I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

Liu Zhenghao really couldn't hold back anymore.

He suddenly slammed his wooden staff down, and the gray spiritual energy surged out in all directions like a burst dam!

Wherever the spiritual energy passed, a layer of gray frost formed on the ground, the temperature in the air plummeted, and even breathing condensed into white mist.

The Liu family's "Frosty Spirit Realm".

Cheng Qingyang finally moved.

The crimson longsword slashed horizontally, and a wall of blazing fire surged from the blade, colliding with the gray, frosty spiritual energy.

Ice and fire clashed, producing a piercing hissing sound, and white steam billowed out, enveloping the entire cavern.

In the mist, the light from the luminous crystals was refracted and scattered, forming eerie halos that dazzled the eyes.

Liu Zhenghao's figure appeared and disappeared in the mist.

He formed hand seals, and a solid gray spiritual energy transformed into a giant frost hand, which slammed down towards Cheng Qingyang's head!

The giant hand was as big as a tabletop, and its palm was filled with a bone-chilling cold. Wherever it passed, the moisture in the air condensed into tiny ice crystals, which fell down in a soft rustling sound.

Cheng Qingyang snorted coldly.

Flames surged on the crimson longsword, and a phantom of a fire phoenix flew out from the tip of the sword, its wings spread and its entire body burning with intense flames.

The fire phoenix let out a clear cry as it collided with the giant icy hand.

"boom--!"

A deafening roar!

Rock fragments flew everywhere, and stalactites on the dome broke off and fell, shattering into powder on the ground.

The luminous crystals were shaken off the rock face by the shockwave and rolled on the ground, making a crisp clanging sound.

Liu Wentao and Cheng Zhengying are still locked in a fierce battle.

The two figures moved through the mist, their swords flashing, neither able to gain the upper hand.

Liu Wentao had several wounds on his body, and Cheng Zhengying's robes were torn in several places. Both of them were panting heavily, but neither was willing to back down.

Liu Wenlong and Cheng Zhengwu were locked in a stalemate.

The vines and the greatsword clashed repeatedly; the vines broke and grew back, the greatsword smashed and rose again, neither able to gain the upper hand.

The battle was at a stalemate.

Liu Zhenghao was anxious.

He is old and his health is declining; the longer it drags on, the worse it will be for him.

Cheng Qingyang is in his prime, with abundant spiritual power, which would be advantageous for him in a prolonged battle.

We must act swiftly and decisively.

He gritted his teeth, took out a jet-black pill from his sleeve, and put it in his mouth.

As soon as the pill entered his stomach, a violent surge of spiritual energy exploded within his body!

His aura suddenly surged, a hint of madness flashed in his cloudy old eyes, his face flushed red, and his veins bulged.

Cheng Qingyang's expression changed: "Liu Zhenghao, are you crazy? You dare to take the Blood Burning Pill!"

Liu Zhenghao did not answer.

He thrust his hands forward with a bang, and a gray beam of light, several times thicker than before, shot out from his palms and shot straight at Cheng Qingyang!

The beam of light contained a violent spiritual power obtained by burning one's life essence; wherever it passed, the air was torn apart, emitting a piercing shriek.

Cheng Qingyang dared not take the blow head-on and retreated rapidly.

But the beam of light was too fast, and it arrived in the blink of an eye.

He had no choice but to raise his crimson sword and fully activate his protective divine power, the Flame Barrier!

A crimson light curtain unfolded in front of him, like a burning shield, protecting his body behind it.

"boom--!"

The barrier of flames trembled violently, cracks spreading outwards like a spider web.

Cheng Qingyang was thrown back several feet by the shockwave, his feet carving two deep furrows in the ground.

A trickle of blood oozed from the corner of his mouth, and his face was pale.

He raised his head, his eyes filled with anger.

"Fine! Since you're determined to fight to the death, I'll go with you!"

He gripped the sword with both hands, and flames surged on its blade, causing a phantom of a fire phoenix to reappear, more solid and larger than before.

The fire phoenix was engulfed in blazing flames, its wingspan reaching over ten feet, and it let out a clear cry before swooping down toward Liu Zhenghao!

Liu Zhenghao took a deep breath and poured all the last of his spiritual power into the wooden staff.

The spirit runes on the wooden staff suddenly lit up, and a gray light screen unfolded in front of him, like a huge shield protecting his body.

