"Fearing that you were incapable of obtaining the Ice Lotus Seed yourself, you used it as an excuse to try and kill me!"

When Cultivator Fan saw Cultivator Sun and Cultivator Pang attack in unison, the coldness on his face finally broke, and he hastily summoned a magic artifact to defend himself while retreating.

He had already mapped out his entire plan.

To use the seed of this North Nether Ice Lotus to freeze and lure Cultivator Sun to his death.

Then, to incite the Ye Qin couple and Cultivator Pang to slaughter each other over the lotus seed.

No matter what, by the time these four treasure-hunting cultivators had fought themselves into near ruin, his plan would be complete. He would only need to wait for the true body of the Ghost Master to enter the treasury and claim the Ice Lotus Seed to declare victory.

However, he never anticipated that Cultivator Sun would be so cautious, sending a Spiritual Ape to retrieve the seed. As a result, the ape was frozen, and Cultivator Sun narrowly escaped. In his fury, Sun Xing pointed directly at him, even seizing on his suspicious points and stirring up Cultivator Pang, Ye Qin, and the others to attack him mercilessly.

His attempts to sow discord and trap others had backfired, resulting in him being besieged instead.

"Cultivator Fan's current body is too weak, possessing only the cultivation of the seventh layer of the Golden Core realm, and he doesn't even have a decent magic artifact. Although this Lord has possessed the body with a wisp of Yin Soul, I can only deploy some ordinary means; I fear it won't be enough to contend against two late-stage Golden Core cultivators."

Cultivator Fan’s thoughts raced, as he manipulated a Nascent Soul flying sword, going all out to resist the attacks from Sun Xing and Pang Xiu.

"Blood Burning Great Law! Ah...!"

Cultivator Fan roared. Seeing that he could not possibly match their strength, he actually resorted to an ancient secret art that burned his own vital blood and essence to forcibly boost his power.

His body instantly became gradually transparent, blood energy churning violently and blazing intensely. Waves of blood-colored flames erupted from within him, enveloping his entire body and forming a vast sea of bloody aura.

Although Cultivator Fan's physical body was not literally on fire, the fiercely circulating blood energy caused his eyes to bulge and his face to contort as he roared in agony.

The spiritual pressure emanating from him began to surge relentlessly, climbing until, within a few breaths, it reached the peak state of the ninth tier of the Golden Core realm.

This Blood Burning Great Law was immensely harmful to the self.

As a mere puppet body, it did not care whether this physical form was destroyed.

"You want me dead? Haha...!"

Cultivator Fan roared through his blood-red eyes, simultaneously pushing his palms forward fiercely, controlling the Nascent Soul flying sword along with several top-grade flying swords, hurling them toward Sun Xing and Pang Xiu.

At this moment, the attacks from Sun Xing and Pang Xiu also arrived simultaneously.

"Boom! Boom!"

Several Nascent Soul artifacts and top-grade artifacts crisscrossed in mid-air, colliding with each other.

Although Cultivator Fan was forced back step by step, he managed to block the combined fierce assault of Sun Xing and Pang Xiu. This demonstrated the terrifying extremity of his strength at the ninth layer of the Golden Core realm; for a short duration, he could even contend against two Golden Core cultivators of the same rank.

Ye Qin was surprised that Cultivator Fan would use such a self-damaging technique as the Blood Burning Great Law. Although it caused a massive surge in power in the short term, it would likely result in the destruction of his physical body eventually.

"Fellow Daoist Ye, Sun and Pang are using this chance to kill me so they can exclusively claim this treasury. Afterward, they will surely come for the two of you! Quickly join forces with me to kill these two insidious wretches. As long as we eliminate them, all treasures within this ancient treasury will belong to you and your wife!"

Cultivator Fan, employing the Blood Burning Great Law, desperately withstood the combined, fierce attacks of Sun Xing and Pang Xiu.

But he quickly began to lose stamina, unable to hold on, and urgently cried out to Ye Qin for help.

"Fellow Daoist Sun, you just kill him; I absolutely will not interfere!"

Ye Qin glanced coldly at the burning, intensely bloody Cultivator Fan, paying him no heed whatsoever, allowing Sun Xing and Pang Xiu to continue their fierce assault.

