Among the four Golden Core cultivators, the third elder of the Four-Eared Macaque Clan and another Late-stage Golden Core foreign cultivator were, in fact, extremely close friends with the Elder Dragon Flood Dragon and Xi Ye.
As for the other two cultivators, the patriarch of the Jade Water Crocodile Clan was acquainted with Jiao Wuxing, but their relationship was based more on mutual benefit.
The last cultivator, while he addressed the Elder Dragon Flood Dragon as a brother, was a master of opportunism.
These two were the ones who truly wanted to seize the opportunity to destroy the Ghost Flood Dragon Clan.
The third elder of the Four-Eared Macaque Clan and the other Late-stage Golden Core cultivator, who appeared to have been abandoned by the seemingly untrusting Elder Dragon Flood Dragon, were actually acting on his secret voice transmission. He had ordered them to cover his retreat, to delay any pursuers and prevent them from catching up to him and Xi Ye.
As long as it wasn't a life-or-death battle, a Golden Core cultivator could easily hold up one or two people on their own.
Relying on this, the Elder Dragon Flood Dragon had indeed escaped far away early on, eventually shaking off everyone.
Not long after the patriarch of the Jade Water Crocodile Clan and the other cultivator took flight, they had tried to send out voice transmission talismans to have people block the Elder Dragon Flood Dragon from the front.
Unexpectedly, they were immediately interrupted by the third elder of the Four-Eared Macaque Clan and the other Late-stage Golden Core cultivator. In an instant, the few of them were engaged in battle.
Fortunately, the four of them had been wary of each other all along, so no one ended up being ambushed.
Jie Fengkai, who arrived shortly after, witnessed this scene. By the time he sent a voice transmission to others to block the Elder Dragon Flood Dragon from the front, his target had already vanished.
Afterward, these people split up in several directions but still failed to find him.
Having lost track of the Elder Dragon Flood Dragon, they had no more will to fight, and the group quickly dispersed.
This was why Li Yan hadn't found any of them when he arrived later.
Everyone could only guess that the Elder Dragon Flood Dragon had a pre-arranged backup plan, perhaps some shortcut or escape route, like using a teleportation formation to get away quickly.
After learning the situation from Jie Fengkai, Li Yan also showed an undisguised look of regret on his face. This reaction, however, made Wanxiang and Jie Fengkai feel that he was not being pretentious.
If they were the ones who had fought a life-or-death battle with the Elder Dragon Flood Dragon's group of three, they would most certainly want the Ghost Flood Dragon Clan to be annihilated as well.
Although he had failed to outwit his opponent, Li Yan had firmly committed the Ghost Flood Dragon Clan to memory. He would not let them off so easily.
'Now is the Ghost Flood Dragon Clan's period of weakness. I must find a way to make those two Golden Core cultivators perish.'
This thought would frequently surface in Li Yan's mind. He had no intention of wiping out the entire sect; he just needed all their Golden Core cultivators to die.
In a place like the Forsaken Continent, if all of a sect's Golden Core cultivators perished, all of that sect's former enemies would come flocking. He wouldn't need to worry about the aftermath.
Subsequently, Li Yan spent several more days hiding in the vicinity of the Ghost Flood Dragon Clan's sect, but he found no suitable opportunity to strike.
Even when he used the Heaven-Stealing Kerchief to quietly infiltrate the Ghost Flood Dragon Clan's grounds, despite a careful search throughout the night, he could not find the seclusion spot of the Elder Dragon Flood Dragon and the female Golden Core cultivator.
'A cunning rabbit has three burrows! As expected, any sect that can survive on the Forsaken Continent is led by someone with brilliant methods.'
Li Yan could only give up for the time being, resentfully. He had once again experienced the methods of these old monsters.
The last time he had witnessed such a thing was Tianxingzi's profound scheming: first showing weakness to the enemy, then using the Falling Star Valley's Sect-Protecting Grand Formation to ambush and kill a Golden Core cultivator.
Every sect that managed to pass down its legacy had its own life-saving or killing trump cards.
Inside a cave residence in the deep valley of Falling Star Valley.
