thirty-two points of dazzling sword light, overwhelming the area and completely enveloping Venerable Li and Venerable Hu.

Ye Qin, who had been about to throw the Xun Thunder Ancient Mirror, stopped immediately, knowing without looking that it was Huangfu Bing'er who had made her move.

Venerable Li and Venerable Hu reacted just as quickly; horrified, they simultaneously abandoned Ye Qin and controlled their flying swords to meet the two rays of rainbow light head-on.

Their own lives were far more important than killing Ye Qin.

Ye Qin could only offer a wry smile.

Although he had managed to fend off the attacking Venerable Cao, Jiang and Zheng had intercepted Du Ran’s faction, and Bing'er was fully engaging Venerable Li and Venerable Hu, forcing them to withdraw their swords for defense.

However, the minor divine ability artifact of Old Ancestor Green Robe—the Green Fiend Sword—remained unstoppable, slicing toward his position. No one could block it, nor dared to.

The entire sky behind Ye Qin was engulfed in blazing green malevolent light.

The treasure-seeking cultivators and desolate island wicked cultivators surrounding Ye Qin were horrified and scattered in all directions.

Even though the Green Fiend Sword’s target wasn't them, its immense blade and terrifying destructive power still covered them within its attack range.

“This is bad!”

“Quickly, block the Green Fiend Sword!”

Venerable Cao, who had not given up his pursuit of Ye Qin, along with the fighting Jiang Ling and Zheng Chenghui, and Du Ran’s group, were all struck by terror as the Green Fiend Sword bore down on them, extremely close to Ye Qin. The dozen or so Golden Core cultivators nearest Ye Qin could think of nothing else. They poured their entire magical power into controlling various magic artifacts and treasures to intercept the Green Fiend Sword.

They had no third option: either be cleaved by the Green Fiend Sword or block it. If they didn't resist with all their might, the sheer power of one strike from the Green Fiend Sword was enough to annihilate them all, leaving no time even to flee.

Ye Qin only had a split second to unleash several high-grade talismans, blasting toward the Green Fiend Sword cleaving down from the sky, while simultaneously wrapping himself completely within the Dark Cloud Barrier to mitigate the incoming attack as much as possible.

In that instant, the myriad beams of light unleashed by the more than ten Golden Core cultivators struck the incoming Green Fiend Sword.

“Boom!”

The brilliant lights of various colors exploded, forcing onlookers to shut their eyes.

Over ten magic artifacts and treasures were shattered into fragments by a single strike from the Green Fiend Sword.

The Green Fiend Sword had already killed more than ten Golden Core cultivators and destroyed numerous artifacts along its path, meaning seven or eight-tenths of its power had been expended.

This final strike finally exhausted the remaining twenty or thirty percent of its power, reducing it to a small, several-inch-long sword that shot backward, returning toward Old Ancestor Green Robe, who was flying in pursuit.

Many Golden Core cultivators who had managed to flee to the edge of the colossal island were struck by the massive magical energy wave, spitting up blood, before plunging into the blood mist ancient ruins and vanishing without a trace.

At the very center, Ye Qin, whose magical power was almost entirely exhausted, let out a muffled groan. Struck as if by a giant hammer, he fell like a broken kite into the blood mist of the colossal island.

Swish!

Before a group of wicked cultivators from the savage island could rush forward.

A figure clad in blue, protecting herself with the dual ice and fire swords, swiftly snatched the falling Ye Qin. With a beat of the rock-fire butterfly wings on her back, she maneuvered agilely in the air, and with a “whoosh,” vanished into the boundless blood mist surrounding the outermost perimeter of the colossal island.

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