55: This is a one-time exception!

Chen Xuan was not surprised by this, or rather, he didn't really care.

If Liu Ruyan really intended to interfere, it would simply be a matter of killing one more person.

Since this Crimson Firmament Sect had just surrounded his Eldest Disciple to seize treasure, Chen Xuan was determined to kill this man.

Upon hearing these words, the Second Elder's expression turned grim, his mind racing with thoughts.

He bellowed, "Disciples of the Crimson Firmament Sect, hear my command! Capture this man, and there will be a great reward!"

As the words fell, the Second Elder didn't dare to linger for a moment longer and sacrificed a green Talisman.

His entire being instantly transformed into a wisp of black smoke, and in the blink of an eye, he had already fled dozens of miles away.

Chen Xuan only spared him a calm glance, his right hand making a grasping motion as a longsword, pitch-black as ink, appeared out of thin air in his hand.

It was exactly the one Mu Wanqing had gifted him earlier!

If I let a mere Golden Core escape from my hands, where would the face of my Dao Seeking Sect be?

"Go!"

The pitch-black longsword transformed into a streak of ink-like light, racing at extreme speed toward the direction the Second Elder had fled.

The Second Elder, who had fled a hundred miles away, hadn't even had a chance to breathe a sigh of relief when a bone-chilling coldness surged from his back.

His pupils constricted violently, and he whipped his head around, only to see that the ink-colored sword light had already reached him like a maggot on a bone. Its speed was so fast that he didn't even have time to form the thought of sacrificing his final defensive Talisman.

Pfft!

Where the sword light passed, there was no earth-shattering collision, only a sound of tearing silk so faint it was almost non-existent.

The Second Elder's movements froze on the spot.

He looked down at his chest, where a thin line of blood was slowly spreading from left to right, then suddenly burst open.

The violently surging Spiritual Qi within his body instantly collapsed, and his life force receded like a tide.

The pitch-black longsword seemed to be sentient; it pulled out of the Second Elder's body, circled in the air, and then flew obediently back to Chen Xuan's side.

Liu Ruyan watched with lingering fear, patting her slightly heaving chest.

She felt fortunate that she had made the right choice.

"A fifth-grade Magical Artifact... This Dao Seeking Sect actually possesses a fifth-grade sword."

No wonder!

No wonder the man before her always maintained a calm and unruffled demeanor, as if everything was under his control.

Liu Ruyan felt some regret for her earlier impulse to stop this young Sect Master from attacking the Second Elder.

"Revered Master, I'm admiring you more and more. You couldn't be an Immortal descended to the mortal world, could you?"

"Stop your glib talk and Cultivate well after we return. You were the first to enter the Sect, yet you have the lowest Realm!"

Mu Wanqing curled her lips and changed the subject, "Revered Master, didn't I also conquer the mirror heart trial tower?"

Only then did Chen Xuan remember that the tower seemed to have been stored in the storage space by this Eldest Disciple.

"What's the story with that tower? Tell your Revered Master all about it!"

After the Second Elder of the Crimson Firmament Sect was killed, the remaining Crimson Firmament Sect Disciples had already scattered like ants, fleeing in every direction.

As for these people, Chen Xuan was too lazy to hunt them all down; he was not a bloodthirsty person by nature.

As for worrying about these people coming to the Dao Seeking Sect for revenge in the future?

Chen Xuan would only say one thing: thank nature for its bounty!

Liu Ruyan watched the two figures flying away on the wind, her mind filled with a thousand thoughts.

"Dao Seeking Sect!" she murmured to herself, followed by a bitter smile.

"I just don't know if this Dao Seeking Sect will perish, or if the Crimson Firmament Sect will survive.

Forget it, my Joyful Union Sect only needs to mind its own business."

As for the death of a Yin Yang Sect Sect Master, Liu Ruyan didn't care.

The Joyful Union Sect had as many as a dozen subordinate Sects; even if the Yin Yang Sect were completely wiped out, she would at most feel a brief moment of regret.

Just as she was about to depart, a voice transmission suddenly arrived, making Liu Ruyan's heart skip a beat, followed by a surge of immense humiliation.

"Let this not happen again!"

Liu Ruyan knew what the other party was referring to; it was a warning about her earlier attempt to interfere on behalf of the Crimson Firmament Sect.

These few words were like a thorn, leaving her with a lump in her throat.

