I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

Li Qingfeng, Tuoba Shan, Su Meier, and the others stared at Qin Yuan in shock. They knew Qin Yuan was strong, but they hadn't expected him to be this strong, capable of directly repelling Yan Lie!

Yan Lie's expression shifted, and he suddenly waved his hand: "Retreat!"

The remaining Crimson Flame Sect disciples, feeling as if they had been granted a pardon, quickly helped their injured companions up and retreated into the depths of the icy canyon with Yan Lie. The three cultivators who had been recruited, seeing the situation was dire, had already fled.

The icy canyon fell silent instantly, with only the howling of the cold wind remaining.

"Fellow Daoist Qin...thank you for your help!" Li Qingfeng suppressed his churning blood and qi, and solemnly bowed to Qin Yuan, his gratitude genuine. If Qin Yuan hadn't intervened in time, he would probably have been seriously injured by Yan Lie.

Tuoba Shan clutched his shoulder wound and grinned, "Brother Qin, impressive! I'm impressed!"

Su Meier and Yin Jiuyou also stepped forward to express their gratitude, and Han Bing was even more grateful.

Qin Yuan waved his hand, but his gaze thoughtfully swept over the direction Yan Lie had retreated, then across Li Qingfeng. During the chaotic battle, he had keenly sensed that while Li Qingfeng and Yan Lie were locked in fierce combat, Li Qingfeng seemed to have intentionally or unintentionally revealed an opening, causing one of Yan Lie's fire arrows to veer off course, grazing past one of Yan Lie's heavily wounded disciples, failing to deliver a fatal blow. That disciple was later dragged away by his companions.

Was it a mistake, or was it intentional?

Qin Yuan had doubts, but did not voice them.

After a brief respite, the group quickly left the icy canyon and headed towards the icy pool according to the map. Along the way, they encountered several more waves of ice-type monsters, all of which they repelled together. About an hour later, the view suddenly opened up, revealing a vast icy pool covered in a thin layer of ice. The water was deep and chilling, and some ice moss emitting a faint blue glow grew along its banks.

"As shown on the map, beyond the icy pool lies the Ice Soul Forest, and beyond that is the Land of Inheritance," Li Qingfeng said, pointing to the map. "There may be demonic beasts beneath the icy pool; we must be careful."

Tuoba Shan suggested taking a short rest and treating their injuries. Everyone agreed, and after finding a sheltered ice mound by the cold pool, they set up a simple warning formation and took their medicine to heal their wounds.

Qin Yuan sat cross-legged, seemingly closing his eyes to regulate his breathing, but in reality, he released his divine sense to cover an area of ​​a hundred feet, paying attention to all movements.

About half an incense stick later, Li Qingfeng suddenly stood up and walked towards Tuoba Shan, asking with concern, "Brother Tuoba, how is your shoulder injury? I have a bottle of 'Jade Marrow Ointment' here, which has miraculous effects on external injuries." As he spoke, he took out a jade bottle from his bosom.

Tuoba Shan, unsuspecting, accepted the jade bottle, saying, "Thank you, Brother Li." He was about to open it.

Just as he looked down at the jade bottle, a ruthless glint flashed in Li Qingfeng's eyes, who had his back to him. A short, jet-black dagger, devoid of any reflection, slid out from his right sleeve and stabbed towards Tuoba Shan's back with lightning speed! At the same time, he flicked a piece of colorless powder from his left hand, which drifted toward Su Meier and Yin Jiuyou who were nearby.

"Watch out!" Qin Yuan's taut senses caught the killing intent and subtle spiritual energy fluctuations in the powder in that instant. He shouted and sprang into action.

Although Tuoba Shan was warned, the distance was too close, and Li Qingfeng had been planning this for a long time, so he only had time to barely turn to the side. With a "thud," the black dagger pierced into his left shoulder blade, and a cold and vicious energy instantly rushed into his body. Tuoba Shan groaned in pain, and half of his body went numb.

Upon hearing the warning, Su Meier and Yin Jiuyou held their breath, but still inhaled a small amount of powder, causing them to feel dizzy and their spiritual energy to stagnate, causing them to collapse to the ground.

