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

The broken sword was sheathed, and the old man's corpse slid off the rock wall, kicking up a cloud of gray-black dust. Li Hanshan stood in the heat of Crimson Flame Valley, the eerie blue light on the broken sword gradually fading and returning to silence. He glanced down at the withered corpse, then at the bronze corpse on the ground, its head separated from its body, before putting the broken sword back deep into his storage ring.

"Senior." Shen Qingyue walked over from the rock wall, blood still seeping from the wound on her left arm, but her steps were much steadyer than before. She glanced at the bronze corpse on the ground, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes, then turned to Li Hanshan, solemnly clasping her hands in a fist salute, "Senior's strength is formidable, I admire you greatly. May I ask what your plans are next?"

Li Hanshan carefully sheathed his broken sword and looked up at the southeastern horizon: "I want to go to the Hehuan Sect and see what's really going on with the Yaoguang Sect."

Upon hearing the words "Hehuan Sect," Shen Qingyue paused for a moment. She lowered her head, seemingly hesitating, before raising it again, her clear eyes filled with earnestness: "Senior, I have a request."

Li Hanshan looked at her: "Speak."

Shen Qingyue took a deep breath, her speech quickening slightly: "The Yinquan Sect has abducted over a dozen disciples of our Immortal Alliance and imprisoned them in a Yin Cave not far from here. That Yin Cave is where they refine corpse puppets. The imprisoned disciples have been tainted by Yin energy for several days; if they are rescued any longer, their meridians will be damaged. Senior, your cultivation is profound; if you could lend a hand, I would be eternally grateful."

"Yin Cave?" Li Hanshan frowned slightly, his gaze falling on her face. "Where is the headquarters of the Yin Spring Sect located?"

Shen Qingyue said, "The headquarters of the Yinquan Sect is in the Extreme Yin Valley. Generally, they only refine corpses of Silver Corpse rank or higher in the Extreme Yin Valley. Their ordinary Yin Caves are scattered throughout the land, used to refine low-level corpse puppets and cultivate Yin Sha Qi. The Immortal Alliance disciples who were kidnapped this time are not very strong. The strongest Yinquan Sect cultivator stationed there is only a Nascent Soul cultivator. My cultivation is too low, and after spending many days, I have only managed to find out where they are being held. I cannot rescue them at all."

She lowered her voice slightly, then stopped speaking. Li Hanshan looked at her, then at the still-bleeding wound on her left arm. This girl, a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator, dared to infiltrate the Demonic Sect's territory alone to rescue someone; she certainly had considerable courage. He remained silent for a moment, then asked, "Doesn't your Immortal Alliance have any Nascent Soul cultivators? Sending a Nascent Soul cultivator would be faster than me, wouldn't it?"

Shen Qingyue shook her head, a troubled expression on her face. "Most of the Nascent Soul seniors of the Immortal Alliance are guarding the southern border, confronting the major sects of the Demonic Path. It will take at least several months for them to arrive. By then, the disciples in the Yin Cave will probably already be..." She paused, biting her lip, "I know this request is presumptuous, but I truly have no other choice. If you, senior, can lend a helping hand, the Immortal Alliance will surely reward you handsomely."

Li Hanshan pondered for a moment. He hadn't wanted to meddle in other people's business; the feud between the Yinquan Sect and the Immortal Alliance was none of his concern. However, Luo Li's matter had drawn his attention to the righteous Immortal Alliance, and he might be able to find more clues in the Immortal Alliance's records. Moreover, he was new to Central Continent and knew too little about the distribution of power and the situation there. If he could do the Immortal Alliance a favor, it would be easier to gather information in the future.

"Lead the way," he said.

A hint of joy flashed in Shen Qingyue's eyes. She immediately summoned her white longsword and flew towards the southeast of Crimson Flame Valley. Li Hanshan followed behind her, the two streaks of light passing one after the other through the sweltering valley, speeding towards the direction of the Heavenly Broken Mountains.

After flying for most of the day, the terrain gradually changed from fiery red lava mountains to gray-black stone mountains.

