"I do understand this puts you in a difficult position," Bai Ye hesitated for a moment before finally resolving himself and saying the words that Yuan Ming could not ignore. "I have a Foundation Establishment Pill on me. If Fellow Daoist Hagon is willing to assist me fully, this pill will be your reward!"

"Foundation Establishment Pill!" Yuan Ming's heart leaped violently.

Once a Qi Refining Stage Cultivator breaks through the tenth layer, they can attempt Foundation Establishment. Only by successfully establishing their foundation and consequently doubling their lifespan can they truly enter the proper path of cultivation.

However, Foundation Establishment is extremely challenging. Without additional measures, perhaps not even one in a hundred Qi Refining Cultivators will succeed, and those few lucky enough to do so are typically the outstanding ones with Heaven and Earth Spiritual Roots.

Many Sects have Qi Refining members who have surpassed the tenth layer, even reaching the peak of the thirteenth layer, primarily to increase their chances of successfully breaking through to Foundation Establishment.

The Cultivation World has seen countless people throughout history research methods to aid in breaking through, yielding results. Among all the known methods, the most renowned is the Foundation Establishment Pill.

Who originally created the Foundation Establishment Pill is no longer verifiable, but it is suitable for all cultivators, and consuming it substantially increases the odds of Foundation Establishment.

Such a miraculous elixir is coveted by all in the world of cultivation, but alas, the process of refining it is complicated, and the required spiritual materials are extremely rare. The production is so scarce that every pill that comes into existence incites fierce competition among the powerful forces, as each pill could potentially add an extra Foundation Establishment Expert to their ranks.

Yuan Ming had also inquired about the Foundation Establishment Pill and, upon learning about its rarity, reluctantly gave up the search.

"Let me take a look at the elixir," Yuan Ming said, trying to suppress the excitement in his voice.

Without any hesitation, Bai Ye took out a Jade Box from his Storage Bag. Opening it revealed a thumb-sized, glowing blue pill with a dreamlike layer of blue light swirling around it, resembling the starlight in the night sky.

"It really is a Foundation Establishment Pill!" Yuan Ming's breath caught in his throat.

He had seen records of this pill in the Classics, a perfect match to the one before his eyes, blue as the vast sky, illusory as the starry sea – undoubtedly a genuine Foundation Establishment Pill.

"To think that Alliance Leader Bai Ye possessed such a treasure as a Foundation Establishment Pill. I agree to your terms; I will do everything in my power to help you escape. However, the adversaries are numerous, and I do not have absolute certainty," Yuan Ming pondered for a moment before finally making up his mind.

Unlike his previous reckless move to save Hagon's wife and children, he now knew what he was doing. Although it required taking significant risks, the stakes offered were worth it.

Fortune, after all, favors the bold!

Moreover, he was not entirely without assurance – if he was overwhelmed, the rare Earth Travel Talisman would be his last resort.

"Do not worry, as long as you, Fellow Daoist Hagon, put forth your best effort, this Foundation Establishment Pill will be yours," Bai Ye stated, closing the Jade Box and throwing it over.

Yuan Ming caught it, surveyed Bai Ye with surprise, silently put the Jade Box away, and then collapsed onto the ground next to him. He activated the Wood Concealment Skill to control his breath, and at the same time, he recalled the soul crow that had been guarding the entrance.

All traces of Mana fluctuations dissipated from his body. Even the sound of his heartbeat vanished, and he seemed like nothing more than a cold corpse.

The Black Toad hopped out of the spirit beast bag at his waist, activated the Earth Travel Talisman, and in a flash, disappeared into the ground.

In the middle area of the Snake Cave Passage, a black head emerged from the ground – it was the Black Toad, opening its mouth to exhale.

A stream of purple Poison Miasma rolled out, quickly blending into the surrounding poison fog, soon becoming completely hidden with very little trace of its scent left.

This was the Black Toad's ability to use poison after condensing its inner core, allowing it to transform toad poison into a miasma, making it much harder to detect.

Having completed these actions, the Black Toad submerged back underground.

