The clash between the two Great Demon Sages drew ever closer to the valley, leaving the Nascent Soul cultivators no choice but to flee at top speed. They dared not even stay put, knowing that merely being caught in the periphery of the intense flames would likely prove fatal.

The Demon Realm was saturated with abundant spiritual energy, fostering a vast population of demonic beasts. Miles upon miles of mountain ranges and forests had dissolved into utter pandemonium. Within thickets, hidden caves, rock crevices, and cliffside nests, all manner of flying and roaming beasts were oppressed by the sheer, potent aura of the high-level demon cultivators, driving them into panicked flight, desperate only to escape the perilous vicinity.

Occasionally, a startled beast might cross their path, but they paid them no mind, wholly preoccupied with their own frantic escape.

“Move! To the Sala Trench!”

Seeing the grave danger, the Holy Emperor spoke swiftly. The golden protective light enveloping him faded, transforming into a faint, almost intangible shadow that shot like an arrow into the dense jungle. He seemed to employ an invisibility spell, merging seamlessly with the surrounding woods.

The Ghost Lord and the Old Fiend of Hate Mountain exchanged a glance, instantly concealing their forms and erasing their presence, plunging into the forest to follow the Holy Emperor’s vanishing act.

Ye Qin silently slipped into the foliage, utilizing the Wind Control Art to keep pace with the Ghost Lord and the Old Fiend of Hate Mountain, rocketing along the mountain range ahead.

Ye Qin had not specifically cultivated an invisibility spell, but the Sitting in Oblivion Scripture naturally possessed an intense aura-suppressing effect. As long as he didn't project his presence, he was hardly distinguishable from a common boulder or a patch of grass.

Though not truly hidden, the aura he emitted was so minimal that high-ranking demonic beasts simply ignored anything that weak.

Ye Qin raced through the dense jungle for half an hour, traversing multiple great mountain ranges, finally putting significant distance between himself and the region saturated with that dangerous energy. The Three-Legged Crow and the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox had vanished entirely, their deadly contest having moved to some unknown locale.

This brought him a slight wave of relief, but he was equally frustrated to realize he had lost track of the Holy Emperor, the Ghost Lord, and the Old Fiend of Hate Mountain somewhere along the way. Their concealment arts were exceptionally refined; once they gained a certain distance, tracking them became nearly impossible. Moreover, their speed was blinding—they could cover hundreds or thousands of zhang in a blink. A distance of several dozen li was conquered in the time it took to bat an eye.

Where were the Holy Emperor, the Ghost Lord, and the Old Fiend of Hate Mountain now? Ye Qin dared not deploy his divine sense to survey the area across a thousand li. Even if he avoided brushing against a Demon Sage, attracting the attention of other powerful demon cultivators would spell massive trouble.

Fortunately, he possessed a map scroll detailing the route to the Sala Trench.

Ye Qin glanced at the scroll, then studied the topography of the surrounding mountains. He memorized the features, following the path indicated on the map, moving stealthily through the forest toward the Sala Trench to rendezvous with the Holy Emperor and the others.

“Vermilion Jade Grass: A vermilion spirit herb, Tenth Tier. Used to refine Fire Element Nascent Soul grade elixirs, it has a remarkable effect on boosting the cultivation of Fire Element practitioners!”

“Dark Fragrance Flower: Ninth Tier spirit flower. Can be made into Dark Fragrance Paste, which is excellent for regulating meridians after injury!”

“Deer Antler Sprout: Eighth Tier sprout grass, bearing slender, pale-white buds shaped like deer antlers. A supreme spirit medicine for nourishing blood and vitality!”

The spirit herbs growing in the Demon Realm astounded Ye Qin. He had seen many high-tier spirit herbs in his elixir compendiums—herbs that had vanished from the East Sea Cultivation World, likely due to over-harvesting by local cultivators, or perhaps they only grew in remote, rarely discovered locales. He never imagined finding entire fields of such potent elixirs thriving here in the Demon Realm.

Ye Qin trod carefully over dead branches within the somber, dense jungle, skirting around beast nests and perilous spots, all while keeping an eye out for any potential spirit herbs. Whenever he encountered these rare herbs, he naturally wouldn't pass them up, plucking a few specimens and sweeping them into his Purple Mansion for later cultivation.

Accidentally looking up, Ye Qin found his path blocked by a towering, colossal tree.

This giant stood several hundred zhang tall, heavily entangled with withered vines. It stood isolated on the mountain range, with no other trees within a thousand zhang, creating an unusual clearing in the shadowy forest.

Most striking were the several deep crimson fruits hanging from the giant tree. They were shaped like melons, round and enticing, their color a vibrant purple-red. A faint, purplish-pink mist enveloped the fruit, exuding an intensely rich, spiritual fragrance.

“Is this… Vermilion Fruit?!” Ye Qin’s pupils contracted sharply, his heart stunned. He recognized the spirit fruit from an ancient text.

It was recorded in the Elixir Canon, one of the few transcendent artifacts mentioned in texts detailing Immortal Realm materials. The description matched the fruit on this massive tree perfectly. Legend claimed it was a fruit of the Celestial Realms: it flowered every five thousand years, bore fruit every five thousand years, and matured over another five thousand years—a full fifteen millennia to harvest a single piece.

Its grade was unknown, but it was classified as a Spirit of the Soul Transformation (Huà Shén) level, even more heaven-defying than a spirit artifact like the North Sea Ice Lotus.