"What? Zhang Ming... he's a powerful Alchemist, and possibly a Poison Cultivator too?"
Xing Ming, holding a pale yellow jade slip, suddenly shot up from his chair, muttering to himself.
His loss of composure startled Zhu Luomu, who had delivered the jade slip. He didn't know why this jade slip had been sent back using the sect's high-level small-scale teleportation formation.
He was not permitted to inspect jade slips of this level, and it was extremely urgent.
Therefore, upon receiving it, Zhu Luomu had no choice but to risk his master's punishment and awaken Xing Ming from his seclusion.
Although Xing Ming had only whispered just now, Zhu Luomu, in his fright, had still managed to catch some of the content.
'A powerful Alchemist? A Poison Cultivator? Is Master talking about Elder Zhang?'
Xing Ming was so shocked that it took him several breaths to recover from his stupefied expression. His previous annoyance at being disturbed had vanished.
"When did you receive this jade slip?"
"Disciple received it just this noon and brought it over immediately, Master..." Zhu Luomu replied hastily, his heart filled with curiosity.
"Oh, you are currently handling sect affairs on my behalf. Take a look at it as well!"
As he spoke, the jade slip in Xing Ming's hand transformed into a yellow streak of light and flew towards Zhu Luomu. However, his heart was still far from calm.
That Su Yuan was also extraordinary, to actually be able to establish a connection with the Sacred Demon Palace and snatch a deal from the grasp of the Ghost Flood Dragon Clan. This business was far too important.
But the most crucial part was that Zhang Ming had single-handedly accomplished something that even the entire sect might not have been able to achieve.
And during the duel, he had even poisoned and killed one of their Golden Core cultivators, forcing even the Elder Dragon Flood Dragon and Xi Ye to retreat in defeat, their own poison unresolved.
'How did he do it? A grandmaster Alchemist? Or a Poison Cultivator? Elder Zhang should only be skilled in refining ordinary pills. Or perhaps he obtained the poison pills from somewhere else, and this was just a coincidence! He's a Body Cultivator. A Body Cultivator who is also an alchemist? I've only occasionally heard that such cultivators might exist, but I've never seen one!'
Xing Ming's mind was in turmoil. The thought of a Body Cultivator being a powerful alchemist was simply unbelievable.
A Body Cultivator's sensitivity to the five elements was definitely inferior to that of a Dharma Cultivator, which would cause an alchemist to lose fine control over their alchemical flame during the pill refinement process.
Therefore, he instantly thought of many possible scenarios.
"Master, Elder Zhang is actually so formidable! Doesn't this mean our sect will become even more prosperous?"
By this time, Zhu Luomu had also finished reading the jade slip, his face a picture of astonishment and excitement.
With Elder Zhang possessing such strength, his assistance would make the foundation of Falling Star Valley even more solid.
At the same time, a major business deal had come their way. Spirit Stones would come rolling in, which meant the disciples' cultivation resources would be more abundant, and the overall strength of the sect would greatly increase.
"Mm, reply to Su Yuan immediately. Tell him to press forward with the connection to the Sacred Demon Palace and finalize the first deal as soon as possible. Also, have him send back a detailed account of Elder Zhang's battle in another jade slip..."
Zhu Luomu was still caught up in his excitement.
He knew that this Elder Zhang not only possessed an incomparably strong physical body but was also possibly a spirit beast master. How was he now a grandmaster alchemist as well?
'What else can he do? Does a single cultivator really have that much time to cultivate so many different arts simultaneously?'
Just then, his master's words jolted him back to reality. He quickly acknowledged the order and was about to turn and leave in his excitement.
But in the next moment, Xing Ming's voice came from behind him again.
"Forget it, forget it. I'll go to Sacred Demon City myself. Take these things..."
As he spoke, he reached out and tossed two items to Zhu Luomu.
It was a storage pouch and a hexagonal token.
"Inside the storage pouch are the four Fire-Purifying Pills required by the second elder of the Six Plates Hall. He might come to collect them in the next few days. Just give them to him then. Also, after I leave the sect, if there's a major issue you can't resolve, you can use this token to pay respects at your martial grandfather's place of seclusion. Remember, unless it is a matter of life and death for the sect, you absolutely must not use it..."