Bai Ye, witnessing Yuan Ming's sequence of actions, couldn't help but feel stunned; yet before he could even voice a question, there was already a disturbance emanating from the passage leading to their location, forcing him to close his mouth.

Not long after, five figures emerged from the poison fog at the front. It was Bone Map leading a group of people from the Black Fire Sect.

"What's that smell?" The girl in black sniffed, speaking out.

The others also noticed something unusual in the air, finding it slightly sweet and cloying.

"This place is filled with Poison Miasma; do not sniff around carelessly, be careful not to be poisoned!" Bone Map warned.

The girl in black and the rest replied, holding their breath and moving forward, soon reaching where Bai Ye was.

"Isn't this Fellow Daoist Bai Rong? And a few others, didn't you give up the mission? Why have you returned?" Bai Ye opened his eyes and looked at the group, perfectly feigning surprise.

The Black Fire Sect members were initially startled when they saw the situation inside the cave, and then their tense expressions turned to joy.

They hadn't expected to find two dead Snake Kings here, with Bai Ye's Qi Refining members and several Loose Cultivators already perished. Moreover, the strongest among them, Bai Ye and Huan Shi, were seriously injured.

Bone Map's expression remained unchanged while his heart rejoiced.

Coming here was the right decision. The materials from two Second-level Fierce Beasts were a considerable fortune for him, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, not to mention the Storage Bags of two other Foundation Establishment Cultivators, Bai Ye and Huan Shi.

With that thought, his eyes filled with a cold intent to kill, and he signaled to Sang Yan and the others with a glance.

The four of them understood and stepped back to guard the entrance of the Snake Cave Passage.

"Do you mean to kill for treasure?" Bai Ye's expression darkened, and he asked with feigned composure.

"Blame it on your unfortunate state that made you cross my path. Allow me to relieve you of your misery here," Bone Map flicked his finger, sending a black line shooting towards Bai Ye — the very same Black Needle Magical Artifact from before.

Just in that instant, the ground at Bone Map's feet suddenly cracked open. Dozens of thick Purple-Black Demon Vines broke through the soil, rapidly wrapping around Bone Map's limbs.

Bone Map was shocked and, without further ado, spat out a yellow round orb from his mouth.

Dazzling yellow light burst forth, and in an instant, a yellow spherical protective shield appeared around him, protecting his entire body.

The Purple-Black Demon Vine lashed against the shield, easily blocked from making contact.

A Purple-Black Poison Liquid secreted from the surface of the vine attempted to corrode the yellow shield, but the surface of the shield flashed with light and showed no sign of damage.

"Child's play!" Bone Map sneered coldly, raising both hands as if to do something.

Those dozen or so Purple-Black Demon Vines suddenly thickened considerably and grew dense leaves, turning into a veritable forest of vines in an instant, engulfing Bone Map and the yellow shield within.

Yuan Ming, whose hand was pinned beneath him, gestured towards the Purple-Black Demon Vine, and the vines immediately interlaced left and right, instantly forming a vine cage— the Wood Prison Technique—trapping Bone Map.

The Purple-Black Demon Vine, now unleashed after Black Toad's breakthrough into the Second-level Spirit Beast, was not something the ordinary Wood Prison Technique could compare with, and even with Bone Map's Foundation Establishment Cultivation, he found himself rooted to the spot, unable to move for a while.

All of this happened in a flash of lightning!

Sang Yan and the others were shocked when they saw this and, neglecting the defense of the cave, hurriedly flew towards this scene.

Yuan Ming leaped up from the ground and swung his arm.

The Shuiyun Banner shot out from his sleeve, quickly expanding to block Sang Yan and the others, now grown to the size of a ten-zhang-long banner, like an enormous blue palm slapping towards the four of them.

Sang Yan and the others stopped in their tracks, hastily unleashing their Divine Skills to protect themselves.

With a "bang," their bodies shook slightly, but they quickly steadied themselves, the anticipated powerful attack failing to materialize.

Not only that, but the blue banner unfolded with a "whoosh," completely blocking off the Snake Cave Passage.

