Three gray figures streaked aimlessly across the vast expanse of the Blood Mist Wasteland.

The one in the lead was a middle-aged cultivator, followed closely by an elder and a young cultivator.

Having just escaped a pack of Festering Beasts, their flight was quite disheveled. The island was under an anti-flight enchantment, making it impossible for them to soar on their swords; they could only sprint across the ground. Moreover, they dared not run too fast, lest they stumble into the hordes of Festering Beasts roaming the barren land.

"Senior Brother Du, this massive island is too large—it spans thousands of miles. We couldn't traverse it completely even if we ran for months. We’ve been wandering in this Blood Mist Wasteland for half a day already, yet haven't found a single trace of any ancient treasure. Instead, we’ve encountered numerous dangerous Festering Beasts. If we hadn't reacted quickly, we might have died countless times! This is utterly cursed. In my entire life, I’ve never seen a place so overrun with Festering Beasts. Who knows where the ancient relics could be hidden."

The young cultivator muttered.

"Hmph. After being chased by those Festering Beasts just now, we’ve completely lost our bearings. Forget about finding ancient treasures now; we don't even know which direction to take to leave this colossal island. We've been lost in this blood mist for several hours, and we haven't grasped the slightest clue on how to depart! The mist here continuously erodes our magic power, forcing us to maintain our protective barriers. If this continues, the spirit wine and spirit stones we carry will be depleted rapidly. Once our magic runs dry, we will inevitably be devoured by the Festering Beasts. We shouldn't have entered this island knowing we would lose our way! It would have been better to be killed by Old Ancestor Green Robe than to end up as food for those beasts."

"Speaking of which, it's all the fault of Elder Ye from the Purple Sword Palace. If we hadn't been pursuing him, we wouldn't have ended up in this accursed place... I wonder if Old Ancestor Green Robe and those wicked cultivators from the Savage Isles have left yet. I hope we don't run into them again."

The elder and the young cultivator grumbled amongst themselves, trading complaints.

"Senior Brother Du, we've shaken off that pack of Festering Beasts. Let's rest here for a moment and restore our magic power! Once our power is replenished, we should figure out a way to leave this place as soon as possible."

One of the elders glanced back at the Blood Mist Wasteland behind them. Seeing no sign of any Festering Beasts, he couldn't help but speak cautiously.

"Senior Brother Peng speaks rightly."

The young cultivator chimed in, "Senior Brother Du, we expended a lot of magic escaping that group of Festering Beasts. If we run into Festering Beasts, the wicked cultivators from the Savage Isles, or any other treasure-seeking cultivators with ill intent, given our remaining magic, the consequences would be unimaginable!"

"Furthermore, once the spirit wine and spirit stones are used up, even without Festering Beasts, our magic will be rapidly drained by this blood mist. Then, the blood mist will slowly corrode our flesh. Putting aside the sheer horror and pain of that torment, I refuse to suffer that fate and become some wretched, monstrous corpse. That would be a quicker death than being struck down by the Old Ancestor of the Savage Isles!"

As the young cultivator was speaking, there was a sudden crack beneath his feet, startling him.

On the ground lay the skeletal remains of a cultivator, brittle and shattered from the erosion and weathering caused by the blood mist.

The young cultivator felt a tremor in his heart, his regret deepening. If he couldn't leave this colossal island, or if he encountered other dangers, he knew it wouldn't be long before he, too, became a pile of white bones, eternally buried on this island.

"Enough! Both of you, shut up! The elders of the Immortal Palace sent us to gain experience in the Sea of Blood; encountering danger is normal!"

Du Ran stopped, annoyed and irritated by the constant complaints of the two Upper Tang Palace cultivators. "Although this island is perilous, it surely can't be worse than running into Old Ancestor Green Robe. Be vigilant; the three of us still have a chance to escape. If we can find any valuable treasures within these ruins and bring them back to the Immortal Palace, it will count for something—not making this trip to the ancient ruins completely in vain."

"Senior Brother Du is right!"

The two Upper Tang Palace cultivators, having been reprimanded, dared not argue back. Compared to the Festering Beasts, Old Ancestor Green Robe was far more terrifying. Against the beasts, there was still a sliver of hope for escape. But encountering Old Ancestor Green Robe meant certain death.

The three collected themselves, drank a bit of spirit wine, and sat down to meditate and recover their magic power.

An hour later, having restored their strength, Du Ran led the other two back out into the Blood Mist Wasteland.

In this vast, desolate expanse, they could neither fly on their swords, nor could their spiritual senses penetrate more than a mile or two. Once lost on this land, escaping was incredibly difficult. While they knew that eventually walking forward would lead them off the island, the constant need to evade Festering Beasts made continuous forward travel impossible. They might circle endlessly, and who knew when they would break free of the island’s confines.

After walking for an unknown duration, they saw, far ahead in the blood mist, the vague outline of a ruined camp.

Instead of joy, surprise flashed across their faces.

"A ruined camp!"

"A place like that offers poor visibility and numerous obstacles; dangers lurking within will be even harder to spot. We must proceed with extreme caution."

As Du Ran finished speaking, they faintly heard the roars, wails, and tearing sounds of Festering Beasts emanating from the ruins.

"Festering Beasts!"

The expressions of all three changed drastically. The elder named Peng did not hesitate for a moment. He swept his sleeve, clearing away a patch of scattered bones and stones from the ground. He touched the earth, and a faint yellow light shot into the ground as he closed his eyes.

"Earth Listening Technique!"

This was a low-tier Earth element spell, allowing one to perceive sounds through the earth in the vicinity. Such low-level Earth spells were only occasionally used during the Qi Refining stage. They, as Golden Core cultivators, normally relied on flying artifacts and spiritual sense detection; they never needed such rudimentary Earth magic.