Cultivator Fan's origins were unclear, his motives impure, and his behavior overly bizarre; the signs he showed on the way to the treasury were highly suspect. It would be best to eliminate this cultivator sooner rather than later; otherwise, no one could predict his next move.

In contrast, Sun Xing and Pang Xiu were known treasure hunters. Their general backgrounds, origins, and strengths were understood, as was what they intended to do.

Ye Qin had no concerns about dealing with Sun Xing and Pang Xiu.

Ye Qin had no intention of making enemies of Sun Xing and Pang Xiu over a mere Cultivator Fan. Inside the ice vault, that Ice Toad would soon break free from the Earth Prison, and if he and Sun Xing became locked in a battle that couldn't be resolved quickly, not only would he fail to obtain that mysterious lotus seed, but his own life would also be in jeopardy.

"Good! Brother Ye, once we kill this surnamed Fan, the four of us can divide the treasury treasures afterward!"

Sun Xing and Pang Xiu had initially worried that Ye Qin would intervene or obstruct them. Hearing Ye Qin say this, they immediately relaxed and intensified their assault on Cultivator Fan with full force.

"If I die, those two certainly won't spare you either!"

Cultivator Fan gnashed his teeth in hatred but had no choice but to continue dealing with the combined siege from Sun Xing and Pang Xiu with all his might.

"Husband, I will use my Ice Soul Cold Light Sword to try and retrieve the Ice Lotus Seed; perhaps I can manage it!"

Huangfu Bing'er glanced at the North Nether Ice Lotus Seed resting on the white jade lotus platform, clearly tempted, and spoke to Ye Qin.

Time was pressing; the sounds of the Ice Toad smashing against the prison were ferocious. The three cultivators—Sun, Pang, and Fan—were fighting at full strength. Among the Golden Core cultivators present, she was the only one with an Ice Spirit Root and the ability to control an Ice-elemental Nascent Soul flying sword, inherently capable of resisting intense cold.

No one was better suited to retrieve the North Nether Ice Lotus Seed.

"No!"

Ye Qin immediately shook his head. "This Ice Lotus is no small matter; its power is hard to predict. You absolutely cannot take the risk. If even your Ice Spirit Root cannot withstand the cold energy of this lotus seed, it would be disastrous."

With that, he swept his gaze over the fiercely battling trio of Sun Xing, Pang Xiu, and Fan Xiu, his expression perfectly calm. "If Cultivator Sun and Cultivator Pang cannot obtain the Ice Lotus Seed, then I shall try!"

Ye Qin slapped his waist storage pouch.

A puppet, five zhang tall and clad entirely in silver armor, wielding a massive silver spear, materialized in the main hall of the ice vault.

As this Silver Armored Guard appeared, a scarlet light flashed in its jeweled eyes.

It leaped toward the edge of the white jade lotus platform, extended a giant palm to grasp, and snatched the Ice Lotus Seed, which was enveloped in a swirling mist of ice spiritual energy, taking it off the platform.

The Ice Lotus Seed emitted a wave of cold air that sprayed toward the Silver Armored Guard.

Ye Qin rejoiced at the success of the strike and commanded the Silver Armored Guard to retreat.

The Silver Armored Guard's action immediately drew the attention of Sun Xing and Pang Xiu, as well as the almost spent Cultivator Fan.

They turned their heads and saw a Silver Armored Guard retreating toward Ye Qin's position.

And in the giant palm clutched by this guard, the swirling ice frost spiritual energy was rapidly spreading over its body, forming a thin layer of frost.

But what astonished the three of them was that even though this all-encompassing, extreme cold frost spiritual energy had completely enveloped the Silver Armored Guard puppet, it could still move. It hadn't been completely frozen, and it had successfully retreated from the lotus platform, even swallowing the Ice Lotus Seed into its abdomen.

"Anti-Artifact Effect!"

"This is a guard armor forged entirely from Mithril?"

Sun Xing and Pang Xiu exchanged glances, instantly realizing something, and were deeply shocked. Not even a Nascent Soul ancestor from the Blood Sea would possess such a Mithril-forged guard armor. Where on earth did Ye Qin acquire it?

"Not good! The North Nether Ice Lotus Seed has been taken out by the Silver Armored Guard!"

"Cultivator Fan" shrieked in anger. He had never imagined that within this ancient treasury, there would be a Golden Core cultivator capable of retrieving this Ice Lotus Seed. This was entirely outside his expectations and beyond comprehension.

