In the lower realms, ever since Xiao Fei took the Creation Jade Disk to that Dao Worm world, he had once again disappeared.
Along with the Earth Immortals dispatched by the major powers of the upper realms, all had perished at the hands of the Dao Worms in that battle.
It was said that the event had even alarmed the notorious Jiao Yin Demon in the upper realm, who annihilated the entire world, yet still failed to seize the Creation Jade Disk.
The major powers of the upper realms could only dispatch another batch of Earth Immortal powerhouses to the lower realms to search for the Creation Jade Disk.
To deal with Xiao Fei and find the Creation Jade Disk, the Earth Immortals sent down from the Heavenly Realm had died in waves, generation after generation.
In the past, being sent to the lower realms was considered an opportunity for merit, and people would even pull strings and use connections to secure a spot.
No one had ever imagined that the lower realms would also pose a threat to life.
Now, such missions to the lower realms were viewed as certain death assignments.
Anyone unlucky enough to be chosen would be terrified, begging and pleading to push the mission onto others.
The unfortunate soul would then be sent to the lower realms with a heart prepared for death.
Upon descending, these individuals, prioritizing their own lives, did not search for Xiao Fei as diligently as before.
When faced with a choice between completing the mission and preserving their lives, most chose to prioritize survival, incidentally looking for the Creation Jade Disk.
In short, everything was left to fate.
Some Earth Immortal powerhouses, upon hearing rumors of the Creation Jade Disk's whereabouts, would even be frightened into actively distancing themselves from the scene.
Fortunately, these rumors turned out to be false alarms, and the Creation Jade Disk never appeared.
In the previous great battle with the Jiao Yin Demon, Zhu Yu had absorbed the spiritual energy of four worlds and exchanged several blows with the Jiao Yin Demon. Ultimately, he was still no match for him.
He even sustained significant injuries, and his recently elevated cultivation, after less than a day of glory, plummeted back to the Earth Immortal realm.
After recuperating for a year or two, he finally emerged from seclusion, intending to search for Xiao Fei.
However, this time, Xiao Fei had truly hidden himself very well. He searched through several worlds but found no trace of him.
Even those who had previously been associated with Xiao Fei had now vanished into thin air, as if they had completely departed from the world.
During his search for Xiao Fei, he fortunately encountered Cai Jingjing again.
Cai Jingjing's luck had not been good this time. She had just abandoned Zhu Yu and latched onto a powerful figure.
She had expected to soar to new heights with the help of this Earth Immortal.
Who knew that this old Earth Immortal would insist on contending for some treasure, only to die mysteriously and disappear without a trace.
Just as Cai Jingjing was consumed by despair, Zhu Yu returned.
The moment she saw Zhu Yu, she felt as if he had brought light into her entire world.
However, as she eagerly threw herself into Zhu Yu's embrace, he coldly sidestepped.
After several attempts, she failed to embrace him.
It was then that she realized that the current Zhu Yu was beyond her reach.
A wave of regret washed over her. Cai Jingjing immediately blinded herself, returned to the Cai clan territory, and passed the position of clan leader to the next in line.
She then entered seclusion, no longer concerning herself with worldly affairs!
Remembering their past as husband and wife, Zhu Yu did not make things difficult for Cai Jingjing, as she had indeed helped him greatly in the past.
As he departed, he left a jade slip for the Cai clan.
Relying on the cultivation technique left by Zhu Yu in the jade slip, the Cai clan eventually prospered and grew into a first-rate power in the Tian Yuan Realm.
...
In the secret underground chamber within the Nine Yang Cave, the five individuals led by Boss He, after years of hoarding, took the detoxification pills they had been reluctant to consume.
Having stayed in the Nine Yang Cave for an extended period, their bodies were riddled with fire poison, tormenting them incessantly.
There were countless times when it drove them to the brink of madness.
Even though the five of them were the overlords of the cave and had seized many Heavenly Fire Golden Lotuses from others, the antidotes they could obtain were still insufficient to completely detoxify them.
This was because the Ying Yue Cave Heaven had no intention of letting any Earth Immortals who entered the Nine Yang Cave leave alive.
This cave, filled with heavenly fire, had buried countless heroes and valiant figures throughout history.
The remaining detoxification pills were all refined by the five. Although far from a complete cure, they could temporarily suppress the poison.
This would allow them to unleash their full strength in combat, as even a rabbit must be fought with all one's might.
"Let's go!"
In the underground secret cave, Boss He surveyed the surroundings, confirming that everyone was ready. He then stood up, leading them out.
The moment the five emerged from the underground entrance, their auras erupted, allowing all the Earth Immortals within the Nine Yang Cave to sense their formidable presence.
"Wow! Boss He and the others are making a move!"
"There's going to be some good entertainment!"
"In this Nine Yang Cave, anyone who offends Boss He and his crew faces dire consequences!"
"Let's go! Let's go watch the show!"
"Count me in..."
Ever since Xiao Fei offended Daoist Mu Xin last time, the more than a hundred Earth Immortals in the Nine Yang Cave had been eagerly anticipating seeing him suffer.
They had been confined to the Nine Yang Cave for thousands upon thousands of years, living monotonous lives day after day, year after year, finding it utterly dull.
In such a state of extreme scarcity in both material comfort and spiritual entertainment, even the slightest event could become a topic of excited discussion.
Now, with an impending group brawl involving over ten individuals, and likely several fatalities, no one wanted to miss such a spectacle.
For the spectators, the bigger the event, the more enjoyable it was.
Boss He and his group of five deliberately released their auras with the intention of attracting these onlookers.
Showing off without an audience was like walking in brocade at night.
Furthermore, they wanted all the Earth Immortals in the Nine Yang Cave to witness their prowess, to let everyone know who the true overlords among the Nine Yang Cave's medicine slaves were.
Xiao Fei naturally sensed the aura emanating from Boss He and his group.
"This is bad!"
"Fellow Daoist Zhu Yu, Boss He and the others are coming for us!"
"Fellow Daoist Zhu Yu, how about we temporarily avoid their锋芒 (fengmang - sharp edge/鋒芒)?"
His subordinates, over the past few thousand years, had lived under Boss He's shadow. Sensing Boss He's approach, they had already lost their composure.
"Boss He only has five people, and we have six, one more than them. There's no need to fear."
Xiao Fei remained calm, his expression serene.
"Fellow Daoist Zhu Yu, it can't be calculated that way. Those five individuals represent the five elements. They can combine their attacks or merge into one.
The power they can unleash when fighting together is enough to deal with ten cultivators of the same rank simultaneously.
They can even hold their own for a while against True Immortal powerhouses."
"If that's the case, I'm even more eager to meet them and witness the application of the five elements."
Xiao Fei had only recently ascended from the lower realms. He had heard about many powerful divine abilities of the Immortal Realm from Xiao Hei but had never had the chance to witness them firsthand.
He had long been filled with interest in this kind of combined attack technique utilizing the five elements in the Immortal Realm.
This was a perfect opportunity to learn from them.