Immortality and cultivation begin at age forty, starting with Foundation Establishment.

"There's something strange about this girl!"

Feiyue frowned, her senses covering the entire rift valley as she watched Ye Hongyi's every move.

A top-grade magic weapon, just like that, was thrown into the rift valley?

Just then, the old man from the withered source, who was flying ahead, shouted "Charge!" and sped up towards the location of the Thousand Spider Poison Sword on the other side of the rift valley.

At the same time, the old man from Kuyuan took out a cloth bag from his bosom and opened it. A strong, bloody aura rushed out and spread towards the other side of the rift valley.

A glint flashed in Ah Long's eyes as he followed behind the old man Ku Yuan. His figure leaped out with the old man Ku Yuan, the black energy of the gourd magic weapon under his feet spreading out, increasing his speed several times over.

Ye Hongyi took a step forward, holding a superior-grade fire spirit sword in one hand and a one-time life-saving magic weapon in the other. Her divine sense enveloped the Thousand Spider Poison Sword, ready to activate the poison within the sword at any time.

Ye Hongyi displayed an air of unyielding strength, as if she would immediately engage in a life-or-death struggle with the demonic cultivator if he dared to fly across the rift.

Of the three demonic cultivators, Scarlet Moon was the fastest, but also the most complicated. She did not immediately rush across the rift with the other two demonic cultivators.

As Kuyuan and Along chose to rush to the other side, Feiyue used a secret technique to explore the rift valley below.

Feiyue had a feeling.

The Soul-Slaying Dagger, this top-grade magic weapon, is definitely not as simple as it appears on the surface.

If all three of them manage to cross the rift, the Soul-Slaying Dagger that fell into the rift will definitely pose a threat to them at a crucial moment.

Although I don't know exactly how Ye Hongyi operates, it's still a hassle.

Moreover, if the three of them rushed to the other side of the rift, they would still face the risk of death. Fei Yue did not think she was more powerful than A Long and Ku Rong, and that she could obtain the Thousand Spider Poison Sword. So she simply chose the Soul-Slaying Dagger that had fallen into the rift.

As for the Thousand Spider Poison Sword, regardless of whether Ku Yuan or A Long obtains it, Fei Yue can remain the unsung hero behind the scenes. Or, if both of them fail, Fei Yue can hide beneath the rift and wait for the next group to arrive.

As for the threats lurking below the rift, they are nothing in the face of a true life-or-death crisis.

Just as the old man of the withered source and Ah Long made their move, the bloodthirsty aura and the black yin energy spread to the edge of the canyon at the same time.

Ye Hongyi swallowed the pill she had hidden in her mouth beforehand. A strong spiritual energy emanated from her body and surged wildly into the armor she was wearing.

The red armor blazed like a flame, and runes were revealed on all the feathered surfaces of the armor, while a strong spiritual energy burned within it.

The scorching heat baked the surrounding air, dispelling all the evil energy within a ten-meter radius around her.

At this moment.

Ye Hongyi seemed to be a phoenix reborn, slowly moving forward amidst the raging flames.

She possesses a top-grade fire elemental root, allowing her to quickly master all fire-attribute spells and unleash spells with greater power and purity than those with two or three elemental roots.

Cultivators with celestial spiritual roots are born for cultivation and for battle.

With this fire armor to ward off evil spirits.

This allows Ye Hongyi to avoid most of the insidious tactics used on this battlefield and fight with peace of mind.

The fire attribute of the battle armor and Ye Hongyi's spiritual root achieved a perfect match.

The increase in combat power far exceeds simple accumulation.

The bloodlust and black mist that crossed the canyon were completely burned away by Ye Hongyi's armor.

The old man of the withered source placed his blood-fiend bag directly over the Thousand Spider Poison Sword at the edge of the rift valley. An even stronger blood-fiend aura surged out of the bag, as if it were about to soak the entire Thousand Spider Poison Sword.

The gourd beneath Ah Long's feet flew out and crashed head-on into Ye Hongyi. The intense black yin energy pressed down on Ye Hongyi like a mountain.

Ye Hongyi thrust out her Fire Spirit Sword, which was wrapped in intense fire-attribute energy.

Flames and black mist collided, producing a hissing sound. Deep within the black mist, the roars and wails of ghosts could be heard.

Red flames, black mountains.

One is the light that purifies the filth of the world.

One is a filthy darkness forged from countless lives.

The two forces collided.

Ye Hongyi, who was in the middle stage of Foundation Establishment, and A Long, who was in the late stage of Foundation Establishment, managed to achieve a brief balance.

Ah Long hates fire, and he hates light even more, because there is no light in the world he lives in. So even though he knows that his magic is countered, he still releases more power, wanting to use the filthy darkness to completely taint Ye Hongyi's light.

Can darkness not defeat light?

