I'm in Yellow Maple Valley, and I have one equipment slot!

"Fellow Daoist, we have no enmity or past grievances, so why did you attack me...?"

The extremely Yin nascent soul struggled desperately in the large blue hand, its voice filled with terror and pleading.

"If you, fellow Daoist, would spare my life... I am willing to impart all my supernatural powers to you! I also have several hidden cave dwellings, containing many treasures, which I am willing to offer to you!"

"If you are still not satisfied, fellow Daoist... I can serve as your slave in the future, at your beck and call! With my Nascent Soul stage cultivation, serving as your servant wouldn't be beneath you, would it?"

Ji Yin's speech became faster and faster, and his face showed a fawning and ingratiating expression, completely different from his previous sinister and arrogant appearance.

Zhou Yuan looked at the trembling nascent soul in his palm, a playful smile playing on his lips.

This explanation is exactly the same as what Master Xuangu said back then.

They really are master and disciple!

They were arrogant and domineering before, but after losing, they immediately changed their tune, abandoning all dignity and integrity.

"Extreme Yin, you really don't recognize me?"

Zhou Yuan's face contorted for a moment before returning to its original state.

The extremely Yin Nascent Soul stared at that face, its pupils suddenly contracting!

Of course he recognized that face!

Back then in the outer sea, it was this person who killed Wu Chou and injured one of his demigods, causing him to lose eighteen Heavenly Capital Demon Corpses!

At that time, this person was only in the late stage of Core Formation, and he didn't take him seriously at all.

They assumed it was just some ignorant and arrogant junior that Wu Chou, the good-for-nothing grandson, had provoked.

But now, this person has actually advanced to the Nascent Soul stage!

Moreover, their strength is so terrifying that they can command beasts with Nascent Soul level strength, control swarms of silver rats, and are proficient in spiritual attacks...

He, a dignified Nascent Soul Ancestor, was forced by him to abandon his physical body and flee with his Nascent Soul!

"Fellow Daoist, it was my fault back then..."

The extremely Yin nascent soul trembled, still wanting to beg for mercy.

However, Zhou Yuan no longer paid him any attention.

He walked up to the corpse of Ji Yin, whose life force was rapidly fading. He first took off the storage bag and spirit beast bag from his waist, then waved his hand and put the entire corpse into the storage bag.

"Fellow Daoist! Fellow Daoist, wait a moment!"

Seeing that Zhou Yuan was ignoring him, the extremely Yin Nascent Soul grew even more terrified and hurriedly threw out his last trump card:

"Fellow Daoist, do you wish to obtain the Void Heaven Cauldron? I am absolutely certain I can acquire this treasure!"

"Within the Void Heaven Cauldron lies not only an ancient treasure, but also the legendary Heaven-Mending Pill! Consuming it can refine one's spiritual roots and enhance one's aptitude! With your talent, if you were to obtain the Heaven-Mending Pill, you would have a great chance of breaking through to the mid-to-late Nascent Soul stage, or even the Deity Transformation stage!"

"How about we cooperate to obtain the Void Heaven Cauldron and split the treasures equally?"

Zhou Yuan stopped and turned to look at him, a half-smile on his face.

"You're so confident... are you trying to rely on the Blood Jade Spiders trained by my junior brother Han?"

The extremely Yin nascent soul suddenly froze!

The look of terror on that face deepened!

"What? That kid is your junior brother?!"

He fell completely silent.

It turns out the other party already knew about the existence of the Blood Jade Spider!

What I just said was a complete joke!

"I'll spare your life for now."

Zhou Yuan took out an empty small jade bottle and stuffed the extremely yin nascent soul into it.

He then placed several layers of restrictions at the bottle opening to ensure he could not escape.

He carefully placed the jade bottle close to his body before looking at the beast demon beside him.

"Well done. There will be a fierce battle when we reach the inner palace of the Void."

The beast-like creature let out a low growl, a complex light flashing in its eyes.

Although it has been enslaved, it may not be willing in its heart. However, those divine restrictions are like shackles, preventing it from having any dissent.

Zhou Yuan didn't care about its thoughts, as long as it appeared respectful and obedient.

He put the Beast Demon into his spirit beast pouch, and also put the Silver Light Rat King, which had performed exceptionally well in the ambush battle, into it as well.

……

Not far from the battlefield.

A figure in cyan stood behind a blood-red ice pillar, his brows furrowed.

It was none other than the reclusive hermit Qingyi.

