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

Li Hanshan stood behind Ye Shuanghua, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

He had already witnessed the cruelty of the Joyful Union Sect in the Northern Wilderness, but he never expected that the main sect in the Central Continent would be even worse. A cultivator at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm had served the Joyful Union Sect diligently for hundreds or even thousands of years, yet not only did he not receive the respect and resources he deserved, he was also subjected to being drained of his life force by the Void Refinement Elders every few years. His cultivation could not advance any further, and his foundation was repeatedly shaken, leaving him like livestock in a pen, ready to be slaughtered at any moment.

Deacon Xu's betrayal was ultimately a desperate act of survival when he had no other options.

This harsh reality sent a chill down Li Hanshan's spine.

But now is not the time to think about these things.

Ye Shuanghua was trapped in the formation. Deacon Xu and two Nascent Soul cultivators from the Heavenly Demon Sect were slowly approaching. The dark red formation around them was like a tightening iron cage, sealing off all escape routes.

Deacon Xu and the two Nascent Soul cultivators from the Heavenly Demon Sect approached in a triangular formation. The Heavenly Demon Sect Nascent Soul cultivator with a sinister face licked his lips, his gaze sweeping over Ye Shuanghua without any attempt to conceal it, his voice carrying a greasy greed: "Fellow Daoist Xu is right, such a beauty should indeed not be wasted. I have been in the Heavenly Demon Sect for hundreds of years, and I have never tasted the pleasures of a disciple personally taught by the leader of the Joyful Union Sect."

The bald, burly man beside him grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, his gaze sweeping over Ye Shuanghua like a sticky tentacle.

Ye Shuanghua ignored the two men's malicious gazes. She raised her hand to wipe the blood from the corner of her mouth, the Jinghong Sword in her hand trembling slightly. Her clear, cold voice carried an undeniable sharpness: "Deacon Xu, do you really think this formation can trap me?"

Deacon Xu shook his head, his tone carrying a confident composure: "Ye Shuanghua, this formation was prepared specifically for you. The Heavenly Demon Sect's Illusion Demon Trapping and Killing Formation took three months of accumulation to set up, and its foundation draws upon a small underground spiritual vein for support. I know your Jinghong Sword is fast, but the core of this formation is 'delay.' No matter how fast your sword is, it will be 30% slower than usual within this formation. That 30% time difference is enough for the three of us to attack simultaneously."

As he spoke, he suddenly struck out with his palm. Just like the palm strike that had ambushed Ye Shuanghua, the palm print was as black as ink, carrying intense demonic energy and an eerie heat. Ye Shuanghua dodged to the side, her Jinghong Sword drawing a sharp arc in the air, slashing towards Deacon Xu's palm print. The moment the sword light collided with the palm print, her figure faltered again, and the blush on her face became even more pronounced in that instant.

"What did you do?" Her voice finally crackled with emotion, and a genuine unease flickered in her usually cold eyes.

Deacon Xu took a step back, his smile deepening. "You thought that palm strike was just ordinary demonic energy? That was the Joyful Union Palm, a very special variant of the Joyful Union Sect's techniques. Although the force of that palm strike wasn't enough to seriously injure you, it had an excellent side effect—comparable to the most potent aphrodisiac. Once this palm strike enters your body, it will lurk deep within your meridians, intertwining with your spiritual energy. The more you circulate your spiritual energy, the faster it spreads."

Ye Shuanghua's cheeks grew increasingly red, her breathing became rapid, and even the hand holding the Jinghong Sword trembled slightly.

She tried to force it out with her inner energy, but Deacon Xu and the two Nascent Soul cultivators wouldn't give her the chance and attacked again, forcing her to only parry.

Seeing the critical situation, Ye Shuanghua bit her tongue hard, and a sharp pain briefly restored her senses.

She held the Jinghong Sword horizontally in front of her, and with her other hand, she took out a silver-white talisman from her sleeve and crushed it violently.

