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A moment later, he frowned slightly.

There was no fourth aura concealed.

"If that's the case, for someone at the peak of Qi Refining to be so fearless against someone at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, it seems they are either hiding their cultivation level or possessing a powerful treasure?"

Just as he was pondering this, another unexpected event occurred.

The dark-skinned monk grinned and took out a palm-sized bronze bell from his robes. The bell was rusted and covered with dense runes, exuding a chilling aura.

"This item is called the Soul-Snatching Bell, which specifically damages the divine sense. Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator will be stunned for three to five breaths if hit by it."

He shook the copper bell, and the clear sound, carrying with it a strange tremor, spread out, even causing Li Shen, who was hiding in the distance, to feel a slight pricking in his mind.

"Three to five breaths is enough for me to do a lot of things."

As soon as he finished speaking, his gaze swept over Yun Yan without restraint, his intentions clear.

Yuezhu's expression changed slightly, and she tightened her grip on the gun. Qingluo gritted her teeth; if Yunyan hadn't stopped her, she would have already rushed forward and killed the foul-mouthed scoundrel.

A faint smile played on Yun Yan's lips:

Instead of retreating, she took a few steps forward, passing Qingluo and Yuezhu, and walked up to the three of them.

The dark-skinned monk's bell-ringing motion had frozen at some point.

His gaze was involuntarily drawn to Yun Yan.

"you……"

The dark-skinned monk's voice became dry, his Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and he struggled to speak.

The two cultivators behind him, a man and a woman, also froze in place.

The female cultivator's face was flushed, her legs unconsciously pressed together, and the curved knife slipped from her hand, clattering to the ground.

The male cultivator was even worse off, trembling all over, his eyes completely glazed over, and he uttered meaningless moans.

"Isn't three to five breaths a bit too short?"

Yun Yan's voice was soft and charming, like a feather gently scratching the eardrum.

The dark-skinned monk trembled violently, and the struggle in his eyes lasted for less than half a breath.

He fell to his knees with a thud, crawling forward on his knees, his hands trembling as he reached for Yun Yan's skirt. He was about to say something when a look of pain appeared on his face, two streaks of blood seeping from his nostrils, and the spiritual energy within his body was circulating wildly at an out-of-control speed, as if it had been ignited by something.

Yun Yan lowered her head, looked down at the man kneeling at her feet, and pointed a finger at the man's brow.

The dark-skinned monk let out a muffled groan that sounded like a mixture of pain and ecstasy.

His face withered at a visible rate; his full muscles quickly shrank, his eye sockets sunken, and his skin became gray and loose, as if he had aged decades in an instant.

The spiritual energy, blood, and even vitality within him transformed into wisps of pale pink light, flowing into his body from his lips.

Yun Yan tilted her head slightly, and her pale face regained some color at a visible speed, while her aura also became slightly more stable.

His cultivation level, which had fallen to the fourth level of Qi Refining, suddenly began to grow rapidly like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.

In contrast, the dark-skinned cultivator was slumped on the ground, like a withered tree that had been drained of all its moisture.

His chest was still rising and falling slightly, but he was already barely breathing. Even if he survived, it was unknown how much of his cultivation would be left.

Qingluo and Yuezhu seemed to be used to this scene, and casually picked up the bell.

From the shadows, Li Shen witnessed this scene and felt a chill run down his spine.

"This vixen's seductive arts are truly terrifying."

As his thoughts raced, Li Shen became even more determined to be wary.

Just then, a sudden change occurred.

A dark figure emerged at a speed too fast for the naked eye to detect, rescuing the dark-skinned cultivator and the other two.

The whole process took only a moment, and the black shadow landed on the ground and revealed its form, which startled Li Shen.

The child, who looked no more than ten years old, was half-naked, crawling on the ground like an animal with his limbs arched slightly. His eyes were fixed on Yun Yan, and he let out a series of threatening roars.

His cultivation level was already at the early stage of Foundation Establishment.

Li Shen's gaze darkened.

This person's aura was extremely concealed; if he hadn't revealed himself, I wouldn't have been able to detect him beforehand, even with my current level of spiritual awareness.

Then, a series of unhurried footsteps echoed from below the mountain path.

A tall, slender figure emerged from the mist.

The newcomer appeared to be in his early twenties, with a handsome face, fair skin, wearing a moon-white robe with a jade belt around his waist, and holding a folding fan. He had the air of a young nobleman and showed no signs of having lived on the grasslands.

The aura emanating from it already indicated that it possessed the strength of the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

Two female cultivators in black outfits followed behind, also in the early stages of Foundation Establishment.

Umoku Taku walked into the center of the arena, his gaze sweeping over the cultivator by the roadside who had been drained of his life force and was no longer human. His eyes twitched almost imperceptibly.

He then looked at Yun Yan, a gentle smile returning to his face, and cupped his hands in greeting:

"My name is Wu Mutuo, from the Ebony tribe of the Northern Wilderness. These three are from my tribe. They were ignorant and offended the young ladies. Please forgive them."

His words were polite, and his demeanor was humble.

Yun Yan took out a silk handkerchief and slowly wiped the finger that had just touched the dark-skinned cultivator, saying calmly:

"The Ebony Tribe of the Northern Wilderness? I've heard of them."

Ebony Tuo closed the folding fan and laughed:

"You must be from the Hehuan Sect, young lady. It seems like fate. I visited your sect when I traveled with my master before."

Yun Yan paused slightly while wiping her fingers, neither confirming nor denying.

Uki Taku smiled and continued:

"Miss, could you please return that copper bell to me? I can use it to apologize to you on their behalf."

As he spoke, Umoku Taku closed his folding fan, tucked it into his waistband, took out an item from his storage bag, and presented it to everyone.

Mid-grade spirit stone.

Qingluo's gaze was immediately drawn to it, and Yuezhu's grip on the gun loosened slightly.

In this secluded mountain realm, the spiritual energy is naturally thinner than in the outside world.

Upon entering the secret realm, the spiritual energy within everyone's bodies was extremely difficult to replenish after being depleted, and they could only barely maintain their strength by relying on pills and spirit stones.

It's no exaggeration to say that this single mid-grade spirit stone is more valuable in this secret realm than ten such stones would be in the outside world.

Upon seeing this object, Li Shen's thoughts were stirred.

"It seems that the Soul-Losing Bell is quite valuable."

Yun Yan stopped wiping her fingers completely.

She put the silk handkerchief back, shifted her gaze to the ebony surface, then took the spirit stone, gently ran her fingertip across the stone to confirm that the purity of the spiritual energy was genuine, and then put it into her storage bag.

"Young Master Wumu's politeness makes Yunyan feel a little embarrassed."

She was clearly aware of the bell's extraordinary nature, but given her current situation, she did not pursue the matter further.

"Yuezhu returned the items to Young Master Wumu."

Yuezhu handed the copper bell back as instructed. When Wumu Tuo took it, he gently ran his fingertips across the bell to confirm that the mark was intact, and his smile deepened.

"Thank you for your kindness, young lady."

He tucked the Soul-Snatching Bell into his sleeve and gently waved his folding fan:

"Since we're so destined to meet, why don't we travel together? This secret realm is fraught with danger at every turn. Having more people will be good for mutual support, and we can also exchange information we know."

Yun Yan tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, looking at him with a half-smile:

"I appreciate Young Master Ebony's kindness. However..."

She tilted her head slightly and glanced at a lush ancient pine tree in the distance.

"I've already made friends with someone."

In the shadows, Li Shen's heart skipped a beat.

Immediately afterwards, a voice transmission sounded in my ear:

"Fellow Daoist Luo, have you seen enough?"