The man narrowed his eyes, staring fixedly at Ning Fan. They naturally knew his cultivation realm-the ninth layer of the Yellow Extreme Realm.

He was originally at the eighth layer of the Yellow Extreme Realm, but after entering the Clear White Land, Ning Fan's cultivation had rapidly broken through to the ninth layer. Unexpectedly, in just half a day, his strength had advanced again, stepping directly into the Half-Step Profound Extreme Realm. Such a terrifying speed of breakthrough.

It was truly astonishing.

Even for a dual cultivation physique, this was far too outrageous.

"Senior Brother Shao."

Ning Fan raised his hand, grabbing Shao Hong's shoulder and pulling him behind his back. Yun Qingyao also stepped forward to shield Bai Ran. The two of them stood opposite the pair before them.

They presented a posture of equal confrontation.

"Junior Brother Ning, it's not just the two of them. Fang Qi and Ji Wuxi are also here..."

Shao Hong said with a grave expression.

As his voice fell, four figures emerged from the corner ahead of Ning Fan. They were precisely Ji Wuxi, Lin Yao, Fang Qi, and He Min. Counting the Dao companion pair blocking Ning Fan's path, there were a total of three couples on the opposing side, giving them an absolute numerical advantage.

"Where did you come from?"

"Could it be that you stumbled upon some dog-shit luck and found another entrance to the spirit vein?"

Lin Yao crossed her arms over her chest and spoke.

Lin Yao had actually guessed correctly.

"Half-Step Profound Extreme Realm. Tsk, just what kind of physique allows you two to cultivate at such an incredible speed? Since we've met, don't bother leaving."

Ji Wuxi's attention was entirely focused on the cultivation realms of Ning Fan and Yun Qingyao.

Such a physique.

If he could enjoy it for himself, his cultivation realm would surely soar by leaps and bounds!!

At this thought.

Ji Wuxi's figure flickered as he charged straight at Ning Fan. Leaping high into the air, he unleashed a flying kick down toward Ning Fan.

"..."

Without enough space behind him to maneuver, Ning Fan could only raise his fist and throw a punch to meet Ji Wuxi's incoming kick.

"Bang-"

A muffled impact rang out, and the entire cave seemed to tremble for a moment. Ning Fan's body was forced backward, but Yun Qingyao caught him in the next instant.

He was at a disadvantage.

But he had still managed to withstand Ji Wuxi's probing strike.

"Interesting."

Ji Wuxi cast a scrutinizing gaze over Ning Fan once more. This was his second time seeing Ning Fan, and a hint of solemnity finally appeared in his eyes.

A Half-Step Profound Extreme Realm disciple meant nothing to Ji Wuxi, but for a newly admitted Novice disciple to elevate their realm to the Half-Step Profound Extreme Realm...

Such heaven-defying talent was a bit too absurd.

"Shall we cooperate?"

Unexpectedly, Ji Wuxi did not attack again. Instead, he extended an olive branch to Ning Fan and Yun Qingyao.

"Cooperate?"

Ning Fan furrowed his brow.

"That's right."

"There are two methods of cooperation. You are free to choose."

"Speak."

Ning Fan asked with a hint of interest.

"We cooperate to explore the spirit vein and deal with the Demon Beasts along the way. Once we reach the core of the spirit vein, I will make my move and capture the two of you."

Ji Wuxi held up a single finger.

"And the second?"

"The second."

"You and your Dao companion submit to me and Junior Sister Yao. When we reach the spirit vein, we will each have our fun and exchange partners for a round of dual cultivation."

"Then, I will not make things difficult for you."

"How about it?"

Ji Wuxi said.

When he captured Ning Fan and Yun Qingyao made no difference to Ji Wuxi. Regardless, he and Lin Yao would 'enjoy' them at the spirit vein. Capturing them now or capturing them there was exactly the same.

In fact, by cooperating first, Ning Fan and Yun Qingyao could provide a bit of assistance while exploring the spirit vein.

"I choose the third option."

Ning Fan suddenly grinned.

"The third option?" This time, it was Ji Wuxi's turn to frown.

"Cooperation. Once we reach the spirit vein, I will make my move and suppress the two of you."

Ning Fan spoke with a light and breezy tone.

