Starting at the Nascent Soul stage, a rogue cultivator is incredibly poor.

Dead silence.

Eight platforms, eight Nascent Soul cultivators, and no one uttered a sound.

The air was as still as iron, with only the howling wind swirling at the bottom of the pit, like the breath of some ancient creature.

Finally, a steady voice broke the silence.

Wen Daoran stood at the edge of the platform, his gaze sharp as a knife, sweeping over Daohe, Hong Kaishan, and Jiang Huai'an.

"Hong Kaishan, Daohe, Jiang Huai'an." He paused for a moment after each name. "What a cunning scheme. Did they think destroying my scout puppet would stop me from going down into the cave to get the herbs?"

A faint hint of mockery played at the corners of his lips as he shook his head and sighed softly.

"Isn't this just burying your heads in the sand and deceiving yourselves? It's a waste that you all claim to be righteous, yet you act like this... You're two-faced."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Huai'an raised his white eyebrows slightly, calmly raised his hand, and pointed at Wen Daoran:

"Fellow Daoist Wen, why bother with this high-sounding pretense?" His voice was old yet clear. "You secretly contacted Elder Yehe and Daohe Sanren, intending to join forces to eliminate me in the cave. Did you think this matter was foolproof and that no one knew about it?"

These words shocked everyone. Although the True Law Sect and Spirit Beast Mountain had only a so-so relationship, they were both among the four major righteous sects, yet they actually attacked each other.

Jiang Huai'an turned slightly, nodded slightly to the Nascent Soul cultivator who had remained silent beside Wen Daoran, and continued:

"Fortunately, Fellow Daoist Daohe is a man of great understanding and informed me in time, which allowed me to avoid misfortune and escape being harmed."

His tone suddenly turned cold as he changed the subject:

"Fellow Daoist Wen, did you also consult the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion? So certain that only two Celestial Immortal Herbs and one Celestial Immortal Fruit will appear this time… were you planning this all along, determined to obtain them? My Celestial Immortal Fruit isn't so easily snatched!"

When the name "Yehe" was revealed, the gray-robed cultivator beside Wen Daoran finally raised his eyes, his expression indifferent, and remained silent.

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere on the platform suddenly became tense.

If there are truly only two herbs and one fruit... today will surely be a life-or-death struggle.

Qingyouzi quietly took half a step back and lowered her eyes to observe her inner thoughts.

Desperate? Not worth it.

Wen Daoran suddenly chuckled softly, but there was no warmth in his laughter.

"Good, good, good." He said three times in succession, his gaze sweeping over Jiang Huai'an and Hong Kaishan like cold lightning. "Spirit Beast Mountain, Kaishan Island... truly, they have changed a lot in just three days. Do they really think that by chance they can shake the foundation of my True Dharma Sect? That is far too wishful thinking."

His gaze finally settled on Hong Kaishan's face, his tone calm yet weighty:

"Island Master Hong, the legacy of Kaishan Island is hard-won. If, due to momentary greed, the lineage is severed... wouldn't that bring shame upon our ancestors, and it would be too late for regrets?"

"You—!" Hong Kaishan's face turned red, his beard and hair stood on end, and the stone slab under his feet cracked and shattered, but Jiang Huai'an blocked him with his arm.

"Fellow Daoist Wen," Jiang Huai'an's voice remained calm, like a still well, "to threaten someone with the inheritance of their sect is not the act of a gentleman. You are allowed to strategize and secretly plot, but others are not allowed to assess the situation and seek alternative paths? The principles of the world are probably not like this."

"Find another way out?" Wen Daoran scoffed. "Is it too early for Fellow Daoist Jiang to talk about 'your Celestial Fruit'? It's still unknown who will ultimately possess it."

He flicked his sleeves, put his hands behind his back, and said proudly:

"I, Wen, will make my word here today: if you can leave safely with the fruit, I will write my name backwards from now on, and I will never lie."

The platform was rife with danger, like an undercurrent in an icy wilderness.

Xie Changyuan, who had been observing coldly, suddenly turned his gaze to Qing Youzi, a flash of resentment flickering in his eyes. He then looked away, speaking leisurely, his voice deliberately drawn out with mockery:

"If you ask me, it's you self-proclaimed righteous people... who have truly embodied the word 'hypocrisy' to the fullest."

He glanced around at Wen Daoran and the others, shook his head, and chuckled lightly, as if watching a farce.

"Coercion and bribery, infighting, honeyed words and daggers... tsk tsk. Now the Northern Continent is eyeing us covetously, a formidable enemy is at hand, yet all you know is to form cliques for personal gain and eliminate dissidents. If you leave your doors wide open one day, the land will be overthrown."

