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

Qingyouzi raised her hand and made a grasping motion.

A surge of azure magic power erupted, condensing in mid-air into a semi-transparent light shield, like an inverted porcelain bowl, enveloping the ancient azure demon fire within.

The flames burned quietly inside the enclosure, their pale blue light casting flickering shadows over the stone chamber. The fire wasn't scorching; instead, it exuded a rich vitality, as if it were alive, pulsating slightly.

He carefully separated a wisp of his magic power, which, like a thread, probed into the light barrier and wrapped around the edge of the demonic fire.

Both being of the wood element, the magic power and the demonic fire did not strongly repel each other, but rather, like two streams of water touching, they pushed and shoved each other, making it difficult for them to merge.

Qingyouzi held his breath and focused his mind, slowly shifting his magical power as if he were moving a thousand-pound weight.

One incense stick, two incense sticks...

Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Finally, the demonic fire was slowly "lifted" out of the shallow pit under the stone tablet and floated in the center of the light shield.

Qingyouzi breathed a sigh of relief and immediately probed the bottom of the pit with his divine sense.

Empty.

"That's enough."

He shook his head and gave a self-deprecating smile:

"Greed knows no bounds. Obtaining the Ancient Azure Demon Flame is already an incredible stroke of luck. This journey has been worthwhile."

After saying that, he sat down cross-legged.

The cyan light shield slowly contracted, eventually shrinking to the size of a fist and landing in his palm.

He placed a restriction outside the cave, closed his eyes and concentrated, his divine sense piercing into the core of the demonic fire like a fine needle, where a tiny blue light point flickered erratically.

The refining process has begun.

The magical power flowed like a gentle stream, seeping into every inch of the demonic fire. Qing Youzi was completely focused, daring not to relax for a moment. This ancient demonic fire, seemingly gentle, actually harbored hidden dangers. If he made a mistake in refining it, the backlash would be enough to burn his meridians and severely damage his nascent soul.

Time passes little by little.

The stone chamber was silent, with only the blue flames flickering gently, reflecting on his focused face.

One month later.

Qingyouzi slowly opened her eyes.

A blue light flickered in his eyes, and a faint phantom of flame flashed by. He opened his mouth, and the Ancient Azure Demon Flame transformed into a seed the size of a green bean, which flew into his mouth.

The flame traveled down his throat and sank into his dantian.

The azure nascent soul sat upright in its dantian, seemingly sensing something, and slightly opened its eyes. The fire seed merged into the nascent soul's body, then spread out, connecting with the nascent soul's origin and its natal magic weapon through countless threads.

Qingyouzi's mind stirred slightly.

Thousands of threads emerged from the sleeves, as fine as hair, crystal clear. Unlike before, each thread was now covered with a faint layer of blue flame, burning silently.

He reached out and grasped a strand.

The flames were warm and gentle, without any burning pain. Instead, a vibrant life force flowed into my body through my arm, nourishing my meridians and flesh.

"As expected of an ancient demonic flame," Qingyouzi murmured.

Not only does it enhance offensive power, it also possesses miraculous healing effects. As long as one doesn't perish on the spot, even the most severe injuries can be quickly restored with the life force of this fire.

He opened his palm.

A ball of blue flame suddenly rose from his palm, quickly spreading across his entire hand. As the flame flickered, the contradictory energies of life and destruction blended perfectly.

Qingyouzi gently waved his hand towards the stone wall in front of him.

A phantom hand covered in cyan flames materialized out of thin air and slammed hard against the stone wall.

boom--!

Rocks flew everywhere, and dust filled the air. The entire cave shook violently, and several cracks appeared in the ceiling, from which rocks rained down.

Qingyouzi's expression changed slightly, and he dashed out of the cave entrance in a flash.

A dull thud came from behind.

He stood in mid-air, looking back. The cave that contained the stone tablet had been completely buried.

"The power is acceptable." Qingyouzi nodded in satisfaction. "Another layer of power."

