Many children, many blessings: Stealing the offspring of powerful figures to cultivate immortality.

Inside the Ling Shu Hall, a nauseatingly strong stench of blood permeated the air, mixed with the scorched aura emanating from the operation of some ancient formation.

This is the core area of ​​the Protoss outpost, the Demon Fortress. The surrounding walls are all made of pitch-black Abyssal Iron, and the surface of the walls is densely inlaid with tens of thousands of dark blue spirit stones, like eerie eyes lurking in the darkness.

Ignoring the eerie and terrifying surroundings, Jiang Yining carefully handed the weak Sanbao to Feng Liuyun beside her, then quickly walked to the huge core array plate in the center of the main hall.

The array plate was three zhang square, and its surface was engraved with complex and obscure ancient runes of the Protoss race.

A resolute glint flashed in Jiang Yining's clear, cold eyes. Her slender, fair fingers formed a series of mysterious hand seals in mid-air, and brilliant purple-gold true essence condensed at her fingertips. Like a butterfly flitting among flowers, she precisely struck the constantly flashing rune array eyes on the array plate.

She actually intended to use her domineering Chaotic Demonic Body to forcibly alter and invade the array core of this ancient demonic fortress.

Gu Qinghan did not make a sound to disturb her. His tall and upright body pressed tightly against Jiang Yining's back, like a guardian deity, almost enveloping her entirely in his broad embrace.

He casually placed one hand on the edge of the array plate, his knuckles clearly defined, ready to deal with any potential backlash from the array; his other hand naturally embraced her slender and soft waist.

The pure Yang true essence belonging to the peak of the Dao Inquiry realm transformed into wisps of warm golden energy, flowing continuously into her body through his palm.

Gu Qinghan lowered his head slightly, his handsome profile almost touching Jiang Yining's earlobe. His warm breath, accompanied by his deep and powerful voice, gently swept across the nape of her neck: "Ning'er, don't rush, take your time. I'm here. I'll keep an eye on your surroundings. Even if the sky falls, you won't be harmed in the slightest."

This possessive attitude drew a faint, almost imperceptible snort from Yu Luofeng, who was standing nearby.

However, he did not step forward to stop him, since breaking through the formation and finding clues was the most important thing at the moment.

"Found it!"

Just then, Jiang Yining's gaze suddenly sharpened, and a burst of light flashed in her purple-gold eyes. She pointed her fingers like a sword and pressed them heavily onto a core array point.

"Buzz—!"

With a deep hum of the array, a massive spiritual energy water mirror instantly rose in the center of the hall. Within the water mirror, images flashed rapidly, and countless ancient scrolls composed of blood-red runes cascaded down like a waterfall.

Finally, the two copies of "Bloodline Life Manual" and "Marrow Extraction Jade Manual," both bearing the highest-level top-secret spiritual seal of the Protoss race, were prominently displayed in the very center of the water mirror.

It contained detailed records of astonishing data on the spiritual energy fluctuations of the special physique, as well as dense and shocking observation logs of "blood extraction and soul refinement".

Jiang Yining would never mistake the aura of the owner of these two files, even if it meant her death – it was none other than her missing children, Da Bao and Er Bao!

"These heartless beasts!" Jiang Yining gritted her teeth, her nails digging deep into her palms, blood dripping from between her fingers. She stared intently at the information on the water mirror, her whole body trembling uncontrollably with anger and heartache.

Gu Qinghan's face instantly turned icy cold. He tightened his arms around Jiang Yining's waist, his sharp, sword-like gaze sweeping quickly across the words on the water mirror.

"Da Bao's soul fragment shows that he was sealed by these bastards in the deepest part of the demon realm, in an ancient secret realm called 'The Burial Ground of Ten Thousand Demons'... while Er Bao was secretly escorted to the core forbidden area of ​​the ghost realm, where he was subjected to the erosion of extremely yin evil energy."

Gu Qinghan frowned, his voice so cold it seemed like ice shards could fall out, "The soul fire on these two life slips is weak, but it has not yet been extinguished. The records show that both of them are alive, but in a weak state. It seems... it seems that they have been used by the Star Spirit Clan as living vessels to extract their bloodline essence for a long time."

Upon learning that Da Bao and Er Bao were still alive, Jiang Yining's heart, which had been hanging in her throat and suffering greatly, finally felt a little relieved.