Xing Ming quickly gave out some instructions. He had decided he needed to go to Sacred Demon City himself to see about the events that had transpired.
Relying on Su Yuan alone might not be enough to handle everything. He still had some connections in Sacred Demon City, and he also wanted to have a proper talk with Zhang Ming.
This newly promoted elder of the sect had produced stunning results several times. He wanted to use this opportunity to further strengthen his relationship with Zhang Ming.
And to figure out his background.
A person like this must be tied to Falling Star Valley. At a time like this, sending another voice transmission would be far too inappropriate.
In Sacred Demon City, Li Yan sat cross-legged inside the pavilion. After a long time, having remained motionless with his eyes closed, he suddenly let out a long breath.
As this breath was exhaled, a stream of light-black mist shot out. The moment the black mist appeared in the room, the two pots of large, half-man-high spirit plants standing by the wall began to glow with specks of starlight.
These two pots of plants were high-quality Purifying Brahma Bamboos, treasures that could purify Spirit Qi and slightly nourish the soul, greatly benefiting a cultivator's practice.
Su Yuan had spent a large number of Spirit Stones to purchase them and had them sent directly to Li Yan's living quarters.
Now, as soon as the light-black mist appeared in the room, the Purifying Brahma Bamboos reacted as if facing a great enemy.
The vibrant green bamboo stalks lit up with dazzling points of starlight, swaying and shaking continuously.
Each point of starlight contained a dense Spirit Qi, which continuously poured out as the bamboo swayed, attempting to purify the Spirit Qi in the area.
But the light-black mist, like a cat that had smelled fish, swirled once and then pounced entirely on the two pots of Purifying Brahma Bamboos.
In just five breaths, under Li Yan's watch, the vast expanse of starlight on the two Purifying Brahma Bamboos quickly dimmed and then disappeared, while the light-black mist grew even darker and more lustrous.
Following that, Li Yan gave a sweep of his large sleeve, rolling up all of the now-darkened black mist. He then took out a delicate jade bottle and funneled it all inside.
Afterward, he put the jade bottle away. Although this was only a small amount of materialized "Fragmented Poison," to others, it was an absolutely lethal substance.
Li Yan couldn't just let it spread. This jade bottle would either be opened in some deserted, uninhabited place in the future, or it would be kept for occasional use in refining poison pills.
At this moment, the two pots of Purifying Brahma Bamboo had lost their former lush greenness. The bamboo leaves drooped, and their entire bodies had turned a grayish color. Just five breaths of being entwined by the black gas had caused a great loss of their spirituality.
Sitting cross-legged, Li Yan looked at the two pots of Purifying Brahma Bamboo, a glint of sharp light flashing in the depths of his eyes.
"The rank of the poison pills and venom refined by the Ghost Flood Dragon Clan is much higher than any poison I've encountered before. The benefits brought by this consumption are truly delightful."
Li Yan was constantly making comparisons in his mind, though he was only comparing it to things he had personally come into contact with.
For example, back when he was dueling in the Huchen family, the Nascent Soul cultivator, the Huchen Ancestor, had not truly unleashed the poisons he had refined.
If he had used even half of their power, the Li Yan of that time would likely not have been "fortunate" enough to endure it.
Similarly, in the great battle at Windy Cool Mountain between the two realms, the other two great poison bodies of the Malevolent Spirit Sect, Zhu Luan and Mo Gu, had been virtually unstoppable, leaving a trail of devastation wherever they went.
If not for their apprehension of the Four Great Sects' cultivators being in the same area, the casualties among the Demon Clan and the mysterious cultivators would have likely multiplied.
At that time, Li Yan also only dared to stay far away from their attack range.
"Just now, I only expelled a small amount of one type of poison. If this had been a few days ago, it probably would have taken about seven breaths to damage the Purifying Brahma Bamboo to this extent. Devouring things to compete with the heavens is truly a fast way to advance the Fragmented Poison Body. Before, it could even injure the Pseudo-Nascent Soul Realm Elder Dragon Flood Dragon. Could it now pose a threat to Nascent Soul cultivators?"