The fire phoenix crashed into the light barrier, exploding into flames that filled the sky.

The light curtain trembled violently, and cracks spread like a spider web, yet it still did not break.

……

A white figure appeared in the shadows of the cave at some unknown time.

Nobody noticed her.

Her figure almost blended into the rock face, the corners of her mouth slightly upturned beneath her veil, and a sly glint in her eyes.

The cultivators engaged in fierce combat were all focused on their opponents, and no one noticed the unusual activity in the corner.

Qin Yulin.

She also noticed the battle fluctuations here and discovered this precious plant.

The supernatural power, Phantom Shift, was activated silently.

This is not spatial teleportation, but rather "erasing" one's own existence from the enemy's perception.

It's not invisibility, not illusion, but rather making the opponent's brain subconsciously ignore her existence.

Even if she stands right in front of you, your opponent will ignore her as long as you don't attack first.

She stood quietly beside the Purple Lightning Dragon Saliva Fruit, tilting her head to look at the people engaged in fierce battle, then at the purple-gold fruit, her eyes full of smiles.

"Good stuff." She moved her lips silently.

Then, she reached out her hand.

A semi-transparent, water-like halo appeared in the palm of his hand.

The halo trembled slightly, enveloping the entire spiritual plant.

The halo blended into the surrounding fog, attracting no one's attention.

A flash of light.

The Purple Lightning Dragon Saliva Fruit disappeared, replaced by an identical imitation, but without any spiritual energy.

The replica was extremely well-made; even the lightning patterns on the leaves were exactly the same.

The entire process took less than a breath.

Even the Golden Core cultivators who were engaged in fierce battle did not notice.

Qin Yulin put the genuine item into his storage bag, and with a flicker, disappeared into the shadows.

Her footsteps were very light, as light as a cat's paws stepping on cotton, without making a sound.

From beginning to end, no one noticed that she had been there.

……

"stop!"

Liu Zhenghao finally broke free from the sword net.

His spiritual energy surged, and the gray light barrier blasted Cheng Qingyang away. Cheng Qingyang staggered a few steps before he could barely stand.

He rushed to Liu Wentao's side to check his injuries, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

Liu Wentao's body was covered with sword wounds, and there was even a very deep wound on his chest. Blood stained his clothes, and his breath was weak. Fortunately, his golden core was not damaged.

Cheng Qingyang sheathed his sword and stood there, his gaze sweeping over the "Purple Lightning Dragon Saliva Fruit" and then at the heavily injured Liu Wentao, calculating the gains and losses in his mind.

"Elder Liu, how about we let this matter rest?" he said slowly, his tone carrying a hint of concession. "We, the Cheng family, will not compete for that spiritual fruit. After all, your nephew's life is more important."

Liu Zhenghao did not answer.

He squatted down beside Liu Wentao, feeding him a healing pill, his eyes filled with heartache and anger.

He knew that Cheng Qingyang didn't mean any harm, but rather didn't want to push things too far.

Although the two companies are openly and covertly competing, they haven't reached the point of life and death.

If Wentao is killed today, it will be a fight to the death.

He also understood that the other party was not preparing to give up the spiritual fruit at all, but rather wanted him to be sensible.

"……Walk."

Liu Zhenghao gritted his teeth, picked up Liu Wentao, and walked towards the cave entrance without looking back.

Cheng Qingyang watched them leave, then turned to look at the spiritual plant, a smile playing on his lips.

"We've gotten off easy."

He stepped forward and reached out to pick it.

But the moment his fingers touched the fruit, it turned into a wisp of smoke and vanished.

Cheng Qingyang's smile froze on his face.

He stared blankly at the empty rock wall, at the imitation plant that had turned grayish-white, its fingers still in the posture of picking, suspended in mid-air.

His complexion changed from white to green, and then from green to purple.

"What's going on?!" The short, stout monk rushed up, looking left and right, completely bewildered.

The tall, thin cultivator crouched down, picked up a bit of ash, sniffed it, and said with a grave expression, "This is... a counterfeit! Someone switched it right under our noses."

Cheng Qingyang's fists clenched so tightly they cracked, his knuckles turning white.

"The Liu family." His voice was low and menacing, as if squeezed from his throat, each word laced with barely suppressed anger: "Truly impressive!"

"Chase after them!"