The host of Golden Core cultivators halted silently, several dozen feet from the entrance of the Ancient Kui Cave.

Ye Qin gazed toward the cave dwelling.

The Ancient Kui Cave was carved into the stone cliff face, its entrance a door of cyan rock, largely shattered, with debris collapsed onto the ground—an obvious sign of forcible destruction.

From the rock fissures outside the cave, several snake-beard grasses, no more than a few inches tall and glowing with a flame-like light, swayed as if about to ignite, exuding a repulsive, hot, fishy stench that was nauseating. Beyond this, the air carried a faint trace of blood-scent.

Forcing down the nausea from the snake-beard grass while discerning the faint blood-scent in the air, Ye Qin couldn't help but frown.

Within this blood-scent was a powerful aura that inspired dread; only the vital blood essence of a Demon Cultivator of the tenth rank or higher could possess such potency. No wonder no low-level demonic beasts had been sighted on this spirit island; even if any existed, they were likely scared away by this terrifying presence.

The Ancient Kui Cave was open, accessible for entry.

Judging by these signs, the snake-race Demon Cultivator was most likely lying in wait within this dwelling to heal its injuries.

Entering first was certainly a risk.

Who would go in first to scout the path?

The assembled cultivators remained silent, exchanging glances.

Ye Qin kept his eyes lowered, showing no inclination to move. He would not be the one to enter first.

Zhou Yi also remained still.

Their thoughts were similar: they were merely accompanying Jiang Ran, the direct descendant of Sect Master Jiang, on a demon-hunting mission; there was no need to take the lead and rush into danger.

Seeing that no one volunteered to step forward, Jiang Ran hesitated. As the leader, it was improper for him to lag behind. He signaled to Xu Sifeng, Chu Hong, Miao Yan, and Hua Rong—the four Golden Core cultivators beside him—to advance together.

These Golden Core cultivators from the Western Sect Lineage often teamed up for demon hunting and usually coordinated seamlessly.

Previously, they had used faint smoke incense to mask their auras, avoiding premature alerting of the resident Demon Cultivator, and had kept their magic artifacts sheathed. Now, approaching the cave to enter and hunt, there was no need for concealment. They summoned their respective flying swords and magical artifacts, unleashed their Shadow Glimpse Mirrors, and five figures surged toward the cave almost simultaneously.

Ye Qin, Zhou Yi, and the other five non-Western Sect Lineage Golden Core cultivators—Qian Ling, Wu Zhi, and Zheng Junhai—also summoned their artifacts and Shadow Glimpse Mirrors, then followed in single file toward the cave.

With a few swift movements, gripping their artifacts, they shot into the ancient cave dwelling several dozen feet ahead.

The main hall of the ancient cave was quite spacious, nearly a hundred feet across. In the center sat rudimentary stone seating, a stone screen, and other items. Several Dust-Clearing Pearls hung from the ceiling, casting a gentle glow; the interior was free of dust. Murals of ancient beasts adorned the cave walls, but the group had no leisure to examine them closely.

The Demon Cultivator was not in the main hall.

They had drawn a blank.

Beyond the ancient cave hall were several passageways.

Each passage wall was carved with runes that emitted a faint light, suggesting that formations were still active.

"The restricting formations within this dwelling haven't failed yet?"

"Which passage is the Demon Cultivator in?"

They froze for a moment.

.....

Deep within the dwelling.

A transformed Demon Cultivator, clad in armor patterned with blood-red flowers, sat cross-legged, eyes tightly shut, breathing in and out with extreme slowness, seemingly dormant and healing. The heavy sound of its breath, the air expelled from its nostrils, carried a faint trace of crimson flame.

Suddenly, it sensed something. Its eyes narrowed slightly, opening into thin vertical slits, projecting two sharp beams of light.

Whoosh!!!!

A streak of blood-red light, carrying a hot, foul, fishy gale, flashed out from one of the passages within the dwelling and appeared in the main hall.

