Hearing this voice, everyone''s expressions subtly changed as they turned toward its source.


    On the cliff stood four figures.


    The leading figure was enveloped in radiant light. Through the glow, a graceful and alluring silhouette could be faintly seen, with snow-white, jade-like arms. However, her face remained obscured.


    Beside her were two stunningly beautiful women and a handsome young man.


    The aura emanating from the three was overwhelmingly powerful, even more formidable than the three great demons Lu Yi had previously slain.


    As for the woman shrouded in light at the center, her presence was even more terrifying, like an unfathomable abyss. Even Lu Yi felt she might be beyond his ability to confront.


    Golden Core—their cultivation levels were all at the Golden Core stage.


    Lu Yi was somewhat puzzled. How could demons at the Golden Core level enter this ancient ruin? Had they mastered some secret technique?


    However, this was not the time to dwell on such doubts. These four demons were clearly no ordinary beings.


    Especially the alluring figure in the center—Lu Yi vividly recalled her. In the Blood Fiend Illusion, the leader of the demon side was precisely this woman shrouded in radiant light.


    The Nine-Tailed Demon Empress.


    This woman likely belonged to the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan, a descendant of the Demon Empress.


    Had she obtained the inheritance of the Nine-Tailed Demon Empress and come seeking him?


    The other cultivators’ expressions shifted as they saw the demoness, the radiant glow making her identity all too conspicuous. Many of them began to guess who she might be.


    Han Yu''s expression turned cold, and she transmitted her voice to Lu Yi, "Fellow Daoist Lu, this situation is bad. That demoness might be a descendant of the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan."


    Yun Xi also sent a voice transmission, "Lu Yi, what should we do?"


    Jiang Fan, Lin Xiaoxiao, and the others also sent transmissions, asking Lu Yi for instructions.


    Lu Yi glanced at the pitch-black exit slowly emerging nearby, calculating the timing in his mind.


    He then transmitted his voice to the others, telling them to wait.


    Looking at the radiant figure, Lu Yi chuckled and said, "Who are you?"


    From within the light, a pair of enchanting eyes gazed at Lu Yi. Those black-and-white eyes carried a natural allure. Just by looking into them, one could imagine how captivating the figure within the glow must be.


    She spoke softly, her voice carrying an unusual charm that could easily captivate the mind, "You killed Youque and the others, didn''t you? I can sense the immense power hidden within you."


    Her enchanting eyes revealed a hint of surprise. "It''s hard to believe that the human race has a prodigy like you."


    She had just received her inheritance and was currently in a state of merging with the Dao. Her heightened perception detected the terrifying power within Lu Yi, which did not match his cultivation level.


    Lu Yi smiled and replied, "You mean those three demons? Yes, I killed them. What do you plan to do about it?"


    "Naturally, I plan to kill you," the handsome young man sneered. Golden light flickered around him, exuding a sharp and unstoppable aura.


    He stepped forward, ready to attack.


    At that moment, the radiant woman raised her hand, signaling him to stop. The young man immediately retreated respectfully.


    The radiant woman studied Lu Yi, smiling lightly. "It would be a pity for such a talented individual to die here. Why not join me and serve the demon race?"


    Lu Yi''s lips twitched. The relationship between humans and demons had always been hostile, with frequent conflicts. For a human like him to join the demon race?


    Wouldn''t that make me a traitor?


    Lu Yi chuckled. "I appreciate your offer, but I think I’ll stay with the human race."


    The radiant woman laughed softly. "That''s fine. I''ll capture you and take you back to the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan. You''ll change your mind eventually."


    Hearing this, Lu Yi''s scalp tingled. Without hesitation, he transformed into a bolt of lightning, disappearing from his spot and reappearing high in the sky.


    Where he had just stood, rays of light emerged, sealing the space. Had he stayed there, he would have already been captured.


    Seeing Lu Yi’s astonishing speed, the two beautiful women beside the demoness widened their eyes in surprise.


    "A Foundation Establishment cultivator moving this fast?"


    "No wonder the young mistress wants to recruit him..."


    The handsome young man’s gaze flickered, also showing a trace of surprise, though he still sneered coldly.


    The demoness smiled seductively, her voice like feathers brushing against Lu Yi''s heart. "Little brother, why are you running? My Nine-Tailed Fox Clan won''t mistreat you."


