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

"How could it be this child?!"

Jiang Huai'an gasped softly, his eyes filled with surprise and uncertainty:

"How could someone merely at the late Foundation Establishment stage possibly survive the Abyss of Desolation?"

Wen Daoran's gaze was like lightning, fixed on the churning blood and qi around Lu Zhou, and he said in a deep voice:

"No... this is clearly the aura and smoke of a Golden Core Body Cultivator! What a hidden talent this junior is!"

Lu Zhou stood alone on the rocky platform.

The eight Nascent Souls' divine senses bound him firmly like invisible shackles. Each person's spiritual energy surged subtly, their magical treasures gleamed, and their killing intent solidified, ready to erupt at any moment.

He suddenly laughed.

His gaze pierced through the void and landed on Qingyouzi's face.

"Senior," Lu Zhou's voice was terrifyingly calm, each word as sharp as if carved from stone, "From today onwards, we owe each other nothing."

Before he finished speaking, he raised his left hand, revealing a vibrant green celestial herb in his palm.

The next moment, to the astonishment of all the Nascent Soul cultivators, he pressed the Heavenly Immortal Grass hard onto his left shoulder!

His right hand's five fingers suddenly dug into the flesh of his shoulder blade!

With a hiss!

The sound of muscles tearing pierced the deathly silence.

His entire left arm, along with half of his shoulder, was ripped off! Blood gushed out like a waterfall, instantly soaking through his tattered robes and staining the celestial herb a scarlet, bewitching red—a truly horrifying sight!

At the severed arm, the white bones were stark, and the severed muscles and flesh were grotesque.

The tracking restriction that Qingyouzi had planted earlier was now etched onto the severed shoulder skin, glowing slightly as the blood flowed, like a mocking brand.

"he……!"

"Are you out of your mind?!"

Everyone was shocked and did not understand the meaning of this action.

Only Qingyouzi and Qisha's pupils shrank; they understood.

Lu Zhou's face was deathly pale, cold sweat beading on his forehead, but he gritted his teeth and didn't utter a sound. He raised the bloody severed arm and hurled it fiercely into the bottomless Heavenly Immortal Cave!

The severed arm plunged into endless darkness and vanished in an instant.

He then flipped his right palm, and the blood-soaked Heavenly Immortal Grass was enveloped in a spiritual light, streaking through the void like a blood-red meteor and shooting straight at the platform where Qingyouzi was!

Having done all this, Lu Zhou opened his right arm as if embracing an abyss.

He had forcibly sealed the wound on his left shoulder with his qi and blood, and leaned back.

His body fell backward and disappeared into the depths of the Celestial Cave!

Seven Fiends Master subconsciously took a half step back.

In this situation, who would dare to accept the Heavenly Immortal Herb?

Qingyouzi frowned and caught the incoming bundle of spiritual light. The Heavenly Immortal Grass felt warm and slightly cool to the touch, and a strong, bloody odor assaulted his nostrils.

In an instant, the other six gazes focused on him like sharp swords!

"How dare you, you brat, harm me!"

Qingyouzi roared angrily, seemingly caught off guard by this hot potato, and threw the Heavenly Immortal Grass into the air without hesitation!

Almost simultaneously.

"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" "Whoosh!"

Six beams of light shot into the sky!

A simple jade scroll flew out from Wen Daoran's sleeve. As the pages turned, countless golden rune chains emerged like serpents from their holes, coiling around the Heavenly Immortal Grass.

The black leopard beside Jiang Huai'an roared to the sky and pounced out as a black shadow.

Hong Kaishan's fists were as red as branding irons, and his fist energy tore through the air with the force of thunder.

Daohe, Yehe, and Xie Changyuan each used their secret techniques.

A chaotic battle erupted!

Taking advantage of the chaos, Qingyouzi retreated swiftly.

In the instant he retreated, he subtly flicked his fingers from his sleeve, and a fist-sized, crystal-clear fruit quietly appeared in his hand. Inside the fruit, it seemed as if a galaxy was flowing, its surface shimmering with light—it was indeed a Celestial Fruit!

Without changing his expression, he put it into his storage bag.

"Lu Zhou..." Qing Youzi glanced at the bottomless cave entrance, "His willpower is unparalleled. If he survives, he will surely achieve Nascent Soul, and even Deity Transformation is within reach."

But will we be enemies or friends when we meet again?

Before my thoughts could settle, a sudden change occurred!

A pale white streak of light did not rush towards the center of the battle; instead, it struck Qingyouzi like a venomous snake spitting its tongue!

Xie Changyuan!

His face was twisted like a demon, his eyes were bloodshot, and as he formed hand seals, a white dragon phantom rose from behind him, its roar deafening! The dragon coiled and solidified, transforming into a three-foot-long white bone sword, which hovered in front of him, its blade radiating a murderous aura.

"Hundred Dragon Sword Formation, activate!"

Xie Changyuan growled in a low, hoarse voice.

The white bone sword trembled violently, and the sword shadow split, one into ten, ten into a hundred, and a hundred into a thousand!

Hundreds and thousands of white bone flying swords filled the sky, their tips all pointing at Qingyouzi. The chilling killing intent froze the heavens and the earth, and even the air seemed to freeze!

"go!"

The sword formation poured down like a torrential rain, transforming into countless white rainbows that tore through the void and pierced straight towards us!

Qingyouzi's expression changed, and he retreated rapidly.

Seeing this, Qi Sha flipped his hand and took out a blood-red battle flag, the end of the flagpole as sharp as a spear tip, the blood patterns on the flag surface surging. He dodged the scattered sword lights that came his way.

Xie Changyuan's target was clearly only Qingyouzi.

"Walk!"

Qingyouzi shouted and transformed into a streak of azure light, rushing towards the outside of the Heavenly Immortal Cave.

