Alert! The Dragon Lord has emerged from seclusion!

When the light faded, a large crater with a diameter of ten meters appeared where Yin Gu Zhenren had been. Lava rolled and hot air rose from the crater.

Yin Gu Zhenren stood at the edge of the pit.

His gray robe was torn, revealing a withered, skeletal body beneath, with a trickle of black blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

He's injured!

"Boy...you're courting death!" Yin Gu Zhenren roared in fury. He, a dignified Golden Core cultivator, had actually been injured by a mere Qi Refining junior!

But after delivering that attack, Lin Chen was exhausted. He knelt on one knee, panting heavily, his face as pale as paper.

The backlash from the Nine Yang Burning Heaven Body began to manifest, with the yang energy within the body running rampant like a wild horse.

"Old Chen...take her away..." he squeezed out the words through gritted teeth.

Old Chen gritted his teeth, pulled up the almost exhausted Ye Qingcheng, and started running towards the depths of the dock.

There was a speedboat prepared by the Su family there.

"Do you think you can leave?" Ye Wenyuan sneered, and the remaining bodyguards had already reorganized their firepower.

Worse still, Yin Gu Zhenren had recovered and with a grab of his withered hand, ten ghost generals re-condensed in the air, even more solid than before!

Desperate situation!

Just then, the roar of a helicopter suddenly echoed through the night sky!

Three black helicopters flew rapidly from the sea, with no markings on their fuselages.

Before the helicopter even landed, the cabin door opened, several ropes were thrown down, and more than a dozen fully armed figures descended rapidly!

These men, dressed in black combat uniforms and wearing tactical masks, moved cleanly and efficiently, clearly the elite of the elite.

What surprised Lin Chen even more was that they all emanated faint fluctuations of true energy—although not strong, they were indeed cultivators!

"Who goes there?!" Ye Wenyuan shouted sternly.

After landing, the leader of the men in black surveyed the scene, his gaze lingering on Lin Chen for a moment before he waved his hand: "Group one, secure the scene; group two, escort the target to safety; group three, maintain alert!"

"yes!"

The well-trained men in black quickly split into three teams.

One team of eight armed men confronted Ye Wenyuan's bodyguards, while another team of four headed straight for Lin Chen and Ye Qingcheng, and six others spread out to keep watch.

"Who are you? Do you know who I am?" Ye Wenyuan roared.

The leader of the men in black didn't even glance at him. He walked straight up to Lin Chen, knelt on one knee, and said, "Mr. Lin, I am late. Please forgive me."

This action stunned everyone.

Lin Chen was also stunned: "You are...?"

The man in black looked up and pulled off his tactical mask—revealing a angular face in his thirties.

He took out an ice-blue jade pendant from his pocket, which was a miniature version of Lin Chen's Cold Heart Jade!

"Ling Feng, the outer sect steward of Xiaoyao Valley and captain of the third squad of the Ice Guards, has been ordered by the Third Valley Master to protect the young master!"

Free Valley! Ice Guard!

Lin Chen instantly understood—this was the power activated by the Cold Heart Jade that his third master had given him!

The Three Thousand Ice Guards actually exist!

Upon hearing the words "Free and Unfettered Valley," Yin Gu Zhenren's expression changed drastically: "Free and Unfettered Valley Ice Guards? Impossible! Free and Unfettered Valley has been secluded from worldly affairs for a hundred years!"

Ling Feng stood up and glared coldly at Yin Gu Zhenren: "You scum from the Netherworld Sect dare to touch the young master of my Free and Unfettered Valley?"

He waved his hand: "Ice Guards, heed my command! Form the Mystic Ice Battle Formation!"

"promise!"

The twelve ice guards quickly took their positions, each holding an ice-blue command flag.

As the command flag was waved, the temperature at the dock plummeted again, but this time the chill was different from Ye Qingcheng's—it was orderly, sharp, and carried a murderous aura!

Water vapor in the air condenses into countless ice crystals, which combine in the air to form twelve three-meter-tall ice crystal giants!

