After the main character who took the blame retired, the female lead quit.

If his brother hadn't been strong enough, he probably would have been crushed by Long Wanyan's golden cat.

After a period of silent panting, Xiao Yu felt a tightness in his body. When he looked up, his face was flushed, and his vertical dragon eyes gleamed with greedy crimson.

Xiao Yu: "..."

It's true what they say: a field that can't be plowed to death, but an ox that's worked itself to death.

Long Wanyan's ruthless and exploitative attitude terrified Xiao Yu, leaving him with a psychological scar that he would probably never be interested in matters of love again.

Long Wanyan had her own way of dealing with this. With a soft "sizzle," she bit down lightly with her pearly teeth, and crystal-red blood flowed down the corner of her mouth.

Warm, soft lips pressed close, and scalding dragon blood poured down his throat. In an instant, Xiao Yu felt his body become much stronger, an effect comparable to the physical training he had undergone through repeated stake-walking exercises. Then... he stood up with the staff in four different stances.

Long Wanyan is highly adaptable. After being soaked in the blood of the dragon last time, her blood in her dragon form changed, making her immune to this substance. In turn, her blood underwent the same change to adapt to this development.

The battle... has begun again.

Meanwhile, the battle was also ongoing.

Deng!

When Feng Ling and her group, led by the Three Flower Goddess, found Tie Yanran, her battle with the evil cultivators had reached a fever pitch.

The two clashed with their internal energy, and in the end, the middle-aged man was slightly inferior, as his pure and righteous internal energy covered the dark internal energy that had been there for half a day.

The clay figures exploded, all of them chopped into mud by the blade's energy.

Tie Yanran stood upright, flicked her wrist, and a sharp, cold light flashed across the blade. The dirt clinging to the blade was flung off, and a deep voice rang out from beneath the ferocious mask:

"This is indeed the Qi Control Technique of my Tie family, a secret method that is not passed down. Where did you obtain it? No, this technique cannot be passed on to outsiders. You... have you betrayed the Tie family?"

"The Tie family...tsk!"

The middle-aged man stretched out his slender, almost woman-like little finger and picked at his ear, as if he had heard Tie Yanran's words countless times and his ears were calloused from hearing them.

His lifeless gaze fell on the pure and righteous aura emanating from Tie Yanran. As if he had discovered something, a ripple appeared in his eyes. "Ancient Qi cultivation method? Interesting. It's rare to see someone among the younger generation who can cultivate in such a arduous way. Which family are you from? Which branch family cultivated this secret genius?"

Sigh! It seems escaping is going to be a bit troublesome. Oh well…

Tie Yanran's pupils dilated; the middle-aged man's statement undoubtedly confirmed that he was a member of the Tie family.

She clenched her fist, and the pure and righteous Xuan Qi on the trembling blade tip rose with the wind, becoming even larger.

"Do you know that using such an evil object as the Soul Refining Banner violates the ironclad law? You should be imprisoned in the Demon Suppression Tower, subjected to the torture of having your heart ripped out by ten thousand knives, and never to be born again..."

"That's it? I'm quite familiar with the Demon Suppression Tower, but I'd rather not go in..." The middle-aged man shrugged, looking indifferent, and reached one hand into his wide sleeve, fiddling with something.

Tie Yanran lowered her head, looking at the weapon in her hand that her father had specially crafted for her as a birthday gift. Her wandering gaze paused for a moment, then she slowly continued speaking:

“Back on the island, my father told me that the Iron Family Law was meant to punish evil and promote good, and to protect the weak, not to harm people, which is why it has so many restrictions.”

There are countless laws, but anger is the least important; one must first consider one's conscience. Even so, they will not have many complaints, acting for justice with a clear conscience.

Therefore… I believe that all members of the Tie family outside are selfless and upright heroes… only in this way can they truly master the techniques. But… but you, what gives you the right! A heretical cultivator who wields the Soul Refining Banner, what gives you the right to use my Tie family's techniques!!!

As she spoke, Tie Yanran raised her head, and the veins on her slender, fair neck stood out. It was obvious that the face under the hideous mask had become perfectly aligned with the mask.

