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

Li Hanshan stood still, his hands holding the jade bottle and jade slip motionless.

His gaze swept over the three unconscious female cultivators on the flying boat, over Wu Zhanlong's indifferent face, over Wu Tianxiong's gloating smile, and finally landed on Qin Muyue's eyes, which seemed to be smiling but not smiling.

"Holy Maiden," he suddenly spoke, his voice calm, "will you take me after I've taken them all?"

Wu Tianxiong burst into laughter first, his laughter filled with malice: "Hahahaha! You old fool, you're not stupid after all! That's right, why do you think the Holy Maiden would give you such a big benefit? Could it be that she's fallen in love with you?"

At this point, his smile widened even further: "Keep dreaming! Once you're ruined, I'll be the first to send you on your way!"

Qin Muyue didn't deny it. She simply tilted her head, looked at Li Hanshan, and parted her red lips slightly: "Old man, you're a smart man. A smart man should know that living is more important than anything else. If you cooperate obediently, I might spare your life. You can be my dog ​​from now on; that wouldn't be treating you unfairly."

Li Hanshan remained silent.

Two great golden pills.

Whether it's Qin Muyue or Wu Zhanlong, either one could easily crush him. With both of them combined, his chances of escaping were extremely slim.

This time, it seems to be a truly hopeless situation.

He instinctively gripped the jade bottle tightly in his hand. The Blazing Sun Pill was entirely crimson, and one could feel its violent heat even through the jade bottle. If he were to actually consume this, coupled with the Blazing Sun Technique, his pure Yang energy would indeed surge—but after that surge, he would be drained dry.

"Old man, stop dawdling!" Wu Tianxiong shouted impatiently.

Li Hanshan raised his head, about to speak, when he suddenly caught a glimpse of the woman in black on the flying boat move slightly.

Cold mist.

She woke up.

No, she might have been awake long ago. Her cold, beautiful eyes were staring straight at him through her disheveled long hair. Then, her lips moved silently.

There was no sound, but Li Hanshan understood her lip movements.

"Buy time."

Li Hanshan withdrew his gaze, his face showing no unusual expression. He uncorked the jade bottle and poured out the Blazing Sun Pill. The pill was scalding hot to the touch, radiating an extremely intense medicinal power.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, he put the Blazing Sun Pill into his mouth, tilted his head back, and swallowed it.

boom!

The moment the pill entered his stomach, it felt as if a volcano had exploded in his dantian. Pure yang energy surged wildly, like a flame doused with boiling oil. Golden light shone brightly in Li Hanshan's meridians, and his aura rose at a visible speed.

Qin Muyue nodded in satisfaction, her smile deepening.

Li Hanshan suppressed the overwhelming surge of pure yang energy within him, which threatened to burst him apart, and walked towards the flying boat. His steps were slow, each one feeling like he was walking on a knife's edge.

He walked up to Han Yan, squatted down, and pulled her up from the ground.

Then he turned around, looked at Qin Muyue, Wu Zhanlong, and Wu Tianxiong, a perfectly measured hint of embarrassment on his face: "How can I do my job if you're all watching like this?"

Wu Tianxiong's face darkened: "Old man, you've got a lot of trouble to do."

"Alright." Qin Muyue waved her hand. "You all should step back for now. Let's save him some face."

Wu Tianxiong snorted coldly and reluctantly followed Wu Zhanlong as they retreated into the distance.

Qin Muyue also turned around and walked more than twenty feet away.

Li Hanshan's gaze swept around—Wu Zhanlong and Wu Tianxiong had retreated to the left rear, about a hundred feet away, while Qin Muyue was about twenty feet directly in front of him.

For a Golden Core cultivator, this distance is merely a matter of a single thought.

He withdrew his gaze, straightened Han Yan, and reached out to untie the Immortal Binding Rope from her body.

The moment his fingers touched the knot, Han Yan suddenly flipped his wrist, and a talisman that he had been holding in his palm lit up.

Tier 3 Spirit Talisman!

The talisman transformed into a jet-black demonic light, carrying an aura of annihilation, and hurtled straight toward Qin Muyue's back!

At the same time, Li Hanshan suddenly rose up!

