Jiang Ran glanced at Ye Qin, staring at the skeletal demon that had taken human form, feeling so frustrated he nearly spat blood. Xu Sifeng, Hua Rong, and the others were completely stunned by the skeletal demon, looking to him for a decision, but what could he do?
He had considered many possibilities beforehand; perhaps Ye Qin and his group possessed powerful trump cards like minor divine ability artifacts, talismans, or even true magic treasures.
But he never once imagined that Ye Qin would have a skeletal demon at the Transformation stage in his possession.
In the Eastern Sea Cultivation World, a Golden Core cultivator could only possess spirit beasts ranked ninth grade or below; possessing a spirit beast above the tenth grade, at the Transformation stage, was simply impossible. This was because once a spirit beast broke through to the tenth-grade Transformation stage, it would awaken profound intelligence, becoming a demon cultivator, an existence on par with a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Demon cultivators bred by human cultivators did not align with the Demon Race faction of the Blood Sea; they remained allied with the cultivators and were generally quite close to them. However, they would only submit to an equally powerful Nascent Soul cultivator and would never yield to a Golden Core cultivator who was significantly weaker than themselves. If a Golden Core cultivator attempted to forcibly command a spirit beast in the Transformation stage, it would instead launch a backlash against its master.
Therefore, in the Eastern Sea Cultivation World, it was unheard of to see Golden Core cultivators brazenly parading around with demon cultivators in the Transformation stage.
There was only one exception to this rule: puppets, such as mechanical puppets or other non-sentient constructs. Only then could a low-level cultivator safely control a high-level puppet without fearing backlash.
Jiang Ran understood this clearly. For the skeletal demon in human form to be controlled by Ye Qin, its sentience must have been erased, turning it into a puppet.
Ye Qin released the skeletal demon in human form, spoke a few simple words, and then fell silent. But at this moment, no one dared to treat his words lightly. This single skeletal demon, without any other display, was enough to inspire awe in all the gathered cultivators.
Jiang Ran’s heart felt bitter.
He finally understood completely that as the Young Palace Master of Baoxia Palace, he simply could not monopolize these cultivation classics. This team possessed cultivators whose power was so terrifying it inspired awe. His authority as the leader was insufficient to suppress this group of fierce and unruly late-stage Golden Core cultivators. If he dared to act unilaterally, it would likely trigger immediate, fierce combat, the consequences of which he could not predict.
“Brother Jiang, we came here for the demon cultivator. Why stir up trouble over these few ancient books? If the hunt is delayed, it might not be worth the trouble,”
Zhou Yi advised, unwilling to let the situation become too strained.
Jiang Ran’s gaze swept over the faces of the assembled cultivators; the majority wished to claim some of the ancient texts, and his support was extremely limited. With Zhou Yi mediating, Jiang Ran could only accept the out; he stated in a deep voice, “How about this: everyone picks one item, and the remainder will be handed over to the Immortal Alliance.” Ye Qin merely scoffed internally and offered no further rebuttal.
Although there were over a hundred ancient texts remaining in this storage chamber, the truly valuable ones above the Nascent Soul level would not exceed a dozen or so. Each person could basically claim one volume, and it was mostly a matter of first come, first served.
Ye Qin directly pocketed the oracle bone fragment inscribed with the Netherworld Great Method. Qian Ling obtained the Thousand-Mile Blood Shadow Evasion Art; Xu Sifeng took the Earth Manor Imperial Codex; Zhou Yi found the Heaven and Earth Sword Control Art; the rest of the group selected their pieces without complaint.
As for the lower-grade ancient texts, biographies, and similar items, for these late-stage Golden Core cultivators, they held little value and whether they took them or not was inconsequential. Jiang Ran’s standing as the captain was barely maintained.
After distributing the ancient texts, everyone’s attention shifted back to the Crimson Flame Demon Serpent in the stone chamber.
The Crimson Flame Demon Serpent huddled in a corner of the chamber, its expression filled with terror.
When the skeletal demon in human form appeared, it had already lost all hope. Even at its peak demonic power, it was no match for this skeletal demon, let alone in its current severely wounded state.
“Kill!”
Jiang Ran, nursing his frustration, vented all his anger towards the Crimson Flame Demon Serpent.
