In the depths of the canyon, the Three Friends of Mei Mountain danced with joy.

After confirming that the scene before them was real and that there was no danger around.

They were completely immersed in frenzied joy.

Faced with so many treasures, even the most advanced cultivator couldn't remain calm.

However, above them, Qin Ming frowned, sensing something amiss.

As he pondered,

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist."

"How about we join forces?"

A sudden voice sounded, and then Xiao Zhongren and a gray-robed elder appeared not far from Qin.

Qin Ming had already noticed them, but he couldn't help but be curious.

Even with the Withered Wood Technique from the Ancient Wood Longevity Technique, even a Late-stage Golden Core expert might not notice him.

How did Xiao Zhongren, at the Early-stage Golden Core, see through it?

"Master, shall I go and take him out?"

The Heaven-Devouring Rat asked from the side, licking its lips as if tasting a hint of blood.

The two opposite, Xiao Zhongren and the elder, became alert upon hearing the Heaven-Devouring Rat's words.

They quickly explained, "Fellow Daoist, we mean no harm."

"We can join forces, and after success, we'll divide the spoils evenly. You take the artifact spirit, I only want the cultivation technique inheritance! What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Ming immediately raised his hand to stop the Heaven-Devouring Rat and then turned to Xiao Zhongren, "Clan Leader Xiao, you hide quite well. How did you discover me?"

"Haha, may I ask your name, Fellow Daoist?"

"You're carrying the ancient artifact Hook Jade Golden Light Mirror from our clan, which gives me a slight bloodline sense, enabling detection within a certain range," Xiao Zhongren explained.

"Without this, your concealment methods are indeed excellent, and I couldn't have detected you."

Xiao Zhongren, looking at the Heaven-Devouring Rat, felt secretly apprehensive, not expecting such a powerful Tier Three Demon King to be the other's spirit pet.

And the burly man before him seemed to have only the cultivation of a Foundation Establishment Perfection...

Upon hearing this, Qin Ming suddenly realized that's why.

"I am Fellow Daoist Long."

"Let's hear how Fellow Daoist Xiao proposes we join forces."

Seeing Qin Ming say this, Xiao Zhongren breathed a sigh of relief and immediately said:

"As an artifact spirit of an ancient artifact, it's not only cunning but also has abilities equivalent to a Golden Core cultivator."

"This time, using those three unfortunate fellows as bait, we can draw it out and act together, increasing our chances of success."

Upon hearing this, Qin Ming nodded.

So Xiao Zhongren was using the Three Friends of Mei Mountain as bait for fishing.

After reaching a consensus, the three of them and the beast flew down to the bottom of the ravine.

They approached the rock face near the Three Friends of Mei Mountain and concealed their presence.

Qin Ming focused his gaze.

The scene he saw was completely different from what the Three Friends of Mei Mountain saw. In the depths of the cave, there were no secret treasures, only a pile of high white bones.

The three men were frantically dancing in front of that pile of bones, as if they had obtained a supreme treasure.

"What a brilliant illusion technique!"

Qin Ming immediately saw the key to it all.

"Fellow Daoist Long has sharp eyes; this is indeed the means of that artifact spirit," Xiao Zhongren also showed admiration.

He even suspected whether Qin was hiding his true cultivation, pretending to be weak.

A regular Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivator, not only possessing a Tier Three Demon King spirit pet, but also able to see through the illusion cast by the artifact spirit.

He couldn't believe it at all.

At this moment.

In front of the Three Friends of Mei Mountain, a green light appeared.

Upon seeing this radiant light, the three were revitalized, immediately forgetting the "countless treasures" in front of them.

The three were entranced by the green light, following it slowly, as if in a trance.

"It's here!"

"Fellow Daoist Long, let's follow, too."

Seeing the green light, Xiao Zhongren showed an indiscreetly excited expression.

After some observation, Qin Ming also confirmed that the green light was undoubtedly the artifact spirit of the Hook Jade Golden Light Mirror.

His powerful Divine Thought had already seen that the green light was something akin to a hedgehog.

Qin Ming didn't expect the artifact spirit of the Golden Light Mirror to appear in such a form.

He immediately sent a message to the Heaven-Devouring Rat, "Keep an eye on Xiao Zhongren. This old man is deep and not an easy character."

"Don't worry, if he makes a move, I'll end him first thing," replied the Heaven-Devouring Rat.

Subsequently, Qin Ming and the Heaven-Devouring Rat followed suit.

Half an hour passed.

The deeper they went, the more expansive the space became, as if this was a secluded underwater world, only that apart from the scattered white bones, it was almost indistinguishable from the stone mountains outside.

The Three Friends of Mei Mountain followed the green light to the front of a bone mountain.

On the side of White Bone Mountain, there was an ominously black cave, where several thick iron pillars loomed across the entrance. The gaps between the pillars were wide, making their purpose unclear.

The eerie artifact spirit paused as it arrived at this place.

