A Dilemma

"Your master never got anything from that room! You beast, don't push your luck!" Yue Lan held the Cold Moon Sword in front of him, scattering the sword net that Jiang Qing had cast.

"He said he didn't get it?!" E Yuan and Kang Dabao were shocked to hear this. The former's eyes lit up with excitement, and he couldn't help but keep looking back at the entrance of the room.

The key to that stone gate was crucial to the future of their Jade Lake Lineage, and E Yuan was extremely nervous.

Although this Jade Crocodile is hundreds of years old, having lived in this secluded Mountain-Viewing cave abode, its composure is clearly far inferior to that of the Sect Leader Kang Da. Seeing that E Yuan had been swayed by Yue Lan's few words, the latter's eyes flashed with Golden Light, first extinguishing the Cold Moon before Yue Lan, before he spoke to advise:

"Fellow Daoist Crocodile, do not readily believe this man's words. Let us first execute this fellow and examine his Storage Bag before making a judgment."

E Yuan was, after all, the current leader of the Jade Lake Lineage, and therefore had nothing to do with the word "stupid".

After pondering Kang Dabao's words for a while, the Jade Crocodile found them quite reasonable, and its eyes turned even more bloodshot as it looked at Yue Lan.

It thought to itself, "Letting the first few people pass through Jade Lake was the right thing to do. None of them are easy to deal with! It's just that these Kang fellows are weak enough. Once the Body-Cleansing Formation is activated, I can start dealing with them."

We must deal with this burly Daoist as soon as possible, lest things get complicated and someone else gets involved! It's a pity that my Jade Lake Lineage has been so badly harmed by that scoundrel Guanyu that we can't even handle these few Foundation Establishment."

Thinking of this, a fierce glint flashed in E Yuan's eyes, and he withdrew the Serrated Teeth Grand Formation.

After the fierce battle with Yue Lan, the number of stars in the heavens had dwindled to less than three hundred. However, E Yuan had no intention of being stingy. As long as he had sufficient supplies, he could repair all the serrations in a short time.

However, as soon as E Yuan withdrew its Serrated Teeth Grand Formation, the pressure on Kang Dabao and the others increased sharply.

Because of his good aptitude and the Liangyi Sect's policy of "strengthening the trunk and weakening the branches" towards its subordinate sects, Yue Lan, as a direct descendant of the Yue family and a cultivator with two spiritual roots, was able to join the Liangyi Sect at a young age. After reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, he was even accepted as a direct disciple by the fake Dan Master.

Before the Han City Yue Household colluded with the Cloud Horn Prefecture Court, Yue Lan was considered a trustworthy person in the eyes of the high-ranking cultivators of the Two Instruments Sect.

That is why he was able to receive the "Moonlight Spirit-Nurturing Scripture," a low-grade Cosmos Rank, Lower Grade Cultivation Method, despite being born into Lineage. During this time, renowned teachers lectured on him continuously, and high-ranking masters expounded on the scripture without ceasing.

This was an honor that even Yuan Feng, whose talent far surpassed his, could only dream of!

Yue Lan, a Green Leaf Foundation Establishment, received such preferential treatment not only because of his own considerable talent and diligent study, but also because the Yue Lan Sect treated him with great Two Instruments Sect.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Yue Lan should be able to stay peacefully within the Two Instruments Sect, and obtaining a pseudo- Dao of Alchemy path should be a certainty.

However, an unexpected event occurred: the eldest daughter of the Yue Household was chosen by Kuang Liuting, causing Yue Lin of the Yue Lin Han City Yue Household to abandon his ambivalent stance.

This led to the Yue Household severing ties with those Yue Household who cultivated in the Two Instruments Sect, making Yue Lan's situation within the Two Instruments Sect even more difficult.

As for the Bright Moon Token of Mountain-Viewing Cave, it was obtained by Yue Lan in the Two Instruments Sect before the Immortal Dynasty took control of Cloud Horn Prefecture, through Merit Points and the favors he had cultivated over many years.

But things have changed. In today's Two Instruments Sect, Yue Lan would no longer have such face.

Not to mention others, even his fellow disciples, who had always been as close as family, had changed their attitudes towards him to varying degrees. This was also the reason why he, as an elder of the Two Instruments Sect's Battle Hall, did not bring anyone with him on this trip.

In other words, this trip to Mountain-Viewing Cave is almost Yue Lan's only chance to turn his life around. As long as he can seize the treasures in the cave, take possession of Chu Yanran's body, and Golden Core Formation Pill, then what reason would the Two Instruments Sect have not to accept him?

