The Ghost Lord held no personal grudge against Ye Qin; his intense hatred stemmed purely from Ye Qin having previously snatched the Ice Lotus Seed from his grasp.

It was precisely because he failed to acquire that single Ice Lotus Seed that the Ghost Mist Bewitching Array on Desolate Spirit Island lacked its central core, compelling him to delay venturing into the perilous ordeal of transcending the Nascent Soul stage tribulation.

The number of Ghost Cultivators who successfully pass the Deity Transformation tribulation is tragically small, far fewer than the Nascent Soul cultivators of the East Sea who manage to ascend. Should the tribulation fail, one's soul and spirit are utterly annihilated within the Cultivation World—a cost too high for the Ghost Lord to bear.

The Ghost Lord had spent nearly a thousand years enduring the agonizing torment of Ghost Cultivation; he could not afford to fail at this critical juncture.

Had it not been for the presence of the Holy Emperor and the Old Monster of Resentful Mountain, he would have long since attacked Ye Qin, forcing him to yield the Ice Lotus Seed.

The Ghost Lord had been constantly weighing his options during the journey.

He currently possessed few choices, only two paths available.

Either he would seize the Ice Lotus Seed back from Ye Qin, refine it into an Underworld Artifact, and use the Ghost Mist Array to forcefully transcend the Deity Transformation tribulation, thereby becoming a Deity Transformation Ghost Cultivator. However, he was almost certain that should he turn hostile and attempt a snatch, the Holy Emperor and the Old Monster of Resentful Mountain would immediately become aware of the Ice Lotus Seed's existence and join the scramble. He held little chance of securing it for himself. Furthermore, even if he obtained the seed and successfully ascended to the Deity Transformation stage, he would still remain a Ghost Cultivator, and that path would remain incredibly arduous.

Alternatively, he could accompany the Holy Emperor to the Demon Realm to retrieve the Violet Spirit Revival Grass, utilizing it to reincarnate and rebuild his cultivation, thus abandoning the path of Ghost Cultivation. Entering the Demon Realm for this spirit treasure also entailed immense risk. Yet, success would open up boundless prospects, freeing him from the bitter struggle on the narrow, heretical byway of Ghost Cultivation.

Between these two paths, the second clearly offered a much brighter future.

After deep reflection, he had no choice but to fiercely suppress the urge to act.

“Holy Emperor, I truly cannot fathom what significant role this brat, merely an early Nascent Soul cultivator, can play on our journey to the Demon Realm,” the Old Monster of Resentful Mountain regarded the Holy Emperor coldly, suspicion clouding his eyes. “Perhaps this child is merely a piece you laid down long ago? What exactly do you intend to use him for?”

The Holy Emperor glanced at the two, shook his head, and spoke calmly, “Over a hundred years ago, I was trapped deep underground. By sheer coincidence, this child encountered me then; at the time, his cultivation was only at the Foundation Establishment stage, a figure no more significant than an ant in my eyes. I had no leisure to place such a piece! Who could have foreseen that in just over a century, he would advance to early Nascent Soul and now possess the qualifications to accompany me to the Demon Sea? Such rapid progress was beyond my prior calculation.”

“My lifespan is now dwindling rapidly. Even if I risked everything to break through to the Deity Transformation stage again, I couldn't significantly extend my life. My only recourse is to travel to the West Nether Continent and utilize the Styx River for reincarnation, hoping to resume the Immortal Dao after rebirth.” The Holy Emperor continued, “Ghost Lord, Old Monster of Resentful Mountain—I presume neither of you has much lifespan left either. Should you fail to reach Deity Transformation, this lifetime will be utterly hopeless, and you too must face reincarnation through the Styx!”

“The three of us are late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, so reincarnation is comparatively easier. However, upon rebirth, all memories of our previous lives are lost, making reconstruction in the next life unimaginably arduous. Only the Violet Spirit Revival Grass can allow us to retain a portion of our most cherished memories after reincarnation. With these invaluable memories, we will have a far greater certainty of cultivating to higher realms in our subsequent lives,” the Holy Emperor stated, observing the other two.

