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

Ye Shuanghua carried Li Hanshan for about half a day, and the terrain beneath their feet gradually changed from gray-black stone mountains to lush, rolling forests. The concentration of spiritual energy in the air grew higher and higher, and even breathing could be felt to carry that clear and mellow aura, like drinking the finest spiritual wine.

Li Hanshan followed behind Ye Shuanghua, recovering his spiritual energy as he traveled. He consumed several Rejuvenation Pills he had taken from his ring, and the pure Yang energy in his dantian gradually filled up, causing the golden light on the surface of his divine infant to brighten again. Although it would still take time to fully recover his spiritual energy, he had at least recovered to about 70%.

"Night Fairy, how is Deacon Xu doing?" he asked. "Did he manage to escape the attacks of the two Nascent Soul cultivators from the Heavenly Demon Sect?"

Ye Shuanghua did not turn around, but her voice came from ahead: "When Deacon Xu sent the message, he said that he was no match for the two Nascent Soul cultivators of the Heavenly Demon Sect and had been unable to shake them off. However, battles between Nascent Soul cultivators are not decided so quickly, so he should be able to hold on."

Li Hanshan nodded. He didn't have a bad impression of Deacon Xu; he just hoped nothing bad would happen to him.

The two continued flying for about two more days, finally reaching the coastline of the Endless Sea.

Ye Shuanghua suddenly slowed down. Her gaze fell on a hazy gray sea ahead—the estuary where the Endless Sea extended to the Tianyuan Continent. Scattered islands floated on the surface, waves crashing against dark reefs. Above that hazy sea, an extremely faint ripple appeared and disappeared in the air, like a piece of crumpled silk slowly unfurling.

"Walk."

Without pausing, Ye Shuanghua plunged straight into the endless sea.

After flying along the predetermined direction for several days, Li Hanshan finally sensed the movement of battle ahead.

"Night Fairy, there's movement."

"Um."

Ye Shuanghua gave a faint "hmm".

She must have sensed it long ago.

"Deacon Xu is trapped." Her voice carried a hint of gravity.

Li Hanshan followed behind her and soon saw the situation ahead.

A cyan spirit boat, mostly damaged, was hovering above the sea. Most of the array patterns on the boat were broken, the light was dim, and the boat was tilted, clearly having suffered a fierce attack.

Around the spirit boat, a semi-transparent black light shield, like an inverted iron pot, trapped the spirit boat and Deacon Xu within it. The surface of the light shield was covered with fine dark runes, emanating intense demonic energy.

Outside the light barrier, two black figures hovered in mid-air with their hands behind their backs. They were the Nascent Soul cultivators from the Heavenly Demon Sect who had chased them down at sea that day. The sinister-looking man and the bald, scarred man were coldly observing Deacon Xu's struggles inside the light barrier, a mocking smile playing on their lips like cats catching mice.

Deacon Xu stood at the bow of the wrecked spirit boat, his blue robe torn in several places, a bleeding wound on his left arm, his face pale, and his breathing rapid. His protective aura was dim, clearly indicating that his spiritual energy was mostly depleted. Seeing Ye Shuanghua appear in his sight, his weary eyes suddenly lit up, and his voice, though hoarse, was extremely urgent: "Shuanghua! Save me! This formation has trapped me for days!"

Ye Shuanghua did not hesitate. She raised her hand, and the Jinghong Sword was drawn again. The crystal-clear white longsword, carrying an extremely sharp sword intent, slashed down towards the black light barrier.

The moment the sword light collided with the light shield, a blinding burst of light exploded, causing the entire sea surface to churn.

The black light shield trembled violently, the dark runes on its surface flashing wildly, and then a crack several feet long split open in the middle. Seizing this opportunity, Deacon Xu flashed through the crack and landed a few feet away from Ye Shuanghua.

"Thank you!" His voice was filled with the relief of surviving a disaster. Although his face was pale, a complex light flashed in his eyes.

Just as Ye Shuanghua was about to say something, a sudden change occurred.

Deacon Xu suddenly leaned forward, his seemingly powerless left arm, which had been hanging limply at his side, abruptly raised, a jet-black light gathering in his palm, and slammed it hard against Ye Shuanghua's back.

The palm strike was too close, so fast that even Li Hanshan's Nascent Soul level divine sense only managed to catch a fleeting afterimage. Ye Shuanghua reacted extremely quickly, turning to the side to try and avoid a vital point, but was ultimately a beat too slow.