"Hiss...! I thought a Nascent Soul cultivator had arrived, slipping into this dwelling silently. I didn't expect a mob of Golden Core cultivators, come to offer yourselves up for death?!"

The Crimson Flame Snake Demon Cultivator seemed somewhat weak. It flicked its blood-red tongue, its eyes flickering as it scrutinized the cultivators, regarding them like a feast of prey. It showed considerable disdain for Jiang Ran, Ye Qin, and their group of Golden Core cultivators.

"Crimson Flame Snake Demon?"

The cultivators' vision blurred as they saw the demonic serpent appear. Their already-summoned flying swords were barely restrained.

Everyone present was among the absolute pinnacle of late-stage Golden Core cultivators in the East Sea Cultivation World. Even facing a Demon Cultivator, they were confident and showed no fear. Up to this point, everything aligned with their expectations. This transformed Snake Demon was of the tenth rank and was indeed suffering from a significant injury.

"Your injuries appear severe. Yet, even at death's door, your words are boastful. ... If you beg for mercy, perhaps after we are done, we might leave you a complete corpse!"

Jiang Ran rapidly assessed the snake demon, his tone laced with mockery.

"You seek death!"

The Crimson Flame Snake Demon, having a volatile temper, flew into a rage upon hearing this. With a strange cry, it waved a great hand, and a Demon Soldier weapon—a whip made of fierce, blazing flame—materialized from thin air. With a "swoosh," this fire whip transformed into a wheel of fiery light and whipped furiously toward Jiang Ran, scorching the very air.

A Demon Cultivator is a Demon Cultivator; even wounded, it was not something a Golden Core cultivator could withstand head-on.

"Move!"

Fierce light erupted from Jiang Ran's eyes. He roared and, shielding himself with one flying sword, rapidly retreated, daring not to block it directly—a direct block would spell doom.

The Fire Whip Demon Soldier instantly roared in and was about to strike him.

The other Golden Core cultivators were prepared. At the sound, they unleashed their magical artifacts almost simultaneously. Ten to twenty flying swords and blades flared brilliantly, surging toward the Crimson Flame Snake Demon in a frantic siege.

Ye Qin attacked with the most Primordial Spirit Flying Swords—five in total.

The other cultivators mostly had one or two Primordial Spirit artifacts, along with other powerful artifacts and treasures.

They were all top-tier Golden Core cultivators. Although this was their first coordinated demon hunt, their offense and defense were executed with exquisite precision, their attacks arriving almost simultaneously.

If the Crimson Flame Snake Demon had fixated on Jiang Ran, it certainly could have killed him. However, all those artifacts would undoubtedly have struck its body, and its serpentine armor likely couldn't endure it; it would suffer another severe injury. Since it was already wounded, another grievous injury under the full assault of the cultivators would ensure its death.

The Crimson Flame Snake Demon was unwilling to trade its life for one Golden Core cultivator. It could only abandon Jiang Ran, abruptly retracting the fire whip Demon Soldier it held in its hand. It swung it wildly, instantly transforming it into layers upon layers of fiery light that filled the air, blocking the incoming ten to twenty magical artifacts.

Crack! Crack! Crack! A rapid series of explosions echoed in the hall!

The dozens of magical artifacts not only failed to breach the Fire Whip Demon Soldier’s defense but were instead knocked away or destroyed, effortlessly countering the initial momentum of the Golden Core cultivators. The Fire Whip Demon Soldier remained completely unharmed, while many of the magical artifacts cracked or were ruined.

The cultivators recalled their respective artifacts and treasures, standing around the Crimson Flame Snake Demon, their faces somewhat pale as they exchanged glances. They had deployed their strongest offensive measures used when hunting beasts, yet they could not deal with this tenth-rank Crimson Flame Demon Cultivator.

It seemed that without employing their trump cards, killing this snake demon would be impossible.

