"Golden Turtle Swallowing Sky Technique..." Yuan Ming muttered to himself with a slight frown upon seeing this.

The technique that Gu Xuanyang was using was also one of the Six Extremes of Golden Turtle Island, capable of devouring the spiritual power of any magic treasure. He would have to be extremely careful when battling against it.

This time, the red shuttle did not disappear in a flash of light as it had before.

In just a moment, the red light on the red shuttle had completely faded, and it wobbled slightly as it fell to the ground.

Daoist Qian Bao's eyes lit up with excitement, and with a flash, he rushed towards the red shuttle.

However, before he could reach it, a golden silhouette flashed out from the hall's entrance and snatched the shuttle first, retreating back outside the grand hall.

The crowd turned their gazes in that direction, only to find that it was none other than the Golden Cloud Fairy.

"Fellow Daoist Jin Yun, what is the meaning of this?" Daoist Qian Bao asked in a deep voice.

"Fellow Daoist Qian Bao, securing treasure in the secret realm is what counts. Next time, you should be a bit faster," Golden Cloud Fairy replied coolly and without a smile.

"Is this a treasure we secured that you really want to claim for yourself?" Daoist Qian Bio asked, frowning deeply.

Having his seized treasure snatched away was something he could least tolerate in his life. Seeing that Golden Cloud Fairy had no intention of returning it, forgetting the camaraderie of fighting side by side earlier, a trace of ruthlessness flashed through his eyes.

"Fellow Daoist Qian Bao, you jest, this..." Before Golden Cloud Fairy could finish speaking, Daoist Qian Bao had already made his move.

He waved both sleeves simultaneously, and three streams of treasure light immediately shot out from his sleeves. These were a gold-colored short axe, a silver long sword, and a yellow flying wheel, rapidly streaking toward Golden Cloud Fairy.

All three magic treasures were clearly extraordinary; even from a distance, their intense spiritual pressure could be felt.

"These are the Golden Turtle Axe, Silver Turtle Sword, and Copper Turtle Wheel! With all three combined, Daoist Qian Bao is truly striking with deadly force," Yuan Ming thought to himself.

Golden Cloud Fairy, however, appeared utterly fearless. She made no motion to dodge, and with an upward gesture, her palm lit up with a golden-red glow.

In her palm, flames surged, and a bowl-shaped cover made of fire-red feathers appeared.

Then, flames erupted from the bowl-shaped feather cover, emitting sharp, piercing cries like those of birds.

Suddenly, nine Golden Crow illusions burst forth, each wielding crimson gold wings and streaking rapidly forward. Three of them collided with the three magic treasures, instantly causing a booming sound to echo.

The space trembled from the impact, and the Golden Turtle Axe, Silver Turtle Sword, and Copper Turtle Wheel were all forcefully repelled by the Golden Crows.

The remaining six Golden Crow illusions continued their assault directly towards Daoist Qian Bao.

The spiritual power upheaval caused by the repelled treasures left Daoist Qian Bao's breathing disordered, and in his haste, he could not muster enough mana for defense.

"Audacious!"

Gu Xuanyang, who was on guard against Yan Xiang and Golden Transformation Master, saw Daoist Qian Bao in danger and immediately shouted sharply, rushing forward to shield Daoist Qian Bao.

He raised his hand and struck out with another Golden Turtle Mountain Breaking Strike, forming a wall-like palm print in the void, blocking the four Golden Crows head-on.

As the Golden Crows crashed into the golden palm print, they exploded, dispersing the fiery waves that also scattered the golden palm print.

The two remaining Golden Crow illusions bypassed the sides and continued their direct charge at Daoist Qian Bao.

Without retracting his previously swung hand, Gu Xuanyang reached out into the void with his other hand, summoning an ancient golden round mirror in his palm, which he then directed towards the two Golden Crow illusions.

The mirror emitted golden light, and the moment it bathed the two Golden Crows, they seemed to be fixed in place, hovering motionlessly over the spots illuminated by the mirror's light.

Then, with a wavelike motion, Gu Xuanyang's hand grasped a gold-patterned ancient bronze sword from the void, slashing directly at Golden Cloud Fairy's head.

A piercingly sharp cyan sword light burst forth, its sharp force slicing through the void; in almost a blink, it was right above Golden Cloud Fairy's head.

The Golden Cloud Fairy quickly maneuvered her Fire Feather Cover above her head, transforming it into a massive red light shield to protect her figure.

The golden sword light, incomparably sharp, touched the light shield for just an instant, tearing through the red light shield emitted by the Fire Feather Cover, striking down on its body.

The Fire Feather Cover trembled, each feather releasing its protective power, but ultimately it could not withstand the piercing sword light. Amidst fluttering fire-red feathers, it was torn to shreds.

Just as the Fire Feather Cover split in two, and the protected Golden Cloud Fairy seemed doomed, a streak of red light dashed out from Golden Cloud Fairy's body, transforming into a middle-aged man in red clothes who stood in front of her.

The moment the red-clothed man appeared, the temperature of the surrounding air instantly rose by several degrees, with ripples of heat waves emanating from him.

He reached up with his hand, and a golden light claw materialized in the void, directly grasping the piercing sword light.

Intense heat emitted from the golden claw, causing the piercing sword light to collapse and dissipate in moments.

"I wondered which Fellow Daoist it was, turns out it's Senior Jin Chao making an appearance, no, you are just a clone," Gu Xuanyang, seeing the abruptly appearing man in red, paused in surprise before bursting into laughter, sheathing the ancient bronze sword.

"Jin Chao! This man is none other than the Level 5 Golden Crow under the Fusang Tree!" Yuan Ming exclaimed in shock upon hearing this.

