For more than ten days, many Nascent Soul cultivators have mentioned taking the grey egg. But I haven't seen anyone successfully snatch the sacred object from my hands! Your Excellency might not possess the strength to take this item from me.

Ye Qin tucked the grey egg in his hand away, speaking slowly.

"Then let us try."

Divine Lord Eryu spoke coldly, his expression utterly detached. He gripped the hilt of the grey sword tightly and raised it.

In the cultivation world, it is extremely rare for cultivators to directly hold a magical artifact while fighting others. This forces close-quarters combat, making the danger far greater than attacking from a distance by controlling the artifact.

Divine Lord Eryu displayed no overwhelming aura; instead, he appeared light and breezy.

Ye Qin’s eyelids twitched, his gaze locked onto the grey sword. He felt an intense, overwhelming sense of danger—a suffocating threat he had never experienced even when battling numerous Nascent Soul cultivators. This danger stemmed overwhelmingly from that mysterious grey sword.

Divine Lord Eryu shifted slightly, and the raised grey sword cleaved downward in a single strike.

The several hundred zhang of space within the Blood Devouring Forest was not vast, leaving little room for maneuver. Stepping beyond that range meant entanglement by the Ancient Demonic Vines of Blood Devouring.

"Hah!"

Ye Qin’s eyes sharpened. With a wave of his hand, the Eight Fiery Sword Formation shot out, meeting the attack with full force. He spat a stream of pure Yuan Qi onto the sword formation, frantically boosting its power.

"Boom!"

The grey sword slammed into the Eight Fiery Sword Formation.

In that instant, the terrifying might of the grey sword finally erupted. Seemingly countless streaks of grey sword shadows flickered, descending like a giant mountain, their crushing power utterly unstoppable. Even though Divine Lord Eryu could only exert a fraction of the sword’s power, that dreadful force was enough to annihilate any opponent at the Nascent Soul stage.

The bodies of the eight small Divine Ability-level flying swords, which had previously withstood heavenly lightning, exploded into fragments at this moment, destroyed into a large cloud of artifact shrapnel.

"Sigh!"

Ye Qin sighed upon seeing this.

The materials of these eight flying swords were vastly inferior to the grade of the grey sword’s material; they simply could not contend. Even being at the peak of the ninth layer of the Nascent Soul stage, the combat strength difference between possessing an Immortal-grade magical artifact and a collection of small Divine Ability-level artifacts was worlds apart.

It was a pity that he could not yet control the Purple Thunder or the Grey Rock within his Purple Mansion, otherwise, he might have stood a chance against Divine Lord Eryu.

Knowing he could not directly withstand the peerless power of the grey sword, Ye Qin vanished, retreating a hundred zhang, attempting to put distance between himself and Divine Lord Eryu.

"Your combat strength doesn't seem that strong. Why have so many Nascent Soul cultivators fallen to you?"

Divine Lord Eryu pursued relentlessly with his sword, perplexed.

Ye Qin found it difficult to explain.

He was currently at the ninth layer of the Nascent Soul stage, but his artifacts were still stuck at the small Divine Ability level, and his spell power was not strong either. He possessed the peak cultivation of the Nascent Soul stage but lacked true fighting prowess. He had only managed to subdue the other Nascent Soul cultivators by using his Purple Mansion to forcibly absorb their magical artifacts.

However, Divine Lord Eryu held the grey sword in hand, not controlling it primarily with divine sense, meaning it could not be absorbed by Ye Qin’s Purple Mansion. Divine Lord Eryu, wielding the grey sword, was unbeatable.

Yet, this did not mean Ye Qin would sit idly by.

Watching the battle from the side, Huangfu Bing'er and Qingqiu Li grew tense. But due to the vast difference in their cultivation levels compared to Nascent Soul cultivators, they were utterly incapable of intervening.

"Avatar Manifestation Technique!"

Ye Qin shouted lowly, performing hand seals and tracing two magical mirrors in the void with his hands.

