I'll make you the furnace and the cauldron, so you can refine Yin and Yang and prove the Great

Smoke and dust filled the air in front of the cave's stone gate.

The elder struggled to his feet from the pile of rubble, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, and the charred burn mark on his dantian was still emitting wisps of smoke.

He glanced down at his tattered robes, then looked up at Li Hanshan's chillingly calm eyes, a twisted smile slowly spreading across his lips.

"Good, very good."

As he spoke, he took out a crimson pill from his storage bag and put it in his mouth.

The moment the pill entered his stomach, the Grand Elder's aura surged dramatically. His originally pale face flushed an unnatural red, and his mid-stage Nascent Soul pressure rose abruptly, like ignited oil.

He formed hand seals and gave a low shout. A surge of bluish-gray spiritual energy flowed out of his body like a rushing river, condensing into a semi-transparent spiritual armor around him, its surface covered with dense runes.

"Li Hanshan, I have cultivated for hundreds of years. Do you really think you can defeat me with a sneak attack?"

The Grand Elder's figure suddenly disappeared from the spot.

Li Hanshan turned to the side, and a bluish-gray palm print swept past the spot where he had just stood, blasting a deep crater several meters wide into the stone steps behind him. The Grand Elder's figure suddenly turned in mid-air, and a second palm strike followed immediately, this time faster and more ruthless, carrying the force of wind and thunder as it aimed straight for Li Hanshan's face.

Li Hanshan did not dodge.

He raised his hand, and pure Yang fire condensed into a purple-gold fire shield in his palm, colliding fiercely with the bluish-gray palm print. The palm print struck as if hitting a red-hot iron wall; the bluish-gray spiritual energy hissed and crackled as it was scorched, and a large amount of white smoke rose from the point of impact. Li Hanshan took half a step back to dissipate the impact, then stepped forward, transforming the fire shield into a fist, and punched towards the Grand Elder's chest.

The elder hastily raised his arms to defend himself, but was forced back several steps by the punch, cracks spreading across the spirit armor on his arms. A look of surprise flashed in his eyes—this old man's strength was even greater than when he last saw him.

Even though they were both at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, he couldn't resist the texture and pressure of the pure Yang fire. Every time he touched it, a layer of his spiritual power would be burned away.

"you--"

"Elder, when you ambushed me, did you ever imagine this day would come?"

Li Hanshan's voice was calm, but his figure approached again like a ghost. Pure Yang fire condensed in his hand into a purple-gold flame sword, which he swept horizontally, carrying a sharp sword intent as he slashed towards the Grand Elder.

The sword strike was too fast. The Grand Elder only had time to sidestep and avoid a vital spot, but his left arm was grazed by the blade. The flames tore through his spirit armor, leaving a charred wound on his arm.

He grunted and retreated rapidly, trying to create distance, but Li Hanshan's attacks were relentless, one sword strike after another, leaving him no chance to even catch his breath.

The low-ranking disciples of the Heavenly Demon Sect in the square had already scattered in fear. Some hid behind the broken walls, trembling, while others simply scrambled and crawled towards the mountain gate.

Hua Nongying leaned against a stone pillar to stand up. Watching the purple-gold figure, like a war god, suppress the Grand Elder without any resistance, her eyes were still red, but the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up. Liu Ruoxue stood beside her, a hint of warmth finally appearing in her icy eyes.

After being forced back by a sword strike, the Grand Elder gritted his teeth.

As he retreated, he pulled a talisman from his sleeve and crushed it violently. The talisman exploded, releasing a beam of bluish-gray light that shot into the sky, creating a dazzling halo. It was a signal for help, which lingered in the sky for a long time.

Li Hanshan looked up at the signal, his brows furrowed slightly, but his attack did not slow down at all.

He swung his sword down, and the Grand Elder hastily dodged, but another gash was torn open on his shoulder, and blood gushed out. The Grand Elder was forced back a few steps, his heels already touching the edge of the cave's stone door, with no way to retreat.

"It's no use asking for help," Li Hanshan said. "The main force of the Heavenly Demon Sect has already returned to reinforce the mountain gate; no one can come to your rescue."

The Grand Elder's face turned ashen, and he was about to retort when a black streak of light suddenly burst forth from the direction of the mountain gate, moving at an astonishing speed. The streak of light drew a straight trajectory across the sky, carrying a dense demonic aura, like a sharp blade suddenly gleaming in the night, slashing straight toward Li Hanshan.

The moment Li Hanshan sensed that aura, pure Yang fire condensed into a fire shield behind him.

The black blade struck the fire shield, producing a piercing metallic clang. The fire shield trembled violently, and tiny cracks appeared in its surface.

Li Hanshan used the momentum to leap forward several feet, creating distance between himself and the Grand Elder, while turning to look at the suddenly appearing streak of light.

Elder Chang stood in the center of the square, his black robe fluttering in the wind, his body surrounded by surging, inky demonic energy.

His face was ashen, his eyes were fixed on Li Hanshan, and his breathing was slightly rapid, clearly indicating that he had rushed back at full speed.

His gaze swept over the wounds on the Grand Elder's body, then over the Heavenly Demon Sect disciples who were scattering and fleeing in the square, and finally settled on Li Hanshan.

"I knew something was wrong, but I didn't expect you to survive the Endless Sea." Elder Chang's voice was icy.

The First Elder scrambled to his feet, clutching the wound on his shoulder, his face filled with the ecstatic joy of surviving a close call. He staggered a couple of steps toward Elder Chang, his voice trembling, "Elder Chang! That old bastard ambushed me! His Pure Yang Fire is too wicked, I couldn't withstand it!"

Elder Chang ignored the First Elder's complaints, and slowly raised his hand. A black demonic aura surged from his palm, exploded in the sky above the square, and transformed into a huge black flag.

The flag fluttered in the wind, emitting a chilling aura. Immediately afterwards, another streak of light flew in from outside the mountain gate and landed beside Elder Chang.

It was a gaunt old man with a sinister face, and his body was also filled with dense demonic energy. He was Zhao, the junior brother of Elder Chang, another Nascent Soul elder of the Heavenly Demon Sect.

The First Elder's elation intensified upon seeing Elder Zhao arrive. He stepped back to Elder Chang's side, clutching his injured shoulder, his voice regaining its confidence: "Li Hanshan, you've chosen the path to hell when heaven is open to you. With three Nascent Soul cultivators here today, you have no way to escape."

Elder Chang remained silent, but his sinister eyes were already locked onto Li Hanshan. He slightly turned his head, exchanged a glance with Elder Zhao, and simultaneously released two pressures of mid-Nascent Soul stage power, like two invisible mountains crushing down on Li Hanshan. The First Elder also reactivated his spiritual power, and the three of them formed a triangle, surrounding Li Hanshan in the center.

Li Hanshan took two steps back, his gaze sweeping over the three of them in turn. He didn't run away; instead, he slowly straightened up, the flaming longsword in his hand reforming, its purplish-gold light shining brightly in the twilight. His Nascent Soul level divine sense had spread out, taking in every subtle movement of the three.

"Three mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators," he said slowly. "That's a bit too many."

Elder Chang sneered and said without further ado, "Make your move."

A black blade, a bluish-gray palm print, and a giant demonic claw—three attacks came simultaneously from three directions, completely blocking all of Li Hanshan's escape routes.