Cultivation begins with planting techniques

"Oh? What advice do you have for me, Fellow Daoist Yin Corpse?"

Ye Wangchuan paused, but he wasn't angry. He looked at the hunchbacked old man and asked.

"Jie Jie Jie!"

The old demon of the corpses chuckled strangely.

"I observe that this young man possesses a vitality and foundation far exceeding those of his peers. His sword intent is deeply hidden within him, like a precious sword in its sheath. His cultivation is only half a step away from breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage. He should be excellent material for refining our sect's secret Xuan Yin Corpse Refining technique!"

"Given its inherent strength, it could easily have created a fourth-tier corpse refinement. Wouldn't it be a waste to kill it hastily?"

"The Mysterious Yin Corpse Refining Technique..."

Ye Wangchuan pondered for a moment, then his gaze swept over Li Yejian, his eyes filled with even more cruelty.

"Very well! To refine it into a corpse puppet, its soul fused into its body, never to be reborn, this kind of torment is quite satisfying to me..."

"Especially once the corpse puppet is completed, if you take it to that old man Tian Jianzi for a look, it will surely enrage him to the point of bursting with rage, and he might even suffer internal injuries!"

As if imagining that scene, Ye Wangchuan couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Upon hearing this, a flicker of fear flashed in the eyes of the old demon of the Yin Corpse, but he quickly responded in agreement:
"Such a wonderful thing! I never expected this... Fellow Daoist Ye's words are truly brilliant!"

To refine a Nascent Soul seed into a corpse puppet and then use it to fight against the sect's patriarch is an extremely disgusting act.

But thinking about it, this scene actually made him feel a little better.

The two of them talked back and forth, discussing how to deal with Li Ye. Ye Wangchuan even suggested that he give Li Ye, such a top-grade corpse-refining material, to the Yin Corpse Old Demon in order to gain some benefits from him.

Although they had their divine senses locked onto him, they never took Li Ye seriously from beginning to end.

It was as if he were just an ant that could be manipulated at will, someone who, though possessing some value, was not worthy of their vigilance.

Under normal circumstances, a Core Formation cultivator would be completely at the mercy of two Nascent Soul cultivators.

But Li Ye is not someone whose life or death can be decided by a single word from them.

He listened to the two talking, smiled inwardly, and prepared to change his appearance and activate the great formation.

Although his cultivation level has not yet reached the Nascent Soul stage and his combat strength still has considerable room for improvement, with his preparations, it is not impossible to give it a try to defeat two Nascent Soul demons.

But just then, another streak of light appeared.

It was filled with intense, frenzied energy, and had a strong malevolent aura, like lava gushing from the depths of the earth.

"Hahaha! I didn't expect that you two fellow Daoists would arrive here first. I wonder if I, Shi, have missed any opportunities?"

Upon seeing who it was, both Ye Wangchuan and Yin Shi Lao Mo's expressions darkened.

They had only exchanged a few words and hadn't wasted any time at all when other people arrived so quickly!
Although he wasn't one of those repulsive righteous cultivators, this tough guy surnamed Shi was no pushover either.

This time, it seems he'll have to share the profits!

The two exchanged a glance and immediately understood each other.

They both turned around and bowed to the newcomer.
"Fellow Daoist Shi, your arrival is just in time. We two have just arrived here and only see the juniors of the Heavenly Sword Sect here. We haven't had a chance to explore the giant tree yet!"

Tianjian Sect!
Upon hearing this, the menacing beam of light vanished, revealing a middle-aged man with thick, crimson hair and beard.

He kept his distance from the two demons, and when he glanced at Li Ye standing under the tree, a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes.

This person is named Shi Lie. He is an elder of the Earthly Fiend Sect, a sect located on a lava island near the sea, who is skilled in smelting lava fire.

Because it is suspended at sea, it usually has few conflicts of interest with both the righteous and demonic paths, and is therefore a neutral force.

However, his actions were ruthless and closer to the demonic path, and he usually associated with the demonic path more often. Another person came and disrupted the situation, but this time it did not break the deadlock for Li Ye, but only created a balance of power.