“But... how does our rate of reincarnation relate to this brat?” the Old Monster of Resentful Mountain inquired, puzzled.

“This child is barely over a hundred years old and should live for another eight or nine centuries; he has a strong prospect of breaking through to the Deity Transformation realm, granting him a lifespan of up to two millennia. As long as he doesn't die, he will eventually become an existence comparable to the Great Power Ancient Cultivators in the Cultivation World! Should we need to re-cultivate after reincarnation, we might indeed encounter former foes.” Although this contingency might never be necessary, it was wise to prepare. As the Holy Emperor spoke this, he glanced toward Ye Qin, who was hunting sea beasts in the distance off the island.

“The Holy Emperor is truly far-sighted, considering even beyond reincarnation!” The Old Monster of Resentful Mountain let out a cold, mocking laugh, clearly unconcerned by the notion.

“Holy Emperor, how certain are you about the legends concerning the Violet Spirit Revival Grass and reincarnation?” the Ghost Lord asked gloomily.

The Holy Emperor shook his head. “In my early years, I ventured to the fringes of the West Nether Continent, but the Ghost Cultivators there were too formidable, and I dared not delve deeper, nor did I ever see the legendary Styx River! However, in the immortal texts and biographies left by Great Power cultivators, I have encountered numerous records pertaining to the Styx and reincarnation. This matter should be true. The Netherworld Great Method meticulously details the Violet Spirit Revival Grass and its location within the Demon Realm. The senior Great Powers must have attempted this before, or they would not have recorded it with such detail.”

Upon hearing this, the Ghost Lord fell silent, contemplating something unseen.

After resting for half a day, the cultivators departed the small island and continued their flight.

Being all Nascent Soul cultivators, their flight speed was swift; although they paused occasionally during the sea crossing, it did not significantly impede their progress.

Ye Qin found the situation somewhat amusing.

The Old Monster of Resentful Mountain was too proud to ask his junior for spirit wine.

Naturally, Ye Qin would not offer it proactively, as that would be wasting his own potent, self-brewed spirit liquor.

As for the Ghost Lord, he had no use for spirit wine. The Holy Emperor had brought some supplies that were barely adequate.

Along the way, Ye Qin gradually learned the purpose of the trip from the Holy Emperor: they were heading to the Demon Race’s old territory, the Demon Sea, to locate the entrance to the Demon Realm and find a spirit medicine called the Violet Spirit Revival Grass.

The Holy Emperor intentionally or unintentionally revealed the function of this herb, which left Ye Qin utterly stunned.

“Since ancient times, the Cultivation World has spoken of reincarnation, but it has rarely been verified; many cultivators dismiss it as ethereal nonsense. Could this truly be real?!” Ye Qin muttered to himself.

After months of long-distance flight, the group—the Holy Emperor, the Ghost Lord, the Old Monster of Resentful Mountain, the Lotus Flower Clone, and Ye Qin—five Nascent Soul cultivators in total—finally arrived at a sea region shrouded in bleak gloom. The sky here felt exceptionally oppressive.

“Ahead lies the Demon Sea, where numerous Demon Race tribes reside! The Demon Race gathers in tribes, each governed by a Demon King! Every Demon King possesses the strength of the late-stage Shapeshifting realm. Within the entire Demon Sea, there are no fewer than several hundred powerful tribes, with countless smaller ones. Each Demon Tribe occupies a vast swath of ocean territory and they do not intermingle,” the Holy Emperor gazed toward the sea ahead, holding a scroll map of the Demon Sea. As one of the five behemoths of the Heavenly Demon Alliance in the past, he possessed a vast amount of classified information, giving him far greater knowledge of the Demon Race than the others in the party.

“With so many tribal Demon Kings, how can we penetrate the depths of the Demon Sea? If we alert these tribes, it could spell serious trouble…!” the Old Monster of Resentful Mountain frowned.