At that time, Yue Lin, a False Core cultivator, will naturally find it difficult to maintain his position as the head of the Yue Household family. The Yue Lineage of Han City Yue Household, founded by the founding ancestor of the Two Instruments Sect, should naturally return to the rule of the Two Instruments Sect to preserve the face of the sect.

Before the plan could even be realized, Kang Dabao had colluded with a group of water beasts to entangle him. How could Yue Lan not be furious?!

As E Yuan's offensive paused, Yue Lan felt the pressure lessen considerably. She snapped her fingers together, and the Cold Moon Sword gleamed, unleashing eight sharp Sword Qi from all four directions.

After breaking Kang Dabao's Golden Light pupil technique, slaying Jiang Qing's charged sword, destroying Yuan Xiyue's Wisdom Consort Dharma Form, and shattering Zhang Qingran's protective Spirit Artifact, Cold Moon Sword still did not stop. It plowed four bloody tracks in the water beast horde, and several Second Tier Demon Beast all perished under this sword.

Jiang Qing's black robes were slashed with blood by Yue Lin's Cold Moon Sword, yet the Double Brightness Sword Immortal showed no fear on his face, but rather was filled with excitement.

The White Dew Sword in his hand seemed to hum incessantly, revealing the fighting spirit surging in Jiang Qing's heart.

"I'm afraid my Little Sanzi has some serious illness?" Sect Leader Kang Da could only grumble to himself. He stretched out his banner and, without hesitation, the banner fluttered wildly, and the black wind it stirred up almost deflected a sword light that was about to pierce Jiang Qing again, instead landing a few feet to the latter's side.

In an instant, a loud explosion rang out, and mud filled the air.

Zhang Qingran and Yuan Xiyue were already weaker than Jiang Qing, and without the careful protection of their senior brother Kang Dabao, they were naturally put in a very awkward situation by Yue Lan's sudden outburst.

"Cough," blood trickled from the corner of Yuan Xiyue's mouth, adding another layer of color to her snow-white face.

Zhang Qingran's face was pale. Under Yue Lan's fierce attack, she had lost two or three Spirit Artifacts in succession. Her Storage Bag was already empty, how could it withstand such consumption?!

If Yuan Feng, who cherishes women, were to see the current plight of these two women, he would probably be heartbroken and shed tears.

Compared to him, the Sect Leader Kang Da was much rougher and more rigid, and didn't bother with such things.

Even with a formidable enemy at hand, Kang Dabao ensured that Yuan Xiyue could always feel a pair of golden eyes watching her, preventing this legitimate daughter of the Yuan Household from ever daring to cross that line.

She always felt that this unassuming little sect leader possessed a ruthless streak that dared to dethrone the emperor. Even at the cost of taking a sword strike from Yue Lan, he would first use the Golden Light in his two small eyes to blast his own head to pieces.

Moreover, Yuan Xiyue had also Wisdom Consort Seal in Zhang Qingran, which not only put the latter's life in her hands but also made the latter dare not leave her side, willingly becoming an accomplice of the Sect Leader Kang Da.

With a "crack," the flagpole of the Ink Abyss Flag, which Kang Dabao had kept by his side for many years, snapped in two. The eleven layers of spiritual patterns shattered completely in an instant, and fragments of gold essence, forged from Wind-Cold Iron and Glazed Steel, fell to the ground. The banner, made from the hide of Second-Tier Upper-Grade spirit beast Mountain-Tusked Boar, was shattered by Yue Lan's fierce sword light!

This change filled Sect Leader Kang Da's golden eyes with heartache, leaving him with no choice but to summon the Immortal Game Disc to cope.

Then, Yue Lan parried the White Dew in Jiang Qing's hand with a single strike, causing the Sword Qi to scatter and fly, resulting in several injuries to the former.

Even though everyone knew that E Yuan was gathering his strength to unleash a powerful attack, the time it was taking was far too long. Sect Leader Kang Da could no longer contain himself and shouted, "Fellow Daoist Crocodile?!"

As the sound rang out, a green-glazed water arrow shot out from the giant E Yuan's mouth. Yue Lan raised his shield to block it, but the shield, a magical Spirit Artifact, was pierced through on the spot.

Yue Lan's shield was a top-grade Spirit Artifact, and he had no intention of being overconfident in using it to defend against E Yuan's water arrows. However, Crocodile E Yuan's methods far exceeded his expectations!

At this point in the battle, Yue Lan's expression finally changed drastically. He unleashed a talisman to save his life while urgently pleading, "Brother Chi, save me!"

