After descending the mountain, my aloof fiancée became completely devoted to me.

In the dense forest stronghold behind the mountain, Xiaoyuer's maniacal laughter had not yet subsided, completely unaware that his every move had already fallen under Lin Ping's control.

Inside the manor's bedroom, Lin Ping held the docile and clingy Shen Aoxue in his arms, gently stroking her hair with his fingertips, his eyes filled with indifference.

Holding a secret note, Aru strode into the room and whispered, "Sir, our informant in the back mountain has reported that the entire Illuminati has been mobilized to capture all martial artists with internal energy and prepare for the earth vein sacrifice at midnight."

Lin Ping's expression remained unchanged as he calmly said, "Pass down the order to contact all the reclusive martial arts masters in the Southern Frontier, instructing them to hide and set up defenses in advance to avoid the Illuminati's search. There's no need for direct confrontation; they only need to protect themselves."

"Yes!" Alu bowed and accepted the order, then immediately turned and went out to deliver the message.

Ake, who was pretending to be obedient and bowing her head, twitched her ears slightly and secretly rejoiced.

In her view, Lin Ping was already depleted of qi and blood and exhausted in spirit. At this moment, he had to divert his attention to coordinating various forces, which would only further deplete his own resources, playing right into Xiao Yu'er's hands.

Within half an hour, all the major martial arts families and independent cultivators in the Southern Frontier received Lin Ping's warning and closed their residences to hide, withdrawing from the bustling city.

The Illuminati monks scattered throughout the city searched every street and alley, martial arts schools, and secluded villas, but ultimately returned empty-handed.

At the outpost on the back mountain, the cultivator who was reporting was pale-faced and knelt with his head bowed.

"Young Master! Something's wrong! All the martial arts masters in the city have vanished, not a single one can be captured, we've gained nothing!"

The ecstasy on Xiaoyuer's face froze instantly. His scarlet mechanical right eye flashed violently, and his mechanical right arm clenched tightly, crushing the tempered glass cup in his hand into pieces, sending glass shards flying everywhere.

"Lin Ping again!"

She gritted her teeth and roared, her anger surging, her chest heaving violently, her face contorted with rage and shame.

"He's barely able to protect himself, being relentlessly pursued by a clingy woman, yet he still has the energy to orchestrate the entire operation and ruin my plans!"

The deputy lowered his head and dared not speak.

Little Fish flicked his sleeve fiercely, a sinister killing intent surging in his eyes: "Since capturing you is useless, then I'll lure you into my trap!"

"Pass down the order: spread the word! A divine medicine with the power of a thousand years of cultivation has appeared deep within the Tianshan Mountains. Consuming it can drastically increase martial arts cultivation, break through shackles, and is available to everyone regardless of cultivation level!"

She was certain that the martial artists from the Southern Frontier, eager to seek the Dao, would flock to her. Once they all gathered at Tianshan, she could set up a deadly formation and wipe them all out.

The news swept through the entire martial arts world of Southern Xinjiang like a whirlwind.

Inside the manor's bedroom, another intelligence report came from the informant.

After reading the message, Lin Ping casually tore the paper into pieces, a cold sneer curling at the corner of his lips.

"The miraculous medicine of Tianshan? It's just a trap set by Little Fish."

Zhu Xiaohan frowned and stepped forward: "Sir, these martial artists are restless and greedy. They will surely rush to Tianshan and walk into our trap."

"We can't let them die." Lin Ping said in a deep voice, "Xiao Han, you leave the city immediately and go to the gathering place of various martial artists to expose Xiao Yu'er's conspiracy and persuade everyone to retreat."

"I understand." Zhu Xiaohan nodded and immediately turned to leave.

The whole morning has passed.

Under the blazing midday sun, Zhu Xiaohan, travel-worn and with a face full of anger, returned to the manor and pushed open the door.

Everyone inside looked up.

Zhu Xiaohan clenched her fists, her voice filled with frustration and anger: "Sir, I can't persuade them!"

"I publicly stated that the Heavenly Mountain Divine Medicine was a trap set by the Illuminati, and that Little Fish deliberately set a trap to hunt down martial artists, yet no one believed me!"

"Instead, they maliciously speculated that I was afraid everyone would break through their cultivation levels and wanted to monopolize the divine medicine and opportunities of Tianshan! No matter how I explained, everyone ignored me and insisted on rushing to Tianshan to search for treasures!"

Ake listened silently from the side, a hint of secret smugness flashing in her eyes, but she pretended to be regretful on the surface.

"Sigh, people are greedy, and it's really hard to persuade them. It's a pity that Sister Hanhan meant well, but she was misunderstood instead."

Lin Ping's eyes darkened slightly.

He knew that Zhu Xiaohan lacked prestige in the martial arts world of Southern Xinjiang, so it was normal for people not to believe her.

"It's alright." Lin Ping slowly stood up, still appearing somewhat weak, yet exuding supreme authority. "I will go there myself. In the martial arts world of Southern Xinjiang, no one dares to disbelieve my words."

He had dominated the martial arts world for half his life and held sway over the southern border for decades, his prestige unmatched. If he were to personally intervene, all the martial artists would surely retreat.

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Aoxue, who had been obediently nestled beside him, suddenly went limp.

The small hand that had been tightly gripping Lin Ping's clothes suddenly loosened, her eyes closed, and her body fell straight to the ground.

"Proud Snow!"

Lin Ping's eyes narrowed, and he instantly reached out to embrace her slender waist, holding her firmly in his arms.

The girl in his arms had her eyes closed, her face as pale as paper, her breathing weak, and she had completely fainted.

Just a moment ago they were docile and clingy, but in an instant they were completely lifeless.