The dark palm print landed solidly on her left shoulder, making a dull thud.

Ye Shuanghua groaned, her body staggering forward several steps from the force, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of her mouth.

She turned around abruptly, and with a swift slash of her Jinghong Sword, forced Steward Xu away.

"Deacon Xu, what are you doing!" Her voice carried a rare hint of anger.

Deacon Xu dodged several hundred feet away, creating distance. The tired expression on his face had vanished, replaced by a long-suppressed sneer.

He stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the bleeding wound on Ye Shuanghua's shoulder, a hint of pleasure flashing in his eyes: "What am I going to do? Of course, I'm going to do you."

Before the words were even finished, several thick pillars of light suddenly rose from the surrounding sea. These pillars of light were dark red, and intricate runes flowed across them, weaving together to form an array that was even more complex and massive than the one that had previously trapped Steward Xu.

The dark red light curtain, like a huge circular dome, enveloped the entire sea area within a radius of several miles, along with Ye Shuanghua, Li Hanshan, Deacon Xu, and the two Nascent Soul cultivators from the Heavenly Demon Sect.

Ye Shuanghua's gaze swept over the grand formation, and her expression finally darkened. She turned to Deacon Xu, her voice as cold as ice: "So, all of this was your doing?"

"As expected of the Fairy Jinghong, she is very clever."

Deacon Xu clapped his hands in praise.

"The Hehuan Sect is no weaker than the Tianmo Sect, so why did you pledge allegiance to them?" Ye Shuanghua asked.

Deacon Xu scoffed, "Surrender? Do you think I want to? I broke through to the Nascent Soul stage five hundred years ago. In these five hundred years, my cultivation has stagnated from the first to the second level of Nascent Soul, and I haven't broken through again. Do you know why? Because those elders summon me every few years to 'guide my cultivation.' After they've used me, I have to spend many years recovering my foundation. Just when I've recovered a little, I'm used again."

His voice grew colder, his fingers clenching so tightly they cracked: "Over the years, all my accumulated strength has been drained away by them. You are the sect leader's personal disciple, and the name of the Jinghong Sword resounds throughout most of the Central Continent, so of course you can't understand how I feel. But what about me? I can't even protect myself. If this continues, I can forget about making any progress, and sooner or later I'll be drained dry."

Ye Shuanghua stared at him without saying a word.

Li Hanshan stood not far behind her, his heart also churning with complex emotions.

He had witnessed this cruel rule when he was in the Northern Wilderness Joyful Union Sect—elders could exploit disciples at any time, and the weak struggled to even survive in the sect.

However, the Hehuan Sect's branch in the Northern Wilderness at least retains some restraint towards its disciples, and will not repeatedly exploit people to the point of undermining their foundations. But the main sect in the Central Continent, even its Nascent Soul stage deacons cannot escape the fate of being exploited by higher-ranking elders.

Of course, this is probably because Deacon Xu is too old and has no potential in the eyes of the sect's higher-ups, so they can freely use his energy to replenish his strength.

If it were a genius disciple like Ye Shuanghua, the elders certainly wouldn't dare to lay a hand on her.

Deacon Xu continued, his tone tinged with an almost manic glee: "So, taking advantage of the upheaval at the Northern Wilderness branch, I volunteered to go out and carry out a rendezvous mission. I knew you were in seclusion on Green Cliff Mountain at the edge of the Endless Sea. I contacted two fellow Daoists from the Heavenly Demon Sect in advance, set up this great formation, and then lured you here. Now that you're trapped here, no one can save you."

He sneered, his gaze sweeping over Ye Shuanghua. "If I could drain your essence and turn you into my furnace, with the Nascent Soul essence of your Jinghong Sword, I would have a very high chance of breaking through to the third level of the Divine Transformation Realm. At that time, I would completely submit to the Heavenly Demon Sect, which would be better than staying in the Joyful Union Sect and being drained dry by those old monsters."

Two Nascent Soul cultivators from the Heavenly Demon Sect slowly approached from the edge of the formation. The man with the sinister face licked his lips, his gaze sweeping over Ye Shuanghua's blood-stained white dress with undisguised greed: "Fellow Daoist Xu, such a beauty, we brothers should also have a taste."

Deacon Xu waved his hand: "Wait for me to come first. You all stay behind and make sure she doesn't get away." As he spoke, he made a hand seal, and the dark red array suddenly tightened, causing the surrounding seawater to roar under the strain.