The vegetation grew increasingly sparse, and the spiritual energy permeating the air was replaced by a faint, chilling aura. After flying for about two more hours, Shen Qingyue landed before a range of gray-black mountains. She concealed her presence and lowered her voice, saying, "Senior, the Yin Cave is located inside the mountain ahead. It's surrounded by arrays that ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators' spiritual senses cannot penetrate, but I've explored it several times and have roughly determined the location of the entrance."

Li Hanshan landed as well, his gaze sweeping over the gray-black mountains ahead. The mountain surfaces were barren, and wisps of malevolent energy seeped from the cracks in the rocks, gathering into a thin layer of gray mist on the ground. He closed his eyes, his Nascent Soul level divine sense spreading forward like an invisible net, penetrating the shield of the array and clearly perceiving the internal structure of the mountains.

The formation did indeed exist, but with Li Hanshan's mastery of formations, it posed no challenge to him. Li opened his eyes and gestured to Shen Qingyue: "Come with me."

The two concealed their presence and slipped into an inconspicuous crevice at the foot of the mountain. The crevice was narrow and damp, its sides covered with a layer of dark blue moss, emitting a stench of decaying vegetation. Li Hanshan walked ahead, each step precisely landing in the blind spots of the array. The warning runes placed around them glowed faintly as he approached, then dimmed again, like candle flames extinguished before they could even ignite.

Shen Qingyue followed behind him, watching him move freely among the array patterns that would have revealed the presence of even an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator. A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes. She had originally intended to remind him to pay attention to the trigger points of the arrays, but now it seemed completely unnecessary.

After passing through the crevice in the rocks, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

A huge, naturally formed cave appeared before the two of them. The cave ceiling was tens of feet high, and the stone walls were inlaid with tiny Yin Sha crystals, which emitted a cold, eerie green light, shrouding the entire cave in a strange shadow.

In the center of the cave, dozens of corpse puppets were neatly arranged, some still moving, others completely still. Deeper into the cave, a dozen figures could be vaguely seen bound to stone pillars by chains, their bodies shrouded in malevolent energy, their faces as pale as paper.

Li Hanshan investigated and found that there were three Nascent Soul cultivators inside, two in the early stage and one in the middle stage. There were also some Golden Core and Foundation Establishment cultivators guarding the place.

As for the trapped Immortal Alliance disciples, there are a total of eighteen people, all deep in the cave. Their strength varies, with the strongest reaching the Nascent Soul stage and the weakest reaching the Golden Core stage.

These Immortal Alliance disciples have not yet begun to be refined into corpses.

Three Nascent Soul cultivators are not a large number, and they are not a big problem for Li Hanshan.

Shen Qingyue asked, "Senior, how do we do it?"

"Just fight your way out."

Li Hanshan said no more, and the pure Yang fire silently condensed in his palm. With a flash, he transformed into a streak of purple-gold light and charged out.

Li Hanshan was extremely fast.

The moment the man charged out, the sword of divine souls had already slashed out.

"what!"

The Yinquan Sect cultivator, who was in the mid-Nascent Soul stage, was refining a corpse when he suddenly felt an invisible sword sever his soul, causing him to jump up in pain.

The next second, a flying sword slashed down, splitting him in two.

"boom."

Then, his body turned to ashes.

"Enemy attack!"

The other two Nascent Soul cultivators were shocked and realized what was happening, but it was too late.

Although both were at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, Li Hanshan's combat power was far superior to theirs. These two early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators only lasted a few breaths before being killed by Li Hanshan.

The Divine Soul Sword, combined with Li Hanshan's Flowing Light Sword Light, is simply a deadly weapon; anyone of the same level will be instantly killed.

When the last Nascent Soul cultivator fell, the gray bead in his hand rolled to the ground, making a crisp sound that echoed in the empty cave for a while before falling silent.

As for the other Golden Core and Foundation Establishment cultivators, they are no match for him.

"That's amazing."

Behind them, Shen Qingyue was already stunned.

Li Hanshan's fighting ability exceeded her expectations.

Even within the Immortal Alliance, she rarely saw such a powerful Nascent Soul cultivator, killing those of the same realm as easily as slaughtering dogs.