"I am Huang Sha True Monarch of the Yellow Sand Sect. Who are you?"

Huang Sha True Monarch barked, having already figured out the problem.

’Even if these dozen or so Golden Core Masters truly betrayed Mandarin Duck Valley, they wouldn’t be so crazily burning through their potential and lifespan. Do they not want to live?’

’Clearly, they’re all being controlled by an outsider.’

Li Chang’an still didn’t answer.

With a mere thought, he decisively ordered Fan Wenlong to charge.

"BOOM!"

Fan Wenlong self-detonated on the spot. The Golden Core he had cultivated for hundreds of years exploded, unleashing the final, fatal blow of his life!

Golden Core self-detonation is a Golden Core Master’s most powerful technique.

Years ago, deep within the Black Dragon Mountain Range, the Mu Family’s Golden Core Ancestor, forced into a desperate situation, used his Golden Core’s self-detonation to take a Demon King whose physique was comparable to a Tier Three Body Refinement expert with him.

However, before Huang Sha True Monarch, Fan Wenlong’s self-detonation amounted to nothing.

With a wave of his hand, he condensed his Magical Power and forcibly blocked the powerful force of the explosion.

...

「Meanwhile.」

In the Central Domain, within the Yellow Sand Sect.

A shocking Nascent Soul aura shot up into the sky.

Huang Sha True Monarch’s true self, brimming with killing intent and a terrifying aura, transformed into a streak of light and shot toward the Western Domain, disappearing over the horizon in an instant.

"What happened? Why is the True Monarch so furious?"

"I’m afraid someone has provoked the True Monarch."

Within the Yellow Sand Sect, countless Disciples looked up, all feeling that world-shaking fury.

It seemed someone else was about to die at Huang Sha True Monarch’s hands.

...

「Back in the Western Domain.」

With another thought, Li Chang’an had the remaining dozen or so Golden Core Masters charge forward in unison.

The next instant, a heaven-and-earth-shaking boom echoed throughout the entire Western Domain.

"BOOM!"

Over a dozen Golden Core Masters, including two in the Late Stage of Golden Core, simultaneously self-detonated their Golden Cores!

A violent power erupted, instantly surpassing the Golden Core Limit. It was overwhelmingly destructive, rushing to the heavens and flattening everything in all directions.

Even the Quasi-Tier Four Puppet controlled by Huang Sha True Monarch was sent flying backward by the blow, its entire body covered in shocking cracks.

"Ah—"

Liu Feiyan let out a blood-curdling scream, her expression twisting in pain.

The Treasure protecting her head shattered in an instant, no longer able to defend her.

Her head and body both exploded. Her Golden Core shattered along with them, dissipating into nothingness amid the terrifying storm.

"Soul Comes!"

Li Chang’an beckoned with his hand and collected her Soul.

At the same time, Li Chang’an also got his hands on her Storage Pouch.

’Time to go.’

Without a moment’s hesitation, Li Chang’an grabbed the Storage Pouch and began to flee for his life, pushing his Escape Technique to its absolute limit.

Behind him, Huang Sha True Monarch, unable to contain his fury, roared.

"How dare you kill my Daoist companion!"

His fury soared to the heavens, his eyes looked ready to spew fire, and he chased relentlessly after Li Chang’an.

One pursued while the other fled, both displaying astonishing Escape Techniques.

In a flash, they disappeared from the battlefield.

During his escape, Li Chang’an quickly erased the restriction on the Storage Pouch, then used his puppet body to open it.

He was extremely cautious; after all, what had happened the last time he opened Shi Hu Master’s Storage Pouch was still fresh in his mind.

Fortunately, this time, there were no Treasures inside the Storage Pouch that would attack on their own.

Li Chang’an extended his Divine Sense inside, quickly scanning the vast number of Treasures within.

’There are quite a lot of Treasures, but it’s a shame all the High Tier ones have Huang Sha True Monarch’s Divine Sense Imprint on them.’

He skimmed past these Treasures and soon found, in a corner of the Storage Pouch, the object he had been plotting to get for years.

The Cave Mansion Key!

The key had no Magical Power fluctuations and looked completely unremarkable. It bore no imprints, but the character for "Chang" was carved on its surface.

With a thought, Li Chang’an took it out, gave it a quick inspection, and after confirming it was safe, tossed it into his own Storage Pouch.

’I’ve finally got it!’

He had now collected three of the four keys required to open the Cave Mansion.

Only one remained!

He just needed to infuse this key with Evergreen Magical Power to sense the location of the final key.

But Li Chang’an was in no mood to sense that key right now.

He tossed Liu Feiyan’s Storage Pouch aside and focused solely on escaping with his life!

Huang Sha True Monarch’s Quasi-Tier Four Puppet was in hot pursuit right behind him.

Even though he had pushed his Celestial Grade Escape Technique to its limit, he couldn’t shake Huang Sha True Monarch’s pursuit.

’This old bastard probably knows a Celestial Grade Escape Technique, too.’

Li Chang’an mused to himself.

He couldn’t put any distance between them at all.

Furthermore, Huang Sha True Monarch’s Divine Sense was locked firmly onto him.

’He doesn’t need to catch me. He just needs to stay on my tail until his true self arrives, and then capturing me will be a simple matter.’

Li Chang’an saw through Huang Sha True Monarch’s plan.

He guessed that Huang Sha True Monarch’s true self was already on its way.

But he didn’t panic. After all, he held a Realm-Sundering Talisman, so it wouldn’t be a problem even if he had to face Huang Sha True Monarch directly.

...

At this moment, he was also controlling the three Golden Core Puppets and two Demon King Puppets he had left behind in Mandarin Duck Valley.

They were wantonly pillaging Mandarin Duck Valley!

With a low hum, the doors to the Mandarin Duck Valley’s Treasure Vault opened.

The entire thousand-year accumulation of Mandarin Duck Valley was laid bare before Li Chang’an’s eyes.

Over the past few years, he had already used his many Golden Core Puppets to exchange for some of the Treasures in the vault.

But the Treasure Vault was still packed with countless Treasures, shining with a multi-colored, dazzling brilliance. The dense treasure aura was almost too much for the eyes to take in.

’As expected of the number one Golden Core Influence in the Western Domain. The sheer number of Treasures in this vault far exceeds that of Yellow Crane Immortal City’s vault.’

Li Chang’an had looted Yellow Crane Immortal City before.

But Yellow Crane Immortal City didn’t have much of a foundation; it was propped up solely by Huang He Master’s reputation and couldn’t compare to Mandarin Duck Valley.

At its peak, Mandarin Duck Valley had nearly thirty Golden Core Masters!

Core Formation Treasures, rare in the outside world, were innumerable in the Mandarin Duck Valley’s Treasure Vault.

There were more than ten High-quality Five Elements Golden Condensation Pills alone!