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Yuan Yao's bright little face changed slightly before she excitedly took Yanli's jade-like hand. "Senior Sister Yan, look! The senior gave us a lot of spirit stones!"
"Shh, Junior Sister, don't be so loud." Yanli quickly covered Yuan Yao's lips with her hand. She then checked the storage bag, and for a moment, she nearly screamed—but her red lips were suddenly blocked by someone.
The two women locked eyes, seeing both shock and joy reflected in each other's gaze.
Yuan Yao lowered her voice. "Senior Sister Yan, have you heard of the Fire God Sect?"
"I've heard some people mention it before. It's a major sect that recruits disciples with fire spiritual roots. Basically, they play with fire." Yanli touched her smooth chin, recalling for a moment before responding.
Yuan Yao's expression turned thoughtful. "Let's head to the main city of Kuixing Island first. Then, we can visit other islands to gather more information."
Yanli nodded in agreement, and the two women flew back to Kuixing Island.
Meanwhile, Qi Yuan returned to his cave on Xiaohuan Island. He first woke up Yan Ruyan and the others, instructing them to pack their treasures and prepare to move to Tianxing City.
After that, he went into his secret chamber to refine the ancient yellow flying knife and imprint it with his soul mark. Securing such treasures early was the right move.
Half an hour later, Qi Yuan exited the chamber and found Yan Ruyan and the others had already packed up all their valuables, leaving nothing behind in the cave.
Xin Ruyin stepped forward, handing him several spirit beast bags. "Senior, what happened? Why are we leaving so suddenly?"
Qi Yuan met their worried gazes and briefly explained the situation before taking them directly to Tianxing City.
Aboard the Jiaolong Spirit Shuttle, Qi Yuan stood at the front, studying a floating map of the Inner Star Sea. Behind him stood Yan Ruyan, Xin Ruyin, and Xiaomei.
He remained cautious along the journey, avoiding the red marks on the nautical chart. Three days passed quickly.
Suddenly, he noticed the activation of the Six Escape Water Wave Formation in the distance.
Qi Yuan narrowed his eyes and observed closely. Someone was indeed using the formation. Xin Ruyin had taught him about it before, so he recognized it instantly.
Could it be that Miao and Gu from the Sixth Palace were setting up a formation to hunt a sixth-level infant carp beast?
Sixth-level monsters were rare in the Inner Star Sea. Obtaining a sixth-level monster core and materials would be highly profitable.
A baby's cry echoed in the distance, confirming Qi Yuan's guess—the two cultivators were indeed hunting the monster.
If I hadn't run into this, it wouldn't matter. But since I have, I must get involved.
The sixth-level demon core and the ancient treasure, Gan Tian Ge, are both valuable.
You can't always be the one being targeted. It's time to start coveting others' treasures.
In the world of cultivation, being too reserved leads to starvation.
Qi Yuan found a deserted island nearby on the sea chart. He placed Yan Ruyan and the others there, setting up a concealment formation before quietly leaving alone.
Near an unnamed island, a massive baby carp beast lay dead, impaled on the head by an ancient bronze weapon. The scorching sun exposed its lifeless body.
Six or seven cultivators hovered in the sky. Two stood out—Elder Miao, a golden-faced early Jindan cultivator, and Elder Gu.
The rest included Feng Sanniang, Qing Suanzi, and others.
Elder Miao grinned with satisfaction and instructed Feng Sanniang and the others to dissect the baby carp beast while he and Elder Gu took pills to restore their magic power.
Suddenly, a dark wind swept across the sea, freezing Feng Sanniang into an ice sculpture. She remained in her last moment of shock before death, stunning everyone present.
The chilling wind surged toward Miao and Gu, stirring hundred-foot waves with terrifying force.
"Xuan Yin demonic energy!"
Miao and Gu's faces turned pale as they dodged instinctively, as if they had seen a ghost.
The dark wind dispersed, revealing a man and two women. The woman was stunning, at the late Foundation Establishment stage, while the man, standing in the middle Core Formation stage, was ugly, with sinister eyes and a short, skinny frame. He smiled at Miao, Gu, and the others like a predator eyeing its prey.
"Wu Chou, what is the meaning of this? Are you declaring war on the Sixth Palace?"
Elder Miao's fury showed that he recognized the man.
Qi Yuan, concealed on a nearby island, listened with his spiritual senses. He remained still, gathering his aura within his dantian.
Wu Chou sneered, showing no concern for the two early Jindan cultivators. "Our ancestor is about to leave seclusion. This baby carp beast is my gift to him. If you know what's good for you, leave now. Maybe I'll spare your lives."
"Grandmaster Ji Yin is coming out of retreat?"
Miao and Gu's faces drained of color, their fear obvious.
Grandmaster Ji Yin was a Nascent Soul stage monster. How could minor cultivators like them afford to provoke him?
Qing Suanzi and the others turned pale with terror.
Qi Yuan continued listening as Miao and Gu hesitated before producing a token carved with a ferocious ghost head, radiating a faint black aura. They handed it to Wu Chou for verification.
However, Wu Chou suddenly exposed their secrets, then slaughtered the remaining Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Elder Miao snapped, "Wu Chou, why expose yourself?"
"I do as I please. What's it to you?" Wu Chou smirked indifferently. Holding a shining azure dagger, he walked toward the baby carp beast to extract its demon core.
Miao and Gu seethed but dared not act. They could only think of how to explain the situation to their Palace Master. A punishment was inevitable.
Wu Chou glanced at their cowardice and sneered mockingly. Just as he prepared to dig out the demon core, a black-red light streaked toward him.
The sudden attack forced Wu Chou to retreat.
Someone had been lying in ambush nearby, unnoticed by his spiritual sense. That meant they had overheard everything.
Miao and Gu reacted instantly, shifting to Wu Chou's side, signaling their alliance.
A calm voice rang in their ears.
"I want this baby carp beast too. Will you three give it up?"
Qi Yuan descended with a smile, catching the returning black nail in his hand. The red ghost patterns on it flickered ominously.
Wu Chou's eyes flickered with fear, but upon seeing that Qi Yuan was only at the early Core Formation stage, he relaxed. His voice darkened. "You must have a death wish. You want the demon core? Do you have the life to take it?"
Twin black swords appeared in his hands, and he slashed forward. A massive black sword energy, hundreds of meters long, cut through the sky with oppressive force.
Qi Yuan kept his gentle smile, pouring powerful mana into the black nails. The red ghost patterns shone as they shot toward the sword energy, intertwining in a clash of deathly energy.
The collision distorted the light wildly, sending seawater erupting thousands of feet into the air. Countless sea creatures fell onto the island, already dead.
Wu Chou's expression changed. That weapon… it looked familiar.
Moments later, he recognized it—it was Night Crow's magic weapon. His face darkened as he formed hand seals. "You two, hold him off!"
Miao and Gu immediately attacked, one wielding a golden sword shrouded in dazzling light, the other using a floating green gemstone that radiated trapping energy.
Qi Yuan didn't hesitate. While harassing Wu Chou with his black nails, he summoned his magic harp. His fingers danced across the strings, unleashing a chilling melody that pierced the soul.
Miao and Gu screamed as their spirits trembled. Their weapons slipped from their grasp as their bodies stiffened.
Qi Yuan seized the opportunity. A flick of his hand, and thirty-six meteor needles shot out…
(End Of Chapter)