When Yan Xiaobao walked in and heard people talking about him, his heart was pounding. But after reminding himself that he was there as Nightcrypt, he calmed down and joined the group.

The other disciples nodded in greeting and continued to recount the story of Yan Xiaobao.

"Yan Xiaobao is the nemesis of my life!" Zhao Wuchang said, clenching his fists so tightly that veins appeared on them. Even though he gritted his teeth in anger, a lingering fear could still be seen in his eyes.

"Don't worry, Mr. Zhao," one of the disciples said soothingly. "I've heard the sect leader has issued an official reward for Bai Xiaochun. Anyone who takes the lead will receive a precious treasure and a Golden Core Fruit!" The other disciples seemed excited about the prospect, but Yan Xiaobao's eyes widened and his heart began to pound even harder.

"Golden Core Fruit?" he thought. "It dramatically increases the chances of achieving Core Formation! This Blood Stream Sect is too ruthless!!"

Even though he was filled with fury inside, another disciple of the Blood Stream Sect laughed coldly, saying, "That's nothing. Just a few days ago, I heard that three great blood masters were dispatched to hunt down Yan Xiaobao. If he dares step out of the Spirit Stream Sect, he will be killed beyond a shadow of a doubt!"

Although everyone in the Immortal Cave was gnashing their teeth and cursing, people realized that Yan Xiaobao hadn't said anything. Zhao Wuchang glanced over in surprise.

"Junior Brother Nightcrypt, why aren't you chiming in? You nearly got killed by Yan Xiaobao. What do you think of him?" Everyone turned to look at Yan Xiaobao.

Yan Xiaobao was trembling inwardly from fear, but upon hearing Zhao Wuchang address him, he puffed out his chest and slammed it with his palm. With an extremely fierce expression and bloodshot eyes, he said, "Let me tell you about the relationship between Yan Xiaobao and me. Ultimately, either he will die or I will die! Don't even talk about Yan Xiaobao in my presence! My whole life's purpose is for him to end prematurely!"

He then continued to express his determination to kill Bai Xiaochun, with increasingly venomous words. The other disciples began nodding, and some among them, including Zhao Wuchang, felt he was expressing their sentiments.

The conversation continued, and soon the topic changed, allowing Yan Xiaobao to breathe a sigh of relief. The Blood Stream Sect truly proved to be a dangerous place, and he was already starting to miss the Spirit Stream Sect.

At one point, during a lull in the conversation, the host of the Immortal Cave, the most powerful disciple, looked around and then said, "I need to tell you all something important. I've done some investigating and learned that the sect has decided how to handle those of us who failed in the Foundation Establishment Holy Land. Apparently, they're going to give us another chance!"

The other disciples immediately looked at him with serious expressions.

"Assuming there's a chance to reach the Mortal-Dao Foundation," he continued, "that means we'll need a Foundation Establishment Pill. Most likely, this opportunity will appear in the form of a fire trial where we compete for this pill."

"I've also been told that not everyone will get the chance to participate in the fire trial. Before it starts, we'll receive tasks from the sect, and only those who complete the tasks will qualify for the competition."

Yan Xiaobao blinked, then simultaneously pretended to be both thoughtful and sinister.

The host of the Immortal Cave looked around, his eyes flashing, and continued, "Friends, don't forget we're not the only ones who failed in the Holy Land. There are loners who refused to join our group. We need to unite to eliminate them and ensure that one of us obtains the Foundation Establishment Pill!"

It was impossible to say what people were actually thinking, but on the surface, everyone seemed to support the idea. After expressing their agreement, they talked more about sect news before dispersing.

Yan Xiaobao walked through the sect, the sky above him gradually darkening. As he thought about the issue of the fire trial, he realized he should find a way to prevent others from successfully reaching the Foundation. For all intents and purposes, the Blood Stream Sect was the enemy of the Spirit Stream Sect.

