"With our combined strength, hunting down an injured demonic cultivator of the G rank, we have a very high chance of success. Once we succeed, we can storm to the top of the Golden Core Demon Slaying Ranking and make a name for ourselves throughout the East Sea Immortal Cultivation world!"

Hua Rong quickly voiced his support.

The assembled cultivators began to murmur amongst themselves.

Among the ten late-stage Golden Core cultivators present, half were closely aligned with Jiang Ran. Cultivators from the Immortal Palaces of the Western Sect Branch of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, like Hua Rong, were more or less inclined to support Jiang Ran’s idea. Even if only due to past camaraderie or the interests of the Immortal Palace, they would lend him a hand in hunting the demonic cultivator.

However, the attitude of the other half remained unclear. They were not cultivators from the Western Sect Branch Immortal Palaces. Figures like Ye Qin and Zhou Yi hailed from the Northern Sect Branch of the Heavenly Dao Alliance and would not place much weight on Jiang Ran's personal feelings, considering only tangible benefits and risks.

They would only contemplate taking the risk of hunting a demonic cultivator if the potential gains were substantial and the dangers minimal.

Ye Qin rapidly weighed the possibilities in his mind.

If ten ordinary Golden Core cultivators were to attempt to hunt a demonic cultivator, it would be sheer suicide, not even worth considering.

But the ten late-stage Golden Core cultivators gathered here were all ranked within the top hundred of the Golden Core Demon Slaying Ranking; each possessed exceptionally formidable strength.

Among those present were the Young Palace Master of the Western Sect Leader's Immortal Palace, five Young Palace Masters from the Great Immortal Palaces, one Immortal Palace Elder, and three core direct disciples from the Great Immortal Palaces—all Golden Core cultivators with immensely deep reserves.

To suggest they lacked powerful Dharma artifacts or treasures would be unbelievable even to a ghost.

Ye Qin himself possessed a tenth-rank Transformed Skeleton Demon and a small warship. Facing a tenth-rank demonic cultivator, provided that cultivator was not unbelievably strong, he had sufficient power to defeat it; even if overpowered, he could escape. He did not fear a single demonic cultivator.

Moreover, Jiang Ran, as the Young Palace Master of the Western Sect Leader's Treasure Radiance Palace, ranked ninth on the Golden Core Demon Slaying Ranking, certainly possessed trump cards prepared. His willingness to propose hunting a demonic cultivator indicated he already held a decent certainty of success.

If this cohort of Golden Core cultivators unleashed their hidden strengths, they could likely defeat two tenth-rank demonic cultivators simultaneously, or engage three head-on.

Jiang Ran’s decision to summon the ten strongest Golden Core cultivators in Brilliance Glow City was largely a measure of precaution, ensuring backup against unforeseen circumstances during the hunt.

Of course, the safest method would be to involve several Nascent Soul cultivators. However, in that scenario, the merits would belong to the Nascent Soul cultivators, leaving nothing for them, and there would be no need to specifically hunt a demonic cultivator.

After a brief consultation, the Golden Core cultivators felt a clearer sense of the mission.

The risk of failure was small, while the certainty of success was high. Should they succeed, the rewards would be enormous. Especially for those Young Palace Masters, the prestige associated with the top spot on the Golden Core Demon Slaying Ranking held immense power, significantly aiding their future succession to Palace Master positions, or even their competition for the Heavenly Dao Alliance Sect Master position.

Ye Qin’s current ranking on the Golden Core list was already high enough; he did not place great importance on the top spot.

However, he still decided to join the mission.

He had his own agenda: as his cultivation and strength continued to grow, he would inevitably have frequent dealings with these Young Palace Master-level Golden Core cultivators. It was an opportunity to learn more about their hidden strengths and capabilities now.

"Since there are no objections, let us depart!"

Seeing no dissent, Jiang Ran produced a map scroll, unfurling it to reveal a projection of the sea chart. After a few glances, he soared eastward on his sword toward the southeastern sea domain.

The other cultivators exchanged glances and followed suit on their swords.

The ten most powerful Golden Core cultivators of Brilliance Glow City formed a team and flew deep into the Blood Sea.

According to prior tracking and investigation, the injured demonic cultivator had appeared on an island in the Blood Sea, leaving behind considerable traces of blood, which had been incidentally discovered by cultivators from Brilliance Glow City. This clue was reported back, leading to Jiang Ran learning of the matter.

Several days later, the group of ten cultivators, following the notations on the map scroll, arrived at an unfamiliar stretch of ocean.

This area was shrouded in a faint, pervasive mist that covered a vast expanse.

Hunting an injured demonic cultivator meant a certain degree of danger was unavoidable.

"The blood traces left by that demonic cultivator were identified as belonging to a Snake Clan demonic cultivator; the vital essence within the blood was extremely potent. Snake Clan demonic cultivators have weaker eyesight, barely discerning objects within a few miles, but their sense of smell is exquisitely sharp, capable of detecting scents from hundreds of miles away."

Jiang Ran retrieved a jade-colored small vial from his storage pouch and addressed the cultivators behind him. "This is Miasma Smoke Incense, refined from eleventh-grade Faint Mist Spirit Grass. I once purchased this for nearly a million low-grade spirit stones per dose; today, it finally finds its use. This incense can conceal our auras, masking us even from tenth-rank demonic cultivators. The Snake Clan demonic cultivator will mistake it for spirit grass aroma, preventing premature alarm. Furthermore, should the situation turn south, this incense allows us to scatter and flee, making it difficult for the Snake Clan demonic cultivator to track us. However, this smoke only lasts about a day, so we must not linger in this sea region."

"Brother Jiang's arrangements are indeed thorough."

"With this spirit incense, our chances of success in this mission have increased."