Ye Qin controlled the Silver Armored Guard and successfully obtained the North Nether Ice Lotus Seed. The frost covering the puppet's body was growing heavier and heavier, and Ye Qin did not dare to hesitate; he immediately retracted the entire Silver Armored Guard puppet, lotus seed and all, back into his storage pouch.

With the Ice Lotus Seed taken from the lotus platform by Ye Qin, the pervasive icy aura throughout the entire ice vault hall immediately began to significantly weaken.

"How dare you!"

Cultivator Fan's eyes turned completely red, and he roared, struggling desperately to resist. However, the Blood Burning Great Law was rapidly draining his strength. After the initial massive surge in power, he was now on an irreversible path toward weakness.

Sun Xing and Pang Xiu each controlled their Nascent Soul artifacts, launching a combined fatal strike toward Cultivator Fan.

The Four Directions Earthen Blockade Flags burst forth with dazzling yellow light, sweeping up the weakened Cultivator Fan entirely within their field of force, suppressing his spiritual power.

The Seven Treasures Canopy Umbrella spun out seven-colored streams of light while simultaneously expanding rapidly.

"Ah!"

Cultivator Fan struggled to resist but was overwhelmed. With a scream, the bloody light covering him was violently shattered, and his physical body was pulverized into dust by the Earthen Blockade Flags.

At this moment, a strange wisp of black energy drilled out from Cultivator Fan's body. As this Yin Soul materialized, it let out a ferocious shriek: "Dare to ruin this Lord's great plan, your doom is near, just wait...!"

It darted left and right, but trapped within the encirclement of the Four Directions Earthen Blockade Flags, it could not escape.

"Yin Soul Possession?"

"Was Cultivator Fan possessed by a Ghost Cultivator?"

Sun Xing and Pang Xiu were utterly bewildered.

This sudden, strange Yin Soul startled both of them, yet they had no clue as to its origin.

Sun Xing showed no mercy, using the Earthen Blockade Flags to sweep up and instantly annihilate the wisp of Yin Soul.

Then, with a complex and jealous gaze, he turned toward the Ye Qin couple.

It was no wonder Sun Xing was filled with jealousy. He had lost a Golden Core Spiritual Ape and hadn't even touched the Ice Lotus Seed. Unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, Ye Qin had snatched it away.

"Fellow Daoist Ye, you are being far too unfair. If you had told me you could retrieve this Ice Lotus Seed, I would have simply given it to you; why resort to such trickery and cause me to lose a Spiritual Ape! If you don't give this old man an explanation today, don't blame me for being impolite! Fellow Daoist Pang, you and I join forces to kill him; the lotus seed belongs to me, and afterward, all the contents of the treasury will be yours!"

Sun Xing's gaze fixed on the storage pouch containing the Silver Armored Guard, his forehead turning red with rising blood energy. He gestured, summoning the small divine ability ancient artifact, the 'Savage Rhino Seal,' which shone with a brilliant yellow light.

Ye Qin was not Cultivator Fan.

If Sun Xing wanted to deal with Ye Qin, merely using his Four Directions Earthen Blockade Flags would not suffice. Not only would he fail to win, but he might even risk defeat. After all, even Old Ancestor Green Robe, using the small divine ability artifact Green Fiend Sword to hunt Ye Qin, had failed to kill him. One could imagine how incredibly formidable Ye Qin's strength was.

For Sun Xing to have a chance of victory, he had to deploy a small divine ability ancient artifact to maximize his odds.

Cultivator Pang watched the shifting situation with cold eyes, not immediately stating his position. He neither agreed nor objected. Of course, in his heart, he hoped Sun Xing would make a move and severely injure the Ye Qin couple. The more people who died, the better for the one who ultimately survived.

Ye Qin, however, scoffed disdainfully, flipping his hand to reveal a simple, ancient-looking lightning-elemental ancient mirror, which appeared in his hand. This mirror exuded an ancient magical aura, certainly no less powerful than Sun Xing's Savage Rhino Seal.

Simultaneously, Huangfu Bing'er summoned a Scarlet Flood Dragon Sword. This sword faintly carried the aura of a fire flood dragon and was equally mighty.

"Small Divine Ability Artifacts!"

"Two of them!"

Sun Xing's expression finally changed.

Pang Xiu's face shifted dramatically, and he took a step back.

