I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

Lin Che also sensed the rapidly approaching spiritual energy fluctuations and footsteps.

His gaze pierced through the thin mist of malevolent energy, and from afar, he saw an old acquaintance!

Led by Zhou Wanhai, the Zhou family members were rapidly advancing towards the Blood Pool.

Beside them stood the Chen family's team, led by a Foundation Establishment mid-stage cultivator named Chen Mingyi.

The two groups of cultivators met up, and there were quite a few of them, nearly twenty in total.

Among them were four Foundation Establishment cultivators, more than ten late-stage Qi Refining cultivators, and several spirit beasts with considerable auras.

"The Zhou family and the Chen family?" Lin Che raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing through his mind.

"When did these two companies get together?"

In his memory, this was the case, whether it was at the meeting in the city lord's mansion before.

It was the same group that had just gathered outside the secret realm.

The Zhou family patriarch, Zhou Wanhong, and the Chen family patriarch, Chen Mingfei, appeared quite distant and had no close communication.

I thought the two families had a neutral relationship, but I never expected that they would choose to cooperate after entering the secret realm.

A playful smile curved Lin Che's lips.

This is going to be interesting.

He didn't believe that Yin Jiuyou's side only had the Red Fox Squad as a facade.

Moreover, the other party's attitude clearly showed that they were determined to obtain the White Bone Pure Lotus.

Then a collision is inevitable.

Sure enough, as soon as Zhou Wanhai and Chen Mingyi, who were leading the team, arrived at the edge of the blood pool, their eyes were immediately drawn to the White Bone Purifying Lotus in the center of the pool, which emitted a pure spiritual light and was completely out of place with the surrounding filthy evil energy.

A burning light flashed in both of their eyes at the same time!

"A third-tier spiritual item!" Zhou Wanhai exclaimed softly, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement.

Chen Mingyi's breathing also quickened slightly, and the two quickly exchanged a knowing glance.

They must get their hands on this!

Zhou Wanhai steadied himself, stepped forward, and a seemingly gentle yet subtly arrogant smile habitually appeared on his round face. His gaze swept over the Red Fox squad, who stood ready for battle, and he said loudly:

"Fellow Daoists, the Zhou and Chen families have taken a liking to this spiritual plant. Would you please do us the favor and leave?"

His tone seemed to be negotiating, but it actually carried an unquestionable implication.

With the prestige of the Zhou and Chen families in Chuyang City, coupled with their obvious advantage in manpower and strength, he was confident that he could easily defeat this small team of three Foundation Establishment cultivators.

However, an accident occurred.

Instead of backing down, Yan Hongling, the captain of the Red Fox Squad, stepped forward and stood at the front of the group.

Her expression was cold and resolute as she met Zhou Wanhai's gaze without backing down.

"Clan Chief Zhou, there's always a proper order to things, isn't there? We discovered this spiritual plant first."

"You're trying to seize it by force right away? Isn't that a bit too domineering? Do you really think my Red Fox Squad is made of clay, that we can just knead it at will?"

Although she did not intend to accept Yin Jiuyou's guard mission, the reward was extremely generous, and since they were planning to explore the secret realm anyway, guarding him would be a win-win situation.

Since the employer had not yet spoken, if she, as the team leader, backed down directly, wouldn't she tarnish the reputation of the Red Fox Squad?

More importantly, this business deal was introduced by Liu Fang.

According to her, this mysterious employer was a big shot.

If that's the case, there must be a backup plan.

Therefore, she chose to stand firm.

Zhou Wanhai's smile froze instantly, and his brows furrowed.

He didn't expect the other party to be so disrespectful, daring to talk back to his face.

Especially in front of Chen Mingyi, this made him feel quite embarrassed, and his face immediately darkened.

"Hmph! You won't listen to reason, so you'll have to suffer the consequences! Since you insist on fighting, let's see who's stronger!"

Zhou Wanhai snorted coldly, stepped back, and without saying another word, immediately waved his hand to signal.

"Prepare for battle!"

