Although his relationship with the Star Palace was far from amicable, the bigger picture mattered more. More importantly, he wanted to conserve his strength to compete for the opportunities within the Void Heaven Palace.
"Ji Yin speaks the truth," Wan Tianming followed up at once. "These three transformed demons are unfathomably strong. They must harbor some conspiracy to infiltrate the Void Heaven Palace. Elder Jin Kui, why don't we join forces and suppress them together?"
Seeing that even Ji Yin was willing to lower himself and curry favor with the Star Palace, Wan Tianming naturally wouldn't miss the chance.
The Star Palace had always acted with caution, and he didn't want to be the only one expending effort while they stood aside.
Reputation mattered—but so did the treasures within the Void Heaven Palace.
Under the joint prompting of Wan Tianming and the Extreme Yin Ancestor, Jin Kui's gaze quickly fell upon Zhu Chen and Lin Dong.
At the same time, Zi Ling noticed Han Li standing behind Zhu Chen.
Although Han Li was positioned slightly farther back, based on her understanding of him, the fact that he hadn't fled already meant he was definitely involved with the so-called transformed demons.
Otherwise, he would have vanished long ago instead of remaining there so openly.
"Hmph. I've already warned you once, yet you still refuse to stop. In that case, don't blame me for being impolite."
Jin Kui did not fully believe the words of Wan Tianming and Ji Yin.
However, the fact that the Barbarian Beard and Yao Lao were still clashing inside the Void Heaven Palace had already ignited his anger.
He publicly issued a final warning.
The Barbarian Beard remained deeply wary of Jin Kui. Seeing that the Grand Elder was truly enraged, he snorted coldly and reluctantly retreated.
"Boy, the cultivators of this world are all extremely powerful. Be careful. My soul power hasn't fully recovered—if an even stronger opponent appears, you may be in danger…"
Seeing this, Yao Lao did not pursue further. He offered Xiao Yan a brief warning before relinquishing control of his body.
However, he did not withdraw the borrowed cultivation.
At this moment, Xiao Yan still possessed the combat power of a Dou Zong.
"Void Stepping… Spatial Shifting… so this is the power of a Dou Zong…"
Having just experienced the might of a Dou Zong, Xiao Yan was exhilarated and had already forgotten Yao Lao's earlier warning.
He glanced at the Barbarian Beard, who had already retreated, then sneered.
"What's wrong, bearded man? Weren't you so arrogant just now? You're already backing down?"
The Barbarian Beard was naturally hot-tempered. Xiao Yan's provocation nearly made him explode on the spot.
Just as he was about to lose control and tear Xiao Yan apart—
the Extreme Yin Ancestor's voice transmission rang out in his mind.
"Brother Man, calm yourself. We came to the Void Heaven Palace for its treasures. Why waste strength here? Leave this matter to the Star Palace…"
Although those three transformed demons were troublesome, Wan Tianming and the so-called righteous cultivators were no pushovers either.
The Extreme Yin Ancestor didn't want the Barbarian Beard to exhaust too much power now.
Otherwise, once they entered the Void Heaven Palace, Wan Tianming and the others would surely target the demonic cultivators first.
Though impulsive, the Barbarian Beard understood the deeper meaning behind those words.
He shot Xiao Yan a fierce glare, then transmitted his voice back.
"Don't worry. I've never taken Wan Tianming seriously. But once we enter the Void Heaven Palace, don't touch that fire-wielding brat. I'll crush him with my own hands."
"Of course," the Extreme Yin Ancestor replied with a faint smile. "How could I possibly covet prey that Brother Man has already claimed?"
Despite his words, his gaze had already shifted toward Zhu Chen and his companions.
The physical bodies of these transformed demons were extraordinarily powerful. If he could refine them into corpse puppets, they would become invaluable assets.
But everything depended on Jin Kui's attitude.
If the Star Palace intended to kill these three here, then there would be nothing left for him to gain.
Wan Tianming, the Extreme Yin Ancestor, and the others each harbored their own schemes. None of them attacked again, instead gathering around Jin Kui as though he were the unquestioned leader.
Zhu Chen didn't know exactly what they were plotting in secret, but he could already guess some of it from their behavior.