The frail young man nearby paled at the sight and suddenly raised his hand, summoning a gleaming long blade into his grasp. He slashed fiercely at the golden-furred hand.
*Clang!*
The moment the blade struck the fist, a blinding golden light erupted.
Not only did the blade shatter instantly, but the young man was also sent staggering back several steps. With a cough, he spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed weakly to the ground, utterly unable to rise again.
“This place is already under my restriction. Even if you scream your lungs out, it won’t help. You’ve got quite the nerve—knowing this little Taoist has powerful backing, yet refusing to release him. Did you really think that just because this is the Long Family’s territory, I wouldn’t dare come here to take him?” The voice of the suddenly appearing man echoed coldly through the room once more.
Then, with a ripple in space, a golden figure slowly materialized in the room.
It was a golden-furred demonic ape, standing three to four zhang tall, clad in silver-white battle armor.
The ape’s eyes were a piercing blue, its fangs bared, and an aura of savagery surged from its body. A faint black miasma of killing intent coiled around it, making it appear exceptionally ferocious.
“A demonic cultivator?! Impossible!” The black-browed elder gasped in shock at the sight of the giant ape.
The old woman’s rolling eyes also flickered with astonishment.
“Heh, what’s impossible? Since you’ve dared to court death, don’t blame me for being ruthless!” The golden ape’s eyes flashed with malice as it growled, its golden-furred hand tightening around the old woman, fingers glowing with golden light as if ready to crush her to death.
“Senior, no!”
“Stop!”
The black-browed elder and the frail young man, who had just regained his senses, shouted almost simultaneously.
But both of them were weak, their mana in disarray, utterly incapable of intervening.
Just as the old woman’s face turned ashen, her eyes filled with despair, a calm voice suddenly drifted in from outside:
“I see your courage is no small thing either, fellow Daoist. Daring to infiltrate my territory alone and commit such violence.”
As the words fell, a thunderous crack echoed from above, and a massive purple hand, covered in countless runes, tore through some invisible barrier and descended mercilessly toward the golden ape’s head.
“Long the Freak!”
The golden ape’s expression twisted in alarm. With a roar, it abruptly tossed the old woman aside and swung its own enlarged golden hand to meet the purple one head-on. At the same time, its other hand reached out toward the motionless Qi Lingzi, as if to seize him from afar.
*BOOM!*
A deafening explosion erupted as a colossal sphere of golden and purple light burst forth in the room. The immense spiritual pressure blasted away the walls and roof.
Amid the blinding radiance, a muffled grunt was heard.
Then, a golden figure shot out from the light like an arrow, vanishing in a flash to reappear a hundred zhang away.
“Still trying to flee?”
The owner of the purple hand let out an icy snort.
A streak of purple light shot out from the top of a nearby golden tower like a rainbow, chasing after the golden figure with even greater speed.
The commotion naturally roused the entire castle.
Countless streaks of light rose from various buildings as people sought to investigate.
But in that brief moment of hesitation, the golden figure and the purple streak had already shot beyond the city walls, plunging into the white mist outside.
By the time the Long Family cultivators hurried to the mist’s edge, a series of explosions erupted from within.
Roars and furious shouts mingled as two overwhelming spiritual pressures surged from the depths of the mist, distorting the illusory sky and sending tremors like thunder. The two forces seemed locked in a stalemate.
The Long Family cultivators exchanged uneasy glances, their faces filled with dread.
By now, they knew one of the figures in the mist was their family’s ancestor. The fact that the other could contend with him without faltering suggested a late-stage Body Integration Saint-level cultivator.
If so, any Nascent Soul or Deity Transformation cultivators foolish enough to charge in would be courting death.
The leader of the Long Family, the imposing purple-robed middle-aged man, stared at the mist with a mix of shock and fury. But sensing the overwhelming spiritual pressure within, he hesitated.
“Long Family Head, would you like me to intervene and separate the two?” A melodious female voice suddenly spoke from behind him.
Startled, the purple-robed man turned to see a yellow-robed maiden, appearing no older than seventeen or eighteen, standing gracefully behind him with a faint smile.
Had Han Li been present, he would have recognized her instantly—the renowned Sage of a Thousand Autumns from the Qi Ling Clan.
“Sage of a Thousand Autumns! If you’re willing to help capture the intruder, that would be most welcome,” the purple-robed man said, masking his surprise with forced enthusiasm.
“Capture? Impossible. Even with my help, it can’t be done. Besides, while I’m on good terms with the Long Family, I won’t provoke another mighty figure without cause. At most, I can separate them temporarily,” the maiden replied with a shake of her head.
“Separate them… Very well. My father recently expended some vitality and shouldn’t engage in prolonged battle,” the Long Family Head said after a moment of hesitation.
“Good. Since you agree, I’ll— Hm? Never mind. It seems my intervention won’t be necessary,” the Sage murmured, her gaze sharpening as she looked toward the mist.
“What do you—” Before the purple-robed man could finish, the ground beneath the castle trembled violently.
A cataclysmic explosion erupted from the mist, followed by a strange, piercing shriek.
A surge of golden and purple energy blasted outward, sweeping away the mist and rushing toward the Long Family cultivators.
Chaos ensued as the weaker cultivators scrambled back behind the walls, while the higher-ranking ones summoned protective treasures, shielding themselves as they retreated slightly.
Only the Sage of a Thousand Autumns remained unmoved, though her smile had vanished, replaced by solemnity.
As the energy dissipated, the mist cleared, revealing two figures floating in the distance—one a towering golden ape, over thirty zhang tall, clutching a robed human in one hand and brandishing a fist with the other, its expression savage.
Opposite it stood an ordinary-sized figure—the golden-masked middle-aged man who had appeared at the auction. Now, however, a pair of golden dragon horns protruded from his forehead, golden scales covered his cheeks, and his eyes gleamed with golden light. His hands were empty, yet his stance was unyielding.
The ground below them was littered with craters, a testament to their fierce battle.
“Heh, as expected of a peak late-stage cultivator, worthy of the title of the foremost true spirit lineage. To withstand my physical might directly… But Long the Freak, I’ve tested your skills enough. You can’t keep me here,” the golden ape rumbled.
“Who are you? To my knowledge, aside from the Yellow-Browed Sage, no other ape demonic cultivator has reached Body Integration,” the Long Family Ancestor replied coolly.
“Heh, guess all you like. Since you’ve personally intervened, I’ll spare those fools this time. But if there’s a next time… don’t blame me for being truly ruthless,” the ape snarled.
Suddenly, a layer of eerie silver flames enveloped its body. It curled up and lunged toward a point in the void.
The Long Family Ancestor’s expression remained unchanged, though his pupils contracted slightly. He made no move to stop it.
With a *whoosh*, the space where the ape struck seemed to melt, revealing a dark void. The ape vanished into it in a flash.
The Long Family Ancestor stood motionless, watching the shrinking black hole with flickering eyes, deep in thought.
“Father, are you unharmed?” The purple-robed man hurried over with a group of elders, bowing respectfully.
“Hmph, do you think I’d be injured? Did you expect me to lose?” the Ancestor retorted coldly.
“Not at all. I merely noticed you’d activated your half-dragon form and grew concerned,” the purple-robed man replied deferentially.
The Ancestor’s eyes gleamed. “You heard that demon’s parting words. As the Family Head, you must know something.”
“This matter involves Li Niang. I intended to report it, but I never expected the pursuer to be so powerful—a demonic cultivator of this caliber,” the purple-robed man admitted with a bitter smile.
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