"Hehe, even if Master Tang is willing to yield, he hasn't yet received the spirit stones. As for the news regarding the spirit stones—well, I personally extracted it from the soul of the cultivator who discovered them. Don't even think you can pass it off as a mere coincidence." The plump man sneered, his ample body shaking slightly with each word. "So, it was you who were secretly eliminated by all of you." The slender elder was first taken aback, then erupted into rage, swiftly waving his jade mirror, sending several thick beams of light straight at the opponent. "Now, Master Tang, do you deny the spirit stones matter?" The plump man chuckled, then lightly touched his round basin before him, causing a broad expanse of golden mist to surge forth and absorb the incoming light beams. "Even if this were true, what then? Who doesn't know that premium spirit stones have an unparalleled effect in breaking through cultivation bottlenecks? How could they possibly be entrusted to you, the beast cultivators? And yet, you have been so relentless in your attacks on our peak—do you not fear that the Star Palace will reap the benefits from your efforts?" The elder's anger subsided, and his expression quickly You thought our sea clan would only target your Inverse Star Alliance? Let me tell you the truth—this time, our finest warriors have all been dispatched. Not only must we secure the top-tier spiritual stones, but we’re also reclaiming all the spiritual ore from the entire island. The outer seas have always been our domain. For human cultivators to divide up the island’s spiritual stones is nothing short of dreaming. Previously, we simply hadn’t gathered all our forces yet, so we’ve been playing along with you, feigning cooperation. With a gesture of his broad neck, the stout man displayed a strangely serious expression. Upon hearing this, the elder with the surname Tang instantly grew pale. As if to confirm the stout man’s words, a rushing sound suddenly arose from the distant horizon beyond the stone peak, followed by a surge of blue spectral mist rolling in. The mist swirled, revealing countless spectral forms, as though countless beasts were concealed within. “Ha! It seems the human cultivators from the Star Palace have now been dealt with. Indeed, concentrating our strength on one side first was the right strategy. Now, you’re truly trapped—no matter how hard you try, you’ll find it impossible to take flight.” The plump one burst into laughter upon seeing the scene, yet the luminous glow of the circular bowl before him flared brightly, and within a moment, vast swaths of golden mist surged forth from the bowl, directly enveloping the elder below. The two golden rings on his arms flashed and projected successive phantom images, striking downward in a relentless barrage. Seeing his support imminent, the demonic cultivator redoubled his attacks, determined to prevent the opponent from escaping easily. The slender elder naturally grew both startled and furious, yet could not immediately dislodge the assailant. The other battle sites were no different—every manifested demonic beast poured forth a relentless, storm-like assault, their various luminous radiance interweaving and flashing, producing a continuous thunderous roar. Even the Yuan-Ence cultivators of the Nixing Alliance found themselves unable to break free, and had to hastily retreat. Meanwhile, the stream of妖 mist surged forward with swift momentum, and within moments, the fierce, grotesque forms of several demons within became clearly visible. At this point, even the most sluggish cultivators of the Nixing Alliance realized the gravity of the situation, and suddenly someone shouted, "Retreat!" At once, the lower-level cultivators below began to scatter wildly in all directions, while the senior immortals floating above one by one sought their ways to escape. Some managed to fend off attacks while gradually retreating toward the edges of the stone peak; others launched desperate assaults, engaging fiercely with the beasts on the opposite side, hoping to temporarily drive them back and break through; still others, confident in their own secret escape methods, calmly engaged their opponents, yet continuously scanning the surroundings with keen eyes. Upon hearing the words "premium spiritual stones," Han Li's initial intention to flee instantly vanished. Though he had never personally witnessed the legendary top-tier spiritual stones, he was thoroughly familiar with the renowned properties of premium spiritual stones through countless ancient texts. No one can claim this spirit stone is the only essential item capable of setting up several ancient, legendary arrays mentioned in human realm lore—merely the support it provides during breakthrough phases is enough to make every cultivator eager. Indeed, this support proves effective from the Consolidation stage all the way through to the Immortal stage, though its potency diminishes slightly as one progresses. Still, for cultivators in the human realm today, top-tier spirit stones remain out of reach. Now that such a premium stone has been unearthed from this ore vein, it's no surprise that the Inverse Star Alliance has swiftly reinforced its defenses, while the beasts have unhesitatingly launched a thousand-mile campaign, simultaneously targeting the two cultivator families on the island. They likely believe that with the first premium stone discovered, there may well be a second, or even a third, hidden within the vein. Han Li took a deep breath and, within moments, had pieced together the full picture of what had transpired. Since this rare treasure had now appeared before him, he naturally wouldn't let it slip away, his calm and clear eyes flickering with an indescribable flame. Yet, who exactly held this first-rate spirit stone