Inside the city, in a small building where "Ye Qin was refining a spiritual pill," the noise and uproar from outside, coupled with shouts about a beast tide attack, caused his brow to furrow. He added several dozen fire-coal lumps beneath the furnace to maintain the flames, then stepped out of the alchemy room.

The cultivators within the city were all above the mid-to-late Golden Core stage. Rather than fear, the assembled cultivators showed excitement. Encountering a large-scale beast tide was a rather rare event for the city's cultivators—an excellent opportunity to slay demons and ascend the rankings.

Ye Qin did not delay, following the crowd of cultivators as they shot toward the city walls to survey the situation.

Soon, all the Nascent Soul and Golden Core cultivators in the city were organized by the Precious Radiance Palace. Under the command of Palace Master Jiang, some remained to defend the city, while the rest charged out in waves. In the nearby sea surrounding the island wasteland, cultivators and sea beasts engaged in frantic slaughter.

Several days later, a sudden, massive beast tide was forcefully suppressed by the city's cultivators.

The immense utility of the Immortal City became vividly apparent at this moment.

Wounded cultivators, or those whose spiritual power was depleted after continuous battles, could retreat in time to the Immortal City protected by the grand defensive formation, free from worry about their safety. Once their injuries healed and their mana recovered, they could venture out to fight again at any moment.

A true Immortal City stood like an impregnable fortress upon the bloody sea.

The cultivators of the Purple Sword Palace and allied halls could only rely on Brightglow City for the time being to earn merit. Palace Master Zhou and a contingent of Nascent Soul cultivators directly left the city with Palace Master Jiang and the other Nascent Soul cultivators from the Western Sect lineage, heading deep into the sea to slay demon cultivators.

As for Ye Qin, Zhou Yi, and others, they assisted in defending the city, killing high-tier demonic beasts near the island and daring not venture far from the walls.

Over the next eight or nine months, the large-scale beast tide in the Blood Sea erupted completely. This massive outbreak was the most comprehensive counterattack launched by the Demon Race since the start of the Immortal-Demon War, striking nearly every maritime stronghold.

Every sea area fortified with a city faced a siege by an unequal number of demon cultivators and beasts.

Nearly all stone cities with weak defenses were severely damaged during this wave of the beast tide.

Although the Purple Sword Palace was unlucky enough to have its stone city destroyed in the initial wave, suffering considerable losses, the Immortal Palaces such as Upper Purity Palace, Myriad Nets Palace, and Wunuer Palace were not spared; their cities were also destroyed, incurring devastating losses.

Of the cities that truly held out, fewer than one in ten survived—only those with exceptionally strong foundations.

As the beast tide raged, the number of cultivators in Brightglow City noticeably increased. Large numbers of cultivators routed from other sea regions continuously arrived, relying on the city walls to wage war against the Demon Race cultivators.

Ye Qin settled in Brightglow City, spending most of his time cultivating and refining spiritual pills to exchange for high-grade spirit stones, occasionally venturing out once a month to earn merit.

In just eight or nine months, he slowly climbed from thirty-second place on the Golden Core Demon Slaying Rankings to eleventh.

However, Ye Qin knew he had not exerted his full strength.

His agreement with Palace Master Zhou was to enter the top hundred of the Golden Core Demon Slaying Rankings within a year. This current position was already the highest among those in the top hundred, placing him above the ninth-level Golden Core cultivators from the three Immortal Palaces of Upper Purity, Myriad Nets, and Wunuer. At least on the Demon Slaying Rankings, the Golden Core disciples of the Purple Sword Palace held a distinct advantage.

Pushing further up—breaking into the top ten of the Golden Core Demon Slaying Rankings—would bring him into conflict with the Golden Core disciples of other Palace Masters and colossal Immortal Palaces, which might not be entirely beneficial.

He only needed to wait until the end of this year when a Northern Sect Palace Master would be selected from the Four Great Immortal Palaces; then, he would have completed his mission to secure a favorable position on the Demon Slaying Rankings.

These past three days.

Ye Qin received a transmission talisman delivered by the City Guard. He opened it and frowned slightly.

