The Crimson Flame Demon Serpent was startled, fleeing for its life, attempting to break through the encirclement of cultivators and escape the onslaught of the Demon Storm. It thrashed its colossal serpentine body wildly; wherever its tail swept, stones tumbled, and the earth shook violently.

However, the peculiar, radiant bead in Jiang Ran's hand was not so easily evaded.

This streak of green light instantly enveloped the creature. The very next second, it discovered that where the green light illuminated its skin and scales, they were rapidly petrifying—crack, crack, crack—transforming into flakes of withered, old bark, followed by a stiffening of its body and a sharp decrease in flexibility.

Fortunately, it was only the duration of a single breath before the green light vanished.

Only the outermost layer of scales on the Crimson Flame Demon Serpent had been transmuted, its flesh, blood, and bone remaining untouched. If that green light had lingered even a moment longer, it might have been entirely petrified into a colossal wooden serpent statue, utterly immobile.

Seeing this, the Golden Core cultivators exchanged glances, gritted their teeth, and immediately spurred their swords toward the stiffened Crimson Flame Demon Serpent for the kill.

Xu Sifeng, Hua Rong, Chu Hong, and Miao Yan, all disciples of the Grand Immortal Palace of the Western Lineage within the Heavenly Dao Alliance, were unwilling to let their relationship with Jiang Ran deteriorate easily. If they left Jiang Ran alone here to deal with the Crimson Flame Demon, they would have no satisfactory explanation for the Sect Master Jiang upon their return should he perish. If Jiang Ran returned alive, the situation would be equally dire—they would certainly have made an enemy of him for abandoning him mid-battle.

Thus, even knowing the Demon Storm was imminent, they had no choice but to steel themselves and assist Jiang Ran in fully hunting down the Crimson Flame Demon Serpent.

The remaining cultivators, not belonging to the Western Lineage, appeared hesitant.

"Brother Wu, are we leaving or staying?"

"This—"

Qian Ling, Wu Zhishan, Zheng Junhai, and the others exchanged glances, momentarily wavering. If they left now, they certainly couldn't remain in Xiaguang City; they would have to find somewhere else to go. This was Jiang Ran's territory, and he would surely hold a grudge afterward.

"Brother Ye, what do you think?"

Zhou Yi looked at Ye Qin; as both were cultivators from the Purple Sword Immortal Palace, they naturally acted in concert.

Ye Qin gazed at the distant Demon Storm, rapidly estimating the approximate time it would take for the storm to reach the island. It would take at least a dozen breaths at the fastest. If the cultivators pressed hard, they still had enough time to kill the Crimson Flame Demon Serpent before the storm arrived.

"Let's kill it!" Ye Qin said calmly.

"The revered Young Palace Master of Baoxia Palace, ranked ninth on the Golden Core List, isn't afraid of death. What reason do we have to cling to our lives? If we truly get swept up by the Demon Storm, at least we'll have others to cushion the impact."

The other three exchanged self-deprecating remarks and remained.

Ten peak late-stage Golden Core cultivators struck out, launching dozens of flying swords and magic artifacts in a furious assault. How could the Crimson Flame Demon Serpent withstand this? It was riddled with hundreds of wounds, large and small. Its petrified scales were shattered into pieces, sending sprays of blood everywhere.

If it hadn't been a Demon Cultivator of the Shape-Shifting stage with extremely tough flesh, blood, and sinew, it would likely have been hacked into mincemeat by the cultivators' artifacts long ago.

The Crimson Flame Demon Serpent, heavily wounded, fought desperately for a while but could not break out of the encirclement. Seeing the Demon Storm drawing nearer, it let out a piercing roar, lashed out its tail to sweep aside several attacking flying swords, and suddenly turned, charging toward the Ancient Kui Cave. Escaping the encirclement was now hopeless; only the Ancient Kui Cave offered a temporary refuge from the Demon Storm. Otherwise, even if it survived the cultivators, the storm would tear it to shreds.

The Demon Serpent's sudden retreat into the cavern surprised the cultivators.

By this time, the distant Demon Storm was sweeping in, mere tens of li from the island. The sky was pitch black, laced with lightning and thunder, and the terrifying, sharp aura intensified. The sea was churning violently, huge waves crashing against the island's beaches and rocks.

A powerful, violent suction pulled the cultivators toward the distant Demon Storm, requiring them to exert their full magical power just to remain standing.

"Brother Jiang, let's go. Once it gets within ten li, it will be too late to leave!" Hua Rong urged anxiously, bracing against the sharp wind blades.

"The demon cultivator dared to enter this cave dwelling to hide from the Demon Storm, meaning this dwelling is likely quite safe. If we leave now, once the storm subsides, it will surely flee without a trace. Enter! Pursue!"

A sharp glint flashed in Jiang Ran's eyes. Without another word, his figure flickered, and holding the Radiant Bead, he charged directly toward the Ancient Kui Cave.