He paused, emphasizing each word:

"You are the sinners of all time, deserving of death a hundred times over. At that time, no matter how high-sounding your words of redress may be, they will only be a cover-up and a laughing stock."

"Xie Changyuan, stop spouting nonsense!" Jiang Huai'an shouted angrily.

Before he could finish speaking...

"Boom!!!"

The entire sinkhole suddenly shook!

Below the platform, the thick, black chains, each as thick as a person's waist, snapped inch by inch, and the ancient restrictive runes wrapped around them exploded one after another, turning into countless points of light and dissipating.

"The Celestial Cave...is open!" someone whispered.

Jiang Huai'an didn't waste any more words. A beam of spiritual light flew out from his sleeve, transforming into a three-zhang-tall red-eyed black panther—a third-tier spirit beast! He raised his hand and pointed towards the deep pit:

"go!"

The black panther growled and leaped into the darkness.

Xie Changyuan acted simultaneously, summoning a bronze corpse puppet, its body surging with murderous aura, also possessing third-tier strength. The corpse puppet roared and leaped into the deep pit.

In an instant, several figures leaped down one after another.

Qingyouzi and Qisha remained unmoved.

Their gazes both fell on Lu Zhou.

Lu Zhou's heart sank, and he finally understood where his "value" lay.

He gritted his teeth, walked to the edge of the platform, and looked down. The bottom was unfathomable, and the darkness was as black as ink.

"Young friend Lu," Qi Sha said, handing over a broadsword, "below lies a place devoid of spiritual energy, where all magical power is sealed, relying solely on the physical body. This sword is a top-grade magical weapon, perfectly suited for body cultivators."

Lu Zhou took the knife; it felt heavy in his hand, and there were faint bloodstains on the blade.

"Thank you, senior."

Qingyouzi watched quietly, her eyes filled with thoughts.

Is this deal... worth it?

Although Lu Zhou's physical body is strong, what are his chances of winning against a third-tier spirit beast and a third-tier corpse puppet? Even if he manages to get his hands on it by chance, among the eight Nascent Soul cultivators present, which of them would allow him to take away the Heavenly Immortal Herb and Heavenly Immortal Fruit?

But at this moment, there is no time to worry.

Lu Zhou took one last look at the pit, took a deep breath, and jumped in!

The figure disappeared into the darkness and vanished in an instant.

Above the deep pit, all was deathly silent.

Their divine senses were blocked by an invisible force, and no one knew what was happening below. Those Nascent Soul cultivators who desperately needed the Heavenly Immortal Grass to prolong their lives or break through to the next level all had tense expressions, their eyes filled with the anxiety of gamblers.

Qingyouzi, on the other hand, was the most relaxed.

He found a spot on the edge of the platform, sat down, and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing. Celestial Herb? He didn't need it, at least not now. It wasn't worth risking his life for it.

The upcoming battle among these Nascent Soul cultivators... is going to be quite a show.

One hour.

Two hours.

Time flows by, like fine sand in an hourglass, each grain pressing on the heart.

Some people paced back and forth, some clenched their fists, and some stared intently at the deep pit without even blinking.

Tension is like a string, getting tighter and tighter.

Meanwhile, outside the Heavenly Immortal Cave, inside a hidden palace.

Jiang Taiyuan stood in front of a huge crystal mirror, which reflected the view of the deep pit platform.

His brows were furrowed, and his fingers unconsciously rubbed a jade talisman in his sleeve.

"If we can obtain the Celestial Fruit... Celestial Immortal City may produce another saint." He muttered to himself, "But if we forcibly seize it, Celestial Immortal City's thousand-year reputation... will be ruined in an instant."

The image of Lu Zhou leaping into the mirror is frozen in time.

Jiang Taiyuan's eyes shifted as he weighed the pros and cons.

To make a move or not?

After a while, he suddenly got up and walked out of the hall.

Three hours later.

Finally, some movement came from the bottom of the deep pit.

"Click...click..."

The sound of falling gravel grew louder as it approached.

A figure struggled to climb up a protruding rock platform on the pit wall.

It's Lu Zhou.

His clothes were tattered and his body was covered in blood, but there were no wounds on his exposed skin, only dried scabs. He clutched something tightly in his hand: a crystal-clear, green spiritual herb with nine leaves carved like jade, and a golden light flowing from its center.

Ambrosia!

Lu Zhou stood on the rocky platform, slowly raised his head, and looked up at the eight platforms above.

He grinned.

There was no respect or fear in his smile.

Only cold mockery.

Above the deep pit, eight gazes were fixed on him like sharp swords.

The air froze completely.