Swoosh!

Ye Qin instantly materialized two Dharma bodies.

Including his true body, he was now split into three peak ninth-layer Nascent Soul Ye Qins.

One of the Dharma bodies charged forward recklessly, engaging Divine Lord Eryu in an assault.

"Illusionary Body Art?"

Divine Lord Eryu paused, his gaze shrinking slightly. Although these were manifested Dharma bodies, they possessed combat ability. If ignored, being struck by them would result in severe injury.

Divine Lord Eryu swept his sword horizontally, piercing through the Dharma body and shattering that clone.

"Go!"

Ye Qin’s true body immediately summoned a captured flying artifact, snatched up Huangfu Bing'er and Qingqiu Li, and fled through the passage leading out of the Blood Devouring Forest. Qingqiu Li, being a Demon Saint, naturally would not remain in the perilous Blood Devouring Forest either.

The remaining Dharma body of Ye Qin slipped into another passage within the Blood Devouring Forest and fled in a different direction.

"Trying to lure me into chasing the Dharma body?"

Divine Lord Eryu frowned, puzzled by Ye Qin's strategy. Ignoring the fake Dharma body, a flash of spiritual light enveloped him, and he shot away from his position, pursuing Ye Qin’s true body.

"He's out!"

Suddenly, a Nascent Soul cultivator spotted them and shouted loudly.

The hundreds of Nascent Soul cultivators waiting outside the jungle all turned their gazes toward the passage of the Blood Devouring Forest.

"Who won or lost?"

"Lord Ye is out! Has he been defeated and lost the spiritual treasure?"

Many cultivators were shocked the moment they saw Ye Qin emerge. They hadn't expected Ye Qin to be defeated despite possessing a transcendent spiritual treasure.

"Wait, Divine Lord Eryu is also chasing him; he’s pursuing Lord Ye."

"Who has that spiritual treasure?"

"It might still be with Lord Ye, and he’s fleeing because he refuses to hand it over. Or, perhaps Divine Lord Eryu has it, and after seizing the treasure, he's trying to silence Ye Qin, forcing him to flee!"

Many cultivators stared blankly, speculating.

"No, something has changed! Quickly surround them!"

A certain cultivator shouted sharply.

The dozens of cultivators near him, shocked, immediately summoned their magical artifacts, splitting into two groups to simultaneously converge on both Ye Qin and Divine Lord Eryu.

However, a greater number of Nascent Soul cultivators hesitated, rooted in fear. After all, many of them had suffered at Ye Qin’s hands and knew the formidable nature of his treasure, even addressing him with the honorific title 'Divine Lord.'

Ye Qin waved his hand.

All the dozen or so Divine Ability artifacts pressing toward him vanished into thin air, sucked into his Purple Mansion.

"The spiritual treasure is still with Lord Ye! Intercept him!"

Divine Lord Eryu, assailed by over a dozen attackers, hurriedly waved his sword to defend himself while roaring.

The attacking Nascent Soul cultivators finally reacted, their faces changing drastically.

In that instant, Ye Qin, riding his flying artifact, broke through the encirclement of several dozen Nascent Soul cultivators.

"Lord Ye has a treasure that collects artifacts! Do not use artifacts!"

"Fellow Daoists, attack with spells!"

The leading cultivator cried out in alarm.

The cultivators immediately unleashed their Divine Ability-level spells, blasting toward Ye Qin. Powerful spells, like fire phoenixes and ice dragons, chased after him.

Ye Qin could only dodge; these Divine Ability spells lacked stable forms and could not be drawn into the Purple Mansion by divine sense.

Riding the flying artifact, Ye Qin transformed into a streak of light, fleeing at full speed across the sky while evading the incoming spell bombardments. Divine Lord Eryu closely followed behind.

The leading cultivator, now furious, chased with a group of anxious Nascent Soul cultivators.

Those Nascent Soul cultivators who remained on the ground exchanged glances. If they couldn't defeat Lord Ye one-on-one, it seemed a group assault was still necessary.