    Lu Yi smiled faintly. "The Nine-Tailed Fox Clan is impressive, but I have no desire to leave the human race."


    "Oh? That’s not up to you." The radiant figure moved like a flash, suddenly appearing beside Lu Yi. A snow-white jade hand reached toward his shoulder.


    Lu Yi’s scalp tingled again, and he instantly transformed into lightning, fleeing at an even faster speed.


    Even the demoness was slightly surprised. "I underestimated you again..."


    Her gaze swept downward, landing on Yun Xi and the others. She chuckled softly, "Yue’er, guard the exit with the others. Don’t let them leave. I’ll chase after him."


    "Yes, Young Mistress!" one of the beautiful women responded with a smile.


    The demoness vanished on the spot.


    The three remaining demons looked down at Yun Xi and the others with calm expressions.


    However, Jiang Fan and the others did not look calm at all.


    "Lu Yi..." Jiang Fan’s face was filled with worry as he looked in the direction Lu Yi had fled.


    "What should we do? What now?" A disciple from Cold Winter Valley looked pale and alert, eyeing the three demons cautiously.


    Han Yu gazed in the direction Lu Yi had fled and transmitted her voice, "Lu Yi told us to wait, so we’ll wait. He must have a plan!"


    "But that’s a descendant of the Demon Empress! Even Lu Yi might not be able to protect himself, let alone save us!"


    Everyone''s faces turned pale as they stared at the three powerful demons before them, feeling a sense of despair.


    By the side, Yun Xi transmitted her voice, "Stop panicking! I believe in Daoist Lu Yi. I have a feeling he will definitely be fine."If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "That demoness said she wants to take Daoist Lu Yi back to the demon clan. She must have taken a liking to his talent. He’ll probably be safe, but we are useless to these monsters. We’re the ones in trouble!"


    The expressions of the gathered cultivators were filled with bitterness.


    In the distance, Lu Yi''s body transformed into lightning, streaking through the crimson mist like a purple beam, fleeing at an astonishing speed.


    Having left the crowd, Lu Yi no longer concealed his strength and directly employed his ultimate technique—Thunder Shadow Step.


    In truth, Lu Yi could no longer afford to hide his abilities. The demoness chasing him was far too fast. Even now, she was able to keep pace with him.


    Behind him, the alluring voice of the demon emperor''s heir carried a hint of surprise. "I underestimated you. I didn’t expect your speed to reach such a level. Even ordinary Golden Core peak cultivators might not be able to catch up with you."


    Lu Yi glanced back at the radiant glow chasing him and said, "Daoist friend, you’re also a Golden Core cultivator. Why don’t you fall back and stop chasing me?"


    "Hehehe~ Unfortunately, I’m not an ordinary Golden Core cultivator." As she spoke, the radiance behind her suddenly exploded with dazzling light. Her snow-white, delicate hand reached out through the void toward Lu Yi. In an instant, the space around him seemed to solidify, drastically slowing his speed.


    A sharp glint flashed in Lu Yi’s eyes as his Mysterious Sun Sword appeared in his hand. With a swing, a strike resembling the sun burst forth. Thunder and indestructible sword intent merged, slicing through the air and slashing toward the radiance behind him.


    Boom!!!


    A thunderous explosion erupted. The air cracked, and space distorted. The terrifying force vaporized a mountain below into nothingness.


    Breaking free from the spatial confinement, ice mist began to swirl around Lu Yi’s feet, dramatically increasing his speed.


    It was the effect of his lower-grade treasure, the Ice Silk Boots. Fully activated, they significantly boosted his agility.


    "Sword intent and the will of thunder? Both at fifty percent? Little brother, it seems your talent is even greater than I imagined. Now I desire you even more." The demon empress’s heir spoke with a tone of surprise.


    Lu Yi’s face darkened. Turning to look back, he noticed that even with his enhanced speed, the demoness was still following closely behind. Her aura, however, had noticeably grown stronger.


    He shouted, "Daoist friend, humans and demons have no future together! You should give up. Even if you capture me, you won’t win my heart! I prefer human cultivators!"


    A brief silence followed before the enchanting laughter of the demoness rang out. "Hehe, with your talent, there’s hardly anyone in the entire Heavenly Bright Domain who can match you. Just like me, you stand at the pinnacle. If you join my Nine-Tailed Fox Clan, I might even marry you."


