The four people successfully attracted the hatred value of the Red-tailed Ape and Jade Water Human-faced Spider, allowing Gu Yuan to easily make it through this "dangerous" battlefield and reach the depths of the Water Cave.

Nearly effortlessly, he traversed the "perilous" battlefield and arrived at the deep end of the Water Cave.

Here, the cave paths were noticeably narrower.

Only a few yards across, the water flowed turbulently.

At the end of the cave path, there was a stone platform, upon which lay a huge crimson jade shell. As it opened and closed, abundant spiritual qi wafted out, invigorating the mind.

Shell King!

A level of Shell Field must nurture for decades to birth a Shell King. With perfect mana, consuming this bead would elevate one’s realm to the next level, indeed a treasure of a place.

And at this very moment, Gu Yuan was mere inches away from the Shell King.

He only needed to reach out lightly, and he could retrieve the treasure from this Five Layer Water Cave, saving years of difficult work.

However, just as Gu Yuan was about to grab the Shell King, he seemed to remember something and withdrew his hand, vigilantly scanning the surroundings, remaining still for a long time.

The stone cave above suddenly went silent, save for the sound of the turbulent water flow.

After a long while, an abrupt cold laughter echoed from the empty stone platform:

"A disciple from a remote sect is indeed cautious, but even so, today you shall perish here!"

Accompanied by this voice, a figure suddenly materialized from nothing on the stone platform.

This person had a fair complexion, a jade accessory on his waist, and a hint of coldness at the corner of his eyes; it was none other than Kuang Mingsheng, who had a conflict with Gu Yuan on the Dragon Tooth Treasure Boat.

This person had actually stealthily hidden here, lying in ambush all along!

Beside Kuang Mingsheng, three strange silver mirrors flickered with a dim light and were ready to move. If Gu Yuan had just reached out for the Shell King, he would have suffered a thunderous strike.

Even with mana, it would hardly have been beneficial.

"I used those fools as bait, aiming to claim the Shell King first, but I didn’t expect your luck, boy, would let you blend in as well."

Kuang Mingsheng’s eyes narrowed slightly, looking at Gu Yuan with eyes filled with murderous intent.

He already bore resentment towards Gu Yuan, and now knowing what he has done, words are unnecessary, only death will suffice.

"Go!"

With a light exclamation, the three silver mirrors beside him suddenly shone like lightning, emitting three beams of divine light aimed at Gu Yuan.

These three beams of mirror light were extremely peculiar, and Gu Yuan felt unable to resist; instantly, he was illuminated brightly.

Subsequently, his mana, spiritual sense, and flesh seemed to be locked by a strange force, his body going weak and powerless, spiritual sense fatigue, mana flickering, like the feeling of nearing one’s end.

"Slash!"

But Kuang Mingsheng’s methods didn’t stop there; he pointed a finger, and three Dharma Seals of different colors surged out from his dantian.

In an instant, fire descended from the sky, a water python emerged from the ground, plus a silver shining sword light stabbing straight at Gu Yuan’s forehead.

Kuang Mingsheng gained the trust of several people from the Hidden Flood Dragon Institute, naturally having some abilities.

At this moment, he sat cross-legged, unleashing all his tricks, his surroundings glowing with spiritual light, his daoist robe flowing, resembling a deity, directly sentencing Gu Yuan to death.

"A disciple of a remote sect..."

With a cold smile, he seemed extremely disdainful.

But just then, his expression suddenly changed!

Gu Yuan flicked his hand, and a peculiar Dharma Artifact formed by eight intertwining golden rings suddenly flew up.

"Swish!"

The eight rings expanded with the wind, subsequently separating, three of them hitting Kuang Mingsheng’s three silver mirrors with a speed unmatched by thunder.

"Crack!"

Kuang Mingsheng didn’t even see the golden rings move before discovering that his "Three Declines Treasure Mirror" was tightly nestled by the golden rings.

The peculiar power emerged on the golden rings, and Kuang Mingsheng immediately found himself unable to wield the treasure mirror.

