Mortal: Supreme Being of the Ghost Path

A colossal mountain, thousands of feet high, stretches across the sky and earth, majestic and awe-inspiring.

Qin Han sat in a secluded corner near the canyon, closing his eyes to rest, his expression calm.

After obtaining the Longevity Tree Root, he rushed to the entrance of the Ice and Fire Path without stopping.

This mountain is tall and precipitous, entirely composed of massive, dark blue and green rocks. The entire mountain is bisected in the middle by a divine hand, splitting all the way to the base of the mountain, forming a natural canyon.

Even more bizarrely, the middle part of the split mountain peak was clearly marked by flashing red and blue lights, each covering half of the giant mountain.

On the red-light side, the air distorts and heat waves roll in. On the blue-light side, however, a chilling atmosphere prevails, with frost forming.

From a distance, it looks extremely eerie!

At the entrance to the grand canyon at the foot of the mountain, more than thirty cultivators dressed in various styles sat quietly, each with a solemn expression, as if they were waiting for something.

As time went by, more and more monks came to this place.

There were lone cultivators and sect disciples who came in groups, each with their own thoughts.

Just then, Qin Han finally opened his eyes and glanced at the people present.

The group from the demonic path has not yet arrived.

However, a whole day was almost over, and according to the original description of the "Ice and Fire Path," if they didn't arrive before dark, they would never be able to enter the second level.

"They must be on their way by now," Qin Han thought to himself.

Just as I was pondering this, a sound of something breaking through the air suddenly came from the horizon.

Several beams of light of different colors shot out from afar and slowly landed among the crowd.

Leading the group was none other than the Extreme Yin Ancestor, followed by Wu Chou and Han Li, while beside him stood the Qingyi Hermit, dressed in a scholar's robe and stroking his beard.

As for the bearded man, he did not travel with them, and it is unknown what he did after packing up the longevity fruits.

After landing, Qingyi Jushi glanced at everyone present and calmly found an open space to sit down.

Qin Han did not send a telepathic message immediately.

He waited quietly, his expression unchanged, as if he were a complete stranger.

Sure enough! Not long after, a silent voice suddenly rang in Qin Han's ear, the tone tinged with surprise:

"Brother Huang, I never expected it to be true."

Qin Han's lips curled slightly, but he kept his eyes closed to rest, calmly replying telepathically:

"Brother Qing, did you see it?"

"I saw it." Qingyi Jushi's voice was tinged with emotion. "I was wondering why that old ghost looked so distracted. Turns out he was after that kid named Han Li."

He paused, his tone becoming meaningful.

"I didn't expect that kid to have a Blood Jade Spider on him! How did you find out about this?"

Qin Han chuckled lightly, without giving a direct answer. He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze falling on the figure sitting cross-legged in the distance.

It was Han Li, with a stiff expression, sitting awkwardly next to Ji Yin!

"Brother Qing, all you need to know is that Huang's sources are absolutely reliable." He paused, then changed the subject, "Well? Have you considered what Huang said earlier?"

Master Qingyi remained silent for a moment, not in a hurry to answer.

Qin Han continued to transmit his voice at a leisurely pace:

"Having an extra helper in secret will greatly increase our chances of seizing the treasure once we reach the inner hall. Otherwise, if the six Nascent Soul cultivators present were to fight amongst themselves, they would have no time to attend to anything else. The only ones with a chance to seize the cauldron and the treasure will be the remaining Core Formation cultivators."

At this point, his tone suddenly took on a deeper meaning.

"You should know that Ji Yin alone has a Core Formation cultivator under his command who is quite powerful. I remember that the cultivation methods of Xuan Yin Island are known for refining demonic corpse puppets. At that time, the number of people he can mobilize is probably far more than what we see now."

Qingyi Jushi remained silent.

But Qin Han was not in a hurry at all and continued:

"And that bearded man, don't let his reckless appearance fool you, he's actually quite shrewd. He came alone this time, he might have a backup plan. If he's secretly found help, then Brother Qing will be all alone and probably won't get any advantage."

"Moreover..." Qin Han's gaze fell on Han Li, his tone full of meaning.