"Hiss!" Half-Chi was covered in blood, its body enveloped in blue flames from claws to tail. It was locked in a fierce battle with the three beasts led by Purple-Whiskered King Tuna, and the scene was much more exciting than that of Sect Leader Kang Da.

The water beasts were not faring any better.

The Purple-Whiskered King Tuna had a huge gash in its pectoral fin, which had to be sealed with a spirit seal to prevent it from bursting open. Four of the three pairs of yellow pupils of the Six-Eyed Sage Widower had been blinded by the smoke. The One-Horned Poison Pufferfish's horn had long since disappeared, leaving only an empty fleshy hole on its head, from which blood would occasionally spurt out.

Even amidst such a tense battle, after hearing Yue Lan's urging, Half-Chi's body still trembled. After being struck by the long whiskers of the Purple-Whiskered King Tuna, he used the force to propel himself forward, desperately spewing out a burst of flames that instantly vaporized E Yuan's Green-Glazed Water Arrow, allowing Yue Lan to escape danger.

"Yue Lan is really lucky!" Kang Dabao thought with envy, only wishing that his own son, who died young, had been Half-Chi and half a fighting prodigy!

However, the blazing fire that Half-Chi was no ordinary technique. After it was unleashed, its spirit visibly weakened, and it was no longer the imposing figure it had been when it fought fiercely with the three-headed water beast.

"Fellow Daoists, let's put in more effort and not let this bloodthirsty mudfish survive until today!" E Yuan shouted coldly, his gaze towards Half-Chi filled with disgust.

"To serve a lowly person with the dignity of a dragon's descendant is utterly despicable!"

Seeing the Half-Chi's dejected state, the three beasts, including the Purple-Whiskered King Tuna, were greatly encouraged.

Although Yue Lan's Swordsmanship was superb, he had lost his handy defensive Spirit Artifact. Faced with the combined attack of E Yuan and the other cultivators, he lost his initial composure and began to struggle to defend himself, looking quite disheveled.

"Brother Chi is gone!" Yue Lan shouted, urging his Cold Moon Sword to barely block a row of serrated teeth spurted out by E Yuan. However, he was struck on the shoulder by two Golden Light from Kang Dabao, which shattered the spiritual barrier on his magic robe and tore the flesh off his shoulder, making it difficult to heal.

"You despicable thief!" Yue Lan had been fighting this strange group of people who had come together from all sides for so long, the arena was covered in blood and the soles of his feet were slippery, but it was only now that he was seriously injured. Naturally, he was quite resentful of the instigator Sect Leader Kang Da.

However, the latter was no longer the minor Qi Refining Qi Refinement whom he had once criticized. Under such circumstances, even in his fury, Yue Lan could hardly cause any substantial harm to Kang Dabao.

Having no other choice, Yue Lan took advantage of the fact that E Yuan's new strength had not yet been restored and endured Jiang Qing's sword strike head-on. Even though it caused the wound on his shoulder to burst open and could not be stopped, he still managed to squeeze to the side of Half-Chi and slash with his sword.

"Roar! Cultivator, you're courting death!" Half of the pectoral fin of the Purple-Whiskered King Tuna was slashed off by Yue Lan's sword, causing its two purple whiskers to tremble in pain, making way for the Half-Chi to retreat.

"Brother Chi is gone!!" Ignoring the menacing eyes of his opponents, Yue Lan first Restore Spirit pouch to rest, leaving himself alone to face the formidable foe.

"You're not getting away!" E Yuan wasn't about to let a cooked duck fly away, so he stepped forward to block him.

"This four-legged beast has very thick skin. I'm afraid it will be difficult to take its life even after several sword strikes!" Yue Lan instantly made a decision. As an elder of the Two Instruments Sect's Battle Hall, he had experienced quite a few life-and-death crises. Even in times more dangerous than this, Yue Lan had not lost his composure.

E Yuan unleashed its ferocity, and for a short time, it alone was able to restrain Yue Lan's Cold Moon Sword, preventing him from breaking free. Seeing that the other cultivators and water beasts were also rushing over, Yue Lan finally decided to unleash his true trump card.

"Clang!" A phantom image of a silver bell suddenly appeared in the air, enveloping Yue Lan and isolating him from all the Daoist arts and Spirit Artifact in the sky.

Sect Leader Kang Da frowned and sighed softly, "Another talisman!"

These scions of wealthy families and disciples of high-ranking sects were all incredibly rich. In all his years of cultivation, Sect Leader Kang Da had seen the most talismans and treasures during this trip to Mountain-Viewing Cave.

