The Leopard Demon sneered, "You know nothing! This matter seems simple, but there’s more to it. If it’s just us wanting to kill Qin An, it will be very difficult."

"However, with both the water and fire essences, it’s different. If we can manipulate these two essences, our strength will definitely increase significantly."

"You saw those Silver Dao Marshals before, once they reveal even a trace of aura, they’re easily defeated. Using the water and fire essences against Qin An might be effective."

The demonic creatures still showed a hint of hesitation on their faces and asked, "But what if we don’t kill him? Not only would we end up dead, but even if we escaped..."

"If we escape, we escape!" The Leopard Demon interrupted with a wave of his hand, "If we manage to kill Qin An, we will have rendered a great service, and the lord in the Forbidden Area will not blame us but reward us heavily."

"If we cannot kill Qin An, we can pretend to throw away the water and fire essences, which would naturally end up with Qin An."

This statement immediately enlightened the previously confused demonic creatures.

He pondered for a moment, cupped his hands, and said, "The king’s mind is indeed beyond our understanding. This plan is feasible!"

The Leopard Demon revealed a look of smugness and slowly spoke, "Learn gradually; you still have much to learn. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be me sitting in this position."

The demonic creatures offered some more flattery and then started to lay out the detailed plan targeting Qin An.

The Leopard Demon looked at the forest, the cold sneer never leaving his heart.

This was indeed his plan, but it was not all there was to it.

To hand over the water and fire essences to Qin An without arousing suspicion required some sacrifice.

And these sacrifices would naturally be the lives of those demonic creatures.

He planned to escape immediately if they couldn’t kill Qin An, discarding the two essences along the way.

And these demonic creatures; they would be the gift to Qin An, making him believe that after annihilating everything here, he secured the essences.

Thinking of this, the Leopard Demon closed his eyes and waited patiently.

...

Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, several days had gone by.

Outside Little Cang Mountain, a figure suddenly descended from the sky, landing firmly on the ground.

Qin An, holding the Cold Star, looked at the lush forest ahead, his eyes flashing with a chilling light.

The voice of Reincarnation echoed from within Cold Star, carrying a hint of gravity: "Qin An, I always feel there’s something strange about this. How can it be so coincidental that there’s both water and fire essences? Is someone setting you up?"

Qin An nodded and said, "I’ve been thinking the same thing. This might be a trap, a trap specifically targeting me."

"However, the cost is too great; the power of the water and fire essences is too precious. Even if it’s a trap for me, I think I have no choice but to walk into it."

Reincarnation pondered and said, "You’re right, but everything must be done with caution. Qin An, I will try my best to assist you."

"Alright, I understand, no need to say more. Let’s decide what to do based on the situation later." Qin An stopped speaking and then stepped into Little Cang Mountain.

As he set foot into Little Cang Mountain, a powerful pressure hit him in the face, and the air was filled with a faint scent of blood and evil qi.

Ahead was a winding path, difficult for an ordinary person to traverse.

Qin An kept moving forward along the path; the further he went, the thicker the murderous aura became.

Soon, Qin An emerged from the path and arrived at a clearing.

At this moment, the clearing was littered with bloodstains and evil qi, but aside from these, there was no one else.

Qin An sneered coldly and stepped into the clearing, his tone calm as a lake, "Since I’ve already come, you should show yourselves. If you don’t, I’ll destroy this forest to see where you’re hiding."

As soon as he finished speaking, the demonic creatures hidden in the depths of the forest suddenly moved.

A vast number of demonic creatures surged forth from all directions.

The majority were at the Element Transformation Realm, with a few at the Tripod Aspiration Realm.

Leading them was a Leopard Demon.

Once the demonic creatures landed firmly, they immediately surrounded Qin An.

Qin An looked around, his lips curling into a faint sneer, and said indifferently, "Do you think you can stop me with just you demonic creatures? You’re courting death!"

Honestly, if Qin An were still at the Element Transformation Realm, or even at the initial stage of the Tripod Aspiration Realm, these demonic creatures would indeed pose some trouble for him.

But now he was at the Great Success of the Tripod Aspiration Realm, and all his cultivation techniques had been perfected.

These demonic creatures were nothing more than weaklings to him.

The Leopard Demon sneered, waved his hand, and said, "Qin An, you’re too arrogant! This is your burial ground! Everyone, activate the water and fire essences for me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Leopard Demon raised both hands.

Flames, as dazzling as the sun, emerged on his left hand, while his right hand held a water sphere, enveloped in an icy aura.

At the moment the two essences appeared, the demonic creatures shouted in unison, and the terrifying evil qi surged towards the Leopard Demon.

The next moment, under the combined efforts of the demonic creatures, the two essences fused into a single colorless sphere of light.

As soon as the sphere of light appeared, the Leopard Demon let out a loud roar and hurled it fiercely towards Qin An.

The sphere of light expanded with the wind, filled with the apocalyptic energy of the two essences, moving as fast as lightning.

Qin An frowned slightly before raising the Cold Star and unleashed a slash.

The might of the Three Blades Unite came with terrifying momentum.

As the saber momentum clashed with the two essences, a terrifying explosion resounded, uprooting surrounding trees.

Qin An’s figure flew backward, landing steadily on the ground.

The water and fire essences, like maggots on bones, quickly approached.

The Leopard Demon showed a hint of excitement on his face.

Seeing Qin An’s figure retreat, he thought Qin An couldn’t handle these two essences.

But the next moment, the Leopard Demon realized he was wrong.

Qin An raised his head, and as the water and fire essences approached, he unexpectedly abandoned Cold Star and raised his left hand.

As the terrifying Qi Blood Power surged, his left hand slammed onto the two essences.

Once the fist skill was executed, the two essences were momentarily halted by the impact of Qin An’s Qi Blood Power.

And in that pause, Qin An’s lips curled into a smile as he stepped forward.

"This was indeed a trap designed for me, but what you didn’t consider before setting it was whether it could actually kill me."

"Now it can’t kill me, and it has even become my advantage."

As soon as he said this, Qin An took advantage of the moment when the water and fire essences were resisted to harness the three essences within him.

The three essences, originally sharing the same root, weakened the momentum of the water and fire essences the moment they were activated.

In that weakening moment, the water and fire essences gradually separated, the terrifying power dissipated.

Qin An activated the three essences, absorbing the two into himself and intertwining them with the other three essences.

Indistinguishable yet perfectly ordered.

"All five essences are complete!"

Qin An couldn’t hide his excitement, then glanced over the remaining demonic creatures, exuding a cold, knife-like killing intent.

"Now that my goal is achieved, there’s no need for you to remain."

Upon seeing this, the Leopard Demon’s face changed dramatically, shouting, "Stop him!"

The demonic creatures instinctively tried to obstruct Qin An, while the Leopard Demon turned to flee.

The plan was complete, and he felt no need to stay behind.

But as a gust of wind swept by, the Leopard Demon suddenly felt a hand press on his back, sending chills throughout his body.

He looked back in terror to see Qin An had already approached.

The demonic creatures that had tried to block Qin An had long become scattered corpses, lying motionless on the ground.