As long as there is life, there is hope! Even if the road ahead leads to the deepest hell, even if she has to search every corner of the three realms and slaughter every god and Buddha in the heavens, she vows to save every single one of her children!

"Slap, slap, slap."

Just as the atmosphere in the main hall reached its most tense point, a series of unhurried clapping sounds suddenly came from the rolling shadows deep within the hall.

Accompanied by the eerie applause, an old man dressed in a dark green Protoss priest's robe emerged slowly from the darkness like a ghost. His head of silver hair was like withered grass, and his figure was as thin as a rake, but his triangular eyes, like those of a venomous snake, gleamed with a chilling, sinister blue light.

With the appearance of the old man, an overwhelming and terrifying pressure instantly filled the entire Ling Shu Hall. Under this pressure, the surrounding Shenyuan Xuan Iron walls groaned and twisted with a teeth-grinding sound, as if they could not bear the weight.

The aura emanating from this old man had already broken through the shackles of the Heavenly Monarch Realm and reached the unfathomable Half-Saint Realm!

"I never expected that a mere mid-level world would have a formation genius capable of breaking the ancient formation patterns of my Star Nether Clan." The old man stood with his hands behind his back, relying on his absolute cultivation at the semi-saint realm, looking down at Jiang Yining and the others like a high and mighty god, letting out a piercing sneer like a night owl.

His greedy gaze lingered unabashedly on Jiang Yining's stunning face and graceful figure, as if he were looking at a rare treasure.

"However, since you bunch of ignorant ants have delivered yourselves to my doorstep, I'll gladly accept you. A mother cauldron capable of nurturing such an excellent mutated bloodline is definitely more valuable for my research as living alchemy material than those little brats! Capture you, and I'll surely be able to unravel the secrets of creation!" The old man's face was full of arrogance, and his tone was filled with fanaticism, completely disregarding the young people in front of him.

"You old bastard, what kind of filthy maggot do you think you are, daring to make a move on Ning'er with your dirty eyes?"

Yu Luofeng stepped forward with a gloomy face. His originally pale and handsome face was now twisted into a dangerous arc, and he slammed the ghost-faced folding fan in his hand shut.

"boom!"

The extremely Yin ghost energy at the semi-saint level surged out of Yu Luofeng's body like a dam bursting, transforming into countless ferocious ghost phantoms that collided fiercely with the old man's oppressive aura in mid-air.

Under the pressure of these two extreme forces, visible black ripples spread through the space. Yu Luofeng's narrow eyes were filled with bloodthirsty killing intent, as if he would tear the old man apart and devour him alive at any moment.

Sensing the aura of a semi-saint emanating from Yu Luofeng, which was no less than his own, the old man was slightly taken aback, a hint of surprise flashing in his turbid eyes, but then he laughed wildly to the sky.

"So you have a semi-saint realm expert of the same level backing you up. No wonder you dared to force your way into my outpost demon fortress. Too bad, you're too arrogant! On my territory, with the blessing of this palace-guarding formation, you will all be refined into blood pills today and buried with me!"

The old man's face turned crazed as he slammed his palm down on a statue carved from white bone that served as the center of the temple's protective array.

"Ugh—!"

The array's warning sound, like a wailing ghost crying blood, instantly echoed mournfully throughout the entire encampment.

Immediately afterwards, countless scarlet runes lit up on the thick, dark iron walls surrounding the main hall. The walls then suddenly rose upwards, revealing a massive black hole hidden behind them.

"roar--!!!"

With a deafening roar, several enormous monsters, each as large as a mountain, charged out with heavy steps.

These monsters are covered in hard, silver scales that shimmer with an eerie light, but their bodies are pieced together from the remains of various ancient ferocious beasts.

Between their bones and flesh, array crystal cores radiating destructive energy were even forcibly embedded, serving as a substitute for heartbeats.

Their eyes were bloodshot, and their entire bodies emanated a dense aura of death and rage, completely devoid of pain and reason. These were "Stitched Blood Fiend Beasts," cultivated by the Star Spirit Clan using the bloodlines of countless cultivators and special demonic beasts, supplemented by evil secret techniques. Each one possessed terrifying combat power comparable to the physical strength of a half-saint!

"A few cobbled-together beasts that can't stand the light of day dare to be brought out here to embarrass people and offend Ning'er's eyes."