Ah Long, along with many others on Thousand Peaks, believed that darkness was invincible, that it could be restrained and suppressed, and that the number of darkness and ghosts was simply too small.

As long as there are enough of them, fire attribute or lightning attribute can go to hell.

Ah Long is such a vicious person. He has no shortage of yin spirits or yin energy. In the land of Qian Kingdom, as long as the Golden Core is not produced, he is an invincible existence.

Anyone who tries to fight him one-on-one will be swallowed up by his gourd.

"You brat, can't you feel the corrupting power of this world?!"

"Darkness and filth are everywhere in this world. Can your fire burn away all the darkness and all the yin energy?"

Ah Long's confidence comes from the land of Qian Kingdom. He has refined the Yin energy of heaven and earth into his magical artifacts, and can call upon the Yin energy existing in heaven and earth at any time.

Combined with the Yin spirits he had accumulated in the gourd over the years, he himself was unaware of how powerful he would become when he unleashed his full power.

If he weren't afraid of losing his mind, Ah Long would even dare to challenge a Golden Core cultivator. Of course, if he really used the gourd to unleash power comparable to a Golden Core cultivator, he estimated that he would be devoured by the Yin spirits inside the gourd and die.

The combat strength of demonic cultivators is difficult to measure based on their minor cultivation level alone. For example, the peak Foundation Establishment cultivators we encountered in the Eight Hundred Mile Yellow Spring Valley were no match for the current A Long.

Even if the White Bone Whip and the Myriad Soul Banner were to unleash their full power, they might not be a match for the Yin Soul Gourd before them.

Fortunately, Ye Hongyi was strong enough, and with the burning of her fire armor, she was able to keep pushing Ah Long to his limits and unleash more Yin Soul power.

As the time goes,

Ah Long has unleashed power surpassing the peak of Foundation Establishment. His mental state is somewhat frenzied, and the rhythm of his gourd attacks is becoming chaotic.

Just as he himself thought, he was unable to unleash power comparable to that of a Golden Core cultivator.

Theory is just theory.

The backlash from the demonic artifact was difficult for Ah Long to withstand.

The old man from the withered source, who had put away the Thousand Spider Poison Sword, was frowning deeply. He had discovered a very serious problem.

The Thousand Spider Poison Sword was locked.

Even though he successfully used Blood Fiend to block the poison of the Thousand Spider Poison Sword, he still couldn't take the Thousand Spider Poison Sword away.

"It seems we must kill that woman." The old man from the withered source left the cloth bag on the ground and put the Thousand Spider Poison Sword on it.

The Thousand Spider Poison Sword has a history of killing Fatty Zhang.

Therefore, the Old Man of the Withered Source must prevent the Thousand Spider Poison Sword from unleashing even more terrifying power.

All their scheming and calculations must ultimately translate into real combat power. If they cannot defeat Ye Hongyi, they will take nothing away from her.

"A Foundation Establishment stage cultivator with a Heavenly Spiritual Root, how could the righteous path allow such a prodigy to go out and die?"

"So where exactly are the Golden Core cultivators?!"

The old man's divine sense suddenly increased several times, faintly surpassing the realm of Foundation Establishment, and was incredibly precise, searching every corner within a ten-mile radius, finding no one else except Chen An.

"Could he be a late-stage Golden Core cultivator?" Old Man Kuyuan frowned; he hated the suppression of cultivation realm.

He was a very old cultivator on Thousand Peaks. The Foundation Establishment cultivators around him had changed batch after batch, but Fei Yue and A Long were the ones who had been with him the longest.

Although his cultivation level was still at the late Foundation Establishment stage, the time he had spent cultivating had allowed his strength to far surpass the realm of the late Foundation Establishment stage.

Chen An's cultivation will allow him to improve his strength vertically.

However, there are also some people who are not talented enough to break through their cultivation level. They need to constantly expand their horizons, practice more techniques, master more secret arts, and explore the path to a higher realm.

The Old Man of the Withered Source possesses the aptitude of five spiritual roots. To be able to advance to the late stage of Foundation Establishment with such aptitude, one can imagine how perilous his path of growth must have been and how many battles he must have endured.

If you give Ku Yuan a different aptitude, he will have already formed his core.

"What a pity."

"This sword is quite nice."

"I thought I could take this opportunity to steal the sword."

"Looks like I was overthinking it."

Instead, they put a blood bag on it.

The reason why the Old Man of the Dry Source dared to cross the canyon was because he was confident that he could evade an attack comparable to the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm.

At the same time, with the blessing of a special secret technique, his divine sense could explore cultivators within a ten-mile radius. He wanted to find the location of Ye Hongyi's guardian Golden Core cultivator.

Then, it forced the Golden Core cultivators in the Thousand Mountains to come out and fight the opponent.

However, even after using the secret technique of the Old Man of the Dry Source, he still couldn't find the hidden Golden Core cultivator. He now suspected that behind Ye Hongyi stood a Golden Core cultivator in the late stage or even the peak stage.