In high spirits, he couldn't help but mutter to himself:

"I truly am that handsome, dashing, elegant, and strikingly beautiful chosen one. The path to immortality is just around the corner!"

As soon as he said it, he paused for a moment, then burst out laughing.

Having cultivated for three hundred years, and being cautious and prudent in daily life, I rarely indulge in such narcissism anymore.

Perhaps, it was a stroke of luck that relaxed my mind.

For the next two weeks, Qingyouzi explored the first level of the Celestial Cave.

Perhaps their good fortune had run out, for they found no more decent treasures. They only managed to gather a few spirit herbs of decent age and kill two foolish third-tier demonic beasts.

"It seems our opportunity has temporarily come to an end."

On this day, he stood atop a mountain, gazing towards the first core level.

"It's time to go to the second level entrance."

A beam of azure light shot into the sky, tearing through the pale blue sky.

The first core area is separated by a transparent barrier.

The barrier rippled like water, revealing glimpses of the scenery behind it. Dozens of floating islands hovered in mid-air, shrouded in mist, resembling celestial palaces.

Qingyouzi passed through the barrier.

A dense spiritual energy rushed towards him, several times stronger than that of the outer layer. He scanned it with his divine sense and quickly locked onto one of the larger floating islands.

There are already several people on the island.

Seven Fiends Master, Xie Changyuan, and his disciple Ziyu sat quietly. Upon seeing Qingyouzi fly over, Seven Fiends Master nodded slightly, while Xie Changyuan opened his eyes and nodded in greeting.

Qingyouzi landed on the island, returned the greeting with a bow, and found a corner to sit down.

His gaze swept toward another floating island opposite.

Of the righteous cultivators, only three returned. One of them, a middle-aged man in black robes, was Bai He. At that moment, Bai He was also looking over. Their eyes met, and they nodded to each other as a greeting.

"Only three returned from the other side..." Qing Youzi thought to himself, "It would be best if one of them died, and then Hong Kaishan died too."

He glanced at Qi Sha and Xie Changyuan. Both men remained calm, revealing nothing.

'It would be best if he really died,' Qingyouzi thought. 'That way, in a three-on-three situation, the advantage is in my hands.'

Just then, another beam of light pierced through the barrier and landed on the righteous island.

The fourth one has returned.

Qingyouzi frowned almost imperceptibly.

"This is bad... I hope Hong Kaishan doesn't die out there. Otherwise, it's three against four, and we're at a disadvantage."

He thought to himself, "What am I complaining about?"

As if hearing his mutterings, the next moment, Hong Kaishan's imposing figure passed through the barrier and landed on this side of the island.

Everyone turned their gazes toward it, but were taken aback.

Behind Hong Kaishan was a young man. Judging from his aura, he was only at the late Foundation Establishment stage. The two arrived on the island.

Qingyouzi saw the young man's face clearly and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

"Lu Zhou?"

He recognized the man; he was Lu Ang's son, the city lord of Jingshan City. Years ago, he had waited for him to emerge from seclusion at the foot of the solitary peak alongside his father. He never expected that Lu Ang would also possess a Celestial Token and have come to this place.

Upon hearing Qingyouzi's words, Hong Kaishan frowned, his sharp gaze sweeping between Lu Zhou and Qingyouzi.

"Didn't you say your name was Lu Shan?" His voice was low and tinged with displeasure.

Lu Zhou's face turned pale, and he stammered, "Master, my real name is indeed Lu Zhou, but... but..."

He was inwardly groaning.

Months ago, he encountered Hong Kaishan by chance on the outer level of the Celestial Immortal Cave. Seeing his impressive physique, Hong Kaishan insisted on taking him as a disciple, and how could he dare refuse? Just in case, he casually gave a false name. Little did he expect to meet Qing Youzi here!

"How dare you deceive me!" Hong Kaishan stepped forward, his Nascent Soul aura pressing down like a mountain.

Lu Zhou knelt down with a thud, his bones cracking all over.

A cold glint flashed in Hong Kaishan's eyes, and he raised his hand to strike.

