Ye Qin stepped through the door of the side chamber and instantly saw on the table within, a gray egg devoid of any luster, and a ghostly purple spirit herb, quietly hovering. "The gray egg!" Even though Ye Qin was mentally prepared, he gasped out loud.

That gray egg was the sacred artifact stolen from the Twilight Temple of the Demon Realm by the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox, an act that plunged the Demon Realm into chaos and brought about vast, bloody changes. As for that purple spirit herb, most cultivators in the East Sea probably wouldn't recognize what it was or what its effects might be.

But Ye Qin recognized it at a glance. This was precisely the Purple Spirit Rejuvenation Grass he had obtained from the Demon Realm alongside the Holy Emperor and others.

It wasn't surprising that Qingqiu Li possessed the Purple Spirit Rejuvenation Grass; it was a spiritual item native to the Demon Realm, something a Demon Sage could certainly acquire. "What is she doing leaving the gray egg on the ship?!" Ye Qin’s thoughts raced.

He paid little mind to the Purple Spirit Rejuvenation Grass. The fact that the gray egg, which Qingqiu Li valued so highly, was left in the ship's cabin instead of on her person—that was what he truly needed to understand!

Huangfu Bing'er also knew these two spiritual items and could recognize them. Bai Xiuer had seen the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox holding the gray egg.

"Senior Qingqiu stares at this gray egg day and night; what exactly is she looking at?" The egg looked utterly ordinary and unimpressive; she was curious and wanted to pick it up to see what treasure it was. "Don't go near it!

Come back!" Ye Qin's expression shifted abruptly, and he roared the command. Startled, Bai Xiuer quickly retreated.

"Go!" Almost simultaneously, without any warning, Ye Qin lifted a hand and shot out a three-foot bolt of lightning sword energy. Suddenly, the spiritual energy within the side chamber flickered slightly, followed by a ripple like a faint water mark, and then, the spirit manifestation of a Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox, its nine fiery red tails swaying, materialized silently above the gray egg on the table.

The fox spirit, brimming with seductive charm, was none other than Qingqiu Li. She no longer possessed a physical body, only her demon spirit remained.

The three-foot lightning sword instantly sliced through the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox's spirit manifestation above the table. Lightning swords are terrifyingly effective against all shades and spirits; even the shade of a Demon Sage, lacking a physical body, could not withstand a Minor Divine Ability-level lightning sword.

However, his sudden strike went wide. "Eh!" Qingqiu Li’s spirit vanished into thin air, evading the lightning sword, and reappeared in another part of the chamber.

She stared at Ye Qin with some surprise. "You seemed to know all along that this Sage would be here?" Ye Qin's expression subtly changed again.

He recalled the Chenming Thunder Marsh Sword and positioned himself tightly in front of Huangfu Bing'er and Bai Xiuer, tiny arcs of lightning flickering around the sword. "The Fox Clan is one of the most intelligent demon races, and Senior Qingqiu is exceptionally cunning.

I imagine every step of the process to steal the gray egg, from the moment you left the Demon Realm, was within your calculations. This naturally includes the self-detonation to abandon your physical body, leaving the gray egg as bait to disrupt our focus for possession!

These are not difficult assumptions to make!" Ye Qin stated, his face icy. "This Sage has done nothing to harm you; I even drove away a large group of ghost cultivators for you.

I merely left the sacred object on the ship temporarily to retrieve it later. Why do you speculate about my intentions this way!

Am I truly that wicked?" Qingqiu Li sounded visibly annoyed, her charming fox features expressing the indignation of being wrongly accused. "Did I say something wrong?" Ye Qin was in no way swayed by her aggrieved appearance; he spoke slowly, his tone a mixture of ice and fire.

"Your first step was to steal the gray egg and leave the Demon Realm." "Your second step was to escape the pursuit of the Three-Legged Crow. You fled directly from the Demon Realm to the immortal city in the East Sea.

The reason is simple: the immortal cities possess teleportation arrays that allow instantaneous transfers between them, easily shaking off the Three-Legged Crow. You successfully evaded the Demon Sage Three-Legged Crow temporarily by teleporting from Black Sand City directly to Linhai City.

However, this was only a temporary fix; the Three-Legged Crow would continue to hunt you. You needed to find another opportunity." "Then, in Linhai City, a change occurred: two Soul Transformation cultivators unexpectedly appeared and drove away the Demon Sage Three-Legged Crow.

You lingered near Linhai City, likely intending to use those two Soul Transformation cultivators to deal with the Three-Legged Crow and eliminate this constant threat for good. Unfortunately, the Three-Legged Crow never engaged in combat with the two cultivators, meaning you still couldn't escape its pursuit." "You must have learned from other cultivators about my plan to leave the East Sea Cultivation World for the Southern Demon Continent.