After most of the Nascent Soul cultivators left the Blood Devouring Forest, Ye Qin’s other Dharma body emerged from within, surveyed the scene, and flew toward Demonic Spirit City. Even as a Dharma body, he was at the ninth layer of the Nascent Soul stage, ensuring an unimpeded journey to Demonic Spirit City.

The Dharma body controlled by Ye Qin’s divine sense arrived at a small courtyard within Demonic Spirit City and found Bai Xiuer practicing martial arts. "Xiuer, take this box and return to the East Sea. Your clansmen are there. This jade box contains your Blood Spirit Pills for cultivation and some other items hidden in the secret chamber of the Azure Elixir Palace," Ye Qin instructed, handing her a jade box with a faint smile. The shadow of this Dharma body then faded and vanished.

"Brother Ye, Sister Bing'er, where are you going?!"

Bai Xiuer was stunned, watching Ye Qin's dissolving shadow.

"West Nether!"

Over a hundred streams of light representing Nascent Soul cultivators tore across the sky above the Abyss of the Southern Demon Domain. Their flight speed was no slower than Ye Qin's; if Ye Qin hadn't continuously fueled his flying artifact with abundant Yuan Qi to push it to maximum speed, he would surely have been caught.

"Husband, where are we going now?"

Huangfu Bing'er looked back at the chasing group of Nascent Soul cultivators, her expression anxious.

"This group of cultivators will never give up until they seize the spiritual treasure. We can’t remain in the Southern Demon Continent. Returning to the East Sea cultivation world is also impossible, as it would draw a large number of Nascent Soul cultivators there, and we would encounter Demon Saints, who are extremely difficult to handle. The Northern Abyss Continent is the territory of the Heavenly Dao Alliance; if their Nascent Soul cultivators learn I possess a transcendent spiritual treasure, they will also hunt me down relentlessly! Vast as the cultivation world is, finding a safe haven is proving difficult."

Ye Qin spoke, then fell silent.

"West Nether Continent!"

Qingqiu Li suddenly interjected.

"West Nether? Going to the territory of Ghost Cultivators?"

Ye Qin glanced at Qingqiu Li.

"The Ghost Cultivators of the West Nether Continent have no connection with the Demon Saints of the Demon Realm or the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Southern Demon and Northern Abyss Continents. Once we enter the West Nether Continent, we can rely on the Ghost Cultivators to shake off this pursuit by the Nascent Soul cultivators. When I stole the sacred object and left the Demon Realm, I considered going to the West Nether Continent to seek refuge. If all else fails, we can even use the Styx Reincarnation Pool for rebirth."

Qingqiu Li sounded somewhat resigned as she spoke. The sacred object she had painstakingly acquired was now in Ye Qin’s hands, and he had even deciphered the mystery of the grey egg, shockingly soaring to the peak of the ninth layer of the Nascent Soul stage. Even ten of her combined could not defeat the current Ye Qin. Although they had turned hostile over the grey egg previously, facing Ye Qin’s overwhelming strength now, she could only choose submission. According to the customs of the Demon Realm, submitting to the strong carried no shame.

"Bing'er, what do you think?"

Ye Qin asked.

"West Nether is a viable destination!"

Huangfu Bing'er considered for a long time.

"Good."

Ye Qin made his decision.

Ye Qin directed the flying artifact, carrying Huangfu Bing'er and Qingqiu Li, and swiftly turned west.

"Lord Ye isn't planning to go to West Nether, is he?"

The pursuing Nascent Soul cultivators, seeing Ye Qin heading west, felt a sense of dread.

"The West Nether Continent is the domain of Ghost Cultivators. Isn't he worried about provoking a massive war between Nascent Soul cultivators and Ghost Cultivators?! The Ghost Cultivators and Underworld Beasts of West Nether are not easy to provoke! We Nascent Soul cultivators won't gain much advantage there."

A Nascent Soul cultivator expressed concern.

