After I stopped trying, a rich woman trained me into a demon emperor.

The Black Witch Village Elder stood on a high place and raised his dove-like staff.

"Enough with the nonsense!"

Twelve Witches, form the array!

Turn this kid into a blood corpse puppet!

"Yes, Elder."

Xiao Rou, standing beside her, responded sweetly.

Before she could finish speaking, and before the Grand Elder could swing his staff, a tearing pain shot through his back.

A sorcerer's dagger, coated with emerald green venom, pierced his back and emerged through his chest.

The elder's body trembled, and he lowered his head with difficulty, seeing the green blade emerging from his chest.

Xiao Rou gripped the hilt of the dagger, and beneath the light veil, a chilling fire flickered in her eyes.

"Saint... Xiao Rou!"

What are you doing?!

The elder coughed up a mouthful of black blood, his body trembling uncontrollably.

Xiao Rou snatched the dagger back, stuck out her bright red tongue, and lightly licked the blade, letting out a series of coquettish laughs.

"What are you doing?"

"Of course, it's about cleaning up the trash."

She suddenly flipped her wrist.

The twelve witches, who were originally preparing to pounce on Zhou Ran, received Xiao Rou's command and changed direction in unison.

Twelve corrupt black shadows stirred up a sky full of bone-corroding poisonous mist. Instead of attacking Zhou Ran, they rushed straight towards the leader of the Pai Sect and his three hundred water ghosts not far away!

The twelve witches obey only the holy maiden of the village!

"Crazy woman!"

You're asking for it!

The leader of the Pai Sect was both shocked and furious. He quickly turned the Locking Dragon Bronze Mirror around and used its red light to defend against the sudden attack of the Twelve Witches.

"Is your Black Witch Village possessed?!"

"Possessed by an evil spirit?"

Xiao Rou laughed so hard she nearly fell over. She swayed slightly, dodging the elder's counterattack.

She knelt on one knee in the water, facing Zhou Ran's direction, bowing her head in a reverent gesture, and respectfully called out:

"This servant, Xiaorou, greets my master!"

In the murky river water, twelve dark figures carrying a bone-corroding poisonous mist crashed into the water ghost camp of the Pai Sect.

As the poisonous fog spread, the water ghosts that came into contact with it couldn't even utter a wail; their sharkskin armor and flesh dissolved directly into black water.

The leader of the Pai Sect raised the Dragon-Locking Mirror, splitting into crimson rays to defend himself, his anger rising.

The elder bowed his head to examine the penetrating wound in his chest; the blood flowing from the wound had turned emerald green.

He looked up, his wrinkled old face contorted in extreme pain.

"Xiao Rou, do you really think I can't handle you?"

The elder's withered fingers formed a strange hand seal.

Xiao Rou's fanatical expression froze, and her whole body convulsed.

She let out a wild howl, clutching her head tightly with both hands.

Black Gu blood began to flow from its seven orifices.

This is the secret method used by the Black Witch Village to control the Holy Maidens of past generations. From the day she planted her natal Gu, her life force has been in the hands of the village.

"Kneel down!"

The elder shouted sternly, slamming his staff heavily onto a boulder at the bottom of the water.

Xiao Rou's knees bent, and her bones made a grinding sound as if they couldn't bear the pressure.

She desperately resisted the control that came from the depths of her soul.

She would rather be crushed by Zhou Ran's domineering power than be a puppet to be manipulated by others.

"Owner……"

Xiao Rou turned her head with difficulty and looked in Zhou Ran's direction.

There was no fear in her eyes, but rather a burning sense of liberation.

She raised the dagger stained with the elder's blood with one hand and pointed it at her own heart.

"I'd rather die than go back!"

Xiao Rou screamed and resolutely plunged the dagger into her own chest.

Poisonous blood gushed out; this strike severed half of her heart meridian and forcibly cut off the Grand Elder's secret control.

She lay limp in the water, her life rapidly slipping away.

Zhou Ran stared at Xiao Rou's sinking body, his expression turning completely somber.

A dog was willing to die for him.

He couldn't just watch the dog die at someone else's hands.

"You old fool, who gives you the right to lecture my dog?"

Zhou Ran let out a low shout, and the Primordial Qi and Blood gushed out from his body.

On his left arm, the black and gold scales shone brightly.

His figure broke through the water, leaving a straight white trail as he headed straight for the Grand Elder.