This led to your third step: borrowing my ship to exit the East Sea Cultivation World and evade the Three-Legged Crow." "If the third step succeeded, that would have been excellent for you. If it failed, you already had your fourth step prepared." "The unexpected attack by the Ghost Lord on the Great Wing warship ruined the third step, forcing your fourth step prematurely." "Your fourth step was to self-detonate your fox body, completely vanishing from the Three-Legged Crow's sight.

But immediately following the self-detonation, you needed to find a new cultivator's or demon's body for possession. Once possessed, you would have a new body and identity—another East Sea cultivator or demon cultivator.

The Three-Legged Crow hunted you by visually tracking your fox form; it had no idea whom you would choose for possession. This method ensures you disappear completely from the Crow’s line of sight—a permanent solution, no longer worrying about the Three-Legged Crow tracking you, nor the Demon Realm finding your whereabouts!" "You exerted every effort to bring the gray egg out of the Demon Realm, yet you left it on the ship.

Your strength is so great that you don't fear us taking it; you could retrieve it anytime. But the real reason is singular: you never intended to leave; you still needed to complete the possession." "On this ship, besides Bing'er and Xiuer, whose body could you possess?

There are so many warships in Linhai City. But you specifically chose my ship, likely having already factored in the fourth step—possession after self-detonation!

Since you knew I would leave, you certainly knew Bing'er, my wife, would leave the East Sea with me. As for Xiuer, although she is an Earth Clan strongman, she possesses excellent innate divine strength, which is perfectly suitable for demon races… However, the one you truly desire is Bing'er’s body.

Her spiritual root potential for cultivation is exceedingly high; she is the most ideal choice in every aspect. Otherwise, you would have already attempted to possess Xiuer before I entered this chamber.

Senior’s every move is a calculated trap; how dare I let my guard down!" Ye Qin spoke with chilling finality, his expression unreadable. The rage in his heart was already surging like a tide.

Seeing the gray egg still present allowed him to correctly deduce the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox Demon Sage's true intention. Daring to set sights on Bing'er was something he could never tolerate.

Huangfu Bing'er’s face pal slightly; being targeted by a Demon Sage was undeniably unsettling. "Hee hee~!

Xiuer spotted the gray egg and called you in, and in such a short time, you've deduced all of this! As expected, they say human cultivators are cunning, even more so than the Fox Clan!

Correct, what you said is indeed this Sage's plan." Qingqiu Li chuckled lightly. Then, she elegantly extended a fox paw, pointing toward Ye Qin, and smiled with innate arrogance and disdain, "But even if you figured all of this out, so what?

What gives you the right to stop this Sage? Do you expect a mere Nascent Soul cultivator like you to stop me?

Even without a body, taking your lives would be as easy as turning my hand. I had intended, if Sister Bing'er personally took the gray egg, I would seize her body in that moment of distraction, causing her primordial spirit to vanish without pain.

Since you ruined things, don't blame this Sage for causing her pain during the possession." Ye Qin felt a searing pain in his heart, gripping the hilt of the lightning sword tightly. Indeed, with his current Nascent Soul cultivation, he had no way to stop a Demon Sage, even if the Sage only possessed a demon spirit.

The demon spirit still retained immense demonic power. If it were a demon spirit of the same level, he would have destroyed it long ago.

A gap in cultivation levels means an insurmountable difference in strength. This is the stark, brutal reality of the Cultivation World.

"Sister Bing'er has the most outstanding spiritual root aptitude among the female cultivators in the East Sea I have ever seen. Her appearance and cultivation spiritual roots are unimaginably superb.

Although she is only at the Nascent Soul stage, I believe that once I possess her, I can reach the Soul Transformation stage in a short time!" Qingqiu Li gazed at Huangfu Bing'er. "Is that so!" Ye Qin tightly pressed his lips together, his gaze fixed coldly on Qingqiu Li, both hands steadily gripping the three-foot flying lightning sword.

The lightning sword erupted with countless lightning filaments as fine as hair. These filaments crept along his sword-holding hand, rapidly spreading across his entire body.

His late Nascent Soul stage body was extremely resilient and could withstand a certain degree of lightning discharge without major harm. His body was enveloped in a thick layer of lightning, making him somewhat numb, but it didn't significantly affect his combat effectiveness.

Covered in the glow of lightning, every point of contact could inflict damage upon a demon spirit, posing a greater threat to it instead. "You truly intend to fight me to the death?!" Qingqiu Li was surprised again.

"The technique you casually displayed earlier was Void-Breaking Flash, allowing you to travel through space at will. But this spell has a small weakness: it cannot penetrate obstacles.