If this palm strike landed, even if Lu Zhou was a body cultivator, he would be severely injured and half-dead.

Just as his palm descended into the air, several cyan threads silently wrapped around his wrist. On the surface of the threads, cyan flames flickered eerily, actually burning away his life force.

Hong Kaishan suddenly turned his head, his expression slightly startled, and immediately glared at Qing Youzi: "Qing Youzi, what do you mean?!"

Qingyouzi remained calm, her fingertips twitching slightly as the silk threads tightened.

"Lu Zhou's father once did me a favor," he said slowly. "What's wrong with me intervening to stop him?"

She paused, then added, "Besides, you've only known each other for a few days, yet you expect him to confide in you? A name is just a label; what he chooses to be is none of your business."

That's half true and half false.

Lu Ang had indeed treated him with great respect back then. Although he didn't know Hong Kaishan was forming his Nascent Soul while Hong Kaishan was in seclusion on the solitary peak, he had protected him and must have done him a favor. But more importantly, he had long disliked Hong Kaishan. Given the opportunity, he would naturally take it.

Hong Kaishan's face turned ashen, and he suddenly exerted force in his arm, causing the veins to bulge.

"Bang!"

The silk thread was broken by the shock and vanished without a trace.

He stared intently at Qingyouzi, his eyes blazing with murderous intent.

Just as Seven Fiends Master was about to speak up to smooth things over, Xie Changyuan, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them.

The oppressive aura of a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator spread out without warning.

That's enough.

The voice wasn't loud, but it sent a chill down everyone's spine.

Xie Changyuan's gaze swept over the two of them, his tone indifferent:

"Don't forget, the righteous path is still watching. If internal strife breaks out again, no one will leave alive."

Hong Kaishan breathed heavily, glared at Qing Youzi for a moment, then finally snorted coldly and looked away.

Qingyouzi also suppressed his aura, lowered his eyes and sat quietly, as if nothing had happened.

Xie Changyuan then looked at Lu Zhou, his brows furrowing slightly:

"Fellow Daoist Hong, what is your purpose in bringing a Foundation Establishment junior along halfway through?"

"Foundation Establishment?" Hong Kaishan sneered. "Thank you for your careful observation, Fellow Daoist."

A hint of doubt flashed in Xie Changyuan's eyes. He stood up and walked to Lu Zhou. He reached out and pinched Lu Zhou's shoulder and arm, then probed in with a trace of magic power.

Lu Zhou was stiff all over and dared not move.

A moment later, Xie Changyuan withdrew his hand, a look of realization appearing in his eyes.

"So that's how it is... He's actually a Golden Core Body Cultivator, quite the hidden talent."

Upon hearing this, both Qingyouzi and Qisha were taken aback.

Qing Youzi looked closely and indeed sensed that Lu Zhou's blood and qi were surging like a tide. Although he tried his best to conceal it, he still couldn't hide it from the Nascent Soul cultivator's perception. He then looked at Zi Yu behind Xie Changyuan, whose blood and qi were equally robust, no less than Lu Zhou's.

'Both of them brought Golden Core body cultivators…' Qing Youzi's mind raced. 'It seems that in some areas of the second and even third levels of the Heavenly Immortal Cave, body cultivators are more likely to succeed.'

He secretly made a mental note of it.

Just then, an old, deep voice came from high above, echoing throughout the entire floating island group:

"Gentlemen."

Everyone looked up.

Jiang Taiyuan, the Grand Elder of Tianxian City, had somehow appeared on a cloud, his gray robes fluttering, his aura as deep as the sea.

"You may rest here for half a day. During this time, you may exchange supplies, regroup your teams, and gather medicinal herbs. However, fighting is strictly prohibited within the formation."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the cultivators below.

"If anyone is afraid, they may leave now, and I will not stop them."

"Those who are confident believe their abilities are adequate."

He waved his sleeve and pointed to the depths of the distant sea of ​​clouds.

"Then you can continue forward to the next level."