Yan Siyun had been collecting intelligence in the East Sea Immortal Cultivation World, and the Level 5 Golden Crow, naturally being of vital importance, was none other than the great demon Jin Chao.

"What's the matter, Fellow Daoist Gu, do you find my clone insufficient and wish to test my strength?" the man in red said coldly.

"Where are these words coming from, Senior Jin Chao? How dare I compare myself in front of you! Just now, my young disciple was in peril, and I had no choice but to lend a hand. I hope Senior Jin Chao can forgive me," Gu Xuanyang apologized with a bow.

Since their previous encounter, Gu Xuanyang had always been arrogant and despotic, yet he was so humble and submissive before this man in red, but Yan Xiang and the others did not mock him.

A Level 5 Golden Crow is indeed the pinnacle of the East Sea Immortal Cultivation World, and any island master who meets one must rightly call themselves the younger generation.

"Let it be, considering this is your first offense, let this matter rest here, but not again," the Jin Chao clone said indifferently.

"Thank you, Senior Jin Chao, for your magnanimity. Your Nine Transferences Spirit Attachment technique is even more mystical than before; I was completely undetectable, no wonder Jin Yun acts with such confidence—it's because she has Senior Jin Chao to protect her. But I wonder, why is it just a clone of yours here?" Gu Xuanyang said with a smile.

"Enough, there's no need for further probing. My true body is elsewhere on the Three Immortals Island. Here on Golden Sunflower Island, just one clone is enough to protect Jin Yun," the Jin Chao clone admitted candidly without any concealment.

Upon hearing that Jin Chao's true body was not present, Gu Xuanyang felt slightly relieved.

"Everyone, I don't care about the rest, but since Jin Yun has taken the red shuttle, it belongs to us now, and I plan to take it away. Who agrees? Who objects?" Jin Chao glanced over the crowd with a commanding gaze.

"I have no objections," Lei He was the first to shake his head and speak.

Yan Xiang shook his head; he had obtained the Red Orb and was not empty-handed, so naturally, he did not think of competing.

Jin Hua glanced at Long Chong and then shook his head too.

Gu Xuanyang remained silent, but Daoist Qian Bao stepped forward, shook his head, and said, "If Senior Jin Chao takes it, we have no objections."

"Haha… that's good then, Jin Yun, let's go," Jin Chao laughed heartily upon hearing this and called Jin Yun to leave.

The latter's face remained as cold as ever, as if all this was of no concern to her.

Just as Jin Chao turned to leave, he suddenly turned back around, making everyone tense up once again.

However, he then directly approached Yuan Ming.

Yuan Ming felt a slight tightness in his heart, yet his expression only showed a trace of surprise.

Seeing this, Long Chong instinctively moved forward but was held back by Jin Hua's glance.

"Yuan, would you like to leave with us? If you travel with us, as long as I am present, I can guarantee your safety along the way. What do you say?" Surprisingly, the Jin Chao clone extended an olive branch to Yuan Ming.

Yuan Ming himself did not expect this and hesitated noticeably.

"Thank you for your kind offer, Senior, but I have my own matters to attend to and do not wish to trouble you for protection," Yuan Ming quickly recovered and replied with a smile, shaking his head.

Hearing this, the Jin Chao clone did not insist but simply nodded and then turned away with Jin Yun.

After they had left, everyone finally relaxed completely. Gu Xuanyang was the first to call out and, together with Daoist Qian Bao, continued on their way.

Yuan Ming and the others did not immediately set off; they thoroughly searched the great hall before following the others on their journey.

...

The mountain path was long. As they ascended, they lost track of how far they had gone. The sixth sun quietly rose in the sky, and the air became steamy, causing the surrounding scenery to appear somewhat distorted.

The Immortal Mountain loomed higher; the closer they got to the sun, the hotter it became compared to the foot of the mountain, forcing the group to expend more energy on protecting themselves from the heat and to slow down their pace.

However, Yuan Ming, who followed at the back, remained comfortable. The Qing Gui Grass Hat on his head consistently maintained a cool temperature on his skin, making the sun's harshness irrelevant to him. The only downside was the overly bright light around him, which he found slightly glaring.

"Brother Yuan, that hat of yours is really something else, where did you get it?" Long Chong looked back at the composed Yuan Ming and couldn't help but ask.

At this moment, he was drenched in sweat. If not for Jin Hua's intermittent protection, he would have probably collapsed by now.

"Obtained by chance, a gift from a friend," Yuan Ming replied with a slight smile.

Hearing this, Long Chong immediately felt envious, repeatedly calling it good luck.

The group continued onward, with not much of the path left to travel, and soon they neared the summit but saw no sign of the Fire Essence Palace; instead, they were stopped by a towering wall.

The wall was painted red. Though not taller than two stories, because it was built against the mountain, it completely blocked their view. Only a cluster of treetops and the spires of several great halls could be seen beyond it.

At the entrance of the wall, Jin Chao and Gu Xuanyang were already there waiting quietly, but it was unclear why they had not entered.

However, when Yuan Ming and the others approached, they immediately understood why.

On the wall's gate, there were five different-sized recesses, and apart from these, there were no other openings; it seemed only by filling all the recesses with objects could they enter.

At that moment, two objects were already in the recesses—one was the red shuttle that Jin Chao had taken, and the other was a red gourd carved with cloud patterns.

Seeing Jin Hua and others arrive, Gu Xuanyang immediately spoke, "As you can see, to open this door, we must embed the treasures you obtained earlier. The greater opportunity and treasures lie beyond this gate. Those who do not wish to give up should step forward willingly to place their treasures; it would save everyone's face."

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