Upon hearing this, the Zhou family cultivators all activated their spiritual power and summoned their respective spirit beasts. In an instant, roars of beasts filled the air, and spiritual light shone brightly.

Seeing this, Chen Mingyi was not to be outdone. He also commanded the Chen family cultivators to form a battle formation, and their magical artifacts were unsheathed, gleaming coldly.

War is imminent!

Upon seeing this, Yan Hongling's heart tightened, and she subconsciously turned to look at her employer, Yin Jiuyou, awaiting her instructions.

However, Yin Jiuyou's gaze did not fall on the impending conflict, but instead turned to the thin mist of malevolent energy further away.

Her delicate brows furrowed slightly, and her voice was cool: "Things are getting a bit complicated."

As if to confirm her words, the sound of rushing wind and orderly footsteps came again from afar!

Two more teams are rapidly approaching from different directions!

Lin Che looked in the direction of the sound, and his pupils contracted slightly.

The first to break through the blood-red mist was actually the same scout squad of the Burning Bone Pass guards who had been seen when they entered the secret realm, dressed in standard black iron armor!

Their formation was impeccable, their movements swift, and their presence menacing.

Following closely behind the scout team were none other than cultivators from the Zhao family!

The leader of the Zhao family was Zhao Wenlei, a Foundation Establishment mid-stage cultivator of the Wen generation.

At that moment, he was talking in hushed tones with a soldier who appeared to be the leader of the scout squad, their expressions suggesting a deep familiarity.

"The Zhao family has actually gotten involved with the garrison of Burning Bone City?" Lin Che wondered in surprise.

"How did they get together?"

The two newly arrived groups naturally saw the white bone purification lotus radiating spiritual light in the center of the blood pool immediately.

The team was led by the deputy captain of the scout squad, whose eyes gleamed with a sharp light.

His gaze then swept over the Zhou family, the Chen family, and the Red Fox Squad members gathered around the blood pool. Without the slightest hesitation, he decisively gave the order:

"Form a wedge formation! Prepare to attack!"

"Yes, sir!" The nine black-armored soldiers responded in unison, their voices like the clang of metal on metal, and they quickly changed formation, forming a small attack formation.

A chilling aura of killing intent surged into the sky, even purer and more ferocious than the surrounding battlefield's murderous aura!

The Zhao family cultivators who followed immediately dispersed at Zhao Wenlei's signal, subtly forming a pincer movement with the scout team.

When they realized that there were members of the Zhou family among the crowd opposite them, their eyes immediately flashed with deep-seated hatred and killing intent, clearly intending to take this opportunity to strike their nemesis hard.

For a moment, the three sides confronted each other around the blood pool, the atmosphere was extremely tense, spiritual energy surged, and killing intent permeated the air.

Seeing this, Yin Jiuyou produced a small object in his hand and waved it lightly when no one was paying attention.

He then said to Yan Hongling and the others, "Let's go first!"

Upon hearing this, Yan Hongling and the others immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

They didn't want to get involved in this mess.

...

When Zhou Wanhai saw that the garrison of Burning Bone City had joined forces with the Zhao family and were poised for a strong attack, his heart sank.

If it were just the Zhao family, he would naturally not be afraid, but with this well-trained and well-equipped regular army scout squad added to the mix, the outcome would be unpredictable.

His mind raced, and he began to consider retreating, preparing to temporarily avoid the limelight.

However, before he could even speak, Chen Mingyi beside him suddenly roared like a cat whose tail had been stepped on:

"Chen family members, follow me and kill them!"

Ignoring everything else, he raised his long sword and charged headlong towards the Zhao family and the scout team!

Although the Chen family cultivators behind him were somewhat bewildered, seeing that their elder had already rushed forward, they had no choice but to bite the bullet and shout as they followed.

Zhou Wanhai's eyes widened in disbelief.

Chen Mingyi usually seems quite shrewd, so why is he so impulsive at this crucial moment?

But the arrow is already on the bowstring.