As he walked and pondered, his eyes suddenly flashed. He turned around, reached out with his right hand, and grabbed someone walking behind him. The person didn't expect him to be so fast and didn't evade his hand. However, Yan Xiaobao ultimately grabbed the person's chest.

"You naughty demon! What, do you want to do it here?" It was a middle-aged woman with scars on her face. One of the scars even ran from the top of her forehead down to her lips. Standing there, with the moonlight shining on her, she almost looked like a noisy ghost.

Her cultivation base was at the tenth level of Qi Condensation, and a flirtatious look could be seen in her eyes.

Yan Xiaobao stared in shock, then quickly withdrew his hand.

"Well, that's okay," the woman said. "If you want something like this, I'll follow your lead..." She raised her eyebrows flirtatiously, and as Yan Xiaobao fled in the opposite direction, she was about to remove her clothes.

"Damn it, Nightcrypt," he said, "how many girlfriends do you have in this sect!?" The woman called after him, but Yan Xiaobao didn't even stop.

"I'm not quite sure," the impostor Nightcrypt answered in a dreadful tone. "Surviving in the Blood Stream isn't easy. Over the years, I've reached out to anyone who could give me pills...."

Yan Xiaobao's eyes were blank. After returning to his Immortal Cave, Yan Xiaobao sat there, frowning and sighing. He wasn't sure how to think about impersonating Nightcrypt. On one hand, he felt a bit sorry for him. However, after taking over his identity, he had to deal with the possibility of having some sort of relationship with any female disciples he met. If they were beautiful, he might even consider acknowledging their feelings.

Unfortunately, not one of the female disciples willing to hand over medicine pills to Nightcrypt was particularly attractive.

"No one knows who I really am, which is a good thing. Otherwise, my true reputation might be irrevocably tarnished." Sighing, he decided in the future he would strive to stay indoors as much as possible.

Afterward, he began to practice his cultivation. Usually, he wouldn't cultivate so diligently, but the benefits of working with the Immortal Heavenly King in this place were too good to pass up. He knew he had an unprecedented opportunity and couldn't afford to waste it.

After contemplating, he even tried using the Immortal Eternal Life Skill to create a drop of true Immortal Blood. Unfortunately, Immortal Blood came from the last scroll, and at this point, all he could do was absorb the Blood Qi of the area. It was currently impossible to turn it into Immortal Blood.

Even so, he was very excited about the prospect before him. He also secretly nurtured the Violet Qi Heavenspan Incantation, continuing to melt the Heavenspan River water in his spiritual ocean.

His true cultivation base was steadily progressing. Additionally, his Heavenspan Dharma Eye, hidden by the mask's power, was also growing stronger.

However, what he looked forward to the most was Mountain Shaking Bash.

"After reaching the power of ten mammoths, I can form a Fierce Battle Ghost body. Then I'll complete the first layer of the Immortal Heavenly King!" As he continued to work with the Immortal Heavenly King scroll and absorb Blood Qi, he felt his power growing and was filled with anticipation.

"In a few days, I should have the power of two original mammoths. I'm close to the power of ten! And I'm just at the back of the hand. Once I grab a finger, I should progress faster!" Excitedly, he thought about how the five mountains of the Blood Stream Sect all had blood waterfalls. It was speculated that if he practiced cultivation near the Blood Waterfalls, his progress would be incredible.

Sighing, he couldn't stop thinking about how the Blood Stream Sect could become his own private Holy Land.

He didn't give up on his work in atomic power and human control Great Magic. Although he hadn't conducted any experiments recently, he spent a lot of time thinking and analyzing the subject.

A month flew by.

During that time, he never left his Immortal Cave. However, he was able to observe the area outside and frequently saw Blood Stream Sect disciples fighting each other. Once, he even saw a disciple killed not far from his Immortal Cave.

If such an incident happened in the Spirit Stream Sect, it would be a big deal.

...