Ye Hongyi's fiery armor ignited, revealing mysterious runes, and the surrounding dark spirits began to crumble.

Click.

The black aura was broken open.

Ah Long spat out a mouthful of blood. He casually put away the gourd, and using a bone artifact, he quickly increased his height. The remaining black mist around him enveloped him.

The old man from the withered source glanced at where A Long was and frowned. It was normal for A Long to lose to a Heavenly Spiritual Root. It would be ridiculous for a Heavenly Spiritual Root cultivated by a great figure to lose to a demonic cultivator.

But to the old man Kuyuan's surprise, A Long was defeated too quickly.

After Fei Yue disappeared into the rift valley, she also vanished without a trace.

Instead, the old man from the withered source, who stood next to the Thousand Spider Poison Sword, became the main force in the following days.

"This is such a hassle."

"Ah Long, you go first."

The old man from the desolate land shouted into the sky.

Ah Long was a little surprised. He thought he had misheard. Are there good people in the Demonic Path?

It's good enough if they don't let their teammates down, but there are people who are willing to stay behind to cover for their teammates so they can escape?

There might be special cases on the outer Demon Mountain, but it's hard to find such people on Thousand Peaks, especially after the Golden Core cultivators of Thousand Peaks left. The entire Thousand Peaks is in a state of depression, and every Foundation Establishment demon cultivator wants to become the next Golden Core cultivator.

However, they were also worried that righteous Nascent Soul cultivators would come after them, so even if someone had the opportunity to break through to the Golden Core realm, they dared not do so.

Because once you step into the Golden Core realm, you will be targeted by Nascent Soul experts from the righteous path.

In the past, when there were demonic Golden Core cultivators on the mountain, they dared not break through to the Golden Core stage because they were afraid of being used as raw materials by Golden Core cultivators.

After the demonic golden core cultivators left, they worried about being hunted down by the righteous nascent soul cultivators, and they were still unable to break through.

Spiritual practice is truly difficult.

For a fleeting moment, Ah Long even considered releasing all the Yin spirits inside the gourd to cover a radius of ten miles and drag the hidden Golden Core cultivators down with him.

But he dared not; he did not want to die.

"Thank you, Elder Kuyuan." Along cupped his hands in thanks, then immediately swept away all the darkness around him towards Thousand Peaks.

Chen An, who was hiding in the shadows, sighed and stepped out. He casually threw a lightning-attribute flying sword at A Long's front.

Ah Long stopped immediately, his heart pounding. He wasn't stupid, but he had almost gone mad just now because of controlling the gourd.

He neither wanted to nor could continue using the Ghostly Gourd.

Powerful combat strength is obtained at the cost of overdrawing one's life; it involves not only the lives of others, but also one's own.

Ah Long stopped, looking at the mid-grade lightning-attribute flying sword hovering in front of him. His eyes were somewhat complicated. He thought to himself, "Old man, you tricked me. If I run away now, it means I have no strength left. The people hiding in the shadows won't just watch me escape."

"So, if I try to escape, I'm sure I'll die."

"Feiyue, you're right. That old bastard is a real swindler. I'll be played to death by him one day."

"But what secret is this old man hiding?"

"So many people on Thousand Peaks are keeping their distance, yet he's so confident in even the Golden Core cultivators who might exist on this other side."

"The Thousand Spider Poison Sword, what a fine evil sword. I wish I could control it."

Ah Long's Yin Soul Gourd is very powerful, but the price of its power is that it is more evil than the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, and the backlash it suffers is also more severe.

Therefore, Ah Long envied the Thousand Spider Poison Sword and even more so Ye Hongyi, who had exceptional talent on the ground. He thought he had surpassed the Heavenly Spirit Root, surpassed geniuses, surpassed most people, and sometimes he even felt that as long as he was willing to give up his life, he could defeat a Golden Core cultivator.

However, this was just wishful thinking on his part.

Ah Long's extravagant hopes have never come true; they will always remain just that—hopes, never becoming reality.

"Is that man?"

"Is the owner of the Thousand Spider Venom Sword stronger than someone with a Heavenly Spiritual Root?"

Ah Long saw Chen An emerge from behind a withered tree, and saw the Ten Thousand Souls Banner in Chen An's hand, as well as the mutated Foundation Establishment ghost standing beside Chen An.

"The Banner of Ten Thousand Souls! It's a demonic cultivator—no, a righteous cultivator!"

"It's him!"

"He's the one who killed Fatty Zhang!"

The dead are not necessarily the weaker ones; at least Ah Long never thought he would have a chance to defeat Fatty Zhang.

However, Chen An, who was standing before him, had killed Fatty Zhang by surprise, leaving Fatty Zhang without any chance to use his skills.

Luck, a stroke of luck? Impossible. There's never any such thing as luck in this world.

Ah Long felt he was going to die.