Was this Ye Qin's true trump card?

Even an elder from the Purple Sword Palace should not possess such terrifying strength. The Great Five Elements Sword Array, the Silver Armored Guard, two Small Divine Ability Artifacts—Ye Qin's hidden cards seemed inexhaustible, forever keeping them guessing.

Such extravagance, such calculating tactics and financial backing—even a direct disciple of the East Sea Immortal Palace probably couldn't manage this.

Sun Xing's face instantly stiffened; he was at a loss.

The two Small Divine Ability Artifacts held by Ye Qin and Huangfu Bing'er were clearly a mockery directed at him. Small Divine Ability Artifacts were not exclusive to him.

Pang Xiu, who had initially been considering whether he could profit from this conflict, could no longer sit still. Seeing Ye Qin and his wife reveal their Small Divine Ability Artifacts and adopt a posture ready to fight Sun Xing to the death, he realized that if a desperate battle erupted, the Ye Qin couple could kill not only Sun Xing but him as well. He hurriedly stepped forward to mediate. "Fellow Daoist Sun, please calm down. Once these artifacts are used, your cultivation might drop by a whole level! Since Fellow Daoist Ye has the ability to retrieve the lotus seed, he is naturally fated to have it. Why must Fellow Daoist Sun be so agitated? Furthermore, the treasury is filled with numerous treasures; there is absolutely no need for mutual destruction!"

He did not wish for Sun Xing to perish. If the Ye Qin couple were left without a constraint, it would be disadvantageous to him.

"Fellow Daoist Ye shows profound hidden depths; Sun is impressed! Very well, if the lotus seed goes to you, so be it. But the treasures in the treasury outside must go to Fellow Daoist Pang and myself, or else this old life is forfeit, and I will drag you down with me!"

Sun Xing's face changed several times, and he finally bit his lip in extreme unwillingness.

"Fine, I shall concede them to Brother Sun!"

Ye Qin merely smiled faintly, having long anticipated that Sun Xing would not risk a direct, desperate fight.

"Bang! Bang!"

The Earth Prison began to shake violently, and a long, foot-wide fissure appeared. The raging form of the Ice Toad Demon Spirit could already be seen poking out from the prison cell.

"The Earth Prison is breaking! Let's go, get out of here!"

Ye Qin's expression changed, and he quickly rushed toward the ice cave passage with Huangfu Bing'er.

Cultivator Pang took a deep breath, his face grim, and followed closely, sprinting toward the exit of the ice cave.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The violent impact sounds of the Earth Prison echoed within the ice vault, and the fissure rapidly widened to several feet, cracking loudly.

Sun Xing wanted to flee, but just before leaving, he suddenly remembered something. Ignoring the fact that the Ice Toad Demon Spirit could break out within moments, he waved his hand, retrieved the storage pouch left behind by the deceased Cultivator Fan, and then frantically fled toward the ice cave passage.

"Splash!"

The instant Sun Xing flashed through the light gate of the ice vault, the Ice Toad trapped within the earth prison finally burst through its bonds with sheer force.

It saw Sun Xing's fleeing back, croaked furiously, and with blazing scarlet eyes, it leaped out, shooting through the light gate and chasing after Sun Xing in the ice cave passage.

"Whoosh, whoosh!"

Two cyan figures shot out of the light gate of the central ice vault passage one after the other, appearing in the hexagonal great hall of the ancient treasury.

These two were Ye Qin and Huangfu Bing'er, the first to escape the ice vault.

In the great hall, ten treasure-hunting cultivators were sitting cross-legged in a corner, resting and meditating. They dared not enter the depths of the ice vault and had been waiting in the hall for news for a full day, growing anxious and impatient.

Seeing Ye Qin and his wife emerge, they were overjoyed.

"Brother Ye! How was it? Did you kill the Cao clan?"

"Did you obtain the Nascent Soul Pill?"

Jiang Ling, Zheng Chenghui, and the Wang uncle and nephew immediately greeted Ye Qin.

Ye Qin had no time to respond, nor did he dare to stop for an instant. Upon reaching the treasury great hall, he and Huangfu Bing'er immediately rushed toward the ancient teleportation formation in the center of the hall.

The Ice Toad had already broken free from the earth prison restraint and was furiously pursuing them from behind. All the restrictions within the treasury had failed; the Ice Toad could fully emerge from the ice vault passage and slaughter the cultivators inside.

