Qingqiu Li glared at Ye Qin, her anger palpable. She realized Ye Qin hadn't struck during her possession attempt because he had already planned an alternative: using the Sacred Artifact to coerce her into helping him acquire the Spirit Paste needed for Apotheosis.

Unfortunately, she was utterly helpless against Ye Qin in her current state.

Though she harbored the potent spirit of a Demon Saint, this physical body was only at the ninth layer of the Nascent Soul stage, incapable of unleashing her true power. Forcibly employing a Great Divine Ability-level spell would likely result in severe damage to the vessel.

Unless she broke through to the Soul Transformation stage, she could not genuinely threaten Ye Qin. Even Huangfu Bing'er’s strength might be too much for her to handle easily. Presently, she lacked substantial leverage.

“Fine, you can keep the Sacred Artifact for now. But if we are fortunate enough to obtain the Spirit Paste of the Abyss Oddity Beast on our journey to the Demon Abyss, I must have a share!”

Qingqiu Li rationally abandoned resistance and opted for cooperation.

“We’ll see if we can obtain it first. We don’t even know the actual strength of that Abyss Oddity Beast yet. Your retinue outside must be getting anxious. Let’s go appease them first,” Ye Qin remarked, frowning slightly as he noticed movement outside the mansion, though the thought of a Tier Fifteen Demon Beast still soured his mood.

Qingqiu Li nodded and stepped out of the courtyard, where she found the anxiously waiting attendants.

“Miss, what just happened?!”

The attendants were visibly relieved to see ‘Dou Hongshan’ finally emerge and quickly inquired. They had sensed intense magical fluctuations within the mansion not long ago but dared not barge in without an order from Dou Hongshan.

“Nothing much. The Devil Fighting Stage match didn’t happen. I was just exchanging a few sparring moves with Young Master Ye inside. You all go back and prepare everything needed for the trip to the Demon Abyss. I have some private matters to discuss with Young Master Ye here and need to stay a few days. Return then.”

Qingqiu Li spoke with a touch of aloof pride.

“The Great Sovereign commanded that we mortals must follow Miss at all times, ready for deployment!”

“So, my words no longer count?”

“Yes!”

The attendant cultivators exchanged glances but dared not disobey. They hastily departed, knowing that the unpredictable Dou Hongshan offered no mercy if angered. Just as Qingqiu Li stepped out,

Ye Qin detailed the upcoming Abyss Hunt to Huangfu Bing’er. The Spirit Paste required for refining the Soul Transformation Pill was exceedingly rare, found only on a Tier Fifteen Demon Beast, a Great Sovereign, within the Demon Abyss. Every ten years, the Southern Demon Continent held a massive hunt where numerous Nascent Soul cultivators ventured into the Abyss to procure this elusive paste.

Huangfu Bing’er finally grasped the whole situation.

Ye Qin refused to return the grey egg and demanded Qingqiu Li assist him in securing the Spirit Paste, with him acting as the team leader possessing allocation rights over the spoils.

This allocation right was crucial. The reason Dou Hongshan wanted Ye Qin as her attendant was to ensure she, as the leader, could secure the largest share of the Spirit Paste. Otherwise, this whole predicament wouldn't have arisen.

The expedition was highly perilous, allowing only Ye Qin, Huangfu Bing’er, and Qingqiu Li to participate. Xiu’er was too weak, equivalent to an early Nascent Soul cultivator, and would likely become cannon fodder if she went.

Ye Qin decided to leave Xiu’er behind in Demon Spirit City to cultivate until he and Huangfu Bing’er returned.

Although Bai Xiu’er was deeply reluctant, she had no choice but to remain in Demon Spirit City.

One month later.

Dozens of streaks of multi-colored magical light sped across the sky deep within the Southern Demon Continent. Below lay vast, boundless landscapes of plateaus, mountain ranges, dense forests, plains, and the swarms of Demon Beasts inhabiting this immense territory.

Leading this group of cultivators was the trio: ‘Dou Hongshan,’ Ye Qin, and Huangfu Bing’er, all peak ninth-layer Nascent Soul cultivators.

Following behind them were twenty mid-to-late Nascent Soul attendants of Bian Hongshan, along with the white-robed cultivator Wang Rong and his dozen-plus subordinates.

Ye Qin had originally planned for just himself, Bing’er, and Qingqiu Li to go. However, several months prior, Ji Hongshan had already promised to bring the white-robed cultivator Wang Rong along, making it difficult to change plans midstream lest Wang Rong become suspicious. Coupled with the necessary laborers and attendants for Dou Hongshan and Wang Rong, the hunting party had become rather substantial.

In terms of raw strength, ‘Hong Hongshan’ was a twenty-one-rotation cultivator, while Ye Qin maintained twenty rotations, undoubtedly making him the strongest leader among this group.

Although Huangfu Bing’er hadn't competed on the Devil Fighting Stage, her true combat power was only slightly less than the other two. Her Ice and Fire Twin Swords had already been upgraded to Lesser Divine Ability-grade artifacts, and her mastery of the wind spell ‘Void Flash’ made even Ye Qin struggle in combat.

Wang Rong was a nineteen-rotation cultivator, slightly weaker still. The remaining attendants were all late Nascent Soul cultivators below fifteen rotations, some even mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.

This assembly of Nascent Soul experts flew toward the Demon Abyss in the heart of the Southern Demon Continent.

Along the way, they encountered more and more Nascent Soul cultivators.