The talisman exploded, transforming into a silver-white light screen that formed a black defensive shield around her and Li Hanshan, isolating Deacon Xu and the two Nascent Soul cultivators from the outside.

However, the defensive shield had already begun to show fine cracks under the pressure of the dark red array. Deacon Xu stood outside the shield, hands behind his back, his tone exuding an air of confident composure: "Ye Shuanghua, do you think you're the only one with a trump card? We expected this. You won't last long with this talisman. Once your spiritual energy is exhausted and this shield shatters, where will you escape to?"

Inside the defensive shield, Ye Shuanghua slowly slid to sit on the ship's railing, holding the Jinghong Sword in her arms, its light already somewhat dimmed. Her breathing grew increasingly rapid, and although her clear, cold eyes still held an unyielding stubbornness, it was clear she was nearing her breaking point.

Li Hanshan quickly walked to her side, squatted down, and put his hand on her shoulder: "Fairy Ye, how are you?"

Ye Shuanghua shook her head slightly, her voice hoarse and weary: "He won't die. But if this drags on any longer, he probably won't survive." She raised her head, her gaze falling on Li Hanshan's face. In her eyes, besides struggle, there was also a complex resoluteness. "You are a Pure Yang Holy Body."

Li Hanshan felt a chill run down his spine. He knew, of course, that he possessed the Pure Yang Holy Body, and he understood what this meant for the cultivators of the Joyful Union Sect.

Pure Yang energy has a restraining effect on any demonic cultivation technique, and it is an excellent medium for the dual cultivation techniques of the Joyful Union Sect. When Ye Shuanghua mentioned the Pure Yang Sacred Body at this time, it unconsciously reminded him of those furnaces that were drained of their life essence.

"What does the Night Fairy need me to do?" He suppressed those distracting thoughts and tried his best to keep his voice calm.

Ye Shuanghua looked at him for a moment, a struggle flashing in her eyes, before finally speaking: "I am only one step away from the fourth level of the Nascent Soul stage. If I can break through, I am confident I can break this formation and lead you out. However, if I force a breakthrough, the Hehuan Palm power within my body will spread rapidly due to the surge in spiritual energy, and I may completely lose control at that time. The only way is to use your pure Yang energy to refine that palm power. This process requires dual cultivation and will likely consume a large amount of your pure Yang essence."

She paused, then lowered her voice slightly: "Are you willing? If you're not, I won't force you."

Looking into her cool and aloof eyes, Li Hanshan's mind was filled with a myriad of emotions.

He certainly knew what this meant. Ye Shuanghua was a cultivator at the third level of the Nascent Soul stage, and the amount of pure Yang energy she absorbed during dual cultivation was by no means small.

If she doesn't control her strength, she might suck him dry.

However, if he doesn't agree, once the defensive shield shatters, not only will Ye Shuanghua be humiliated and killed by Deacon Xu and the two Nascent Soul cultivators from the Heavenly Demon Sect, but he himself will also face certain death.

Since Steward Xu dared to betray the Hehuan Sect, he would not leave any survivors.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the complex thoughts in his mind, and nodded to Ye Shuanghua: "This disciple is willing. However, this disciple's cultivation is limited, I'm afraid—"

"It's alright." Ye Shuanghua interrupted him, her voice weak but carrying an undeniable certainty. "I'll control my strength. You just need to cooperate with me."

Li Hanshan didn't say anything more.

He reached out and helped Ye Shuanghua up from the side of the ship, letting her lean against him.

Ye Shuanghua's body stiffened slightly, but she did not break free. A complex emotion flashed in her clear, cold eyes. Then she closed her eyes and gently rested her forehead on his shoulder.

Deacon Xu, standing outside the defensive barrier, frowned sharply upon witnessing this scene. He raised his hand and slammed a black palm print into the barrier, causing the silver-white light screen to tremble violently and crack even more. He shouted sternly, "Ye Shuanghua! What do you think you're doing? Do you think this old man is of any use to you?"

Ye Shuanghua ignored it completely and threw out another talisman. This time, Steward Xu could no longer see what was happening inside.