Suddenly, the artifact spirit revealed its hedgehog-like spirit body form, and spat out a mass of dark green mysterious light toward the three individuals, causing them to stare blankly and involuntarily open their mouths.

Streaks of green radiance flowed from the three people's mouths and noses, surging into the body of the artifact spirit.

"It's absorbing the cultivators' souls!"

The Heaven-Devouring Rat also noticed something amiss.

Soon, the vitality within the Three Friends of Mei Mountain rapidly diminished, turning them into a pitiful state of skin and bones.

"Fellow Daoist Long, now is the time! While that artifact spirit is feeding and unable to divert its attention, let's move."

"Once it reacts and hides away, it will be impossible for us to find it," Xiao Zhongren quickly said to Qin Ming.

He then instructed the gray-robed elder beside him, "Elder Yane, guard the rear to prevent the artifact spirit from escaping."

"Understood!"

Upon hearing Xiao Zhongren's words, the gray-robed elder named Elder Yane remained stationed at the rear.

Qin Ming also observed this elder in secret, noting that the cultivator named Elder Yane was at the Fake Pill Stage.

Then, Xiao Zhongren took out a red spiritual net treasure and cast it toward the artifact spirit that was greedily devouring souls.

The artifact spirit did not seem to expect that someone would be behind.

Unexpectedly trapped by the red net, it struggled frantically to escape.

Xiao Zhongren's artifact was quite extraordinary, seemingly inherently capable of restraining such spirit bodies.

No matter how the artifact spirit struggled, it couldn't break free.

At this moment.

Qin Ming's heart tensed!

The true qi blood spirit around him surfaced autonomously, and a sense of crisis emerged.

"Beware!"

He warned the Heaven-Devouring Rat.

But as soon as he finished speaking, the Elder Yane behind them suddenly bit his tongue, spraying a mouthful of essence blood, which he used to draw a rune onto a disk-like object in his hand.

Elder Yane, eyes filled with a resolve to die, poured mana madly into the disk.

"My days are numbered. Clan Leader, I can die without regrets, having contributed one last effort for the Xiao Family!"

Just as he finished speaking.

The golden disk suspended in mid-air immediately absorbed him into a withered corpse.

Taking advantage of his last breath, Elder Yane aimed the disk at the Heaven-Devouring Rat not far from Qin Ming.

Being a Tier Three Demon King, the Heaven-Devouring Rat naturally reacted swiftly, but as it watched the incoming disk, a sense of unease suddenly surged in its heart.

The golden disk emitted great power, splitting into five and transforming into five rings.

In an instant, they clamped around the Heaven-Devouring Rat's limbs and waist, pinning it firmly to the ground.

The Heaven-Devouring Rat was shocked to find that its demonic power was no longer obeying its control, as if it were locked.

"Elder Yane! Rest in peace."

"Using the Tier Three Middle-Grade Talisman Treasure 'Demon-Binding Ring' to trap this Tier Three Demon King was well worth the death."

"Fellow Daoist Long, let's see what other tricks you have!"

"Hahahahaha!"

"Searched high and low only to find it effortlessly."

"Who would have thought the ancient treasure Hook Jade Golden Light Mirror was actually on you? If you're willing to hand it over, I'll grant you a swift end, hehehe!"

Seeing the Heaven-Devouring Rat restrained by the talisman treasure, Xiao Zhongren showed a sinister smile and threatened Qin Ming.

"So, Fellow Daoist Xiao, what interests you most isn't any kind of legacy, but rather the Golden Light Mirror artifact?" Qin Ming, seeing that the Heaven-Devouring Rat was merely trapped and unharmed, asked indifferently, expressionless.

Xiao Zhongren's eyes showed a glint of greed.

"Indeed, at first, I only intended to extract a legacy from the artifact spirit."

"But Fellow Daoist Long, appearing with the artifact's body changes everything. If the artifact and artifact spirit are combined once more, they could reform into the legendary ancient treasure Hook Jade Golden Light Mirror."

"With the release of the Golden Divine Flame, nothing under the Nascent Soul Realm can withstand it!"

"How could I possibly not be tempted?"

As he spoke, Xiao Zhongren's eyes flickered, and he pulled out a pitch-black long blade, ready to move against Qin Ming.

But just then.

An even greater sense of danger appeared in Qin Ming's heart, and his gaze immediately fell behind Xiao Zhongren.

Xiao Zhongren was currently facing away from the black cave beside Bone Mountain, where the few had initially used divine thought to investigate.

There appeared to be nothing unusual inside.

But at this moment, a pair of lantern-sized, blood-red eyes silently emerged from the darkness.

A terrifying aura emanated from the black cave.

Realizing the situation, Xiao Zhongren was about to turn and look back.

When suddenly, a blood-red tongue, several dozen feet long, shot through the black iron pillars, wrapping around him entirely and dragging him into the black cave.

Inside the cave came a series of horrific screams and bone-crunching sounds, which soon returned to silence.

...

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