Shang Xingchen spoke calmly, "I already poisoned Xia Shi a long time ago. I deliberately let him go first, just to lure out your Skinless Ape. You've been raising a Skinless Ape. While others may not know, I am fully aware of it."
The Yin Nether Insects he controlled were his eyes and ears extended far and wide. Few things on Yellow Spring Island, be they large or small, could escape his notice.
Even though Bai Tianhe was a Deity Transformation expert, it was impossible for him to oversee every detail, every corner of his cave and its surroundings. This gap had allowed Shang Xingchen to learn Bai Tianhe's secret weapon.
Bai Tianhe was initially stunned, but then, a hearty laugh burst forth.
"Good! Good! You really live up to your reputation as the second young master of Nether Dao Sect! This cleverness! This courage! This temperament! Truly impressive! Xia Shi can't even carry your shoes."
He sighed dramatically, "It's a shame, such a pity that you're not my disciple."
His laughter faded, and his gaze toward Shang Xingchen became entirely cold.
"Shang Xingchen, I'll give you two choices. One, you hand over all the Nether Dao Sect legacies. You and I part ways, never to interfere with each other again. Two, you die here, and I'll personally search your soul, digging out the Nether Dao Sect legacies hidden in your memories!"
Shang Xingchen grinned widely. "I choose option three: kill you."
In the next moment, both of them attacked with lightning speed!
...
Elsewhere.
"Where did Bai Tianhe and the others go? Why haven't they come back to find me? This Body Refining Heart is a great tonic. Just throwing it away like that? Don't want it anymore?"
Chu Xuan's expression was strange as he followed the direction where Bai Tianhe and the others had fled. He had no particular thoughts in mind. If Bai Tianhe was dead, he'd simply take the corpse. If Bai Tianhe wasn't dead, well, he'd kill him and take the corpse. He was always so kind-hearted and gentle. Even though Bai Tianhe had manipulated things, drawing him into great danger, at least he would still help by taking care of his remains.
However, when Chu Xuan arrived at the location, he found only Shang Xingchen alone. Bai Tianhe, Xia Shi, and the other Yellow Spring Island disciples had disappeared without a trace.
A deep sigh escaped him as he shook his head in regret. It seemed Shang Xingchen had gotten to them first. He noticed that Shang Xingchen was gently petting the head of a hairless monkey. The monkey had its head down, eating something.
Chu Xuan felt an unusually violent and fierce aura coming from it. This was most likely a Deity Transformation stage demonic beast.
Shang Xingchen raised his head and smiled, "Sect Master, I've been waiting for you for quite some time."
Chu Xuan smiled back, "You knew it was me already?"
Shang Xingchen's smile widened. "Liu Zhenxiong was once the Sect Master's senior brother. I had learned all this information when I was in the Heavenly Infinite Sect. If I couldn't have guessed that Master Liu was the Sect Master from that name, I might as well never cultivate again and become a farmer."
Chu Xuan nodded, his eyes scanning the surroundings. "It seems that Yellow Spring True Master really has fallen into your hands?"
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Shang Xingchen smiled lightly, "It was a fortunate coincidence. I had the upper hand. And I also managed to pick up a Deity Transformation early-stage demonic beast along the way."
Chu Xuan nodded, "Not bad, not bad."
Deep inside, however, he felt some regret.
Chu Xuan pondered the details. After some consideration, he decided to prioritize the slaying of corpse demons to collect 1,000 corpse demon pearls and obtain the inheritance of the Melting Heaven Hall. Then, he would head north immediately.
Moon True Master was incredibly familiar with the Eight Extremes Palace. To prevent the inheritance from being seized, Chu Xuan had to act quickly. With a light tap on the ground, he shot forward like a whirlwind. Wherever he passed, scattered corpse demons were easily slain. Along the way, he encountered a few cultivators.
However, these people were wise enough to recognize the danger. Upon hearing the sounds, they immediately retreated without a second word. By now, it was no longer the early days of chaos. Anyone who had managed to survive thus far had at least basic judgment. Only two enthusiastic cultivators charged forward to engage in fierce exchanges.
Unfortunately, they were only in the early stages of Nascent Soul, which left Chu Xuan feeling somewhat disappointed. Before long, Chu Xuan arrived at the end of a tunnel. From his position, he could see a massive pit ahead.
Inside the pit, there was a brilliant white light. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a large number of corpse demons in a dormant state! A rough count revealed there were approximately 800 of them. It was unclear what had drawn such a large number of corpse demons to this spot.
Chu Xuan immediately took out the heart. As soon as the immense vitality surged out, it was as though the aroma of grilled meat wafted through the air. The dormant corpse demons jerked awake in an instant, springing to their feet and charging toward Chu Xuan. They drove their hands and feet into the rock with alarming speed, swiftly climbing the rock wall.
Chu Xuan couldn't help but click his tongue.
"Dinner time, huh?"
He immediately retreated at high speed, putting the heart away. After retreating a considerable distance, he took out the heart again. He continued this back-and-forth tactic, luring the corpse demons until their numbers were reduced to a manageable amount.
Repeatedly, he thinned out their ranks, and before long, all the corpse demons at the bottom of the pit had been slain.
"One thousand one hundred and five corpse demon pearls, that's enough!"
Chu Xuan smiled with satisfaction and immediately made his way to the Melting Heaven Hall's inheritance site.

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