The defensive silver bell talisman that Yue Lan is using now is much more valuable than the golden knife talisman that Yuan Xiyue used earlier.

However, the Jingnan Yuan Household was merely a local noble family, far inferior to the Two Instruments Sect, Golden Core sect that dominated several states. It is likely that they had already done their utmost to provide Yuan Xiyue with a flawed talisman, which was quite remarkable.

With the silver bell Protect Body, Yue Lan finally had a chance to catch his breath. This talisman was personally bestowed upon him by the sect leader as a reward when he was promoted to elder of the Battle Hall.

Yue Lan had always cherished this treasure, but now, in order to save his life, he could no longer afford to care about it.

However, although the Silver Bell Talisman is more precious than ordinary attack talismans, it has no offensive capabilities.

Therefore, Yue Lan's situation did not improve significantly, and he could only silently endure the beatings, occasionally unleashing a few bursts of Sword Qi to show that his fighting spirit remained.

Fighting and retreating in this way, Yue Lan moved to the side of another room.

"Not good!!" Kang Dabao had already seen through Yue Lan's thoughts. Once a cultivator entered any room of the Ice-Drinking Chamber, it would be much more difficult for an outsider to break in from the outside. Without the power of False Core, it would be almost impossible.

E Yuan had clearly anticipated Yue Lan's plan, and the Green-Glazed Water Arrow in his mouth slowly took shape again, ready to be sprayed out.

"Oh no! Oh no!!" Sect Leader Kang Da's face immediately showed a look of panic. As soon as he finished speaking, Yue Lan's figure entered the light screen of the room and disappeared without a trace.

The silver bell talisman disappeared, E Yuan forcibly swallowed the Green-Glazed Water Arrow, clearly quite displeased.

"Now, we can only hope that what this fellow says is true." E Yuan sighed, not even bothering to rest. He spoke to the other beasts in animal language for a while, then looked at Kang Dabao again.

"Fellow Daoist Kang, I'll go back into the room and investigate. If the stone door key is still there, I do have a method to break the seal passed down from my ancestors. However, with my abilities, it would probably take me more than three days to open the light barrier in this room. I wonder if Fellow Daoist Kang has any Formation-Breaking Pearl you could lend me?"

"Formation-Breaking Pearl?" Kang Dabao only had five First Tier beads on hand, so he knew they were useless here. He then looked at the Double Brightness Sword Immortal, who was still enjoying the battle.

"Senior Brother, I don't have this either." Jiang Qing affectionately stroked the blade of the White Dew Sword. This flying sword, given to him by the Earl of Nan'an, was indeed sturdy, having survived such a great battle without any nicks or chips.

Needless to say, Zhang Qingran was practically all alone at this moment.

"Sect Leader Kang, I do indeed possess a Second Tier Formation-Breaking Pearl Bead." Yuan Xiyue, being quite straightforward, knew that the poor wretch wouldn't overlook her, and frankly stated.

"Thank you, fellow Daoist!" Sect Leader Kang Da was quite satisfied with Yuan Xiyue's performance just now. The latter did not do anything unwise, which saved Kang Dabao from getting his hands dirty with blood.

After obtaining the Second Tier Formation-Breaking Pearl, E Yuan entered the room where Yue Lan had just come out. Kang Dabao first ordered the cultivators to regulate their breathing and heal their injuries. Although Yue Lan was only one person, the life-and-death battle had caused considerable casualties to the cultivators.

The same applies to the Purple-Whiskered King Tuna and other aquatic beasts. How could they force the Half-Chi, who had been Yue Lan's companion for many years and had a decent reputation in Shannan Circuit, to flee in disarray without risking their lives and paying a heavy price?

After settling the cultivators in, Sect Leader Kang Da, who had not suffered any serious injuries, found himself in a dilemma.

There are quite a few empty rooms nearby. Who knows, I might just randomly pick one and come out with a few Golden Core Formation Pill? You can't completely trust what that four-legged beast, E Yuan, says!

However, the Sect Leader Kang Da only hesitated for a quarter of an hour before a light screen flashed in a room in the distance, and a halberd-wielding cultivator wearing a cloak and holding a short halberd walked out with a face full of resentment.

Yuan Feng, who had wasted another Second Tier Formation-Breaking Pearl, was filled with resentment, but was pleasantly surprised to use his Divine Sense to locate Yuan Xiyue and Zhang Qingran.

"Big sister, my little darling!"

Kang Dabao, who had only managed to hold on until now thanks to the Long Breath Art, felt a sinking feeling in his heart upon hearing these frivolous words. His camp was now filled with wounded soldiers; whether or not to fight, he had to choose again.