"You arrogant brat!"

The Grand Elder forcefully suppressed his injuries, waved his staff, and a huge black water gu beast took shape in the water, opening its massive mouth to bite Zhou Ran.

Zhou Ran did not dodge, but used his Taihuang Overlord Body to smash the Gu Beast straight into it.

His left arm shot out, his five fingers gripping the elder's neck like steel claws.

Before he could exert any force, a heavy friction sound came from the depths of the water.

A thick, dark blue arc of electricity shot out from the Susa submarine, striking Zhou Ran directly in the back.

That was an energy beam powerful enough to vaporize a cultivator at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage.

Zhou Ran had no choice but to abandon his attempt to kill the Grand Elder and instead used the Taihuang Qi and Blood to form a tangible light shield in front of him.

The electric arc struck the light shield, unleashing a burst of intense light, and the water temperature within a hundred feet rose sharply.

Above the submarine, the man with the face of "Zhao Tao" slowly walked out.

He was wearing a black trench coat, and the surrounding water receded on its own.

He held an eight-foot-long magatama in his hand.

"Zhou Ran, don't rush to kill him."

"Your opponent is me."

The Master's voice was transmitted through spiritual energy.

At the same time, after the three water apes were killed, a gap appeared in the blockade on the river.

Seven golden rays descended from the sky and plunged straight into the water.

Zhang Xuansu, wielding the Demon-Slaying Sword, led six direct disciples of Longhu Mountain into the arena.

Their bodies shone with golden light, dispelling all the surrounding yin energy.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, you're late for Longhu Mountain!"

Zhang Xuansu laughed loudly, pointing his sword at the leader of the Pai Sect.

"Leave these sewer rats to me!"

Seven Taoist priests formed the Big Dipper Sword Formation, with golden sword energy crisscrossing between them.

On the edge of this chaotic battlefield, only one person remained uninvolved.

Miao Laoshi stood on the shoulder of the giant golden-armored corpse, looking down at the fiercely fighting crowd below.

His withered lips moved slightly:

"Let's fight them all."

The worse the beating, the better.

Only then can I reap the benefits!

His withered fingers drew talismans in front of him.

The three golden-armored corpses did not participate in the battle, but instead stood in three different positions around the water eye fissure.

He had somehow already obtained the silver bell and swiftly attacked the old dragon.

The underwater battlefield is in complete chaos.

The water ghosts of the Pai Sect, the Twelve Witches, the Dragon Tiger Mountain Sword Formation, and the Yin-Yang Masters of the Black Dragon Society are all intertwined in this hundred-zhang-deep body of water.

Wang Pangzi's body shimmered with golden light as he fully activated the Immovable King Technique.

He stood alone at the front, grabbing the legs of the two water ghosts with both hands and using them as weapons to swing and smash them haphazardly in the water.

The water ghost's sharkskin armor was smashed open, and its internal organs flew everywhere.

Su Qingwu and Su Qingling stood back to back, the primordial tides revolving.

The blue water curtain not only protected them but also transformed into sharp water blades, constantly reaping the water ghosts that tried to approach.

The two became increasingly adept at teamwork, and their mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation was put to its maximum use in this body of water.

The leader of the Pai Sect was forced to retreat repeatedly by the sword formation, his expression fierce.

He bit his tongue and spat a mouthful of blood onto the Dragon-Locking Mirror.

"Please grant me your power, Ancestor!"

The Dragon-Locking Mirror shone with a brilliant red light.

In the silt at the bottom of the river, nine iron stakes with hidden array holes suddenly rose ten meters.

Those withered bodies hanging on the iron stakes simultaneously burst forth with life.

The life force of the eighteen living human stakes was forcibly drained, and the red array light waves transformed into tangible chains, part of which were reinforced on the old dragon's body, while the other part was drawn towards the sword array of Longhu Mountain.

Zhang Xuansu snorted coldly, and the demon-slaying sword in his hand burst forth with a pure golden sword light three zhang long.

"Thunder-Breaking Style!"

The sword's edge struck the red chains, producing a deafening roar.

The old man looked at Zhou Ran, his expression turning cold.

He raised the eight-foot-long jade jewel and muttered incantations.

Hundreds of thin, dark blue lines, barely visible to the naked eye, appeared in the river. These lines were not attacking Zhou Ran, but rather cutting towards the Su sisters and Fatty Wang in the distance.