It was a talisman sent by Jiang Ran, the Young Palace Master of the Precious Radiance Palace, summoning him regarding an urgent matter, requesting he proceed immediately to a designated meeting spot indicated on the talisman.

Within the jurisdiction of Brightglow City, Jiang Ran, as the Young Palace Master of the Precious Radiance Palace, held considerable authority. He had the power to dispatch and command all Golden Core cultivators in the city for its defense. In the absence of Nascent Soul cultivators, Jiang Ran could legitimately claim to be the leader of Brightglow City's Golden Core cultivators.

Ye Qin pondered for a moment, deciding to go. He wanted to see what urgent matter Jiang Ran needed to discuss. After all, as long as he stayed in Brightglow City for another day, he could not afford to slight the Young Palace Master.

Closing the alchemy room, Ye Qin departed Brightglow City.

Ye Qin flew directly on his sword about a hundred miles west of the city, arriving above a reef in the sea near the large island. Seven peak ninth-level Golden Core cultivators were already waiting above this small sea reef, each ranked highly on the Demon Slaying List.

Jiang Ran, peak ninth-level Golden Core, ranked ninth on the Golden Core Demon Slaying List. Young Palace Master of Precious Radiance Palace, Western Sect lineage.

Xu Sifeng, peak ninth-level Golden Core, ranked fifteenth on the Golden Core Demon Slaying List. Direct disciple of the Wind and Fire Palace, Western Sect lineage.

Hua Rong, ninth-level Golden Core, ranked seventy-fifth on the Golden Core Demon Slaying List. Direct disciple of the Splendid Treasure Palace, Western Sect lineage.

Chu Hong, peak ninth-level Golden Core, ranked twentieth on the Golden Core Demon Slaying List. Direct disciple of the Origin Enlightenment Palace, Western Sect lineage.

Zhou Yi, ninth-level Golden Core, ranked around one hundred and twentieth on the Golden Core Demon Slaying List. Young Palace Master of Purple Sword Palace, Northern Sect lineage.

Zhou Yi’s ranking was slightly low, outside the top hundred. However, considering the short time he spent hunting demonic beasts, his true strength was definitely within the top hundred.

The seven Golden Core cultivators present were all ranked within the top hundred of the list, possessing formidable combat power and renowned reputations.

Upon seeing them, Ye Qin was slightly surprised, and information about these cultivators immediately surfaced in his mind. As cultivators ranked highly on the Golden Core Demon Slaying List, they were famous figures; Ye Qin could not possibly be unaware of their basic profiles. Including Ye Qin himself, there were a full seven or eight cultivators from the top hundred present.

Though inwardly puzzled as to why Jiang Ran had gathered such a group of late-stage Golden Core cultivators, Ye Qin retracted his flying sword and swiftly descended.

"Fellow Daoist Ye has arrived!"

Jiang Ran stood tall on one side of the reef, possessing an undeniable, extraordinary aura. Seeing Ye Qin land, he smiled lightly.

"Brother Jiang summons me; may I ask the purpose?"

Ye Qin landed on the reef, cupped his hands slightly, and inquired.

"There is indeed an urgent matter. Fellow Daoist Ye, please wait a moment; two more Daoists are about to arrive—we will discuss it then!" Jiang Ran returned a slight bow but was not in a hurry to explain.

Seeing that everyone else was waiting, Ye Qin did not press further and moved to the side to rest. He questioned Zhou Yi beside him with his eyes, but Zhou Yi just shook his head, clearly unaware of why Jiang Ran had assembled them.

A short while later, two more brilliant streaks of light flew straight overhead the reef and descended.

All the highest-ranked Golden Core cultivators in Brightglow City, according to the Demon Slaying List, were now gathered here. If this contingent of top Golden Core cultivators appeared simultaneously in Brightglow City, it would surely cause a sensation.

The expressions of the assembled cultivators clearly showed their confusion.

If Jiang Ran did not possess the authority to deploy the city's Golden Core cultivators, this group of exceptionally powerful late-stage Golden Core cultivators would never have assembled together.

"Fellow Daoists, I have gathered you here because there is an urgent mission that needs to be carried out. You are all the strongest Golden Core combatants in Brightglow City, and I hope you can work together wholeheartedly to complete this task."