As the Sect Master of one of the Five Great Hegemon-level Forces in the Eastern Region, when was it ever someone else's turn to speak to her, Liu Ruyan, in such a manner?

Such threatening words!

She snorted coldly, silently noting today's encounter in her heart... Elsewhere in the Secret Realm!

Two people were flying rapidly through the air.

After obtaining the ice soul snow lotus, Fairy Qiyue took Ye Hao to search for Opportunities while also looking for the Disciples to reunite with Sect Master Chen Xuan and the others.

Generally, only Foundation Establishment Cultivators can fly on swords, and only Golden Core Stage Cultivators can hover and fly on the wind.

Although Ye Hao was currently only at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, with Fairy Qiyue, a Nascent Soul Fifth Layer expert, leading him, traveling by wind was not an issue.

Ye Hao passed through the snowy white scenery and the towering, continuous mountain ranges. Looking at the scene that suddenly appeared ahead, he couldn't help but let out a low cry of surprise.

"Elder Qi Yue, what is that up ahead?"

Fairy Qiyue squinted into the distance and saw a lake stretching for dozens of miles. Dozens of Cultivators were fleeing in terror in all directions. The lake surface was covered in thick ice, but the center looked as if it had been struck by a massive hammer.

The ice had shattered, revealing the deep, dark lake water below.

Fairy Qiyue's gaze narrowed slightly, and she said coldly, "Just two little beasts beneath the water, no need to pay them any mind."

Little beasts?

Ye Hao was somewhat curious, but he naturally had no objections to the Elder's decision.

Just as the two were passing over the lake, Ye Hao looked down at the faintly shimmering water below.

Suddenly, a massive black shadow rapidly approached!

Ye Hao's pupils constricted, the Spiritual Qi in his body was quickly mobilized, and the Chaos Heavenly Evolution Art was quietly activated.

Boom!

A loud explosion erupted as a blue-black Yao Beast suddenly lunged out from the ice hole, crashing through the ice layer and striking toward the two prey above.

It had a giant crocodile-like mouth, its back was covered in spike-like scales, and its tail fin whipped up terrifying splashes of water in the air.

Profound Ice Crocodile Shark!

The name of this Yao Beast instantly surfaced in Ye Hao's mind. Back when he was still the Young Lord of the Ye family, he had heard his father mention that this Yao Beast's skin was incredibly tough. Even Golden Core Realm experts wouldn't dare to provoke it easily without a suitable Sharp Weapon in hand.

Before Ye Hao could even react.

He heard the white-robed Fairy beside him say softly with a hint of displeasure, "You just have to seek death!"

As her voice fell, she raised her slender hand, and a wisp of snow-white Sword Qi condensed at her fingertips. The moment that Sword Qi appeared, it radiated a bone-chilling coldness.

Before the Profound Ice Crocodile Shark could even reach them, the snow-white Sword Qi from Fairy Qiyue's fingertips shot out like a streak of light.

Where the sword light passed, space seemed to ripple slightly, and the Sword Qi accurately struck the gap in the reverse scales at the Profound Ice Crocodile Shark's neck.

There was no anticipated tragic roar, only the soft sound of scales shattering. The Profound Ice Crocodile Shark's massive body froze in mid-air and then fell heavily back into the ice hole, splashing icy water everywhere.

A blood-red inner core quickly flew out of the Profound Ice Crocodile Shark's body and into Qi Yue's hand.

Only Yao Beasts in the Golden Core Realm can condense an inner core within their bodies.

Ye Hao was filled with astonishment and slowly turned his head to look at the woman beside him.

Although he had long suspected that Elder Qi Yue was certainly not simple, this Profound Ice Crocodile Shark was an existence that even Golden Core Experts found troublesome.

Fairy Qiyue withdrew the faint light from her fingertips, her eyes calm and unruffled as she said indifferently, "Let's go, continue our journey."

Ye Hao hesitated for a moment, glanced again at the massive body below, and finally couldn't help but ask, "Elder Qi Yue, I wonder what layer of the Golden Core you are at now?"

Qi Yue's figure paused, her expression revealing a hint of surprise and playfulness, then she smiled and said, "Golden Core?"

"A mere Golden Core is not worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as this seat."

The curiosity on Ye Hao's face instantly froze, his eyes widened, and his pupils seemed to contract.

"A Nascent Soul Stage Expert... you're actually a Nascent Soul Stage Expert."

"But... this..."