Seeking immortality begins with daily intelligence reports.

The water jet struck the zombie beast squarely on the head, the powerful force causing the ground beneath its feet to tremble.

Li Shen quickly steadied himself and suddenly noticed cracks appearing in the ground beneath the monster's feet.

"not good!"

He gasped inwardly, but before he could react, the entire ground collapsed with a deafening roar.

A flash of inspiration struck Li Shen, and he used the momentum to leap backward, landing on a loose stone to steady himself.

He then stomped on several blocks, closing in on the living corpse monster.

After a few breaths, Li Shen and the others finally touched the ground one after another.

"Cough...cough cough..."

Shen Yao waved her sleeve to brush away the dust and helped Shen Qingchang to his feet from among the rubble.

Shen Qingchang's face was deathly pale. He had exhausted too much spiritual energy and was barely able to stand.

Yunyan, along with Qingluo and Yuezhu, landed on the other side of the collapse.

Umoku Taku and his two companions were not far from them.

The old man in yellow shook off the dust and gravel clinging to his wooden staff. His face was not good, clearly indicating that the two consecutive uses of the Beast Binding Stake had taken a toll on him.

After regaining their footing, everyone looked in the direction where the living corpse beast had fallen.

Its massive body was pinned down by several broken stone slabs, and its limbs seemed to still be struggling and twitching.

After constantly adjusting his position, Li Shen skillfully landed in the spot closest to the head of the zombie beast.

With a flick of his fingertips, the Azure Light Technique condensed, ready to be unleashed.

One could vaguely see the spot where the zombie beast's head had been hit; its skin was torn open, its soul crystal exposed, and it was about to fall.

Upon seeing this, Li Shen immediately unleashed the Azure Light Technique.

The moment the cyan needle touched the skin, the beast's body stiffened abruptly. The original wound was enlarged again by this attack, and the soul crystal naturally fell down and rolled to Li Shen's feet.

Li Shen's heart stirred slightly. This soul crystal was the largest he had ever seen, about the size of a whole palm.

Furthermore, the fact that no black aura has been seen emerging so far indicates that the remnant soul within the soul crystal has not yet escaped.

Without much hesitation, after a brief moment of thought, Li Shen bent down and, as if picking up a stone, casually scooped the soul crystal into his palm.

His role in this battle was not negligible, but it wasn't crucial either.

Therefore, if any of the cultivators present recognized the true purpose of this item, it would not be easy for Li Shen to acquire it.

As my thoughts raced, a weak voice came from behind me.

"Fellow Daoist."

Li Shen paused, then looked up.

With Shen Yao's support, Shen Qingchang was limping toward him.

He had injuries on his left arm and cheek, and looked utterly disheveled.

Li Shen recalled the words and actions of the blue-robed male cultivator, and his heart sank, but his face remained calm, and he gripped the soul crystal in his palm even tighter.

"It seems we can't keep him."

Li Shen had already prepared himself to part with what he loved, but Shen Qingchang stopped a few feet in front of him.

He broke free from Shen Yao's support and solemnly clasped his hands in a salute to Li Shen.

"If it weren't for your timely intervention when that beast lunged at me, my life would have ended under its sharp teeth long ago."

Li Shen raised an eyebrow slightly without saying a word, but he immediately felt that there was hope for this matter.

Shen Qingchang straightened up, his gaze falling on Li Shen's tightly clenched right hand, and suddenly grinned.

"My name is Shen Qingchang. May I ask your name, friend?"

Li Shen smiled gently and replied with a cupped hand:

"My name is Luo Guanhai."

"Luo Guanhai? That name sounds familiar."

Shen Qingchang frowned slightly and muttered in a low voice.

But Li Shen still heard these words, and his heart, which had just relaxed a little, immediately tightened again.

"It can't be such a coincidence, can it? Could it be that this man surnamed Shen knows Luo Guanhai?!"

The thought had barely formed when Shen Qingchang chuckled and said:

"The stone in your hand, fellow Daoist, fell out of that zombie's head, right? Although I don't know exactly what that thing is, since it fell out of the body of a mid-stage second-tier zombie monster, it must be something extraordinary."

"I, Shen Qing, have been wandering the cultivation world for many years. I may not have many other skills, but I can certainly distinguish between gratitude and resentment. Fellow Daoist, you saved my life today. If I were to turn around and fight you for this item, I would truly be worse than a pig or a dog."

He spoke frankly and in a loud voice, so everyone present could hear him clearly.

Wu Mutuo waved his folding fan, his gaze sweeping over Li Shen's right hand. A strange light flashed in his eyes, but he quickly looked away without saying a word.

The old man in yellow robes also looked over, but his attention was more focused on the completely motionless zombie beast, and he didn't seem to have much interest in what Li Shen was holding.

Yun Yan also looked over, but her gaze seemed to be directed not at what Li Shen was holding, but at him.

Seeing that Li Shen remained silent, Shen Qingchang's eyes darted around, as if he had thought of something, and he then added seriously:

"Rest assured, fellow Daoist, everyone present is a witness to this matter. Now that this thing has fallen into your hands, it is yours. Anyone who wants to take it will have to ask me, Shen Qingchang, for permission first."

These words, spoken with such boldness and eloquence, combined with his disheveled appearance covered in blood, only amplified his heroic spirit.

Li Shen remained silent for a moment, then felt a surge of joy. He put the soul crystal into his sleeve and bowed deeply to Shen Qing.

"Fellow Daoist Shen, you flatter me. With such a formidable enemy before us, if anything were to happen to you, it would not be beneficial for me either. That attack just now was merely a self-defense measure, done incidentally. However, since Fellow Daoist Shen is so kind, I will accept it without hesitation."

Shen Qingchang laughed, which aggravated his wound, causing him to wince in pain. Shen Yao glared at him fiercely.

After recovering slightly, the group discussed how to distribute the mid-stage, peak-level second-tier zombie monster.

Because Li Shen had obtained a Soul Crystal, he wisely refrained from participating in the topic.

He found a corner by himself, checked the soul crystal, took out the Yin Soul Banner, and quietly drew the remnant soul into it.

"Soul slaves, dinner is served."

Li Shen muttered to himself as he put away the Yin Soul Banner.

The remnant soul of this mid-stage peak second-tier demon beast is insufficient to refine into a new soul slave, but feeding it to a soul slave to enhance its strength is excellent.

Before long, everyone else had been assigned their tasks.

After everyone had put their belongings away, they began to focus their attention on the new environment that had suddenly appeared in their lives.

The light shining through the cave entrance was too weak. Before Li Shen could take any action, the old man in yellow took out a talisman and offered it to the junction of the wall and the cave entrance.

A sudden burst of white light illuminated the cave floor.

Using the light, Li Shen glanced around and immediately grasped a key point.

The surrounding walls and the ground beneath were painted with array patterns.

Following the array patterns, Li Shen immediately discovered a sword embedded in the head of a cultivator, sealed by a thick layer of ice.

The others also noticed the object one after another.

Shen Qingchang stroked his chin, leaned closer to take a look, and spoke first:

"Could this be the sword that Chu Kuangge used?"