"Whoever gets hold of that Han Li will reap the lion's share by claiming him as the greatest contributor. Judging from the current situation, it seems that Ji Yin has already gotten there first. If Brother Qing doesn't take any action soon, once we get to the inner palace, I'm afraid we'll only be able to watch others eat the meat while we drink the soup."

Upon hearing this, Qingyi Jushi finally spoke, his tone carrying a hint of feigned ignorance.

"you mean……"

"If we join forces," Qin Han said calmly, yet with a firm conviction, "there's no harm in it, neither morally nor logically!"

"At that time, Brother Qing only needs to find a pretext to let me follow you into the inner hall. One of us will be in the open, and the other in the shadows, looking out for each other. If anything is gained, Brother Qing will naturally be given priority."

After he finished speaking, he changed the subject again, his tone carrying a hint of reminiscence.

"Back then, we explored the cave together, and our teamwork was impeccable. Now that we're joining forces to conquer this Void Heaven Palace, Brother Qing, you can naturally continue to trust me."

Upon hearing these words, Qingyi Jushi remained silent for a long time.

Qin Han didn't urge him, but waited quietly.

Finally, Qingyi Jushi's voice transmission sounded again, this time with a more solemn tone.

"Brother Huang, what is your current cultivation level? Judging from your cultivation, you are only at the peak of the Core Formation stage. But the feeling I got from you just now was far more than that."

Qin Han chuckled inwardly, but his expression remained calm as he slowly replied via telepathy:

"To be honest, Brother Qing, I have had some other opportunities over the years. Although I am now at the peak of the Core Formation stage, I am confident that I can hold my own against an ordinary early Nascent Soul cultivator in terms of true strength."

This statement is, of course, somewhat exaggerated.

He was originally a powerful ghost at the level of a ghost king, and later he devoured the two-headed tiger demon, which greatly increased his strength.

However, the gap between Core Formation and Nascent Soul is ultimately like a vast chasm, which cannot be easily crossed.

However, Qin Han had his own confidence.

With the Creation Cauldron in his possession, if he were to encounter a Nascent Soul cultivator, he could simply hide within the cauldron's world, and the other party would be utterly helpless against him.

This confidence in being able to "maneuver around" is not entirely without basis.

Upon hearing this, Qingyi Jushi frowned slightly, nodded thoughtfully, and hummed in agreement, as if trying to discern the truth of the words.

After a moment of contemplation, he thought to himself: This "Brother Huang" in front of him was a well-known Core Formation cultivator in the Chaotic Star Sea back then, and his supernatural abilities were also quite remarkable.

If there have truly been some fortuitous opportunities or good fortune over the years, then it wouldn't be entirely unreasonable.

With that in mind, he continued to ask:

"You went to great lengths to join forces with me, all for the sake of a single Heaven-Mending Pill. Is this item truly that important to you?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Han remained silent for a moment, then deliberately lowered his voice.

"My lifespan is running out. Rumor has it that the Heaven-Mending Pill can extend lifespan, and its effect is much more significant than that of the Longevity Fruit. I certainly don't want to die quietly like this. As long as there is even the slightest chance, I will fight for it."

He paused, a hint of helplessness in his voice, "Otherwise, I, Huang, wouldn't have risked my life to venture into this Void Heaven Palace."

Qingyi Jushi remained silent for a long time, then sighed deeply, stroked his beard, and pondered for a moment before saying:

"Fine, I'll agree."

Upon hearing this, Qin Han was overjoyed. As long as the old man said those words, he could easily sneak into the inner palace and then reap the benefits.

Although he was secretly extremely excited, he maintained a calm and indifferent demeanor on the surface.

"However," Qingyi Jushi began, his tone shifting to a warning, "I'm warning you now. If you harbor any improper thoughts once we reach the inner hall, don't blame me for disregarding our past relationship!"

The other person suddenly paused, and Qin Han's heart tightened.

But upon hearing the following words, he breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled softly:

"Brother Qing, rest assured. Although I am not a gentleman, I am not a treacherous person either. We can join forces and each get what we need. I understand this clearly."

Qingyi Jushi hummed in agreement and said nothing more, and did not send any further messages for a long time.

Qin Han also withdrew his gaze, closed his eyes again, and stopped paying attention to the outside world.