Shen Jizhi’s hammer strike forced the Ghost Fish King to stagger back several steps, half of its body retreating into the eerie ck mist above.


    Its head was smashed into a bloody pulp, the foul-smelling ck ooze clumping together, sealing its wide mouth shut except for a small opening on the right side.


    The suction force weakened instantly. Jian Huan, weighed down by a hundred heavy talismans, felt as heavy as a mountain, pressing down on Shen Jizhi and dragging Liu Hu along as they plummeted toward the ground.


    Below, Yu Jiang was rushing over with arge group of ck-d guards. From above, they looked like a surging tide, menacing and unstoppable.


    Jian Huan, lying on Shen Jizhi’s shoulder, nced at the Ghost Fish King above, now a trapped beast on the verge of madness, and then at the ck tide of guards waiting below. She quickly tapped Shen Jizhi and whispered urgently into his ear, “Shen Jizhi, hurry! Help me remove the talismans!”


    Just as a person cannot lift themselves, Jian Huan could move her limbs but couldn’t peel off the heavy talismans on her back.


    If the heavy talismans weren’t removed, they would render the three of them immobile.


    Shen Jizhi could have thrown her down, but if he did, she would be defenseless prey, with no chance of survival.


    Hearing her plea, Shen Jizhi’s grip on his sword faltered slightly.


    He pursed his lips and gave a soft hum of acknowledgment. With a swift motion, he tossed the snow-white sword from his right hand to his left. Using the strength of his core, he channeled his five-colored spiritual energy, dragging the impossibly heavy trio to the side. His left hand drove the snow sword deep into the damp rock wall.


    With a loud ng, their descent slowed slightly.


    The sword scraped along the rock wall, sending sparks flying in all directions.


    Liu Hu, oblivious to the conversation between the two younger ones, was still basking in the excitement of his newfound strength. “Heh, I didn’t know I was this powerful!” he eximed, shaking his shackles. “But disciple, why wasn’t my body this tough before?”


    Back in Ningzhang City, he had often been chased by debt collectors and beaten ck and blue. His fists hadn’t been much use then.


    Shen Jizhi tilted his head slightly, his longshes casting shadows over his eyes. With his right hand, he loosened his belt and replied, “Your seal loosened.”


    Hearing this, Jian Huan’s thickshes fluttered. She nced at Liu Hu to her left, then down at the hand near her waist. She instinctively leaned to the right, feeling a little awkward facing Liu Hu.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Though they weren’t doing anything improper—just removing talismans—there was still an ufortable tension in the air.


    “Loosened?” Liu Hu suddenly understood. “It must have been when I ran off on my own and ambushed those ck-d guards, right? That night, I thought I was done for, but it turned out they were the ones who died…”


    Jian Huan’s belt hung loosely, her pale yellow outer robe slightly parted from her white undergarment. Shen Jizhi’s slender, jade-like fingers slipped in like a gentle breeze, causing the outer robe to flutter lightly.


    The fabric of the white undergarment was soft and smooth, with a cool yetforting touch.


    Jian Huan gripped Shen Jizhi’s shoulders tightly, as if holding onto bicycle handles.


    It felt as though countless insects were crawling all over her body. Her hands instinctively tightened, and for a moment, the crawling sensation stopped.


    But only for a moment. Soon, the insects resumed their rapid journey toward their destination.


    The inner chamber was illuminated by night pearls embedded in the rock carvings, casting a soft white light on Shen Jizhi’s exquisite profile. He looked cold and aloof, as if untouchable.


    His voice betrayed no emotion. “What’s wrong?”


    Jian Huan’s dark eyes shimmered with a watery sheen, her tone forcibly calm. “Nothing…”


    Shen Jizhi said nothing more.


    The hundred heavy talismans were stacked in sets of ten, stuck to her undergarment.


    He gripped the edge of a talisman and pulled hard. A stack of talismans fell away, and the weight on his shoulder lessened slightly.


    He repeated the motion, like a dragonfly skimming the surface of ake, creating ripples across the fabric.


    Jian Huan’s back waspletely numb, and her legs lost strength, causing her to slip downward.


    Shen Jizhi pressed firmly on her waist. “Do you want to fall?”


    Jian Huan was practically pressed against his broad back.


    The physique of a sword cultivator was indeed solid.


    Her cheeks flushed, and she focused intently on her breathing. She hooked her legs tightly around him to keep from slipping and urged, “Hurry up and tear them off! There are only a few left. Why are you so slow…”


    “Don’t rush me,” Shen Jizhi said, pausing briefly. “I’m already going as fast as I can.”


    Jian Huan: “…”


    Nearby, Liu Hu overheard their exchange and gave them a strange look. When he saw the outline of a man’s hand beneath Jian Huan’s robe, his eyes widened in shock. Pointing at the two, hisical mustache twitched as he eximed, “What kind of indecent behavior is this, especially at a time like this?”


    Jian Huan: “…”


    Shen Jizhi: “…”


    Liu Hu’s face turned red. “You two are outrageous!”


    Jian Huan covered her face, unwilling to face the situation.