Zhu Xiaohan's expression changed drastically, and she rushed forward: "Sir! Why did she suddenly faint?!"

Adele and Alou simultaneously gathered around, their expressions grave.

Only Ake, standing to the side, quietly curled her fingers at her sides, a sinister smile flashing across her eyes.

Lin Ping immediately placed his fingertips on Shen Aoxue's wrist, examining her pulse in an instant, his eyes filled with a chilling coldness.

The evil energy within her body surged once more, and a strange restriction now entangled her soul, making her far more dangerous than before.

Clearly, this was because Xiaoyuer, seeing that the sacrifice plan had failed, remotely activated the hidden restriction within Shen Aoxue's body!

On one side are the martial arts masters of the Southern Frontier who are about to head to Tianshan and enter a deadly predicament. Once they all perish, Xiaoyuer can forcibly complete the earth vein sacrifice.

On one side is the fake Shen Aoxue, who suddenly faints, is in grave danger, and harbors a sinister plot, holding him back.

A dead end has descended once again.

Lin Ping held the unconscious girl in his arms, all the gentleness in his eyes completely gone, replaced by a chilling killing intent that swept through the entire bedroom.

He murmured in a low voice, each word icy cold: "Little Fish, are you determined to fight me to the death?"

Unbeknownst to anyone, Shen Aoxue, who was unconscious at this moment, had a faint, eerie, and cold smile curving her lips as she leaned against Lin Ping's chest by his ear. A trace of blood-red aura quietly seeped into Lin Ping's meridians.

A chilling aura coursed through his meridians, and Lin Ping instantly suppressed the strange movements within his body, his gaze fixed on the unconscious Shen Aoxue in his arms.

Without the slightest hesitation, the only way to suppress the surging earth vein restrictions and stabilize her collapsing soul was still to use his own essence blood to heal her.

Lin Ping sat cross-legged on the edge of the bed, placing one hand on Shen Aoxue's back. His powerful true energy, carrying warm essence and blood, slowly flowed into her limbs and bones.

On the surface, his face grew paler and paler, his breath became weak and swaying, and he appeared to be in a state of further weakness, as if his original source had been severely damaged once again.

In reality, his inner foundation is as solid as an ancient mountain. All the loss of his essence and blood is instantly replenished by secret techniques. This continuous blood transfusion is just a show he puts on for all his spies in the shadows.

Half an hour later, Shen Aoxue's chest heaved gradually stabilized, a trace of color returned to her pale face, and she slowly opened her eyes.

As soon as she woke up, her hands gripped Lin Ping's clothes tightly like iron hoops, her fingertips turning white, and she clung to him, refusing to let go even an inch.

"Husband...don't go..."

Her voice was weak and trembling, her eyes were red, and tears were welling up in her eyes. She looked fragile and helpless, as if she might die at any moment.

Looking at her dependent expression, Lin Ping felt a surge of warmth in his heart and said softly, "Aoxue, I'm going out for a bit, I'll be back soon."

As soon as she finished speaking, Shen Aoxue's body suddenly convulsed violently, her chest heaved, her breathing became rapid, and a thick, dark red aura appeared in her eyes.

"It hurts...it hurts so much...don't go...I'll die if you leave..."

Her body was curled up in a ball, barely breathing, and she could die at any moment.

Lin Ping immediately stopped getting up and continued to stabilize his internal energy as he channeled it into her body.

Once her breathing had calmed down, he tried again to lift his hand and pull away.

The next second, Shen Aoxue convulsed all over, her clothes were soaked with cold sweat, her soul fluctuated violently and chaotically, and a murderous aura rushed straight to her brow.

Two times, three times.

The moment Lin Ping even considered leaving, her health deteriorated, and she was on the verge of death.

Alu, who had been watching the whole thing quietly, frowned deeply. Her straightforward nature finally gave way, and she spoke in a low voice.

"Sir, something's not right."

"Every time she has an attack, it happens precisely at the exact moment you're about to get up and leave. It's too strange. How can the symptoms be so coincidental? It's as if she's deliberately controlling your movements."

Adele lowered her eyes slightly and softly echoed, "It is indeed abnormal. The onset of the illness is too regular. It doesn't seem like a backlash from evil energy, but rather something that can be controlled by human intervention."

Ake, who was standing quietly in the corner, kept her head down, but a hint of smugness was hidden in her eyes.

The more unusual the behavior, the more it entangles Lin Ping, the more advantageous it will be for her and Xiaoyuer's plans.

Lin Ping naturally saw through it all.

He knew that the restrictions within Shen Aoxue's body were being deliberately manipulated to lock his steps and prevent him from heading to Tianshan and disrupting the grand plan of the decisive battle.

But seeing the girl's pitiful appearance, with tears in her eyes and on the verge of death, no matter how ruthless he was, he couldn't bear to forcefully break free and leave.

He sighed softly and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes: "I'm not leaving, I'll stay with you."

Upon hearing this, Shen Aoxue immediately stopped convulsing, obediently leaned against him, her eyes crinkling with tears, and clung tightly to his waist, looking extremely relieved.

Just then, Zhu Xiaohan stepped forward quickly, holding a smooth, white pill in her palm.

"Sir, this is the Spirit Cloud Mountain Heart-Clearing and Soul-Stabilizing Pill. It can temporarily suppress the restrictions on the soul and suppress the evil energy of the earth veins, stabilizing her for three hours."

"Three hours is enough for you to travel to and from Tianshan and persuade all the martial artists to retreat."

Lin Ping took the pill and fed it to Shen Aoxue.

The pill melted instantly upon entering her mouth, and a refreshing spiritual energy swept over Shen Aoxue's entire body. The restless baleful aura was forcibly suppressed, and her disordered soul was completely calmed.