"Oh dear! It seems I've inadvertently shattered some child's unrealistic dreams about the Tie family. I'm sorry, but... it's true. The method of controlling qi is still very useful, especially for me in terms of capturing enemies."

The middle-aged man shook the black vortex in his hand, as if deliberately teasing him.

"You bastard!!!"

Teng~

The blade's energy cut through the wind and arrived in the blink of an eye.

But with a crisp clang, a jet-black flying sword pierced through and blocked the attack.

Tie Yanran paused, her eyes wide with surprise. A swordsman in green robes, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, stood in front of the middle-aged man, his lifeless eyes staring intently at her, as if carved from wood.

It reminded her of Bai Yan's eyes on the island, which were exactly the same, lifeless and devoid of any emotion befitting a living being.

"Hehe... Don't be so impatient! You'll experience many more of this in the future. With the passage of time, the Tie family... will have long since decayed into a hollow ancient tree, all show and no substance."

The middle-aged man chuckled as he tossed several clay figurines from his sleeve.

The clay figure quickly transformed upon landing into a man dressed as a warrior, a gentle female cultivator holding a jade bottle, and a petite, pink-haired loli riding on the shoulders of a giant bear.

The Soul Refining Banner behind him fluttered without wind, and several dark spiritual lights drifted out from it, each finding a good spot to land on the clay figure.

In an instant, the clay figure moved, its earthy color fading as it transformed into a real person. Then... the martial artist's true energy, magic, and the giant bear's pounce, along with the flying sword of the green-robed swordsman from before, all converged to attack Tie Yanran.

Chapter Thirty-Eight, Li Yunshang Disappears (4k)

A martial artist, a mage, a swordsman, and that girl who wields a bear beast—this is definitely not something that can be achieved by simply manipulating clay puppets. One person can master multiple paths, but it's impossible to reach such depths, especially with such completely different techniques.

Tie Yanran lowered her head, dodging the martial artist's horizontal kick. Then, she raised her blade horizontally to block the incoming flying sword.

Moreover... its movements and reactions were far more agile than the clay figures he had thrown before.

What is this...

The pristine jade bottle tipped over, and a single drop of water fell from nowhere. Instantly, a pool of water appeared out of thin air beneath Tie Yanran's feet, from which several tentacles extended and wrapped around her ankles. The roaring giant bear raised its sharp paw and swung it straight at her head.

Peng!

Pure and righteous Xuan Qi gathered and condensed into a transparent barrier to block the giant bear's attack. Then, it raised its legs and stomped down hard, shattering the pool and regaining its freedom of movement.

During this time, the Soul Refining Banner stood quietly behind the middle-aged man, its surface shimmering with a faint light, like a military flag standing tall, commanding the clay figurines in front of it.

The Soul Refining Banner can refine and collect souls, transforming the inherent abilities of a soul into one's own...

In other words, simply because someone has unique abilities, one should kill them and sacrifice their soul to the Soul Refining Banner... in that case... in that case...

"What do you take human life for?! A puppet? A toy to be used?!"

Tie Yanran raised her eyebrows and kicked the nearby attacker hard, using the force to leap backward and create some distance.

Teng~

As the shockwave exploded, her aura surged, the pure Xuan Qi becoming incredibly dense. Gripping the hilt of her sword, she pointed the blade at her enemy, and a white line condensed, filling the sky with white light.

Kaka~

After the blade flashed, the clay figures on the field were unable to dodge in time and most of them took the hit head-on. Their clay bodies were all cracked and shattered. Even though there was a soul controlling them, they were still clay figures after all, stiff and unable to keep up with the reaction.

At the same time, what was terrifying was that Tie Yanran's sudden burst of power actually killed several clay puppets whose strength was comparable to that of Golden Core cultivators.

The shrouding black aura was completely dispelled, and the middle-aged man narrowed his eyes:

"The stronger one's sense of justice, the greater the increase in strength. This is truly an unreasonable cultivation method!"

However, as one of the people who directly benefited from it, he didn't have much to say.

Then, he casually grabbed a few clay figurines from his wide sleeves and threw them out.

The Soul Refining Banner flickered, and several more beams of spiritual light emanated from it. The earthy color faded, and several more lifelike cultivators appeared on the field.

