The Hehuan Sect cultivates alchemy; my senior sister helps me refine alchemy throughout the world.

Shen Yifei took two steps back and leaned against a rock by the pool.

Two demon kings at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage were arguing, and he, a mere Golden Core cultivator, couldn't get a word in edgewise.

Liu Mengli's voice echoed in my mind.

"Master, these two women don't get along. Bai Lu is a snake, and Leng Shan Yue is a fox. Snakes and foxes are naturally incompatible."

"I can tell."

"They're at odds with you now. Bai Lu lost her virginity, and Leng Shan Yue noticed. Fox demons have the keenest sense of smell; she not only detected Bai Lu's scent but also the medicinal fragrance on your body."

"What's the background?"

"I don't know. But when Leng Shanyue smelled you just now, her eyes were like they were on fire. She discovered something, but didn't say it."

Shen Yifei looked at Leng Shanyue. She was arguing fiercely with Bai Lu, and her nine tails were sticking up like nine feather dusters.

"You snake, you've been my nemesis since you were little. Three hundred years ago, when I occupied the Cold Pool, you came and fought me. Two hundred years ago, when I subdued the leopard demon of Black Wind Ridge, you came and interfered again. A hundred years ago, when I was cultivating the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox Technique, you took advantage of my seclusion to steal my spiritual herbs. Now you've brought a man to share my Nine Heavens Mystic Lotus. Bai Lu, are you just jealous of my success?"

"When you occupied the Cold Pool, you injured the Green Snake maid in my cave. When you subdued the Leopard Demon, you trampled the two Vermilion Fruit plants I had planted. I took your spiritual herbs while you were in seclusion because you stole my shed skin last time. Can we settle our scores?"

Shen Yifei felt a headache coming on. For three hundred years, the two women had been at odds with each other, neither willing to give in.

At this rate, they'll argue until the Nine Heavens Mystic Lotus blooms and the argument will never end.

"Seniors," he raised his hand, "the Nine Heavens Mystic Lotus only lasts for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. If you continue arguing, don't let anyone take advantage of the situation when the flower blooms."

Leng Shanyue and Bai Lu both turned to look at him.

Leng Shanyue snorted, tucked its tail back, and disappeared behind it.

"Alright, let's get down to business. The Nine Heavens Profound Lotus Ceremony is just around the corner, and demons and rogue cultivators from within a thousand miles will come. I can handle it on my own, but with you two as burdens, it's uncertain."

Bai Lu sneered.

"A burden? Leng Shanyue, we fought to a draw three hundred years ago. Three hundred years later, I've reached the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage, and so have you. Who's the burden?"

"You are. Because you brought along a man at the Golden Core stage. When a fight breaks out, you have to distract yourself protecting him; what else could you be but a burden?"

Bai Lu opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything.

Shen Yifei coughed.

"Senior Leng, I don't need anyone to protect me. I can fight on my own."

"You?" Leng Shanyue looked him up and down. "The Golden Core has reached its peak, and the Golden Core in your dantian has three cracks, which are being sewn together with love threads. In your current state, a demon in the early Nascent Soul stage could easily flatten you into a pancake."

"I have something to save my life."

"What is it?"

Shen Yifei took the Myriad Things Cauldron out of his storage ring and placed it on the ground.

The monster on the cauldron opened its eyes and saw Leng Shanyue's nine tails. Its eyes widened instantly, its mouth opened wide, and its tongue stuck out as it panted heavily.

Leng Shanyue looked down at the cauldron, then at Shen Yifei.

"What is this thing?"

"The Cauldron of All Things can be used to refine elixirs."

The little monster made gurgling sounds in its throat, its eyes fixed on Leng Shanyue's tail, its four short legs kicking on the ground, looking like it was about to pounce at any moment.

Leng Shanyue revealed another tail and flicked it, the red light at the tip of the tail touching the monster's nose.

The monster sneezed, and a cloud of black smoke came out of its nostrils.

It shook its head, its eyes darted around twice, and suddenly darted out, its four little legs tightly hugging Leng Shanyue's legs, its body arching forward.

Leng Shanyue looked down at the lump on her leg, her hair standing on end.

"Bai Lu! What kind of monstrosity is your man raising?"

Bai Lu's lips curled up.