Hua Rong and the others exchanged looks, resigned, and followed him into the cave.

This spiritual island had withstood countless years of wind and rain at sea without being destroyed by the ocean's Demon Storm; its bedrock was clearly extremely solid. The ancient cave dwelling was built halfway up the main peak, deep within the mountain, giving them a very high chance of avoiding the storm.

Just as they rushed inside, a few breaths later, the terrifying Demon Storm connecting the sea floor and the sky swept over the island.

The Crimson Flame Demon Serpent, fleeing in panic, dashed through the main hall of the cave and followed a passage deep into the ancient dwelling.

The passages of the Ancient Kui Cave ran extremely deep.

The cave walls shimmered with faint, ancient runic light. These seals appeared to be high-level runic suppressions, existing for ages yet still functioning effectively.

The cultivators gave chase, entering the ancient dwelling and pursuing to the end of the passage.

An ancient bluestone gate blocked their path. The stone door was covered in runic seals, faintly emitting spiritual energy fluctuations.

The Crimson Flame Demon Serpent glanced back at the cultivators closing in behind it, and with its massive tail, it slammed desperately against the stone door.

What lay beyond this stone door, it did not clearly know. In fact, since entering this ancient dwelling, it had been in a state of hibernation and recuperation, never venturing deep to explore. Fearing it might trigger the restrictions within, it hadn't dared to casually touch the seals. Now, however, it could afford no such caution.

"Boom!"

The seals on the stone door were forcibly shattered by the desperate impact of the Crimson Flame Demon Serpent, and the door cracked open.

The serpent rejoiced, charging through, but upon entering, despair flooded its eyes.

It was a sealed stone room, perhaps several hundred zhang in space. The four walls of this chamber were made of incredibly hard rock, reinforced by ancient runic curses that made the stone unyielding. There was no exit.

It seemed to be a large storage room, containing a few bookshelves and jade chests. These shelves and boxes were littered with a sparse collection of paper books, scrolls, and other items.

The cultivators rushed in right behind it, effectively trapping the Crimson Flame Demon Serpent within the stone chamber.

The Demon Serpent was already severely weakened, listlessly coiled in a corner of the room. Its scarlet demon core was dim and lifeless, and its huge body was covered in countless wounds, large and small—some several zhang long—with not a single part intact. Many were grievous injuries that pierced its internal viscera and sinews, completely draining its demonic power.

The Crimson Flame Demon Serpent was at the end of its tether, retreating to the corner of the stone room, its eyes conveying a look of pleading surrender. Forget ten Golden Core cultivators; even three or five would be enough to slay it here.

Jiang Ran, holding the Radiant Bead, blocked the stone doorway. He alone could keep the Crimson Flame Demon Serpent confined to the room, allowing it no chance of escape. One by one, the cultivators entered the room, and some were surprised to find it was a large storeroom.

"Ancient texts?"

Zhou Yi quickly scanned the stone room, his gaze settling on the bookshelves and jade chests.

He casually picked up an ancient book lying on the floor.

It was a biography, inscribed in an ancient script on pages woven with golden thread, detailing the anecdotes of cultivators in the cultivation world.

"Ancient Great Power, True Lord Kui. An Ancient Great Power? To merit the title 'Great Power,' this being must have been a powerhouse akin to a hegemon in the Eastern Sea cultivation world. This ancient dwelling is the former retreat of True Lord Kui?!"

Zhou Yi flipped through it, speaking in astonishment. "This is the Earthly Palace Imperial Canon! Heavens, this is one of the top Earth-attribute cultivation canons in the Eastern Sea cultivation world. I saw records of this book in ancient transmissions; it was lost for ten thousand years. How could it be here!"

Xu Sifeng pulled a scripture from a bookshelf, looked at it, and let out a sharp cry, his hand trembling slightly.

When Qian Ling, Chu Hong, Hua Rong, and the other cultivators heard this, their expressions turned shocked, and they began searching the bookshelves and chests.

"'Thousand Mile Blood Shadow Evasion Art'! This is a blood escape technique created by an ancient giant from the Heavenly Demon Alliance, allowing escapes across a thousand li—a secret art! How is this here?!"

Qian Ling quickly found a classical text and clicked his tongue, his face equally full of disbelief.

Ye Qin was not slow to act. Scanning a jade chest, his pupils suddenly contracted.

Inside lay a shattered piece of oracle bone, emanating a chilling, deep spectral glow that carried wisps of sinister, cold energy.

Without a second thought, he beckoned, snatching the broken fragment into his hand.

This bone fragment, this aura—he was too familiar with it. It was a remnant of the Netherworld Grand Method; with this one, he now possessed two pieces.

His spiritual sense swept over the fragment. This particular piece recorded a Ghost-system cultivation technique.

Ye Qin didn't understand Ghost-system arts well, but an artifact of the Spirit Transformation stage caliber was worth keeping regardless. He then swept his gaze over the ancient texts on the shelves. Regrettably, he did not find the Nascent Soul-level cultivation method, the Sitting in Oblivion Scripture, among these ancient books.