    Shen Jizhi shot him a cold re. “Shut up.”


    Liu Hu shrank back: “…”


    Shen Jizhi truly worked as fast as he could. He quickly peeled off thest stack of talismans and withdrew his hand from her clothing.


    Almost simultaneously, Shen Jizhi forcefully pulled the Snow Sword from the rock wall and charged toward the Ghost Fish King above. With a long-suppressed frustration, he swung Liu Hu, smashing the Ghost Fish King into disarray.


    Jian Huan loosened her grip and slid off Shen Jizhi''s back. With a light tap on the rock wall, she executed a 360-degree spin, quickly tightening her belt mid-air before diving toward Yu Jiang, who was hidden among the crowd below.


    Like an eagle spotting its prey.


    The ck-d guards were not highly skilled, with a mix of Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators. The only one to be wary of was Yu Jiang, who was also at the Golden Core stage.


    Eliminating Yu Jiang would allow them to focus entirely on battling the Ghost Fish King without worrying about a sneak attack from behind.


    The moment Yu Jiang saw Jian Huan charging toward him, his heart skipped a beat.


    A sense of crisis surged within him. He grabbed two ck-d guards and used them as shields.


    The guards he grabbed turned pale, their mouths agape, but too terrified to make a sound.


    Sure enough, with a soft *thud*, the talisman sword pierced through the guard’s body, followed by a deafening explosion as the guard’s body burst into pieces, blood sttering everywhere.


    The ck-d guards near Yu Jiang, witnessing this, retreated in fear, exchanging uncertain nces.


    Yu Jiang flung aside the remains of the guard and, catching sight of the scene from the corner of his eye, roared in anger, “You useless fools! Get moving! Do you all want to die?!”


    The guards, trembling, reluctantly raised their swords and hesitantly closed in on Jian Huan as she swooped down.


    Jian Huan kicked out, her spiritual energy rippling through the air and forcing many back.


    Her silver sword unsheathed, she aimed directly at Yu Jiang. With a *ng*, their swords collided, the sh of spiritual energy sending shockwaves that injured or even killed the nearby guards.


    The guards retreated again, forming a small circle around her, watching her warily.


    Jian Huan hovered mid-air, her legs above her, the soft yellow hem of her dress fluttering like butterfly wings.


    Below, Yu Jiang stood with one foot forward, his teeth clenched as he resisted, his ck boots sinking deep into the ground, his sword-wielding hands trembling uncontrobly.


    Jian Huan smiled sweetly, her eyes still holding a glimmer of autumn water. “Manager Yu, I meant to greet you when we disembarked, but we were in a hurry. I hope you’ll forgive the oversight.”


    “You!” Yu Jiang seethed, then dered, “You hid in Mei Manor, didn’t you? That woman, Mei Yi, helped cover your tracks!”


    “Manager Yu, you can swing your sword carelessly, but you mustn’t speak carelessly,” Jian Huan said with a light raise of her brow, channeling her Golden Core power into her sword. Yu Jiang grunted as his feet were forced deeper into the ground, creating a knee-high crater. “Hiding our tracks? Nonsense. We simply stayed with Granny An for a few days.”


    Yu Jiang tried to speak again, but suddenly, a mouthful of bloody froth spilled from his lips.


    Jian Huan withdrew her sword, and with a *thud*, Yu Jiang’s legs gave way, and he copsed to the ground.


    Yu Jiang looked down and saw a small hole in his chest. A subtle sword intent had pierced his heart without him even noticing.


    Jian Huan had intended to go assist Shen Jizhi, but her gaze caught on the dark, ckened heart peeking through the wound. Surprise flickered across her face.


    A Demon Heart Worm!


    Yu Jiang was a demonic cultivator!


    Having fought Demon Heart Worm puppets before, she reacted swiftly. A lightning talisman flew from her sleeve, wrapping around the small ck worm that had emerged.


    The Demon Heart Worm was reduced to ck dust by the lightning talisman, leaving behind only a puddle of ck liquid where Yu Jiang had fallen.


    Jian Huan nced at it, no longer interested in dealing with the guards. Without dy, she raised her sword and took off.


    Above, Shen Jizhi wielded the Snow Sword in one hand and Liu Hu in the other, battling the Ghost Fish King.


    The Ghost Fish King, aside from its massive mouth, had a highly lethal tail, its edges as sharp as des, leaving nothing alive in its wake.


    Shen Jizhi nimbly dodged the tail, focusing on smashing Liu Hu into the Ghost Fish King’s head.


    Liu Hu, perhaps realizing his protests were futile, had resigned himself to his fate. Hey limp, arms crossed, eyes closed, unmoved by the chaos around him.


    After all, he felt no pain.


    The Ghost Fish King’s head was battered to a pulp, but as a Nascent Soul-level demonic beast, it was still alive. Enraged and in agony, its tailshed out even more ferociously.


    A buzzing sound, like a swarm of bees, emanated from the Ghost Fish King’s air dder, the waves of Nascent Soul-level spiritual energy forcing Shen Jizhi and Jian Huan to tread carefully.


