A Mortal's Journey to Immortality

"It truly is a top-grade magical artifact..."

The man surnamed Xie stared blankly at the exquisite hairpin with its flowing crimson glow, muttering to himself with a dry mouth, "I never expected that such a rare item, which even Foundation Establishment cultivators would covet, would actually appear in the hands of a woman in the mid-Qi Refinement stage. Even though I had a rough guess before, seeing it in person still made me feel somewhat incredulous."

These female cultivators from the Three Flowers Gang really went to great lengths to please their young master...

The faint, intimidating aura emanating from the crimson-gold hairpin was so powerful that even he, a cultivator in the late stage of Qi Refining, felt a deadly threat from it. If this treasure were aimed at him now, he estimated that he would have already turned tail and fled in terror.

"This is!?"

From afar, Zhou Ping stared at the golden light that suddenly appeared in the arena, a look of surprise on his face.

"What kind of magical artifact could possess such power? It's terrifying even before it's been unleashed. Could it be... a top-grade magical artifact!?"

His mind raced as he considered the unknown magical artifact the other party had just conjured, his face alternating between pale and flushed, unsure of what to do.

He had originally planned to sneak up and ambush the enemy in the chaos, but given the current situation, if he dared to show himself, he would probably be the first one to be killed.

"Wait! Why does this scene feel so familiar...?"

Zhou Ping secretly activated his Heavenly Eye Technique, focusing his gaze on the golden light once again, ensuring that the other party would not notice.

A top-grade fire-attribute magical artifact...it looks like an exquisite hairpin....

and many more!

Zhou Ping frowned and stared intently at the snow-white deer shadow in the firelight. After sensing the dense water-attribute demonic power around it, a loud 'boom' resounded in his mind. He seemed to have suddenly figured out the ins and outs of the matter, and his expression immediately became uncertain.

"Wu Yingxue... So that's how it is! She hid it quite well, having such a hidden identity. This woman is truly cunning!"

Unexpectedly, the top-grade fire-attribute spiritual material that Zhou Ping helped Qin Changqing sell a few months ago was actually refined into a top-grade magic weapon by Wanbaoge!

Now that it has fallen into the hands of the Three Flowers Gang, it has instead become a threat to him.

It became a deadly threat, truly shooting itself in the foot.

"We can't stay here any longer. The current situation is beyond my control; we must leave as soon as possible!"

In an instant, Zhou Ping calmed down, trying to quell the turmoil in his heart. Looking at the incredibly powerful top-grade magic weapon in the other party's hand, he decisively abandoned the idea of ​​continuing to fish in troubled waters.

Regardless of which side wins in the end, or who ends up with the Spirit Eye Spring, he doesn't want to stay here any longer. After all, his life is more important than any rare treasure.

Just as Zhou Ping was about to retreat and quietly escape, there seemed to be some unusual activity from the two sides fighting nearby.

Surrounded by raging flames, the Illusionary Sea Deer's eyes suddenly turned blood red, staring intently at the crimson-gold hairpin that the Second Lady was continuously infusing with magic power. Its hooves pushed forward, its head lowered, and dazzling blue light burst forth from its crystalline antlers.

Pure demonic energy overflowed from its two horns, quickly merging into the massive water shield surrounding its body. In just a few breaths, the once shimmering water sphere immediately became dark and deep, with strange, bright cyan patterns emerging from it, directly solidifying it into a hard, ice-like sphere. It was no longer the water sphere it had been before, and it had become visibly hard.

This demon is actually sacrificing its own original demonic power in an attempt to forcibly break through the white flames that are trapping it.

"Second Mistress! How much longer must we prepare before we make our move!? This beast seems determined to fight to the death!"

While wielding his black halberd and relentlessly attacking the Illusionary Sea Deer, the man surnamed Xie anxiously inquired of the woman in palace attire.

After noticing the strange changes in the Illusionary Sea Deer, the Black Demon Halberd, which could have made some progress before, could only make a series of crisp "clanging" sounds when it struck the opponent's hard shield. Sparks flew everywhere, and it couldn't even leave a trace on it.

This result chilled his heart, leaving him with no choice but to place all his hopes on the former's top-grade magic artifact, the "Golden Crow Hairpin."

"Almost done! Fellow Daoists, hang in there a little longer!"

The Second Lady whispered, her face pale, as she continued to pour her magical power into the crimson-gold hairpin without reservation.

Top-grade magic artifacts are different from ordinary magic artifacts. To unleash their full power, a considerable amount of magic power is required. If it were a Foundation Establishment cultivator, they could easily activate the artifact with their magic power far exceeding that of a Qi Refining cultivator.

However, the Second Madam of the Three Flowers Gang was only at the fifth level of the Qi Refining stage. Even though she had touched the threshold of the sixth level, the strength of her magical power was still far from enough to easily control a top-grade magical artifact. If she hadn't cast a spell to stimulate her potential beforehand, even if she had more time, she might not have been able to unleash even one or two tenths of the power of the Golden Crow Hairpin.

Seemingly sensing everyone's anxiety, and after glancing at the Golden Crow Hairpin whose magical power was becoming increasingly terrifying, the Illusionary Sea Deer let out a neigh, pushed off with its hooves, and slammed its body into the raging flames in the direction of the pool. With the rune shield formed by its original demonic power, it seemed to be less afraid of the surrounding white phosphorescent fire, so why would it choose to continue to sit and wait for death?

"Hey! Where do you think you're going, you beast!"

"Hey! Blood Vine Whip!"

Seeing this, the other four threw out their magical artifacts and spells in an attempt to stop them.

The two cultivators, a man and a woman, who were directly facing its path, immediately summoned two silver magic shields, intending to use them to intercept the demon.

Bang!

The white phosphorescent flames were smashed open, creating a huge circular hole. Despite the numerous magical artifacts and spells raining down on it, the Illusionary Sea Deer continued its undiminished speed as it charged outwards.

Just as it was about to break through the encirclement, needing only to knock away the two futile cultivators, two angry shouts suddenly came from behind it. One was urgent and anxious, while the other sounded extremely cold.

"Liu Chong! Su Jin! Retreat immediately!"

"You beast, die... Golden Crow Hairpin! Now!"

The man surnamed Xie noticed the Second Lady's abnormality immediately. After she finished her spell, she raised her finger and pointed at the golden hairpin in front of her, spitting out a mouthful of blood essence. This caused the red-gold hairpin to glow brightly, with molten liquid flowing out from its surface.

Just as the latter's magic power waned, the crimson hairpin shot towards the Illusionary Sea Deer, which had broken free of its confinement, like a fire serpent. In the blink of an eye, it vanished from their sight.

Wow!!

A mournful deer cry rang out, and the once aggressive Illusionary Sea Deer suddenly collapsed to the ground with a thud, sliding forward for eight or nine zhang before coming to a stop. A finger-thick, pitch-black hole appeared on the rune shield on its hind leg, from which a foul, burnt smell emanated.

With a single strike, the top-grade magic weapon, the Golden Crow Hairpin, severely injured the Illusionary Sea Deer, which had unleashed its primordial divine power.