"Heh, hehe, ahahaha."

Ji Wuxi threw his head back and roared with laughter, as if he had just heard an incredibly hilarious joke. Only after a long while did his laughter subside.

"Being overly confident is not a good thing. You are, after all, only at the Half-Step Profound Extreme Realm."

"Then there is no need for Senior Brother to worry about it."

Ning Fan replied coldly.

"Junior Brother Ning, there is something strange about this spirit vein."

Shao Hong's voice suddenly rang out.

"Strange?"

"That's right. The strength of the Demon Beasts within this spirit vein is generally quite high. Normally speaking, the Demon Beasts on the outskirts of a spirit vein wouldn't leave me in such a sorry state, but..."

Shao Hong smiled bitterly.

Having merely encountered a few Demon Beasts on the periphery, Shao Hong had already suffered such heavy injuries. If Ning Fan and Yun Qingyao had not appeared, he and Bai Ran would likely have been forced by Ji Wuxi's group to act as pathfinders until they died.

"Not only that, but the Spiritual Qi of the spirit vein is also bizarre. Normally, the Spiritual Qi at the periphery should be the most abundant, becoming thinner the deeper one goes. Yet, the Spiritual Qi in this spirit vein grows denser the further in you walk. Combined with the cultivation realms of the Demon Beasts, there might be even rarer treasures hidden deep within the spirit vein."

"..."

Hearing this, Ning Fan was slightly taken aback.

Ah, this.

No wonder Ning Fan had run into Shao Hong and the others. It turned out the Spiritual Qi fluctuations of this spirit vein were abnormal. Ning Fan had thought he was heading deep into the spirit vein.

But in reality, he was walking toward the periphery.

Furthermore, the location Yun Qingyao had discovered was the middle section of the spirit vein. Walking outward from the middle meant they were bound to run into Ji Wuxi and his group, who were walking inward from the outside.

"Please, Junior Brothers and Junior Sister."

Ji Wuxi made a 'please' gesture, indicating that Ning Fan, Shao Hong, and the others should lead the way. It was called cooperation, but there was still a clear distinction in strength between the two groups.

The task of exploring the path ahead naturally fell upon Ning Fan, Shao Hong, and the other two.

"Let's go."

Ning Fan didn't mind at all. He even wished to encounter a few more Demon Beasts so he could hunt them, extract their demon cores, and thereby acquire cultivation resources.

Ning Fan was far too lacking in resources.

Ning Fan, Shao Hong, Yun Qingyao, and Bai Ran walked in the front. For Ning Fan and Yun Qingyao, they were essentially retracing their steps.

They walked without any issues until they reached the fork in the path.

It ran north and south.

This time, they could only choose the other path.

As they walked.

The Spiritual Qi clearly grew denser. If Shao Hong had not warned them of the spirit vein's anomaly beforehand, Ning Fan would have certainly believed they were heading out of the spirit vein.

"Careful!!"

After walking a few hundred meters, a cry of alarm erupted from Shao Hong's mouth. At the same time, a tiger-shaped Demon Beast lunged out from the shadow of a massive boulder, pouncing toward the four of them.

-A Half-Step Profound Extreme Realm Demon Beast!

"I'll handle it!"

Ning Fan's figure flashed, appearing directly in front of the tiger-shaped Demon Beast. The Spiritual Qi around his body surged wildly as he pushed the Tianxuan Heart Sutra to its absolute limit.

One punch!

It struck directly into the lower abdomen of the tiger-shaped Demon Beast.

"Bang-"

The tiger-shaped Demon Beast flew backward at a speed even faster than its approach, slamming heavily into the rock wall and causing the entire cavern to tremble.

"Hiss-"

Even though they had some understanding of Ning Fan's strength, upon witnessing this earth-shattering punch, everyone couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath of cold air.

Ning Fan's physical power was simply too monstrous!

The tiger-shaped Demon Beast howled in pain.

Surprisingly, after scrambling to its feet, it fled without even looking back.

How could Ning Fan let a demon core that was right in his grasp slip away? He closely pursued it.

And as he rounded the next corner.

The scenery before his eyes suddenly opened up.

The cramped cave expanded into a vast stone chamber.