"Do we have any other retreat? Once the Abyss Strange Beast dies, the Southern Demon Continent will decline for at least a thousand years. The spiritual treasure in Lord Ye's hands can boost Yuan Qi and accelerate cultivation; it might change the fate of us Southern Demon cultivators. Even if we chase him to West Nether, we must seize that spiritual treasure!"

The leading cultivator urged his sword forward like lightning, fueled by rage.

As fellow peak ninth-layer Nascent Soul cultivators, their flight speeds were similar. The flying artifact beneath Ye Qin’s feet was a Great Divine Ability grade artifact taken from another Nascent Soul cultivator. Even carrying Huangfu Bing'er and Qingqiu Li, its speed was hardly diminished.

Divine Lord Eryu, the leading cultivator, and the group of over a hundred pursuing Nascent Soul cultivators would not give up. The attraction of a mysterious transcendent spiritual treasure was too immense for them. At least within the Southern Demon Continent, nothing held greater allure.

Over two hundred other Nascent Soul cultivators, realizing they had no hope of seizing the treasure, had long since given up the pursuit and returned to their territories to recover strength severely weakened by the recent battle.

Furthermore, the hundreds of thousands of Core Formation cultivators lingering on the periphery, unaware of the exact details, gradually dispersed with confusion. However, with the death of the Abyss Strange Beast, the loss of the spiritual paste needed for Nascent Soul ascension for a millennium presented an extremely severe challenge for the Southern Demon Continent’s Core Formation cultivators, leaving them with no mind to contemplate other solutions to overcome hardship.

Bai Xiuer left Demonic Spirit City that very day. Outside the city, at a port, she purchased a multi-winged sea vessel—an ordinary vessel driven by spirit stones, capable of flight and sea travel, typically used by low-level cultivators for hunting sea beasts and transporting goods.

The South Sea was an endless expanse of water.

The sea vessel pitched and rolled amidst the vast waves.

Occasionally, single sea beasts appeared, all of which Bai Xiuer killed. When large hordes of beasts appeared, she made the vessel fly to evade them.

"Brother Ye, Sister Bing'er, take care!!"

Bai Xiuer stood firmly at the bow, carrying a green ancient halberd stained with the blood of demonic beasts. She pressed her lips together, gazing toward the eastern sea. She still remembered Brother Ye’s gentle smiles over the years, recalling when she left her tribe to follow him to the East Sea Islands. Brother Ye used the Dark Cloud Veil to carry her as she cultivated and flew. But from this day forward, she would have to face the fierce winds and towering waves of the sea, along with countless sea beasts and avian monsters, alone.

The tender care and concern shown by Sister Bing'er over the years remained vivid in her mind.

Bai Xiuer opened the jade box Ye Qin had left her.

Besides several bottles full of high-grade Blood Spirit Pills, there was a Star Fixing Plate and a large quantity of Demonic Beast Yuan Crystals. She scooped up some and discovered, buried beneath the Yuan Crystals, an unremarkable grey egg.

Ye Qin had his own Purple Mansion and did not need this grey egg. He had hidden the egg there, intending to send it back to the East Sea cultivation world purely as a contingency—a potential failsafe should anything happen to him.

"The grey egg?"

Bai Xiuer murmured to herself. She naturally knew what this grey egg was. It was the sacred object stolen from the Demon Realm by the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon Saint, highly treasured, and later taken by Brother Ye, nearly driving the Demon Saint to madness.

"Brother Ye wants Xiuer to take it to the East Sea? Xiuer will bring the jade box back to the East Sea and hide it in the secret chamber of the Azure Elixir Palace!" Bai Xiuer thought silently.

On the return journey, she would take the high-grade Blood Spirit Pills to cultivate. Upon reaching the East Sea, she estimated she could reach the peak of the ninth layer of the Core Formation stage. In the East Sea cultivation world, she would then be the most powerful Earth Clan strongman. At that time, her Bai Clan would never have to fear being bullied due to weakness.