Only then did Sang Yan and the others realize they'd been duped and quickly took out their Magic Artifacts and refining corpses to attack the Shuiyun Banner.

The Shuiyun Banner was a Mid Grade Defensive Magical Artifact. Although it shook under their attacks, it steadfastly blocked the way, preventing Sang Yan and the others from breaking through immediately.

Seeing this, Yuan Ming breathed a sigh of relief, and with a grasp in the air, a blazing Fireball appeared in his palm while his other hand held a Spirit Stone, furiously absorbing Spiritual Power.

He circulated the Mana within his body, endlessly flowing into the Fireball, which swelled from the size of a fist into something much larger.

Bone Map, who was attempting to break free from the Wood Prison Technique, saw Yuan Ming's actions and immediately stopped, focusing intently on his defense.

However, after a few breaths, Yuan Ming still hadn't acted, and the Fireball in his hand, now the size of a human head, swelled and its Mana fluctuations became several times more intense.

Bone Map immediately understood Yuan Ming's intention and slapped the black pouch on his waist.

Two shadows shot out from the fissures in the vines, landing outside the shield and transforming into two towering refining corpses.

The skin of these two corpses was bluish-black, covered in green Scale Armor—they were the Green Steel Corpses that had appeared in the Ghost Market, seeming even more powerful than those in the workshop, their aura verging on the Foundation Establishment Realm as they roared and rushed toward Yuan Ming.

Almost at the same time, the Black Needle, originally directed at Bai Ye, had appeared behind Yuan Ming, and under the fierce attack of the Green Steel Corpses, it silently stabbed toward Yuan Ming's heart.

However, with a "ting" sound, a piece of Gold-plated Gauze suddenly appeared behind Yuan Ming, blocking the Black Needle's sneak attack—it was the Gold-plated Gauze.

The two Green Steel Corpses also pounced, their claw-like fingers reaching for Yuan Ming.

Yuan Ming tossed aside the drained Spirit Stone with his left hand, gestured a spell, and then the mere three-zhang-long Gold-plated Gauze expanded quickly, wrapping around his body several times, encasing him thoroughly.

The claws of the Green Steel Corpses squelched against the Gold-plated Gauze, sparking off points of fire, yet still unable to penetrate the gauze's defense.

As three great forces transmitted through the Gold-plated Gauze, Yuan Ming's body shook, and he hastily placed his left hand on the gauze, injecting Mana to stabilize the defense, while his right hand continued to maintain the Burning Explosion Skill.

"A Mid Grade Defensive Magical Artifact, its defensive strength seems to exceed my Stone-controlling Bead!" Bone Map's expression darkened.

It would have been acceptable for the two Green Steel Corpses to fail, but even the Black Needle Magical Artifact returned without success.

This needle was one of his cherished Mid-grade Magical Artifacts, engraved with the runes "Sharp" and "Concealment." Even cultivators of the same rank in the Foundation Establishment Realm could easily suffer should they be careless. It was unexpected that Yuan Ming was able to detect it!

Bone Map pointed a finger, and a Nine-Ring Chopper radiating golden light flew out from the shield, piercing through the vine Wood Prison and slashing towards Yuan Ming.

The Black Needle Magical Artifact's dark light surged wildly, spinning rapidly as it whistled sharply, aiming another strike at the Gold-plated Gauze, while the two Green Steel Corpses also launched frenzied attacks.

The Gold-plated Gauze swayed left and right, and even with Yuan Ming's Mana reinforcement, the glow on it quickly dulled.

Seeing this, Yuan Ming took out the Mid-grade Spirit Stone of Wood Attribute, stuffed it into his chest to draw on its Spiritual Power, recovering Mana to sustain the Gold-plated Gauze and the Fireball of the Burning Explosion Skill.

The crimson Fireball swiftly grew again, turning into a millstone-sized monster in an instant; its color deepened to a vivid red, emanating terrifying Mana fluctuations.

Yuan Ming's eyes brightened, and he stopped infusing Mana.

This was the limit he could control at present, and any more Mana would cause the Burning Explosion Skill to become uncontrollable!

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