    Jian Huan hid behind a stone pir, peeking out and waving at Shen Jizhi.


    Shen Jizhi gave a slight nod. His eyes gleamed as he swung Liu Hu once more, smashing it into the Ghost Fish King’s head. The beast roared in fury and lunged at Shen Jizhi.


    Jian Huan held her breath, waiting for the right moment. As Shen Jizhi flew past the pir, she seized the opportunity and leaped onto the fish’s back.


    The Ghost Fish King sensed her and thrashed wildly, but before it could shake her off, Shen Jizhi flew back on his sword, drawing the beast’s attention once more.


    Jian Huan straddled the fish’s back, cut her fingertip, and used her blood to draw a talisman on her sword.


    As the talisman took shape, the silver sword crackled with lightning. Jian Huan gripped the hilt with both hands and drove the sword deep into the fish’s neck!


    “Ah—” The Ghost Fish King let out a piercing scream that echoed throughout the inner hall.


    Its head twisted backward, flipping its body over with a violent jerk, thrashing wildly.


    Jian Huan was suspended in mid-air, her hands gripping the sword hilt with all her might as she dragged it down along the fish’s spine. With each pull, the Ghost Fish King’s body shuddered violently, its cries growing more agonized, as if it were weeping and calling for help.


    The beast’s plea for aid reached the city lord in the blood pool, who clenched his fists and immediately stepped out of the pool.


    Blood sttered as his figure blurred, and in the next moment, he appeared in the empty hall.


    The city lord extended his hand, a glowing sphere forming in his palm. The sphere grewrger andrger, radiating the killing intent of a Nascent Soul cultivator, and shot straight toward Jian Huan, who was perched on the fish’s neck.


    Jian Huan was still desperately trying to carve into the fish when a sudden chill ran down her spine, a premonition of death engulfing her.


    She didn’t even have time to let go of the sword before the glowing sphere was within three steps of her.


    At the critical moment, a figure was hurled from the side, shielding Jian Huan and intercepting the sphere.


    Jian Huan’s eyes widened as she watched the sphere’s energy vanish into the person’s body,pletely absorbed.


    A faint *crack* echoed, as though something had shattered.


    The figure’s Taoist robes fluttered in the windless air, his dry, tangled hair whipping around him. A glowing mark slowly appeared on his forehead, ring brightly before disappearing back into his body.


    Liu Hu’s eyes were wide open, countless memories surging within him, his gaze shimmering with light.


    The lord of Ningzhang City’s expression darkened. “This… this is… the power of a Deity Transformation cultivator…”


    Without finishing his sentence, he decisively flicked his sleeve, summoning a ck whirlwind that swept through the area.


    The wind was ferocious, tearing Jian Huan off the fish’s back. Dust and debris filled the air, forcing her to cover her face and close her eyes.


    Then, a surge of five-colored spiritual energy spread out, forcefully halting the whirlwind.


    The wind rose and fell in mere moments.


    When Jian Huan’s feet touched the ground and she opened her eyes, the lord of Ningzhang City had vanished.


    Along with him, the lives of countless ck-d guards were extinguished.


    These once-vigorous guards turned into withered corpses in an instant, their bodies shrouded in dark energy.


    The wind had stopped too quickly, and the lord of Ningzhang City had no time to take his contracted beast with him as he fled in haste.


    Realizing it had been abandoned by its master, the Ghost Fish King thrashed about, trying to follow, but its injuries were severe, and it was blind, staggering and crashing into everything in its path.


    At the same time, dozens of Heart-Devouring Worms emerged from the withered corpses and began closing in on the three of them!


    Gu Shan raised his hand, his finger lightly flicking, and several sword auras shot through the air. With a series of *thuds*, the Heart-Devouring Worms were annihted.


    As he dismantled the dark hall’s formation, he turned his head and red fiercely at Jian Huan and Shen Jizhi.


    His face was the same as before, hisical mustache unchanged, but the recovered memories made Gu Shan no different from Liu Hu.


    Jian Huan coughed and, without hesitation, pointed at Shen Jizhi, shamelessly throwing her teammate under the bus. “Sect Master, it was your disciple’s idea to use you as a hammer! I even tried to stop him, saying it wasn’t right, but he insisted it was fine…” She paused, her eyes darting around before adding, “And he’s the one who told me to water down the wine!”


    Gu Shan spat, “...I knew something was off with that wine!”


    “...” Shen Jizhi’s lips twitched, and he muttered softly, “How utterly heartless.”


    He turned to Gu Shan and called out in a t tone, “Master.”


    With the formation broken, Gu Shan pointed at Shen Jizhi’s nose and scolded, “You disgraceful disciple! Utterly disgraceful!”


    He shook his head, his figure flickering before disappearing as he chased after the lord of Ningzhang City.


    The ce fell into dead silence.


    Jian Huan and Shen Jizhi exchanged nces, their eyes meeting in mid-air before slowly shifting to the Ghost Fish King, which was trying to escape.


    Without a word, the two of them pounced like starving wolves catching the scent of prey, charging madly toward the fish.


    Heh heh, the fish tail—it’s worth a fortune.