Your demon spirit dares not touch the lightning filaments; it would suffer severe injury, losing half its life even if it didn't die. I guard the door.

If you wish to possess someone, you must pass my test first. How do you plan to exit this cramped side chamber?" Ye Qin said slowly.

"Just dismantle the chamber! A few wooden planks can obstruct my demonic arts?

You can block one direction, but can you block all directions?" Qingqiu Li couldn't help but snort mockingly upon hearing this. "If you wish, destroying the entire ship would be easy.

If you want to dismantle the ship, I can even help you—one sword strike would suffice. However, several Demon Sages are only a thousand miles away.

If a fight breaks out and you are exposed, attracting a massive assault from the other Demon Sages, what is your next move?" Ye Qin sneered. Qingqiu Li’s graceful smile instantly froze.

Ye Qin’s words struck her Achilles' heel. Her subsequent moves were largely exhausted; possession was the final step.

Before that, she could not risk exposure and invite pursuit from other Demon Sages. Once this step was complete, she could deceive everyone, completely shake off tracking from the Demon Realm, and roam freely across the world, with ample time to investigate the mysteries of the sacred artifact.

The prerequisite was that the possession process must proceed without any further mishaps. She lacked the protection of a physical body, and her strength was less than a tenth of what it was.

Killing Ye Qin, who wielded the lightning sword, would be extremely difficult. Even if she succeeded, the other Demon Sages would likely have already arrived.

She fell silent for a moment. Ye Qin stood guard at the chamber entrance, holding his lightning sword artifact across his chest; the scene became rigidly tense.

He was using words to threaten Qingqiu Li, but as long as Qingqiu Li did not attack, he would not strike first. Otherwise, if the ship was destroyed and the Demon Sages were drawn in, everyone would suffer.

"Senior Qingqiu only desires a physical body for cultivation. The Southern Demon Continent is vast; there are plenty of female cultivators with excellent spiritual root aptitude.

Why must we turn hostile here? It's only four or five years until we reach the Southern Demon Continent.

With your long lifespan, perhaps you don't care about these few years?" Huangfu Bing'er, who had been standing behind Ye Qin, suddenly spoke. "Very well.

Sister Bing'er, don't be angry. Your sister actually just envied your body; I don't necessarily have to take it.

We can find a superior body in the Southern Demon Continent later; I imagine the South is not lacking in female cultivators with fine spiritual roots. Let it be this way.

You two leave; I am tired and need to rest." Qingqiu Li blinked lazily. Ye Qin was somewhat surprised by how readily the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox agreed.

"Let's go!" he said. Huangfu Bing'er nodded and left with Bai Xiuer.

After the two departed, Ye Qin glanced back at the gray egg on the table before leaving the side chamber. The gray egg on the table emitted very little aura; externally, it appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary gray egg.

Anyone unaware would mistake it for the egg of a common fowl, failing to perceive its true importance. However, if a cultivator channeled mana into the egg, even if their mana was depleted, the egg would absorb it completely without any adverse reactions.

It was this mysterious gray egg that drove the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox and the Three-Legged Crow Demon Sages into a frenzy of contention. Yet, based on Ye Qin's own experience, this gray egg probably wouldn't be of much use to Demon Sages like them.

Every time he advanced a cultivation stage, a floating island would form within the Purple Mansion space of his Sea of Consciousness, possessing unique functions. By this logic, even if the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox Demon Sage swallowed the gray egg, her Sea of Consciousness would at most produce one floating island, far less than his own.

Of course, Ye Qin would never tell Qingqiu Li that the gray egg could be swallowed to generate a Purple Mansion internally. His contingency plan was one step ahead of Qingqiu Li's.

If absolutely forced, he could directly draw Qingqiu Li's demon spirit into his Purple Mansion, engaging her in battle there, much like how Nan Tianba's primordial spirit once intruded. However, there would be serious side effects.

If Qingqiu Li’s spirit wreaked havoc inside his Purple Mansion, destroying the spiritual herbs planted on the wooden floating island or ruining the mineral veins and fire seeds on other islands, it would cause him immense headaches; he had worked hard to gather so many spiritual resources. Inside the Purple Mansion, he existed only as a primordial spirit.

A Nascent Soul-stage primordial spirit fighting a Demon Sage-level demon spirit—he had no chance of winning or suppressing her. Given his cautious nature, Ye Qin would never allow an external entity to enter his Purple Mansion to cause trouble and bring problems upon himself.

This consideration was precisely why Ye Qin dared not easily draw external spirits into his Purple Mansion. Not until he possessed sufficient strength to defeat Qingqiu Li's spirit within the Purple Mansion space would he consider employing this final measure.