Starting with the consumables of the Demonic Sect, one can barely achieve immortality.

Deng Jian was clearly provoked by her words; his voice was icy, barely concealing his anger:

"I don't know who it was, but they only knew how to seek pleasure in bed and neglected their cultivation. I scolded them for this, and they couldn't stand it, so they went and harmed Senior Brother Chen."

"They only managed to advance ahead of us by chance because of their senior brother's abilities, and now they actually consider it their own!"

As the saying goes, one shouldn't insult someone by revealing their weaknesses. Upon hearing this, Pei Yi was immediately enraged and sneered:

"I seek advancement through dual cultivation, which aligns perfectly with the principles of cultivation in the Immortal Sect. You are not my Daoist partner, so what right do you have to point fingers at me here!"

As the two continued their conversation veerging further and further off track, Li Bai, who had been silent, finally couldn't help but step in to smooth things over, saying in a low voice:

"Time is running out; we can argue about these trivial matters back in the palace."

"If Fellow Daoist Pei is willing to accept a smaller share when the treasures are distributed later, I can use a barrier-breaking talisman to try to break the restriction here."

Deng Jian said calmly:

"No, the talismans you possess are not easy to craft. What if there are no treasures in this room? Wouldn't that mean you'd have to cut off my head to compensate me?"

Listening to the incessant arguing of the three, Yan Cheng was truly astonished, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"What kind of time is this? Instead of working together to find the treasure, these guys are still arguing about nothing!"

Wang Qing looked at him with disdain and said in a low voice:

"Is this the prevailing attitude of your Taiyin Demon Sect?"

"The great way of the past has only been about self-cultivation; it does not concern itself with morality or cause and effect."

"Under this tradition, for every highly accomplished cultivator produced, hundreds or thousands of lower-level cultivators are deceived, extorted, oppressed, and humiliated..."

"From the inside out, all the flesh, bones, and blood in my body have been squeezed dry."

"Those who study the Way together, sharing both the cold and the heat, should be as close as brothers and sisters."

"But this trend forces us to be constantly on guard against each other, for the slightest carelessness could lead to our deaths and the dissipation of our spiritual essence."

"With such a precious treasure before us and an immortal destiny imminent, we should work together with one heart and one mind, helping and benefiting each other."

"However, within the Taiyin Demon Sect, the foundation of trust among fellow disciples has long been completely destroyed."

"Rather than maximizing their own benefits, the cultivators focused more on preventing others from profiting at their expense."

"I would rather no one benefit at all than allow others to benefit more than I do."

"And so it turned out the way you see it!"

This analysis truly struck a chord with Yan Cheng.

The handsome young man with long, flowing hair remained silent for a long while, then a cold glint returned to his eyes:

"From an outsider's perspective, it's certainly true that these people are incredibly stupid."

"But once you're in it, no matter how clearly you see things, you may not have a choice when the time comes."

"Even if someone can climb the path to immortality without stepping on others, it doesn't necessarily prevent others from trampling on them to reach the top."

"The path to enlightenment is lofty and distant, while our lives are as fragile as ants; how can we not be fearful? How dare we not have doubts!"

Wang Qing glanced at him and slowly shook her head:

"The path to immortality in our time was not like this."

Yan Cheng said:

"What it looks like now is the only thing I care about."

He gently supported Wang Qing's back and pushed her to quicken her pace.

The three who were still arguing immediately fell silent upon seeing Yan Cheng and his companion arrive.

They had witnessed Yan Cheng's strength firsthand, and Deng Jian had personally experienced the terrifying power of Yan Cheng's ability to freeze the sword's edge without uttering a single move.

If Yan Cheng intended to kill and steal the treasure, even if he had to spare an arm to protect Wang Qing, the three of them still wouldn't be entirely confident of surviving!

But Yan Cheng didn't even glance at them. With a swift movement, he had already disappeared into the shadows of the corridor with Wang Qing.

The three looked at each other, then realized that they still hadn't gained anything, so what were they afraid of—murdering and robbing?

Meanwhile, Yan Cheng ignored the three clowns and flew away, not exchanging another word with Wang Qing along the way.

He secretly formed a hand seal with his left palm, and his aura along the way was completely discernible.

He occasionally saw them, but they were all things like corpses and demons that he had prioritized last.

Only a dark steel door, exuding a chilling aura, made him stop in his tracks.

Under the wondrous illumination of the [Cave Illumination], all the auras and images behind the door can be discerned at a glance.

However, he still went through the motions, saying to Wang Qing:

"This place seems to be a repository for spiritual objects imbued with cold energy."

"The Cold Qi is a prominent path in the Northern Territory. The Heavenly Corpse Path was very powerful back then, and there must have been Cold Qi cultivators among its disciples."

"The spiritual object hidden behind the door is very likely the provisions left for Han Qi, a Qi cultivation cultivator."

Wang Qing frowned slightly:

"I'm not a cultivator of the Heavenly Corpse Path, so how would I know so much?"

"If you're tempted, just go in and take a look. You'll have to unlock the restrictions on the door yourself."

Up to this point, she had broken nine rune restrictions for Yan Cheng along the way, consuming nine strands of Yin Corpse Qi.

She was already extremely unaccustomed to the slow pace of cultivation among corpse cultivators.

With his cultivation greatly depleted, he showed no kindness to the culprit before him.

Yan Cheng pretended to raise his hand, which frightened the guy so much that his face turned pale with fear.

He didn't care whether Wang Qing's fear was real or not, and contentedly placed his hand on the runes that were faintly visible on the door.

The path of "Upper Yin" that he cultivates is the radiance of the extreme star, the ancestor of all Yin.

Even the most radiant and noble moon pales in comparison to the distant and ethereal stars at the very edge of the heavens.

【Cold Qi】is an assistant to all Yin, originating from Upper Yin and Taiyin but without the function of assisting or supporting. It possesses only Yin coldness but does not attain its nobility.

However, the Yin Dao is too ancient, and many cultivators in the world, even if they are fortunate enough to see it, will only mistake it for a concrete manifestation of cold qi similar to it.

At this moment, Yan Cheng infused the icy coldness of the Yin Star Qi into the sealing talisman, and the steel door opened almost instantly.

He first pushed Wang Qing inside, then pushed the door shut behind him. His gaze immediately settled on the three iron boxes enshrined in the center of the cold room.

As countless characters appeared in the Hidden Immortal Mirror, Yan Cheng's pupils gradually dilated:

"We've found something good!"

Wang Qing, who was pushed in by him, was initially full of resentment, but when she saw his gaze turn to her, her emotions immediately disappeared.

Instead, a haughty indifference emerged, echoing the intense golden light rising from the depths of her eyes, quickly taking over every corner of her face.

Suddenly, Yan Cheng asked:

"Fellow Daoist, do you know what this is?"

Wang Qing was taken aback, her expression instantly returning to its usual world-weary look. She shook her head and said:

"How would I know?"

Unexpectedly, Yan Cheng suddenly turned around, and a pair of eyes with a faint purple aura met her gaze at an extremely close distance. The depth of his pupils made her freeze in an instant.

"Fellow Daoist, do you truly not know?"

"Then forget it."

Yan Cheng withdrew his gaze, his eyes fixed intently on the three iron boxes on the table:

"The Ancient Heavenly Corpse Path... Just hearing the name of this lineage, I thought it was just a group of sinister things buried in the study of the Netherworld."

"Unexpectedly, they actually have some skill in the art of cold qi."

"These three items alone, if they fell into the hands of an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator, would be enough to help him break through to the Foundation Establishment stage!"