One person: Starting with the Snow Drinking Blade

The air in the hall was scorching and stagnant. Hundreds of fiery beasts, exuding a chaotic and violent aura, guarded the central crater spewing dark red heat and the tenacious, charred vine clinging to its edge. Several exceptionally large beast leaders, like loyal guards, vigilantly scanned every inch of the surrounding space with their blood-red eyes, ready to unleash a thunderous attack at the slightest provocation.

Nie Lingfeng and Chen Duo hid in the shadows at the entrance of the hall, concealing their auras to the extreme. Nie Lingfeng activated the Wuqiu Yijue, subtly harmonizing with the surrounding raging but essentially still "wind" and "fire" scorching air currents. Chen Duo's Phoenix True Fire also remained contained, leaving only a very faint protective halo.

"Chen Duo, do you see the crack under that vine?" Nie Lingfeng pointed to the edge of the pit, to the base of the charred vine bearing Blood Bodhi. There was an inconspicuous crack in the rock, scorched white by the heat, winding its way down to the vine, seemingly offering some cover. "Wait a minute, I'll make some noise to distract most of the monsters. You sneak through that crack as fast as you can, pick all the Blood Bodhi, and then immediately retreat back here. Don't linger, just grab them and leave, understand?"

Chen Duo nodded vigorously, her emerald green eyes fixed on the crack and the red fruit on the vine, her little face full of seriousness.

"Alright, get ready." Nie Lingfeng took a deep breath, a sharp glint in his eyes. He gently released Chen Duo's hand, his figure blending into the shadows like mist, silently moving along the cave wall towards the other side of the hall. His movements were as light as the wind, without creating a wisp of air, and he even cleverly used the heat waves and noise emanating from the holes as cover. In just a few breaths, he had circled around to another shadowy spot in the hall near the stone door.

This place is furthest from the central pit and the Blood Bodhi vines, but relatively close to the leaders of the strongest beasts.

Nie Lingfeng held his breath and picked up an inconspicuous, angular, dark red pebble from the ground, weighing it in his hand. Then, a golden light flashed in his eyes, and a wisp of pure, compressed Qilin True Fire silently poured into the core of the pebble. At the same time, using the "Wind God Movement" realm, he endowed it with a very subtle, yet provocative, spiritual energy fluctuation belonging to a "living person."

"go!"

With a slight flick of his wrist, the piece of rock infused with the Qilin True Fire and spiritual power was like being plucked from an invisible bowstring, tracing an almost imperceptible arc as it precisely struck the rock wall not far from the leader of a rhinoceros-like beast!

"Snapped!"

The slight cracking sound was almost negligible in the hall filled with the whistling heat and the low growls of strange beasts.

But the next moment——

"laugh!"

The rocks exploded! The compressed Qilin True Fire inside was suddenly released, transforming into a fist-sized, dazzling golden-red fireball that emitted a pure and scorching aura that was completely out of place with the surrounding dark red energy! The provocative spiritual energy fluctuations also spread instantly!

"roar--!!"

The closest rhinoceros-like beast leader was the first to be startled. It abruptly raised its head, its blood-red eyes fixed on the direction of the exploding fireball, and spewed out two streams of scorching white breath from its nostrils, letting out a deafening roar! This roar acted as a signal, and more than 70% of the fire beasts in the hall, including the other leaders, were simultaneously drawn by this sudden commotion carrying an "alien" aura, turning their heads in unison to look in the direction where Nie Lingfeng was hiding!

"Now!" Nie Lingfeng thought to himself, his figure flashing out of the shadows like a ghost, deliberately revealing a stronger aura. Then he sped off towards the direction away from the Blood Bodhi and the stone gate, towards the darker passageway. He controlled his speed to a level that was just enough for these strange beasts to see him but not catch up, yet full of provocation.

"Roar roar roar—!!"

The enraged horde of beasts erupted into a frenzy! Led by several leaders, they roared and howled like a burst dam, unleashing scorching waves of air as they chased after Nie Lingfeng in the direction he had "escaped"! The entire hall floor trembled slightly under the charge of the beasts.

The moment the herd of beasts was lured away, Chen Duo made her move.

Like a weightless wisp of golden smoke, she emerged from the shadows of the entrance, her toes lightly touching the scorching ground before she covered several meters, landing precisely in the inconspicuous rock crevice. The crevice was narrow, allowing only one person to pass sideways, and the temperature inside was even higher, but this posed no problem for Chen Duo, who was protected by the Phoenix True Fire. Holding her breath and concealing all her presence, she moved swiftly and silently along the crevice towards the charred vine, like a nimble gecko.

The vines grew on a protruding rock above the end of the crevice. Chen Duo peeked out and quickly glanced around. The herd of beasts had been led away, and only a few slower-reacting or farther-away beasts remained, still lingering in place, but their attention was also drawn to the commotion in the distance.

This was a golden opportunity! Chen Duo's hands moved like butterflies flitting among flowers, leaving afterimages as she precisely and gently plucked the seven or eight blood bodhi seeds, each shimmering with a faint red light, from the vine. They felt warm and smooth to the touch, and she could clearly feel the faint yet extremely pure and gentle life energy contained within the fruits. She carefully placed all the fruits into a palm-sized box carved from cold jade, which Nie Lingfeng had given her beforehand, and closed the lid to isolate them from any outside air.

The whole process took only two or three breaths.

Success! Without hesitation, Chen Duo immediately retreated back to the crack along the original path. Then, like a golden phantom, she returned to the shadows at the entrance of the hall in a few leaps. The whole process was clean, efficient, and silent.