The assembled cultivators simultaneously unleashed their flying swords and magic artifacts, surrounding and attacking the serpent.
The Crimson Flame Serpent was unwilling to wait for death. It opened its massive, blood-basin maw and spat out a withered Crimson Flame Demon Core. The core spewed forth raging flames, forming a shield of fire over ten zhang wide, blocking the onslaught of magic artifacts.
The fierce flames forced the cultivators to retreat repeatedly, unwilling to approach too closely.
The skeletal demon in human form suddenly moved. Its form flashed, becoming a strange, dark shadow, and with a crack, it forcibly tore through the turbulent fiery shield. The cultivators feared the flames, but the skeletal demon feared nothing. Its sharp claws struck down violently, tearing at the Crimson Flame Demon Serpent’s abdomen.
“Hiss!…”
The massive serpentine body of the Crimson Flame Demon Serpent had nowhere to evade and took the full force of the blow. It convulsed in pain, a large piece of flesh torn from its exposed wound. The corpse qi immediately corroded it, turning the flesh black and spreading towards its internal organs.
The Crimson Flame Demon Serpent was struck with utter horror, roaring in fury, and violently whipped its tail, desperately trying to escape the skeleton demon’s attack.
Once the skeletal demon shattered the Crimson Flame Serpent’s fiery shield, the cultivators immediately unleashed their full power, driving their artifacts to attack furiously. Under the frenzy of dozens of flying swords and magic blades, the serpent was chopped into dozens of segments.
Swoosh!
Jiang Ran acted swiftly, sweeping his magic power around and gathering the errant crimson demon core floating in mid-air into his possession. No one contested him for this core. After all, everyone present had been hired by him at great personal expense to hunt this demon cultivator.
Ye Qin stepped forward and carefully pried out the spirit root bone of the Crimson Flame Demon Serpent, placing it into his spirit beast pouch.
The skeleton of this Crimson Flame Demon Serpent held little use for him.
Ye Qin could only refine Golden Core-level skeletons; he was incapable of refining a Nascent Soul-level one. His Rotten Bone Crocodile skeleton had decided to undergo the Heavenly Tribulation on its own to break through to the Nascent Soul realm; otherwise, he would not possess a Nascent Soul-level skeletal demon.
After slaying the Crimson Flame Demon Serpent, the group searched throughout the Gu Kui Cave but found nothing else in the abandoned cave dwelling.
However, they temporarily had no way to leave this ancient cavern.
The demonic windstorm outside had not yet passed, and the entire island was subtly trembling.
From the entrance of the cave dwelling, sounds of collapse, fierce winds, ice explosions, and thunder could faintly be heard.
If this island were not so vast, being deep within the mountain belly a thousand zhang down, they would have no idea how to withstand the demonic windstorm.
Until the storm subsided, they could only rest inside the cave for the time being.
The assembled Golden Core cultivators found spots within the cave to sit in meditation, recovering the magic power depleted by the fierce battle. This demon hunting mission had concluded successfully; apart from the unexpected encounter with the demonic windstorm, they had not encountered any major dangers.
Ye Qin, Zhou Yi, and their group maintained a certain distance from Jiang Ran’s faction and did not rest together.
Ye Qin found a clean, open space in the passageway of the cave dwelling and sat down cross-legged on the ground.
Zhou Yi also sat nearby, wiping the flying sword sullied with the serpent’s demonic blood. He seemed preoccupied with his thoughts, letting out a slight sigh unexpectedly.
“Brother Zhou, what’s wrong?”
Ye Qin looked slightly puzzled.
“Nothing…”
Zhou Yi hesitated before speaking, then managed a wry smile, “I’m just thinking that perhaps reaching the Nascent Soul stage will be the limit of my cultivation.”
“Why do you say that? Brother Zhou’s spiritual root aptitude should be considered extremely high in the Eastern Sea.”
Ye Qin was perplexed.
Zhou Yi looked at Ye Qin for a long moment before saying, “Do you know why Jiang Ran would risk his entire fortune and life to hunt this Crimson Flame Demon Serpent?”
“Topping the Golden Core Ranking?”
Ye Qin offered.
“Merely topping the rankings is not enough to warrant him risking his life.”