This only spoke to the fruit’s rarity; its efficacy was even more astonishing. The Vermilion Fruit could transform directly into highly purified primal essence, usable without refinement into an elixir. Consuming it would cause the cultivator’s Nascent Soul cultivation base to surge.

It was a surge! Not a minor increase.

Legend claimed that consuming a single Vermilion Fruit could propel a cultivator from the first level of Qi Condensation straight to the peak of the Ninth Layer of Nascent Soul—provided, of course, that the cultivator’s Nascent Soul could withstand such a massive influx of primal essence expansion. Even a Soul Transformation stage cultivator would gain at least one or two layers of energy volume.

This was utterly monstrous.

Such miraculous effects bordered on the mythical.

This was no longer a spirit medicine found in the East Sea Cultivation World; it was something only obtainable in the fabled North Sea Immortal Realm. Ye Qin wasn't sure if other cultivators believed in the Vermilion Fruit’s existence, but at this moment, he certainly did—he was witnessing one with his own eyes.

“How can there be a Vermilion Fruit in the Demon Realm?!” Ye Qin stared fixedly at the fruits on the tree, dumbfounded. “Could it be that the Demon Realm, like the Immortal Realm, harbors such peerless spiritual treasures?”

A single Vermilion Fruit could propel him to the peak of Nascent Soul Ninth Layer, saving him hundreds of years of grueling effort. He inhaled the thick, fragrant essence wafting from the fruit, a powerful attraction compelling him forward, urging him to step closer.

“Wait! Something’s wrong!” A sudden jolt in his mind registered a concealed sense of danger, forcefully halting his impulse to approach.

“The Demon Realm is full of spiritual treasures, and common ones often lack guarding beasts. But a heaven-and-earth treasure like the Vermilion Fruit is not ordinary. There must be a powerful demon beast guarding this vicinity, otherwise, the fruit would have been eaten long ago!” Ye Qin scrutinized the area around the tree for hundreds of zhang but failed to detect any lurking ferocious beasts.

“Impossible! It makes sense that Eighth or Ninth Tier spirit herbs like the Deer Antler Sprout grow in abundance here without guards. But a treasure like the Vermilion Fruit—even a Demon Sage would covet it! There’s no way it’s unguarded!”

Ye Qin forced himself to be still, calming his rapidly beating heart.

He felt an undeniable sense that the atmosphere near the colossal tree was amiss, yet he could not pinpoint the source of the problem.

“Immortal Body Great Art!” Ye Qin concentrated, rapidly forming hand seals with illusory speed, weaving a profound spell in the void. In the blink of an eye, a Dharma Mirror, nearly a zhang across, materialized before him. He continued the seals, conjuring a second Dharma Mirror.

“Condense Dharma Bodies!” Ye Qin gave a low shout. The two Dharma Mirrors immediately exploded in a dazzling light, completely enveloping his true form.

When the light subsided, three identical ‘Ye Qins’ stood in the jungle. Their appearance, mannerisms, aura, and clothing were indistinguishable. Only one was the real Ye Qin; the other two were mere magical constructs formed from concentrated mana. Even the Holy Emperor, the Ghost Lord, or the Old Fiend of Hate Mountain would struggle to identify the true body.

Ye Qin felt deeply satisfied. He could now easily manifest two Dharma Bodies, each possessing one-third of his total mana, granting them roughly one-third of his true combat strength. Combined, the two bodies represented sixty percent of his power.

The true Ye Qin retreated several thousand zhang, took several sips of Thousand Flower Brew to quickly replenish the sixty-plus percent of mana expended, and watched.

The two ‘Ye Qin’ Dharma Bodies flickered slightly, lightly touching the ground before launching themselves like arrows toward the giant tree a thousand zhang away, intent on plucking the Vermilion Fruit.

Hidden away, Ye Qin manipulated the bodies, coldly observing the area around the tree for any lurking demonic beasts.

The two bodies moved with extreme speed, reaching within a hundred zhang of the tree in an instant. They leaped upward toward the canopy and reached out to seize the fruit.

But just then, the withered vines wrapped around the giant tree suddenly stirred. The previously lifeless, colorless vines erupted in a fierce sanguine glow, their vitality instantly becoming overwhelmingly powerful.

Swish. The vines moved with such speed that their motion was almost invisible, instantly ensnaring the two Dharma Bodies.

The two forms had no time to evade and were tightly bound by the vines.

Under Ye Qin’s conscious control, the Dharma Bodies gripped the bloody vines and strained with all their might. Each possessed about thirty percent of an early Nascent Soul cultivator’s strength—a considerable force; the mere strength in their arms could shatter mountains and level peaks.

Yet, the pulling strength of the two Dharma Bodies proved utterly ineffective; they were held fast, the blood-red vines tightening their grip. The vines seemed desperately intent on sucking something out of the forms. In mere breaths, the two Dharma Bodies ruptured under the violent constraint, dissolving into dissipating mana in the air.

The blood-red vines on the tree snapped at empty air, seeming incredibly ‘annoyed.’ They thrashed wildly, searching for other targets in the vicinity.

“What kind of vines are these?! They can dispatch an early Nascent Soul cultivator so easily!” Ye Qin was profoundly shocked by the sight.

Although those two Dharma Bodies represented only a fraction of his total power, their effortless obliteration implied that the vines’ combat strength was at least that of a peak Nascent Soul expert. If they were meant to defend the fruit from Demon Sages, their power might be even greater.