Yun Ruoyan and Li Mo descended within a hidden valley. The moment they landed, they noticed something amiss. The swordsmen all turned toward the two of them and surrounded them in a circle.

“Haha, it looks like we didn’t even have to do anything to catch you!” Pi Yan turned around and stared at Yun Ruoyan and Li Mo as an eagle stared at its prey.

“Ruoyan, what are you doing here?!” Madam Hong widened her eyes as she took in Yun Ruoyan’s petite form.

“They’re here to save you, of course!” Pi Batian pulled Madam Hong to his side. “But not only have they failed to save you, they’re even going to die for their foolhardy attempt.”

“Li Mo, bring Ruoyan away! Ignore me—I plan on dying with my sisters, and I’m not worth your lives!” she called out, prompting Pi Batian to pinch her throat shut.

“Madam Hong, Li Mo and I are risking our lives to save you. If you still won’t allow yourself to be saved, you’ll be spurning our efforts! For you, Feng Yicheng’s been taking down city after city, and his body’s riddled with wounds. A Fei’s been listlessly hoping for your safe return. Are you going to torture those whose hearts are with you in your attempt to die?”

“What? Feng Yicheng’s injured?” Madam Hong asked hoarsely, Pi Batian’s grip turning her face red.

“Would I lie?” Yun Ruoyan’s face turned a little angry. “He behaved so recklessly just for you, but you’re unwilling to take the chance that he gave his blood to obtain!”

Yun Ruoyan’s words drew tears to Madam Hong’s eyes. Yun Ruoyan sighed, hoping that her words would spark the desire to live deep within Madam Hong’s soul. She had told a lie: although Feng Yicheng did personally lead his troops to attack the Pi towns, with his current status, he naturally wouldn’t be charging at the very front. Given that Feng Bo was by his side, he might have received a few small injuries, but it surely wasn’t as bad as she described.

“You must be misunderstanding your plight,” Pi Batian jumped in coldly. “Since you’re all here now, your lives are mine to control. Subdue them!”

Pi Yan also commanded, “If you catch them both, all of you will be rewarded with a sage-grade spirit crystal and ten thousand regular spirit crystals!”

With the command, the dozens of swordsmen all turned to Li Mo and Yun Ruoyan with covetous glances.

As Mo’er flew toward the town of Yan, it encountered Zhuo Yifeng. After Zhuo Yifeng read the message from Li Mo that was tied to Mo’er’s claw, he put the message back and hurriedly changed direction. At his fastest speed, he arrived at a series of misty valleys within half an hour. Although it was the middle of the day and the sun was shining brightly, the mist in the peaks and valleys showed no signs of dissipating.

“Demonic spirit, can you sense where any cultivators are?” Zhuo Yifeng asked.

“Of course, but I’ll have to make use of your eyes,” it replied.

Zhuo Yifeng closed his eyes. The next time he opened them, his clear, bright beastkin eyes had been replaced by two pitch-black pupils. He glanced at the valleys below him, and his sight penetrated the white fog to find a certain spot filled with the clashes of fireballs and icicles.

“I’ve found it!” Zhuo Yifeng hurriedly flew to the scene of the battle.

With his gleaming sword in his hand, and with the Scarlet Eye in hers, Li Mo and Yun Ruoyan defended against the horde of swordsmen back-to-back. Rather than swarming them as a wave, the swordsmen had divided into several parties, some with short-ranged skirmishers who engaged the duo, and others who targeted them from afar with their spiritual techniques.

Both of them immediately shielded themselves with their spiritual membrane. Li Mo’s cultivation was higher than those of the gathered swordsmen, so his membrane was sufficient to block all the attacks launched at him. However, Yun Ruoyan’s cultivation was weaker than average, and Li Mo had to expend additional effort to protect her as well.

“Father, help is surely arriving for them. We’d better make this quick,” Pi Batian said.

Pi Yan nodded, then flew into the air. As he reached out and clawed at the air before him, a dozen mud-yellow balls formed in his palm, which he sent whizzing toward Yun Ruoyan and Li Mo.