Xie Changyuan pursued relentlessly, his sword formation following him like a shadow.

Seven Fiends hesitated for a moment, then waved the blood flag, his murderous aura swirling around him, and followed closely behind.

The three fled while the other two pursued, and in the blink of an eye, they were out of the Heavenly Immortal Cave's area and rushed into the surrounding continuous, broken mountains.

Meanwhile, the battle for the Heavenly Immortal Grass has reached a fever pitch.

The six Nascent Soul cultivators were locked in a fierce battle, their magical light exploding like a shower of stars from the heavens, and the sounds of their clashing magical treasures echoing across the land, causing rocks to tumble down from the mountains.

Wen Daoran fully unfolded the jade book, transforming it into thirty-six golden locks with runes, which wrapped the Heavenly Immortal Grass layer by layer like a net, but were torn apart by Jiang Huai'an's black leopard claws, and the golden locks broke inch by inch.

Hong Kaishan's fist was fierce and unparalleled, directly clashing with Dao He Liuyun Fuchen, the shockwave exploding like thunder.

Ye He remained hidden in the shadows, his fingertips twitching slightly, and an invisible cursed blade silently attacked Jiang Huai'an's back, specifically designed to break through his protective aura.

The battle raged on, gradually dispersing and moving towards an ancient battlefield ruin a hundred miles southeast of Tianxian Cave. Amidst the broken walls and ruins, the power of the Nascent Soul cultivators shattered mountains and split rocks, sending dust billowing into the sky and staining half the sky a chaotic color.

On the other side, Qingyouzi and the other two had already fled more than three hundred miles away.

Below lies a desolate Gobi desert, with jagged red rocks resembling grotesque teeth, devoid of any vegetation, only the howling of the wind and sand.

Xie Changyuan suddenly changed his sword technique!

Hundreds of white bone swords converged in mid-air, returning to the three-foot bone sword. He gripped the hilt, his face contorted in a ferocious expression, and slashed through the air.

The sword's edge emitted a blinding white light, and a hundred-foot-long phantom dragon roared out from the sword, its scales and armor menacing, baring its fangs and claws as it pounced on Qingyouzi.

Qing Youzi turned around, and countless threads surged forth from his sleeves, intertwining to instantly transform into a gigantic azure net that blotted out the sky. Ancient azure demonic fire roared within the net, its flames leaping and meeting the dragon's attack!

boom--!

The dragon and the green net collided with a deafening roar, the shockwave exploding like a tsunami! The red rocks below crumbled completely, debris rained down, and dust billowed into the sky!

Seven Fiends waved the blood flag, its surface swirling like a boiling sea of ​​blood, surging forth a monstrous crimson aura that swept towards Xie Changyuan's flank like a long river of blood, forcing him to parry with his sword. The bone sword clashed with the crimson aura, the sound of metal striking metal echoing across the Gobi Desert.

The three of them maneuvered and leaped across the Gobi Desert, Qingyouzi's myriad threads moving like nimble snakes, seamlessly blending offense and defense.

The Seven Fiends Blood Banner flutters, attacking like a river of blood flowing backwards, defending like an iron wall or a copper fortress.

Xie Changyuan's bone sword was incomparably ferocious, each strike aimed to kill. For a time, they were locked in a stalemate, neither able to gain the upper hand.

However, Qing Youzi was well aware that Xie Changyuan's grief over the loss of his son had fueled his resolute killing intent, and a prolonged battle would be dangerous. Although he had obtained the Ancient Azure Demon Flame, his cultivation was still only at the initial Nascent Soul stage, and a direct confrontation was definitely not the best strategy.

Just as he was secretly planning his escape route, Xie Changyuan suddenly feinted with his sword, the bone sword bursting with a pale white light that forced back the Seven Fiends, and then turned around without hesitation.

It transformed into a pale white streak of light and sped off towards the Heavenly Immortal Cave!

In less than three breaths, it had disappeared into the horizon.

The sandstorms over the Gobi Desert gradually subsided.

Qingyouzi landed slowly, his aura slightly disordered. The myriad threads in his sleeve quietly retracted, and the azure flames vanished. Qi Sha landed next, the blood flag fluttering lightly beside him, the blood patterns on the flag gradually fading.

Why did Xie Changyuan suddenly leave?

Qingyouzi frowned, his divine sense quietly spreading out, his vigilance undiminished.

Seven Fiends shook his head, his expression unchanged:

"Perhaps the competition for the Celestial Herb has changed, forcing him to return. After all, the Yin Xuan Sect's ambitions this time may not be limited to just a single herb or fruit."

Qingyouzi nodded, about to adjust his breathing and recover.

Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine, and his nascent soul screamed an alarm!

Qi Sha had retreated ten feet away at some point, the blood-red flag in his hand pointing diagonally at the ground, the end of the flagpole embedded three inches into the red rock. The usual polite smile on his face had vanished, leaving only a pair of eyes as deep as a cold pool, their cold light swirling within them.

"Fellow Daoist Qingyou," Seven Fiends' voice was terrifyingly calm, yet it carried a chilling aura that seeped into one's very bones, "that item you secretly put into your storage bag during the chaos just now... judging from its aura, could it be a Celestial Fruit?"

Qingyouzi's pupils contracted sharply, and a hint of killing intent flashed in his eyes.

Seven Fiends slowly raised the blood flag, which moved without wind. The blood light flowed again, and the fiendish aura rose and spread like a tangible substance, dyeing the area ten feet around him into a blood-red domain.

"Fellow Daoist, why not hand over the Celestial Fruit?" Seven Fiends' lips curled into a faint smile, but there was no hint of amusement in his eyes. "Considering our past alliance, I... will spare your corpse."