    "Really? But I’m the only heir of the Lu family. I can’t marry into another clan. How about you marry into mine instead?"


    "Hehehe~ That’s not entirely impossible. Why don’t you stop, and we can discuss our wedding arrangements?" The demoness’ voice came from behind.


    Lu Yi’s face twitched. This fox spirit—who would believe her nonsense?


    If he stopped, she’d surely capture him.


    He laughed aloud. "No need to discuss. Why don’t we consummate our marriage tonight?"


    The figure in the radiance hesitated for a moment before speaking again, "Hehe~ Fine, let’s do it now. Stop, and we’ll consummate immediately."


    Her voice carried a strange charm, and Lu Yi momentarily felt dazed, falling into an illusion.


    In the illusion, a stunning woman with waist-length black hair and a figure both graceful and seductive appeared. She wore a revealing long dress, her shy gaze directed toward him, as if waiting for him to approach.


    At that moment, the seven-colored spiritual vortex in Lu Yi’s dantian trembled, snapping him out of the illusion.


    He sensed the aura behind him closing in and broke out in cold sweat.


    ''Damn this fox spirit!''


    Lu Yi channeled his spiritual energy furiously, pushing his speed to the limit and barely avoiding capture.


    "Daoist friend, ambushing people like this isn’t very honorable!"


    "Hehe~ But I’m a woman, not a gentleman. Also, don’t call me Daoist friend. You may call me Qingqiu Hua. Little brother, what’s your name?"


    "So it’s Daoist Qingqiu. I am Bai Yulong," Lu Yi replied casually.


    Another pause followed, and Qingqiu Hua’s voice sounded again, "Didn’t you just say you’re from the Lu family?"


    Lu Yi froze for a moment before quickly replying, "Fine, my real name is Lu Yulong."


    Qingqiu Hua fell silent once more before speaking slowly, "Little brother of the Lu family, if you don’t stop, I’ll get angry. You wouldn’t want to see me angry, would you?"


    Feeling the turbulent aura behind him, Lu Yi raised an eyebrow in surprise.


    For someone of Qingqiu Hua’s talent, it didn’t make sense for her to lose control over her own power.


    Then it hit him—perhaps she had just inherited the demon empress’s legacy and hadn’t stabilized her power yet?


    Lu Yi smirked. "Daoist Qingqiu, you just inherited the demon empress’s legacy. Using your power like this might not be wise, don’t you think?"


    The radiance behind him flickered slightly.


    Lu Yi was delighted—his guess was right.


    However, Qingqiu Hua’s next words made his smile freeze. "Hehe, thank you for your concern, little brother. It does have some effects, but for you, it’s worth it."


    "...No, I’m really not worth it!"


    Lu Yi was speechless. He was just an ordinary human cultivator. What did he do to deserve this level of pursuit?


    "Hehe... Whether you’re worth it or not, that’s for me to decide."


    At that moment, Lu Yi judged the distance and smirked. "Daoist Qingqiu, it’s better if you stop. Goodbye for now—I need to return to my senior sisters."


    As he spoke, Lu Yi took out a talisman. Spiritual energy surged, enveloping him in light. In the next instant, he vanished.


    It was a Thousand Mile Talisman, a rare spatial talisman his master had given him as a life-saving measure. He had never expected to use it here.


    Watching Lu Yi disappear, Qingqiu Hua’s radiance trembled with anger. "Scoundrel!"


    She naturally understood that she had been deceived.


    In the next moment, Qingqiu Hua disregarded the backlash and erupted with even more formidable power, transforming into a streak of rainbow light as she flew toward the exit.


    At this moment, the exit had already formed. It was a dark, hollow void, similar to the entrance.


    As the exit took shape, the handsome young man stood blocking it, sneering coldly at Yun Xi and the others. Meanwhile, the other two fox demonesses stood at either side, completely cutting off their escape route.


    Looking at the slowly revolving exit, everyone felt their hearts sink.


    If they failed to leave within a certain time, the exit would close, trapping them inside forever.


    "What should we do?"


    "There''s no way! That demon clan member is at the Golden Core realm. His strength is probably even greater than the previous three great demons. How can we get through?"


    "I wonder how Fellow Daoist Lu Yi is doing?"


    "Sigh... Fellow Daoist Lu Yi might not even be able to protect himself."