Zhou Wanhai's expression shifted several times. Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, he gritted his teeth and roared to his clansmen, "Go! Cooperate with Fellow Daoist Chen and repel them!"

Having said that, he also activated his spiritual power, summoned his magic weapon, and led the Zhou family cultivators and spirit beasts into the battle.

The great battle has begun! Sword energy crisscrossed, spells roared, beast roars echoed, and battle formations clashed. The once silent edge of the blood pool instantly transformed into a fierce battlefield!

……

All of this was clearly seen by Lin Che, who was hiding in the shadows.

His keen eyes caught it in the instant before Chen Mingyi suddenly attacked; Yin Jiuyou seemed to have a tiny object in his hand that swayed slightly, the movement extremely subtle.

"It was indeed her who started the battle." Lin Che realized.

"Are you planning to wait until they're both exhausted before reaping the benefits?"

Lin Che smiled.

With a slight thought, his figure and aura began to undergo strange changes.

The bones emitted a slight crackling sound, the muscles subtly adjusted, and the face gradually blurred and reshaped under the influence of spiritual energy.

In the blink of an eye, he had transformed into a completely different person.

It was Zhou Chunsheng, the Shadow Hall spy who infiltrated the Zhou family and stole the Ten Thousand Poison Blood Dragon Fruit, causing a blood feud between the Zhou and Zhao families!

Consequently, the aura surrounding him also became cold and elusive, just like it was back then.

Using Absolute Concealment, Lin Che moved silently through the gaps at the edge of the chaotic battlefield, like a shadow blending into the environment, without attracting anyone's attention.

He could even feel the sharp sword energy and the explosive aftershocks of magic sweeping past him.

In the blink of an eye, he had quietly slipped into the center of the blood pool, which had been temporarily forgotten by everyone and whose spiritual energy was in disarray due to the fierce battle.

The thick, blood-red pool of water emitted a strange odor, a mixture of fishy sweetness and malevolent energy.

The White Bone Purifying Lotus took root quietly within, its sacred spiritual light appearing all the more precious and dazzling against the backdrop of the surrounding blood-red hue.

Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Che swiftly enveloped the entire lotus plant with his divine sense, including its roots, stems, leaves, and the three buds that were about to bloom.

At the same time, he secretly controlled the token of the Azure Profound Realm.

The next instant, a faint light flashed in the center of the blood pool, and an extremely subtle ripple appeared in the space.

The priceless Tier 3 spiritual plant, the White Bone Purifying Lotus, vanished without a trace in an instant, as if it had never existed.

The parties, who were originally locked in fierce battle, almost simultaneously sensed the sudden fluctuation of spiritual energy coming from the direction of the blood pool!

"not good!"

"Where are the spiritual plants?!"

"Someone's sabotaging this!"

Exclamations erupted, and the chaotic battle came to an abrupt halt.

All eyes turned to the blood pool, only to find it completely empty.

And a blurry figure, pushing its strange movement technique to its limit, was rushing away like a wisp of smoke towards an area with even denser malevolent energy in the distance!

The figure moved with astonishing speed and its aura was elusive and unpredictable, but its unique chill and stealth instantly reminded some people of unbearable past events.

Among the Zhao family's group, a cultivator who had participated in the battle at the Black Tooth Swamp ruins years ago widened his eyes instantly.

Pointing at the retreating figure, his voice became sharp and distorted with extreme anger and shock:

"It's the Zhou family again! It's that Zhou family member again! He stole the spirit object again!!"

That shout was like pouring cold water into boiling oil.

On the right side of the battlefield, Zhou Wanhai, who was locked in combat with a black-armored soldier, shuddered violently upon hearing these words, nearly being cleaved in two by his opponent's blade.

He barely managed to parry the attack, then turned to look at the empty pool of blood and the disappearing figure. The color drained from his face in an instant.

His round face trembled violently from extreme frustration, anger, and a sense of absurdity; his lips quivered, and he looked as if he were about to vomit blood.

"No way—!!!"

"Why are you doing this again?! When will this ever end?! Is there no justice in this world?!"