remained a pressing question. By rights, such a treasure should be in the hands of the most accomplished and authoritative figure—namely, the slender elder. But it was also possible that the elder had orchestrated a masterful deception, deliberately placing the stone with a less prominent, lower-ranked cultivator, intending to deliver it off during the chaos. In that case, even if he possessed the greatest abilities, he could not possibly eliminate all the reverse Star Alliance cultivators while the demonic cultivators watched with vigilant eyes. Han Li furrowed his brows slightly, but after a brief pause, they soon smoothed out again. The intelligent creatures of the evolved form were no less astute than human cultivators—likely, they had already anticipated this very issue. Even if Han Li did not act, the attacking demonic beasts would surely not allow any of the reverse Star Alliance cultivators to escape. As soon as the spirit stones appeared, he would simply snatch them right away. With his divine powers, who among these beasts and cultivators could possibly stand in his way? With his plan firmly set, Han Li stood before the pavilion, concealing his movements and coldly observing the battle above. Indeed, as he had anticipated, a sudden surge of hundreds of differently shaped beasts burst forth from the distant mist, riding various forms of magical aura to pursue the fleeing lower-tier cultivators. Most of them were from levels three to four, though there were also several high-level beasts—over a dozen from level five and above. Each cultivator was pursued by multiple beasts of the same rank. Under such circumstances, it truly seemed unlikely that these cultivators could escape from the island. The blue mist instantly reached the summit of the stone peak, merging seamlessly with the original mist. A powerful surge of magical energy rose skyward, and then a brilliant golden flame erupted from within. After the light flashed, a golden-helmeted, golden-armored cultivator materialized in the sky. This spectral dragon is half-human, holding a golden lance in one hand, with silver arcs shimmering and swirling around it—seeming to host a slender, serpentine streak of electricity that meanders along the lance's surface. Clearly no ordinary artifact. Its golden armor is composed of shimmering scales, each bearing delicate, faint glyphs that emit an eerie, otherworldly aura. As soon as the creature appears, its dragon-like eyes blaze with piercing light, instantly enveloping the entire stone peak in a powerful, all-encompassing spiritual presence. The Yuan-Ence cultivators still engaged in battle with the transformed beasts below feel their hearts sink simultaneously. "King Golden Dragon! Impossible! How dare you breach your promise and personally intervene?" The slender elder, upon seeing this spectral being, turns pale as a sheet, gasping in disbelief. This dragon cultivator is no ordinary one—he is a fully matured beast of the tenth rank. "Why should I refrain from intervening? If you wish for me to uphold my promise, then your human race must possess the same capability." You haven't seen a Divine Spirit cultivator in three thousand years. Now, with something as significant as a top-tier spiritual stone at stake, the original agreement is effectively nullified." The dragon's head remained expressionless, yet its voice, when it spoke, was cold and measured. At that moment, however, two more cultivators surged forth from the mist. One was a red-haired creature with broad mouth and sharp fangs, the other a tall figure in black robes with a pale face—though he seemed somewhat familiar. "Ah! Isn't that the turtle spirit who used to travel with the toxic dragon?" Upon first seeing the golden dragon, Han Li, who had been hidden beneath the mist, felt a sudden sense of alertness. But upon seeing the black-robed, pale-faced cultivator, he paused, his expression now filled with surprise. Then, memories of Feng Xi, whom he had nearly chased to the heavens and the depths of the earth, returned to him. Han Li's expression darkened, and he quickly glanced toward the mist, but no further cultivators emerged. With a slight frown, he did not immediately cast out his spiritual senses or summon any spiritual techniques to search for more. After all, a fully matured divine-beast with a tenth-rank spiritual awareness was no ordinary presence. Though he managed to remain undetected under the other's spiritual aura, any outward extension of his own would inevitably reveal his presence. Yet, with the Golden Dragon King now appearing, it seemed the cultivators of Yinxing Alliance were in for serious trouble. Moreover, that ancient turtle-beast had somehow become entangled with this dragon-beast—could it be that this dragon-beast had some connection to the toxic dragon-beast from old? Han Li thought this coldly. Upon hearing the Golden Dragon King's words, the cultivators on the stone peak all looked visibly alarmed, and the slender elder floating in the air sank deeply into his heart. As a mid-stage Yuan-Ying cultivator, however, he could not simply accept his fate. Suddenly, he let out a piercing, desperate cry. The blue flying sword, which had been gracefully maneuvering within the mystical mist, suddenly flashed with a brilliant white light, and then, with a thunderous explosion, shattered completely. This flying sword proved to be a no less formidable ancient treasure. Under the forced self-explosion of the Tang elder, its power far exceeded ordinary cultivators' expectations. A massive sphere of silvery-white light suddenly materialized above the stone peak, dispersing the blue mist exhaled by the plump man in a single surge. The two golden rings, which had manifested as phantom figures, were instantly extinguished as if withered by a sudden blow.