Han Bing, whose cultivation was the weakest and who was a little further away, still inhaled the powder, and her vision went black as she fainted.

Having landed a successful blow, Li Qingfeng retreated rapidly without hesitation, distancing himself from Qin Yuan. The gentle and refined demeanor on his face had vanished, replaced by cold calculation and a hint of smugness.

"Why?!" Tuoba Shan's eyes were bloodshot as he struggled to stand up and glared at Li Qingfeng.

Su Meier barely managed to stay conscious, her face deathly pale: "The poison...it's 'Soul-Scattering Incense'! You...planned this all along?"

Yin Jiuyou struggled to mobilize the death energy, but found that his nascent soul was as if it were bound by shackles, and his spiritual power was scattered.

Li Qingfeng leisurely dusted off his sleeves and smiled, "Why? Naturally, it's to monopolize the inheritance. What the Ice Palace obtained was merely an appetizer. How could I share the true inheritance with you? The four of you, along with those fools outside, are nothing more than tools I use to open the secret realm and resist the Crimson Flame Sect."

He glanced at Qin Yuan, the only one still standing, a hint of apprehension flashing in his eyes, but more so a confident composure: "Fellow Daoist Qin, you are indeed an unexpected surprise. Your strength far exceeds expectations. However, having been poisoned by the 'Soul-Scattering Incense,' your Nascent Soul is sealed. No matter how powerful you are, how much can you unleash right now? Considering your considerable strength, hand over what you obtained from the Ice Mansion and the storage bag on your person, and I might grant you a quick death."

Qin Yuan remained calm, as if he hadn't been poisoned at all. He had indeed inhaled a small amount of the powder, but the toxins contained within were immediately enveloped and dissolved by the pure spiritual energy automatically generated by the Nine Revolutions Profound Origin Technique, failing to penetrate his Nascent Soul. A notification even popped up on the system interface: [Weak neurotoxin detected, automatically purified.]

"The Soul-Dispelling Incense... its effects last for half an hour?" Qin Yuan asked, his tone as calm as if he were discussing the weather.

Li Qingfeng frowned, uneasy at Qin Yuan's composure: "So what if you know? This half hour is enough time for me to kill you ten times over!"

Before he finished speaking, his figure suddenly blurred, transforming into three afterimages that attacked Qin Yuan from different directions. The short, black dagger in his hand gleamed eerily, aimed directly at Qin Yuan's vital points. His speed far surpassed the level he displayed when fighting Yan Lie!

Qin Yuan moved. He didn't use much spiritual power, relying solely on his powerful physique and exquisite footwork. His figure moved like a willow catkin in the wind, nimbly weaving between the three sharp thrusts, dodging them each time at the last possible moment.

Li Qingfeng grew increasingly alarmed as the fight progressed. His opponent's movements were unpredictable; despite his seemingly weak spiritual energy fluctuations, he always seemed to anticipate his moves, causing his attacks to completely miss. His poisoned dagger couldn't even touch the hem of his opponent's clothing.

"Impossible! You're clearly poisoned!" Li Qingfeng roared, his attacks becoming even more frantic. His short daggers left trails of afterimages, sealing off all of Qin Yuan's escape routes.

Qin Yuan stopped dodging. He spotted a stab and his right hand shot out with lightning speed, his index and middle fingers precisely catching the blade of the black dagger!

"clang!"

A metallic clang rang out. Li Qingfeng felt as if the short dagger had pierced through ancient black iron, unable to go any further. He exerted all his strength in alarm, but it wouldn't budge.

Qin Yuan applied a slight pressure with his fingers.

"Snap!"

That poisonous thorn, which was at least a high-grade Xuan-level weapon, was snapped in two!

Li Qingfeng was struck dumb, his magical artifact destroyed. His mind was still connected to the weapon, and he groaned, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He reacted swiftly, discarding the broken thorn without hesitation and retreating rapidly. Simultaneously, he unleashed a barrage of dozens of emerald-green needles like a torrential rain towards Qin Yuan, covering a wide area and including the poisoned Tuoba Shan and his companions on the ground. His intention was to force Qin Yuan to come to Qin Yuan's aid, thus creating an opportunity for him to escape.