Zhou Yi shook his head. He paused, then continued, “What he truly desires is the Soul Transformation stage!”
Ye Qin remained silent, merely listening.
Zhou Yi spoke slowly, “In the Eastern Sea Cultivation World, for the vast majority of cultivators, reaching the Nascent Soul stage is the absolute end. As for the Soul Transformation stage, for most, it’s an utterly meaningless pipe dream. Once one reaches the Nascent Soul realm, sheer spiritual root talent is insufficient. One must possess immense financial backing and power, which grants access to the finest cultivation methods, ample high-grade elixirs, and supreme magic artifacts needed to withstand the Heavenly Tribulation.”
“Historically, the Eastern Sea Cultivation World has seen quite a few Soul Transformation cultivators. However, once they break through, they quickly leave this realm, vanish without a trace, and head elsewhere, so little documented information remains. Most people are unaware of which cultivators have broken through to the Soul Transformation stage.”
“The Heavenly Dao Alliance holds complete records concerning this. According to the documented information on Soul Transformation cultivators we currently possess, two-tenths were former Sect Masters of the Heavenly Dao Alliance or major figures in the Heavenly Demon Alliance. Seven-tenths came from the Elder Councils of the two great Immortal Alliances.”
“The remaining small fraction also have extraordinary backgrounds, usually leaders of other great cultivation forces. Only they hold command over the most substantial wealth and manpower, the highest-grade elixirs, the strongest artifacts for weathering tribulations, and the best cultivation techniques.”
“Not every Sect Master or major figure of an Immortal Alliance gets the chance to break through to the Soul Transformation stage. Sect Masters and major figures usually have only a few tens of percent chance, and even that depends on destiny. But if one is not an Immortal Alliance Sect Master or major figure, or a member of the Immortal Alliance Elder Council, breaking through to the Soul Transformation stage is virtually impossible. They cannot acquire the necessary resources to sustain the required cultivation expenses.”
“Jiang Ran reached the peak of late-stage Golden Core ten years ago. The reason he remained on the Demon Hunting Rankings and didn't press for the Nascent Soul realm was to accumulate fame and prestige, hoping to eventually contend for the position of Western Sect Master of the Heavenly Dao Alliance. Only by becoming the Western Sect Master would he have any hope of breaking through to the Soul Transformation stage.”
“If not for such an immense potential reward, he would never have taken such a life-threatening risk to hunt demon cultivators. His ascension to the top of the Golden Core Ranking today is extremely beneficial for his future goal of becoming the Western Sect Master of the Heavenly Dao Alliance.”
Zhou Yi finished speaking and then gave a bitter smile, “The Purple Sword Palace has diligently managed its strength for over a thousand years, all for the hope of producing a Soul Transformation cultivator. Our Palace Master has a chance to become the Northern Sect Master of the Heavenly Dao Alliance and challenge the Soul Transformation realm centuries from now. But I, I am afraid my limit will be the late Nascent Soul stage. Brother Ye, since you are a member of the Elder Council and have access to vast resources, you have a much greater chance of impacting the Soul Transformation stage.”
Ye Qin stood stunned for a long while after hearing this.
He had always assumed that the struggle for the position of Sect Master was merely a power struggle between the great Immortal Palaces.
He hadn't realized there was such a deep connection between the statuses of the Sect Masters and major figures of the two great Immortal Alliances, and the members of the Immortal Alliance Elder Councils, and the attainment of the Soul Transformation realm.
It was no wonder the competition for the Sect Master position among the various Immortal Palaces was so fierce.
Yet, he had no comforting words for Zhou Yi’s lament.
After an unknown amount of time, the demonic windstorm gradually subsided.
When the cultivators could no longer hear activity from outside, they proceeded back out through the passageway. The glowing runes on the solid walls within the cave dwelling were almost completely depleted of energy. The exterior of the cave dwelling had suffered extensive collapse, and the group spent over an hour clearing the passage, moving rubble, before finally emerging.
The assembled Golden Core cultivators ascended into the air above the sea, gazing at the unrecognizable island. The sea surface was dyed a gory crimson with the blood of sea beasts. They were silent for a long moment, hearts still racing with lingering fear, before turning and flying in the direction of Xiaguang City.