Some were arriving from Demon Spirit City.

Even more numerous were the cultivators streaming in from the various territories of the Southern Demon Continent, converging into a massive tide of cultivators pushing toward the continent’s interior. Countless early, mid, and late Nascent Soul cultivators gathered at a great rift in the earth within the mainland’s core.

After another ten-plus days, Ye Qin, Huangfu Bing’er, ‘Dou Hongshan,’ and Wang Rong arrived at the great rift, landing on the precipice of the chasm.

At the edge of the rift, countless Nascent Soul cultivators had already congregated, having temporarily established numerous camps: tents made of beast hides, or dwellings carved from rock. Of course, even more cultivators were simply finding spots to camp out in the open.

The Demon Abyss below was currently saturated with a dense, blue mist. Inhaling this mist gradually drives cultivators mad, so the Nascent Soul experts had not yet descended.

They were waiting for the Tide’s arrival. Approximately every ten years, a significant tidal event would sweep away the dense blue mist filling the rift, creating a brief window of opportunity. This moment was the prime time for Nascent Soul cultivators to descend and hunt within the Great Rift.

Though the number of Nascent Soul cultivators gathered here was vast, in reality, only the absolute top echelon of late-stage peak Nascent Soul cultivators—those at twenty rotations or above—had a real chance of obtaining the Spirit Paste.

Demon Spirit City alone had about a dozen such top-tier cultivators. Across the entire Southern Demon Continent, the number likely did not exceed forty or fifty.

As for those early and mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators who came to join the fray, they were either purely relying on luck or seeking to gain hunting experience for future attempts.

Ye Qin gazed at the massive rift ahead, feeling a sense of awe that left him speechless.

A great tear in the earth, narrow in places but hundreds of miles wide at others, ripped open the surface, exposing the crimson bedrock beneath. This fissure stretched towards the horizon, seemingly endless. It was rumored that this Great Rift spanned at least several hundred million miles, nearly splitting the continent in two.

And beneath the Great Rift lay the Demon Abyss, bottomless to the eye.

“I have visited this place no less than five or six times. Brother Ye, being new to the Demon Abyss, might not know. This Demon Abyss is one of the notorious perilous zones of the Southern Demon Continent; the depths are far more dangerous than the surface. On the surface, one might encounter a Tier Thirteen Demon Beast minor lord only once every few million or tens of millions of miles. But inside the Demon Abyss, one might meet a minor lord every few hundred thousand miles—at least ten times more dangerous than above ground. Only here can one find a Tier Fifteen Demon Beast Great Sovereign like the Abyss Oddity Beast. This beast roams the billion-mile depths without a fixed territory, making it difficult to locate. During the ten-year hunt, casualties in the Demon Abyss number at least several thousand; the worst incidents have seen nearly ten thousand deaths,” Wang Rong cheerfully explained to Ye Qin.

Wang Rong had genuinely wanted to converse with Dou Hongshan, the highly favored young lady of Demon Spirit City, throughout the journey. Unfortunately, for some inexplicable reason, Dou Hongshan had given him the cold shoulder the entire way. Having unknowingly stepped on a nerve, he could only seek conversation elsewhere.

He had initially been captivated by Huangfu Bing’er, and upon learning she was Ye Qin’s spouse, his jealousy toward Ye Qin boiled over. However, wanting to curry favor with Hong Hongshan, he knew he couldn't show off in front of Huangfu Bing’er, or he’d forfeit any chance with Dou Hongshan.

Thus, the journey was limited to making small talk with Ye Qin to alleviate boredom. Naturally, towards Ye Qin, an outsider cultivator, Wang Rong adopted a senior posture, feeling superior due to his background, connections, and status—he was no ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator.

Over this past month, Ye Qin had managed to learn a good deal about the Demon Abyss.

“Oh, is that so? Demon Beasts of Tier Thirteen and above are so formidable, nearly comparable to Soul Transformation cultivators. I fear we Nascent Soul cultivators would perish instantly upon encountering them. Tell me, Brother Wang, have you ever actually seen the Abyss Oddity Beast?” Ye Qin asked casually.

“Although I’ve been here five or six times and seen several minor Demon Beast lords, I have never personally laid eyes on the Great Sovereign, the Abyss Oddity Beast. But Brother Ye need not worry. Very many Nascent Soul cultivators enter the Abyss. Even if a Demon Beast Lord goes into a rampage, there are plenty of lower-tier cultivators to act as padding. As long as one is cautious and flees quickly toward the crowd, will the Demon Beast Lord really prioritize hunting you down specifically? Every time, it is the lower-tier cultivators trying their luck who die. For top experts like us, as long as we don’t court death, it is hard to perish,” Wang Rong replied.

Wang Rong did not dwell further on the Abyss Oddity Beast, then boasted somewhat arrogantly, “I have plenty of experience. Once we enter the Abyss, Brother Ye, just stick close to me, and you will be perfectly safe. Even if we don’t find the Abyss Oddity Beast, you won’t lose your life.”

Ye Qin stood facing the wind on the cliff edge, gazing down into the abyss thousands of feet below. His expression was placid, offering no comment, but inwardly, he curled his lip.

In the eyes of ‘Dou Hongshan,’ the twenty-one-rotation expert, the nineteen-rotation Wang Rong was merely cannon fodder, included just to bulk up the numbers. Once the Abyss Oddity Beast was located and the top cultivators began fighting for the Spirit Paste, Wang Rong would have no part to play.