On the other side, Nie Lingfeng led the massive herd of beasts through a maze of passages. He fully utilized the extreme speed of "Wind God's Movement" and his mastery of the terrain, sometimes stopping abruptly and turning, sometimes slipping through narrow gaps, keeping the herd bewildered but unable to truly encircle them. Judging that Chen Duo had likely succeeded, Nie Lingfeng didn't delay any longer. His figure suddenly accelerated, transforming into a streak of barely perceptible azure light, instantly leaving the herd behind. With a few turns, he disappeared into the depths of the labyrinthine passages, completely concealing his presence.

The beasts, having lost their target, roared and howled angrily for a while before gradually calming down. Some returned to the hall, while others scattered aimlessly. But Nie Lingfeng and Chen Duo were no longer there.

The two met at a relatively safe fork in the road. Nie Lingfeng took the cold jade box from Chen Duo, opened it a crack, and felt the familiar and comforting pure energy. A relieved smile finally appeared on his face.

"Well done!" He ruffled Chen Duo's hair. Chen Duo's eyes crinkled into a smile, revealing a faint, slightly smug one.

"Now, go to that door." Nie Lingfeng put away the Blood Bodhi and turned his gaze back towards the hall. Some of the beasts had returned, but their vigilance had obviously decreased, and most had returned to their original positions. The leaders of the beasts had also returned to the vicinity of the pit, but they seemed to still have some doubts about the "luring the tiger away from the mountain" earlier, and occasionally scanned their surroundings warily.

This time, Nie Lingfeng doesn't plan to use any more tricks.

"Stay close to me and rush through as fast as you can," he said to Chen Duo, his eyes sharpening like knives. "If anyone gets in your way, just cut them down!"

"Yes!" Chen Duo nodded, her emerald eyes igniting with fighting spirit. She quickly formed hand seals in front of her chest, and the huge jade phoenix phantom behind her reappeared faintly, golden phoenix fire burning fiercely on her body, exuding a sacred and majestic aura.

Nie Lingfeng also took a deep breath, the Qilin tattoo on his chest glowed slightly, and the Three-Part Returning Qi surged in his meridians. The Snow Drinking Blade sensed its master's fighting spirit and emitted a clear and melodious hum.

"Walk!"

Before the words were even finished, the two of them shot out from their hiding place like arrows, transforming into two streaks of light, one blue and one gold, and rushed straight towards the ancient stone door opposite the hall at an astonishing speed!

"roar--!!"

The appearance of the two and their undisguised powerful aura instantly ignited the beast horde once again! The closest beasts roared and pounced, attempting to intercept them.

"Get out of the way!" Nie Lingfeng shouted, his Snow Drinking Blade still sheathed, held horizontally in front of him. He used the sheath to unleash the essence of the "Six Techniques of Arrogant Cold," the icy blade energy mixed with the disintegrating power of the Three-Part Returning Origin Qi, crashing out like an invisible wall! The first few beasts rushed out as if they had hit an iceberg, their bones broken and they flew backward with miserable howls, knocking over a bunch of beasts behind them.

Chen Duo followed closely behind, waving her hands, and two golden fiery wings unfurled. With a gentle flap, scorching air currents and sparks of gold swept forward like a storm! Those fire beasts had extremely high resistance to fire, but facing the higher-level Phoenix True Fire, which was specifically designed to counter evil spirits, their scales and energy were like their nemesis, quickly melting and dissipating, and they were burned to ashes amidst mournful howls.

The two, one attacking and the other defending, one forceful and the other gentle, cooperated perfectly, carving a path through the dense horde of beasts! Wherever they went, the remains of strange beasts flew and black smoke billowed, yet not a single one could stop them for even a moment!

In just a few breaths, the two had already rushed to the ancient stone gate! Behind them, a surging tide of beasts and several enraged beast leaders were chasing after them.

Without hesitation, Nie Lingfeng placed his hand on the cold stone door. The stone door seemed to sense something; the ancient patterns on its surface lit up slightly, and the faint blue light shining through the crack in the door suddenly brightened.

"Open!" Nie Lingfeng shouted, pouring his pure Xuanwu True Scripture internal energy, mixed with a wisp of Qilin bloodline energy, into the stone gate without reservation.

"Buzz—!"

The stone door emitted a deep hum, and the incredibly heavy door slowly and silently slid open a crack just wide enough for one person to pass through! A cool, dry air, carrying a faint scent of dust and the passage of time, completely different from the violent heat outside, surged out from behind the door.

"Go in!" Nie Lingfeng pushed Chen Duo through the crack in the door, followed closely by himself, and slapped the inside of the stone door with his palm.

"Boom!"

The stone gate closed again, completely isolating the raging roars of the beasts and the scorching heat waves outside.

The inside and outside of the door are like two different worlds.

Inside the gate was a wide and clean stone passageway extending downwards. Every few feet along the rock walls on either side, a fist-sized luminous pearl emitting a soft white light was embedded, illuminating the passageway brightly. The air was fresh and dry, the temperature pleasant, completely devoid of the suffocating heat and chaos outside. The passageway was quiet; so quiet that one could hear each other's heartbeats and breaths.

More importantly, there was no trace of that polluting, chaotic, or evil energy here. Only an ancient, desolate aura, imbued with an indescribable sense of sorrow and majesty, permeated the air, aura that had been accumulated over countless years.

This is the true, unpolluted core of Lingyun Cave!

Nie Lingfeng let out a long sigh of relief, his tense nerves relaxing slightly. Chen Duo also put away her Phoenix True Fire and curiously looked around. On the rock walls of the passage, there were some blurry marks that seemed to be left by weapons or palm strikes, but they were all very ancient, bearing the marks of time.

"Let's go and see what's ahead." Nie Lingfeng gripped the Snow Drinking Blade and took the lead. Chen Duo followed closely beside him.

The passage was not long; after sloping downwards for about a hundred meters, the view suddenly opened up before us.