“If it were any other time, I would certainly not dare approach this Demon Sea. I have been observing the battle situation in the Blood Sea; the Immortal-Demon War has escalated fiercely, with no fewer than dozens of large-scale battles erupting. Many tribesmen from the Demon Race are participating, fighting desperately against the cultivators of the Heavenly Dao Alliance and the Heavenly Demon Alliance. Both sides have deployed their main forces to the battlefield. This war concerns the destiny of the East Sea cultivators and the Demon Race for the next millennium, so neither side can hold back. If my prediction is correct, the interior of the Demon Sea should be much quieter now, guarded only by a few residual demon cultivators. We will not easily encounter powerful Demon Kings. I have waited patiently in the Blood Sea for this very day,” the Holy Emperor sneered.

The Ghost Lord and the Old Monster of Resentful Mountain exchanged a look, breathing a collective sigh of relief. If the Demon Race’s main strength was deployed to the Blood Sea, they would have far fewer reservations here.

“In that case, we proceed into the depths of the Demon Sea to locate the Demon Realm. If we encounter Demon Race tribes…” The Ghost Lord’s eyes flashed coldly, his tone chilling, “…if we cannot bypass them, we will simply slaughter our way through!!”

Ye Qin couldn't help but glance over. The Ghost Lord's killing intent was too heavy; he intended to wipe out any trouble encountered along the way!

Yet, when considering it, given this small team’s strength, a casual thirty or fifty Shapeshifting demon cultivators could not stop them—they would only be sending themselves to death. Based on intelligence, even a large Demon Race tribe would struggle to field so many Shapeshifting demon cultivators, especially with the main forces deployed to the Blood Sea. Finding so many now would be impossible. Only the simultaneous appearance of several powerful demon cultivators at the level of a Twelfth-Rank Demon King would pose them any significant trouble.

“Let us go!” The Holy Emperor’s expression was indifferent, showing no sign of intervention.

“Allow this Lord to clear the path!” Enveloped in a shroud of ghost fog, the Ghost Lord raised his withered, claw-like right hand. A stream of thick, black Corpse Qi shot out from the sleeve of his black robe, encircling him in a ring before rapidly spreading out, quickly transforming into a massive cloud of black, deathly mist. Seeing the corpse cloud take shape, the Ghost Lord simultaneously raised his right hand, causing the entire mass to surge upwards, vanishing into the murky demonic haze, speeding forward against the fierce winds of the high altitude. The other four followed closely, riding their artifacts.

Ye Qin looked down at the dozens of feet-wide dark cloud barrier beneath him. Compared to the Ghost Lord’s nearly thousand-foot-tall corpse cloud, his own was negligible, inciting a wave of apprehension in him. The Corpse Qi the Ghost Lord had accumulated on Desolate Spirit Island over several centuries was terrifying to the point of inspiring dread.

Flying rapidly at high altitude, passing over the territories of Demon Race tribes, Ye Qin observed the situation in the Demon Sea below. He occasionally witnessed countless sea beasts savagely fighting, devouring flesh and blood, turning thousands of miles of seawater crimson—a sight that made his scalp tingle.

“The so-called Demon Race is not a single species of demon beast, but a collection of species. They are never truly united. The conflicts between Demon Race tribes over habitable sea territory are often more vicious than their battles against the East Sea cultivators. This is especially true for tribes sworn as mortal enemies; once they meet, it is almost always a fight to the death. The lower-level beasts lack sufficient intellect and act purely on instinct, never considering cooperation. Only those Shapeshifting demon cultivators who have awakened their intelligence will briefly set aside their hatred to cooperate against the encroachment of the East Sea cultivators when faced with a major offensive. If internal strife and infighting among the Demon Race tribes were not so severe, the East Sea cultivators would long ago have been driven from the East Sea,” the Holy Emperor remarked with a detached glance.

“However, it must be said, any Demon Race tribe that manages to survive in this bloody, barbaric Demon Sea is inherently extremely powerful!” The cultivators surveyed the scene in the Demon Sea, each lost in thought, remaining silent for a moment.