This storage room had long been abandoned; most of the bookshelves and jade chests were empty.

The roughly one hundred scattered ancient texts allowed the cultivators to quickly discover many outstanding cultivation canons among the disorganized relics. At least a dozen of them were of the Nascent Soul level or higher—extremely rare ancient scriptures whose value was incalculable. There were also some biographies and historical accounts, whose value was relatively lower.

"These ancient texts were obtained during the demon-hunting mission. I will submit them all to the Western Sect Master of the Heavenly Dao Alliance afterward and ask the Sect Master to decide their fate! Let's kill the Crimson Flame Demon Serpent first."

Jiang Ran monitored the Demon Serpent's movements, then glanced over the texts in the stone chamber. After the initial shock, his mind quickly settled. With a flicker in his eyes, he said gravely, "After taking care of the demon, we'll discuss the texts."

The atmosphere in the stone room instantly grew cold.

Sect Master Jiang of the Western Heavenly Dao Alliance was Jiang Ran's ancestor. How these ancient texts would be disposed of hardly needed explanation; they would inevitably fall into Jiang Ran's hands.

Xu Sifeng, Chu Hong, and the others exchanged glances and remained silent. Being aligned with Jiang Ran, they knew he would likely share a portion of such a massive windfall later, so they naturally wouldn't object readily.

However, the cultivators like Zhou Yi and Qian Ling all showed anger. Jiang Ran was clearly trying to monopolize these texts. Even if they received compensation in spirit stones later, it couldn't compare to the value of these classical works.

"Brother Jiang, that seems inappropriate! Any item acquired during a mission issued by the Heavenly Dao Alliance belongs to the executors, except for designated mission items. There is no rule about submitting everything else. Furthermore, this was a private commission from Brother Jiang; these items are not subject to submission. Let the ten of us divide these ancient texts equally; each person can choose a few!" Qian Ling immediately stated.

"Brother Qian, are you questioning me? I am the leader of this team, and you are merely accompanying me on the demon-hunting mission. How the spoils are divided is for me to decide! This is the rule. Do you intend to challenge my leadership position?!" Jiang Ran's eyes turned icy, his right hand gripping the Radiant Bead, his expression gloomy.

Qian Ling was not weak, ranked twenty-seventh on the Golden Core Demon Slaying List. Jiang Ran was indeed the team captain, but the other members were not easily bullied soft persimmons. When the captain does not hold absolute dominance, the distribution of spoils depends on the majority opinion.

Qian Ling was not afraid of Jiang Ran's threat and turned to the other cultivators: "Fellow Daoists, what do you think about dividing these texts?"

Wu Zhishan, Zheng Junhai, and the others naturally nodded in agreement to divide the texts.

"Brother Ye, what do you think?"

Zhou Yi also agreed to divide them. As long as Ye Qin agreed, half the team would hold the affirmative view.

"Daoist Qian has a valid point. These ancient texts were discovered by everyone, so naturally, everyone should share them!" Ye Qin paused for a moment before speaking.

He could not stand by and watch Jiang Ran swallow these unexpected finds of ancient cultivation scriptures whole. Regardless of whether he could use them himself, these items could fetch rare, sky-high prices at auction houses. Moreover, he had already found a fragment of the Netherworld Grand Method, giving him even less reason to back down.

Jiang Ran scanned Ye Qin, Zhou Yi, Qian Ling, and the other five, frowning.

His greatest concern was Ye Qin.

Jiang Ran was ranked ninth on the Golden Core Demon Slaying List, while Ye Qin was ranked eleventh—both top-tier late-stage Golden Core cultivators. In a standard fight, their combat prowess was very close, making a clear victory difficult to achieve.

Unless special measures were employed. Jiang Ran possessed the Radiant Bead and could still unleash two more beams of light; he retained great confidence in controlling the situation. Furthermore, he had five allied cultivators on his side, all from the Western Lineage, giving him an advantage in numbers regardless.

Jiang Ran did not believe that Ye Qin, Qian Ling, and their four allies could challenge the authority of him, their captain.

Inside the stone room, the cultivators clearly divided into two factions, creating a subtle but tense standoff.

Suddenly, Ye Qin reached to his waist and tossed out his storage bag. "Hoo"—a cloud of ghostly mist billowed out, and a Shape-Shifting Skeleton Demon flickered within the fog. The chilling aura of the skeleton demon and its immense spiritual pressure instantly enveloped the stone chamber.

Then, Ye Qin said calmly, "After we divide these ancient canons and kill the Crimson Flame Demon Serpent, completing this mission—what does Brother Jiang think?"

"A Shape-Shifting Skeleton Demon?—How is this possible!"

Jiang Ran's eyes twitched slightly, revealing an expression of disbelief.

Xu Sifeng, Hua Rong, and the other allied cultivators recoiled in horror, stepping back several paces as they looked toward Jiang Ran.