Ye Qin tilted his head slightly toward Jiang Ran. Since Jiang Ran dared to come hunt this demon, he must have prepared powerful means; the question was what those means were.

"Is this all you’ve got? And you still dared to come deliver yourselves for death!?"

The Crimson Flame Snake Demon, having repelled the cultivators' assault, laughed loudly while brandishing the Fire Whip Demon Soldier in its hand, its voice sharp and strange. Its blood-red eyes darted around, fixated on the cultivators, revealing ferocious cruelty. "Since that is the case, then I shall have you sent into my belly for a good meal."

"Is that so? Then this Young Palace Master will let you sample the might of my Baoxia Palace's Light Pearl!"

A hint of cold mockery flashed beneath Jiang Ran's eyes as he produced a fist-sized magical pearl. It spun rapidly with a "hissing" sound. Seven streams of light of different colors flickered and leaped within the pearl.

"Baoxia Palace's Light Pearl! Seven different colors of light—that means it's a Seven-Colored Light Pearl."

"Jiang Ran is actually willing to use the Seven-Colored Light Pearl to hunt this Demon Cultivator!"

Most of the cultivators present recognized the item, and upon seeing the pearl, their expressions changed to horror.

The reason Baoxia Palace was famous throughout the East Sea Cultivation World and held the position of Sect Master for the Heavenly Dao Alliance's Western Faction was precisely because of treasures like the Light Pearl. Baoxia Palace was renowned for its art of refining Light Pearls.

A Light Pearl possessed a minimum of one color of light and a maximum of nine. Each color of light had its own mysterious and marvelous use.

Ye Qin had once obtained a pink Light Pearl, but it had only one color of light, capable of briefly immobilizing an artifact, and it was used up instantly.

The more colors of light within a Light Pearl, the more difficult it was to refine.

Nine-colored light existed only in legend, having never appeared in the last several thousand years. It was rumored that Sect Master Jiang possessed an Eight-Colored Light Pearl, which he had once shown to an old friend. As for seven colors, it was seen in the East Sea only occasionally, perhaps once every few decades.

Light Pearls themselves were extremely rare. Baoxia Palace probably did not have many Seven-Colored Light Pearls; they were likely held only by high-ranking figures at the Nascent Soul Elder level within the palace.

Jiang Ran, as the Young Palace Master, also possessed such an item.

He was reluctant to use it.

However, since he had come to hunt this Demon Cultivator, if he didn't bring out this powerful trump card, he couldn't expect the other cultivators to fight with their lives on the line.

The Crimson Flame Snake Demon fixed its gaze on the Light Pearl, growing agitated, seemingly detecting a dangerous aura emanating from the Seven-Colored Light Pearl. "Die!" The Crimson Flame Snake Demon no longer wished to let these nagging Golden Core cultivators live. It suddenly swung its Fire Whip Demon Soldier, sweeping fiercely toward Jiang Ran and the assembled cultivators.

"Pink light, Immobilize!"

Jiang Ran controlled the Seven-Colored Light Pearl and roared. The pearl immediately discharged a stream of pink light, shooting straight toward the Fire Whip Demon Soldier. The incredibly powerful fire whip was enveloped by the pink light, abruptly suspended motionless in mid-air, unable to strike downward.

It was a pity that the pink light could only immobilize artifacts and similar objects, not living creatures; otherwise, this snake demon would have already been hacked into a pulp by the cultivators.

The Crimson Flame Snake Demon violently tugged at the fire whip but couldn't budge it at all, causing it to jump in alarm, its serpentine eyes wide. This was the first time it had encountered such a situation.

Fortunately, the immobilization effect of the pink light was extremely short-lived. After failing to move it once, when it pulled again, it finally managed to yank the whip back.

"Attack!"

Xu Sifeng, Chu Hong, and the other cultivators reacted swiftly. Seeing this, they immediately commanded their flying swords and blades to surge forth like a deluge, hacking down toward the Crimson Flame Snake Demon, which had lost its weapon.