"Such intense battle fluctuations...who are they fighting over there?"

He sensed the fluctuation and was filled with doubt.

The intensity of that fluctuation was clearly at the Nascent Soul level of battle!

But on this Xuanjing Path, besides himself, there was only Ji Yin and that Star Palace Elder...

Could it be that the people from Jiyin and Xinggong are fighting?

After hesitating for a moment, Qingyi Jushi finally shook his head and did not move closer.

He has always been cautious in his actions.

I never get involved in disputes where the facts are unclear.

If it affects you, it will be a losing proposition.

He turned and quickly left in the opposite direction.

After Zhou Yuan put everything away, he scanned the area with his divine sense and sensed the direction in which Qingyi Jushi had left.

"Master Qingyi...you are indeed cautious."

A smile played at the corners of his lips.

However, now is not the time to make a move against Qing Yi.

The temporary team assembled by Barbarian Beard cannot be weakened too much.

Otherwise, that old devil might just run away.

At that time, I will have to face the pressure from those three righteous people all by myself.

Not worth the candle.

After cleaning up the battlefield, Zhou Yuan continued on his way.

His aura once again subsided to the late stage of Core Formation, and his face reverted to the disguised appearance of a middle-aged man with a long beard.

His aura once again subsided to the late stage of Core Formation, and his face reverted to the disguised appearance of a middle-aged man with a long beard.

……

Meanwhile, in the lava road.

Han Li is currently facing a great deal of trouble.

He was in a scorching, dark desert. As far as the eye could see, there were only black sand dunes, and the sweltering heat was suffocating.

Even more terrifying, he encountered a swarm of fire ants!

Each of those fire ants was the size of a thumb, completely red, and they swarmed in like a tide!

Their jaws are incredibly sharp, capable of crushing magical artifacts; once entangled, the consequences are unimaginable!

In the critical moment, Han Li released the Gold-Eating Insects from his spirit beast pouch without hesitation!

Two waves of spirit insects engaged in a fierce battle on the black desert!

Fire ants are numerous and fearless; gold-eating beetles, though small, are even more ferocious and have an astonishing ability to devour!

Han Li stood aside, watching the battle between the insect swarms with nervousness, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

Fortunately, the gold-eating beetle was superior.

Although there were some losses, the fire ant colony was eventually wiped out.

Han Li let out a long breath and continued on his way.

……

Two days later.

It was an extremely simple stone hall, about fifty or sixty zhang in area and seven or eight zhang in height.

Besides the teleportation array in the center, there were four huge blue stone gates, each several meters high. At this moment, all the gates were tightly closed, sealing off the place like a large prison cell.

Inside the stone hall, there are also a large number of stone tables and benches of various kinds, numbering in the dozens.

On these stone benches sat seven or eight cultivators with varying expressions.

Qingyi Jushi and Wan Tianming were both present, and the rest of the cultivators were all in the late stage of Core Formation; there was not a single weakling among them.

But at this moment, all of them had gloomy faces, and no one was interested in saying anything.

The atmosphere inside the stone hall was unusually oppressive.

These people were among the first cultivators to emerge from the Ice and Fire Path checkpoint.

The Black Desert and Blood Ice Forest posed no threat to Nascent Soul stage cultivators like Wan Tianming.

However, even for cultivators in the late stage of Core Formation, it still took considerable suffering to escape.

As for cultivators in the early or middle stages of Core Formation with weaker cultivation, their chances of survival are slim.

So far, only a few people have come out.

At this moment, Qingyi Jushi was still thinking about the brief but intense battle in Xuanjing Dao.

Who exactly is fighting? The Yin Realm? People from the Star Palace? Or someone else entirely?

Wan Tianming was slightly more composed, but his face was still cold as he looked down at a pair of large, slender hands without saying a word.

They naturally knew that the strange changes in the Ice and Fire Path were definitely related to the two elders of the Star Palace.

It's unclear what the Star Palace's intentions are. Do they really intend to break ties with both the righteous and demonic factions right here in the Void Heaven Palace?

In this eerie atmosphere, time passed slowly.

The teleportation array flashed, and several more figures appeared.

Manhuzi, along with the righteous Nascent Soul cultivators Tianwuzi, Mutengzi, and Liuliandian Xueye, all teleported into the stone hall one after another.

Interestingly...

Next, more than a dozen cultivators in the mid-to-late stages of Core Formation appeared here, which surprised the Nascent Soul cultivators from both the righteous and demonic paths.