When it comes to trump cards, any Cultivator who isn’t a complete fool would never reveal them easily.

Besides, those foolish Cultivators were weeded out long ago; they would never have made it to the Golden Core Cultivator stage.

The two Golden Core Ancestors stared at the Treasure Medicine before them, their eyes glinting with anticipation and excitement.

Elder He carefully opened the small box made of Hundred-Year Profound Ice and took out the Nine-Turns Essence Firming Grass. The Spirit Grass shimmered faintly in the moonlight.

The dense Power of Life contained within it was so potent that just by touching it, Elder He could feel the shattered Golden Core in his body stirring.

"A Treasure Medicine truly forged by heaven and earth. It’s a miracle that these Cultivators, not even at the Golden Core stage, were able to find it," Elder Gu sighed with emotion, then said seriously, "Let’s see if we can use this Nine-Turns Essence Firming Grass to repair our Golden Cores now."

Elder He nodded, placed the Nine-Turns Essence Firming Grass in his palm, and began to circulate the remnants of his Magical Power, attempting to guide the medicinal energy into his damaged Golden Core.

At the same time, Elder Gu did the same, beginning her own healing process.

Elder He and Elder Gu sat cross-legged. Though their faces were pale, their eyes were filled with hope.

Each held half of the incomparably precious Nine-Turns Essence Firming Grass, as if they were grasping their last chance at survival.

Elder He began the healing process first.

He gently cupped the Nine-Turns Essence Firming Grass in his palm, slowly closed his eyes, and devoted his entire being to circulating his Magical Power.

The faint fluctuations of Magical Power around him began to strengthen, rippling outward in circles before gradually converging on his Dantian.

As Elder He chanted a Spell in a low voice, a powerful surge of Spiritual Sense Power erupted from between his brows, forming an invisible chain that connected the Nine-Turns Essence Firming Grass in his hand to the damaged Golden Core within his body.

In an instant, the Nine-Turns Essence Firming Grass glowed with a soft light. Its life-filled essence surged rapidly along the Spiritual Chain and into Elder He’s body.

At the same time, the medicinal energy from the Nine-Turns Essence Firming Grass flowed like a gentle stream through his meridians to his damaged Golden Core. Nourished by this potent energy, the once-dull Golden Core began to tremble slightly, and the cracks on its surface seemed to be slowly mending.

Meanwhile, Elder Gu had begun her own healing process in the same manner, guiding the medicinal energy of the Nine-Turns Essence Firming Grass into her own damaged Golden Core.

As time passed, the auras of the two gradually grew steady and profound.

Time seemed to stretch. A faint Spiritual Light filled the space around the two Golden Core Cultivators—a phenomenon created as the Power of Life released from the Nine-Turns Essence Firming Grass merged with their Golden Cores.

Finally, after a long period of healing, the cracks on the surface of the two Ancestors’ Golden Cores had visibly diminished, leaving only a few shallow marks. Some of their luster had also returned.

Although they were still some way from a full recovery, they could now once again wield the might of a Golden Core Cultivator. In a real battle, they could even unleash ninety percent of their original combat strength.

The remaining injuries could only be healed with time. Even though the recovery would be measured in years, compared to their previous life-threatening condition, they were practically cured.

The two Golden Core Ancestors rose to their feet. Elder He dismantled the Array he had set up around them, his eyes turning icy.

"It’s time to make that treacherous bastard pay!"

Elder Gu was also seething with rage.

The two of them had been utterly humiliated by a nobody.

If Jiang Xu hadn’t found the Nine-Turns Essence Firming Grass in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable!

Now that they had regained their strength, it was time to settle the score with Elder Demon Su.

This was not just for the humiliation they had suffered, but also for all the disciples of their sect currently in the Secret Realm.

And so, after ensuring Yan Chunyu was settled, the two Golden Core Cultivators left their hiding place and flew directly toward the core region!

...

Jiang Xu and Qin Muxian parted ways with the other three Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Although Qin Muxian had handed over the Tier Three Treasure Medicine, his agreement with the other three Foundation Establishment cultivators prevented him from participating in the harvest of any other Spirit Medicine, so he left directly.

As for Jiang Xu, there wasn’t a single Spirit Medicine in the Spirit Medicine Garden that he could brazenly touch, so of course, he had no choice but to leave as well.

However, Qin Muxian didn’t let Jiang Xu leave.

He was still waiting for Jiang Xu to use his Seeking Technique to find Zong Ziqi’s whereabouts.

Although Qin Muxian and Zong Ziqi had a Communication Object to stay in touch,

Qin Muxian didn’t know the location Zong Ziqi had sent.

Previously, Qin Muxian had been busy searching for the Treasure Medicine and hadn’t made a special effort to find Zong Ziqi.

Now that the Treasure Medicine was gone and there was nothing else to do, it was the perfect time to go find him.

Hearing Qin Muxian’s request, Jiang Xu couldn’t refuse. He had no choice but to perform the Seeking Technique and begin the search.

On their way, Jiang Xu and Qin Muxian saw two magnificent streaks of light flash across the sky, heading toward the core region of the Secret Realm.

"It seems the two Ancestors have recovered from their injuries." Jiang Xu’s eyes lit up.

Qin Muxian’s mouth twitched.

"It’s good that the Treasure Medicine worked. I just hope the final outcome is worthy of the sacrifice Zong Ziqi made."

Jiang Xu offered some words of comfort:

"Don’t worry, Elder Qin. I can tell Brother Zong has profound fortune. Even if this Treasure Medicine didn’t end up in his hands, there will surely be a second, or a third. Besides, I see that his Body Refining is quite accomplished. Perhaps the path of a Body Cultivator is more suitable for him anyway."

Qin Muxian listened and nodded slightly. Although his heart still ached for what had happened to Zong Ziqi, he knew Jiang Xu’s words were not baseless.

The path of cultivation is full of variables; perhaps other opportunities truly were waiting for Zong Ziqi.

"You’re right, Jiang Xiaoyou," Qin Muxian mused after a moment. "All we can do is our best and leave the rest to fate. We do what we must, and let destiny handle the rest."

...

Elder He and Elder Gu arrived at the core region, full of righteous fury, only to find it shrouded in a thick, demonic miasma—a stark contrast to how it was before.

Neither dared to be careless. Elder He produced an Array Plate, injected it with Magical Power, and then used his Divine Sense in conjunction with the plate to scan the area before them.

"Besides the Array of Extinction of the Nether Heaven and the Evil Thought Blood Array, there is also a Tier Three Array formed by a chain of more than ten Tier Two Arrays."

Although Elder He hated Elder Demon Su to the bone, he couldn’t help but feel a sliver of admiration for his Array Cultivation.

This Elder Demon Su had single-handedly laid down several Tier Three Arrays and was even attempting to break a Tier Four Array.

Such a level of Array Cultivation was truly astonishing!

"Fellow Daoist He, how can we break through? If he just hides inside the Array, will we be helpless against him?"

Although Elder Gu didn’t understand Arrays, she knew they couldn’t be broken through with brute force.

Using brute force to break an Array was the most crude and ineffective method.

Besides, she was standing right next to a Tier Three Array Master; it was best to leave specialized work to the specialist.