Seeing everyone present, Jiang Ran nodded with satisfaction and began to speak.

"Brother Jiang, what exactly is the mission that requires all of us? Please enlighten us, Brother Jiang!" The assembled cultivators spoke one after another.

"This mission is highly confidential and cannot be detailed beforehand; I will explain on the way! You only need to know that I will be executing this mission alongside you all; dangers will be shared, and I certainly will not treat you poorly afterward—I will provide rewards generous enough!" Jiang Ran paused briefly and said.

"Brother Jiang, if the mission is not made clear, I fear I might not be able to go!" someone immediately said in a cold tone.

Many other cultivators nodded in agreement or watched coldly, clearly unwilling to proceed. These cultivators were all figures of great standing; they would not easily undertake a mission with an unclear objective.

Seeing the resistance, Jiang Ran's gaze instantly hardened.

"A few days ago, a patrol team sent out for reconnaissance discovered traces left by a demon cultivator and reported it to me! I sent people to track them and found that this demon cultivator was active deep in the southeastern sea region, seemingly injured and currently recuperating in hiding. I have gathered you here today to investigate the situation thoroughly and use our collective strength to see if we have a chance to slay this demon!" Jiang Ran deliberated for a moment before revealing the circumstances.

"Slay a demon cultivator?"

"That risk is far too great! A demon cultivator above the tenth rank is not comparable to a mere demonic beast; sheer numbers won't guarantee victory! Though we are highly ranked on the Golden Core List, we still cannot match a single demon cultivator."

"Why not report this to the Ancestors and let them handle killing this demon cultivator?"

The crowd was shocked.

"Slaying an injured demon cultivator is risky, yes, but the reward is immense. I did not report this to the Ancestors because I harbored a personal desire. If the Ancestors kill the demon cultivator, the merit will surely belong to them, and we won't gain much benefit."

Jiang Ran swept his gaze over the crowd and said gravely, "Now I will speak plainly: this mission is posted by me personally. I have accumulated fifty thousand high-grade spirit stones from my savings over the years. If we succeed in slaying this demon cultivator, these fifty thousand high-grade spirit stones will be the compensation for all of you who participate. Fifty thousand high-grade spirit stones equate to five hundred million low-grade spirit stones—for the vast majority of late-stage Golden Core cultivators, this is nearly their entire lifetime savings. Even for Jiang Ran, the Young Palace Master of Precious Radiance Palace, producing such a large sum at once is no small feat.

Jiang Ran had clearly made a significant commitment with this move.

"According to the rules of the Demon Slaying Ranking, whoever deals the fatal blow claims the merit for the kill. My ninth position on the Golden Core Demon Slaying List is hard to defend, and I struggle to climb higher. If I successfully slay this demon, I can immediately shoot to the top rank and gain immense prestige in the Eastern Sea Cultivation World. Of course, if this demon cultivator dies not by my hand, but by yours, you also have the chance to vie for the first rank on the Golden Core Demon Slaying List! With the formidable strength of ten late-stage Golden Core cultivators like us, slaying an injured demon cultivator is not without hope—there is at least a forty to fifty percent chance. Isn't such a huge benefit worth the risk of a try?"

Jiang Ran smiled.

The cultivators present exchanged glances, their minds finally stirred. The spiritual stone reward promised by Jiang Ran might not necessarily tempt this group of affluent cultivators. However, the first rank on the Golden Core Demon Slaying List held an unimaginable allure.

To establish a foothold in the Eastern Sea Cultivation World, or even to become a pinnacle existence like a Palace Master or a colossal figure, how could one succeed without sufficient fame and prestige? If they did not seize the opportunity to make a name for themselves now, once they reached the Nascent Soul stage and followed behind the numerous powerful Nascent Soul Ancestors, they would never have a chance to gain renown.

Many among them were Young Palace Masters or direct disciples of the Great Immortal Palaces. They had deliberately remained at the peak of the ninth-level Golden Core for several years, refusing to rush the breakthrough bottleneck to Nascent Soul too early, precisely because they hoped to accumulate enough fame and prestige on the less pressured Golden Core Demon Slaying Rankings!