Jade-Eyed Golden Eagle!

After the intense dizziness of the spatial teleportation subsided, Li Qingshan found his feet planted on solid yet unfamiliar ground.

A surge of Heaven and Earth Spirit Qi, several times denser and purer than that of the outside world, rushed toward him, carrying with it an ancient, desolate scent mixed with a faint trace of blood.

What met his eyes was an endless expanse of primitive forest; ancient trees towered into the sky, tangled with vines, while in the distance, mountain ranges rose and fell amidst swirling clouds and mist. In the deeper reaches, the outlines of massive palaces seemed to loom in and out of sight.

However, before their group of cannon fodder could even begin to observe the environment, deafening beast roars erupted from all directions!

"Roar!" "Awoo!" "Hiss--"

Dozens of demonic beasts of various shapes, their eyes flickering with bloodthirsty red light, lunged out from the forest!

These demonic beasts were not of high rank, mostly equivalent to the middle or late stages of Qi Refining, but they were numerous and appeared unusually manic, seemingly disturbed by the spatial fluctuations at the secret realm's entrance.

"Trash! Get up there! Kill these beasts!"

A Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivator from the Yin Luo Sect barked a cold command. He and his two Foundation Establishment Early Stage companions took a step back, watching with cold eyes, showing no intention of intervening.

The scattered cultivators being driven forward immediately fell into chaos.

Most of them possessed low cultivation and crude equipment; facing the ferocious demonic beasts, they were instantly plunged into a bitter struggle.

Cries of agony, roars, and the explosive sounds of spells rang out in an instant.

One after another, the scattered cultivators were torn apart or bitten to death by the beasts, their blood staining the moss and the roots of the ancient trees.

Li Qingshan remained in the crowd, his gaze icy.

He deliberately suppressed his strength, wielding a low-grade magic sword he had produced on the spot. He cast the Wood-Ether Entanglement Technique—barely reaching the level of the seventh layer of Qi Refining—along with some crude sword techniques, appearing to struggle as he fended off several wolf-like demonic beasts lunging at him.

His control over his spells was exquisite; he always managed to dodge fatal attacks at the perfect moment or "accidentally" pierce the vital points of the beasts. He appeared to be in a sorry state, but in reality, he remained completely unscathed.

He even had the spare energy to observe the three Yin Luo Sect Foundation Establishment cultivators and the surrounding environment from the corner of his eye.

"Move faster! Don't dawdle! Once this area is cleared, we have to keep moving!"

The Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivator from the Yin Luo Sect urged them impatiently, casually swatting away a beast attempting to approach them with a Yin-Sha Palm Print.

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and at the cost of nearly ten scattered cultivators' lives, this group of low-rank demonic beasts was finally wiped out.

The surviving scattered cultivators were all wounded, their faces etched with fear and exhaustion, while the air was thick with the heavy stench of blood.

Li Qingshan also deliberately carved a shallow scratch on his arm, feigning a slightly disordered aura.

"Hmph, a bunch of useless things. So many dead over just this many beasts!"

The Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivator cursed with disdain, then waved his hand. "Follow! If anyone falls behind, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

He drove the remaining twenty-some scattered cultivators forward rapidly in a specific direction.

Li Qingshan followed within the ranks, cold light flickering in his lowered eyes.

He was calculating the distance and the timing, preparing to strike instantly at a suitable location to slaughter the three of them before fleeing far away.

These three demonic cultivators likely carried quite a few good items on them.

However, just as he was about to make his move, a low conversation between the two Foundation Establishment Early Stage demonic cultivators ahead drifted into his ears on the wind.

Li Qingshan's divine sense was powerful, comparable to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, so much so that these demonic cultivators never imagined that such a powerful existence had hidden among the cannon fodder, and thus they had no defenses against him.

"...Senior Brother, is the information reliable? Is that Spirit Liquid Immortal Spring really in this area?"

"Nonsense! This is a vague location the Elder spent a great price to calculate. It is said that the spring eye only gathers a small pool every hundred years. It can not only instantly restore mana but also refine the meridians and solidify one's foundation—it has miraculous effects for breakthroughs in the Foundation Establishment realm!"

"But... I heard a Foundation Establishment Late Stage Jade-Eyed Golden Eagle guards it. It's not someone to be trifled with..."

"What are you afraid of? We have so much ready-made cannon fodder; let them attract the attention of that feathered beast while we take the spring! If we can obtain the Spirit Liquid, we'll hand over the majority, but we can keep a small portion for ourselves. We might just break through our bottlenecks!"

Spirit Liquid Immortal Spring? A Foundation Establishment Late Stage demonic beast?

Li Qingshan's heart stirred, and he instantly changed his mind.

A Spirit Liquid Immortal Spring that could instantly restore mana, refine meridians, and solidify one's foundation?

For him, this was also a massive temptation! Especially the part about solidifying the foundation, which was crucial for his cultivation of the Longevity True Art.

Killing these three Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators was easy, but finding such specific heavenly treasures in this vast secret realm afterward would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

It would be better to endure for now and let them "lead the way"!

Fine, I'll let you live a little longer until you find that Immortal Spring for me.

Li Qingshan suppressed his killing intent and remained silent, following the group like a frightened quail.

The party trekked through the primitive forest for about half an hour, encountering several more waves of demonic beast attacks along the way, which claimed a few more lives among the scattered cultivators, before finally arriving at a relatively open valley.

Deep within the valley, a thin silver waterfall could be seen cascading down from a cliff, splashing into a pool below and creating a hazy mist.

Before they had even approached, they could feel an extremely pure surge of Spirit Qi and a refreshing fragrance wafting from the direction of the pool.

However, perched atop a massive rock by the water's edge, a magnificent Golden Eagle stood proudly!

The Golden Eagle was enormous, with a wingspan likely exceeding five zhang. Its feathers looked as if they were cast from gold, shimmering brilliantly in the sunlight. Only its eyes were a sharp, piercing jade green, flashing with intense light as they blinked, radiating a heart-stopping demonic aura at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Late Stage!

It clearly noticed this group of uninvited guests and let out a sharp, warning cry. The sound waves spread like a physical force, causing everyone's eardrums to ache.

"This is it! The Jade-Eyed Golden Eagle!"

A flash of greed and apprehension crossed the eyes of the Yin Luo Sect cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage. He abruptly halted his steps and barked at the dozen or so remaining rogue cultivators behind him:

"Listen up, you trash! See that golden eagle? Its nest is right next to the spirit spring! Now, all of you, charge over there, scream your lungs out, and find a way to provoke it and lure it away! Whoever dares to retreat, I'll kill them right here and now!"

A chilling murderous intent erupted from his body, locking firmly onto this group of Qi Refining rogue cultivators.

"As long as you lure it away for a moment, once we secure the spirit spring, there will be no shortage of rewards for you! If any of you are lucky enough to survive, I'll reward you with one hundred spirit stones and even allow you to join the Yin Luo Sect as our disciples!"

Despair washed over the faces of the rogue cultivators. Lure a demonic beast at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Late Stage?

This was a suicide mission with zero chance of survival!

Yet, under the death threats of the three Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators, they could only let out desperate cries and, biting the bullet, charge in a chaotic mess toward the Jade-Eyed Golden Eagle, attempting to draw its attention.

Li Qingshan blended into the crowd, his eyes exceptionally calm.

His gaze swept rapidly across the pool, the golden eagle, and the three Yin Luo Sect cultivators who were quietly spreading out, preparing to seize their opportunity.