"You, a fox demon at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, let a little beast hug your leg, and you didn't even dodge?"

Leng Shanyue reached out and pinched the little monster's nape, pulling it off its leg.

The little monster had its four hooves dangling in the air, its mouth open, its tongue lolling out, its eyes fixed on Leng Shanyue, and its four short legs flailing about in the air.

"This little thing is quite tough." Leng Shanyue picked up the little monster and examined it from all angles. "It has a body of copper and iron, swallowed the Blood Soul Pearl, and still has half a centipede demon's torso inside its belly. It has quite an appetite."

She let go, and the little monster fell to the ground, rolled around, then darted back and hugged her leg again.

Leng Shanyue kicked it away in a fit of anger.

The little monster flew out and crashed into a rock by the pool, bounced back, and then hugged her other leg.

Leng Shanyue's lips twitched twice.

"Is this thing some kind of turtle? It bites and won't let go?"

Shen Yifei walked over, pulled the little monster off Leng Shanyue's leg, and stuffed it back into the Myriad Things Cauldron.

"Senior Leng, it has never seen anyone as beautiful as you."

The red light at the tip of Leng Shanyue's tail flashed, and she glanced sideways at Shen Yifei.

"Your Golden Core has cracked three times, yet you still have the nerve to be so glib. Bai Lu, you've certainly picked someone with a sweet tongue."

Bai Lu didn't reply. She walked to the edge of the pool, squatted down, and reached out to test the water temperature.

As soon as her fingertips touched the water, a thin layer of ice crept up her fingers. She withdrew her hand, and shards of ice fell from her fingertips.

"The coldness of the pool is greater than it was three hundred years ago."

Leng Shanyue sneered, "Therefore, the medicinal effects of this Nine Heavens Mystic Lotus will be even better this time. I have a good chance of using it to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm."

As soon as Leng Shanyue finished speaking, a gust of wind suddenly swept across the cold pool.

Bai Lu stood up and twitched her nose.

"Someone's coming."

Leng Shanyue's nine tails stood up simultaneously, the red light at their tips forming a continuous line. She turned around, facing the mountains and forests to the south.

She sneered, "Not just one. Two at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, and five at the Core Formation stage. Quite a lineup."

Shen Yi took a step back from the edge of the pool, placing his hand on the Listening Tide Sword. Two peak Nascent Soul cultivators and five Core Formation cultivators. This lineup was more than enough to wipe out a medium-sized sect, let alone steal the Nine Heavens Profound Lotus.

A short while later, a group of people came out.

Leading the group were two elderly men, one dressed in a black robe and the other in a gray robe. They looked exactly alike; they were twins. The oppressive aura of peak-stage Nascent Soul cultivators emanated from them, causing Shen Yifei to stagger back several steps, his body struggling to withstand the pressure.

Behind them were five cultivators at the mid-stage and early-stage Nascent Soul realm, all dressed in black, with a golden three-legged crow embroidered on their chests.

"Golden Crow Sect." Bai Lu narrowed her eyes.

The old man in black robes walked to the edge of the pool and stopped. His gaze lingered on Leng Shanyue's nine tails for a moment before moving to Bai Lu.

"Two demon kings, I am Wu Xingyun, the Grand Elder of the Golden Crow Sect. This is my younger brother, Wu Xingyu. We have come to retrieve the Nine Heavens Mystic Lotus on the orders of our sect leader. If you two would do us a favor, the Golden Crow Sect will surely repay you handsomely."

"Favors? How much are favors from your Golden Crow Sect worth?"

"Fellow Daoist Leng, don't be so stubborn. With just a few of us, what are your chances of winning?"

"The odds of winning?" Leng Shanyue turned to look at Bai Lu. "Bai Lu, they're asking about the odds of winning."

Bai Lu didn't speak. She took a step forward and stood next to Leng Shanyue.

The pressure of the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage was also released, overlapping with Leng Shanyue's pressure.

Wu Xingyun's expression changed slightly.

The intelligence he received indicated that the Cold Pool only had one Great Perfection Nascent Soul cultivator, a Nine-Tailed Fox Demon. Now, with the addition of a Great Perfection Nascent Soul snake demon, they were at a disadvantage.

Seeing this situation, Shen Yifei wasn't about to be left behind. He stepped forward and shouted, "Me too!"