The only way to leave the treasury was the ancient teleportation formation.

This small-scale ancient teleportation formation could only transport one cultivator at a time. Moreover, each activation, from start to finish, required two to three breaths of time. For all the cultivators in the treasury to exit, it would take at least thirty to forty breaths, or even more.

The Ice Toad was too fast; it wouldn't take even twenty breaths for it to burst out. It was impossible for all the cultivators to escape. Those left behind were surely doomed.

Ye Qin knew that at this moment, he absolutely could not speak of the Nascent Soul-level Ice Toad. Otherwise, the resulting panic among the treasure-hunting cultivators would lead to a mad scramble for the teleportation formation, resulting in no one escaping in the end.

"Take these. Quickly enter the Earth Vault!"

Before leaving, Ye Qin tossed the large and small Earth Vault tokens, which he and Huangfu Bing'er held, to Jiang and Zheng. He instructed them to hide in the Earth Vault, and whether they survived would depend entirely on their luck.

Jiang Ling and Zheng Chenghui accepted the two tokens of different sizes, exchanged a glance, and looked surprised, wondering why Ye Qin was rushing to teleport out and then throwing the two tokens to them.

Huangfu Bing'er teleported first.

Then Ye Qin vanished from the teleportation formation.

The moment Ye Qin disappeared from the ancient teleportation formation, Cultivator Pang shot out from the ice vault light gate. His expression was dark as he glanced around the hall. He saw Ye Qin already standing on the ancient teleportation formation. Without a word, he immediately charged toward the ancient formation.

"Fellow Daoist Pang, what were the conditions inside the ice vault?"

"What happened? Where are Fellow Daoist Sun and Fellow Daoist Kong Shi?"

The ten Golden Core cultivators in the hall were bewildered and very curious.

Cultivator Pang's expression was icy cold, and without saying a word, he flew down next to the ancient teleportation formation. After Ye Qin vanished from the formation, he immediately stepped onto it and began activating it.

Cultivator Pang stared expressionlessly at Cultivator Zhu and Cultivator Yang, his two companions of over ten years, who would likely perish here in moments. But he had to be iron-willed and say nothing; otherwise, if the cultivators in the hall realized the situation, he would be the one to die.

Sun Xing burst out of the ice cave passage, looking incredibly miserable, his expression displaying extreme terror and panic.

He made no attempt to conceal it, shooting toward the ancient teleportation formation at full speed.

The ten cultivators in the hall finally sensed that something was terribly wrong. They exchanged glances, their expressions filled with alarm. "Is there something terrifying inside the ice vault?" "It must be, otherwise why would the Ye couple, Cultivator Pang, and Sun Xing flee in such a hurry?" "Bad! Something must have gone wrong in the ice vault!"

The instant Sun Xing disappeared from the ancient teleportation formation.

"Bang!"

A massive Ice Toad Ice Crystal Demon Spirit emerged from the light gate and crashed into the treasury great hall. It exuded an oppressive cold aura that instantly enveloped the entire hall. Its pair of scarlet eyes swept over the ten Golden Core cultivators present.

"A Nascent Soul-level Ice Crystal Demon Spirit?"

"Sun Xing and the others encountered a Nascent Soul-level demon spirit in the ice vault? Cao Shi, Kong Shi, and Cultivator Fan didn't come out; they must have died in there."

The ten treasure-hunting cultivators still in the hall who hadn't reacted in time were struck with terror as those blood-red eyes swept over them. They finally understood why Ye Qin, Pang Xiu, and Sun Xing had fled in such a panic.

The Wang uncle and nephew pair let out a scream upon seeing the Nascent Soul-level demon spirit appear, then frantically rushed toward the ancient teleportation formation, attempting to exit through it.

"To the Earth Vault!"

Jiang Ling and Zheng Chenghui stumbled back a few steps in fright, exchanged a look, and then abruptly turned and dashed toward the Earth Vault passage.

Cultivator Zhu and Cultivator Yang rushed simultaneously toward the Fire Vault passage.

The hall instantly dissolved into chaos as the cultivators desperately tried to escape.

"Ah!"

The Ice Toad flicked out its sharp tongue, and immediately one unlucky Golden Core cultivator screamed and was shattered into a pile of ice dregs.