I'll make you the furnace and the cauldron, so you can refine Yin and Yang and prove the Great

Three days after the kill order was issued, Li Hanshan set off alone.

He came alone, without anyone else. Although Hua Nongying and Yun Shuyue wanted to come along, he sternly refused. This pursuit was different from the past; they might be facing remnants of the late Golden Core stage or even the Nascent Soul stage, and bringing them along would only hinder their actions.

Before setting off, Li Hanshan made ample preparations.

He packed dozens of Qi-replenishing pills, healing pills, and detoxifying pills. His flying sword had been reforged; pure Yang fire coated its blade with a purplish-gold film, further enhancing its effectiveness against Yin energy. He carefully kept the fourth-tier Void Escape Talisman close to his body, intending to use it to save his life in a critical moment.

Xiao An lay hidden deep within the Soul Banner, her cultivation at the fifth level of the Golden Core stage completely stabilized. Having absorbed the soul power of so many Golden Core Yin Souls on the battlefield, her soul body was so solid it was almost indistinguishable from a real person, emanating a profound and vast aura.

The little beast perched on his shoulder, its bright black eyes darting around. Ever since swallowing those third-tier inner cores, the golden fur on its forehead had become even more dazzling, showing a faint tendency to spread throughout its body. Although it was still asleep, Li Hanshan could wake it up at any time if needed.

With everything prepared, Li Hanshan transformed into a streak of purple-gold light and disappeared into the horizon.

The first stop was the direction in which the remnants of the Blood Fiend Sect fled.

After the Blood Fiend Sect was defeated, its remnants fled southeast, attempting to seek refuge in the territory of the Yinming Sect. Li Hanshan followed the trail and intercepted a remnant of the Blood Fiend Sect in a valley two days later.

There were a dozen or so Foundation Establishment disciples, accompanied by an elder in the early Golden Core stage. The elder's expression changed drastically upon seeing Li Hanshan, and he turned to flee. But Li Hanshan was faster; his flying sword transformed into a purple-gold streak of light, instantly killing the elder. The remaining Foundation Establishment disciples scattered, and Li Hanshan, too lazy to pursue, simply collected their storage bags and continued in the next direction.

Along the way, he learned to be smarter.

He would never fight openly if he could launch a sneak attack, and he would never use a second sword strike if he could kill with a single blow. The remaining Golden Core cultivators scattered and fled, their communication with each other was poor, which gave him the opportunity to defeat them one by one.

Whenever he spotted a target, he would first use his divine sense to carefully survey the surroundings to ensure there were no ambushes before making his move. Once he did act, he would never linger; he would kill and leave immediately, giving his opponent no time to react.

Over the course of half a month, he traveled thousands of miles, intercepting and annihilating the remnants of seven or eight Blood Fiend Sect forces. He killed four Golden Core cultivators and countless Foundation Establishment disciples. When the news reached the allied forces camp, everyone was shocked.

"Senior Brother Li has killed another Golden Core cultivator!"

"Is this the fifth one already?"

"No, this is the sixth one. We killed another mid-stage Golden Core cultivator yesterday."

"My God, how did he do that all by himself?"

The disciples discussed it amongst themselves, their awe of Li Hanshan growing day by day.

Qin Muyue was drinking tea in the main tent when she heard this news. She put down her teacup, a complex smile appearing on her lips. This old man is truly remarkable.

Leng Yue remained expressionless, but occasionally a barely perceptible ripple would flash in her silver-gray eyes.

Chu Mengyao sat in her tent, playing with the emerald green bead in her hand, gazing into the distance, lost in thought.

The Third Elder's face grew uglier with each passing day.

The higher Li Hanshan's military achievements, the greater the chance that the sect leader would accept him as a disciple. He wanted to stop it, but couldn't find any reason to.

But the Third Elder knew in his heart that he could not let Li Hanshan go back alive.

This old man's cultivation speed is too fast. He went from a mortal to a Golden Core cultivator in two years. In a few more years, he'll probably surpass him.

The Third Elder had been stuck at the peak of the Golden Core stage for many years without making any progress. With his lifespan nearing its end, he was in a moment of despair. How could he tolerate Li Hanshan surpassing him?

Although Li Hanshan claimed that his cultivation level increased thanks to the empowerment, the Third Elder actually had doubts about this explanation.

He always felt that

Li Hanshan has a secret.

Moreover, this secret is no small secret; it's an enormous secret.

Not to mention, because of Jiang Nianwei, Li Hanshan and the Third Elder already had a feud.

The Third Elder still had his own ulterior motives.

We must win him over before he becomes the sect leader's disciple.

The Third Elder's eyes were sinister as he plotted in his mind.

On this day, Li Hanshan was tracking the remnants of the Blood Fiend Sect in a dense forest when he suddenly sensed something was amiss.

A faint killing intent permeated the air, seemingly present yet lingering. He stopped, unleashing his full divine sense, taking in everything within a hundred miles.

There was nothing there.

There was no trace of cultivators, no sign of demonic beasts, and even birds, animals, insects, and fish were scarce. Everything seemed normal, but it was precisely this normalcy that made him uneasy.

It's too quiet.

It was as quiet as the calm before a storm.

Just as Li Hanshan was about to withdraw his divine sense, his expression suddenly changed drastically. Dozens of array patterns lit up simultaneously in the surrounding void, weaving together into a huge net of light that trapped him within. These array patterns were dark gold in color, almost invisible in sunlight, and only revealed their true form when activated.

"trap!"

Li Hanshan's heart sank. His Pure Yang Meridian surged into operation, and purplish-gold Pure Yang Fire condensed into a layer of fiery armor around his body. His flying sword was drawn and hovered at his side, its tip trembling slightly, ready to strike at any moment.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

A chilling laugh echoed from the void, filled with smugness and malice.

A golden figure emerged from the void, his golden robes fluttering, his face gaunt, and his eyes sunken. It was the Third Elder.

Behind him followed a woman in a long black dress. The woman appeared to be around thirty years old, with a bewitching face and a slender figure, surrounded by a faint black aura. Her aura was deep and eerie, clearly indicating she was at the late stage of the Golden Core realm.

"Third Elder," Li Hanshan stared at the newcomer, his gaze icy, "what do you mean by this?"

The Third Elder stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at him with a mocking, cat-and-mouse expression on his lips.