The Crimson Flame Snake Demon roared in anger. Having just pulled back its fire whip, it had no time to defend against the incoming artifacts. It was injured, making it difficult to defend bare-handed. It flickered backward, evading the first few flying swords and artifacts, intending to retreat into a passage behind it to create distance before counterattacking. At its speed, it would be difficult for the Golden Core cultivators to hit it.

The cultivators' second coordinated strike missed again.

But this did not mean the Crimson Flame Snake Demon had escaped disaster.

The Light Pearl was not easy to deal with.

A rare treasure like the Seven-Colored Light Pearl was even more difficult to manage.

"Blue light, Slow!"

Jiang Ran shouted fiercely, giving the Crimson Flame Snake Demon no chance to recover and counterattack.

A stream of blue light shot out directly toward the Crimson Flame Snake Demon itself.

Enveloped by the blue light, the Crimson Flame Snake Demon's rapid retreat speed dropped drastically, by at least seventy to eighty percent. It struggled to flee backward, wildly waving its Fire Whip Demon Soldier to fend off the myriad of artifacts, yet it was still significantly slower than the cultivators. Even a stray flying sword managed to graze its body. Though it caused little substantial damage, it enraged the demon intensely.

"Gold light, Blind!"

A beam of golden light shot out, enveloping the Crimson Flame Snake Demon.

The Crimson Flame Snake Demon immediately lost sight of everything outside the golden light; all cultivators and artifacts vanished entirely from its sensory range.

Even though it held the Fire Whip Demon Soldier, it had no idea how to defend against the artifacts attacking from all directions.

It could only brandish the fire whip frantically, tightly guarding its body, trying its best to block the incoming artifacts. As for counterattacking, that was out of the question.

"Red light, Blood Burn!"

Almost simultaneously as the golden light shot out, another dazzling stream of red light erupted from the Light Pearl in Jiang Ran's hand, shooting straight toward the Crimson Flame Snake Demon.

The Crimson Flame Snake Demon was instantly enveloped by the red light. Where the light touched, a hiss~ sound was heard—its flesh and blood began to burn fiercely on their own. Its armor offered no defense whatsoever. It was already injured, and the healing wounds instantly burst open, erupting in clouds of blood mist.

The cultivators rejoiced; the snake demon's vulnerability, due to its prior injury, was finally exposed.

Several flying swords shot toward it, pfft!

Wounds several feet deep were torn open widely.

The effects of the Light Pearl were potent but fleeting, lasting only for the blink of an eye.

In just a few blinks of an eye, the various colored lights had vanished, and their corresponding effects naturally ceased.

The Crimson Flame Snake Demon finally stopped moving, and the flesh burning on its body ceased. Its injuries were now several times worse than before; there was hardly a place on its body untouched. It could never have imagined that this small group of Golden Core cultivators could beat it into such a miserable state, leaving it almost completely unable to fight back.

The cultivators also halted their attacks.

Ye Qin, however, could not hide the shock in his heart.

Relying on the Seven-Colored Light Pearl, Jiang Ran controlled the pace of the entire battle. When he attacked, everyone attacked; when he paused, everyone had to stop, daring not to press forward recklessly. Under Jiang Ran's control, this wave of assault had given them a complete and utter advantage, suppressing the Crimson Flame Demon Cultivator relentlessly.

Baoxia Palace's prestige and its position as the leader of the Western Faction were clearly not acquired without reason. Fortunately, this Light Pearl was rarely seen in the East Sea Cultivation World, and Baoxia Palace did not possess many. Otherwise, who could contend with Baoxia Palace?

Ye Qin secretly felt fortunate.

"Your condition does not seem optimistic! What? Did you not say you would swallow us whole?"

Jiang Ran stood relaxed, holding the Light Pearl, mocking the Crimson Flame Snake Demon, which was half-dead but still forcing itself to stand. The Light Pearl had dimmed from seven colors down to three, its value significantly reduced. With three more light attacks available, victory was certain.