It seemed as if everything was isolated.

"Swish!"

Not only that, thick fog suddenly emerged on the stone platform, dense and ethereal, shrouding everything, sealing off his spiritual sense and five senses completely.

The key issue was the torrential rain pouring down, washing away everything, making him feel that the power of the three Dharma Seals he released was greatly diminished, seemingly suppressed.

"Bang!"

Before he could react to what had happened, he felt a shock in his dantian.

The three Dharma Seals had already flown back dimly, seemingly having suffered severe damage.

"Cloud Mist Treasure Robe!"

Kuang Mingsheng’s expression drastically changed; his previous composure disappeared. Without hesitation, he immediately summoned his protective robe, casting down misty light to shield himself.

"Clang!"

However, just as the robe appeared, another golden ring abruptly flew from the thick fog, encircling the misty light.

Instantly, the misty light dimmed, without a glimmer, like a mundane object, straightly falling to the ground.

"Eight Gates Body-Protecting Seal!"

"Flying Rainbow Seal!"

Kuang Mingsheng’s sense of warning surged; he immediately summoned Dharma Seals, both to protect himself and to try to escape this eerie fog.

"Roar!"

But at that moment, a dragon’s roar suddenly erupted in his heart and spirit.

The sound shook all around, carrying a thick murderous aura, causing the Dharma Seals he just activated to slightly pause.

"Why is there a flood dragon in the Cloud Cliff Shell Field?"

Curiosity emerged in his mind, then he felt a sharp pain on his neck.

Then he felt his vision and world were inverted, seemingly seeing a headless body, then consciousness completely faded.

...

Kuang Mingsheng never left the stone platform, seemingly maintaining a graceful posture, unless the head flew away.

"Cultivators, indeed, aren’t particularly virtuous. This Kuang Mingsheng actually used fellow disciples as bait directly, truly despicable."

"Fortunately, I’m not any better!"

Staring at Kuang Mingsheng’s headless corpse, Gu Yuan couldn’t help but sigh softly.

In the Water Cave, seeing Yangg Yue and others desperately fighting monsters but not seeing Kuang Mingsheng, Gu Yuan kept a vigilant thought.

Therefore, he didn’t grab the Shell King immediately upon entering the stone platform but waited for a moment.

This moment of waiting brought forth Kuang Mingsheng.

This person, with unknown means, was able to completely conceal his form, sitting upright on the stone platform, making it impossible to detect.

But although this person had some cunning, he was too impatient. After waiting a moment, he blatantly revealed his form.

And then magical combat led to Gu Yuan killing him.

In truth, it was swift; the feud ended as soon as it began—one person’s death concluded the karma entirely.

But in the Shell Field, there were no Daoist Academy Decrees; life and death truly happened in an instant.

The malice in cultivators’ hearts is magnified.

"However, your death wasn’t in vain; even if I hadn’t encountered you today, I’d find ways to seek you out."

With a light chuckle, Gu Yuan flicked his hand, a mass of scorching flames erupted, reducing the corpse to ashes, then picking up the scattered storage bag and several dim Dharma Artifacts from the ground. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Since their clash on the Treasure Boat, Gu Yuan had thought of dealing with this person.

It’s not just about settling grievances.

It was more about resources.

Gu Yuan was aware of his own situation; although he had the Top-Grade Dharma Artifact Eight Wind Treasure Ring gifted by the Golden Core Ascendant, he had only one, and it lacked defensive capabilities. Encountering noble family disciples might leave him struggling.

But lacking the means to purchase, after thinking it over, he could only focus on "enemies."

After all, in the Shell Field, there are no Daoist Academy Decrees.

Dealing with this person would increase his power, granting him more confidence if he encountered potential "noble family attacks."

With this thought, Gu Yuan summoned his spiritual sense like a flood dragon, swiftly erasing Kuang Mingsheng’s imprints and opened his storage bag.

Jewels and treasures momentarily greeted him.