These were his last few clay figurines. It was no easy task to sculpt a clay figurine that could withstand the spiritual light of the Soul Refining Banner, and it was also very laborious to select a suitable shape for the soul from among many souls.

Do it all at once, second time tired, third time exhausted.

The middle-aged man who practiced the Qi Control Technique understood the advantages and disadvantages of the technique far better than Tie Yanran, a little girl who had only been away from Jumo Island for a few months.

As the dust settled, Tie Yanran leaned on her knife, panting. She didn't know if the power she had unleashed earlier had any effect, or if it had freed them. Seeing the middle-aged man throw out several more completely different clay figurines brought her some comfort.

At the same time, his anger was rising. Just how many people had this guy killed?!

The lifeless clay puppets slowly approached Tie Yanran. There were both martial artists and magicians among them. It seemed that the middle-aged man did not just grab any puppet and throw it away randomly, but rather considered the composition of the team.

It doesn't matter... Just cut them all off like last time. No matter how many come, she'll kill them all.

His stern gaze fell upon the Soul Refining Banner behind him; he would release as many as he could.

Just as Tie Yanran was gathering her spiritual energy and preparing for battle, suddenly...

A thin thread came and bound the bald warrior at the front. The thread tightened, digging deep into his flesh, and a faint purple poisonous mist slowly seeped along the thread towards the bound bald warrior.

"Don't panic, Mr. Tie, I'm here to help you!"

Zi Yun pointed her small hand, and a wisp of breeze blew by, causing the clothes draped over her shoulders to flutter in the wind like a cape.

Five crystalline, transparent threads extended from the tips of her outstretched fingers. Now, under the influence of the poison, the threads had turned from transparent to purple.

With this, Zi Yun closed her outstretched fingers, twisted her palm, and the threads wrapped around the bald warrior tightened, as if he were being bitten by a crocodile and writhing in agony, tearing and biting at him.

zizi...

The bald brute's body was being bound so tightly that it cracked and sputtered, and cracks appeared on his skin. At the critical moment, he put his hands together and silently recited a Buddhist mantra.

Teng~

His body trembled, and golden light shone brightly. The silk threads that Zi Yun had wrapped around him were broken one by one. In the blink of an eye, it seemed that the bald warrior's body was coated with a layer of shiny gold paint, shining brightly and dazzlingly.

"Huh? My poison didn't work again?!" Zi Yun realized something, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Idiot, his body is a clay doll, an inanimate object. How could poison possibly have any effect on him..."

Feng Ling, who was standing to the side, gave a faint reminder, and then her flying sword flew out and clashed with one of the natal sword cultivators in the clay figure.

The sword cultivator, dressed in green with long hair, had a face that was smooth and fair, now cracked with spiderweb-like fissures, like a broken piece of porcelain. With the slightest movement, a palm-sized shard would fall off, revealing a hollow, deep black interior.

It was the same swordsman who appeared at the beginning. It seems he has some skill, as he dodged Tie Yanran's attack, but his body was also severely injured.

call out!

"And...and me too, you despicable evil cultivator, blocking my way..."

The girl in yellow, draped in talismanic robes, stepped forward. Taking advantage of the power of Tie Yanran's burst of pure and righteous profound energy, the golden talismanic treasure and the apricot-yellow flying sword broke free from the middle-aged man's pitch-black "balloon".

They also joined the ranks of those attacking the middle-aged man.

"You..." Tie Yanran, who was preparing for a desperate battle, was taken aback.

Meow!

A meow sounded, and when she looked down, she saw it was the Three Flower Goddess of the sect, the so-called Dharma Protector Elder that Xiao Yu had mentioned.

"Hey! We're all from the same sect. How can we not help a fellow disciple in trouble? Damn it... I don't believe a few little mud figures can be more terrifying than Long Wanyan."

Zi Yun waved her hand. Having suffered repeated setbacks at the hands of Lei Huang and Long Wanyan, she had been holding back a lot of anger, and this was the perfect opportunity to vent it.

She cracked her knuckles, her pink eyes looking at the golden-bodied martial artist opposite her with a hint of annoyance. "You won't eat the poison?"