However, being stranded on this massive island laced with peculiar restrictions, the Earth Listening Technique proved unexpectedly effective—far more useful than visual observation or spiritual scanning.

"About three hundred yards ahead, inside that ruined camp, there are several Festering Beasts attacking a Golden Core cultivator and a demon beast! They are likely treasure hunters who ran into trouble."

The elder Peng quickly discerned the situation within the ruined camp and hurriedly reported to Du Ran, "Senior Brother Du, should we bypass the ruins ahead?"

The Earth Listening method could only detect sounds on the ground ahead; it couldn't sense the presence or aura of cultivators like the spiritual sense could.

"Several Festering Beasts... If they are Golden Core level Festering Beasts, they are probably ferocious. We might not be a match for them! Better safe than sorry."

The young cultivator worried.

Du Ran’s eyes darted back and forth as he considered the situation, then a cold chuckle escaped his lips. "It must be some other solitary treasure hunter who ran into a pack of Festering Beasts here! Since that person can hold off so many beasts without being instantly killed, it means those beasts aren't overwhelmingly strong. The three of us should sneak closer and observe the situation silently. That treasure hunter must be carrying large quantities of spirit wine, spirit stones, and other supplies. Even if we gain nothing else, acquiring some provisions will allow us to survive on this cursed great formation for a longer time."

"Senior Brother Du is correct. It’s worth investigating." Senior Brother Peng hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"Let's go!"

Du Ran made a swift decision and dashed across the Blood Mist Wasteland, silently approaching the ruined camp.

Moments later, the three arrived inside the camp. Du Ran vaulted up to a vantage point with a clear view and saw several Golden Core-level Festering Wolves surrounding a female cultivator and a skeletal demon.

The woman’s face was deathly pale, sweat pouring down her body, her delicate frame swaying precariously, yet she was still controlling her Ice-Fire Flying Sword Array, relying purely on sheer willpower to sustain the fight. The ground was littered with the corpses of Festering Wolves—most shattered into pieces by ice or reduced to scorched black bones by fire. Some had been torn apart into several pieces by sharp fangs.

"Senior Brother Du, look! In one corner of the ruined camp is Elder Ye Xiao of the Purple Sword Palace. He's sitting cross-legged, utterly devoid of breath. Could he be dead?!"

"Hmph, after suffering two attacks from Old Ancestor Green Robe, how could he, a mere Fifth Layer Golden Core, possibly survive! He got off easy this time. If he were alive, I, Xu Mouren, would definitely let him taste my Upper Tang Immortal Arts! Let him know the might of an Upper Tang Palace cultivator."

At this moment, the other two Upper Tang Palace cultivators had also crouched beside Du Ran, observing the scene. Discovering Ye Qin, they were overcome with unexpected delight.

"From the looks of it, that Ye fellow suffered grievous wounds from the Savage Isle's Old Ancestor Green Robe earlier. He’s very likely dead... Even if he isn't, he must only have a breath left. His wife and that Golden Core demon beast are also at their limit. A mere wave and we could eliminate them—Heaven is truly helping us!"

Although Du Ran muttered his excitement in a low voice, he could not suppress the joy in his tone. He never imagined that the ones being besieged by several Golden Core Festering Wolves would be the Ye Qin couple, whom he had given up hope of ever encountering again!

"Tsk tsk, this woman is truly formidable. She single-handedly killed several Golden Core-level and over a dozen Foundation Establishment-level Festering Wolves. However, she and this pack of sharp-clawed wolves have clearly been locked in a bloody battle for hours; they are running on fumes and can’t fight much longer."

"That Golden Core skeletal demon is even more ferocious, biting the Festering Wolf leader so severely that it dares not approach."

"Senior Brother Du, your fortune is astonishing! You’ve stumbled upon this perfect opportunity! This time, not only can we eliminate this great enemy of the Upper Tang Palace without anyone knowing, earning immense merit for our sect, but all the magic artifacts and treasures carried by the Ye couple, along with that Golden Core skeletal demon whose combat power is nearly depleted, will all become ours."

"They are extremely wealthy, so they must possess no small amount of superior spirit pills, high-grade spirit stones, and spirit wine—more than enough to allow us to escape this damned colossal island. Coupled with the magic artifacts and treasures seized from them, it’s a fortune beyond measure. Once we return to the Upper Tang Immortal Palace, based on this merit and our spoils, we will certainly receive generous rewards and high regard from the elders. Our future cultivation paths will be unobstructed, leading straight to success, with a very high chance of breaking through the Nascent Soul bottleneck!"

The elder and the young cultivator stared at Ye Qin and Huangfu Bing'er in the field, seeing them as treasures within easy reach and a celestial path leading to boundless prospects.

If they were in the East Sea, or even the Sea of Blood, they would never dare attack Ye Qin in broad daylight, lest word spread and ignite a blood feud between the Upper Tang Palace and the Purple Sword Palace. But now, in the lightless ancient ruins, on the Blood Mist Wasteland—no matter what they did, no one would ever know. This kind of temptation was irresistible to any Golden Core cultivator.

"Why does this Ye fellow, a mere rogue cultivator by birth, possess such a stunningly beautiful wife, endless wealth, the renowned Grand Five Elements Sword Array that shakes the East Sea cultivation world, and holds the position of an Elder in the Purple Sword Palace, second only to a Nascent Soul ancestor? To soar so high at such a young age, with the Nascent Soul Dao within sight! I, a legitimate direct disciple of the Upper Tang Palace, possess less than a tenth of his status. Whether he is dead now or not, today I must grind his bones to dust to quell the hatred in my heart!"

In that instant, countless thoughts flashed through Du Ran’s mind; jealousy and hatred mingled, giving birth to a monstrous impulse.