A burst of black light erupted from the Soul Banner, and Xiao An's figure flashed out like a ghost. His hands formed a hand seal, and the most powerful attack technique recorded in the Netherworld Record—the Netherworld Spear—transformed into a jet-black spear and shot towards Qin Muyue. Meanwhile, Li Hanshan channeled his late-stage Foundation Establishment spiritual power into his flying sword, and the Flowing Light Sword Technique transformed into a dazzling golden sword light, aiming straight for Qin Muyue's throat!

Three attacks erupted almost simultaneously!

Qin Muyue turned around abruptly, and for the first time, a look of surprise appeared on her lazy face.

But she was, after all, at the peak of the Golden Core stage.

With a flick of her slender hand, a small pink shield formed from spiritual energy appeared before her. The demonic light of the third-tier spirit talisman struck the shield, exploding into a blinding burst of light. The Netherworld Spear followed closely, piercing the shield and creating a crack. Li Hanshan's flying sword then struck that crack!

Ding!

The small shield shattered.

However, all three attacks were blocked.

Qin Muyue took a step back, a hint of surprise flashing in her captivating eyes.

"Seventh level of Foundation Establishment? And a late-stage Foundation Establishment Yin spirit? Old man, you've been hiding it well."

"Stop them!" Wu Zhanlong reacted and transformed into a golden light, rushing towards them.

But Li Hanshan and Hanyan had already moved the moment they launched their attack.

They never expected to harm Qin Muyue. Their true purpose was always to escape.

The direction they fled was not the outer perimeter, nor the sky—but that sealed, dark land!

The two had excellent chemistry.

"Are you crazy!" Wu Tianxiong exclaimed.

That ghostly realm is sealed with tens of millions of vengeful spirits! Going in is certain death!

But Li Hanshan and Hanyan were too fast. The two of them poured almost all their spiritual power into their escape technique, transforming into two streams of light, one golden and one black, that crashed straight into the black mist.

Qin Muyue stood still and did not chase after her.

As she watched the two figures rush into the black mist, a genuine interest appeared in her eyes for the first time.

"interesting."

boom!

The two broke through the outer layer of light of the sealing array and plunged into the boundless darkness.

Behind him came Wu Tianxiong's furious roar: "Old bastard! You'd rather die in there than grant the Holy Maiden's wish! You'll die a horrible death!"

Qin Muyue laughed and said, "Does he think he can escape like this?"

Li Hanshan could no longer hear.

Endless Yin energy surged in from all directions, engulfing the two. Countless Yin spirits sensed the presence of the living and let out mournful howls, surging towards them like a black tide.

"Xiao An!" Li Hanshan shouted.

Xiao An flew out from the soul banner, her hands forming a seal, and she activated the techniques in the Netherworld Record at full power. Before the low-level Yin spirits that rushed towards her could even get close, they were pulled towards her by an invisible suction force, turning into strands of pure soul power that merged into her body.

"Senior, this way!"

Xiao An pointed in a direction, and Li Hanshan, holding Han Yan's hand, followed closely behind Xiao An.

The number of vengeful spirits behind him grew larger and larger, but Xiao An was like a lamp in the darkness; wherever he passed, the lower-level vengeful spirits retreated. Occasionally, a few Foundation Establishment stage vengeful spirits tried to stop him, but Xiao An blasted them all away with his Netherworld Spear.

The three of them sped through the black mist for an unknown amount of time until the tide of ghosts behind them gradually thinned out, and Xiao An finally stopped in front of a broken wall and ruins.

This appears to be an abandoned palace. Although most of it has collapsed, the remaining walls still retain the faint light of the array, slightly isolating the surrounding yin energy.

Li Hanshan leaned against the wall, panting heavily. The effects of the Blazing Sun Pill within his body were still raging, the pure Yang energy surging through his meridians like magma, almost bursting his body. He hadn't actually taken the Blazing Sun Pill; he had only pretended to, but he hadn't expected that even the small amount he held in his mouth would be so potent.

His gaze fell on Han Yan beside him, his eyes filled with scrutiny. The woman's cooperation just now was flawless, as if the two had rehearsed it countless times.

But in fact, they never made any agreement.

"How did you get caught by them?"

he asks.