Starting with the consumables of the Demonic Sect, one can barely achieve immortality.

If Deng Jian and Pei Yi were time travelers like Yan Cheng, they would definitely exclaim that Yan Cheng's remarks at this moment were too Versailles-like.

What does it mean for a cultivator who aspires to seek the Dao to take that small step?

Is the question of whether the two of them have the ambition to seek the Way?

That's a matter of talent, aptitude, and the cultivation method one practices; it's not a matter of whether one has the will to seek the Dao.

They knew that what Senior Brother Yan gained from this exploration of the Moon-Shielding Palace must have been far more abundant than what the two of them had gained.

However, facing a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, the two naturally wouldn't entertain any suicidal thoughts of vying for the opportunity.

He didn't even dare to ask Yan Cheng what he had learned.

In this situation, Pei Yi reacted much faster than Deng Jian, quickly and naturally changing the subject:

"Just now we caught a glimpse of a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator running past quickly, seemingly intimidated by Senior Brother's divine might?"

"Judging from that person's attire, he doesn't seem to belong to anyone in our palace..."

Yan Cheng smiled:

"You mean that little girl who wouldn't even dare to lay a hand on me?"

"Wearing a Taoist robe and cultivating [Cold Qi], he must be either from the Shen Gao Sect or the Han Cheng Academy."

"These righteous cultivators usually act very arrogantly, yet they don't even have the courage to fight against me at the same level, which shows that their abilities are quite limited."

Deng Jian and Pei Yi smiled knowingly.

As for whether the righteous cultivator could defeat Senior Brother Yan if he didn't flee?

The two of them felt that this was not a big deal at all.

If these arrogant righteous cultivators had even the slightest chance of defeating Senior Brother Yan, they would have already made their move. They would have fled in panic before they even had a chance to fight.

They are not like the cultivators of the Immortal Sect, who are pragmatic and know when to advance and retreat.

Even if they feel they have a 50-60% chance of winning, they will definitely fight; their main strategy is to not shed tears until they see the coffin.

From another perspective, the other party, being a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator with sharper eyesight, would only be more aware of Senior Brother Yan's terrifying power than the two of them.

Pei Yi couldn't help but sigh and say:

"According to Senior Brother Tiantong, these righteous Qi cultivators always look down on us corpse cultivators."

"They believe we are useless people who were not chosen for cultivation in our previous lives, and we are even less likely to achieve anything after death."

"They all look down on us, and yet we're so useless..."

"We'll have to rely on our senior brother!"

She had never really identified with the Hall of Longevity, and the hall rarely emphasized collective honor.

Those who can cultivate themselves to a high standard are mostly clear-headed individuals.

A person with a clear mind will not be easily influenced by collective narratives and will not easily regard those who are superiors and inferiors as a whole.

Conversely, those who can't figure things out in this kind of situation often don't amount to much.

However, at this moment, Pei Yi was genuinely proud of Yan Cheng's achievements.

To put it bluntly, at this point, the two are no longer competitors on the same level.

Since all she knew was that Yan Cheng was a Cold Qi cultivator, even if she could use the opportunity gained from this exploration to switch to Cold Qi cultivation, at most she would only be standing at Yan Cheng's starting point.

Since there is no competition between them, why should she be jealous?

Far from being jealous, she would even stand tall and proud whenever she thought of Senior Brother Yan Cheng's cultivation and achievements, even while she was engaged in dual cultivation.

Deng Jian is not one to say nice things.

When it came time to speak, he was more composed than Pei Yi, and every word he uttered carried an unwavering resolve:

"This place has just expelled me and Junior Sister Pei, it seems that it is time for us to go into seclusion again."

"Although the higher-ups have never officially said it, everyone knows that this exploration is for Senior Sister Huang to establish her foundation."

"We know nothing about her movements, and we don't know... whether we should retreat rashly!"

Upon hearing this, Pei Yi was so shocked that her heart skipped a beat:

"No, is this something that can be mentioned?"

In her view, Huang Tong breaking through the fog to enter the palace in full view of everyone, but afterwards not making a fuss at all, was already terrifying enough to be unspeakable.

Yan Cheng's sudden breakthrough from the mid-stage to the late-stage of Qi Refining doesn't necessarily mean she didn't benefit from Huang Tong. Is this something they should be bringing up?

Deng Jian, however, insisted on asking the question, his eyes fixed intently on Yan Cheng, as if he wouldn't give up until the other party gave an answer:

If he doesn't get a definite answer, how can he be expected to follow Yan Cheng wholeheartedly in the future?

Yan Cheng smiled slightly, seemingly unconcerned.

Don't worry.

"Our Senior Sister Huang... from now on, we probably won't need anyone to worry about her anymore."

……

Above the foggy sea.

Although the battle between Foundation Establishment cultivators was disturbed by the mist that shrouded the sky and earth, the difference in strength between the two sides was indeed too obvious.

At this point in the battle, the outcome is already clear.

The five true disciples of the Hall of Longevity transformed into five-colored streams of light and hovered in mid-air. Among them, only the earth-yellow and clear-water streams appeared weaker than before, while the other three streams were full of momentum.

Especially the crimson light at the very center, its radiance at this moment was so intense that it was like the blazing sun boiling the heavens and earth.

Zhong Tianying.

When the ancient immortal dynasty was in existence, the Northern Emperor wanted to collect the five elements of the world. His five true immortals were in charge of the five virtues, and their prestige was so great that it reached as far as the Central Continent.

Only the Fire Element Fruit was always held by the [Southern Tibetan Tai Li Dark Flame Demon Lord], who spent his entire life fighting against the Northern Huang Immortal Dynasty and ultimately brought an end to the Immortal Dynasty's rule with his own hands, truly deserving of the title of the first demon of ancient times.

Due to the influence of this Demon Lord's legacy, the [Flowing Fire] path has long been considered the best in combat among the Five Elements!

However, what truly caused the three righteous cultivators to fail miserably in their Foundation Establishment stages was not the lineage cultivated by Zhong Tianying, but rather...

"The devil is hiding very well!"

Miaoyu, whose robes and sleeves were now half-ripped and whose arm was severed, revealing her jade-like veins, suddenly cursed:

"You... have actually secretly reached the late stage of Foundation Establishment..."

"Truly utterly treacherous! No wonder Junior Sister Miaoqing was killed by you!"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Tianying slowly turned his gaze to the Shen Gao Sect immortal cultivator who had shown fear before the battle but had boldly started cursing after the defeat. His expression was ambiguous, a half-smile on his face.

"oh?"

"Now that I've broken through to the late stage, I'll have to say you're extremely treacherous."

"Your cultivators from the Shen Gao Sect are making slow progress, so you come here to steal jade from my northern foothills to use as materials for alchemy. How quite blatant that is!"

Miaoyu snorted coldly. Although her physical injuries were the most severe among the three, she spoke with surprising ferocity:

"Since we belong to the righteous path, our actions are naturally righteous. Who gives you demonic cultivators the right to criticize us?"

"If you dare, then shatter my immortal foundation and ignite my soul lamp. Let's see how Senior Brother Miaohe deals with you!"

Zhong Tianying ignored her, smiled slightly, and the moonlight shone in her palm.

Even someone as shrewd as her could not hide her joy upon seeing the moonlight.

After a long pause, he turned to Mr. Bai, who was swaying precariously in mid-air, his pipe already broken in two, and said:

"Fellow Daoist Miaoyu has a True Person backing her up, so she speaks with great confidence. I wonder if Fellow Daoist Bai is the same."