The cultivators were pleasantly surprised by this revelation and praised him one after another. In reality, aromatic herbs that could mask one's scent were common in the East Sea, but most were of lower grades, only capable of deceiving low-level demonic beasts, rarely succeeding against demonic cultivators.

Jiang Ran had left no stone unturned, preparing quite extensively; deploying ten doses of eleventh-grade Miasma Smoke Incense showed he was willing to invest. Unless it was a twelfth-rank demonic cultivator actively sniffing with great focus, only then might it discern the cultivators’ true presence beneath the Miasma Smoke.

Jiang Ran smiled faintly, uncorked the bottle, and flicked ten wisps of faint green smoke toward the assembled cultivators.

These green wisps circled each cultivator, becoming almost invisible, lending them a faint fragrance similar to ordinary spirit grass. Even a demonic cultivator would typically pay no mind to such an aroma.

The cultivators continued to suppress their auras as they searched the misty sea region.

After considerable time, they discovered a Spirit Island.

This island spanned several hundred miles, featuring uniquely beautiful peaks and waterfalls cascading down the mountainsides. Spirit mist enveloped the entire land, making it resemble a spectral fairy realm floating on the sea. Most importantly, the spiritual energy on the island was incredibly dense; they could feel it washing over them from a distance—such a spiritually rich island was rare even among the East Sea archipelagos. Such a Spirit Island was typically only worthy of the possession of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

The cultivators halted just outside the island's perimeter, marveling softly.

"The spiritual energy here is abundant, and the pervasive mist carries none of the usual fishy or foul stench. Building a long-term cultivation grotto-mansion here would yield immense benefits. A pity it lies deep within the Blood Sea, frequented by sea beasts and demonic cultivators; likely no one dares to reside here permanently," remarked Chu Hun in surprise.

"The blood traces left by the demonic cultivator are on this very island!"

Jiang Ran checked the map scroll again. "The spiritual energy of this island is unusually concentrated; the demonic cultivator is highly likely resting here to heal, drawing upon the local energy. The group of cultivators who passed through this island, upon spotting the demonic cultivator's bloodstains, were frightened and dared not linger, hurrying back to Brilliance Glow City without conducting a thorough search. In retrospect, they surmised that the demonic cultivator must have been grievously wounded to not pursue them. Therefore, once we are on the island, we must act according to the situation. Although this demon is wounded, it is still a demonic cultivator. Once its location is found, we must absolutely not let our formation break. If we can contain it, with our combined strength cooperating, we can find its weak points and slowly grind it down," he advised.

The cultivators' expressions were steady, though a hint of excitement flickered beneath their eyes; they clearly anticipated the hunt. For Golden Core cultivators to hunt a demonic cultivator was not something ordinary cultivators would dare attempt. If not for this gathering of cultivators ranked in the top hundred of the Golden Core list, they might not have dared to take the risk.

Of course, what they were truly plotting internally remained unstated.

Ye Qin swept his gaze coolly over the faces of the group; he remained calm.

Among these ten Golden Core cultivators, four were closely allied with Jiang Ran and would follow his directives; this portion of the force was largely under Jiang Ran's control.

The remaining five Golden Core cultivators came from varied backgrounds and could not act in concert; they were essentially hired by Jiang Ran and did not hold him in overly high regard. If any unexpected complication arose during the hunt, whether they stayed or fled would not be something Jiang Ran could control.

Ultimately, the one most likely to secure the kill would be the strongest, Jiang Ran.

Ye Qin was keenly aware of this. He and Zhou Yi were only contributing their share of effort, not expecting too much more.

The group cautiously entered the misty island, traversing the outer layer of spirit mist to search the interior for any sign of the demonic beast. To avoid detection, they did not use their swords but proceeded on foot. They employed the Wind Control Art, maintaining a decent pace.

Not long after, they arrived at the base of a mountain peak and looked up, feeling a slight astonishment.

It was not a danger they encountered, but rather a narrow path winding up the main peak of the island to the mountainside, where a modest, unremarkable grotto-mansion rested. On the rock face outside the entrance, the ancient, simple characters “” (Gu Kui Cave) were even carved, with no concealing formation present.

This clearly indicated a powerful cultivator had "formerly" resided here.

If a cultivator were currently residing there, they would typically use a formation to conceal the entrance, preventing external detection. It was usually the case that once a cultivator departed, the external concealment formations, due to the passage of time, would decay and gradually lose their ability to hide the location. Generally, this suggested an ancient grotto-mansion.

This discovery surprised them; they had just assumed that such a Spirit Island deep in the Blood Sea would be uninhabited due to the dangers, yet here was a grotto-mansion.

"Gu Kui Cave? Do any of you know of anyone who styles themselves with a title like Gu Kui?"

"No impression. The famous Nascent Soul cultivators in the East Sea are as numerous as carp in a river; who remembers that many, let alone ancient cultivators! Moreover, this place is in the rarely traversed Blood Sea; if a cultivator chose to establish a hermitage here, few would likely know."

"Let's go take a look!"

The demonic cultivator's trace remained unfound, but they had stumbled upon a grotto-mansion first. The cultivators exchanged meaningful glances, showing surprise, before all employing the Wind Control Art and flying toward the entrance.

The area with the densest spiritual energy on the island was precisely where the ancient grotto-mansion was situated.

If a demonic cultivator were recuperating on the island, it would most likely choose the vicinity of the grotto to absorb as much heaven and earth spiritual energy as possible.

The group reached the mountainside mansion and detected a faint scent of snake musk grass, causing their expressions to immediately turn solemn. Where a serpentine demon frequents, snake musk grass—which is highly poisonous but beloved by ordinary snakes and Snake Clan demonic cultivators—will be found within a hundred zhang.

It seemed certain that a serpentine demon was indeed recuperating within this ancient cave.

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