It seems that even with his considerable luck, as the number of Nascent Soul cultivators increases, relying solely on luck to break through the current predicament is still insufficient.

If he only wanted to save his life, given the consistent stance of the Earthly Fiend Sect, Shi Lie, having come, would not sit idly by and watch himself die at the hands of those two demons. There would be an opportunity to abandon the Void Realm Ancient Tree and retreat directly.

That did break the deadlock.

But what he is guarding here is not his own life!

As soon as Li Ye had a thought, Shi Lie burst into laughter and spoke:

"So you are a junior from the Heavenly Sword Sect. I have long heard of you, who single-handedly transformed the world of Demon Abyss, bringing it back to life. Such a feat deserves our gratitude!"

"Now that we have come, whatever opportunities this giant tree may have, they are not for you. Tell us what you have discovered before us, and then leave quickly!"

Who among those who can cultivate to the Nascent Soul stage isn't a shrewd and capable individual?
Although he had only just arrived and exchanged a few words with the crowd, Shi Lie had already gained a detailed understanding of the situation on the field.

His behavior made it seem as if he had no regard for seniority whatsoever and had brazenly taken away Li Ye's opportunity.

But everyone could tell that he was simply creating an opportunity for Li Ye to leave.

They were actually going to protect Li Ye directly, not giving the two devils a chance to kill him!

This way, they wouldn't offend the two demons to death, and they could also give an explanation to the Heavenly Sword Sect and gain a favor.

Even with Li Ye, he could still gain a favor, and once he reaches the Nascent Soul stage, the value of that favor would immediately increase!
However, Shi Lie was ultimately a bit lacking.

His pretext was indeed legitimate. With such an opportunity before him, he was eager to divide the treasures and wouldn't be too attached to the life or death of a mere Yuan Dan cultivator.

Given his influence and the opportunity presented by this suspected fifth-tier giant tree, he should be able to persuade Ye Wangchuan and the Yin Corpse Demon to back down.

However, the details of how Ye Wangchuan failed to capture Li Ye and was instead forced back by Tian Jianzi with a single sword strike have not been revealed.

He was unaware of Ye Wangchuan's unwavering killing intent towards Li Ye, assuming that at most it was merely a matter of nipping the idea in the bud for the proud disciples of an opposing force in the bud.

Unexpectedly, his words immediately caused Ye Wangchuan's expression to turn cold.

"Fellow Daoist Shi, do you intend to protect this child for the Heavenly Sword Sect and become my enemy?"

His attitude was firm, his killing intent palpable, showing absolutely no intention of backing down as Shi Lie had anticipated.

Shi Lie paused for a moment, slightly surprised, but not easily intimidated.

He laughed heartily and said:
"This fifth-order spiritual root of heaven and earth is right before our eyes. Why waste time on this mere junior? Before others arrive, why don't we join forces to explore and divide this tree among ourselves? Wouldn't that be wonderful!"

"Fellow Daoist Shi, there's no need to worry. Dealing with a mere junior is just a matter of a moment and won't cause any delay!"

However, at this moment, the old demon of the Yin Corpse also said with a sinister smile:
"This kid is excellent material for corpse refining. I'm eager to get my hands on him and don't want to waste him..."

Why are these two so adamant?

Shi Lie was slightly puzzled, but seeing that they had joined forces, he was also inclined to give up.

While the Heavenly Sword Sect's influence is certainly valuable, it's still worth considering whether it's worth fighting these two for it.

Seeing this change in his attitude, Ye Wangchuan and the Yin Corpse Demon were satisfied.

Before they could exchange a few more pleasantries, suddenly, blazing golden flames rose up, like the sun high in the sky, with spiritual energy surging and sweeping over them.

In the midst of the blazing sun, another giant tree with a completely different appearance appeared, and Li Ye's voice rang out.

"Since you two fellow Daoists are so determined to kill me, then let's have a match and let me witness your extraordinary abilities!" (End of Chapter)