    At that moment, spatial fluctuations rippled, and Lu Yi suddenly appeared.


    Seeing Lu Yi, both the three demons and Yun Xi''s group were stunned, and the atmosphere fell silent for a moment.


    Lu Yi shouted in a low voice, "Prepare to leave!"


    In his hand, the Mysterious Sun Sword emerged, radiating a terrifying aura like a blazing sun, entwined with formidable sword intent and the essence of thunder.


    Lu Yi immediately unleashed his full strength and slashed toward the handsome young man blocking the exit.


    The golden-red sword light tore through the air, heading straight for the young man. His pupils contracted, and a trace of terror flashed in his eyes.


    He shouted, flipping his hand to summon a war spear engraved with the image of a flood dragon.


    He threw the spear, which transformed into a roaring azure flood dragon, charging toward the golden sword light.


    Boom!!


    A deafening explosion rang out, followed by the mournful cry of the flood dragon. The azure dragon was instantly annihilated, reverting to its spear form, though its glow had dimmed significantly.


    The young man turned pale and spat out a mouthful of blood.


    Lu Yi reached out and grabbed the spear, stepping forward as lightning surrounded him, and instantly charged toward the handsome young man.


    Seeing this, the young man roared and unleashed his power, desperately trying to dodge.


    "Go!" Lu Yi glanced nervously in the direction of Qingqiu Hua, sensing a terrifying aura rapidly approaching. Even he couldn''t help but break into a cold sweat.


    That fox demon must be furious. Indeed, her anger is terrifying.


    If they didn''t leave now, they would be doomed.


    Hearing Lu Yi''s shout, the group of cultivators snapped out of their daze, their faces lighting up with joy.


    They immediately transformed into streaks of sword light and flew toward the exit.


    "Don''t even think about leaving!" The two fox demonesses only reacted after the handsome young man''s swift defeat.


    Terrifying azure light surged around them as they attempted to block the cultivators.


    Lu Yi countered with several slashes, each infused with fifty percent sword intent and thunder essence. The sword light forced the two fox demonesses to retreat.


    Cultivators were naturally quick, and soon everyone rushed through the exit.


    Lu Yi took one last glance at the rapidly approaching streak of light in the distance and sighed in relief. He laughed and said, "Daoist Qingqiu, my offer still stands. You are welcome to marry into my Lu family!"


    With that, Lu Yi didn''t linger. He turned and fled through the exit.


    Mere breaths after Lu Yi entered the exit, the streak of light descended, shattering the ground and forming a massive crater.


    Qingqiu Hua stood in the center of the crater, her radiant light fluctuating violently, reflecting her inner turmoil.


    She glanced at the two disheveled fox demonesses and the seriously injured handsome young man before turning her gaze toward the exit. Gritting her teeth, she said, "Lu family brat, fine, very well! Once I''ve fully absorbed and refined the inheritance, I will personally visit Green Province and capture you to bring back to my Qingqiu clan!"


    ...


    Outside the ancient site of Eastern Forest , Elder Chuyun and four other Nascent Soul elders were anxiously watching the dark spatial exit, their hearts unsettled.


    Xueluo sneered and turned to Elder Chuyun, saying, "I suppose your White Cloud Sect''s prodigy won''t be coming out."


    Chuyun glanced at him and replied, "Perhaps it''s your young master who won''t be coming out."


    "Hahaha, Chuyun, you probably don''t know yet. Our Heavenly Serpent Sect and Blood Spirit Sect joined forces and even brought the rare Mother-Child Transmission Gu to set a trap for your prodigy in the Eastern Forest  ruins. I refuse to believe he could survive that!" Mieyue laughed repeatedly.


    Hearing this, Elder Chuyun''s expression shifted slightly before he coldly replied, "Do you think Lu Yi is someone that petty clowns like you can defeat?"


    "Hmph! Let''s see if you can still talk big later!"


    Nearby, Dongyu and Du Qin remained silent, enjoying the spectacle.


    The surrounding rogue cultivators were also watching the spatial exit expectantly. After hearing Mieyue''s words, they were curious to see whether the White Cloud Sect''s prodigy could return alive.


    At that moment, the spatial exit rippled, and a streak of sword light burst out.


    Everyone''s eyes lit up.


    "Someone''s coming out!"