"It’s all thanks to Elder He and Elder Gu that we didn’t fall into the clutches of that Elder Thief Su."

After hearing the middle-aged man’s words, Jiang Xu immediately realized the identities of the two people behind him.

They were the two Golden Core Cultivators besides Master Su. He had heard of their existence in the Secret Realm before.

However, judging by their pale faces and cold expressions, their condition was clearly not good. They must have been ambushed and injured by that Master Su.

’From the looks of it, they probably can’t deal with Master Su anymore.’

"Why would that... Elder Thief Su ambush you? Was there something wrong with the Array? What was it?" Jiang Xu gradually calmed down, thought for a moment, and then asked.

"He needs me as a key to break the core Array."

Yan Chunyu said:

"Elder He could tell that the core Array seems to be a seal, one that has something special tightly sealed away.

"So he cautiously stopped trying to break it. But that Elder Thief Su clearly had no intention of stopping. After communication failed, he attacked directly."

"It’s my fault. My skills are lacking." The cold-faced, middle-aged man behind them spoke with deep regret. "As the Pavilion Master of the Profound Origin Sect’s Array Pavilion, my abilities are actually weaker than a Demon Cultivator’s. I failed to see his malicious intent... sigh."

"Fellow Daoist He, don’t blame yourself too much. Who could have known this person spent so many years setting up his scheme? He even knew the location of this Secret Realm decades before we did," Elder Gu comforted him from the side.

’Decades?’

’Spending decades to set up a scheme?’

’No wonder Master Su was faster at breaking the Array than Elder He.’

’So he had a premeditated plot all along!’

’He even went so far as to spend decades forging the identity of an Independent Practitioner Array Master.’

’Who could have possibly predicted that?’

"Although we rescued the key to the core Array, Elder Demon Su still got his hands on some of her blood. I can now see that all the negative emotions throughout the Secret Realm are being gathered at the core. This will strengthen the power of Yan Chunyu’s blood, meaning he can still activate the Array," Elder He said grimly.

"What will be the consequences after the core Array is activated?" Jiang Xu had a bad feeling.

"I don’t know... All I know is that it’s a Demon that required a Tier Four Array to seal. It has been sealed since Ancient Times, and now a Golden Core Demon Cultivator is risking his life to unseal it. If it breaks free... what consequences do you think there will be?"

Jiang Xu despaired.

’He was only at the Qi Cultivation stage!’

’He hadn’t even reached Foundation Establishment yet!’

’His Concealing Breath Spell couldn’t even fool a Golden Core Cultivator.’

’Let alone some possible ancient Demon!’

But Jiang Xu hadn’t given up hope. He asked:

"Is there any way to stop it?"

"Of course there is."

Hope flickered in Jiang Xu’s eyes.

"Just kill Elder Demon Su."

"But you two..."

"If the two of us were capable of that, would I be wasting my breath talking to you?" Elder He interrupted impatiently.

Jiang Xu was speechless.

’So there’s nothing to do but wait for death!’

"Besides killing Elder Demon Su, there are two other ways."

Elder Gu added from the side:

"The first is to cut off the Blood Array’s energy source, which means making everyone in the Secret Realm stop releasing negative emotions. But if that happens and Elder Demon Su sees there aren’t enough negative emotions, he will definitely start slaughtering people himself. So this method doesn’t solve the root problem.

"The second is for the two of us to recover from our injuries. He definitely can’t beat me and Fellow Daoist He if we team up. The only reason he won before was because he ambushed us and had the help of a hidden Array. In a direct confrontation, he’s absolutely no match for the two of us!"

"Then how can you two recover from your injuries?" Hope was rekindled in Jiang Xu.

Elder Gu replied:

"Our injuries aren’t ordinary, superficial wounds. If they were, it would be simple. With our Cultivation, we could recover in an instant.

"But to escape Elder Demon Su’s clutches, we used extraordinary means that have damaged the foundation of our Golden Cores. To heal, we need nothing less than a Tier Three Treasure Medicine, and not just any kind—it must be one that specifically restores one’s foundation."

"You need a Tier Three Treasure Medicine to heal?... Where am I supposed to find that!" Jiang Xu was dumbfounded.

Elder He snapped irritably:

"Who said you had to find it yourself? What use could a mere Qi Cultivation disciple like you be?

"You just need to find those Foundation Establishment Cultivators, explain the situation, and have them look for it! As for where to find it... there’s a slim chance of finding such a healing Treasure Medicine in the Inner Area. It all depends on your luck.

"If you’re lucky and find it, then all will be well. If you’re unlucky, then we’re all finished. Even the entire Dinghai State will suffer!

"And don’t even think about being a traitor and telling Elder Demon Su our location. Don’t think for a second he’ll spare your life if you do. If you really think that, you’re far too naive.

"Relying on a Demon Cultivator to keep his word is as ridiculous as a wolf playing house with a sheep instead of eating it."

Jiang Xu understood.

These two wanted him to go find the Foundation Establishment Elders, have them search for the Treasure Medicine, and then bring it to these two Elders to heal their injuries.

"Then this disciple will go find the Elders now?" Jiang Xu said tentatively.

"You know what to do, so hurry up and go!"

Elder He was losing his patience, but Elder Gu offered a gentle smile and spoke softly:

"Take this."

After speaking, Elder Gu gave Jiang Xu two items.

A Talisman and a small white orb.

"This is an Earth Escape Talisman. As for the other, crush it after you find the Treasure Medicine, and we’ll be able to find your location."

After putting them away, Jiang Xu saw that the two Elders had nothing else for him, so he knew it was time to leave.

He bowed to the two Elders and then hurried away.

Using the Light Body Spell, Jiang Xu moved with great speed. It wasn’t long before he left the cave, rushing off into the distance without stopping.

On the way, Jiang Xu replayed the entire incident in his mind.

First, because nothing unusual had happened for many days in the outer area, he had lowered his guard.

Then, his Spirit-Devouring Insects had failed to detect them and hadn’t reported back to him accurately.

After that, his Spiritual Eye Technique was ineffective against Golden Core Ancestors, so he hadn’t noticed them at all.

This was what led to him running into them.

But in hindsight, Jiang Xu couldn’t shake the feeling that the two Elders were... playing good cop, bad cop.

"’Now that I think about it, something’s not right. For experts at the Golden Core Realm, if they didn’t want me to see them, wouldn’t they have dozens of ways to prevent it? How could it have happened like this?’

’Could it be... they did it on purpose? They deliberately let me see them and told me all of that just so I would go find the Foundation Establishment Elders to get the Treasure Medicine for them?’

’Damn, they’re so devious!’