Sensing the danger, Yun Ruoyan hurriedly blocked the attack with her Scarlet Eye. These mud-yellow balls were concentrated essences of earth, which Pi Yan had condensed with a third-rank sword saint’s cultivation. The attack wasn’t to be underestimated; by the time Yun Ruoyan had blocked half the spheres, her palms were cracked and bleeding from their force. The other spheres landed on her and Li Mo’s bodies.

The spheres that hit Li Mo caused a great disturbance in his spiritual membrane, but were ultimately blocked. On the other hand, those that hit Yun Ruoyan shattered her membrane. One had hit her directly on the head, causing her to yelp in pain as blood flowed from the wound.

“Yan’er!”

“Don’t worry about me,” Yun Ruoyan replied. Even as she spoke, the wound on her forehead was already healing. Tiny black scales covered up the wound, stemming the bleeding. Then, the scales turned into ordinary skin, and the injury on Yun Ruoyan’s head vanished completely, as though she had never been hit.

Yun Ruoyan was the focal point of everyone’s attention, and her self-recovery was witnessed by one and all. Pi Yan and Pi Batian knew that her bloodline had activated, and, when they thought back to the silver dragon elder’s words, their eyes gleamed with greed. If they were able to catch Yun Ruoyan, they would be able to trade her in for high-grade holy water, sufficient to revive them from death itself. Who wouldn’t want an additional life?

When Li Mo met their greedy eyes, he instantly understood what they were thinking. No matter who dared try to hurt his beloved Yun Ruoyan, he would kill them all! And even if he weren’t able to kill them, he would make them pay! He shot out an array of icicles, forcing the gathered Pi swordsmen back, then launched his blade at Pi Yan with his full strength.

Pi Yan didn’t dodge the attack. When the blow struck his body, his spiritual membrane immediately blocked the blow. Surprisingly, however, Li Mo’s attack was actually able to cause his membrane to tremble severely.

When Li Mo shot out another blade, Pi Yan didn’t dare take his attacks lightly any longer. He conjured a wall of earth in front of him, blocking the blow.

He’s already a peak second-rank sword saint! Pi Yan thought. If I don’t catch him now, when he becomes a third-rank sword saint, I’ll be no match for him!

“What’re you waiting for? Continue the attacks!” Pi Batian commanded from the side.

Li Mo and Yun Ruoyan bore the avalanche of attacks aimed at them with gritted teeth. Li Mo extended the membrane surrounding his body to encapsulate her, but it would weaken the overall strength of the membrane. The attacks that rained down on them caused it to fluctuate violently, as though it would dissipate at any moment.

Pi Batian, seeing his opportunity, shouted, “Everyone, launch an attack in unison! Smash their spiritual membrane to smithereens!”

Following his command, the Pi swordsmen all charged up for a massive attack. Li Mo and Yun Ruoyan had no intention of being sitting ducks, but they were soon overwhelmed by the Pis’ numerical advantage.

The moment Li Mo’s spiritual membrane broke, both Pi Batian and Pi Yan burst out in smiles.

“It looks like we won’t need to activate the trap we set up for them,” Pi Yan commented idly.

“We’ve really overestimated them, haven’t we, Father?” Pi Batian murmured. “Catch the two of them, and make sure they’re alive!”

“I’ll reward two sage-grade spirit crystals and twenty thousand regular spirit crystals to whomever can catch them first!” Pi Yan shouted.

The swordsmen swarmed toward Yun Ruoyan and Li Mo.

“Li Mo,” Yun Ruoyan murmured, her voice surprisingly calm.

“Don’t worry, Yan’er. With me around, no one will be able to harm you.”

Yun Ruoyan was just about to reply that she wasn’t afraid when a blinding white glow began to emanate from Li Mo’s body. She couldn’t help but turn toward him, only to have him whisper, “Yan’er, shut your eyes so I don’t blind you.”

“What a strong light! What technique is this?”

“Rather than a technique, it looks like a powerful spiritual artifact.”

“What sort of artifact could produce such a blinding glow?”

The Pi swordsmen all shielded their eyes from the glow, as did Yun Ruoyan, but she suddenly forced herself to open her eyes and look toward Li Mo. Through the blinding glare, she saw Li Mo’s metamorphosis, his ink-black hair and dark robes both turning a dazzling silver...