The giant was completely transparent, with icy blue flames burning in its eyes. It held an ice crystal spear and marched forward in perfect unison!

With each step, a layer of ice forms on the ground!

"Mystic Ice Battle Formation - Freeze a Thousand Miles!" Ling Feng shouted sharply.

The twelve ice giants simultaneously raised their spears, and icy blue light burst forth from the spear tips, weaving into a huge ice net in the air, enveloping Yin Gu Zhenren and the ghost generals!

"The Mysterious Ice Battle Formation?! The Free and Unfettered Valley actually passed this formation on to the outer sect ice guards?" Yin Gu Zhenren retreated in shock.

He could tell that although the formation was cast by twelve Qi Refining stage Ice Guards, its power was enough to trap a Golden Core stage cultivator!

"Retreat!" He made a decisive move, his black robe billowing out as he transformed into a wisp of black smoke that shot into the sky, intending to escape alone!

"A real person!" Ye Wenyuan exclaimed.

But Yin Gu Zhenren didn't even turn his head, and disappeared into the direction of the sea in a few flashes.

The ghost generals, enveloped in the ice net, froze and shattered.

Ye Wenyuan's face was ashen.

The Ice Guards have taken control of the entire area, and all the bodyguards have been disarmed and pinned to the ground.

Ling Feng walked up to Lin Chen and bowed again: "Young Master, I am late and have frightened you."

Lin Chen took a deep breath, suppressing the surging yang energy within him: "Not too late, just right. How did you find me?"

"The Cold Heart Jade has a location tracking function. The Third Valley Master sensed that you were using the Nine Yang True Qi continuously and knew that you had encountered a powerful enemy, so he ordered us to come here overnight," Ling Feng said respectfully.

"My lord, we should not linger here. The Netherworld Sect may have other plans."

"Please evacuate with us."

Lin Chen nodded and looked at Ye Qingcheng.

She had already lost consciousness, and Old Chen was supporting her.

"Take her and the driver with you, let's go together."

"yes!"

Half an hour later.

Off the East China Sea, inside the medical cabin of a medium-sized yacht.

Ye Qingcheng lay on the hospital bed, her face still pale, but her breathing had become steady.

Lin Chen sat by the bed and took her pulse again.

Ling Feng stood aside and reported: "Young Master, we have found out that Ye Wenyuan's cooperation with the Netherworld Sect began half a year ago."

"The Netherworld Sect promised to help him take complete control of the Ye family and teach him the method of prolonging life, on the condition that Ye Qingcheng possesses the 'Frosty Yin Body'."

"Near the shipwreck in the South China Sea, they discovered an ancient evil cultivator's cave, which contained part of the array diagram and materials for setting up the 'Seven Yin Convergence' array."

"It was there that Ye Qingcheng was afflicted with the 'Heart-Locking Curse' and the Yin energy."

Lin Chen frowned deeply: "The Netherworld Sect's planning for this project is beyond imagination in terms of depth and duration. What exactly do they intend to do with the 'Seven Yin Convergence' formation?"

Ling Feng pondered: "According to the ancient records in the valley, the 'Seven Yin Convergence' is an ancient evil formation with several uses."

"First, open the Gate of the Nine Netherworlds to draw in the power of Yin and evil; second, refine the 'Nine Yin Puppet,' which is equivalent to creating a puppet with the combat power of a Nascent Soul stage cultivator; third... refine the 'Nine Revolutions Rejuvenating Yin Pill,' which can allow those whose lifespan is about to end to reverse Yin and Yang and regain their youth."

"The Netherworld Sect Master, 'Old Ghost of the Netherworld,' is nearing the end of his lifespan and has been seeking a way to prolong it."

"My guess is that it's likely for a third purpose."

Lin Chen's eyes were icy: "Using seven living women to refine medicine? What a vicious method."

He looked at the unconscious Ye Qingcheng: "Can the Heart-Locking Curse be broken?"

"Yes, but we need two things," Ling Feng said.